The new Paul Wilson Videos:

I’m actually kind of anxious to see these. Paul’s a nice guy and an accomplished magician.

I just hope there is really 4 DVDs worth of material – we’ll see.

When I travel, I take books and DVDs that have a lot of useful material in/on them. This means I find myself taking John Bannon’s stuff quite frequently. We are very fortunate that magic seems to attract a lot of brilliant thinkers – e.g. Jim Steinmeyer, Simon Aronoson, Mike Close, Robert Harbin, Alex Elmsley, Stewart James, David Williamson, Darwin Ortiz etc. It seems so many of the magic savants get the press and we tend to forget those of great intelligence and insight.

I spent a great deal of time rereading Smoke and Mirrors on my last trip. What a good book. Some of Bannon’s wisdom needs to be pointed out so we don’t forget.

That is why I consider myself a magician first, an entertainer second. This is why I do not believe a magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.. Magic should be entertaining and should contain elements of theater, spectacle and/or humor. But I think if magic has anything it can call its own, it is its appeal to the bundle of human reactions I call surprise. By choosing magic as the medium, by being a magician rather than a comedian, actor or storyteller, my aim is to provide that otherworldly sense of surprise.

Thank you, John! The entertainment at all costs mantra has gone further to destroy magic than anything I can think of.

The old saw that there are no bad tricks, just bad magicians, is nonsense. Of course there are bad tricks. Lots of them.

At this stage of the game, I’m surprised this even needs to be said, but I heard it again the other night. Not only are there bad tricks, there are real stinkers – just awful. I give you Electric Touch etc.

I believe that once a prediction is introduced, the audience presumes that it will be correct; that is, that the trick will succeed. From that moment on, the audience necessarily concentrates on the conditions of the subsequent selection.

Boy, is he on the right track here. It seems like half of the tricks at any magic club start with I have a prediction…..

I guess my point of this article is to encourage you to take books and DVDs, written by the great modern magic thinkers, and look deeper. There’s a gold mine in the Worker’s series, just as there is in the writings of all of those I mentioned above. We’re living on a golden age of magic thinking – don’t let it get away.

Take care………

Here’s the marketing poop:

A tic tac box is shown empty all the way around. You take the coin and slam it on the tic tac box. You can see and hear the coin melting through the plastic and end up inside the container. Your hands are clean after the coin penetrates the box. Immediately give away the box with the coin inside to your spectator. There’s nothing to find out. Your spectators can keep the tic tac with the coin trapped inside. Forget everything you have seen.
This is: Pure.Visual. Magic.

• Easy to do
• 100% examinable
• No holes in the box
• Can be performed surrounded
• You end up clean
• Give away the tic tac with the coin!

The effect is simple and very effective. Anyone can perform this truly amazing miracle.

The DVD features UK’s successful performer Jonathan Egginton teaching the most VISUAL coin through tic tac box EVER. Period.

I had honestly resolved to concentrate on the few good products that are available and try to let the rancid crap that is so pervasive alone. As you can see – I couldn’t resist. Some things are so, so bad that ignoring them does everyone a disservice.

To complete the marketing, here’s the video:

Tac Tics

To those that surf the Cafe, I know we hear caveat emptor and all kinds of excuses for the plethora of crap be sold as miracles. We’re told that we should understand that puffery is a part of the marketing etc.etc. I have this argument with family and friends all the time. Isn’t it time we start calling a lie a lie and expect advertisements to deliver what they promise!?!?!

Let’s look at the ad point by point.

1. Easy to do – yeah I guess so, if you want to do it.

2. 100% examinable – boy they push the truth here. There is an implication that the coin is borrowed or can be examined. This is absolutely false. The only examination occurs after the trick is done and then I suspicion the modus operandi is fairly obvious – at least on the appearing part.

3. No holes in the box – OK. So what!

4. Can be performed surrounded – again misleading. Certainly not just wearing a shirt as shown in the video. A coat / vest is most certainly required.

5. You end up clean – You’re NOT clean. There’s nothing extra in your hands, but the work is still in the box and the other coin is “around”.

Just because I have years of training in keeping secrets, I’m not exposing this piece of crap, but just imagine the lamest method possible and you’ll be close. Remember, you don’t borrow a coin – they can’t examine the coin – it’s not marked in any way. Basically you show a coin – vanish it and make a different coin appear in the box. Whoopee do!! You too can do miracles for only $25.

This is not a $25 trick. Actually, it’s not even a 25 cent trick – even if they threw in the 5 cent gimmick. It is an idea you might use as filler in a $5 set of lecture notes. There is nothing original, clever or even magical here, so to the producers and author we award the i/m Steel Balls award for their unmitigated disregard of the buying public and willingness to sell this garbage for an exorbitant price – or any price at all, actually.

Take care………

Further thoughts [1/4/08] – This DVD is short – damn short – and a great deal of it is taken up flashing the FBI Warning regarding copying. They shouldn’t worry. I can’t imagine anyone, anywhere would want to waste a 35¢ DVD to make a copy of this thing.

 My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by.  Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary
Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.  He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Author unknown

Take care………