Lecture Notes Seven Modest Miracles You Can Do Barrie Richardson Shreveport, LouisianaTable of Contents I. Introduction. I. Routines Simplex Book Test. Impromptu Card Rise.Introduction These seven effects have three things in common. First, they can be performed by the average magician. Most of these stunts rely on boldness and subtleties rather than on sophisticated sleights or mechanical equipment or gimmicks. The second thing they have in common is that they all involve audience interaction and participation, and they can be performed over coffee cups after dinner or for a larger group. The third common aspect is that all these stunts were published in a British magic journal - Club 71. This publication is little known in the United States. Walter Lees is the editor of this quality magazine which is more eclectic — in terms of the material they publish ~ than most American magazines. Many of these stunts arrived at his desk handwritten on legal pad paper with crude diagrams. Walter edited and often clarified my work. I am grateful to him both for his diligence and his encouragement. My wife, Janie, is one of the best judges of what is an effective trick. She has high standards. Her hand is in this collection. Thope you will find some material in this booklet which will delight both you and your audiences. Good luck!Some Thoughts on Magic Magic is an art form. Inmy view, magic is not about fooling people or a way for a person to show off his or her manipulative ability or mental skills. Rather, magic is an opportunity to give to others a sense of wonderment and fun. Magic, at least for me, is also an opportunity to present valuable concepts in the form of metaphors, stories, parables, and stories that go beyond a short-lived sense of surprise. For over 60 years, magic has been a major source of intellectual stimulation for me. Magic has also provided me and my family with an additional income which greatly augmented my salary as a college professor, and finally, magic has been an avenue to meet some fascinating persons around the world. Most of my best friends are magicians. Some Thoughts on Performing Here are three principles that have served me well. 1. Begin with the end in mind. What is it that you want the audience to say about your performance and about you as a person? When is the last time you asked this question? Why is this such a vital question for every trick or routine you do? 2. What we think we know is often not so.How do you know what tricks are ‘killers”? How do you know that you are not offensive? How do you know what the audience thinks about you as a person and you as a performer. How do you check your own perceptions? Why is this important? 3. Aim for clarity and elegance. Can the tricks you do be explained in one or two sentences? Is the method totally invisible? Real magic should just happen. The fewer moves or gimmicks needed, the more elegant and magical the effect will be. Barrie Richardson 620 Delaware Street Shreveport, LA 71106 Tel: 318/865-8502 Fax: 318/868-9587 richardsonbarrie@netscape.netTHE SIMPLEX IMPROMPTU BOOK TEST by Barrie Richardson You can perform this stunt almost anywhere. It only re- ires a handy ‘magazine, book, bible, telephone direc- tory etc. T have been working vari- ations on the theme since 1958 and used to employ the principle at the start of my classes in Freshman Econ- omics. A Student would be asked to stick a pencil into their textbook and open it at that spot. Then I would have them think of a concept ex- plained on the selected page. This. having been done, I could either reveal it or hand out a previously prepared quiz, on the same topic. Basically, the thing is just the force of a page but the approach, although extremely boid, is very deceptive. It may already be old hat, for all that I am aware. Not being a big reader of magical publications, I cannot say. How- ever, I have not seen it written up and know that it has fooled soph- isticated magicians. EFFECT A business card is taken out and the performer writes some- thing on the reverse. A spectator next inserts it into the book, in the time honoured way. This is opened at the designated point and laid face down, on the table. The assistant picks up the vol- ume and nominates either of the two visible pages. He/she then places the card over the centre of the chosen one. Now, the mentalist begins to patter along the following lines. “Let's see! You decided on page 480 and the card covers the sen- tence ~ ‘A giant ant appeared’ On turning over the pre- diction, the helper is confrontedFOURTH FIIGER FOURTH FINGEX HOLDS BREAK HOLDS BREAK AT PAGE 180 Fig. Z Fig. 3CARD May BE AT PAGE ido BUT BOOK 15 OPEN AT PAGE 180 CARD 16 PLACED IN CENTRE OF PACE 180 Fig. 5with a message such as, “I be- Yieve that you will nominate page 180 and pick a passage about a huge insect.” PRESENTATION AND WORKING While talking, casually pick up any large book and open it at & page, Toughly one third from the end. Look right at the middle (where you would be if you drew an “XK” from corner to corner as in Fig.1) and rememiber the gist of what is written around that point. Insert the tip of your left fourth finger, and close the book, keeping the break. ‘Take a business card, rest it on the cover and write your pre- diction. This should include the page number and enough to demonstrate that you know something of the wording in the centre. Hand the forecast, writing side down, to somebody and have him/her insert it as in Fig.2. Contrive to get it placed in the two thirds, above the break. While this hes been happen- ing, the other hand takes hold of the spine, as in the picture. Adopt a laid back approach and talk for a moment, as though in no anxiety to proceed. Eventually, slide the hand up, until the forefinger and thump can clip the card, as in Fig.3. ‘Now, open the book at the place, where the little finger is in- serted. Turn it face down and lay it on the table (See Fig.4), Pull out the card and hand it, writing side down, to the assistant. ‘Club 71, Halloween, 1988 ‘This is a very cheeky subter- fuge bat its sheer audacity guarantees deceptiveness. No intelligent audience anticipates such barefaced effrontery. Even so, the actions must appear natu- rel and should be practised assi- duousiy. First try genuinely opening at the card and see how it looks. Emulate, exactly, this procedure. Anything, in the least untoward, will telegraph that things are not as they should be. Stratagems of this kind need to be acted perfectly or left well alone. There is no in- between. Have the person turn the book over and nominate either page. If they choose the relevant one, emphasise the fairness. If they decide on the other, call it their rejection: a simple application of “Conjurors' Choice” Go through the business of having them cover the centre of the chosen page. You can, if desired, instruct them to draw an imaginary, diagonal cross, from corner to corner and, in their mind’s eye, note the point of intersection. Alternatively, simply let them estimate the spot and place the card on it. The situ- ation will be like Fig.5. The pre- dicted passage is bound to be covered. ‘The rest is up toyou. POST SCRIPT Thave, on occasion, varied the handling to use a telephone directory, or dictionary. The “Yellow Pages” is ideal. Find somewhere with a display adver- tisement in the appropriate place and you cannot miss! aIMPROMPTU CARD RISE by Barrie Richardson My British friend, the late Harry Devano’s rising card method is outstanding. It is self-contained, thread-free and non-mechanical, but it does require a special pack. The following approach also has some ‘merit. The concept is entirely different and I know it drives magicians wild, because they cannot understand why the pack never needs to be inverted, cand yet there are no threads. EFFECT One to three people select different cards from a borrowed pack. These are retumed without any mix- ing or shuffling. The spectators are certain their cards are in the middle - which they are. 8Moving stowly and deliber- ately, the performer puts the cards into their empty case. Holding the case in his left hand, the magician causes the first card to slowly rise out of the middle of the pack. It is removed. Then the second one also comes up, but a little higher. This card is taken away and dropped on the table. The card case is rises a full three quarters of its length, It too is re- moved. The whole pack is then slowly poured out onto the table. There are no guick moves and no misdirection. REQUIREMENTS ” Any pack; a steel paperclip; a neodymium magnet (the very power ful ones that only became available recently). If you have not previously encountered neodymium magnets, I suggest you get some soon. Many magic dealers carry them, as they fave become almost a standard acces- sory with hundreds of different uses. In this instance, one attracts a paper- clip through a' dozen of so playing cards. PRESENTATION AND WORKING Fifty years ago, I devised this ———— trick using a smal) magnet from a set of kissing dogs. However, it only worked if the card was on top of the pack. Neodymium magnets overcome strength i magnet to the first Before starting, secretly attach the paperclip to the inner short end of any card in the centre of the pack. You can shuffle to your heart's content, the paperclip will be casily felt, whenever needed.The trick should not have too much patter. It is visual and the effect clean. The most important part is not to act like a smarty, Try to appear as spooked as the audience. Riffle force the clipped card. ‘Show its face but keep your fingertips over the clip to mask it, Replace The situa- tion is that the clip holds all three cards tightly together, some- where in the cen- tre of the pack. Or preferably some way below centre. Expiain that only half the cards ate used. Cut off twenty or so end place them on the table. The clipped ones should now be slightly above centre in the remaining block, Put the empty card case on top of the tabled pile as in Fig. 1. Unknown to anyone the magnet is secretly loaded under the case ready to be casually picked up. Place the cards into the case, clip end first. A spectator can push them down. All is fair. Attracted by the clip, the mag- net clings to the box, allowing your palms to be seen empty as the case is freely passed from hand to hand, Causing a card to rise is simply a matter of pushing up the magnet with your forefinger (Fig, 2). All the clipped cards will rise together but in perfect alignment, only the front one will be apparent from a short distance. As you remove this card, the fingers push the other two back down again. The second selection can then be caused to rise in a similar manner. Because of the extra thickness of these first two cards, I do not push them up far - about a third of its 10length for the first, and halfway for the second. Rising the final one is slightly different. Clip the flap between the right forefinger and thumb. Allow the case to swing slightly and use the fourth fin- ger to push up the magnet (Fig. 3). When the left hand pulls the card clear, the thumb masks the Paperclip. At the finish, tip) the cards onto the table and toss down the case, keep- ing the magnet finger palmed. POSTSCRIPT I have purposely kept this description skeletal and avoided going into the finer handling details. This is because I believe that interested peo- ple will want to play around with the principle and develop their own moves. Club 71, Winter, 1996 If you only want to make one card rise, ¢.g., when working to a single person, have it selected using the classic force with the pack face up. Should you miss, the selected card is slipped on top of the force card and into the clip, as it is retumed. Both cards will then rise as a single unit but the spectator(s) will see only the chosen one. Altematively, you could switch the clip onto the selected card via the old monte move. Another point is to stick the magnet to your watch band or on the exterior of a coat pocket until re- quired. It will cling there safely if you have something metal inside. oeCASH BALANCE by Barrie Richardson This is a non-card version of a wonderful theme which has been used with pasteboards for many years. In the standard effect, the performer can appar- ently weigh a number of cards cut from the pack and match this amount by balancing an equal number on his other hand. Thus he becomes a sort of human scale. What a clever concept! In The Card Magic of Nick Trost is a brief history of this stunt and several different ways to accom- plish it. However, I decided to get away from cards and use coins in- stead. I have also added one or two subtleties which I hope clevate the presentation. Furthermore, I think coins make this particular effect more entertaining - perhaps it is the way they clink as they fall, or just the seemingly diminished" opportunity they offer for trickery. EFFECT & PRESENTATION “The first paying job I had was working as a stock boy in Klein’s grocery store on the north side of Chicago. That was over fifty years ago and in those days staple items like sugar and rice were not pre-packaged in small bags, but arrived in hundred- pound bulk sacks. These sacks were 12opened and one of the employees then measured their contents into one- pound and five-pound bags. That was my job! “I recall one time when Mr Klein came by just as I had completed my task with the rice but had not yet sealed the bags. He held one bag, which he had weighed on the scale, in his left hand and another in his right. He became what he called a human balance scale, because he could deter- mine with unerring accuracy if the bags I had filled were lighter or heavier than the one he had weighed, and would add or remove small amounts as he thought necessary. “After he had left, I checked a few bags on the scales by the cheese counter. He was spot on to within a grain or two of rice. “Another of his demonstra- tions was to estimate the amount of small change somebody would hand him, without looking at it. He could take a handful of coins from the cash register in his left hand and once again the ‘human scale’ matched the number of coins the person had placed in his hand. Not only that, he also matched the composition of the coins. That is to say by sheer sense of balance, he could somehow end up with exactly the same number of quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies in both hands. “How did he do this? I asked him but his answer was that in life there are some skills which can only be teamed; they cannot be taught. You can leam to ride a bike or swim, but nobody can teach you. “Tonight 1 will try to demon- ‘strate what Mr Klein did, but let me make it quite clear that 1 am in no way his equal. I rarely get it dead right! But you should see the idea.” A lady is enticed to come forward: “What's your name?” “Doris!” “Will you please help me Doris?” She is guided to stand next to the performer. “What do you do with your loose change? I drop mine into a Plastic bag each night, and when it gets nearly full, I have the bank convert the coins to currency and treat someone to a surprise. Generally, 1 save quarters, but once in a while other coins get in among them.” The performer introduces a clear plastic freezer bag which is about half full of coins. As he patters, he reaches in and removes a handful, allowing them to cascade back. “Will you help me Doris? Reach into the bag, close your eyes and grab a good handful of coins.” She does so. “Do you want to drop any back, or are you happy with those?” Assume she is happy. The performer also reaches in and takes a fistful in his right hand. He pauses in thought, then drops a few back. After another pause he returns a few more, then addresses the assistant, “Please put your hands together and give your coins a ‘shuffle’ like this.” He puts his right hand over 13‘the left and shakes the coins thought- fully, as though listening to the different sounds they make. Then leaving them in his left hand, he extends his right towards the assistant and asks her to place her coins on it. With his eyes shut, he extends both his arms in simulation of a set of scales. The left hand is slightly lower, 0 he drops a few coins from it, one at a time, They are caught in a metal mixing bowl on the table, where each lands with a loud clink. ‘After these coins have been dropped, the performer’s arms are level. Apparently satisfied, he returns the right hand’s contents to the assistant. “I think 1 now have exactly the same number of coins as you have. Not only that, I also believe 1 have exactly the same number of quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies as you have! “Jet’s see how well I’ve done. Please open your hand!” The performer sorts through his own coins and announces, “I have two pennies here! How many do you have?” The spectator counts hers, “Two!” They both drop them into the bowl. “Good! Now look at your nickels, 1 have four nickels. And you?” “Four!” “Now the dimes! I have none, how many do you have?” “None!” “Let’s count our quarters to- gether and drop them into the bowl as we go.” The process begins, with the performer and spectator each holding up a coin, counting “One!” and dropping it into the bowl. This proce- dure continues until both have counted seven, “I have two left.” states the performer, holding them aloft. To everyone's amazement, the spectator has exactly the same, (Cusually finish off by holding back the applause and saying, “Doris, you have been a fine helper and I am thrilled that we were able to do so well. Do you recall me telling you that I normally convert my change to currency and use it to buy a special treat for somebody? “This is for you!” I give her a box of choco- lates.) WORKING There are two facets to the explanation. I will deal with each separately, although they are worked together. Firstly, you need to know how many coins the assistant takes. It will help the explanation if we assume that all are of equal value, say quarters. (1 will discuss handling as- sorted values later.) Some people may feel the trick is more effective when 14performed with single-denomination coins, anyway. The plastic bag is doctored by the introduction of a central partition like those in a change bag. In fact, that is exactly what it is - a see through change bag. In one compartment is a known number of quarters - I have twenty-eight. The other compartment is half full of similar coins. The number here is unimportant. When the woman is invited to take a handful, she is offered the compartment with the known quan- tity. Generally she will take between twenty and twenty-five coins. If she takes considerably fewer, suggest she get some more. Because she does not take them all - only as many as she can hold - she remains unaware of her limited choice. When you reach in to take some coins, go to the same compart- ‘ment as the spectator and collect up the few she has left behind, Bring out your hand in a loose fist, pretending it hholds a large quantity. You need to know exactly how many it contains. If there are only one or two, you will have been able to feel them as you gathered them up in the bag. If there are more, you may need to take a quick peek. There is no need to make a secret of this; just open your fingers slightly and have a casual look. It is perfectly acceptable to be seen to glance at what you have removed. The audience believe there are too many to be counted in this way. By subtracting this amount from twenty-eight, you will know how many the assistant holds. Your next problem is to end up with exactly the same number in your own hand. This is the second facet of the stunt; it is done in the following way. Tn the bag, along with the coins in the compartment which the spectator does not have access to, is a small bundle of twenty-eight quarters. (I have them in a plastic pillbox which holds exactly that amount, but they could equally well be fastened with a rubber band or a strip of paper, or even wrapped in cellophane or tissue.) First duck your right hand into the bag and collect up the coins left behind by the assistant. Then, while still appearing to be gathering a handful, go to the other compartment and grab the bundle. Bring out the closed right hand containing both the loose coins and the bundle. Put down the bag and dump the loose coins into the left hand, keeping the bundle in the right. This is when you can sight them if you do not know how many there are. Once you know how many coins the left fiand holds, you can get tid of them. An easy way is simply to let them trickle through your fingers and fall into a metal mixing bowl on your table, as though you have taken too many. Nobody knows what you are doing, and no verbal explanation is necessary. Just act as though the now-empty left hand still holds a lot of coins. Ask the lady to ‘shuffle’ her coins and demonstrate what you mean. Cup your right hand over your 15left and shake them both about. In doing so, release the bundled coins into your left hand and withdraw the right, finger palming whatever con- tainer or packaging held them to- gether. Casually drop the right hand into the mixing bowl and absent mindedly stir any coins it holds, taking the opportunity to ditch the hhand’s contents. Extend your right hand to- wards the spectator and have her put her coins into it. Then spread your arms and pretend to be a set of scales, moving your hands up and down in simulation of a balance. Make out the left hand is heavier than the right. Acting is the key here; you know how many coins to get rid of from your left hand in order to have the same number in each. Concentrate intently as you move your arms up and down, then pause and thought- fully drop a few into the bowl. Repeat this business several times, gradually discarding all the surplus coins. You can then return the right hand's contents to the assistant and begin the counting. kkk If you wish to use a mixture of coins as initially outlined, the procedure is a little more demanding. In this case, put twenty quarters, four nickels and four pennies in the secret compartment of the bag, and have the same configuration in your bundle. When you remove the coins from the bag, you will have to look at them in order to ascertain what the Club 71, Winter, 2000 person has taken. You will then need to dump all of the loose coins before you release those in the bundle. The latter will have to be packed so that you can tell which coins are which, and can easily separate off the unre- quired ones with your left thumb during the ‘weighing’, POSTSCRIPT The greedier the assistant, the casier it makes things for you. You can have a lot of fun acting out the weighing business, but what I really like about this is that, to the audience there is no mystery. They usually accept that you realiy are able to accurately estimate the quantity of coins; so they are not looking for trickery. After all it is not all that implausible that somebody with nothing better to do, might be able to cultivate this skill. 7p a Copy as your submission wil jot be returned. All views expres: clus 71 46 Queenstown Road London SWS 3RY England 16THE POWER OF TOUCH by Barrie Richardson INTRODUCTION The artifice I am about to describe is one of the most power- fal and deceptive techniques 1 know of to get informstion. Like the centre tear it can be used without any prior preparation and it can be done for a single indi- vidual or, with the proper presen- sation, for a large audience, This technical part is the Hel- is (palm-to-palm) switch taught to me by my deceased friend Fred Robin- son, Fred believed the sleight to be otally illogical and yet completely deceptive. He showed me how to cloak it in misdirection and to stay relaxed so that the simple and natural process passes unnoticed, Nothing is seen, heard, or sensed. Since leaming it, I have used this move in many ticks, eg, Aero- plane Cards (Spring 1994 issue), Plat- form Version of Out of This World (Summer 1990) and others. For the present application business cards are utilised in place of the more usual pasteboards. EFFECT The conversation tunis - of is gently guided - to the tapic of thought wansference. The performer takes the initiative. “Let's try an. experiment. Here, take one of these business cards ‘and verite a word on the blank side - ig one that summarizes a concern in your life. There are two reasons why I ‘ask you to write the word. First it concentrates your thoughts and sec- ond we can verify the results of our experiment, Don't write any general swords like ‘money’, ‘health’, or ‘love’ ssince most people put oné of these - but of course you can, if you wish, write a single word that is specifically concerned with one of these aspects. For example I might write ‘prostrate’ or ‘stock-market’. Clearly the word ‘you choose can be anything, but it ‘should summarize a concern which can either be negative or positive. “Think! Do you have one? When I turn away, I want you to write ‘your word and then turn the card face ‘down.” ‘The person follows these in stmctions. Keeping his gaze averted, the performer picks up the face-down card, and with his right forefinger points to an object on the table. “Please lift that ashtray (glass, cigarette box or whatever hap- ‘pens to be conveniently useable} ” The performer drops the face- Wydown card on the spot vacated by the article. “Now put the ashtray on top of your message.” This process takes just a few seconds, Since the performer’s head has been tuned away throughout, it is clear that there has been no opportu- nity for peeking. Taking an old envelope (or any piece of paper) out of his pocket the performer places it on the table. He also brings out a pen. “Let's try an experiment in thought transference. We will use no verbal means of communication, but rather the sense of touch. I wart you to try to transfer this emotionally- loaded word to me. Try to send it one Jeter at a time, This will work somewhat like a Ouija board. “Pur your hand on top of ‘mine. (the hand holding the pen). Don't press too hard. Now shut your eyes. Good! { will start to scribble. Now think of the first letter.” The rest of the people around the table watch as the performer ‘seems 10 scribble and scrawl. “Now think of the next letter; the next, keep it up." The experiment ends. The pa- per looks like a three-year-old’s illeg- ible scribbling’, “T can't make anything out, can you?” ‘The performer lifts up the ashtray, picks up the card and reads out the word - it could be anything, so assume for now it is Milan. Returning to the scribbling the performer looks again’ “That could be a funny M. That might be an L ... Oh, there's the N! Look do you yee the word Milan is decipherable among the scrawls?” Other people do begin to see it 38 the performer darkens the letters with his pen. “Isn't it someting ~ how we can send information without talking? I felt you were guiding me with your thoughts.” Another person wants to ty. ‘This time a simpie picture is drawn. The same procedure is followed. At ‘rst nothing happens, then the per- former senses what the person with closed eyes is thinking and draws a sloppy replica, The ‘sender is con- gratulated. WORKING Like all good mental magic, ‘the explanation is simple but that simplicity takes nothing away from the emotional impact the participants ‘feel. All you need are a couple of business cards. Remove one openly, while secretly getting another - blank side down - in a left-hand classic palm. This second card does not need to be stolen at the same time as the first is brought out. It can be taken from the lap, obtained long in advance or even while you tum avey. How and when you get it into position is very flexible. Place the visible business card blank side up in front of the partici- pant. Once the word has been written have the person tun the card over. Retrieve it with your right hand and place jt between the left thumb and fingers as in Fig. } masking the paimed duplicate. Keep your head ‘tumed well away so that everyone can see there is no question of any peeking. Point to an abject on the table with your clearly empty: right hand and ask the participant 10 lift i up. 18‘The indicated article can be anything - a glass, fork, cigarette lighter etc. ‘As the person raises the ob- Ject, your right hand moves over to collect the business card. in fact, you simply cover it with the hand and classic palm it while simultaneously seizing the duplicate from the left as in Fig. 2. It will end up gripped by the “wrong” sides but this is never noticed. The switch is a bold move tbat goes unspotied because it is made at the exact moment the person begins is seen to be empty. If there is a slight bend in the “dummy card”, this is easily taken out as it is placed on the table, J actually drop it from about five inches. This seems natural and fair. The assistant then covers it with the object. Do not immediately try to read the palmed message; there is a temp- tation to do this. Instead, aim to pick up something in the right hand; for example, a drinking glass or cigarette box so as to move it out of the way. Fig. 1 Visible card masks Ww paimed one. ww raise the object from the table, briefly drawing all eyes towards it. Remember nobody knows what the object is for, how it is to be used or its significance. So there is a momen- tary clement of speculation in the minds of the onlookers. You must not Jook at you hands as you do switch, but rather focus on the empty spot where the object was situated. Every- one’s attention will follow yours to that same place. ‘After the switch your left hand Alternatively you can, as I sometimes do, wait until you get out the pen or go for the envelope/paner. Any of these actions will, at some point, ‘ring the palmed message within your peripheral vision, The writing on the card will be perfectly evident so there is no necessity for any furtive looks. Once you have the informa- tion do not be tempted to ditch the card; Keep it palmed the whole time, This means the participant has her hand on top of the hand holding both 19the pen and palming the card. ‘After the message has been written and while everyone is trying to decipher it, pick up the dummy card and pretend to read aloud the word on it, then perionm the Hellis switch to exchange it The hands and actions will, of course, be a reversal of the first time. This second switch is a snap since everyone is studying the scribbles on the paper. The palmed card will have een given a severe bend. while in the band; it must either be straightened ‘out of else folded in half before being retumed or Jeft on the table. Naor Man PGSTSCRIPT Thave a variation of the stunt which is used as @ prediction trick for larger audiences. I will describe this another time. Jn some ways this switching approach is more logical than the centre-tear. Why ask someone to write something then tear it up? (There are Club 71, September, 2000 suitable justifications, | know - but!) ‘The procedure is so smooth. It ‘makes me think of Fred Robinson and his invisibie pass when { do 1 truly believe that stunts of this type are much stronger than say coin or card tricks - even if those are done brilliantly. What makes me say this? A few years ago 1 was organiz~ ing a graduate Christmas party. I told the emertainment committee thet I hed budgeted $500 which they could use Fig, 2 Right hand palms visible card and seizes palmed one. for either one of the best card and coin magicians in America - truly astonishing - or they could hire a local couple Dr. D & Cookie who did palm reading, It took no more than two minutes to reach a consensus decision. ‘They wanted the palm readers! While the above stunt does not involve palm reading, it does have the same inter- ‘personal attraction.A SWEET TRANSFORMATION by Barrie Richardson There is nothing original about the method or effect, in this demonstration, but the routining may be of interest. The concept of a non-visual transformation which is not immediately apparent to the audience, has a peculiarly strong impact all of its own. EFFECT The performer, while seated at a dining table either et home or in a restaurant, addresses the company: “I have a friend who lives in California who has become a follower of an Indian mystic. He regularly goes to his ‘community’ in India once or twice a year and, in truth, he does seem to be more calm and happy than he was in the past. “The last time we talked, he told me how his spiritual guide had unusual powers. He told me how he witnessed him sit cross-legged on the ground and after intense concentra- tion, pick up a handful of sand, squeeze it and then open his hand to reveal tiny silver particles. This silver, he told me, was given to the poor. “{ just nodded and made no attempt to show my scepticism, since I Ieamed long ago that doing so is often construed as an attack on some- body’s belief system, and can elicit strong and angry reactions. 21“Let me show you why I am sceptical. Let’s try an experiment under extremely rigorous conditions. Please take the top off the salt cellar and put a few grains on your hand and taste them. Pass the salt shaker around and let everyone try this taste est” This having been done, the performer takes the shaker and pours a small mound of salt onto his left palm. He closes his otherwise obvi- ously empty hand around it and passes the shaker to a spectator for the top to be screwed back on. While this is being done, he flicks any loose grains off his fist and then asks the assistant, who has by now replaced the top on the salt pot, to sprinkle just a little more into his hand. This done, he holds his closed hand over the table top and addresses somebody: “Please put your right hhand under my fist and your that nothing could leave or enter my hand?” The performer takes a few deep breaths and feigns in- tense concen- tration. Then he slowly opens his hand releasing most of the salt so that it trickles down to form a small mound on the table. He then picks up a few of the grains that remain on his palm with the tip of his right forefin- get, and invites the people sitting closest to him to do the same. The rest each take a similar small sample from the pile on the table. “Now let’s all do this to- gether.” He touches his forefinger on his tongue; all do likewise. To every- one’s surprise, instead of salt, they taste sugar. PRESENTATION AND WORKING It is obvious that a switch must take place, but to non-magicians, the idea of manipulating something as ‘small and numerous as loose granules of salt and sugar seems impossible. You need a thumb tip. If possible it should be a longish one capable of holding a goodly Edge of table plastic ones shaped while warm. If you cannot find one of these, use whatever you can get. The tip is partially filled with sugar. To carry it around in this state, 22Fig. 2 ‘Wrist turns put a small circle of plastic sandwich- ‘wrapping film over the open end and stretch a rubber band around the circumference to seal it. Prepared like this, it can be kept in your pocket quite safely. Removing the cover takes only a second and can be done while the thing is still in the pocket. Fig. 3 Fingers close When ready to perform, get the loaded tip onto your right thumb. It is also a good idea to have a napkin open ‘on your lap. Again, this is not strictly necessary but it does make the working less messy. Have the salt tasted and pour a little onto your Ieft palm. You are going to use Tony Slydini’s well- known Revolve move to lap the salt as the hand is closed into a fist. For a full description of the mechan- ics, you will need to consult the book Slydini Encores. 1 will just give a brief outline of the basics here. The left hand rests palm up- wards at the rear edge of the table as in Fig. 1. What you are going to do is close it into a fist, tum it back Hand moves forward and upwards ve)upwards and raise it a few inches. During the tum, the salt will be Ispped, However, the exact timing of the different actions is crit First there is the ‘cining of the hand; this is done at the same time as the fingers close, but - and here is an important point - the bone at the base of the third finger remains in contact Asa Mls with the table top until the hand reaches the Fig. 2 position. This is key to the whole move - the hand revolves, using the joints at the base of the fingers as a pivot upon which to tum. When the Fig. 2 position is teached, the salt drops off the hand and onto the lap - hence the advantage 24of having a napkin there to catch it. The hand continues to tum back upwards and, as soon as the salt has fallen away, is raised a few inches and moved inwards from the table's edge as in Fig. 3. ‘Note that from Figs. 1 to 3 is fone smooth, unbroken continuous, quick action. There are no pauses of jerks, As I said earlier, you really do need to read the description in the book for the plethora of small details that make the move truly deceptive. The above resumé is intended only to give you a broad outline and put you in the picture, so you can decide whether you want to learn the trick or not. Under cover of casually brush- ing away any real or imaginary stray grains of salt from the outside of the left fist, the right thumb is ducked into the opening at the fourth-finger end (Fig. 4) and the tip deposited inside. The fingers retain it as the thumb exits, Once the thumb is removed, the sugar flows out of the gimmick and into the closed hand. Without spilling the sugar - apart from the odd grain or two - work the thumb tip to the Fig 5 Club 71, Autumn, 2000 position, gripping it between the fin- gers and the heel of the hand. Keep the latter angled so that it is out of the audience's range of vision. ‘Once more pretending to brush off a few stray grains, regain the tip on the right thumb. This steal of the tip from the rear of the fist is, I believe, another Slydini finesse. ‘Open your hand and ask for a little more salt; let the person sprinkle a few grains. This minuscule amount will get Jost amongst the sugar, so will not affect the outcome, However, it does serve to reinforce the impres- sion that nothing has happened yet, even though the trickery is done. Alll that now remains is to sell the effect. POSTSCRIPT In my opinion - and others have said the same - magic which is seemingly performed imprompty with whatever happens to be lying around, usually registers very strongly in comparison with that which requires you to introduce items of your own. FeyIMPROMPTU PRINCESS Last year. in the Summer issue. I outlined a routine called. “It Must Be Mind Con- trol”. The effect was that five people merely thought of cards and the performer named them. The response from readers was over- wheiming. Amongst others, Alan Shaxon, Peter Scarlett and Malcolm Yaffe. all magicians of note. kindly sent in their own thoughts. which I perused with interest and appreciation. Here is a very similar ef- fect, achieved by different means. The original re- quired a twenty-five card stack and a crib, (The latter, although not essential, saved a lot of memory work.) In the present vari- ation, the set-up is dis- pensed with and there are no extra gimmicks. On the debit side, more card hand- ling skill is required. ee Ideas are used from Paul Fox, Gene Grant, and Harry Lorayne. EFFECT Several spectators are handed small numbers of cards. Each is requested to mentally select one but not to disclose its identity. Having done so, they may if suf- ficient people are present. pass their packet to a neighbour. who can also make a choice. ‘The balance of the pack is handed to a sixth volunteer, who selects any card and shuffles it back in. Everything is. then, gathered up. This last gentleman/lady is in- vited to come out and help with an experiment. Small groups of cards are shown to him/her and heishe is requested to do his/her best not to let on, if he/she sees his/ber own choice. Suddenly dramatically. the performer stops. With a flourish. he ex- tracts a pasteboard and asks the 26helper to name his/hers. It is dis- covered to be the very same one. Seemingly, the mentalist has located it, just by watching the assistant's reactions. Having thanked his subject and sent him/her back to his/her seat, the wonder worker takes up half the pack and reads out the names of 15 to 20 cards. The people are instructed to listen and see if theirs is included. He then requests,, “If you heard yours, please raise a hand!” Should anyone do so, he is able to name their choice(s). ‘The rest of the pack is picked up: and the process repeated. Then, the audience are asked if anybody has not yet had their card divined. If so, they are in- Vited to stand. His/her/their selection(s) is/are promptly an- nounced. REQUIREMENTS A pack of cards, a small table, an audience of twelve or more and lots of showmanship. METHOD "There are two separate tricks. One is the discovery of the sixth person's card. This provides cover to prepare for the spectacu- lar revelations, which follow. Have the pack thoroughly mixed, In taking it back, memor- ise the bottom one and make it into a locater. The easiest way is by crimping or, if using your own cards, introducing 4 short. Cut off-centre, so that the bot- tom half (The one with the key card on the face.) is the slightly smaller of the two. Give this toa person near the front (who will subsequently be known as spec- tator No.6). Next go round the audience handing five packets of five cards to five people. Do not say. how many each is given. Take the required number and pass it to them, remarking, “Here are a few for you.” Pick spectators, who are fairly widely separated, so that there is no chance of any~ one comparing numbers. Most of the audience, unable to see what is’ happening, will believe that each receives a random'quantity. Instruct them to mix their cards and then commit one to memory. If the crowd is big enough, have them hand the packet to a neighbour, who may also make a selection. Suggest the possibility that they might even decide on the same one but tell them to keep it a secret. Ask each to silently repeat the name, three times. This will ensure that they do not forget it. Mentally, allocate each person a number, by which you will re- member them. This is best done by calling the first that you go to 1, the second 2 and so on. While the assistants are mak- ing their choices, return to the sixth person. Add apy cards, which may still be in your hand, to the top of his/hers. Say, “I want you to pull a small packet out of the middle of your pile, look at the one on the face and remember it! When you have done so, drop it on top and cut it fale 27Fig. 1 PIAGRAMATICO REPRESENTATION ONLY IN. REALITY ep \Nblelolol>[>|suDemonstrate what is required, py taking the heap, pulling about a dozen from the centre, showing the one at the front and. then dropping them on the re- mainder. Cut a few times, con- triving to end up with the crimped/short on top. ‘When the person carries out these actions, his/her selection will finish adjacent to the locater and so can be easily found. ‘Take the pile and cut the key to the bottom. Having done so, put if aside, while you collect up the other packets. All five ave gathered in the re- verse order to that, in which they were handed out (No.5 first, No.4 second tc.). In doing so, the following subterfuge is exe- cuted. Hold the cards from No.5, face down in your left hand. Go to No.4 and take his packet with your right. As you walk towards No.3, slip the top card, from those just received. on top of No.5’s and place the remainder on the bottom. Do exactly the same when col- lecting No.3’s. The uppermost pasteboard goes above those in the left hand, while the rest are placed beneath. Do not comment on this and perform the action as you are moving. Done without fuss, it will look like a crude shuffle, if it is noticed at all. The same business is repeated with the last two packets. ‘At the finish, you will have twenty-five cards, face down. On top, in the correct numerical se- quence, is one from each person. First will be No.1's. Below these are the remaining cards from packets Nos. 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1; the last named at the bottom. Return to the performing area and pick up the pile containing No.é's card. False riffle shuffle the two portions together. (If you cannot do this really decepti- vely, forget about it and simply re-assemble the pack. The effect loses a little but remains very strong.) The twenty-five stack goes to the bottom. No 6's card is still immediately above your, memorised key and exactly half way down. Address this person, asking him/her to come forward. Say, “Iam going to show you some cards. See if yours is among them. If it is, think to yourself, "That is my card!” but do not say or do any- thing, which might tell me that you have spotted it!” While you are displaying the cards, the stack will be redistrib- uted. This will happen naturally, as part of the effect. There must be no impression of contrivance. Hold the pack, face up im the left hand and, using that thumb, spread off four cards. Take two. of them with the right. Display the pairs and drop them, still face up, onto the table. Those from the left hand go to the left and the others to the right. Next fan off four more and repeat the actions. Let the helper see thera, before allowing them to fall on the piles, already formed. Do this three more times. ‘The result will be to create two ten card heaps, each consisting of pairs from ‘the five packets that were handed out. These still Tun in their original sequence. 29‘You now arrive at five cards, one from each of those same packets. Push these off together, them all into the right hand. Show them quickly to the assistant, before tossing them onto the table, away from any, already dealt - making a third, separate heap. This will bring you to the locater and’ No. 6’ selection. Once you know its identity, make it the subject of a big, dramatic revelation. Acting, is imperative, in the foregoing, Nowhere, must there be the impression given, of any engineering. Dropping the cards should seem easy and casual. Keep looking at the person's eyes and pay no attention to the ac- tions. The pasteboards appear to be landing haphazardly and are left, wherever they happen to fall. The change, to pulling off five at once, seems no more than a speeding up of the tempo. At the finish, the position will be that shown in Fig. 1 When this part of the effect is over, thank the assistant and send him/her back to hisfher seat. Replace the card, just dis- covered, among those, which you are still holding. Re-assemble the pack, by pick- ing up one of the ten card heaps and dropping it, face down, on top of those, in your hand. Tbe other goes to the bottom. The re- maining five, on the table, are taken and pushed, together, into the centre. A fourth finger break is held above them. During these movements, the order, within the piles, should not be not dis- turbed. Patter for a few moments and, while doing so, spread off all the cards above the break, taking them with the right hand. Lay the rest on one side. Fan those, which you hold, to- wards yourself and, starting from the face, begin to call their values aloud. Ask the people to listen carefully and see if they hear their’s mentioned. When you have been through the whole jot, enquire if anybody did. One or two arms may be Taised. As you know that the last ten cards are made up of pairs, taken from the original five packets (See Fig.2.), you can jook at which spectators have their hands in the air and tie each down to two possibilities. Eliminating the “wrong” ones, requires some quick fishing. Note any contrasting character- istic, in the pasteboards con- cerned. One might be red and the other black or, perhaps, high and low; maybe even a picture and a spot. Assume, for the sake of illustration, that it is a plain case of different colours. Look towards the person, in question and say, somewhat hesitantly, as though groping for mental con- tact, “Your's is black?” The answer, whether affirmative or not, gives the information needed. Having named the selections, of everyone with their hands up, put down that half of the pack. Pick up the other and repeat the procedure, This time, the sorted pairs will be on the bottom. Starting at the face, read out all but the very last five. Asi if any- body has heard theirs. Should a 302 5 8 8 A\6 DIAGRAMATIC LAYOUT K 7 SHOWING POSITIONS OF FAIRG 3few claim this distinction, each can, as before, be associated with two alternatives. Enquire if there is someone still waiting to have a card ident- ified. If there is, get them to stand. It will be among the last five. These are in the correct se- quence. Knowing the person's number, you can quickly spot the one and reveal it. POST SCRIPT There has to be a trade off in any magical “improve- ment”. To enhance one part of a trick, another must be weakened. In this version, compared with “It Must Be Mind Con- trol”, the strengths are:- a) There is no pre-arrange- ment. The set-up is accom- plished as part of the presentation. b) Only two sets of cards get called out and not four. Also, fifteen to twenty-three are in each, making the whole thing seem more diffi- cult. c) The cards are read in a random manner, just as they appear. @) There is no crib or me- mory work. ‘The wealmesses are:- a) Some skill in card hand- ling is essential. b) A lead trick, involving a sixth person, has to be incor- porated. Fred Robinson, of whom I have many happy memories, told me that this was the strongest stunt I ever devel- oped. EDITORIAL POST SCRIPT Last year, when Barrie very generously released “It Must Be Mind Control”, I commented that, “In my opinion this is one of the best things that we have ever published.” Readers letters and other feedback bore me out. At that time, I would have said the effect and method were untoppable. ‘Now I am not so sure! What we have here is an almost identical presentation but without either crib or stack. Just about the nearest thing possible to real magic! On his manuscript, the inven- tor has written, “This is a good stunt!” That must surely be one of the classic understatements of all times. Given practise and showmanship, it will make any serious performer's name. All views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and are not necessarily held by the Publi ers. Contributions for publication are welcome and are accepted on the understanding that once published the copyright will belong to Repro Magic. Club 71, Summer, 1988 eedAMBIGUOUS COFFEE CAN by Barrie Richardson There are many effects which require one of two different objects to be introduced during the performance, in such 8 manner that the audience are unaware that an alternative exists. An obvious example would be Eddie Joseph’s well-known Premonition effect. This requires the performer to have two specially prepared packs of cards, although only one will ever be seer. Which one that is, depends entirely on what card a spectator freely names. Twenty-six possible choices will lad to pack “A” being brought out. The remainder mean pack “B” coming into play. While it is always possivle to simply have the two packs in different pockets and merely fish out the appropriate one, this cannot be done until after the card has been called. So there is always the suspicion in peo- ple’s minds that the performer “did something” while the pack was out of sight. Many stratagems have been developed to overcome this type of problem. In the above instance, some performers prefer to have one of the two packs on open display, taking a fifty-fifty chance that it will be the one needed. If it is not, they must eithes resort to somehow secretly switching it for the other or else change tricks. There is nothing wrong with these approaches and I have, on ‘cccasion, used both to good effect. Another technique is to use a switching device. This can be any prop which will hold two items but only allow one to be accessed at 3 time. An obvious example is the change bag, which has two compart- ments, One pack could be in one compartment and the second ir the other, The performer simply opens the correct compartment and allows some- body to reach in and remove the cards. As they cnly fina one pack and as there is but a single bag, the implication is that the presence of a second pack is out of the question. However, most switching de- vices look like magic apparatus. Their very presence on the scene calls into question the authenticity of what is being presented. While this may not be a problem for children’s entertain ers or glitzy cabaret acts, the introduc- tion of tasselled velvet bags and plitter-plastic boxes into 1 demonstra- fion of mind power of precognition does tend to stretch people’s credulity. ‘Then again, why have the pack in a bag or whatever? Unless a sound reason is provided, doing so is itself suspect. It was with these thoughts in 33mind that I developed the device I am about to describe. Its main strengths are that it looks like an everyday object and, most importantly, it ex- ecutes the switch without the per- former going anywhere near or having to touch anything. So a trick {ike Premonition can be performed without LL \ person would then be asked to go to the can and remove the pack; you meanwhile keep well away. The spec- tator would then be told to go through the pack, counting the cards until the named one was reached. Only fifty- ‘one would be present and the chosen card missing. At no point would you ~~ Original can top glued inside plastic lid. SS Fig. 1 the magician ever handling the pack. (On the table stands a coffee can. The performer announces that inside is a pack of cards - placed there so it cannot be touched. If you were presenting the Eddie Joseph trick, somebody would be invited to name any card. A second have gone anywhere near the can or the pack. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to disclose the working of Prenionition but I am allowed to tell you about the can. Obviously both the required packs must be inside. So the question 34is how does the spectator only find the one you want, without you doing anything? Look at Fig. 1 and you will see what the audience see. Notice how the can is upside down with the plastic Tid is on the wrong end. There is a certain ambiguity about this - is it significant? Is it even an issue? In twuth, the can has been tampered with as shown in Fig. 2. What I have done is to carefully remove the bottom and replace it where shown. It will wedge into position but use a few spots of epoxy resin to secure it, Notice that it is not in the centre but about three-quarters of the way down, so as to just leave enough room underneath for a pack of cards. Such cans, when new, are sealed at both ends. So I have carefully removed the top and glued it inside the plastic lid. This is necessary because those supplied by Maxweil House are semi-transparent, and an ‘opaque one is necessary. The larger chamber is filled with vacking material, eg. foam, raffia, shredded paper, cotton wool or whatever. This is to keep the second pack from moving about when the spectator lifts the can. If people feel it slide or hear it thud against the side, suspicions will be aroused. To use the apparatus, have one pack on the table and place the can over it as in Fig. 1. The second pack is in the upper, larger chamber lying on top of the packing and covered by the plastic lid. Explain that there is a pack of card, in the can and then proceed with the trick. Once you know which of the two will be required, have the spectator go and either raise the can, finding a single pack beneath, resting on the table, or else have them carefully lift off the Tid and discover the cards lying on top of the packing. In the firs: instance it looks as Fig. 2 Bottom of can removed and placed here though the can has been inverted over the pack and the lid placed on the wrong end to get it out of the wav. In the second, peopie think that the pack is inside the can but the latter has been opened at the wrong end. They ‘are unaware of the packaging matc- rial, as they cannot ste it, So they believe the assistant to be staring into an empty receptacle. Club 71, Winter, 1999 35