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Magic Roadshow July 9th, 2007 Issue# 74 Rick Carruth / editor (C)2007 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 seventy countries worldwide. Learn free magic tricks online and via video. _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Hello All
First, "Welcome" to all the new subscribers who have generously signed up to receive the Magic Roadshow since our last issue. I hope your visit is time well spent.. Second, I apologize for the late status of this issue. I wasn't home much of last week, and didn't have access to my publishing programs to get this issue online. I'm going to make it up to you by sending out another issue in one week.. it will be a 'Best Of' issue that I have been slowly compiling for the past month or so.. And then you should receive another regular issue the first of August. Comments, requests, rants and raves.. EMAIL ME Well, it's the middle of summer in South Carolina, and the big topic on TV is the hot weather, and I have a theory.. It's the middle of July !! DUH... I'm going out on a limb and predict right here, in print, that this 'heat wave' will continue into the month of.. gasp.. August! My advice..?? Stay inside, drink plenty of liquids, and read the Magic Roadshow - all 74 of them.. ___________ In This Issue ___________ - Box Clever - Rick's Card Clever - Derren Brown Interviews - Las Vegas Magic - Muscle Pass video - Floating Bank Note video - Sheldon Casavant’s Online Magic Club - 10 Free Magic eBook Downloads - The Rockefeller Secret For Magician's Success - Magicforge - blog and magic blogtrack - Carolina Close-up Convention - Reader Squidoo Sites - Expert at the Card Table - download - Easy Mentalism - download _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Box Clever.. Several weeks ago I did a review of Paul Zenon's excellent '100 Ways to Win a Ten Spot'. One of the 'sucker bets' in Paul's book was an effect called BOX CLEVER, which I would like to describe to you as a mental magic effect, as opposed to a sucker bet.. Just for good measure, I'm going to include a second handling, my own, near the end of this article which will work perfectly with playing cards.. Paul describes how you can line up three packs of cigarettes, turn your back to the packs, and bet a bar patron that if they hide a ten spot inside one of the packs, you'll fairly disclose which pack they concealed the money in, using your psychic power. Further, you bet the patron that if you correctly predict which pack contains the money.. you get to keep it. And if your wrong, you'll pay them double... or twenty dollars. Reading Paul's bet, I decided to apply the basics to an effect that could be performed almost anywhere, anytime. What you need to do is this.. Secure three containers of any sort, they can be cigarette packs, boxes, envelopes, even three styrofoam or paper cups, to use for your effect. Secretly mark one of the containers so you will be able to recognize it again after the spectator has hidden their 'money' inside one of the containers. This can be as simple as crunching one of the corners, marking it with an ink dot or two, or if using cigarette packs, use three different brands and make note of one specific brand as your 'marked' container. The secrets is this... Line the three containers up on a flat surface. Make sure to put the container you've marked or memorized on YOUR LEFT. It doesn't matter where the spectator stands, he can be in front of you or beside you.. as long as you know the left container. After lining the objects up and turning your back, ask the spectator to place the 'object', whatever it may be, inside one of the containers. After you've been assured the object is inside one of the containers, ask the spectator as an after-thought to switch the position of the two containers that DO NOT contain the object, just so each of the objects will have been picked up and/or moved at some point during the hiding process. When you turn around, you will immediately know which container contains the hidden item. If the marked item is still to the left, then the object is hidden in the left item, since the other two would have been the two that switched positions. If the marked item is in the middle, then the middle item switched places with it, which means that the item on the right conceals the hidden object. And of course, if the marked item is now on the far right, then the right and left items changed positions, meaning the object is hidden in the middle item. Logical deductions.. If the marked item has been moved, then it will have switched places with the item that was where the marked item is now.. and the 'other' item conceals the object. This is Paul's logic, which is fine, but we're going to take it one step farther.. --------------------- RICK's CARD CLEVER Imagine taking three cards from a deck of cards, you can have the spectator openly pick any three cards they want - if you want to make things look really fair.. Ask the spectator to keep the faces of the cards secret from you. Now, ask them to mix the three cards thoroughly so even they do not know the order of the cards, and then lay them in a stack on the table. Once done, pick up the cards, faces down, and spread and count the cards between your hands, giving them a sort of.. " three cards.. three cards only.. all chosen by you.. and their values totally unknown to me... Is that a fair statement?" In this moment, you are going to perform the only subterfuge required to pull off this little bit of mental magic. What's required is either the slight creasing of a corner of one of the cards, or the nicking of the outer edge of one of the cards with your fingernail.. There's another simpler way.. The use of a one-way back deck. ( A deck where the back of all the cards face one way, allowing you to readily see if one of the cards is upside-down.) If you're using a one-way deck, which is my personal choice, you're going to make sure one of the cards is turned the opposite direction from the other two. Done openly and very casually, no one will notice.. Two things - try to use a deck where the the pattern isn't totally obvious, and use a deck that has the cards already mixed both directions. There's a fifty-fifty chance one of the cards will already be upside-down, and you will not have to touch the cards at all.. And the most sure-fire method of all.. use a deck with one marked card, maybe a slight scratch or an ink dot. Perform a couple of shuffles, keeping the marked card on top of the deck, then a false cut, and ask the spectator to remove the top three cards.. one of which will be your marked card.. Regardless of which method you use, I'm simply going to refer to this card as the 'marked card'. If you had to pick the packet up to bend or position a card, give the packet back to the spectator and tell them.. " I was going to lay these three cards out in a row, but I'm not even going to do that.. I would like for you to do it.." , and hand them the packet with instructions to lay the three cards down in a row. Now is the moment to look for your marked card. Whether it's a physically marked card or an upside-down card.. spot it, and remember where it's at in the lineup.. Turn your back and ask the spectator to secretly 'peek' at the face of one of the cards and remember it, and then square it up neatly in the lineup. By asking them to 'peek' at the card, they are not apt to actually pick the card up, but simply pick up one side of the card far enough to note it's value.. Now, as in the effect earlier, ask the spectator to switch the position of the other two cards to assure NOTHING will look the same when you turn around. Actually.. something will, but not in their mind. When you turn around, look for your card. Remember the principle that if the marked card is moved, it will have been switched with whatever card WAS at the location where the marked card is now.. and the third card, the one not moved, is the card the spectator viewed. And of course, if your marked card is still in the same location, then it was the chose card.. As soon as you have determined which card was NOT moved, you know the chosen card and you're ready to work your magic. Ask the spectator to turn over each of the three cards, letting you see the faces for the first time. Tell the spectator that you are going to use the same principle used by polygraph operators and find the chosen card using their pulse as an indicator. Take the wrist of the spectator and put your fingers at the approximate location where the pulse should be found. Now, pass your hand slowly over the faces of the three cards, pausing ocassionally to get a 'feel' from the spectator. After a few passes over the cards, turn one of the cards face down, not the chosen one, and tell the spectator that when you pass your hand over that card you notice no change in their pulse. Continue passing your hand over the two remaining cards until you're ready to announce that there is only one card that produces a noticeable change in the pulse rate.. and reveal to them the card they viewed.. You can remind them that THEY picked the cards to be used, THEY shuffled the cards, THEY layed the cards out in a line, and at NO TIME were you able to influence the position of the three cards. All these statements are totally true. You didn't need to influence the position of the cards, only remember the position of your marked card, to make this effect a really impressive bit of simple anywhere/anytime mental magic... R. Carruth =========================== Derren Brown Interviews.. Two very different interviews.. one very long, and one much shorter. The first is a longer version of an interview with Derren that first appeared in Genii magazine in the Feb. 2005 issue. Derren discusses everything magic, including the influence David Blaine has had on magic, and magic on TV. http://www.jamyianswiss.com/fm/works/derren-brown.html The second interview is in the official publication of the London Theatre and is a somewhat updated look at the Derren Brown phenomenon on Great Britain TV.. "it is to his credit that his programmes regularly feature those occasional occasions when he gets things wrong. 'That’s a rule we’ve got. I mean there’s always a suspicion which people voice, which is ‘well, you film that 500 times until it works’. That’s a perfectly sensible and logical thing to think.." http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/display?contentId=84817 ** Interest in Derren Brown will increase wihen his new show, 'Mind Control', debuts on the Sci-Fi channel on July 26, 10PM EST. Look for it.. =========================== Las Vegas Magic Thanks to one of my West Coast friends, David Neubauer, http://www.dnmagic.com , I have the inside scoop on magic in Las Vegas. If you're planning a trip to Vegas, you must know who's performing where, and when.. David does the leg work each month, and I'll provide the web page. Not only does David provide venues and times for all the famous performers, but many of the lesser known, but extremely talented, performers as well.. Note too, that meeting dates and locations for Las Vegas magic organizations are furnished closer to the bottom of the page. For me personally, the timing couldn't be better. Allegiant Air just announced that they are providing a direct flight from my home airport, Greenville/Spartanburg SC, to Las Vegas.. twice a week.. for $ 89.00 one way. The instant the ad ran across the TV last week, my wife looked and me, and me at her, and we knew it wouldn't be long before we were headed to Vegas.. and I'll be armed with David's info.. This is a web site you need to bookmark.. http://www.LasVegasMagicShows.info =========================== Muscle Pass Video... If you're into coins, then you're probably into the muscle pass. Although I can't do it, I admire those who can. Last week I published a video to my blog that was probably the best free video I've seen for this elusive move. It looks so easy when you watch others do it, but everyone I've talked to admits that they have run into the same problem I have.. just can't quite get that 'pop'.. At any rate, maybe this video will be the nudge you need to performing two foot muscle passes. ( I wish).. Watch it, try it, and let me know if you can do it. If so, I'm going to get YOU to write me a little tutorial for the Magic Roadshow.. http://www.streetmagic.info/blogger.html ========================== Floating Bank Note.. This is the classic Mike Bornstein effect. I've featured this video (windows media player ) in the Roadshow in the past, but I ran across the web page again recently while 'cleaning' seldom used web pages from my site. It's always been a favorite of mine, since the actual working is so simple. This effect is best suited as a pocket effect, and really amazes kids.. although they will be the first to 'bust' you if you show it more than once. If you haven't seen the video, check it out.. http://www.streetmagic.info/floatingnote.html =========================== Sheldon Casavant's Online Magic Club With the popularity of close-up magicians like David Blaine and Criss Angel, Sheldon Casavant feels people are interested in learning close-up or street magic that they can use to impress family, friends, and spectators. Here's a list of some of the articles and effects compiled to help visitors make the most of their visit to Online Magic Club.. Articles: Magic Lessons:
http://www.sheldoncasavant.com ========================== MagicForAll has compiled a collection of magic related ebooks they make available to anyone able to download from the web. I usually try to provide links to download direct, but with their assortment of ebooks I'll provide their link and let you download on their dime.. Look around.. they also offer a wide collection of original effects they sell at reasonable rates, and furnish video's of most of the effects so you can see what you're getting.. 10 CARD TRICKS FOR BEGINNERS - You never know what you might find.. FLOATING CUP - Make a coffee cup float at your fingertips.. EASY MENTALISM - Yes, this is the same great ebook I've promoted on StreetMagic.. DAVID BLAINE EBOOK - For those of you who missed it the first 40 times around.. 10 ESSENTIAL CARD TRICKS - Ten card tricks illustrated with large high resolution photographs.. SELF FOLDING BILL - the classic effect.. FEARSONS ACES - A combination of card magic and mentalism.. HYPNOSIS - A collection of 7 ebooks HOUDINI ESCAPE - A fully illustrated ebook and a great close-up effect.. POLTERGEIST SPOON - A great combination of magic trick and practical joke.. Make an excuse to leave the room for a moment and while you are gone the spoon which had been in you cup leaps into the air and out of the cup!! No strings. Simple to learn and perform. http://www.magicforall.com/html/magic_etricks.html ======================== The Rockefeller Secret For Magician's Success Dennis Regling Everything that is watched gets better. I have learned that anything watched always improves. John D. Rockefeller had a secret that took him to the top of the business world. He knew the importance of business intelligence. Rockefeller was one of the few people in his industry (perhaps the only one) who knew exactly how much it cost to extract, refine and deliver a barrel of oil. In fact, he was entirely aware of all his costs. Having this information (and acting upon it) gave him a huge competitive advantage. He knew how much he could price a barrel of oil for and still turn a profit. He was always aware of each area of revenue, cost and market share, and he worked on improving in every part of his business. As a result, he did cost saving things like manufacture his own oil barrels, have his own cartage company, and on and on. He eventually managed his way to where he could sell a barrel of oil, with superior customer service, and turn a profit at a price less than what it cost his competitors to deliver the very same product. By paying close attention to the things that mattered, Mr. Rockefeller made his Standard Oil Company so successful that he became the wealthiest man in the world! Now, what does that have to do with you, the performer? Well, everything if you are in this as a career and not a hobby. Do you know what it costs you to book and perform a show? Do you base your prices on what the market will bear or on actual costs? Are you aware of the real profit you are making at each show? Do you twist balloons? How much does each balloon cost you? How much does the slush powder you use cost per performance? It is important to know. When I managed restaurants, I had to break each menu item down to its exact cost. How much for the fish, the fries, the hushpuppies, the plate, the fork, and the take-out bag. Fractions of a penny were important. They added up. As a performer, you need to know the cost of generating a lead, your lead conversion rate and cost of booking a show. Stamps, envelopes, phone calls, and other business expenses add up and need to be figured in to your cost of doing business. You need to know your travel costs. Cost per mile to drive including gasoline, maintenance and repairs is an important part of your overhead. Motels and meals need to be accounted for. How much more does it cost to eat while travelling as opposed to eating at home? That difference is a real expense of doing your show. Once you know how much it costs to promote and perform your show, you need to know how much you need to maintain your lifestyle. If you are averaging 5 shows/week and need $750/week to maintain your household, then you need to charge $150 above your costs. By knowing your costs, you can learn where to cut back, what advertising is not profitable, and more. Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Content copyright © 2007 by Dennis Regling. All rights reserved. You can visit Dennis at his BellaOnline Magic site at http://www.magic.bellaonline.com -or- email David at captdenno@yahoo.com ======================== Magicforge PD Jamez and Magicforge are 'Tracking the Magic Blogosphere..'. Aside from publishing his own fine blog, PD Jamez has created a central point to gather information on all the major magic blogs in the world. Currently displaying almost fifty blogs, Magicforge displays each blogs latest post, at least the first twenty words of each post, along with a link, to give visitors the oportunity to visit and read 'what's going on' in the magic community. I think this is the perfect way to get a quick view of the blogging community, and what's being posted. Each blog is color-coded to indicate their most recent post, and give you an idea of who's active and who's not. Any blog posting in the past five days will have a synopsis of their post published on Magicforge to give you a good idea of the nature of the post.. http://www.magicforge.net/blogtrack/ Thanks again to Jim Canaday and the Magic Portal for the heads up.. http://mysite.verizon.net/jhcanaday/ ======================== Carolina Close Up Convention I just received word from one of my magic friends and great performer/innovator, Chastain Criswell, that last years highly successful Carolina Close Up Convention, held in Hickory NC, is moving to a newer, bigger location in Charlotte NC. Chastain passes this on to all my readers.. Carolina Close Up Convention - FREE !! NOW, you can customize a convention to fit your schedule and interests. PLUS the convention is FREE! Get your FREE pass to the Open Mic Show, Sessions, The Dealer's Room, and Magic Media Auction just for booking a room! ALL other single events are only $25 if you book your room early. Get an exclusive VIP ACCESS PASS for only $100! Customize your convention experience and SAVE money! REGISTER NOW http://www.tricsconvention.com/ ====================== Readers SQUIDOO sites.. You can easily create your own website with Squidoo at NO cost. Just register and create.. Once done.. send me your website address and I'll publish it in the Roadshow to help the search engines find you, not to mention other readers and potential customers.. http://www.squidoo.com/korath/ http://www.squidoo.com/zenmagic/ http://www.squidoo.com/donmagic/ http://www.squidoo.com/defythemind/ http://www.squidoo.com/magicalflacoj/ http://www.squidoo.com/street-magic/ http://www.squidoo.com/mentalmagic/ http://www.squidoo.com/metaphysicalmagic/ http://www.squidoo.com/psychological_illusionist/ ================== Erdnase 'Expert at the Card Table'.. Free Download Don't leave without picking up your copy of one of magic's all-time classic books (ebook, in this case). If you have a problem downloading, email me at the email address below and I'll send it to you in an email.. http://www.301url.com/erdnase ----------------- Easy Mentalism .. Free Download Now, download 'Easy Mentalism' for free. I've charged for this ebook for some time, but now that it's being given away on other sites, we will do the same and let you download a copy from the Roadshow. This ebook is full of great basic mentalism effects, the cornerstone of some of mentalisms greatest effects.. http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info/1mentalpay.htm ================== I encourage you to send any magic 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.. Email me.. --------------------------- 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.StreeMagic.info/blogger.html http://www.StreetMagicSecrets.info http://www.Mentalists.info http://www.LasVegasMagicShows.info --------------------------- May my next issue find you well.. Rick Carruth / editor ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ |
