Johnny Fox, a showman with a taste for the macabre and an appetite for swords, died on Sunday in Damascus, Md. He was 64.
The cause was liver cancer, said Marc Hartzman, who included Mr. Fox in his book “American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia of History’s Most Wondrous and Curiously Strange Performers,” published in 2005.
Though Mr. Fox’s array of talents included sleight of hand and hammering a spike into his nose, he was best known for sword swallowing, a skill he displayed all over the country.
His cancer was diagnosed early this year, but he was performing as recently as October at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, where he had been a regular for 37 years.
From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Fox also ran the Freakatorium, El Museo Loco, a small museum on New York’s Lower East Side that harbored artifacts including clothing worn by Tom Thumb, the P. T. Barnum performer; a mummified cat said to be from an Egyptian tomb; and a glass eye that supposedly belonged to Sammy Davis Jr. Read more….
Well Hello There! Christmas is almost upon us.. AND a new Magic Roadshow. What more could you ask for? OK.. you don’t have to answer that.. but it’s really not a bad thing.
I hope this issue finds you well. We are almost at the end of a seemingly new year, I just got used to writing 2017 for gosh sake, and here we go again.
Happy Saint Nicholas Day. Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Christmas Day, Three Kings Day/Epiphany, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa and Omisoka…
Thank You Everyone – A Special Notice from Yours Truly
Performance And Magic Etiquette – Paul Lelekis
Coin Gone – An Effect from Paul Lelekis
More Tricks Without Names – Werner Miller
The Magic Of Cardini – A History by David O’Connor
The Magic of Michael Skinner – A Review
Cardio – A Review
America’s First Magician Will Reappear in 2018 – Article
Try This Simple Trick To Beat Your Public Speaking Anxiety – Article
Shoot Ogawa Rope Routine
Card at Any Number! – Tutorial
Make all 4 Aces VANISH | Card Trick Tutorial
World’s Most Deceptive Trick Shuffle Revealed
Ministry of Magic on H23 Channel – An Effect
Vinyl Magician Smashed Wall Decal – 3D Art Stickers
Magic Trick Reviews… Free to Everyone Facebook Group
Important Information for Roadshow Readers!
** Thank You! Paul Lelekis, Michael Lyth, Werner Miller and David O’Connor
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Thank You Everyone !!
As much as I enjoy writing the Roadshow, this will probably be our last issue. I wanted to publish till issue #200, but publishing seems to get more difficult each month. For a long while, I could depend on readers to interact. I received requests and feedback in bunches after each issue, and that was part of the joy of working on the Roadshow. I knew there would be an opportunity to meet new readers, respond to long-time readers, and share articles and resources with well-respected friends from around the world. Times are changing.. and ways of communication are changing. I feel that the ‘newsletter’ format that has worked well for me. and for readers, for a number of years has passed its prime. Although folks still read the Roadshow, they don’t read it with gusto. The internet has caught up with us, and readers can find virtually anything, on any subject, with a simple Google search. The Roadshow isn’t unique any more. It isn’t possible for us to compete with Youtube.. (and there IS some outstanding content on Youtube..), Facebook, or with the wealth of knowledge on Amazon and Kindle, as well as all the self-published authors and sellers here and abroad. Who the heck can compete with all the cheap magic videos reproduced by China?… I Can’t. My original intent was to serve as a type of resource that pointed readers to other resources. I helped folks find quality magic online.. generally free magic and free ebooks. Now, as I go back through past issues, it only leads to tons of dead links. I hate that…
I still have a ton of magic to share, but I’m pretty sure a newsletter isn’t the best way to share it. I’m not shutting down my mailing list, as I want to share with you the direction we’re going. I’m also going to maintain the http://MagicRoadshow.com web site… and publish news and reviews frequently. I’m also working on some commercial magic that I feel guilty about NOT sharing with Roadshow readers, but I actually need to make a dollar or two to pay my wife back for allowing me to spend a small fortune on list management and hosting fees, not to mention domains, research, internet tools, and Word and PDF creation programs.
I sincerely appreciate, with all my heart, the opportunity to share with you since 2004. It’s been an unbelievable learning experience for me. I’m sure I’ll miss publishing the Roadshow, but if I can’t give it 100% then it’s time to change formats. Until this time last year, I felt an urgency to get out each issue on time, or close to it. Since my open heart thingy last November, I’ve had time to think about what I really want to do and what direction I want to go. Although I’m still not completely sure, I do know the direction I DON’T want to go.
As I mentioned, I think the newsletter format is passe’ .. Even blogs are taking a serious nose dive, as well as podcast and web sites. New regulations will require ANY web site or blog wanting steady traffic to adapt the https (secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol) format, instead of the http.. or Google will refuse to take searchers to, or list in their index, the sites. The big sites will survive.. the rest of us will lose readership until we cease to exist. I am now doing something I’ve NEVER done in the past.. paying a premium to my list server each month because ‘certain’ email servers, namely Yahoo and Hotmail, are declairing The Roadshow spam, and reporting me as a spammer to my list server, who then requires me to prove that each subscriber using those two services actually subscribed to the Roadshow.. and I have to provide the date they signed up and their ip address.. or pay a $1.00 per ‘complaint’ fee.. In other words.. Yahoo and Hotmail determine what emails THEY want YOU to see, even though you may have been a subscriber for over ten years…. Absolutely Unreal.
When I refer to the Roadshow, I often use the term ‘we’. There isn’t a ‘we’… there is only a ‘me’.. when it comes to putting together the Roadshow, formatting, editing, publishing and trying to make it readable. (This is NOT to take away from the wonderful writers who make monthly contributions..) I suppose I realized that ‘we’ cannot compete with the sterling quality of publications like Paul Romhany’s VANISH Magic Magazine, for example.. or the quality sites that publish new commercial magic monthly. I don’t want to be an also-ran. (There was a time not long ago when Paul wrote articles for the Roadshow..) To compete with the best sites I’d have to go commercial, accept advertising, seek advertising, employ a staff of assistants, and work my butt off 24/7.. not to mention the publication costs would increase a hundred-fold. That’s a mighty big challenge… and one I don’t want. I’ll stick to the simple life. Don’t think I’m going away though.. it’s just time for a change..
Be Blessed my friends..
Rick Carruth
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PERFORMANCE AND MAGIC ETIQUETTE
by Paul A. Lelekis
Years ago (when I was younger!), I have had many more experienced magicians say “Why do you use so many tricks! All you need are six or seven when you do close-up! That way you have a group of tricks that you know!”
There is much wisdom to the above quote, but I have alway90s loved to learn new tricks and practice them – and then perform them. Notice that I said PRACTICE them, and then perform them!
If there were tricks that didn’t have the ‘impact’ that I wanted, I tried
to figure out why they didn’t work as well.
Also, I don’t bother my family and friends with a new trick…I try them out on REAL spectators – which, by the way is actually easier to do.
If a trick doesn’t “go over” big with a friend, family member, or another magician – don’t worry about it! You will, very probably, be getting a ‘resistant response’ because they feel comfortable enough with you to “call you” on virtually ANYTHING, whether it is right or wrong.
I’ve seen MANY ‘newbies’ get discouraged about a trick because it didn’t ‘fool’ an experienced magician. That newbie learned the trick 3 minutes earlier and then say “Aww this trick doesn’t work!”
If my new trick didn’t have the impact I wanted, I would examine why it didn’t work. Not just toss it, storing it in my “magic room”.
Most of the time I found it was, perhaps the patter, or the way I performed the sleights (per formed them badly!), or usually the timing. At any rate, I wanted to know why. I have had magicians watch me perform an effect and then immediately want me to teach it to them. Ten minutes later they came back and told me, “Oh I don’t like that trick – everyone knew how it worked!”
They had just performed a trick for another magician (and performed it badly!) and couldn’t understand that their performance was amateurish, the patter was stumbling, and the sleights were not well practiced. Of course they figured it out!
I was always impressed with how Michael Skinner (who loved to perform for other magicians), could not only “fool” them…but “fool” them with tricks that they already knew! This intrigued me and I set out to dissect my routines and figure out every little point in my effects that would “signal” something to spectators, as well as magicians.
I can’t always fool magicians…but I can and DO fool lay people all the
time…BECAUSE I PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL!
Getting back to Michael Skinner…Michael not only practiced a lot to perform his sleight of hand beautifully with interesting patter – but he always took that extra step, that he needed to fool magicians. For instance, Skinner loved to perform his version of Wild Card for magicians. His patter was interesting and fun…
However, he ended “dirty”, and would mutter that he “needed something” as he went to his pockets switching out the “dirty” cards for another packet. But it didn’t end there! He tossed the switched, examinable packet onto the table as he continued “looking for something”, continuing his quest. Sure enough, a magician (knowing that Michael wasn’t ‘paying attention’), would dive for the packet, finding just regular cards.
Now magicians aren’t stupid – tacky maybe – but not stupid. They THEN knew that Skinner had baited them and, hopefully, learned a good lesson in etiquette amongst each other.
It got to the point where NO MAGICIAN would EVER mess with Skinner’s cards, props or whatever…because he could easily make them look stupid…Michael Skinner was ALWAYS prepared!
This is a good lesson in “magician’s etiquette”…always enjoy the
performances of your fellow magicians without trying to be a heckler!
Also, if you don’t know how that person’s trick worked, ask him or her! Don’t be the type who will act as if they already know how it worked and then, as my good friend, Rick Carruth said, “…run and Google it for the next magic meeting”!
It is a good feeling to know that one has performed well enough to make people marvel at one’s performances…but always keep in mind that your goal is to entertain them and to take them out of their ‘known’ universe and into another universe where things are very different!
I’ve said this many times before…YOUR MAGIC IS SECONDARY! How you make your spectators FEEL is primary! This is what will make your performances impressive and memorable!
This is a very old effect that I found in Bobo’s coin book many years ago. I believe it is much older than that…but this is really good!
I have used it in several of my coin routines over many years and it is extremely deceptive!
This is just one “effect/sleight” that you can insert into most of your coin routines…and it is very strong.
EFFECT: A coin is displayed and placed into the left hand. A magic pass is made and…it didn’t work! The coin is still in the left hand!
The magician places the coin into the left hand again, the magic pass is made, and this time the coin has vanished completely!
METHOD: This may seem bold – but it works every time!
Stage 1:
When you place the coin into your left hand the first time, you actually place it into the left hand.
Wave your right hand over the coin, moving your hand from your body, over your hand and back again, several times…the wave is a large, back and forth movement over your left hand…this will set up Stage 2.
Snap your right fingers and…show the coin is still there! Act as though you can’t understand what happened.
Stage 2:
Repeat placing the coin into the left hand again, but use a “retention of vision vanish” (or just pretend to place it in your left hand), actually retaining the coin in your right hand.
Bring attention to your left hand as you maneuver the coin into a thumb clip with your right thumb, of course.
Immediately repeat the waving of your right hand over your left hand from your body, outward, over and past your left hand and back again, several times.
However, on the second pass, your right hand comes up close to your shirt or jacket pocket and releases the coin into that pocket!
Keep waving your hand a couple more times over your left hand after the coin has dropped into your pocket…then pause for beat.
Open your left hand to show the coin has vanished! Then show your right hand to be completely empty!
This vanish is even more amazing if you’re wearing short sleeves!
DO NOT be afraid of this sleight! It works every time!
NOTE: When I perform this, I normally place a piece of napkin into my shirt pocket to keep it open a little bit. This is really not necessary because this sleight is actually quite easy to do, but it helps a little!
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Werner Miller – More Tricks Without Names The Mathemagical Medley Continues
Trick #17
Let the spectator name any suit. Sort out the ten spot cards of this suit and arrange them face up in a spread, in descending order as depicted (Fig. a). Close the spread, square the cards, and turn over the packet. Pick it up, hold it with the faces toward you, and fan though the cards obviously looking for something. Finally remove the Ace and the Two and table them face down as your secret prediction.
Square the remaining eight cards (which are still in numerical order), place this packet in front of the spectator and turn away. Ask the spectator to give the packet a complete cut to bring a random card to the top, then to remove this random card tabling it face up, note its value and shift that many cards singly from the top of the packet to its bottom, e.g., five cards if a 5-
spot happened to be removed and turned over. Next, the removed card is to be placed back on top, still face up, and lost in the packet by means of a complete cut.
Now instruct the spectator to deal the cards singly and alternately into two packets and then to set aside the packet made up of four face-down cards (Fig. b). With the other packet (which contains three face-down cards and the face-up random card) it goes on: Again, the cards are to be dealt singly back and forth, and then, also as before, the uniformly face-down half is to be eliminated (Fig. c).
The spectator is left with two cards, one face up, the other one face down. Request him to discard the face-up card, then you turn back, point to the left-over face-down card, and ask him if he has a clue about its identity (Fig. d). No matter what he replies, turn over your prediction cards, add up openly their values (“1 + 2 = 3!”), then encourage him to turn over his last card: it is (always) the 3-spot.
Alternative Version
Start as described above, but use the Ace and the Ten as your secret prediction. Then mix the remaining eight cards by carrying out a series of three Klondyke Shuffles, place the packet in front of the spectator, and turn away.
Ask the spectator to cut the packet completely, to turn over the new top card, to place it back (still face up), and to give the packet another complete cut. Then guide the spectator verbally through the 2-phase binary elimination deal as in the above version, down to two cards – one face down, one face up. Give instruction to turn the face-down card also face up and to add up both values: The result is (always) 11, thus surprisingly matching the added-up values of your prediction cards..
In this History of Magic, we discuss the life of renowned magician Cardini, who in 1958 was proclaimed by the New England Magic Society as “the greatest exponent of pure sleight of hand the world has even known.”
Cardini was born Richard Valentine Thomas on 24th November 1895, in the small mining district of Mumbles in Wales. As a youngster, Cardini was influenced by people like Chung Ling Soo, Nate Leipzeig, and the Great LaFayette. When he was a young man, he joined the British Army in WW1, where he fought in the trenches until he was wounded. He practiced his sleight of hand in the freezing trenches wearing gloves that were to later become an integral part of his act, and he continued to practice his sleight of hand diligently while recuperating at the hospital.
He began his performing career in vaudeville in England but travelled to Australia and Canada. He crossed into America through British Columbia where he became an instant success. American magicians stated that they had never seen such an act as Cardini performed.
Cardini possessed the uncanny ability of supreme dexterity. His masterful skill enabled him to flawlessly manipulate many objects, including playing cards, billiard balls, thimbles, and cigarettes. What was even more amazing was that he performed his magic routines while wearing white gloves. He appeared dressed as the supreme, elegant gentleman, complete with tails, top hat, a cape, and a monocle that became his signature feature. His sleight of hand manipulation was perfection, all presented as a sort of silent skit to music. He appeared as a slightly inebriated gent who seemed to be unable to understand how things were happening. His mannerisms blended so well with his sleight of hand. While performing in Chicago, he met and married who would be his lifelong partner, Swan Walker, who assisted him dressed as a page. Cardini performed in such venues as the Radio City Music Hall, the Palace, the Copacabana night club, the London Palladium, and many top-class night clubs and theatres. He performed eight times at the Whitehouse, four times alone for President Franklin Roosevelt, and in 1938 gave a command performance for Britain’s King George V and Queen Mary who were both completely captivated.
Cardini’s performance was different from all the other magicians and illusionists of the era so he became much in demand. Throughout his career, he achieved great fame and many accolades. He became president of the Society of American Magicians three times and in 1945 was made President of the Magicians Guild after the death of Theodore Hardeen. In 1957 at age 62, he appeared on one of the few magic television shows of the time entitled The Festival of Magic. In 1960, he was awarded the prestigious Silver Wand Award from the London Magic Circle. Ten years later, he was awarded the Master Magician Award from the Association of Magical Arts at the Hollywood Magic Castle. The award was presented by former movie actor Tony Curtis, who himself was an amateur who performed magic for a hobby.
Cardini’s nephew Randy Pitchford, a professional magician, funded a museum exhibit in Cardini’s honour at the Magic Castle where some of his uncle’s artefacts and memorabilia can be viewed. In 1999, after Cardini had passed away, he was named by one of Magic’s Magazine as the top magician of the century.
Cardini is said to be the most imitated magician in the world but his skill and showmanship could never be duplicated. He was one of the very few performers who could present an act using just cigarettes, playing cards, billiard balls (that multiplied and changed colour), and thimbles on some of the world’s largest stages. Normally these are the props used in close-up or parlour magic. His artistry went beyond the boundaries of conventional magic acts, where he incorporated acting and dramatization into his performance, honed and strictly choreographed and timed to coincide perfectly with the music.
Cardini always had a way with birds and was known to approach wild birds and hand-feed them. He raised and used birds sometimes in his act and trained a parakeet to pull a card out of the deck. The notorious Al Capone once saw Cardini perform in Chicago and was so impressed by him that he invited Cardini to dinner. Later Cardini was quoted as saying, “It was a most nerve-wracking experience.”
On April 6th 2013, a public auction was held by Potter & Potter, the renowned auction house in Chicago, for some of Cardini’s personal effects. His famous tuxedo with white tie and tails was sold for a winning bid of $72,000. This lot included the magician’s trademark monocle. The pre-sale estimate for the tuxedo was estimated between $2,500 and $3,000. His dress wardrobe trunk with costumes and accessories sold for $12,000, while a stage bowtie raised $10,800 and the last pair of kid gloves worn by Cardini on stage sold for $26,400. His large personal scrapbook covering his magic career brought a bid of $28,000, and the last deck of playing cards he used raised $4.080. Potters & Potters President Gabe Fajuri stated, “Cardini set the standard for all magic acts with his look and his exceptional skill. Even today decades after his passing, his tuxedo-and-tails attire is the look for all magicians as far as the public is concerned.”
The legendary Cardini passed away on November 12th 1973 in Gardiner, New York at age 77. His legacy is left for all those who aspire to become sleight-of-hand performers. Never has there been such a superb manipulator of pure perfection in the history of magic.
David J O’Connor is a semi retired professional mentalist and children’s entertainer. He has performed throughout South Africa, New Zealand and aboard cruise liners. David is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and loves mentoring young people in magic.
The Magic of Michael Skinner – A Review
Ebook by Paul Lelekis
Review by Rick Carruth
‘Magic of Michael Skinner’ MAY be my favorite of all the many ebooks by Paul Lelekis. I’m not ready to make the final call.. yet… but I’m certainly leaning that way. Why? Because I have a profound respect for the magic of Michael Skinner, and an equally profound respect for the writing of Paul Lelekis. If you have a love of card magic, you’re familiar with Mr. Skinner and his unique style and presentation. He was a magician’s magician. Like Dai Vernon, someone who other magicians both respected and admired. I think a small portion of the magic communities respect stemmed from the fact Michael was forever fighting inner conflict.. and yet still managed to perform at the highest level. The fact Michael was a very unique individual probably contributed to his thinking processes, and resulted in his constantly looking at both magic and the world through different glasses. Paul did a very good job of leading into the effects with an extensive treatise on Michael’s life. If you purchase this ebook, please take time to read it. It’s both informative and real. John Carney, a long time friend of Michael’s, contributed the very fitting foreword..
There are nine effects.. and each is very different in method and culmination.
‘Business Card Prediction’, ‘Thought Projection Pack’, and ‘James’s Miracle’ are all distinctly mental magic with cards. ‘Business Card Prediction’ is not only a great way to give out your card, but it allows you to perform a seemingly impossible bit of mental magic. ‘Thought Projection Pack’ was Michael’s way of reading the mind of TWO spectators.. Although this effect is probably the most simple of all the effects, I think it might be my second personal favorite, right behind ‘James’s Miracle’. This is based on a mathematical principle first published by Stewart James, but it doesn’t seem to be mathematical.. it seems to be pure ESP. There’s nothing to ‘figure’.. just perform it and amaze your spectators.
‘Altman’s ‘7’ Location’, ‘Mona Lisa Card Trick’, and ‘Invasion of The Body Snatchers’ are all Skinner’s handling of card effects that are both original and clever.. in a Michael Skinner way.
‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ is a sort of tour de force with an impossible conclusion. If there is one effect that stands out as both original and genius.. this is it. It’s NOT a knuckle buster, thank goodness, and Paul provides two videos to guide you. Both ‘Mona Lisa Card Trick’ and Altman’s ‘7’ Location’ were two of Mr. Skinner’s personal favorites. They have a degree of sophistication you’d expect from Michael, but explained in an easy-to-grasp manner by Paul.
In addition, ‘Torn & Restored Paper’, ‘Giant Coin Production’, and ‘Fechter’s Hanky Force’ are all very interesting effects and a force in and of themselves. Each uses props you have on-hand. Each can also be performed in a brief performance and are ideal for walk around or table hopping. I particularly liked the ‘Giant Coin Production’, since I’m always searching for a coin effect I can actually perform. I’m not Bobo.. more like Booboo.. and I appreciate an effect I can DO.. ‘Torn & Restored Paper’ is another very performable effect that’s performed in the hand. Like the coin production, it too is a real fooler.
The ONLY thing keeping me from officially declaring this my favorite of Paul’s ebooks is that I don’t want my enthusiasm to taint my judgement. Right now, I’m going to let THE MAGIC OF MICHAEL SKINNER rest right there at the top while I try to master all the sleights and effects, and then in a month or so I’ll show these effects to an audience.. and to fellow magicians.. and I’ll know for sure. That said, I can read an effect and KNOW INSTANTLY whether it will work for me.. and ALL these effects work. Rightly so. Nothing is utterly simple.. aside from the force, and nothing is overly complicated. Just wonderful magic theater from someone considered highly unique and gifted. 34 pages and still $10.00
CARDIO – Liam Montier and Big Blind Media
Review by Rick Carruth
Liam Montier’s CARDIO is a follow-up to Liam’s PDF by the same name. Unlike several of Liam’s newer DVD’s, this one is not geared toward beginners and self-working card trick aficionados. Although this DVD is classified as for Beginners.. I would say more like advanced beginners to intermediates. There is nothing self-working, and most effects require sleights or combination of sleights. Don’t let that scare you. Everything is taught in detail, and most sleights are easily learned with a little desire and practice.
I am not a reviewer who cares much about video and audio quality, unless it’s noticeably bad, and don’t review those aspects. I also don’t review a product based so much on my personal likes and dislikes. I look at the effects from the standpoint of the typical magician, and consider whether or not I think YOU will like it. I honestly think I have a good grasp on what’s current and sellable.. and what’s not. That said, here’s a brief description on the 7 effects on CARDIO.
Back Hand Slap
A type of gambling trick where the magician helps the spectator select a moderate poker hand, which changes into an unbeatable poker hand with the Slap Revelation. This is one of those ‘sudden’ tricks that doesn’t give the audience time to assimilate what’s happening.. and will lead to.. “.. hey.. do that again!”
Twisted
A twisting the aces type trick.. 2 cards are chosen and brought to the top. Four Aces are introduced, twisted, and the two selections are revealed. Liam teaches a couple of nice controls and the effect itself is well taught. One of my two favorite effects on the DVD. Probably a little more complicated than the others, but nothing you can’t do with a little practice. I like the handling of the Aces, as there is.. as described in the ad copy.. “… no displacements or discrepancies”. This will probably be the first effect you’ll want to learn.
Reality Burp
Partially based on a Dave Forrest effect. Involves a little culling, and is basically a packet effect with 4 cards and a little hypnosis. Nice lift sequence and well taught.
The Hof
An effect with four Aces and a selected card, based loosely on the classic ‘Hofzinser Ace Trick’. The magician reveals the spectators selected card with the four Aces. This is a very good ‘filler’ when you already have the Aces available from another effect.
The Other Thing
The deck is divided into four packets.. and the four Kings are inserted.. one into each packet. Like most well designed card tricks, the Kings ultimately vanish.. and reappear in various locations around you.. One in your pocket, one under the card box, one IN the card box, and one lying face down on the table. Cameron Francis based. Actually, like all the other effects on this DVD, this is an impromptu trick that can be performed with a borrowed deck.. as long as your deck has two Jokers.
Swing Thing
Uses a pendulum to find a spectators card. This is one of the more commercial type effect, and Liam calls this a One-Move Wonder. Uses a unique, but easy, double lift, and has LOTS of potential.. depending on how you play it. I like this, and will definitely find room for it.
Pop HOF
Another effect with four cards. Begins with a nice loading move and ends with the Aces changing into the spectator’s selection. A very good effect to conclude a very good DVD.
You’ve probably noticed most effects use a packet or use four cards. I didn’t have a problem with this, as it’s simply another way to perform good magic. I found myself liking several of these effects after I had time to watch them, think about them, roll around in my noggin’ what I would do with them, and then re-watch them with a new intensity. There are sleights taught that you’ll use for sure.
I think TWISTED alone is worth the cost of the DVD. I’m particular about how much time I’ll put into learning an effect, and I was excited about learning Twisted in a fraction of the time compared to similar effects.. but it LOOKS so good.
I recommend CARDIO. I think it’s an excellent investment in your magic.. particularly if you’re to the place where you want to ‘up’ your performance and your material.
$22.00 at dealers who sell the Murphy’s Magic line of products.
America’s First Magician Will Reappear in 2018 – Article
By J. Dennis Robinson
Legend says that Richard Potter (1783-1835), America’s first native-born stage magician, could climb into one end of a solid log and exit from the other end. He once made a rooster pull a heavy load of hay up a steep hill. According to a man from Andover, New Hampshire, where Potter once owned a farm, dozens of witnesses standing in an open field saw Potter toss a ball of yarn into the air, then he and his wife, Sally, climbed up the dangling string into the sky and disappeared.
Those miraculous events never happened. They were promoted by the man from Andover, in an effort to impress the escape artist Harry Houdini, who was searching for stories about the evolution of popular magic in America. Potter was also not the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin and his African servant. Such are the myths that, until now, have been swirling around the hazy history of Mr. Potter, whose sleight of hand and ventriloquism skills wowed audiences in Portsmouth and across the globe in the early 1800s.
The facts, finally, are contained in an exhaustively researched new book by John A. Hodgson titled “Richard Potter: America’s First Black Celebrity” (February 2018) due out soon from the University of Virginia Press. Potter was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to an enslaved woman from Guinea who had been sold at auction on a Boston pier. But his mother, known as “Black Dinah,” had served in the household of Sir Charles Henry Frankland (not Franklin). His father was a white man, repeatedly in trouble, who was banned from his church for “making attempts on the chastity” of at least six women. Read more….
Try This Simple Trick To Beat Your Public Speaking Anxiety – Article
By Joel Schwartzberg
For starters, stop rehearsing in front of a mirror…
Back in 2001, Gallup researchers found speaking in public was one of the things Americans fear the most, behind snakes, but ahead of heights, needles, and airline travel. And while the world of 2017 is a scary place in many ways, there’s little reason to suspect the popular fear of public speaking has dissipated. (That issue still routinely crops up among Fast Company’s most popular articles, at any rate.)
A quick Google search coughs up many ways of remedying this fear–from the old advice to imagine your audience in their underwear to “visualizing success” or just practicing in front of a mirror. Personally, though, I discourage all of these approaches because they’re useless, counterproductive, or laden with too many risky side effects. Here’s another (extremely simple) approach I’ve discovered that works much better. Read more…..
I saw Shoot a couple of weeks ago.. and was reminded of just how good his rope routine plays. Although this is not a tutorial, I think you’ll enjoy simply watching a true entertainer and FISM winner perform a very deceptive routine.
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Card at Any Number! – Tutorial
Interesting tutorial from Chris Ramsay, expanding on the CAAN school of thought. It seems as if every major cardician has at least one.. and this one is as good as most.
https://youtu.be/iDAi6mHAQeE
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Make all 4 Aces VANISH | Card Trick Tutorial
52Kards
“Apex Aces is a fantastic 4 Ace Trick that allows you to vanish each of the aces one at a time in an extremely fair and practical manner. Stay tuned till the end of the video where I show you how to bring the aces back with an extra touch of magic..”
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World’s MOST DECEPTIVE Card Trick Shuffle REVEALED!
Jay Sankey
A little of this.. a little of that. This tutorial looks like a four Ace reveal.. or any four matching value cards.. and ends with a flourish… a false shuffle. You just have to watch the video, as Jay explains it much better than I do..
————————– Ministry of Magic on H23 Channel
Nice trick! Although I’m prone to publishing Youtube tutorials, I generally restrict them to moves and sleights instead of effects. When I saw this video, I felt a need to make an exception. This is very do-able.. no real sleights involved, and very puzzling. I’ve seen this method before, probably in one of my Martin Gardner books.. but don’t hold me to it.
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Vinyl Magician Smashed Wall Decal – 3D Art Stickers
Thanks to a sharp Michael Lyth for directing me to these cool, large vinyl wall stickers. Although not free, they’re certainly worth a few bucks to let the world know of your interest in magic.
Dynamo: Anyone Can Google How To Trick People But That’s Not Really Magic
HIS contacts book is awash with A-listers, supermodels and award-winning musicians, yet master magician Dynamo admits there are still times he feels starstruck.
“I did a matinee show at the O2 Arena and my manager came in and told me someone had brought their kids to the show and really wanted to meet me. So I walk into this room and Brad Pitt comes running up to me and says, ‘Dynamo, your show was amazing! The kids loved it.’ I was slightly taken aback. I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s Brad Pitt in the flesh.’
“I watched all of his movies growing up and I still watch them now. I was definitely starstruck for that one.”
Once a sickly kid from a notorious Bradford council estate with a jailbird father, Dynamo (aka Steven Frayne) is now one of the most awe-inspiring illusionists in the world. He has swallowed jewellery then pulled it out of his stomach, transformed snow into diamonds, walked – seemingly unaided – down the side of the 20-storey LA Times building and, most famously, ‘walked on water’ across the River Thames.
His street magic and amazing illusions – some magicians make coins disappear; he can make himself disappear – have earned him a massive fan base, with 2.36 million followers on Twitter, 708K on Instagram and four series of Dynamo: Magician Impossible under his belt. For the past two years, he’s been filling arenas, including in Ireland, on tour with his live show.
His love of magic even extends to his home in London’s Hampstead, where he has some magical furniture. Read More…..
Magic Trick Reviews… Free to Everyone Facebook Group
Please consider joining us at ‘Magic Trick Reviews’ on Facebook. You’ll find a very nice selection of reviews, particularly by our friend, Jim Canaday, who is now reviewing for Big Blind Media as well as Murphy’s Magic. Check it out…
Remember.. signing up for the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic is Totally FREE. There is NO obligation and your email is 100% safe. (I don’t even share it with my closes fellow magicians..) You will be notified periodically as new material publishes to the Magic Roadshow site and you can unsubscribe with one click.
That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic along. Remember, if you have something you would like to see published on the Magic Roadshow site.. send it to: Rick@MagicRoadshow.com
Liam Montier’s CARDIO is a follow-up to Liam’s PDF by the same name. Unlike several of Liam’s newer DVD’s, this one is not geared toward beginners and self-working card trick aficionados. Although this DVD is classified as for Beginners.. I would say more like advanced beginners to intermediates. There is nothing self-working, and most effects require sleights or combination of sleights. Don’t let that scare you. Everything is taught in detail, and most sleights are easily learned with a little desire and practice.
I am not a reviewer who cares much about video and audio quality, unless it’s noticeably bad, and don’t review those aspects. I also don’t review a product based so much on my personal likes and dislikes. I look at the effects from the standpoint of the typical magician, and consider whether or not I think YOU will like it. I honestly think I have a good grasp on what’s current and sellable.. and what’s not. That said, here’s a brief description on the 7 effects on CARDIO.
Back Hand Slap
A type of gambling trick where the magician helps the spectator select a moderate poker hand, which changes into an unbeatable poker hand with the Slap Revelation. This is one of those ‘sudden’ tricks that doesn’t give the audience time to assimilate what’s happening.. and will lead to.. “.. hey.. do that again!”
Twisted
A twisting the aces type trick.. 2 cards are chosen and brought to the top. Four Aces are introduced, twisted, and the two selections are revealed. Liam teaches a couple of nice controls and the effect itself is well taught. One of my two favorite effects on the DVD. Probably a little more complicated than the others, but nothing you can’t do with a little practice. I like the handling of the Aces, as there is.. as described in the ad copy.. “… no displacements or discrepancies”. This will probably be the first effect you’ll want to learn.
Reality Burp
Partially based on a Dave Forrest effect. Involves a little culling, and is basically a packet effect with 4 cards and a little hypnosis. Nice lift sequence and well taught.
The Hof
An effect with four Aces and a selected card, based loosely on the classic ‘Hofzinser Ace Trick’. The magician reveals the spectators selected card with the four Aces. This is a very good ‘filler’ when you already have the Aces available from another effect.
The Other Thing
The deck is divided into four packets.. and the four Kings are inserted.. one into each packet. Like most well designed card tricks, the Kings ultimately vanish.. and reappear in various locations around you.. One in your pocket, one under the card box, one IN the card box, and one lying face down on the table. Cameron Francis based. Actually, like all the other effects on this DVD, this is an impromptu trick that can be performed with a borrowed deck.. as long as your deck has two Jokers.
Swing Thing
Uses a pendulum to find a spectators card. This is one of the more commercial type effect, and Liam calls this a One-Move Wonder. Uses a unique, but easy, double lift, and has LOTS of potential.. depending on how you play it. I like this, and will definitely find room for it.
Pop HOF
Another effect with four cards. Begins with a nice loading move and ends with the Aces changing into the spectator’s selection. A very good effect to conclude a very good DVD.
You’ve probably noticed most effects use a packet or use four cards. I didn’t have a problem with this, as it’s simply another way to perform good magic. I found myself liking several of these effects after I had time to watch them, think about them, roll around in my noggin’ what I would do with them, and then re-watch them with a new intensity. There are sleights taught that you’ll use for sure.
I think TWISTED alone is worth the cost of the DVD. I’m particular about how much time I’ll put into learning an effect, and I was excited about learning Twisted in a fraction of the time compared to similar effects.. but it LOOKS so good.
I recommend CARDIO. I think it’s an excellent investment in your magic.. particularly if you’re to the place where you want to ‘up’ your performance and your material.
$22.00 at dealers who sell the Murphy’s Magic line of products.
answer that.. but it’s really not a bad thing.
Cardini, who in 1958 was proclaimed by the New England Magic Society as “the greatest exponent of pure sleight of hand the world has even known.”
The legendary Cardini passed away on November 12th 1973 in Gardiner, New York at age 77. His legacy is left for all those who aspire to become sleight-of-hand performers. Never has there been such a superb manipulator of pure perfection in the history of magic.
