Houdini

Thanks to "Phenomenon" with Criss Angel, Uri Geller, and all the celebs - the latest live "vote-em-off" show for mentalist magicians, people have been asking me to do cool similar stuff.

Got some free drinks at a bar the other night by bending a key in someone's hand, making a fork zip across a table, to be picked up by a freaked-out bartender, and then having it melt into impossible positions and finally separate. Also made some people's drinks do weird things, like eject their straws, flying across the room (one of my own effects, for you magic types out there - should be written up by Racherbaumer in one of the rags in the next few months as soon as he can take my pic...fooled a well-known celeb magician once with it.)

It's nice being back in the game since my former performance venue, Harry Anderson's "Oswald's," where I performed and produced a show starring lots of locals on nights he wasn't performing, closed when he moved.

Great stress relief from work as well. Went to my GF's birthday party tonight and similarly made other objects move around, things bend in others' hands, etc. People were totally freaked, even though I never (unlike Geller) claimed my stuff was real. Still, people want to believe. Ruined (or at least turned into strange art) lots of flatware.

Might as well cash in on the "psychic" and "mind power" stuff while it's popular. Not my favorite type of magic, but very scary for many. Lots of screaming and jumping, etc. (on the part of the audience.)

H <---having a little fun for once in a long while

Jenny

*laugh* Excellent! Would be cool to see you do it! And even cooler if you tell me how! lol

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johnnymk

He would have to "kill" you if he told you.

ArkiStan

or even worse, bend you.

Nija

She might like that.

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ShawnLee

Oh my...

In all seriousness Jen, watch yes. But unless you're gonna start performing too? Don't learn. So much cooler to be blown away.

With some advice from Roni and Houdini, I've started trying to learn some tricks. Basically, I've come to that weird point where I know plenty about how a trick is done, but effectively nothing on how to do it myself. Disappointed to lose the "Wow, I wonder how?" aspect for some of the simpler tricks.
Anything I don't know how to do, at this point, I'm refusing to learn, just so I can continue being blown away.

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oblongmelon

can you make a video of all the tricks so we can see them!

cadetevon

I'm the other way Shawn, I like knowing the "hows" of the simpler tricks (and some of the not so simple ones) and then when I see them done again, I can appreciate the skill of the performer and the work that goes into perfecting such things.

Sure, the WOW is gone for the trick, but the "hot damn" is there stronger than ever for the performer.

Houdini, I too, think it would be cool if you recorded (I almost said video taped!) a few tricks for us to see.

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Yvonne
Funny: My Next Wife.

avlena

ditto on the video request!!

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uncledaddy

Wow, a Doctor and a an Illusionist, that is the correct term, right? Way to go H. Would like to see you perform as well.

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Markel

or you could use prestidigator

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stay low... keep moving...

RoniMan

well, i think the other term u can use is .... QUACK!

=P

i keed, i keed!

uncledaddy

uncledaddy

Okay, so I had to look this one up. Duh.....

zippyjuan

Watch me make his kidney disappear! See? No scalpel in either hand! No forceps up my sleeve!

That will be $60,000 please!

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uncledaddy

This makes me wonder...last year I had to have two titanium plates put over my left orbital bone because of a work accident. So my Ophthalmologist says all is okay though I can't feel or tell that the plates are there other than the scar. So I see the bill...$30,000. Thank god that I didn't have to pay or they would definitely be showing me some ex-rays or CT's to prove that they are there.

Or should I be thanking him for a job well done?

Houdini

I have to strongly agree here. I don't claim to know how everything everyone does is done. But it is rare that I see something which truly blows me away - method-wise. You definitely lose something when you decide to get into the art. You lose the amazement, the suspension of disbelief, the "my eyes are seeing it, but I must be dreaming or something b/c there is no way in hell this could be happening!" feeling. Of course, occasionally I see something really, really well-performed and novel that fools me...but usually only for a minute or two. I've just learned too much. It is a risk, but I also put in a lot of practice time to make others experience that wonder.

Also, you run the risk of, especially after watching crappy "secrets revealed" shows, ending up with an attitude that magic is a puzzle...a challenge to figure out the secret. The secrets don't matter and are usually boring and disappointing. Trust me. When it's a puzzle, while fulfilling for some, it is nowhere near the other emotions that can hit you when you see a good performance, and, for a second or two, believe you are seeing something absolutely impossible/incredible. Then you smile. It lifts your mood. Etc.

Again, I DON'T like knowing how so many things are done, but, when I go to a show, say Copperfield, as he'll be in the area at the end of January, I see things differently. I'm familiar with his current show, unless he's changed some things. For a while, I could probably go onstage and lip-sync the show b/c he hadn't changed much in years. I know most of his sources from reading, have been in correspondence and have even met, briefly, and sometimes for longer periods, many of his designers. I perform many small things that he has done. So, I go in knowing the history of the effects, most of which are based on principles whose ages would blow you away. I watch his stage presence, his blocking, his lighting, etc. I've developed an appreciation for that, as the wonder over the secrets simply isn't there.

Same with "Phenomenon." Most of those effects are based on old, old, old principles. I'm glad the guy who won, won. He had excellent performance skills, was great at handling the audience and volunteers, made it entertaining, and was technically skillful. Kinda the things/criticisms that Criss Angel gave him, and i did agree with Criss on most of his critiques. Guess we were watching for the same thing.

I don't mean for this post to sound self-serving, but I really do want to emphasize and encourage people to, unless you really want to devote a lot of time and energy into learning how to perform, and perform in an entertaining fashion, don't bother googling (plenty of info out there is bogus anyway, if not most,) or trying to find out the secrets. Disappointing at best. It's also rather expensive. Not only the props, but many (but not all) good books. I probably have 250 books or so, and a couple of hundred magazines dedicated to it, and it's continually growing. Not to mention a few "famous" props that cost a pretty penny.

I don't think I have any performances except for maybe making one of my brothers levitate when I was in 4th grade, and performing a shadowbox (Okito's Girl from the Light or Copperfield's Motorcycle Appearance) with my brother the following year. But I looked and sounded different.

But I'll think about it. Hopefully I'll meet many of you along the way someday anyway, and we can have some fun. Same with Roni...he's damn good. We met up at the Castle earlier this year and saw some good performances, and hopefully will do so again.

BTW, I'm finishing my medical residency in psychiatry in 6 months or so...so if I removed a kidney, after not having any training in surgery in 5 years, that would be one helluva trick. And I promise not to "psychically" bend your metal plates, UD.

RoniMan

First off, thanx for the compliment. Secondly, anytime you're in town man! Third, I'm working on my routine, so hopefully, I'll be even "better" than the last time you saw me. Heh.

Houdini

Kickass. I had a blast. I still don't have a solid routine (no performance venue, so no reason yet, or good motivation as work has been killing me,) but I'd love to hang out again.

H (bp)

uncledaddy

Much appreciated. That really might freak me out.