The Rocks Cry Out

This has turned out to be the “sleeper” of my whole career!

The method is so simple as to not warrant description.  Most magicians wouldn’t lower themselves to use it, and most lay people don’t know such things exist.  Maybe that’s a perfect muddle ground!  The only “trick” at work is audience management.

I pick up a small box, announcing that I have something very special here.  Opening the box, they see colored tissue paper protecting the contents.  I make some production out of delicately unfolding the paper.  Finally they get to see that it’s…a box of rocks…three rocks actually, which I very UN-ceremoniously dump into my hand.

I explain that these are not magical rocks, and verbally distain those who “charge crystals” and such, ending with “These are not special rocks at all, but they do have a special purpose.  The Bible says that if we won’t praise God, the rocks will.”  (This kind of stuff flies very high in this buckle-of-the-Bible-Belt town.)

I spend some time talking about the Greek word “ktisis” and King James’ translation of it.  (Bible school finally pays off!)  “Even inanimate matter recognizes its place in the universe; only Man has forgotten who he is.”  (Again, this is guided missile monologue in this specific locale, and it hits every major believe present, from Baptist to Muslim to Wicca!)

I hand out the rocks (which are quarter sized “decorator” polished gravel) to three people, asking that they hold it in their hand until it becomes warm.  I split a deck of cards into three piles and give one to each of my helpers, spreading them out on the table before them.  (Important: I spread the decks!)

I now have them take one finger and run it back and forth above the spread, finally dropping a finger on a single card.  They slide the card toward themselves, and I collect the remaining cards.

I ask them to place their now warm stone on top of the card.  (At this point all cards are face down, and no one knows the value of any card!)  I’ll spend just a moment describing the flow of energy and noting the stack: table, card, rock, hand.  (My heckler in the first show, at this point called out “Scissors!” which got a laugh.)

I now ask for the rocks to be handed to me, and I spend some acting time “teasing” the answers from these three small stones, eventually naming each stone as I hold it up, before placing it on the table.  When this is done, I recap by pointing to each of the stones and repeating the name of the card it rested on.

This signals my helpers to turn over their cards, which over course match what I’ve called out.  The combination of small tactile objects plus small lecture tidbits (who doesn’t like trivia?) together with an “impossible” card reveal has made this a “most requested” item in my repertoire.

Astral Projection Meets Hypnotic Regression

This is the first effect where I actually have someone stand up front next to me.  The prop is simply an I.D., but I’ve practiced to the point where the reveal is almost instantaneous.  It’s very effective, but the real “power” is in the build up.

I show the deck as the volunteer walks forward, explaining that we’re going to try an experiment in “time travel”.  Before the show began, before anyone came into the room, I stood here, alone, and did something very specific to THIS deck of cards.

I have the volunteer take a couple of “deep cleansing” breaths, while I explain briefly about the effect of oxygen changing the pH of the blood, which automatically affects higher brain function.  I’ll usually have them take about three deep breaths. (Doing it with them makes it almost impossible for them to resist; mirroring in action!)  Then I’ll make a small joke about hyperventilating; this keeps it from getting too serious, while holding them within a cooperative mood.

I then explain that before anyone came in, I took a single card out of the deck and turned it over, and put it back into the deck.  I speak slowly, and make a very clear hand gesture as I do this.  I ask them to close their eyes, and “see” me, standing in this very room, one hour ago.  I am all alone.  The tables are here, the chairs are here, but there is no one else present but me.  (Seeing the room as it is, sans bodies, seems to be an easy visual, even for those who aren’t visually oriented!)

I’ll repeat this a couple times, and ask them if they can see this within their mind’s eye.  Sometimes they’re almost afraid to answer, but I keep my voice level and encouraging.  Regardless of the answer, I’ll ultimately “lead” them to seeing me with the cards in my hand, taking out a single card, etc.

Finally, when they indicate (by word or facial expression) that they do, in fact, see the deed, I ask very simply, “What was the card?”

This usually makes them open their eyes and look at me.  I’ve only had one person who didn’t immediately have a card ready.  In her case, she hesitated for a very long time and finally named the card I had tried to force during Silent Running (More research is warranted!!!)

I give a very visible sigh of relief, and fan the cards, showing the card they name as being the only one reversed.  Initially, I pulled this card out and tossed it onto the table, but didn’t really see the advantage, so now I simply pull it out and hold it up.  This get a huge applause, and I always shake the person’s hand and ask for more applause for them as they return to their seat.

Two things to note: first, I hold the deck edge even with the audience’s eye level.  We’re all on the same floor (they’re seated) so this works.  In another venue, my handling might change.  After I (intentionally) “remember” to toss the Joker, I have a Jack of Spades and a Queen of Spades that would be visible to anyone who had the right angle.  Holding this deck cupped flat between my hands allows me to instantly open the deck whichever way is required, with no “move” needed.

Second, I hold the deck up, fanning it in front of my face.  This greatly simplifies targeting, since I need only to spot the correct card and make the break.

This effect is becoming a favorite for me AND for those who see it done!

The Goody Bags

At this point we take a quick break from the mind reading and talk about the Bags.  Every guest gets a sealed “lunch bag” when they enter the room.  Each bag contains the same items.

A pencil, already sharpened, with eraser

A white 3x5 index card

A colored 3x5 index card (four different colors distributed randomly)

A small white envelope containing a business card

A couple small hard candies

The pencils are giveaways.  There are two effects where the spectators need to write, and “handing out” pencils seems sloppy and unprepared to me.  I’d like for these to be promotional items and have done some pricing online, but so far we’re using “Ticonderoga” brand pencils, which come pre-sharpened.  Very handy.  They are black with green and gold bands around the black erasers.  Very sharp.

The colored cards are for a Q&A using Annemann’s version of the O.M. Box.  I spend a great deal of time (a la Banachek) demonstrating exactly how they should be folded.  And then have the guests write two pieces of information: 1. A question they’d like to ask a “psychic” (if we believed in such things!), and 2. A personal fact that not everyone is aware of.  The box is passed around to collect the cards, and set on the table for later.

The white cards are a “time waster” that I thought would be entertaining while waiting for everyone to finish writing their questions.  It turned out to be a complete project unto itself, and I’m considering dropping it.  A “simple” math problem where everyone ends up with the number “9”, only it’s not simple at all.  People can’t follow directions!  I wind up moving from table to table “helping” them, and the punch-line is all but lost by the time we muddle through this.  I’ve talked to some teachers who detailed how the give instructions while waiting for the “slowest” child to catch up.  We’ll give it one more shot, just because I personally like it.  But GEEZ!

Finally we get to the small white envelopes (actually the whole reason for having the bags in the first place).  Those who have Devin Knight’s Glass Box Prediction will remember the marked paper; this serves the same purpose, but a bit more intricately.

There are 28 cards (same number as guests present).  Sixteen cards have different symbols on them, and 12 are blank.

I explain that those guests who have a symbol MAY be asked to participate of some of our experiments.  These are chosen “at random” by drawing a matching card from a clear zip-lock bag.  This sets the stage for a very powerful finale later on, giving them plenty of time to forget the setup.

Now let’s move on to our next experiment.  I reach into the bag and pull out a card.  Who has the…?

Addendum:

The bags can also contain fortune cookies (yes in the first show, no in the second).  It is entirely possible to have prewritten “fortunes” handed out not-quite-at-random.  Looking into potential effects here!

Zener Floaters

The next pair I had established as “floaters” (could be inserted anywhere) just in case Silent Running didn’t work.  Again, good idea!

The only effects so far that use a full Zener deck, the first is a simple PATEO game with a prediction left in the box.  I don’t know why, but it didn’t occur to me until show-time that with this particular handling the final choice doesn’t really matter.

The top five cards are my forces.  Split (don’t deal) into five piles and run the game.  I start; the game goes quickly, and with no obvious forethought.  The fourth selection (by the spectator) allows a bit of humor, because I’ve been saying “I’ll pick two”, “You pick two”, etc.  On this round there ARE only two, so when I say “You pick two”, well the obviousness just gets a small laugh.

This last pile now gets split up into five cards (all known!), but I continue the ruse (“I’ll pick two”, “You pick two”, etc.)  Finally on the last card, I “give in” (“Pick whichever card you like”)

At this point, for the first time, I reveal the small card left behind in the box.  I ask them to remove it and read it.  Once this prediction has been read, THEN I ask them to turn over the one remaining card, a match.

It’s interesting, because at this point someone has always asked to see the cards, thinking they’re all the same.  Of course they’re not, and by this time I have them well mixed as well, but it seems to clear the deck (so to speak) for some other effects later on which DO in fact use “special” cards.

While the Zeners are being examined, I locate the appropriate cards for step two, my version of the old red dot/blue dot packet trick from the 1970’s.  I remind them that there are five each of five different symbols, and here I have SIX cards (very important phrasing, here.)

I lay these six cards out in a row and have them select only one.  The first time, I had the spec just use a finger and slide the card toward himself.  The second time, I used a gold coin and had the spec place the coin on top of a card.  I think the second method is more effective for a number of reasons: it’s more tactile, the coin “holds down” the card in a more psychologically effective manner (makes it immovable), and the idea of a gold coin “hooks” into something visceral in the mind of everybody I’ve ever encountered.  The coin stays!

Of course, now I just pick up the remaining cards from whichever end is appropriate.  A Hamman count shows all five cards just alike.  Then the spec turns over his card to see that it’s the only one that’s different (hopefully the same one that got predicted in step one.)

This is more powerful than one would expect, possibly because they work together.  As a “butt saver”, it completely gets the attention away from the failed S.R. effect.  In fact from the first show, that was the lead-in; “Most people can’t fool me like that.  I think you might be special.  Can we try something to test that?”  Or course nobody’s going to refuse THAT!

Silent Running Scared

This one truly concerns me because, frankly, I can’t get it to work!

I don’t want to disrespect the inventor, who is in reality a much better magician than I am.  This effect has gotten rave reviews, and every magician that I’ve talked to has enjoyed doing it.  This makes it clear to my mind that the problem is with my delivery on some level.  Still, that delivery being what it is, this is not working.

Billed as “true” mind reading, a spectator is asked to “build” a card in their mind.  I won’t go into method at all, but the strength is supposed to be that there is no “pick a card”, no “write this down”, no “whisper to your neighbor” kind of magic trick stuff.  The card exists nowhere except in the spectator’s mind, which is then read by the mentalist.

Working with friends and family, it never worked because of familiarity issues.  This is to be expected, especially in mentalism.  But the premise reads so clear, and the theories are sound; this HAS to work!  (In fact, I seem to remember my friends and I playing a game exactly like this in elementary school.)

Other great mentalists have added their own embellishments to the work, and I chose one of these handlings (from someone that I admire for other work he’s done), and placed it in the line-up.

This is close to the beginning (NOT the opener, or even the second effect) because from the earliest consideration I felt that I might need “recovery time” if it failed.  That was a good decision.

The first show, the gentleman wasn’t even on the right key, ultimately giving a pairing option that wasn’t strictly possible.  He’d misunderstood something; my fault, even though several others I talked to later said they were thinking of the “correct” card.

The second show was the same.  The “no fishing” option broke down completely, even to the counting of pips.  Right color, wrong end of the spread.  I’ll have to write this one off as a loss, at least for my present skill level (that’s the story we’re sticking to!)

I want to “give it one more shot”, but my wife doesn’t know why I’d even consider it.  There are MANY other ways of doing (in the audience’s perception) the same thing, and that’s probably what I should be looking at.

Rats!

The Zener Board

There’s an old packet card trick I bought from Adam’s Magic Company; it was hanging on a wire tree in the drug store.  I was fourteen years old, and a dollar ninety five plus tax (in those days it was three percent) was a lot of money.  It was worth it.  A small manila coin envelope contained three cards, an Ace, Two, and Three of Diamonds.  No matter which card the “victim” chose, I could prove that I knew it ahead of time.  I forgot that trick years ago…

The Zener Board began as something I read in an old Annemann manuscript.  I need to look this up for exact reference, but at the moment I don’t have it.  I spent several days completely immersed in as much literature as I could get my hands on, taking notes of what (I felt) would and wouldn’t fly.  As a result I have a stack of papers with scribblings in every corner, and lots of arrows pointing back and forth between similar or complimentary effects.

Unfortunately, it didn’t occur to me at the time to ALSO note the source of the data.  Some of it is original to me, but most is a distillation of other’s works.

Annemann’s description was for three symbols to be present on the board, with conditions for two possible outcomes.  The third was never handled beyond informing the subject that “Nobody ever chooses that one” and “You’re special.  Let’s do something else”.

That kind of incompleteness bothers me; I don’t think it even fits in with what people believe my personality to be, so there had to be a solution for every possibility.  I also didn’t like the lack of symmetry (to my eye only) of three symbols, so I added a fourth and divided the board into quarters.  This has worked very well, and the size of the board would allow it to work for a much larger audience if that occasion ever arises.

In the first show, I hadn’t yet figured out the fourth solution, but was fairly confident that I had chosen the most likely options.  Unfortunately the lady who wound up in the hot-seat was one who I knew to be a devout Christian, and I feared that she might choose the Plus Sign (thinking it symbolized the Cross).

As has been suggested many times, in naming the symbols, I called it a plus sign, hoping that an aversion to Math would translate into an aversion to that symbol.  In this case it worked; she chose the Square (normally judged most likely) and I directed her to the prediction.

By the second show, I had covered every possibility!

The second show was interesting as well.  This effect got a challenge from an unexpected source: my niece, Hailey!  My wife had invited her sister and her daughter to “Come see what Don is doing”, and here they were!

The person doing the choosing had bad eyesight from a botched cataract surgery, but the symbols were easy for her to see.  She made her choice, and when I turned the board around so everyone could see the prediction on the back, it was eight year old Hailey who called out “YOU PUT IT ON THE BACK!”  It was kind of obvious, so I simply said “Yes?”

She wanted to see the board, so I stepped over to her, and she tugged at the corner of the sheet of typing paper I had taped to the back of the board.  It was secured, of course, but it settled something that was a thought when I constructed the board.

I hadn’t actually painted the prediction onto the board (as I did the front), thinking that it would allow me to change outcomes if I ever wanted to in the future.  I think now that the paper provides a solution (albeit a wrong one) for inquisitive spectators.  By next show, the paper will be gone, and the prediction will be painted in place!

Tomorrow, an early failure!

Next: The Intro

Next: The Intro

After the three digit “prediction”, my opening statement is the “Official” welcome.

While they’re still getting a grasp of what’s just happened, I call out “THAT’S what tonight is all about!”, and proceed from there.

One of my primary joys is working with words, so much of anything I do is heavily scripted.  The scripts are flexible (many routes to choose from), but almost everything that could possibly be said has been rehearsed multiple times.  For this segment, there are no branches.

“Psychic...Mentalist...Mind-Reader...whatever you choose to call it, the idea of someone who is able to pull the very thoughts from our minds...is a frightening proposition.  We like to believe that our thoughts are private...sacred, if you will...the last stronghold of solitude.  But it may be that in the realm of the mind...there is nothing sacred...”

I can see the attitudes transforming as this monologue is delivered.  Faces become alert and thoughtful, hands fold in on each other, even postures become more erect.  One day I want to get a tape of this, because it’s an amazing thing to watch, from my perspective.

Don’t know how much of this change to attribute to my own personal stage presence, or to the words themselves, but I actually kind of enjoy it.  (Maybe a little megalomaniac showing through!)

At any rate, this tells me that they’re keying in, so without giving even a second’s pause, I point to an individual (calling them by name if I know it), and begin The Zener Board.

…tomorrow…

The Opening Effect

First up, the Corinda Opener (er...uhm…a la Banchek)

Try as I might, I’m not gaining any ground in working the NW.  (I seriously don’t want to “give away” secrets, but those who have read the “13 Steps” will know exactly what is meant!)  My penmanship is just not acceptable.

So I fell back to Banachek’s short pencil.  The effect is very much the same from the audience’s perspective, and still a very eye opening entrance.

The setup is to have my dry erase marker set in plain sight on the tray of the white board, with a folded 3x5 index visible before the show begins (actually throughout dinner, if anyone notices.)

At show-time, the effect begins before anyone has become aware that “we’re rolling”.

When the marker is uncapped, there is a very brief show of “fumbling” with the paper switching hands with the marker so that, without mentioning it, I have made everyone aware of the paper.

Now I simply ask in an “impromptu” manner for three people to call out a number.  This has worked (or not worked) in different ways.

The first performance had people who were there for reasons other than to simply enjoy a show.  It happens; it’s part of the deal.  How one handles it determines how far one can go in the art.

As soon as I said, “…give me a number b…”, I was interrupted by a voice from the back calling, “FIVE SEVENTY EIGHT!”, to much laughter.  It wasn’t directed at me so I simply continued “BETWEEN 1 and 10”.

The voice called “FOUR!” and I used that as my first digit.  (The second show saw no such unexpected events, but to make sure, I asked for three people to THINK of a number, then pointed to them.)

Now most people don’t know that I am left handed, and this worked to an advantage here.  The short pencil was in my left hand, and the marker was in my right.  Most people are awkward at writing on a white board, and I have practiced sufficiently to make any number with my right hand without too much hesitation.  It worked well.

One more thing; the paper displayed was a duplicate of the one already on the hard surface.  (Banachek’s lecture notes have a full description.)  This didn’t need to be the case, as it’s completely possible to open the paper and “do the deed” without anyone catching on.

But I decided to keep it simple, and had a duplicate paper already folded (creased), and opened out on the writing surface.  Then I only needed to ditch the first one and proceed with the second already in place.  Refolding was accomplished as the paper was brought back into sight, with no discernable delay.

My line here is, “It took three people to make up this number (pointing at the board), but it took an eight year old boy (referring to Banachek’s excuse for sloppy writing) about three seconds to give me this number."  (Showing the paper, still folded)  "He asked me if I could somehow work it into the show, and I thank you for helping me to do that!”  I hand the paper to the closest spectator and ask them to read it.  Of course it matches and the people are awed.

The first show (remember the heckler?) I heard, “LEMME SEE THAT PAPER!”  I hadn’t planned on doing that, but a quick glance at the note reassured me that it was safe to do so.  (The handwriting was crude but legible; like an eight year old!) so I walked the paper back to the person, who made a “face” as he studied it.  The people on both sides of him agreed “That’s what it says!”, and he had no choice to accept.  (And he was much quieter for the rest of the show!)

The one change I’m planning before the next show is a way to keep the paper from sliding around as the short pencil does its work.  I believe that a post-it note, glued face down to the hard surface (so that the sticky patch is face up), should hold the paper just securely enough to accomplish what needs to be done.

More tomorrow…

Long Time No See!

Wow!  Genuinely didn’t intend for it to take this long to get back to this blog.  For those of you who are still interested, thank you!

It’s a very different thing, running the whole show as opposed to just showing up at somebody’s party and performing, and my experiences with other business arenas don’t seem to apply here.

We’ve now actually done two shows and the restaurant wants us back on May 6^th.  I still don’t have a vehicle in place for ticket sales, so that is a priority.  A couple friends from the local magic club have taken an interest, and I’ll be listening closely to whatever they want to tell me.

My intent was to establish this as a viable money-making entity, id est a business.  So far that’s the part that has eluded me.

The audiences have been more than happy, giving great reviews.

After a single hiccup with the restaurant (who’s responsible for what) they’re thrilled (I’m bringing in business that they would not otherwise see.)

I’m very happy with the show, what I’m doing (and learning), and more than able to continue this for the foreseeable future.

Now, how do we make it pay?

Since I don’t have a concrete answer at present, we’ll have to leave it at that for now.  At the very least I’m promoting good-will and growing a base of word of mouth ambassadors, which is beneficial to any business (I’ll take my gains wherever I can find them!)

For the next few days, we’ll be looking the individual effects, how they played and why, plus my own thoughts for their future, as well as looking at what could be added in the future.

Stay tuned.  I promise it won’t be so long next time!

The Final Program

We’ll comment this in more detail later, but here’s order of events:

Three numbers called from the audience predicted on a slip of paper.

Short Intro

Zener Board (pick one of four symbols, predicted)

Short Seque

Silent Running (Ben Harris with special handling by Devon Knight)

Zener PATEO Prediction (face down deck, card chosen unseen, matched prediction)

One out of Six (Face down Zener cards, select one, all others are matched different)

Hypnotic Regression meets Astral Projection (ID out in the open)

Stones Cry Out (three cards selected, revealed)

Hands Off ACCAN (Ms.A holds cards, calls number, Ms.B calls card)

Q&A (Answer questions before they’re read)

Remote Drawing (Draw and name a thought of picture)

A couple of last minute cuts were:

Predicted card in envelope

Four Suits and a Sharpie

These will be re-added later, after some refining.

Setting Up

Got to the restaurant about 6pm and started setting up the room, shoving tables around and stacking chairs.  Final layout was U-shaped, fives tables along each leg of the U, two tables at the base.  Guests were seated outside the U, leaving a nice clear “runway” down the center for me.  I had a prop table above the top of the U, which held my four white boards propped on easels, the glass bowl for the Q&A papers, the Zener Board, and some other things.

Some of the first orders of business were sticking an envelope under one of the chairs, setting the cards in position (actually used three decks, switched in and out as needed), and marking final “predictions” wherever they needed to go.

Some guests arrived early, and my wife chatted and kept them entertained until I was ready to greet them properly.

At 7pm most guests had arrived, and all the props were in order.  I called everyone’s attention and we prayed a blessing over the tables, and released them to go grab some food.

SHOWTIME!

Friday, March 4^th, 2011 at 7pm was SHOWTIME!!!

Got so focused on the event that the blog never got updated.  Will try to get everything current over the next few posts.

Back to Magic

Having to focus on something else for a few days.  Someone has asked me to do a regular magic show, and it’s on fairly short notice.  I have what’s required, and it’ll be fun for me, but it’s taking away from the mentalist concentration.

Because I have so much of the Donatelli show already nailed down, AND there are still a couple weeks following to get my focus back, I’m going to do it.  If either of those conditions was different, I’d have to politely refuse.

Found out last night, the restaurant will not provide table cloths.  Not a big deal, but I’d like to have them, since “atmosphere” is such a major part of the drama.  I’ll provide my own.  Good thing my wife thought to ask.

Another order to Penguin Magic.  I love that place.  They called this morning to make sure that what they were sending was exactly what I wanted.  That’s personal service, and I appreciate it!

The teaser on Facebook is getting some nibbles.  This is fun (so far….)

The Final Lineup (version 1)

Took almost a week off from posting to make sure everything is ready.

I’m still reading and getting new ideas that I’d love to try out, but it’s time to start locking it down now.

I do want open with a NW effect, IF I can get it clean looking within the next week.  (I want a week of “perfect practices” before taking it live.)  If I do this, it will actually be PRE-Intro, that is, before I say Good Evening and Welcome, etc.  (Like an action movie where four guys get killed before they even show the title.)

Next, short intro.

• Zener Board – Four symbols, spec chooses one, I prove that I already knew it

Talk about the Goody Bags – pencils, papers, and folding

Write Carnak questions – Question for “Psychic Advisor” and one piece of personal info

• Ubiquitous Nines - Simple Math trick

Collect Carnak questions – Now we find out if my OM box is any good

WHILE the box is going around the table, I start the Silent Running tissue toss

• Silent Running – The card exists nowhere but the spectators mind, but I know what it is

Put the Carnak questions in a fishbowl in plain sight – simple misdirection

Talk about the “Randomizing Envelopes” – the chief ruse of the night

(Up Next: First “card trick” of the night, ties to Zener board)

• Intro Zener cards with PATEO prediction – predicted card is the only one left

• One Out of Six – An old “spot trick” adapted to Zener cards (Haman count)

(Next: This is the point where, for the first time, REAL playing cards are used)

• The Rocks Cry Out – Three specs each cut to a card and set a rock on top, I hold the rocks and reveal the cards

• Hypnotic Regression meets Astral Projection – ID played in the open

• ACAAN Impossible – One spec holds the deck, gives a number, another spec names the card.

(This leaves the deck in the specs hands.  May be examined)

• Carnak Questions – answer the questions before they are asked, spec hold the slips

• Remote Drawing – spectator draws a picture in her mind, I dup the picture on the whiteboard

The drawing will be the finale.

“Everything” used will be left on display to look at after the show.  I have two decks to ditch, the Zener Board will be put away IMMEDIATELY after use, ditto the OM box.  (I may have a sub ready, just in case someone asks “Where is that box?”)

That’s a full evening.  It could still “migrate”, but the only thing I’m considering right now has to do with the Harris effect.  I could bump it back one position just for the purpose of keeping all the “Zener-like” effects together.

Perhaps at another time I could move it to MUCH later in the program, but I’m still not confident enough with it to make it a feature.  If it’s blown early, I can still recover the show.

My fingers are cold because of the excitement.  The adrenalin hasn’t really left for days now.  Plenty of time to work with it.

First Flight

Just got back from a weekend out of town, where I got to try out my new "powers".  Sitting in the hotel hot tub with my wife and two other couples, while all of our kids played in the big pool, eventually the question came around "...so, what do you do?"

Before I could speak, my gorgeous wife told everyone that I was starting a new career as a “Mentalist”!

Of course, the chatty blond immediately asked, “Oh, yeah, what am I thinking?”

Of course, I’m not supposed to rise to the bait like this, but just automatically gave a response.  “You think it’s a crock, but you really hope it’s true.”  …pause for effect… “AND you think you could probably get your husband to drive to Chattanooga to see the show IF it turns out to be true”.

Her mouth dropped open and she staccatoed “Oh…My…God!”

The little short haired brunette was next.  Her face carried the kind of tenseness that I’ve only ever seen on a very pretty girl.  She asked, “Ok, what about me?”  Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes weren’t.  This was Show Time!

I started with the old joke “You aren’t thinking anything”, and then purposefully interrupted myself.  “Ungh, can I see your hand?”  To keep it light, I asked the husband, “Is it ok if I hold your wife’s hand for just a second?  I promise to give it right back!”  He just waved.

I held her hand in both of mine.  I didn’t look at it, just pulled the energy from it.  I looked straight into her tight brown eyes and said, “I’m not going to say anything, but you should know that when you forgive someone you not only release them, you also release yourself.”

Her chin dropped.  She didn’t say anything, but her hubby’s eyes got as big as saucers as he stared back and forth from me to her.  She finally drew back her hand and very quietly said “I know that”.

It was quiet for a few seconds, not particularly “awkward”, but everyone kind of felt like a moment of silence was appropriate.  Then the chatty blonde started talking again, deliberately changing the subject.  I left the pool a few minutes later.

This stuff is dynamite!

Just a quickie...

Amazing 24 bug completely wiped me out.  Anyhow…

Started a teaser campaign on FaceBook.  Not too much, not too fast.

Doing a TON of reading.

Leaving town for the weekend, so wife can take some CE classes, which leaves me wandering around the convention center.  Could be a good time to work on my cold reading skills with people from different areas.

Brushing up on actuarial data and Forer “feelings” type stuff, staying away from straight Barnum statements, but that is a fall back.

Aye, Corinda!

In looking over and comparing notes from some old masters (the study never stops), I’m thinking about plugging a different effect into the opening spot.  While the Zener board is quick and clean, I’ve come up with something that is even more direct, instantaneous, and impossible (although maybe not as visual).

I walk out holding a folded card in one hand, point to three different people and have them each call out a number from 1 to 10.  I write their numbers on the white board, making a three digit number that everyone can see.  I then hand my paper to a fourth spectator, have him open and read the card which says “Three people will make up the number XXX”.  Those who have read chapter one of the 13 steps will have an idea how this is done.

I really like Banachek’s method for having a number predicted on a card or paper, even though Corinda doesn’t think much of it.  Pencils are easy to come by, and the only maintenance required is an occasional sharpening.  However, this effect is so deadly, that I’m about to place another order to the magic shop.  I’ve constructed homemade versions that work satisfactorily, but for this to be as clean as I want, I need a “manufactured” version.  I’ve been practicing with what I have, but for this, a “C-type” is in order.

Nuff said.

Alliteral Dating

It occurs to me that alliteration is a very useful mnemonic.  If something were done on the First Friday or the Second Saturday (possibly even the THird THursday) it would likely be remembered on that schedule.

With that idea in mind, I settled on the First Friday for the premier performance, which providentially falls on the Fourth day of March this year.

The effects are ready from a physical aspect.  That is, my hands can accomplish what needs to be done, my eyes know where to track, my body knows how to turn.  The practice required now is primarily verbal; learning exactly what to say, when and how.  Things like cadence and timbre are the critical elements now.

That also will teach me how to structure the evening.  Some items follow each other so naturally there really is no question about how they should be ordered.  Other things need a segue built around them; something logical and evenly flowing, but still a change in direction.

A good illustration might be a train track.  The engine will follow many different tracks to complete a journey.  This requires switches.  But those switches must be so evenly aligned with the other tracks (both beginning and ending) that there is no noticeable transition from one to another.  Too abrupt a change, and the train will jump the tracks and the cargo will be lost.

I don’t want to lose the rapport of the audience.  Once the spell is cast, everything I do has to be played so that there are no jarring shocks to the conscious thoughts of a single member of my party.

This is MUCH harder than an Erdnase Top Change!

Props to You

Found a set of tripod easel-style plate/plaque holders today.  I’ve been wanting to leave behind a “display” of show highlights, and this will facilitate that.

I have a set of small (15”x15”) whiteboard tiles that are designed to be dorm room memo boards.  Some of the effects will involve writing something that the audience can see, so I’ll be using these boards for that.  Each board will hold the result of a particular demonstration: Ubiquitous Nines will go on the first board, the ACAAN results will be on board two, and Banachek’s Remote Drawing (the finale) will wind up on board four.  (Don’t know yet what will go on board three!)

As each effect is finished, I’ll prop the boards on the easels, so that they remain visible for the rest of the show.  By the end, there will be four “displays” on the head table reminding my guests of some of the amazing things they’ll have seen.

Sent an order to Penguin Magic late Saturday night and got a package in Thursday morning’s mail, much faster than I’d expected (basically four working days).  It was exactly what I expected, good quality, and ready to use.  (They even threw in a package of M&M’s, YUM!)

I recommend Penguin to everyone!

It was a little risky planning to perform an effect when I didn’t own the props yet, but now that they’re in my hot little hands, there goes my last excuse not to practice!

Ubiquitous Nines

Missed yesterday’s post trying to get too much done.

Found an interesting little Math trick that, while technically not Mentalism, can be an entertaining diversion while we’re waiting for everyone to get caught up.

It’s based on the old “nines rule”, but in the right context, and with an admonition of not letting anyone else see your answer, should actually have people laughing.

Using the white card found in their Goody Bags, I have them write down a four digit number, “no, make that five”.  I demonstrate on the white board by writing the numbers 4 7 2 and 3, then adding a 6 on the end (…for example, any numbers will do…)

I then have them take the same five digits and rearrange them underneath the first five.

Now we subtract the larger from the smaller.  This will bring some chuckles as some people will have a larger number on bottom and have to switch them around, and some people will genuinely be bad at Math.

Finally I have them go across the remainder adding all the digits together.  I do NOT add all of mine in the demo, but stop when I get a double digit, and draw a box around it.  They keep adding, while I explain that “if” they get more than one digit they should add those together.  I show them what I mean, and circle that number.

They have directions not to let anyone else see their answers, and while they're finishing up, I casually erase all of my numbers.  When it looks like everyone is done, I ask, “Now, by a show of hands," (while I draw the large single digit), "who got the number nine?”  Everyone should raise their hands, look around, startled, and then start laughing (or groaning).

I’ll use this as a time killer after the instructions for writing the Carnak questions.

Building the Box

Spent a little time practicing with the assistant over the weekend.  She caught on pretty quickly, but we’ll need more time.  In one of the run-throughs she missed the mark by one.  I think that would be ok if it were me doing this, since a “near miss” can actually lend credibility to the effect.  But the way I have this one planned, it won’t be in my hands at all, so it needs to be dead on the mark!  (Can’t say more without giving away too much.)  Any way – MORE PRACTICE!

Playing around with the mechanism for the Billet Box, I discovered that this can be handled in more than one way.  I’m probably going to prototype each of them and see which one best lends itself to the way I want to handle it.  The ideal would be to pass the box around the table and let everyone put in their own slips, returning to me after completing the circuit.  It would probably work in any case, but it only takes one clown to screw it up.  This is where the “hurry” ploy would be beneficial, but that will only work at the end.

Could put in a locking device, but the more complicated it becomes (mechanically speaking) the greater chance of breakdown.  Ah, well…

I’ll keep moving in the path I see, without closing my eyes to possible alternatives.

As I spend time thinking about this, a great routine is developing.  Using the four colored papers, I have an assistant draw out one slip of each color (remember Annemann?).  I do a simple “Carnak” on these: give the answer, then have the assistant read the question.  (And having the assistant handle everything removes the “one ahead” idea, for those who know it.)

That handles the top section, now we move to the bottom.

The assistant chooses one of those four papers and mentally draw an image of what information is there (a la Banachek).  I draw the picture being thought of, and finish by giving the name.  (And out of respect to the man who taught me this, it won’t be a cat!)

A Perfect Match & a Book of Matches

Had to try out the new ACAAN gimmick for real.  It was great!  I had it right out in plain sight and nobody knew what it was!  Called out card after card, never a miss, jaws hanging open…it was COOL!

I had them turning over the cards as they “dealt”, so it became obvious (without mentioning it) that the deck was in no observable pattern.  I had them stop on the card BEFORE theirs, to reiterate: random number, random card, nobody touched the card, and so on.  Turning it into a kind of finale, I had them turn over the last card.  When it matched, there were no words necessary.  I am pleased…

Jay Sankey has a new FREE mentalism effect (“Black Market”) on his website that uses a book of matches.  I’m looking for new ways to use things other than a paper and pencil or a deck of cards, but not sure how this will play for my crowd.

Thinking about the logic (ALWAYS try to tie things together, even if the threads are tenuous!):  If there are candles on the table, then having matches becomes reasonable.  However, since I’m not sure of the policy at the restaurant, I’ve already determined that I’m going to use battery operated LED candles in the centerpieces, so suddenly matches don’t seem so logical.  Is there another reason I’d have matches in a non-smoking environment?

Also, I carry a lighter (which people may or may not know) so matches are a smelly alternative.  I’m just not liking the matches, although I do like the effect.

Time to start thinking about other objects that might be substituted: something that is compact, functions as a unit but can be logically separated into parts, familiar enough to everyone that it can be handled behind the back or out of sight.  Wow, drawing a blank.  More thought…

Arts and Crafts

Finally got the material to start making my gimmicks.  With more thought, the ACAAN gimmick is even simpler than I’d first imagined.  I now have a working prototype that will generate a correct answer starting from any point in the deck.  This will be a different card and different number (genuinely random, not forced) every time, a different deck order every time (no Stebbins stack, no memorization).  And it can be hidden inside a man’s wallet or a woman’s make-up thingy.  I’m excited!  I’ve been playing with this thing all morning.  It cannot miss!

Also bought a batch of matching tissue boxes.  All will be perfectly normal except for one, which will be gaffed in such a way that it can be passed around the table without anyone noticing something different.  This will enable me to answer questions, sight unseen, as the next-to-last effect of the night.  Will start building that as soon as I’m done typing here.

I feel a mixture of excitement and trepidation.  This is going to be so much fun.  But I’m also very much aware that the presentation skills will be unlike anything I’ve done before, not for a full show.  Mentalism is so distinct from Magic, even simple “ta ta” flourishes should be dropped from my manner.  I want to keep “illusion” or “trickery” from even entering their thoughts.  This is not a “show”, it’s a “demonstration”.

I’m going to have WAY more fun than the audience, and for them, it will be something they’ll never forget!

More Stuff to Think About

Spent some time explaining (to my new assistant) in more detail exactly what is needed.  She joked that she was kind of glad I wouldn’t be sawing her in half.  Set some practice times, and we’re in business!

I also need to construct the gimmick that she will be using.  In my imagination, I’d made it much more complex than it needed to be.  After turning it over in my mind a few times, I realized that only one moving part is required.  I’ll get it built into something innocuous looking, and that’s an afternoon’s work.

I’d love to leave my guests with a souvenir, something to hang on to, something to remember the evening, SOMETHING WITH MY CONTACT NUMBER ON IT…

There will be a pencil in each “goody bag”, and it just makes sense that it should be embossed with my name.  Shopping around the internet, the cheapest price for something that looks halfway decent is $225 per thousand.  At thirty guests per show that’ll last for several months.

Even at that, it not really much of a souvenir.  Still looking at promotional items, but don’t want to eat up too much of my budget on this.  It occurs to me that a simple brain teaser would be in keeping with the theme, and if it were printed on good card stock…well, maybe we just need to keep thinking…

I don’t want to monopolize the Café, but I might just poll some of the other Magi for ideas on this.  Some very bright guys there, many with MUCH more experience than me.

Also, budget will not be QUITE as tight after the SECOND show.  I’ve decided that the first “show” will be a dress rehearsal.  I want to invite the cast and crew from the stage team I’ve been working with (many of them for years).  They understand theatre (which this is) and will be able to tell me whether I’m effectively “selling” the act.

They won’t figure out any of the secrets (that’s still my domain), but will be able to critique in a way that will be helpful to future shows.

Thinking about a date, I’ve been aiming for the end of February.  Looking at a calendar now, the last weekend nights are 25 & 26.  Much will depend on whether I can get everything constructed, but that looks like a target date to me.  The only hold-up now is…ME!

Value Added Business

Thinking about the “business” aspects of what we’re doing, getting the venue for the price of a meal sounds great, but it adds another consideration to the total cost.  And as is usually the case, it’s all about presentation; how will it be perceived by the customer?

For example, does anybody actually believe it when a company offers you something “free of charge”?  If they were actually losing money, they wouldn’t stay in business very long.

The fact is, the cost of the so-called freebies is hidden in the pricing.  It might be written into the advertising budget, or it could simply be covered by a higher price per unit item, but somebody is paying for it, probably the customer himself, but that fact has been cleverly disguised.

Or sometimes, not so cleverly…

I guess they’ve stopped doing it now, but for a while AOL was sending out “free trial” CDs to almost everyone who owned a mailbox.  While “direct marketing” is a valuable tool, and I’m sure AOL got plenty of new customers with that, the way it was done sent a wrong message to many people (like me) about spending priorities.

You see, the BOX that the CD came in was a VERY nice, pressed wood case that will very likely last longer than the CD it contained.  It served no other purpose; nothing would fit in there BUT a CD.  And it was these boxes, NOT the relatively inexpensive plastic disks that attracted my attention.

My thoughts were always, “If they’re spending THIS MUCH on disposable boxes, in what other ways are they wasting money that could be used to provide better service or lower prices?”

My PERCEPTION of what was essentially the “cost of doing business” was that it could have been handled more effectively.

Now back to the situation at hand: do I include the meal in the price of the admission?  With a regular restaurant, this would not be so attractive, as every menu item carries a different price.  But at a buffet, every meal costs exactly the same, and it would be very simple to increase the ticket price to cover that.

So, the decision comes down to the customer’s perception: what is the better value?  If I included the cost of meal AND drink, it would not be as good value to someone who was only drinking water.  On the other hand, if I specified that the ticket covered only the entertainment, and the meal was paid separately to the establishment, it could cause confusion.  Also, inevitably some would choose NOT to purchase a meal, which is not in the best interest of the restaurant.

I seem to have answered my own questions, at least for the time being.  The entertainment includes the price of a meal and drink.  (If someone specifically asks about a “water discount”, perhaps that can be negotiated on a per case basis, but not mentioned otherwise.)

Also included in the decision is the question of whether the meal is worth the price.  In this case, I think it is.  Buffet King is a well run and very clean establishment with good food in plenteous quantities: a very good value for my customers.

Now for pricing: what is dinner and a show worth in this particular market?

Over the Weekend

Went to Buffet King Saturday night, a “Chinese / American” eatery with TWO back rooms that I somehow had never noticed before.  (Makes me wonder how many others were missed before I started actively watching out for them.)

I like the staff at Buffet King and they treat us well.  My wife has special dietary restrictions, and they always remember and begin cooking her food as soon as we walk in.  I talked to the manager as we were leaving and her only interest is in filling seats, so if I can guarantee 20 paying customers, use of the room is free.  I can afford free!

Last night after church I talked to a young lady who had agreed to be my assistant early last year when I first started talking about “getting back into Magic”.  At the time I was really dreaming about a full illusion show, but realistically, there’s just too much money involved, at least for the foreseeable future.

A “mentalism act” is far from what we first talked about, but she didn’t bat an eye, and agreed to help.  I couldn’t really discuss what I needed, not with so many people milling around chatting, but we’ll talk privately later this week and iron things out.  Cool!

So I tentatively have a venue, I probably have an assistant, I definitely have some mind blowing effects that I’m eager to put into play.  Sounds like we’re approaching the threshold of “really gonna do this!”

I need another egg roll!

Packing List

The order of the effects has to be considered, so that all transitions happen smoothly; I don’t want to jump from one thing to another without some (apparent) sense of reason.  Where there is a change, it needs to be segued by something tangible, most often by words of explanation.  Also, since misdirection can happen in time as well as space, I need to think about what has to be set-up ahead of time so that it can appear spontaneous later on.

The way it’s shaping up right now, the Zener Board will be the opener, then a short (<30 second) intro speech, and then toss out the napkin for “Silent Running”.  By the time we get here we’ve covered 5-6 minutes, and the audience is scratching its head.  This gives me opportunity to explain the reason for random choice of participants and introduce the goody bags that allow me to set up for the dual-spectator ACAAN and the question reading at the end.

I haven’t described the goody bags yet.  All guests will receive a small gift bag at the door.  In addition to some souvenir trinket, each bag will contain a pencil, a 3x5 file card in one of four different colors, a white 3x5 card, and a small, sealed “invitation size” envelope containing a business card.  Some of those business cards will be blank, others will bear a symbol of one form or another.  This is to allow me to choose “randomly” who will assist with each demonstration.  There are various subtleties and instructions involved, but that’s the gist of it.

While I’m telling them about the stuff in their bags, I’ll go ahead and ask them to use the pencils to write a question on the colored card, using all of the directions from the Banachek lecture (lined side only, folded once only, etc.)

We’ll move on to something else, something simple and not too distracting, then when it looks like everyone’s done writing, we’ll pass around the billet box to collect the cards.  As soon as it gets back to me, I dump the cards into a big glass bowl and shake them around a bit.  Explaining that I want to get to know them (my guests) a little better before answering the questions, I’ll leave the bowl in plain sight and move on to another effect.

That’s not even a skeleton of a routine yet, just a couple bones lying in close proximity.  But it’s a reference that I can begin building around.  The order may change (like packing a room full of boxes, sometimes they get moved around when a better fit is discovered), but right now I like the opening mentioned above, because it’s quiet and believable, it gets attention without being over the top.  It leaves plenty of room to build; and build it will!