LI(E)ghten up

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"
-Sir Walter Scott

Over recent weeks I've had quite a few incentives to write this article and interestingly not from magicians but from real people who live the real world. I'm going to discuss the practice of lying - possibly the downfall of most magicians, and quite a few human beings as well. I hope it gives you something to think about.

Just yesterday, I spent the day with a good friend of mine and the conversation turned to how we are perceived by others. I told her that I believe people recognise her as a beautiful, fun and intelligent human being and she immediately frowned and asked, "Why are you lying?" The truth is, I wasn't. She is all of that and more, but that really isn't the point. The real goods are this; what would I have achieved by not being honest to her? Nothing. And that's the entire point of lying - it's simply a step backwards instead of forwards.

So far this all sounds as if I'm looking to start a new religion...what does all of this actually have to do with magic? I think there are two main areas that should be discussed; what we say and do and how the audience perceive what we say and do. Lets take them one step at a time...

When I perform for an audience I like to share a part of my life with them and afterwards many spectators speak to me as if they're a friend and have known me for a long time; my performance almost seems like a conversation (although the performer (i.e. me) should have an edge of authority). I would feel extremely fraudulent if they befriended someone that wasn't actually me but some kind of cheeky character or perhaps a caricature of a magician. That's not the Fredrick McValentine that my friends know, so why should anyone else feel that they have met a different person?

My performance character is the same person as my friends know for most of the time. Just like everyone else, I get in different moods and mindsets, but the fun and almost mysterious Fredrick comes out to play in my performances and as often as possible in my real life. Of course, audiences also accept obvious character acts since they understand and know in the back of their minds that just like in a play, the character isn't real. I like to let the audience meet the real me, so simply steer away from being an actor playing the part of a magician.

Lying about your character is a very large-scale example to prove my point. It's also an extremely important one. Just as important though are those minor, white lies that magicians seem to tell because, um, well...it's their job. If you learn one thing from this article, please let it be this - your job is to amaze your audience and not lie to them. Lying to our audience has got us into all sorts of trouble in the history of magic so I purpose that instead of lying we simply don't say anything! Brother John Hamman used to say that instead of talking too much, just let the audience work out for their selves as they will believe their own thoughts a lot more than they believe you.

Although its very extreme I try not to even tell an audience, "And I place your card into the center of the deck." Sometimes I have to, but I try to steer away from it whenever possible. The first reason is that they already know that the card is going into the centre of the deck since they can see you placing it there. The second reason is quite simple - you act quite a lot differently when you lie to someone.

Anyone who has studied NLP will understand about eye accessing cues, which are often used to identify remembered from imagined data. I won't go into detail here, since a study of almost all NLP courses will reveal a lot of information. For those who want a brief outline that is even associated with magic, take a peak at Derren Brown's Pure Effect book.

For a quick experiment, try asking a friend to picture a blue triangle inside a maroon square and then ask them to picture the colour of a mutual friend's hair. Traditionally, when asked to picture two shapes, their eyes will move up and to the right since they are forced to construct the image for their selves. In the second question they have to remember an image so will look up and to the left.

Anyway, I digress. Of real importance is that you change as a person when you tell a lie. For those who have trouble fooling their friends and family, this is the reason - because they know you so well that they can identify when you're not being totally truthful.

Steve Fearson's Goodbye Vanish

About 12 years ago a very creative magician by the name of Steve Fearson had a sort of magic revelation. Like a voice it cried out to him, "Magicians have been stuffing people into boxes since the dark ages...It's time someone shed some light on the subject."

Steve was that someone. He made it his duty to wake up magic by taking 3 classic illusions and bringing them into modern times. Up close.. full lights.. no more boxes.. no more BS!

The first was the levitation. At that time there was no close up self levitation on the market. Zip.. nada.. nope.. none. The idea was to be able to levitate himself in a close up situation, in full light, without any weird props. Just over 2 years later he eventually released Fearson's Fantastic Floatation.

The next target was the Sawing in Half illusion. When people think of magic they think of sawing someone in half. It is the definition of modern magic. Sawing yourself in half close up without a box proved to be a huge challenge. But after a couple years he had a workable method and could perform it.

However, Steve only got to perform it once before it was purchased by David Copperfield and became his "Laser Illusion". I know there is a copy of his original performance floating around on the web, a quick search for "fearson sawing" on google turns up a few sites where you can see it.

The final chapter in his magical odyessey was to be the Self Vanish Illusion. So many times while performing I have heard people joking, "Can you make my wife vanish?" or, "if you're a magician let's see you vanish." Well as it turns out the vanish was the tougest of the 3 illusions to accomplish close up without props. Steve had been tossing around different ideas for years and felt none were worth pursuing seriously. None met the "no BS" requirement. In fact, untill very recently he had all but abandoned the project.

Several months ago, while was lying awake in bed one morning, Steve had a shift of perspective regarding the vanish. Suddenly he saw a real, workable solution. One with no props or gimmicks that could be done virtually anytime, anywhere by anyone. He was able to perform a rough version of the trick for his wife that very day!

Since then his core idea has undergone a lot of "fine tuning" by a very select magicians. Angelo Carbone and Paul Harris, two of today's forerunners in creative magic, are among the few to have played with it and help refine it. And now it has been released, in a brand new downloadable format! And, best of all, due to the ingenious simpliciy of it's design, it is very inexpensive. The Goodbye Vanish, as it has been named, is now availible, as well as many other ingenious tricks, at Steve Fearson's website.

Books vs. DVD

More and more video releases are taking place now due to technology. Lest people assume a wizard gets frumpy about new advances, I thought I should address a common struggle in learning these days. Should we learn magic and mentalism from watching video in some form, or by reading?

The easy guess would be watch video. Video is easier; reading takes a little work and brainpower. Video you can look at and be completely numb. That would make video a big plus for some people.

One good thing about video is that it allows us to see an actual performance and performer's style. The bad thing about video is that it allows us to see an actual performance and performer's style. We already have far too many people doing reenactments of other performer's performances. Video allows us to clone another performer completely. True, the real artist would never do such a thing, but the lazy surely will and do.

Video gives us visuals that are far clearer than any illustration or description. Exceptions are those illustrations, which allow us to see through hands, or remove a finger for better viewing. That can be a tad messy on video. Video overall is better to see complex movements and sequences, and so to learn such things.

Having authored books, videos and audio, I know what I can put into video and what belongs in print. Is there much of a difference? You bet! I could never put on a DVD all the psychology involved in some of my work. Video is great for an overall impression, but exacting details and the real work of subtle secrets - these go into books.

Who wants to watch someone on a screen talk at you for hours, and not do much? Books allow more detail to be condensed into a few pages that would otherwise be laborious on DVD. A few people have tried this on video, but it can become boring even to the enthusiastic viewer. Reading allows time to contemplate more intense thought. How often do we watch videos and then hit "pause" to stop and ponder and idea for an hour or so? Most will not do that a dozen times or more watching any video. These same people will do precisely this without thinking about it however when they read a book or manuscript.

Today, pros know few people read the way we were taught to do. Many names are being asked to put out multiple videos which thousands rush to buy. But most of what you get on these videos are not the original working material of these pros, but rather snippets of the basic books they read that perhaps you did not. It is very amusing to me to hear people rave about certain people's videos and effects that are straight out of Tarbell, Bobo, Rice's, or any other basic reading foundation most real pros have. I do not think these names are wrong in what they are doing - I think it a fine thing. But they will tell you too - this is not meant to replace the actual books or reading.

We have become a group awaiting the latest video rehash of classics by our favorite performers, rather than having to sit down and read the breakthrough thoughts of others. Yes, reading takes a little more effort. Reading isn't like just buying a trick that you can immediately perform. Video is very much like that. We like to see the trick so we can go out and do it. If we can't do it right away, then we call our magic dealer and ask when we can buy the ready-to-do version.

Reading forces you to imagine, think, and even misunderstand. Do you have any idea of how many classic ideas in magic have come out of a misunderstanding of what someone has read? Video doesn't allow for such "mistakes". At first glance, this appears to be a good thing, but in truth, it is stifling.

Anytime I have performed for video, I later realized that I had forgotten to say certain things in my explanation. Even with everything clearly scripted, other details have slipped by. When you are writing a book, such details can still get into the book even at the last minute. That's not what happens in videoland. Ever hear a lecturer who said "I meant to say this on the video" or "I didn't put this on the video but"? If he had put this in print, such details would have been more likely present.

So, for a quick fix, fast absorption rate, and general overall basic idea, video is the way to go. If you want the rest of the work, the real details, the hidden secrets, the "real work", read something. I am telling you this based on my own experiences and those of some of my friends. If you wish to be even a little professional, at some point reading is going to become important. If you wish only to entertain friends and family and do not care about whether you are sloppy, or a clone, video is enough I suppose. You will never know the thrill of a new idea that has not been beaten to death this way, but you will be able to do good tricks just like the person you are watching. If that's all magic is about to you - popular tricks - video alone will work. You may even get portions of the basics taken from books on the videos, and learn parts of these books that way.

I suggest that watching video, listening to audio, and reading combined is the best way. What can't be put into a video is in the books. What you may not grasp in the books, or what sneaks by you as a minor idea, will come to light by watching video. What you hear someone say on audio or read in a manuscript will enhance what you see on DVD. I do not think it is an either/or situation. All of these tools are valuable.

If you watch video alone however, you will never know all of my real secrets, I assure you. The best of my best gets in audio or book form. Where you have to think, imagine, and even misunderstand. In short, so you learn - not just mimic. In fact, I think instead of doing several videos of secrets of mine, I will do a few small booklets. This way those select secrets will be safe from careless performers. As these are more visual items, giving up these secrets in print will force experimentation. Not everyone will do the same thing the same way. Only the wise will read and stop to ponder the deeper implications of what at first appears to be simple notions. Readers know that there is more than meets the eye - that the black and white on a page is a range of colors of which can be dreamed only. Yes, I will hide some simple, effective, easy to do, commercial, visual work in a few booklets. Then I will have them to myself. Until someone else decides they should make a video of them. But I will still have the upper hand, as will my readers. For we will know more in thought, imagination and actual detail than can be stolen. We will know the truth that one may read between the lines, but only lasers can scan between the edges of a DVD.

Discover The Magic Of Doing What You Love

Do what you love to do and give it your very best. Whether it's business or baseball, or the theater, or any field. If you don't love what you're doing and you can't give it your best, get out of it. Life is too short. You'll be an old man before you know it.

~Al Lopez

Since childhood we are coerced to follow the conventional path. Along the way, through happy accidents we discover small pockets of doing what we love. Unfortunately, due to the tremendous strength of our conditioning, we relegate our attention to doing what we must to survive.

Only twice have I met people who have done what they loved and both events shook me to the core. Inspiration is watching someone doing what they love.

The first time, I was introduced to a dentist. My mother had sent me to see him because I was about to graduate from high school and I wanted to choose a profession for college. She had been a patient of the dentist and had been highly impressed by him.

The dentist showed me around his office. It was evening, and the office had closed. He was so enthusiastic that I could barely follow along. He showed me a variety of instruments, he showed me textbook after textbook of the most horrific dental conditions and rhapsodized about how dentistry could fix them, and -- he showed me what it is like to be happy.

The second time, I was introduced to a surgeon. Unfortunately, I was his patient. This man used to be a general practitioner, and then fell in love with surgery. He just loved helping people. Besides saving my life, he also showed me the power of doing what you love. He was always laughing, joking, and appeared to be having the time of his life.

Both these men enjoyed tremendous wealth and success. I met them socially, too, and learned more about them. Life and joy just emanated from them. They were the most charming and amazing people in any social setting. Their charisma emanated from doing what they loved all day long.

If you're not doing what you love, then you're at the wrong place, with the wrong people, and doing the wrong thing. Your life is heavy with repressed desire. And the weight of your unlived life will not let you have a moment of true spontaneity.

But--how do we just throw away the entire fabric of what we consider our safety and plunge into doing what we love? How do we probe past the layers of self-denial that have what we love to do?

There are three things to do to live your life on your own terms doing what you love.

The first is to spend some time in introspection and find what you love to do.

The second is to begin where you're at to do it. Do it as recreation if you don't have an outlet. The main thing to do is to let it happen.

The third thing is to let it expand by itself to fill your life. Your skills will improve, your hobby will attract opportunity, and one day, you'll find the joy of living your life the way you want and be a blessing to all those around you.

The Telltale Heart

With the current flood of movies, TV shows and video games featuring vampires, werewolves and other monsters, horror writer Edgar Allan Poe remains the most frightening of all, even though he has bee dead for more than a century.

Poe, who lived from 1809 to 1849 and was credited with writing the first true detective story, manages to chill a room full of people, even though his characters rarely spill blood, or even kill anyone.

However, one yarn that does both is The Telltale Heart; in it, the "hero" kills his landlord and buries his body under the floorboards. When the police call to check out the disappearance, the "hero" slowly breaks down under his own guilt and thinks that he hears the heart of the deceased pounding. Finally, he breaks down and confesses his crime to the two policemen, who never suspected him in the first place.

Compare the crude slashings of today's so-called horror films with just a few words from Poe: "Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror."

Here are two business cards that are similar to the ones Poe carried - writing on the front and nothing on the back. (The magus shows two cards, one in each hand and, with clearly empty hands, fully shows both sides of each card.)

(The magus puts the cards, together, one on top of another and puts the bottom edge on the table. When he lifts the two cards, there is seen a red, pulsing heart!)

Working:
This is based on a very old idea, used by the late Milbourne Christopher. A Poe card is held in each hand, writing side put and roughly parallel to the floor, with fingers underneath and thumbs on top. The red heart (more on this later) is hidden behind the left card, resting on the fingers of the left hand.

When the cards are both turned over, and the hands, to show the backs of the cards to be blank, the fingers of both hands slide up the cards until the fingers are almost off the face of the card. The right hand does this to match the left, while the left does it to hide the heart: As the fingers slide up they take the heart with them, concealing it behind the fingers.

The writing sides of the cards can be shown again and, as the hands and cards are turned over, the fingers are extended behind the cards again. The right simply matches the left, while the left actually slides the heart behind the card and holds it there.

The right-hand card is now slid under the left card, between it and the heart. The right hand releases the cards and turns over (palm down) so that the right hand fingers can grasp the front of the cards and the thumb can reach over and hold the heart.

The left hand now turns over the match the right and grasps the cards in a similar fashion. With both hands holding the cards, they are placed bottom edge on the table.

As the cards are lifted, the right hand releases the heart, letting it fall to the table.

Second Thoughts:
The heart can be just about any type of glass or plastic heart, available just about everywhere around Valentine's Day and at many places year-round.

I use a small, battery-operated red plastic heart that I can set alight and pulsating as I drop it to the table; it was part of a key chain that I picked up around Valentine's Day.

Enjoy this - and spook your audience!

The 6 Things To Look For When Buying A Kids Magic Kit Online

You want to get the best magic kit for your kids. I don't want your kids to be disappointed by an inferior or inappropriate magic kit.

Here are six things to look for when shopping for a kids magic kit.

1. Specific suggested age range: Every kid should have an age group that it was created for. For example a lot of magic kits are sold for "ages 4 to 104". Well, what that means is that half of the tricks are appropriate for kids and half are good for adults. The problem with this is that most kids will get frustrated because 50% of the trick are too hard for them to learn. Kids want to learn all of the tricks in the magic kit...not just half.

2. Instructions that are fun: You want to have the instructions for your kids magic kit to be fun and exciting. For example, you don't want a magic kit with just printed instructions that have no illustrations.

Studies have show that over 61% of kids learn best visually, so getting a kids magic kit with DVD instructions is ideal.

3. Item should ship out within 24 hours: If a website doesn't have a product in stock, it shouldn't be listed on their website. You don't want to wait 2 weeks for them to get the item instock, you want your kids magic kit promptly! A surefire way to tell if a site has an item in stock is that their shopping cart checkout page will have their realtime stock listed of each item they carry.

4. Lots of Testimonials: Every site should have testimonials or reviews from actual parents about their kids reactions to the magic kits. An endorsement from someone like David Copperfield is impressive...but he doesn't have kids and isn't necessarily a good judge of what kids nowadays think is cool, but other parent know what kids like!

5. Secure check out: When you begin the checkout part of your order, make sure the page is secure so that your information can't be stolen. Most online shopping carts only operate in secure mode during the part of checkout when you enter your personal information, and that's fine.

Here are two ways you can tell if you are submitting your information at a secure site:

#1 look at the address bar in your internet browsers window it should begin like this https:// The "s" in the https means secure.

#2 a closed (locked) padlock will appear at the bottom of your browsers window.

6. Customer service phone line: Every site should have a phone number you can call to ask any questions you might have about their kids magic kits or to place your order over the phone. Having a phone number to call is basic customer service, and I would be skeptical of any site that doesn't want you to call.

Now that you know the six things to look for, I'm confidant that you will find a kids magic kit that is fun, and age appropriate for you children.

I Am Here

Effect:
In a seance-type situation, the magus brings out a business card with a small Ouija board printed on the back, in an attempt to contact one who has passed over to the other side.

The magus goes into a trance and asks if the spirit is with the assembled group.
He then sprinkles some ashes over the card, brushes them across the Ouija board, and the words "I Am Here" are seen to appear on the back of the card.

Method:
This is simplicity in itself.

The business card back, above the small Ouija board, is apparently blank. In fact, you have written beforehand, the words "I Am Here", using a white crayon from a standard box of Crayola crayons.

The words, written in white on white, cannot be seen in normal light but, when the ash is rubbed across them, the ash adheres to the wax, making the words visible.

Presentation:
"Almost everyone has someone who has passed over to the next level of existence that they would like to contact one last time.

"The Ouija board is a common way of doing that, as is the seance. But what if we combine them both?"

Bring out your business card and show the back with the Ouija board on it; bring out a vial of ashes or ask someone to write the name of a deceased relative on a piece of paper and burn it. Spread the ashes over the back of the card.

"If we concentrate on the spirit of the departed, perhaps - and only perhaps - we might be able to make some form of contact."

You feign a trance, in which you rub the ashes over the back of the card and the words appear.

"We appear to have made contact. Now let us listen to what the dearly departed has to say."

Second thoughts:
This is the ideal time to polish your cold-reading abilities and give a reading of the querent.

Or you might try a reading with Tarot cards, or palmistry, or rune stones.

In any case, this makes a logical lead-in to a psychic type of reading.

The bottle of ashes are used in case you are at a venue where an open flame is not possible, for whatever reason.

If using the ashes, claim that they are the pulverized and mummified remains of an ancient seer, who had the ability to contact the dead.

Or you may want to use some other explanation; do whatever fits you and the circumstances.

This piece could possibly stand alone as part of a bizarre routine but works much better as the opener for a seance-type routine. Of course, once you are into the routine, you can go as "bizarre" as you wish!

But this must be played absolutely seriously and as if you really were channelling the spirits.

As the late, great close-up artist Tony Slydini used to say: "You must gotta believe!"

Balloon Animals

More then ever before, I have seen the rise in restaurants providing table side entertainment. While you wait to be seated, or for your meal to come, you can be entertained by a skilled magician or a fancy balloon animal.

This is wonderful. It provides the restaurant with a bit more time to get everything ready, it helps pass the time for the customers and the performers usually gets a nice tip.

As you have probably guessed by now, I am such a performer. I twist balloon animals and cartoon parodies. They are quite wonderful. But I can't help but wonder why I am tipped the same for a one balloon dog as I am for a 12 balloon monster truck that takes considerable amount of time. I understand that there are some who are only skilled enough to make a balloon dog. I think that there should be a difference in what he is tipped and what I am tipped.

What determines what someone is tipped? Is it the amount of skill they have at their craft? Is it how fervently they worked to please you? Or is it simply the lowest amount that you think you can get away with?

Well for those whose policy is the latter, I have bad news for you. Poor tipping leads to Balloon Flatulence.