Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
I met Harry the Hat Anderson on the Drag in Austin in 1977 doing street magic. Here is his classic ...
Back in 1982, "Harry the Hat" Anderson performed a geek trick "You know about geeks? They work the midway of a circus, biting the heads off chickens, swallowing live snakes, eating ground glass - they're party commandos." by shoving a needle through his arm. As his blood trickled to the floor, Harry called the screaming spectators "a bunch of namby-pambies", insisting it was all a trick. Mimicing a violinist by moving the needle back and forth through his wound, Harry caused an even louder reaction by asking "Would you like me to play 'Melancholy Baby'?".
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Dan Sperry ~ America's Got Talent YouTube acts Compete
In this week's "YouTube" edition of "America's Got Talent," Dan Sperry made a huge impact. His routine was an unusual and rather risky choice that he masterfully presented for maximum effect.
Sperry opened his segment with a fast and visual production that was accompanied by edgy music. With his Goth appearance, he immediately commanded everyone's attention and piqued their interest. The music then changed to a fifty's style ballad that contrasted with Sperry's persona and provided a fantastic setting for what followed.
Since his trick with the floss and candy was a close-up effect, Sperry wisely left the stage and approached the judges to perform. It was the best place to present the bit of geek magic that is designed to freak out spectators. And by performing in front of the judges, Sperry gained an intimacy that would have been lost had he stayed on stage and played to the camera.
The over-the-top reactions on the part of the show's judges may have been more for Howie Mandell's reaction to the floss, but Sperry created a stunning showstopper. From the staging to the music and the presentation itself, there was so much that Sperry did right. Well done.
You can watch a video of Sperry's performance here.
Sperry opened his segment with a fast and visual production that was accompanied by edgy music. With his Goth appearance, he immediately commanded everyone's attention and piqued their interest. The music then changed to a fifty's style ballad that contrasted with Sperry's persona and provided a fantastic setting for what followed.
Since his trick with the floss and candy was a close-up effect, Sperry wisely left the stage and approached the judges to perform. It was the best place to present the bit of geek magic that is designed to freak out spectators. And by performing in front of the judges, Sperry gained an intimacy that would have been lost had he stayed on stage and played to the camera.
The over-the-top reactions on the part of the show's judges may have been more for Howie Mandell's reaction to the floss, but Sperry created a stunning showstopper. From the staging to the music and the presentation itself, there was so much that Sperry did right. Well done.
You can watch a video of Sperry's performance here.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Submission from a reader...
“Today I took my daughter, soon-to-be-son-in-law, grandkids, Rod and Penny Stewart and their son, Daphna and Harvey Keitel and their son, all to brunch and magic shows at the Magic Castle where I have long been a member. I LOVE magic and they have the best magicians. In a private show for our group, magician Andrew Goldenhersh, let two of the men strap him into a straight jacket with his hands bound. He held two raw eggs inside the jacket. He managed to get himself out of the straight jacket and, in place of the eggs, he pulled two while chickens out!!! His butterfly tattoo turned into a real butterfly an flew away! And so much more. Why oh why didn’t I have my camera!!”
http://www.goldenhands.com/
http://www.goldenhands.com/
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tonight I was watching the Mentalist on CBS, in which we see flashbacks to his carney past... in one we see him use a crystal to heal a blister. How?
Blister Heal
http://www.askapastor.org/blister.html
Episode: Throwing Fire - While examining a crime scene where a baseball scout is found, a ball hits Jane in the head on the next episode of The Mentalist.
http://video.tvguide.com/The+Mentalist/The+Mentalist++Throwing+Fire/3247672?autoplay=true
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Summary: With a blister clearly visible on his/her finger, the leader demonstrates an old wive's tale for remedying such a condition. The blister disappears! Everyone learns how to do this trick!
The Simple Set-Up: Stop at the hardware store and purchase enough small washers so that everyone can have one. The washers should have a very small opening (about the diameter of a small blister).
Just before starting this demonstration, secretly lay one of the washers flat on the tip of your index finger and push down with the thumbs of both hands. When you remove the washer, there should be a mark that looks just like a blister. Hide the washer from view.
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The Activity:
As your lips kiss the blistered finger. . .
Say: Have all of you had a blister at one time or another? I've got a big one! Look at it!
Hold up your finger and/or walk around the room letting them get a close look at the fake malady.
Ask: Shall I pop it? Maybe if I just squeeze it. . . No wait. I once read of an old wives' tale about how to take care of these. It had something to do with ear wax and relaxation. Let's see. . . I'm suppose to take some ear wax from one of my ears and rub it on the blister. Wait I need a little more wax. Then I'm suppose to get in a completely relaxed state (pause). That should do it! Look it works!
Dig around in your ear once or twice with the index finger of your non-wounded hand and apply the "wax" to your wound. As you rub and press down on the wound, you'll find that the indentation from the washer will begin to disappear. Let your head go back in a comatose state as you seek to relax. When you look down and see that the blister is gone, hold up your hand and/or walk around to show everyone the healing power of ear wax plus relaxation.
Distribute the washers and teach everyone how to create this little bit of magic.
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Use this activity to teach about the following themes:
*God is Calming (Matthew 11:28-30)
Ask:
*What tricks have you found to help you relax?
*What trick to relaxing can you find in the above verse?
*What do you find most relaxing about God?
*God is Gross (Ezekiel 16:3-15; II Kings 6:24-30)
Ask:
*What does something need to like before we'll label it "gross?"
*Do the verses above qualify for such a label? Why or why not?
*What do they tell you God is like?
*God is Hurtful (Proverbs 27:6; Hebrews 12:6)
Ask:
*When does God hurt us according to the above verses?
*Have you felt Him hurt you? When?
*Are you glad He hurts you? Why or why not?
This is from a fantastic website on bible study and Christrian teachings. But note!
Copyright 2000. Dave Arch. All rights reserved.
FD: Why would a pastor copyright a carney magic trick?
Simple. Good Magic is not a trick. It is a mental illusion. A mental picture.
A mental manipulation of the viewer...Visualize a minor miracle: Heal a small heat blister.
In this episode, Jan does a mental reading trick.
What was it? How was it done?
Why was it done?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
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