Magic Roadshow
September 4th, 2006 Issue# 54
Rick Carruth editor/publisher (C)2006 All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Street Magic's #1 free newsletter for magicians, street performers, restaurant workers, close-up artists, and mentalists, with subscribers in over sixty seven countries worldwide.
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September 4th, 2006 Issue# 54
Rick Carruth editor/publisher (C)2006 All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Street Magic's #1 free newsletter for magicians, street performers, restaurant workers, close-up artists, and mentalists, with subscribers in over sixty seven countries worldwide.
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Hello Friends
It's that time again. I've put together another newsletter full of free resources for street magic performers, close-up workers, mentalists, and magic enthuasists in general. You certainly don't have to be a professional to enjoy the Roadshow...
First, let me thank all the new subscribers who've signed up since the last issue. You guys are the reason for this publication, and I sincerely hope you find something here to benefit you and your brand of magic. If you like it, tell a friend.. If you don't.. tell me.
I hope all of you who celebrate Labor Day had a great one.. I should apologize for the Roadshow being a couple of days late, but I can't. I did it on purpose. With the American holiday, Labor Day, being this weekend, I needed to wait until a night before a work day to send it out. It's just a marketing thing.. Plus, newsletters send out over a weekend are much less likely to get opened.
If you have AOL, there's a good chance that you're NOT reading this. For some reason, the past three issues have been blocked, to some degree or another, by AOL. They are a perfect example of an ISP that wants to 'control' what you read, even if it's something you signed up for and requested. Oh well... (If you are getting this through AOL, drop me an email and let me know..)
Email Me ..
Be sure to read the article "Questions Anyone ??" IF you would like a chance to get a free copy of the classic ebook "Royal Road to Card Magic". We're starting a new feature at the Roadshow that I want you to be a part of..
If you bought a copy of Astounding Secrets -or- signed up for CardSleights, and didn't receive a free ebook, let me know please.. I'll continue to send free ebooks out to all who sign up..
There's still a gob of you guys who haven't positioned yourself on my Magic Roadshow Readers Map. It's free, and it gives me a chance to see where my readers are located. If you have time, post a picture, and you will find yourself in the Roadshow one day soon.. http://www.frappr.com/magicroadshow
I have syndicated all the new posts to my blog, Magic Bullets from the Magic Roadshow. Now, you can go to this link, enter your email address and click 'subscribe', and you will receive an email with my complete post whenever I publish a new article to the blog.. It's simple, there's No Spamming, and you can unsubscribe from the feed at any time. All subscriptions are handled thru Feedblitz, and remember, you WILL NOT receive any emails from Feedblitz, or anyone else, other than the new post themselves. http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=70161
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In This Issue:
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(1) Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Steve Owen gets it right... again.
(2) Magic Reviews - Caleb Wiles Calls 'em as he see's 'em..
(3) Questions Anyone ? Your chance to 'Ask a Pro'
(4) The Card From The Pocket - One of magic's classic effects
(5) CardTricks1 - New name, same great site
(6) The Power of Suggestion - Carson Kahn's psychic mystery
(7) The Floating Banknote - Combining Mike Bornstein & PubTricks
(8) Gregg Webb Free Magic Ebook - Two strong effects from a magic guru
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"Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked."
Lord Chesterfield (1694 - 1773)
"Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business."
Tom Robbins (1936 - )
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Between a Rock, and a Hard Place.
Steve Owen
For those of you that managed to keep awake to the end of my last article ‘I’m not a magician’ I’m making another attempt at putting a beginners slant on our magic, art, craft, entertainment? I’m still not sure what to call it! So now is the time to switch the kettle on, empty the dustbins (sorry trash cans) and go ahead and clean out those drains… You have been warned!
Like most newcomers to any subject, hobby or sport, I love my newfound interest. My enthusiasm for learning takes over my thoughts at work and my life at times, as I strive to better my handlings, learn more and build a decent repertoire of effects. Sometimes my eagerness spills over to those close to me, along with books, DVD’s and cards; and a thumb tip my son discovered in the kitchen. Luckily for me he’d worked out what it was for and knows how to keep ‘the secret’. Had my partner discovered it, well, I’d be seeking professional help by now, after a long and lengthy police interview on why I keep Feke body parts in my house. Did you notice the spelling?
I want to demonstrate my new skills and have them tested by those around me. Did you see anything? What did you think of the effect? and yes a storyline would be nice. Laypeople don’t call it patter! I always resist asking ‘did I flash anything?’ It avoids regular visits to the aforementioned police station. You see, I don’t want to sound like a rank novice amongst my peers; I don’t want others to see my naivety and my flaws. I want to be accepted by all and to fit in and to be accepted as a performer and magician. To do this I quickly learn all the skills that I can find, I read and read, practice and seek any advantage that will demonstrate my commitment to my new found interest.
We all act like human sponges at the start of something new, absorbing everything that comes before us. Regardless of whether it’s good or bad. I think this is true of any interest or pastime, isn’t it?
So what is wrong with that? Well nothing, nothing at all, and I should know, been there, done that. It is part of how we learn and advance and it helps us separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’.
But, it does have its drawbacks.
Years ago, far too many to be exact; I was involved in motorcycle trials riding up to national level. This is the branch of motorcycling that relies on balance, skill and nerve and involves riding over manmade or natural obstacles, cars, waterfalls, tyres and the like. You may have seen this on TV at some point, if not I suggest you watch it, just once!
In the early years I spent my time practicing, I just loved to practice, I loved the repetitive nature of it all, learning a new manoeuvre or technique and doing it until it was flawless and became second nature, (does this sound familiar to you?) I loved reading and learning all I could. I would make short courses up and make them as difficult as possible, to challenge myself, riding them for hours on end, none stop. I would try and rub shoulders with the top guys, just on the off chance some of their skills rubbed off on me, listen intently at any snippet of information they gave out freely (come on, we’ve all done it). I would read the weekly motorcycle press from front to back cover, inside out and then read it again, upside down and backwards. If I saw a new move or technique I would quickly go out and practice that there and then. I was absorbed.
After a while though, it dawned on me that this was all well and good, but I gained little from it in terms of improving my overall riding style, sure I had a vast array of skills at my disposal, and I had all the fundamental knowledge, the history and the opinions, but I just wasn’t getting any further up the results board. I lacked a solid foundation and to help me get this I needed to practice more efficiently.
This was brought home to me one Saturday afternoon whilst out practising. I had devised a hideous little practice course that included a vertical rock step. which had to be ridden over. I had spent many months trying to do this very small but technical piece and had failed at every attempt. I knew it could be done, I had faith in that. I knew how it could be done
but I just couldn’t do it. I had broken numerous handlebars and chains along the way and had swore that many times in frustration that I still go to confession to this day on the strength of it. That afternoon I realised this, I was never going to do it until I was ready. It was as simple as that.
I was trying to learn too many difficult skills at one sitting instead of learning each individual skill and then learning how to put them all together, to build a solid foundation on to which I could add more blocks. This little rock outcrop had highlighted this. But the most important thing I learnt was this; I had reached my saturation point in terms of riding. I didn’t have sufficient basic skills to execute the harder skills. I had been neglecting them in favour of learning the latest
techniques.
I would never come up against this kind of obstacle in my arena. Never! Yet I was neglecting some of the basic riding skills that everyone should learn, like balancing for example, or to put it in magical terms, controlling the card or having an out.
I left that rock, and it was a long time before I attempted it again.
So what prompted me to abandon this quest, besides another set of broken handlebars? Well, I came to realise that everyone has his or her time and place, and that rock step wasn’t mine. I was trying things I didn’t need too, had no use for and were beyond my capabilities at that time. I was a club level rider attempting something that would have taxed the best. I would often ride past the rock during subsequent practice sessions and wonder if I should try it again. I never did though.
So what’s all this got to do with magic I hear you ask? Well consider this, the SECOND sleight that I learned was the Mercury card fold and like my trials riding days I have reached a point where I have absorbed far too much magic theory and practice, too quickly and to the point that I’m haemorrhaging skills and knowledge at a far greater rate than I can
control. I have enough effects and DVD’s to last me a lifetime, I cannot keep up with the written word I reel off the internet almost on a weekly basis. As for chat rooms and forums, well they deserve an article all by themselves. (Watch this space!)
I cannot contain what I have learnt so far because I have reached my limit, I like to call this aptly ‘the sponge effect’. I am forgetting things I should know and be doing by second nature by now. My foundations are not solid enough to perform good magic. I am no longer on the learning plateau but actually feel like I’m going backwards, yes I’m in that place right now. (I’m sure most of us have experienced this at some point in our lives. No, you haven’t? I’ll move on then.)
However, having said that, I accept this though and am willing to move with it, it’s part of my learning process isn’t it? It’s also part of why I have adopted a ‘back to basics philosophy’ right now.
So what of the rock step I hear you wonder. Well, some time later I set out one afternoon with the purpose of tackling that rock. It had to be a Saturday! I knew I could do it, and I knew I was going to do it that day. I just knew, even though I hadn’t gone near the blessed thing for over twelve months. As I started to ride the route for the first time, I already knew the outcome. I tried it my pre requisite three times to check that that first time wasn’t just a stroke of luck. Three attempts. Three successes.
I never tried it again, after that, never. It was my time.
Years later having switched from motorcycles to mountain bikes I was riding nearby and stumbled across that rock, all over grown and looking less intimidating than it once did. I sat down for a moment and smiled to myself, and remembered the lesson I once learned from it. All things come to those who wait, goes the cliché.
So what is my rock now?
Since you ask, it’s performing in public. I get the shakes and the dry throat. I’ve already competed in a close up competition (I came last, before you ask) and given a very impromptu and bland demo in a local restaurant. I’m in my hard place right now, I know I can do it and I know I’ll be good at it and give a good show, but I also accept that it’s just
not my time yet, not yet, and that I accept.
I’m in the process of refining my handlings; more practice. Reducing the number of effects and sleights that I’m learning; less buying and less watching, and concentrating on putting together a smaller and altogether more magical show, patter included.
When I’m ready I’ll know, and so will you.
Steve Owen
UK
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Magic Reviews
Caleb Wiles describes his site as "A site dedicated to reviews of current magic products..". Although technically a blog, Caleb has structured his site to serve as a resource center for magic enthuasists looking for honest answers to one of magic's most endearing questions... " does it suck.."
Effects are a dime a dozen... Good effects are a true rarety. Caleb helps readers sort through the maze of effects available to magicians and offers honest opinions intended on helping his visitors decide if a particular effect is worthy of their dollars.
I read Magic Reviews... you should too..
Here is a list of the recently reviewed effects:
Nate Kranzo: Things With Cards
Steve Mayhew: Angels May Shuffle But The Devil Still Deals
Paul Wilson: Absolute Zero Evolution
Daniel Garcia: Next
David Regal: Premise, Power, and Participation Vol. 4: Regal Stands Erect
Marty Grams: The Art of Card Splitting
Peter Duffie: England Up-Close
Nathan Kranzo: The Heat of the Desert Lecture Notes
Joshua Jay: Pro Carrier Wallet
Underground-Collective.com: Cheetah's Handbook Volume 2
http://www.magicreviews.blogspot.com/
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Questions Anyone ??
(Get a FREE copy of the classic eBook ' Royal Road to Card Magic ')
My associate editor, David Breth, is one of the top magicians in the country, period. David is a renown professional entertainer who is commonly seen performing in venues from coast to coast. In recent months, David has performed for customers as diverse as the Disney Corp. in Florida and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Customers frequently fly David untold miles to perform at corporate functions.. or a birthday party. David is as comfortable in front of a room full of children as a room full of Fortune 500 corporate executives.
And if all this wasn't enough, David was recently named to the USA Today Entrepreneurs Panel as an 'Entertainment and Marketing Expert..'
In talking with David recently about what type of articles we wanted to write, it was suggested that David's unique talents would best be served helping readers directly with their specific problems. What this means for you is this...
..submit your questions - and have one of the magic industries top professionals answer it. Simple....
All you need to do is this.. send your magic related question to Rick@Magicroadshow.com and I will forward them on to David for consideration for publication in the Roadshow. The number of questions answered each issue will depend on the length of the answers.
(I can promise you that David will NOT answer questions related to revealing magic secrets sold worldwide. So, if you want to know how the RAVEN works or the secret to the Sealed Soda Can, you'll have to get those answers elsewhere.)
** As a special incentive, I will send a copy of the 400 page CLASSIC ebook 'Royal Road to Card Magic' to the sender of EACH question that we answer in the Roadshow. If your question isn't answered in the next issue, feel free to resubmit it for consideration. If you're outside the US, don't worry about your english or spelling, as your question may be edited or corrected for brevity and/or clarity..
Email Here
R.Carruth
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The Card From The Pocket
( A C.O.Williams classic, with a little help from R.Carruth )
This is one of those classic effects that many of todays popular effects are based upon. Many magicians have a natural fear of palming, and avoid tricks that involve palming at all cost. It's simply a matter of confidence. And the Card From the Pocket is the perfect effect to help gain the confidence you need to make palming an integral part of your routining.
Give a deck to a spectator and ask that it be shuffled until no one could possibly know the location of any card. Turn your back to the spectator and ask that they think of a number, any number, between two and twenty. Once done, have them count down to that number card, look at it, remember it, and place the deck back together.
Turn around and remark to the spectator that there is no way that you could possibly know their card, as you did not touch the deck after it was shuffled by the spectator. Ask for the deck and place it behind your back. Put both hands behind your back and appear to be in deep concentration. I like to ask the spectator to think of their card as I stare into their eyes.
Take the bottom card off the deck, this being the 52nd card as the spectator held the deck. Bring the deck around to the forefront in your left hand, and a single card, formerly the bottom card, held face down in your right hand.
Comment that with any luck, you have correctly removed from the deck the chosen card, and that you are going to put it in your pants pocket until the 'magical moment'. Take your right hand and the selected card, thrust it into your trouser pocket, and announce " It's done.."
Now, the dirty work. In your pocket, put the card in the palm position, and bring your hand, and the palmed card, out at the same instant that you look your spectator directly in the eyes and ask "Would you say your card was a high card, low card, or somewhere in the middle?" Asking a question as you look them in the eyes will instinctively make them look at you as well. This provides just enough cover for you to rejoin the card in your right hand with the TOP of the deck held in your left hand.
Tip: Instead of placing the single card on top of the pack, place the pack UNDER the single card. If the spectator happens to look away from your gaze, they will look at the 'movement', and the movement in this case will be the hand with the deck, and NOT the hand with the palmed card.
All you've really done to this point is remove a card from the bottom of the pack, and replace it on top of the pack.
Now, ask the spectator to name the number he thought of. Lets say he chose twelve. Deliberately and fairly flip eleven cards onto the table, note that the twelfth card should be the chosen card, unless the card you have in your pocket is the chosen card. Lay the twelfth card on the table, face down, and ask the spectator to please check the card and see if it's their chosen card.
As his focus' is on the card on the table, push the top card slightly to the right and palm it. Since you put an additional card on top of the deck, the spectators card actually became the thirteenth card in the deck, the very card that you are about to palm and place into your pocket.
In the same instant that the spectator remarks that the card on the table is NOT his, you put your right hand, with the palmed card, into your trouser pocket, release it, re-grip it with just your thumb and forefinger, and bring it out of your pocket to show the world that you DID correctly remove the spectators card from the deck and place it 'In The Pocket'.
The palming involved in this effect is well covered with a little patter and misdirection. The true key to this effect is in the timing... combining your palm move with natural movement and speech. I have no doubt that you can do this with a little practice. Once this effect is mastered, you're ready for a whole new world of card magic.
R.Carruth
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CardTricks1
CardTricks1 is the former CardSleights.com that I've advertised the past several issues. I recently ran across CardTricks1 and thought.. "Wow.. this sure looks alot like CardSleights", and upon close inspection found that it WAS Cardsleights, with a new name.
It seems they have changed the name, but can be accessed using either url for the next little while...
"As a member you will have access to all the information on the site and all updates for an entire year, you can even download and keep everything you want. All written sections can be viewed online or downloaded as ebooks which can be
viewed on any windows PC with internet explorer. The videos can be downloaded in windows media format (.wmv) and played with windows media player."
"As a member you will find sections covering basic techniques, self working card tricks, the overhand shuffle, the riffle shuffle, false cuts, transfer cuts, the glide, the glimpse, key cards, the hindu shuffle, forcing, flourishes, multiple lifts and more. There are card tricks to learn along with every technique and you will find regular updates."
The latest update (29th August) was a section on advanced double/multiple lifts including
1 hour 15 mins of video..
Visit CardTricks1
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The Power of Suggestion... Free PDF
It's amazing when readers take the time to put together great little pdf's and send them to me for inclusion in the Roadshow. It's really a way to take your magic and share it with hundreds of other magicians throughout the world. What better way to earn a reputation among your peers?
Carson Kahn is a wonderful young magician who is an active participant at the Magic Roadshow, and I only wish I had fifty or sixty more just like him. What newsletters I could publish!
The Power of Suggestion is partially Carson's creation, and partially an ageless effect that is just as baffling today as it was a number of years ago. In fact, most 'new' effects are based on classic principals that are reworked into effects that our audience members have never seen, as it makes little difference to our audience, as long as it's entertaining...
Download your PDF here.. http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info/PowerOfSuggestion.pdf
Simply right click, then click 'save as', and save it to your desktop.. or your favorite location. I like to save all new files to my desktop, then drag and drop them, after I've had time to read them, into any of several different folders I have for storing magic files...
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The Floating Banknote.. free video instructions
(from Issue 35 of the Magic Roadshow)
I keep a file on my desktop titled "magic roadshow stuff". It's just an accumulation of stuff that I have run across on the web and hope to use some day. The recent passing of Mike Bornstein brought to mind Mikes famous "Mike Bornstein's Original Floating Dollar Bill Levitation". I sat down and wrote up a description of the Floating Note effect in notepad and moved it over to my 'stuff' file, intending to use it in the next issue of Magic Roadshow.
That was several months ago and I kept intending to publish it, but for whatever reason I wasn't quite happy with my description of Mike's effect.
This issue rolled around and I said, "OK, this is it. It's time to edit the Floating Note and run it in the newsletter. No more procrastinating.." .
Well, I received an email from PubTricks the other day and they were offering me a free download, just for the heck of it.. Not one to turn down a freebie, I checked it out and, lo and behold, it was Mike's Floating Note.
I guess I don't have to edit my description after all.. I just send you directly to the video and instructions for constructing your own Floating Note..
http://www.streetmagic.info/floatingnote.html
( Need Windows Media Player )
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If you liked this effect, check out some of the other effects PubTricks has to offer..
http://www.streetmagic.info/Pubtricks.html
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Gregg Webb Free Magic eBooks
Thanks to Elaine for this valuable resource site.. Gregg Webb has a nice site featuring both pay-for and free magic ebooks. The free section periodically features different pdf files aimed toward the card workers among you.. To quote from his web site, the two free pdf file are:
The Reynolds-Webb Challenge Part 2
This time, a great double card prediction using an envelope. Also includes details on how to enter the challenge for a chance to win a FREE set of Gregg Webb's new dice trick "Making Your Point."
(Requires Acrobat Reader)
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The Reynolds-Webb Challenge
Several solutions posed for the problem of cleanly performing an impossible card to table. A card that has been in plain sight during the entire trick is revealed to be the spectator's signed selection.
(Requires Acrobat Reader)
Check out these two free effects
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Expert at the Card Table - Download link.. http://www.301url.com/erdnase
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Bonus Download - posted 09/09/06
Here is a nice download to EZYMagic ebook. This is an excellent ebook I've found for free on the web, IF you know where to look.. It's around 120 pages long..
http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info/ezymagic.zip
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New in the Store & Available NOW!
RELEASED: Bicycle Masters Edition Deck - Red
RELEASED: Silver Dream DVD
RELEASED: Art of Sleight of Hand DVD
RELEASED: Long and Short of It Svengali Book
RELEASED: Tricycle Card Box
RELEASED: Gaff Deck - Red Bicycle
RELEASED: Army of 52 DVD
RELEASED: Psychological Subtleties Book by Banachek
RELEASED: The System DVD by Dan & Dave Buck
RELEASED: Mind Mysteries Guide Book Vol. 1
http://www.301url.com/ellusionist
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I encourage you to send any resources my way. If you know of a site that has a free ebook or a wide assortment of magic related material, let me know. I'm sure all the other readers will appreciate it..
I hope you have a great Labor Day, and I'll see you again in two weeks. Remember, if you have any questions, request, or comments.... Email me.
RIP - Steve Irwin.. the 'Crocodile Hunter'... later mate! He may not have been a magician, but he sure was an entertainer..
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Please don't forget to visit some of my other sites.. see what's new -
http://www.streetmagic.info
http://www.magicroadshow.com
http://www.streetmagic.info/blogger.html
http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info
http://www.bellaonline.com/site/shareware
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May my next issue find you well..
Rick Carruth editor/publisher
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It's that time again. I've put together another newsletter full of free resources for street magic performers, close-up workers, mentalists, and magic enthuasists in general. You certainly don't have to be a professional to enjoy the Roadshow...
First, let me thank all the new subscribers who've signed up since the last issue. You guys are the reason for this publication, and I sincerely hope you find something here to benefit you and your brand of magic. If you like it, tell a friend.. If you don't.. tell me.
I hope all of you who celebrate Labor Day had a great one.. I should apologize for the Roadshow being a couple of days late, but I can't. I did it on purpose. With the American holiday, Labor Day, being this weekend, I needed to wait until a night before a work day to send it out. It's just a marketing thing.. Plus, newsletters send out over a weekend are much less likely to get opened.
If you have AOL, there's a good chance that you're NOT reading this. For some reason, the past three issues have been blocked, to some degree or another, by AOL. They are a perfect example of an ISP that wants to 'control' what you read, even if it's something you signed up for and requested. Oh well... (If you are getting this through AOL, drop me an email and let me know..)
Email Me ..
Be sure to read the article "Questions Anyone ??" IF you would like a chance to get a free copy of the classic ebook "Royal Road to Card Magic". We're starting a new feature at the Roadshow that I want you to be a part of..
If you bought a copy of Astounding Secrets -or- signed up for CardSleights, and didn't receive a free ebook, let me know please.. I'll continue to send free ebooks out to all who sign up..
There's still a gob of you guys who haven't positioned yourself on my Magic Roadshow Readers Map. It's free, and it gives me a chance to see where my readers are located. If you have time, post a picture, and you will find yourself in the Roadshow one day soon.. http://www.frappr.com/magicroadshow
I have syndicated all the new posts to my blog, Magic Bullets from the Magic Roadshow. Now, you can go to this link, enter your email address and click 'subscribe', and you will receive an email with my complete post whenever I publish a new article to the blog.. It's simple, there's No Spamming, and you can unsubscribe from the feed at any time. All subscriptions are handled thru Feedblitz, and remember, you WILL NOT receive any emails from Feedblitz, or anyone else, other than the new post themselves. http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=70161
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In This Issue:
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(1) Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Steve Owen gets it right... again.
(2) Magic Reviews - Caleb Wiles Calls 'em as he see's 'em..
(3) Questions Anyone ? Your chance to 'Ask a Pro'
(4) The Card From The Pocket - One of magic's classic effects
(5) CardTricks1 - New name, same great site
(6) The Power of Suggestion - Carson Kahn's psychic mystery
(7) The Floating Banknote - Combining Mike Bornstein & PubTricks
(8) Gregg Webb Free Magic Ebook - Two strong effects from a magic guru
--------------------
"Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked."
Lord Chesterfield (1694 - 1773)
"Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business."
Tom Robbins (1936 - )
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Between a Rock, and a Hard Place.
Steve Owen
For those of you that managed to keep awake to the end of my last article ‘I’m not a magician’ I’m making another attempt at putting a beginners slant on our magic, art, craft, entertainment? I’m still not sure what to call it! So now is the time to switch the kettle on, empty the dustbins (sorry trash cans) and go ahead and clean out those drains… You have been warned!
Like most newcomers to any subject, hobby or sport, I love my newfound interest. My enthusiasm for learning takes over my thoughts at work and my life at times, as I strive to better my handlings, learn more and build a decent repertoire of effects. Sometimes my eagerness spills over to those close to me, along with books, DVD’s and cards; and a thumb tip my son discovered in the kitchen. Luckily for me he’d worked out what it was for and knows how to keep ‘the secret’. Had my partner discovered it, well, I’d be seeking professional help by now, after a long and lengthy police interview on why I keep Feke body parts in my house. Did you notice the spelling?
I want to demonstrate my new skills and have them tested by those around me. Did you see anything? What did you think of the effect? and yes a storyline would be nice. Laypeople don’t call it patter! I always resist asking ‘did I flash anything?’ It avoids regular visits to the aforementioned police station. You see, I don’t want to sound like a rank novice amongst my peers; I don’t want others to see my naivety and my flaws. I want to be accepted by all and to fit in and to be accepted as a performer and magician. To do this I quickly learn all the skills that I can find, I read and read, practice and seek any advantage that will demonstrate my commitment to my new found interest.
We all act like human sponges at the start of something new, absorbing everything that comes before us. Regardless of whether it’s good or bad. I think this is true of any interest or pastime, isn’t it?
So what is wrong with that? Well nothing, nothing at all, and I should know, been there, done that. It is part of how we learn and advance and it helps us separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’.
But, it does have its drawbacks.
Years ago, far too many to be exact; I was involved in motorcycle trials riding up to national level. This is the branch of motorcycling that relies on balance, skill and nerve and involves riding over manmade or natural obstacles, cars, waterfalls, tyres and the like. You may have seen this on TV at some point, if not I suggest you watch it, just once!
In the early years I spent my time practicing, I just loved to practice, I loved the repetitive nature of it all, learning a new manoeuvre or technique and doing it until it was flawless and became second nature, (does this sound familiar to you?) I loved reading and learning all I could. I would make short courses up and make them as difficult as possible, to challenge myself, riding them for hours on end, none stop. I would try and rub shoulders with the top guys, just on the off chance some of their skills rubbed off on me, listen intently at any snippet of information they gave out freely (come on, we’ve all done it). I would read the weekly motorcycle press from front to back cover, inside out and then read it again, upside down and backwards. If I saw a new move or technique I would quickly go out and practice that there and then. I was absorbed.
After a while though, it dawned on me that this was all well and good, but I gained little from it in terms of improving my overall riding style, sure I had a vast array of skills at my disposal, and I had all the fundamental knowledge, the history and the opinions, but I just wasn’t getting any further up the results board. I lacked a solid foundation and to help me get this I needed to practice more efficiently.
This was brought home to me one Saturday afternoon whilst out practising. I had devised a hideous little practice course that included a vertical rock step. which had to be ridden over. I had spent many months trying to do this very small but technical piece and had failed at every attempt. I knew it could be done, I had faith in that. I knew how it could be done
but I just couldn’t do it. I had broken numerous handlebars and chains along the way and had swore that many times in frustration that I still go to confession to this day on the strength of it. That afternoon I realised this, I was never going to do it until I was ready. It was as simple as that.
I was trying to learn too many difficult skills at one sitting instead of learning each individual skill and then learning how to put them all together, to build a solid foundation on to which I could add more blocks. This little rock outcrop had highlighted this. But the most important thing I learnt was this; I had reached my saturation point in terms of riding. I didn’t have sufficient basic skills to execute the harder skills. I had been neglecting them in favour of learning the latest
techniques.
I would never come up against this kind of obstacle in my arena. Never! Yet I was neglecting some of the basic riding skills that everyone should learn, like balancing for example, or to put it in magical terms, controlling the card or having an out.
I left that rock, and it was a long time before I attempted it again.
So what prompted me to abandon this quest, besides another set of broken handlebars? Well, I came to realise that everyone has his or her time and place, and that rock step wasn’t mine. I was trying things I didn’t need too, had no use for and were beyond my capabilities at that time. I was a club level rider attempting something that would have taxed the best. I would often ride past the rock during subsequent practice sessions and wonder if I should try it again. I never did though.
So what’s all this got to do with magic I hear you ask? Well consider this, the SECOND sleight that I learned was the Mercury card fold and like my trials riding days I have reached a point where I have absorbed far too much magic theory and practice, too quickly and to the point that I’m haemorrhaging skills and knowledge at a far greater rate than I can
control. I have enough effects and DVD’s to last me a lifetime, I cannot keep up with the written word I reel off the internet almost on a weekly basis. As for chat rooms and forums, well they deserve an article all by themselves. (Watch this space!)
I cannot contain what I have learnt so far because I have reached my limit, I like to call this aptly ‘the sponge effect’. I am forgetting things I should know and be doing by second nature by now. My foundations are not solid enough to perform good magic. I am no longer on the learning plateau but actually feel like I’m going backwards, yes I’m in that place right now. (I’m sure most of us have experienced this at some point in our lives. No, you haven’t? I’ll move on then.)
However, having said that, I accept this though and am willing to move with it, it’s part of my learning process isn’t it? It’s also part of why I have adopted a ‘back to basics philosophy’ right now.
So what of the rock step I hear you wonder. Well, some time later I set out one afternoon with the purpose of tackling that rock. It had to be a Saturday! I knew I could do it, and I knew I was going to do it that day. I just knew, even though I hadn’t gone near the blessed thing for over twelve months. As I started to ride the route for the first time, I already knew the outcome. I tried it my pre requisite three times to check that that first time wasn’t just a stroke of luck. Three attempts. Three successes.
I never tried it again, after that, never. It was my time.
Years later having switched from motorcycles to mountain bikes I was riding nearby and stumbled across that rock, all over grown and looking less intimidating than it once did. I sat down for a moment and smiled to myself, and remembered the lesson I once learned from it. All things come to those who wait, goes the cliché.
So what is my rock now?
Since you ask, it’s performing in public. I get the shakes and the dry throat. I’ve already competed in a close up competition (I came last, before you ask) and given a very impromptu and bland demo in a local restaurant. I’m in my hard place right now, I know I can do it and I know I’ll be good at it and give a good show, but I also accept that it’s just
not my time yet, not yet, and that I accept.
I’m in the process of refining my handlings; more practice. Reducing the number of effects and sleights that I’m learning; less buying and less watching, and concentrating on putting together a smaller and altogether more magical show, patter included.
When I’m ready I’ll know, and so will you.
Steve Owen
UK
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Magic Reviews
Caleb Wiles describes his site as "A site dedicated to reviews of current magic products..". Although technically a blog, Caleb has structured his site to serve as a resource center for magic enthuasists looking for honest answers to one of magic's most endearing questions... " does it suck.."
Effects are a dime a dozen... Good effects are a true rarety. Caleb helps readers sort through the maze of effects available to magicians and offers honest opinions intended on helping his visitors decide if a particular effect is worthy of their dollars.
I read Magic Reviews... you should too..
Here is a list of the recently reviewed effects:
Nate Kranzo: Things With Cards
Steve Mayhew: Angels May Shuffle But The Devil Still Deals
Paul Wilson: Absolute Zero Evolution
Daniel Garcia: Next
David Regal: Premise, Power, and Participation Vol. 4: Regal Stands Erect
Marty Grams: The Art of Card Splitting
Peter Duffie: England Up-Close
Nathan Kranzo: The Heat of the Desert Lecture Notes
Joshua Jay: Pro Carrier Wallet
Underground-Collective.com: Cheetah's Handbook Volume 2
http://www.magicreviews.blogspot.com/
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Questions Anyone ??
(Get a FREE copy of the classic eBook ' Royal Road to Card Magic ')
My associate editor, David Breth, is one of the top magicians in the country, period. David is a renown professional entertainer who is commonly seen performing in venues from coast to coast. In recent months, David has performed for customers as diverse as the Disney Corp. in Florida and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Customers frequently fly David untold miles to perform at corporate functions.. or a birthday party. David is as comfortable in front of a room full of children as a room full of Fortune 500 corporate executives.
And if all this wasn't enough, David was recently named to the USA Today Entrepreneurs Panel as an 'Entertainment and Marketing Expert..'
In talking with David recently about what type of articles we wanted to write, it was suggested that David's unique talents would best be served helping readers directly with their specific problems. What this means for you is this...
..submit your questions - and have one of the magic industries top professionals answer it. Simple....
All you need to do is this.. send your magic related question to Rick@Magicroadshow.com and I will forward them on to David for consideration for publication in the Roadshow. The number of questions answered each issue will depend on the length of the answers.
(I can promise you that David will NOT answer questions related to revealing magic secrets sold worldwide. So, if you want to know how the RAVEN works or the secret to the Sealed Soda Can, you'll have to get those answers elsewhere.)
** As a special incentive, I will send a copy of the 400 page CLASSIC ebook 'Royal Road to Card Magic' to the sender of EACH question that we answer in the Roadshow. If your question isn't answered in the next issue, feel free to resubmit it for consideration. If you're outside the US, don't worry about your english or spelling, as your question may be edited or corrected for brevity and/or clarity..
Email Here
R.Carruth
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The Card From The Pocket
( A C.O.Williams classic, with a little help from R.Carruth )
This is one of those classic effects that many of todays popular effects are based upon. Many magicians have a natural fear of palming, and avoid tricks that involve palming at all cost. It's simply a matter of confidence. And the Card From the Pocket is the perfect effect to help gain the confidence you need to make palming an integral part of your routining.
Give a deck to a spectator and ask that it be shuffled until no one could possibly know the location of any card. Turn your back to the spectator and ask that they think of a number, any number, between two and twenty. Once done, have them count down to that number card, look at it, remember it, and place the deck back together.
Turn around and remark to the spectator that there is no way that you could possibly know their card, as you did not touch the deck after it was shuffled by the spectator. Ask for the deck and place it behind your back. Put both hands behind your back and appear to be in deep concentration. I like to ask the spectator to think of their card as I stare into their eyes.
Take the bottom card off the deck, this being the 52nd card as the spectator held the deck. Bring the deck around to the forefront in your left hand, and a single card, formerly the bottom card, held face down in your right hand.
Comment that with any luck, you have correctly removed from the deck the chosen card, and that you are going to put it in your pants pocket until the 'magical moment'. Take your right hand and the selected card, thrust it into your trouser pocket, and announce " It's done.."
Now, the dirty work. In your pocket, put the card in the palm position, and bring your hand, and the palmed card, out at the same instant that you look your spectator directly in the eyes and ask "Would you say your card was a high card, low card, or somewhere in the middle?" Asking a question as you look them in the eyes will instinctively make them look at you as well. This provides just enough cover for you to rejoin the card in your right hand with the TOP of the deck held in your left hand.
Tip: Instead of placing the single card on top of the pack, place the pack UNDER the single card. If the spectator happens to look away from your gaze, they will look at the 'movement', and the movement in this case will be the hand with the deck, and NOT the hand with the palmed card.
All you've really done to this point is remove a card from the bottom of the pack, and replace it on top of the pack.
Now, ask the spectator to name the number he thought of. Lets say he chose twelve. Deliberately and fairly flip eleven cards onto the table, note that the twelfth card should be the chosen card, unless the card you have in your pocket is the chosen card. Lay the twelfth card on the table, face down, and ask the spectator to please check the card and see if it's their chosen card.
As his focus' is on the card on the table, push the top card slightly to the right and palm it. Since you put an additional card on top of the deck, the spectators card actually became the thirteenth card in the deck, the very card that you are about to palm and place into your pocket.
In the same instant that the spectator remarks that the card on the table is NOT his, you put your right hand, with the palmed card, into your trouser pocket, release it, re-grip it with just your thumb and forefinger, and bring it out of your pocket to show the world that you DID correctly remove the spectators card from the deck and place it 'In The Pocket'.
The palming involved in this effect is well covered with a little patter and misdirection. The true key to this effect is in the timing... combining your palm move with natural movement and speech. I have no doubt that you can do this with a little practice. Once this effect is mastered, you're ready for a whole new world of card magic.
R.Carruth
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CardTricks1
CardTricks1 is the former CardSleights.com that I've advertised the past several issues. I recently ran across CardTricks1 and thought.. "Wow.. this sure looks alot like CardSleights", and upon close inspection found that it WAS Cardsleights, with a new name.
It seems they have changed the name, but can be accessed using either url for the next little while...
"As a member you will have access to all the information on the site and all updates for an entire year, you can even download and keep everything you want. All written sections can be viewed online or downloaded as ebooks which can be
viewed on any windows PC with internet explorer. The videos can be downloaded in windows media format (.wmv) and played with windows media player."
"As a member you will find sections covering basic techniques, self working card tricks, the overhand shuffle, the riffle shuffle, false cuts, transfer cuts, the glide, the glimpse, key cards, the hindu shuffle, forcing, flourishes, multiple lifts and more. There are card tricks to learn along with every technique and you will find regular updates."
The latest update (29th August) was a section on advanced double/multiple lifts including
1 hour 15 mins of video..
Visit CardTricks1
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The Power of Suggestion... Free PDF
It's amazing when readers take the time to put together great little pdf's and send them to me for inclusion in the Roadshow. It's really a way to take your magic and share it with hundreds of other magicians throughout the world. What better way to earn a reputation among your peers?
Carson Kahn is a wonderful young magician who is an active participant at the Magic Roadshow, and I only wish I had fifty or sixty more just like him. What newsletters I could publish!
The Power of Suggestion is partially Carson's creation, and partially an ageless effect that is just as baffling today as it was a number of years ago. In fact, most 'new' effects are based on classic principals that are reworked into effects that our audience members have never seen, as it makes little difference to our audience, as long as it's entertaining...
Download your PDF here.. http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info/PowerOfSuggestion.pdf
Simply right click, then click 'save as', and save it to your desktop.. or your favorite location. I like to save all new files to my desktop, then drag and drop them, after I've had time to read them, into any of several different folders I have for storing magic files...
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The Floating Banknote.. free video instructions
(from Issue 35 of the Magic Roadshow)
I keep a file on my desktop titled "magic roadshow stuff". It's just an accumulation of stuff that I have run across on the web and hope to use some day. The recent passing of Mike Bornstein brought to mind Mikes famous "Mike Bornstein's Original Floating Dollar Bill Levitation". I sat down and wrote up a description of the Floating Note effect in notepad and moved it over to my 'stuff' file, intending to use it in the next issue of Magic Roadshow.
That was several months ago and I kept intending to publish it, but for whatever reason I wasn't quite happy with my description of Mike's effect.
This issue rolled around and I said, "OK, this is it. It's time to edit the Floating Note and run it in the newsletter. No more procrastinating.." .
Well, I received an email from PubTricks the other day and they were offering me a free download, just for the heck of it.. Not one to turn down a freebie, I checked it out and, lo and behold, it was Mike's Floating Note.
I guess I don't have to edit my description after all.. I just send you directly to the video and instructions for constructing your own Floating Note..
http://www.streetmagic.info/floatingnote.html
( Need Windows Media Player )
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If you liked this effect, check out some of the other effects PubTricks has to offer..
http://www.streetmagic.info/Pubtricks.html
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Gregg Webb Free Magic eBooks
Thanks to Elaine for this valuable resource site.. Gregg Webb has a nice site featuring both pay-for and free magic ebooks. The free section periodically features different pdf files aimed toward the card workers among you.. To quote from his web site, the two free pdf file are:
The Reynolds-Webb Challenge Part 2
This time, a great double card prediction using an envelope. Also includes details on how to enter the challenge for a chance to win a FREE set of Gregg Webb's new dice trick "Making Your Point."
(Requires Acrobat Reader)
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The Reynolds-Webb Challenge
Several solutions posed for the problem of cleanly performing an impossible card to table. A card that has been in plain sight during the entire trick is revealed to be the spectator's signed selection.
(Requires Acrobat Reader)
Check out these two free effects
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Expert at the Card Table - Download link.. http://www.301url.com/erdnase
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Bonus Download - posted 09/09/06
Here is a nice download to EZYMagic ebook. This is an excellent ebook I've found for free on the web, IF you know where to look.. It's around 120 pages long..
http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info/ezymagic.zip
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New in the Store & Available NOW!
RELEASED: Bicycle Masters Edition Deck - Red
RELEASED: Silver Dream DVD
RELEASED: Art of Sleight of Hand DVD
RELEASED: Long and Short of It Svengali Book
RELEASED: Tricycle Card Box
RELEASED: Gaff Deck - Red Bicycle
RELEASED: Army of 52 DVD
RELEASED: Psychological Subtleties Book by Banachek
RELEASED: The System DVD by Dan & Dave Buck
RELEASED: Mind Mysteries Guide Book Vol. 1
http://www.301url.com/ellusionist
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I encourage you to send any resources my way. If you know of a site that has a free ebook or a wide assortment of magic related material, let me know. I'm sure all the other readers will appreciate it..
I hope you have a great Labor Day, and I'll see you again in two weeks. Remember, if you have any questions, request, or comments.... Email me.
RIP - Steve Irwin.. the 'Crocodile Hunter'... later mate! He may not have been a magician, but he sure was an entertainer..
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Please don't forget to visit some of my other sites.. see what's new -
http://www.streetmagic.info
http://www.magicroadshow.com
http://www.streetmagic.info/blogger.html
http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info
http://www.bellaonline.com/site/shareware
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May my next issue find you well..
Rick Carruth editor/publisher
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