Congressional Conjuring

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Bill Mullins
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Congressional Conjuring

Postby Bill Mullins » December 7th, 2018, 3:26 am

Wisconsin Representative Mark Pocan does a magic trick. (and not too shabby!)

His twitter feed includes #MagicMonday in which he (or someone he links to) does a trick. I wonder, does he subscribe to Genii?

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 7th, 2018, 12:13 pm

For reasons of privacy, I never disclose who gets Genii.
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Anthony Vinson
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby Anthony Vinson » December 7th, 2018, 12:25 pm

Nicely played. C3 is getting lots of action this year. Happy for Paul, but also a bit mixed about the trick going mainstream. Ah well...

Bill Mullins
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby Bill Mullins » December 7th, 2018, 12:47 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:For reasons of privacy, I never disclose who gets Genii.


The question was rhetorical. I wouldn't expect you to say.

But it's interesting to muse about the workers in the mail room at the U.S. Capitol, sorting Genii into Pocan's inbox, wondering "what the heck is this?"

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erdnasephile
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby erdnasephile » December 7th, 2018, 2:07 pm

Anthony Vinson wrote:Nicely played. C3 is getting lots of action this year. Happy for Paul, but also a bit mixed about the trick going mainstream. Ah well...


Yep...great trick that was largely overlooked when first published--that is, until the herd saw it on TV. (I wonder how many people actually/almost bought it twice).

No worries though, I suspect it'll be your "exclusive" again in a few months (? weeks) when the next shiny object appears to tempt us. ;)

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 7th, 2018, 3:46 pm

I cannot imagine any laymen remembering the specific details of a trick other than something like a floating dollar or spongeballs. Laymen don't care enough to remember details.
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Richard Hatch
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby Richard Hatch » December 7th, 2018, 5:07 pm

Congressman Pocan has attended the last few MagiFests. A very nice guy and serious about his magic.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby erdnasephile » December 8th, 2018, 1:27 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:I cannot imagine any laymen remembering the specific details of a trick other than something like a floating dollar or spongeballs. Laymen don't care enough to remember details.


Agreed. (In fact, Shin Lim himself repeated the same trick on a daytime talk show just a short time after using it to win on AGT.)

Josh Jay's research also suggests that any trick with cards alone is far less likely to be remembered than a trick involving cards plus another non-card item.

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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 8th, 2018, 7:25 am

Saw Jeff Hobson perform (First Rate!!!). Following a card trick using a spectator "volunteer," he called to the spectator, as he was walking back to his seat, to remind him that he had "forgotten something." It was, of course, the spectator's watch, which Hobson was playfully dangling by the strap, to the unbridled glee of the audience. I'm betting that the takeaway memory for the volunteer, and for that matter, all in attendance, will not be, "Holy Cow! I picked the ten of diamonds and he found it!" Or even that there was a card trick at all. This said, a card trick that people invariably remember, in my experience, is Signed Card on Ceiling, or, to Erdnasephile's point re Joshua Jay's research, Card to Wallet. I can vouch that when spectators return with friends and family to venues I've worked at, they don't say, "Hey, do that trick where the card keeps coming to the top." 99% of the time it's Card on Ceiling, or Card to Wallet (zippered compartment, of course).

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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby performer » December 8th, 2018, 8:30 am

I do find that laymen remember specific tricks that I do, even years afterwards. And yes, contrary to what Richard says the sponge balls is among them. I often get people coming back to me saying, "Do that trick with the balls". Out of This World is very memorable to them as well as three cards across.

Oddly enough I received proof of that on Facebook recently. I joined a Facebook group recently devoted to a youth club I belonged to many, many years ago. Members mentioned tricks I had shown them nearly sixty years ago including the billiard balls, the colour changing deck trick and many, many more. One also mentioned me doing the coin roll although I suppose that is not a trick.
My point is that they DO remember what you do, even years afterwards if you do your stuff well. You have to be good though.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby erdnasephile » December 8th, 2018, 10:03 am

For those interested, Mr. Jay's article is in MAGIC, September 2016.

From the article:

"...Most people's recall for card tricks improved markedly when another prop or element was involved. People recalled card effects best when there was another prop to anchor the memory: "He threw the cards into the air and one stuck to the ceiling." "A card I picked ended up in my pocket." "He cut open a lemon and took out a playing card..." (emphases per the original)

While one can quibble with the methodology of the actual study, it does raise some intriguing questions about what audiences think on a variety of topics.

Of note, when concluding the section on "Forgettable Card Tricks" Mr. Jay asks: "If they enjoy what you do, does it matter if they remember specifics?"

MagicbyAlfred
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 8th, 2018, 12:07 pm

Mr. Jay asks: "If they enjoy what you do, does it matter if they remember specifics?"

i think that is a question that answers itself; or to use Bill's term earlier in this tread, "rhetorical." Although, i suppose that it does depend on what a magician's goals are in performing. For me, it is entertainment first and everything else a distant second. But, again, that's just me...

performer
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby performer » December 8th, 2018, 12:31 pm

A good magician gets two kinds of applause. The applause at the actual performance whether that applause is measured by laughs, gasps or indeed applause. However, the second type of applause is just as important and in fact can be more important in the long run. That is the after-the-show talk which builds the performer's reputation. That is why you want the people to remember what you did. You don't actually have to consciously plan on this. It should come automatically.

MagicbyAlfred
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Re: Congressional Conjuring

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 8th, 2018, 1:01 pm

A third (especially beneficial) type of applause is that someone you performed for (or someone associated with them) hires or rehires you.


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