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!