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From Lawrence Hass, Ph.D. Publisher, Theory and Art of Magic Press

Since Gift Magic was published in 2010, it sold well over a thousand copies and generated tens of thousands of dollars for Rich Bloch’s Encore Foundation—a 501c3 organization that helps magicians in need. When the book sold out in early 2018, the author team agreed to continue the book’s gift-giving spirit by making a free PDF available to people when they make donations to the McBride Magic & Mystery School’s Scholarship Fund. Founded in 2012, as of September 1, 2018, the Magic & Mystery School’s Scholarship Fund has raised just over $80,000 with $60,000 having been given out to 92 students in the form of need-based financial aid to attend one of our classes, seminars, or conferences in Las Vegas. On behalf of Jeff McBride and the whole team at the McBride Magic & Mystery School, thank you for your support of our mission to help dedicated, talented, under-privileged magicians get access to the magic education they need to advance in the art . . . and in life! To make a donation to the McBride & Mystery School Scholarship Fund, please go to www.magicalwisdom.com/scholarships.



Thank you for your support!

GIFT MAGIC Performances that Leave People with a Souvenir

Tricks, essays, and interviews by Jeff McBride, George Parker, Lawrence Hass, Eugene Burger, Rich Bloch, and Robert E. Neale (in order of appearance)

Edited by Lawrence Hass

Theory and Art of Magic Press

Gift Magic: Performances that Leave People with a Souvenir Tricks, essays, and interviews by Jeff McBride, George Parker, Lawrence Hass, Eugene Burger, Rich Bloch, and Robert E. Neale (in order of appearance) Edited by Lawrence Hass ISBN: 978-0-615-37503-8 Printed and bound in Canada First Edition 2010 Published, Distributed, and Sold by Theory and Art of Magic Press Lawrence Hass, Publisher www.TheoryandArtofMagic.com Illustrations by Jay Fortune Pre-illustration photography by c-nik, Michael Caplan, and Marja Lingsma Design, layout, and cover by Erin McLean

©Copyright 2010 by Lawrence Hass. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the express, prior, written permission of Lawrence Hass.

The authors dedicate this book to:

Lance Burton and Mac King for their extraordinary generosity to the McBride Magic & Mystery School & Max Maven who has given every one of us the gift of friendship and wise, honest counsel

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Gift Magic

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Contents

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C ON T E N T S

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From the Editor and Publisher, Lawrence Hass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi From the Illustrator, Jay Fortune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Foreword by Rich Bloch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii Introduction by Ruth Knafo Setton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Chapter 1 PAYING IT FORWARD: AN INTERVIEW WITH JEFF MCBRIDE . . . . .1 Chapter 2 GEMSTONE GIFT, MIRROR VERSION, GEORGE PARKER . . . . . . . . .16 Chapter 3 GEMSTONE GIFT, QUICK VERSION, GEORGE PARKER . . . . . . . . . . 27 Chapter 4 LUCKY SEVEN, LAWRENCE HASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chapter 5 CECIL LYLE’S “PAPER HAT TRICK,” EUGENE BURGER . . . . . . . . . . .45

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Chapter 6 TWO MAGICAL GIFTS: AN INTERVIEW WITH EUGENE BURGER 49 Chapter 7 THE (COOKIE) MONSTER’S DREAM, RICH BLOCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Chapter 8 HYPERTRIPTYCH, ROBERT E. NEALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Chapter 9 GIFTS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND FETISH OBJECTS: AN INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE PARKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Chapter 10 ZOR-ROSE, JEFF MCBRIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Chapter 11 SOMETHING, ROBERT E. NEALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Chapter 12 ON GIVING, MAGIC, AND GIVING MAGIC (INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF LEWIS HYDE), LAWRENCE HASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Chapter 13 TEHIS RE EROM, GEORGE PARKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

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Chapter 14 SOME MAGICAL GIFT IDEAS FROM JEFF MCBRIDE . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Chapter 15 A SIMPLE GIFT, LAWRENCE HASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 Chapter 16

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THE SURVIVAL VERSION , GEORGE PARKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Chapter 17 DEBUNKING THE FIVE GREAT MAGIC MYTHS, RICH BLOCH . . .142 Chapter 18 THE GIFT OF MAGIC: SOME OBVIOUS REMINDERS, ROBERT E. NEALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148 Chapter 19 A CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT E. NEALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 About Theory and Art of Magic Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

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From the Editor and Publisher, Lawrence Hass The book you are holding in your hands is the result of a most unusual and wonderful collaboration. It is the result of a group of artists who have come together to donate the fruits of their labor—their thinking, magic, artwork, words, and energies—to a project from which they will not receive a penny. This free labor is being offered to maximize the profit that will come from sales of Gift Magic—all of which will be donated to The Encore Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization that is dedicated to assisting magicians in need. In Rich Bloch’s Foreword you will learn how Rich—with the generous assistance of other magicians—created the Foundation to respond to a profound tragedy in one magician’s life. You will learn exactly how the Foundation functions to help magicians in need. You will feel lucky if you have not had to call upon its resources and grateful that it exists to help those who have not been so fortunate. By purchasing this book for yourself or as a gift for others you are directly supporting The Encore Foundation. To further maximize the dollars that will be sent to the Foundation, Theory and Art of Magic Press is also distributing Gift Magic. Magic dealers who are interested in purchasing quantities of the book at a discount should contact me at: www.TheoryandArtofMagic.com. My heartfelt appreciation goes to everyone who has contributed his/her labor, words, work, and resources to this book. Specifically, this means: To Jeff, George, Eugene, Bob, and Rich for their dear friendship, joyful enthusiasm for this project, and for always meeting my request for “one more” of something, whether it be a chapter, conversation, piece of advice, review of the manuscript—you name it. To Jay Fortune for donating his graceful, expressive illustrations. To Ruth Knafo Setton for the magical gift of her words. To Erin McLean for lending her special eye and talents for design. To c-nik, Michael Caplan, and Marja Lingsma for their professional preillustration photography. To Max Maven for many things, but here, for his assistance with credits. To Louis Falanga at L&L Publishing for permission to post video clips from Jeff ’s Magic at the Edge DVD set for readers of this book.

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From the Editor and Publisher

To Samuel Smith editor of The Linking Ring for kind permission to reprint Bob Neale’s “Hypertriptych.” To Marc DeSouza and Larry Reichlin, dear Philadelphia friends, who always inspire me with their generosity and special magic. To Margie Hass, Abbi Spinner McBride, Marja Lingsma, Bryce Kuhlman, and Tobias Beckwith for love and support all along the way. Also, finally, to you: everyone who has purchased Gift Magic and keeps it alive by giving it to others. By doing so, you are completing the promise of the book and strengthening the worldwide community of magicians. Thank you!

A Few Words about My Involvement This book project was born a number of years before I became involved. The central vision was formed during a conversation between George and Jeff in 2004; after that Eugene jumped in, then me, Bob, and Rich. (The exact details are covered in the interview with George, chapter 9.) Even so, I have been performing gift magic—magic that leaves people with a souvenir—from the beginning of my career. For me, it always felt like a natural thing to do; magic and gift-giving seem very closely connected. Not identical, but closely connected because the experience of strong, excellent magic arrives like a gift: with a surprise, a bang, as a singular and memorable event. Also it is clear that magic (my magic, at least) benefits from the spirit of gift-giving: it builds an enthusiastic relationship with my participant or audience rather than being all about “me, myself, and I.” And further, that spirit takes the edge off the lies, omissions, and deceptions I use as a performer to create a magical experience: they become a mere means to a greater good. Again, this approach has always felt rather natural to me—even if unexamined. However, several years ago the rigorous scholar in me woke up when I read and started to teach philosopher Jacques Derrida’s book on the subject, Given Time (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991). I found myself becoming fascinated with the nature of human gift-giving as a subject in itself and with the phenomenology of giving. Derrida’s book is not at all an easy read, but it is profound: Derrida argues that true, genuine giving—a gift in the pure sense—is mysterious, like the phenomena of time and being itself. Derrida’s book led me into other literature on

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gifts and giving from sociology and anthropology (among other fields), but most importantly, it took me directly to Lewis Hyde’s wonderful book on the subject, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property (New York: Vintage, 1979). This is not the place to explore the details of Lewis Hyde’s inspiring book; keenly interested readers can jump ahead to chapter 12 to see my presentation of his basic claims. What is important here is that when I was invited by Eugene, George, and Jeff to join in this book project in 2008—to contribute to it and publish it—I jumped at the opportunity because it meshed both with my own approach to magic and my philosophical study of giving. As I bring this manuscript to completion, I am deeply excited and intrigued by all the material that has been donated for you: tricks with magical gifts, essays, and interviews. The thoughts and views expressed, as well as the tricks, are diverse, sometimes strikingly so, and I have made no editorial attempt to force them into a mold. Obviously, the shared terrain of gift magic and the fact that the contributors are friends mean there are large areas of agreement. But careful readers will enjoy ferreting out the differences in thought and approach as well. Above all, my hope has been to create a book that will feed the heads and the hands of magicians everywhere. And also, perhaps, one that has a chance to make some good in the world. Lawrence Hass Sherman, Texas May 20, 2010

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F ro m t h e I l lu s t r at o r

From the Illustrator, Jay Fortune Larry Hass has kindly allowed me to include some information on Magic Moments Day. A book dedicated to magic and gifts is the perfect place to share this information and, hopefully, you’ll be interested in taking part. Magic Moments Day is a revolutionary concept by which magicians across the world can bring a moment of magic into the lives of others on a specified day of the year. By downloading a sponsorship form from our website, raising money for your chosen charity, and performing to an audience of your choosing on that day, magicians worldwide will be raising funds, smiles, and awareness of charitable causes. Magicians we need you! To take part in Magic Moments or for more information please visit our website: www.magicweek.co.uk/magic_moments. By clicking on the Magic Moments link there, you can download sponsorship forms, find out ways to plan your magic moment, and more. Perhaps you are a children’s magician and would like to perform at a local children’s hospital to raise funds for new equipment? Maybe you are a silent magic act and a home for the elderly would welcome your skills? Perhaps as a close-up magician you could perform at a local restaurant raising money for your chosen charity? No matter whether you are a novice or full-time professional, Magic Moments needs you. We are aiming for Magic Moments to become an International Day of Magic. Our hope is that magicians will dedicate this day every year to performing magic for less fortunate people in our communities while also generating funds for a worthy cause. We hope that you will welcome and support this initiative. All you have to do is give up some of your time to perform at a venue of your choice. Choose a place that is close to your heart or close to the heart of someone you care about. Your magic moment is going to be planned and given by you, with no interference from us or anyone else, so you are free to create your magic moment in any way you want. Go wild with creative energy as ideas are bound to come when you begin to think about the magic moment you could create! Seek sponsors and raise money and donate to a charity of your choice. The possibilities are limitless.

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You are the key to the success of Magic Moments Day. Our worldwide community of magicians has the opportunity, talents, and the reach to spread magic to millions of people across the world. Again, to find out about the next annual Magic Moments Day and for more information, suggestions, advice, or support, please visit: www.magicweek. co.uk/magic_moments. As a non-profit venture, Magic Moments Day is organized by a small group of dedicated magicians who would welcome your help and services; from publicity to website forums, if you can help spread the word we’d especially like to hear from you.

A Personal Note I want to express my appreciation to the authors and publisher of this unique magic book. In particular, my deep thanks go to George Parker and Larry Hass for their encouragement and patience as emails bounced, shows took priority, and I moved from one house to another. It has been my deep pleasure to create the illustrations for Gift Magic, and I am honored to be a part of this project. • Jay Fortune is a performer, writer, illustrator, consultant, and producer of magic. Working alongside the UK’s largest independent entertainment agency, he has created projects from magic on radio to full stage touring magic shows. His written works include productions for London’s O2 Arena. He has performed on TV, radio, and on stage in London’s West-End and Las Vegas. Magick and Mayhem, his one-man show, continues to push the boundaries of theatrical magic.

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Gift Magic

Foreword from Rich Bloch Beyond his role as professor, performer, promoter, and cheerleader for Magic-AsTheater, Larry Hass is a mensch. His commitment to publishing this book is the ultimate magic gift. Every dime of profit is being channeled into a project I started some years ago called The Encore Foundation. Encore was born out of tragedy when one of our brethren magicians was traveling to a performance, became involved in an auto accident, and lost everything—his wife, his dog, his car and all the tools of his trade. At the World Magic Seminar, we held a benefit performance, starring Siegfried and Roy, Lance Burton, Max Maven, Mac King, Fielding West, Johnny and Pam Thompson, John and Jen Cassidy, and other talented, generous artists, all of whom rose to the occasion. We raised enough money to help out this magician, at least a bit. We were so inspired by the generosity of our colleagues that we formalized the project by incorporating it as a 501(C)(3) corporation. In the five years following its genesis, The Encore Foundation has, through the generosity and efforts of hundreds of dedicated performers, helped people get over tough times. That’s the goal of the Foundation: to help fellow artists get over a rough patch. The rules are simple. If a performer needs financial assistance to rebound from a cataclysmic illness or injury, for example, Encore sends some money. The money is a no-interest loan; the understanding is that the recipient will repay it when, and if, he or she is able to do so. By and large, everyone we have been able to help has returned the favor and helped Encore. Encore has no paid staff—everyone who does anything for the Foundation is a volunteer. It exists because people like Larry Hass, Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, George Parker, Bob Neale, and the other selfless contributors to this little gem of a book care about their colleagues in magic and the theater arts. For that, I am profoundly grateful.

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Introduction

Introduction Ruth Knafo Setton That art is a gift given freely, without thought of reward or payment, was first impressed upon me the day I stood on my grandfather’s roof terrace in Morocco and helped him paint the wings of his gray homing pigeons to “make the world more beautiful.” When we’d painted the birds’ wings brilliant red, blue, and green, he set them free to burst into the sky. They created an unforgettable rainbow of color and feathers, a dazzling experience for unsuspecting passersby. . . an experience they spoke about for years afterwards. My grandfather would not have called himself a magician, but he shared many qualities with the six men whose gifts you will experience in the pages of this remarkable book. He gave the people who witnessed the rainbow flock of pigeons a gift, one that George Parker calls a “positive trauma,” or a gift that is an experience. Jeff McBride, George Parker, Larry Hass, Eugene Burger, Rich Bloch, and Robert Neale—these six magicians are about to give you a magical gift that includes stories, tricks and illusions, interviews, dialogues, and words of wisdom, all in the spirit of gift-giving and friendship. This is, after all, “a book by friends about friendship,” says George Parker. From conception to final production, this volume has been an act of generosity from magicians for magicians; and because they have given of their time and knowledge so freely, the book itself has become a gift, an enchanted garden of wisdom, dream, and memory, perhaps one of the most magical texts I have ever read. You’d have to travel far and wide in the international magic world to find someone who has not been the recipient of gifts from these generous, brilliant men. Whether we are speaking about gifts of knowledge and wisdom, gifts of spirit and soul, gifts of astonishment and experience, gifts of therapy and healing, or actual concrete gifts you can hold in your hands, these six magicians have been at the forefront of exploring magic’s gift-giving potential. As Larry Hass points out, “The ultimate relationship between giving, magic, and giving magic can be seen in how generous, communal, and joyful magicians are.” This book is a potent demonstration of how generosity, communality, and joy result in a gift you will want to share with others. “The essential is this, the gift must always move,” writes Lewis Hyde in his classic work, The Gift, which forms the heart of this volume. “A work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift there is no art.” The

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relationship between art and commerce has always been fraught with tension, but in today’s market-driven society, it is a challenge to remember that the true value of art cannot be measured in the marketplace. True art has no price: it is priceless and needs to be given freely without expectation of a return gift. Larry Hass discusses the Talmudic concept of the highest form of generosity as giving anonymously with no expectation of reward or gratitude. And that, as Eugene Burger explains, takes us to the heart of magic: “a magical effect, whether it ends as a gift or not, must be given value by the performer if it is to be received as something truly special.” In these pages, we encounter the words of magicians who believe passionately in the power of their art and who eloquently communicate that belief. Bob Neale points out that magic provides us with a glimpse into a world of possibility in which surprises and unexpected endings simultaneously disturb us yet offer hope. Jeff McBride explores the idea that the true gifts of magic result from the personal interaction between magician and audience members. They enact a ritual narrative in which the audience member is “a sort of hero in a mythic story,” a tale that will become part of their personal mythology, a living memory of a magic experience. Rich Bloch imparts a crucial lesson, “It’s not for us, you see. It’s for them.” Re-envisioning the traditional magician’s role in relation to his audience transforms the performance into a reciprocal act shared by both performer and viewer. I myself have had the profound pleasure of being the recipient of many of their gifts. The magicians in this volume are patient, willing teachers who have inspired me to approach my own art as if I were a magician. The primary difference is that my stage is the blank page, and my wand a pen, but in the end we are all creating stories of enchantment that we hope will live in people’s memories. I have sat in these magicians’ workshops, pored over their words, watched them perform both onstage and off, and seen them heal wounded souls and move audiences to awe. I’ve also had the pleasure of receiving concrete magical gifts to place in my “magic corner”: Larry Hass’s silver wishing star, Jeff McBride’s tiny red rose on a wire stem, George Parker’s gemstone, playing cards inscribed with my name, powerful texts like Bob Neale’s Magic Matters and Eugene Burger’s Magic and Meaning (written with Bob), and many other sacred treasures that remind me that there is more to life than what we see (or what we think we see). “Magic itself is a gift,” says Bob Neale. Through their discussions, essays,

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and illusions, these magicians demonstrate the importance of magic in our lives. We need to believe, if only for a moment, that we have the power to transform ourselves, to conquer death, to free ourselves from the bonds of our mortal coil. In the hands of a master magician the magic splashes from the stage and illuminates the audience, inviting us to share in the Mystery, giving us the gift of astonishment. And those other gifts, the physical ones we carry home with us, are like Cinderella’s glass slipper: fragments that help us relive our magic moment in the Other World. A seashell that whispers a song in an ancient tongue, a feather that strokes our cheek, a single strand of thread that is torn and restored, a painted bird that points the way to the garden where anything is possible. . . . Talismans and crystals, stones and stars, they are reminders that we ourselves are magical creatures whose powers have yet to be fully tested, whose limits have yet to be reached, whose potential is limitless. What greater gift can we receive? • Ruth Knafo Setton is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, The Road to Fez. Born in Safi, Morocco, she is the recipient of many literary fellowships, including awards from the National Endowment of the Arts and PEN. Her poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have appeared widely in anthologies and journals. The Writerin-Residence for the Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University, she is working on a series of novels about a female magician who sees her art as a gift. . . in every sense of the word.

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1 Paying It Forward: An Interview with Jeff McBride It is the afternoon of Saturday, August 15th, 2009—a hot, sunny day in Las Vegas. Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, and I are gathered in the living room of Jeff ’s house; we are surrounded by books and artifacts from Jeff ’s marvelous magic library, and by masks from cultures all over the world. It is a perfect setting for this conversation about magic, gifts, and magical gifts. —Lawrence Hass

Larry: Jeff, I have always thought of your magic as overflowing with generosity— from the cards flying out into the audience, to the way you appreciate and recognize your assistants and stage crew, to your passing on the gift of magic to boys and girls during your performance of “The Miser’s Dream.” How did you come to have this sensibility in the first place? Was there someone in particular who inspired this in you or did it come from some other source? Jeff: I think I was really inspired in this by my parents who were extremely supportive and gave freely of their time and energy in nurturing my magic. And so very early on, as I was starting to learn magic in my teens, I was also beginning to teach magic. There was something wonderful to me from the very beginning about seeing other people empowered by magic and about passing magic on to them. I never thought of magic as something to be hoarded. As a teenager performing magic, kids came up to me at school and asked, “Can you teach me magic?” I had a choice to make: I had to say either “yes” or “no,” and I went with “yes.” Again, I

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think that sensibility came to me from my parents who were very much like that. Larry: Was there someone who performed magic for you that left you with a gift? Someone who showed you that you could give a gift when you perform? Jeff: The first magical performance I ever saw was not a conjuror, but a balloon twister. His entire show was a give-away because he created the props and then gave them away. He created these hands-on, temporal gifts. I remember it was a clown. . .he came to our Catholic school and was promoting an appearance—a free appearance—at a shopping mall. So it was a promotional give-away, but for a free show. I had no idea of all that at the time, but I remember the clown made a round balloon with a whole bunch of long skinny balloons hanging off of it. Then he played a game with the class, challenging us, “You get it, if you guess it.” What was this thing? I remember several kids shouting out, “An octopus!” And he said, “No, it is a meatball with a whole lot of spaghetti hanging out of it!” [laughter]. Everyone laughed and I laughed too, even though I didn’t quite get it. But I did go see him at the new Jamesway department store. When he made that exact same figure and asked, “Kids, what is this!,” I shouted out, “It’s a meatball with a whole lot of spaghetti hanging out of it.” And I got it; I knew the answer, and I got that balloon. I think that was the first gift that I received from a performer. Maybe that is a strange sort of core experience to have influenced me, but it was really remarkable and memorable. It is always hard to know exactly what inspires us, but that could well have been a pivotal moment for me. Larry: It is amazing that you remember it so clearly. . . . Jeff: Second grade. Larry: Wow. So we turn from then to now: I cannot begin to count the number of times I have seen you perform pieces in which you give away something at the end. I have seen you give away wristbands, flowers, rainbows, cards, rubber bands, wands, shirts, stones, money. . .to name just a few things. What is all this magical giving about for you? Jeff: Lewis Hyde mentions it in his book, The Gift—this book that we all admire. Lewis Hyde says that a gift creates an experience of bonding in a world where there

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is so much isolation. Now when a magician does magic, often there is a distancing quality—a separation of status—a feeling or experience that the magician has more status because he has this power and secret knowledge that the participant or audience doesn’t have. So the very act of presenting magic as a gift creates a “bonding feeling” and there is more of a unity instead of a division set up between people. I have found that I have had many more life-enhancing experiences creating unifying magic as opposed to magic that separates and divides. I have had a lot more fun and pleasure that way. It has increased the happiness quotient in my life in a very simple, but profound way. To say a bit more, when I approach a potential participant, I often can see when I mention the word “magic” that there is a mixed emotion, a kind of an apprehensive moment such as, “Oh no, what am I getting in to?” Or “If I sign this card will the pen shock me?” There is some of this going on because people have grown up with all these media images of the magician as a trickster and even as a dark trickster. So they don’t know if they are going to see a trick or have a trick pulled on them. How would they? One has to have considerable experience interacting with magicians to be able to realize the difference, and most people have had almost no contact at all with magicians. So setting up an atmosphere of gifting puts the participant at ease. It opens them up to a “conversation” [hand gestures back and forth]. It indicates that this will be a relationship rather than something that will be “done to you.” Larry: Is there a place in a gifting performance when you feel their defenses melt away and they join right in with you? Jeff: Yes. It begins with touching their hands or placing their hands in a giftreceptive mode. When a person’s palms are open and together, they form a little bowl. This is an archetypal posture of receptivity, of being a receptacle for a boon, for a gift, for something that is coming. There is a pregnant, empty space waiting to be filled with a magical possibility (see figure 1). You are setting the person up to catch a moment of magic, for a magical future. They don’t know what, but they know something is going to happen. For most people, when they are in this pose, it triggers a pleasure response: open and waiting, hopeful that the space will be filled. Some magicians understand this very well, but many magicians don’t seem to have any idea of the power of this. Perhaps

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it is because they haven’t ever explored putting someone’s hands in this position. Larry: I suppose then we have a little experiment readers might try: put people’s hands in this position to see how different and receptive they become. . . Jeff: . . .yes, but it also poses a challenge to magicians because they must have something worthwhile to place there! As an example, consider this: people would have a fundamentally different reaction to a card trick if the magician said, “I have a surprise for you,” and put the participant’s hands in this position; then took out a box of cards and set them there like a little gift. As opposed to going up to someone, shuffling the cards, and thrusting them at someone [laughter]—which is how so many cards tricks begin. . .with a “shuffle and thrust” [laughter as Jeff mimics this], as opposed to any kind of relationship or a promise of a mystery. In magic as in love, what is often missing is a kind of “foreplay” that creates a setting and a threshold for the magic to be magical.

Figure 1

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Pa y i n g I t F o r wa r d

Larry: Another thing too is that many magicians become so glib while they are “shuffling and thrusting”—they put up a wall of glib language that is unappealing and uninviting. So we need our words to touch them too, like when you touch their hands. . . . Jeff: Yes, exactly. But let me stress that it is actually touching each other’s hands. There is a permission happening, a meeting. For one example of how this goes: you can take a handshake, add the second hand, then use the first hand to bring their other hand to the middle. In this way, you start with a socially acceptable gesture, see how it goes, and then if it is welcome, move to another level of intimacy. Eugene: Glibness really sets people into the opposite mode, doesn’t it? The “glibber” you are the more frightened I become. And that means I am not ready to receive much of anything. Jeff: Glibness sets up the following: “Do I now have to take out my rapier wit?” “Do I have to take out my own razor sharp tongue?” “Are we going at each other?” “Do we have to top each other?” Notice that we are now plunged into a status struggle as opposed to a bonding relationship. Larry: I am sure that the readers will have many questions about details of your approach. Do you also do things with your eyes or voice? Jeff: I think that postures are very important for moving people into intimate relationship. In a lot of my magic, my hands are often positioned under my heart, which creates a sense of intimacy and openness. Then bringing the hands up to eye level is important because it increases eye contact. However, depending upon the culture, one has to dial up or down the intensity of the eye contact. We also can use the magic in the middle—between our sets of eyes—to help soften some of that intensity. If the connection is too overpowering we can let them focus on the magical object, which takes some of the intensity off the bonding that is happening. Or conversely, we can dial up the relationship so the magical object becomes less important and the people can experience each other as the magic is happening. It is an interesting kind of contradiction: creating a moment of connection while performing a piece of deception, so I try to re-frame that in my mind as

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“a little untruth that can bring us to a bigger truth.” I think about David Abram, the author of The Spell of the Sensuous. He says that when the priests he met in Bali performed sleight-of-hand, they considered their secret sleights to be a sacred prayer that was unknown to the uninitiated. I kind of like that rationalization, that coping mechanism [laughter]. Because it is a deep challenge to be deceiving someone and gaining his or her trust at the same time. Larry: But by placing their hands right here [gestures in the cupped position] they are already halfway there. . . . Jeff: . . .correct, because you are using the magic to connect rather than to “blow the audience away” or “kill ‘em.” Or to distance them or one-up them. Instead of all that, you are creating a magical moment that ends with a talisman or touchstone of the fact that magic has come into their lives. Which is, if you think about it, far greater than the “trick.” Because the trick is over in an instant, but the gift object can last forever. And every time they touch that object they can remember that magical moment and increase their happiness, if the moment was a happy one. Larry: It occurs to me that your ideas here pose a real challenge for card magicians because they have the cards down in front of them or off to the side and this seems to communicate something very different. Jeff: I love card magic. But I work really hard to get my card magic so it happens up around my face. First of all, having the cards up here makes much better TV! [laughter]. But also I can make a relationship with the cards between our eyes. Even so, I have to really work at getting into these positions because so much card magic we see happens at crotch level, gripping down here [two hands holding a horizontal packet], which not only takes us back to “shuffle and thrust,” but further means the performer tends to be looking down at the cards. The whole orientation then is eyes-down, head-down—which is just terrible for relationships. But think about it: cards are challenging because the very nature of the game of cards is combative: I win, you lose. Further, cards are horizontal by nature; they are meant to be played at a table looking down while not showing your true emotions and feelings. “Keeping a poker face,” concealing what you have, hiding behind a mask, and not relating: these meanings are already in the air when

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you bring out a deck of cards. In our culture there are hundreds of years of preconditioning about cards that trigger feelings of separation and combat: I trump you. Or you trump me. Or I will take your money. Or I will cheat you at the card table. So there is a lot of baggage on the table when you bring cards out; there is a lot more than cards coming out of the card box [laughter]. In this sense, card magicians have a much higher mountain to climb in order to create the kind of magic we are talking about. At the same time, magic evolves as we evolve. The more conscious we become of our tools and what they trigger, the better able we are to transform those tools to create better effects. After all, we are magicians! Larry: So I assume you might not start out with cards in a gift magic situation? I mean, you might get there, but you might start with other things? Jeff: It depends upon the kind of relationship I want to create. I humorously say, and remind myself, that magic should “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” [laughter]. So depending on the situation, I might start right out with “Cards Out of the Mouth”: Whoah!! You know, to lay claim to a territory as a magician or to just get attention. Again, performing magic involves status relations and sometimes, in some situations, you have to stake your claim just to play your part as a magician. Like in a party environment where everybody is vying for attention and status: “Wow, he is the magician!” In situations like that I will often open with cards. But in other cases, I will open with something soft, like a magic rainbow or flower [“Magic Wishing Rainbow” and “Rainbow to Rose” from Jeff ’s DVD, Magic at the Edge; they may be viewed at www.magicalwisdom. com/giftmagicbook, courtesy of L&L Publishing]. Or I will make money appear to pay for a check, or produce some little token to represent the moment. These are all soft, intimate moments. Another great one is Alan Wong’s “Stargazer,” in which a rubber band changes to a star. [This is also on Magic at the Edge and may be viewed at www. magicalwisdom.com/giftmagicbook.] I think this is a perfect trick: there are no bad angles, there is nothing to see how it is done, and then the participant ends up with an unusual, exquisite little gift. Which, I might add, turns their analytical mind right off because they start playing with this little gift! Many times they will ask, “May I keep it?” “Yes,” I say, “and if you look at it every day maybe your wish

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will come true”—so there is a little intention in that. I talk quite a bit about my philosophy of gift-giving on Magic at the Edge, which was shot at the Burning Man festival. Burning Man is all about the gift economy and gifting and give-away. The gift philosophy and economy is also at the heart of the Wonderground experience we create every month in Las Vegas. With all the great press surrounding it and the community involvement, the Wonderground is transforming the Las Vegas magic scene in really exciting ways. [Editor’s note: for a glimpse of the Burning Man festival, see the video clip at www.magicalwisdom.com/giftmagicbook, courtesy of L&L Publishing; to learn about the Wonderground experience, go to http://www.mcbridemagic.com/pages/ wonderground.php.] Eugene: . . .because it is not about money; there is no money there. Jeff: Yes, money is not in use at Burning Man. By explicit intention and design, it is a gift culture. It is probably the western world’s biggest potlatch. People go to extraordinary lengths to give away as much as they can [laughter], with their art, with food, and with many things. Larry: I want to stay just a little bit longer on some of the details of performing gift magic. We have talked about the hands; we have talked about the eyes. Do you have any suggestions about the voice, about how we can use the voice to create the connection? Eugene: Getting softer is part of it. Less hard and edgy. . . . Jeff: Yes, getting softer, but also creating a conversation. You know? Asking the participant what is important. This puts half of the magical experience into their hands, literally and conversationally. When I ask a person “Is there something special in your life that you would like to bring into being?” that puts it squarely on the participant to conjure something deep inside of them. And I can tell when they are humoring me because they respond too quickly. When that happens I pull back a little bit. For example, with the “Magic Wishing Rainbow” there is a moment when I ask them to touch the rainbow, and if they go to do that too

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quickly, I pause just a bit and ask, “Are you sure you want that?” That usually gets them to probe a little bit deeper or more authentically. Because in these situations I want to subtly help them learn that this will not just be about “watching the magician do stunts”; it will instead be about the magician serving as a catalyst for their wish fulfillment. You know, a magician is asking you here, “What is important in your life?” “What would you really like to bring into your life?” This is just full of meaning and possibilities. So I am also asking in effect, “Can we play this magical game for a little while,” in the classic Bob Neale sense of making believe? I’ll tell you, this is fun for everyone; it is fun to take someone in a social situation to a deeper place, to a core value, and then give them a little token of the ride in the form of gift. Now I should stress that when I give it to them I say, “If you take this and place it somewhere you can see it everyday, maybe your wish and intention will come true.” I stress the “if ” and the “maybe” because I do not want to make any extraordinary claims! [laughter]. Larry: Eugene, when Jeff talks about using questions, I think about your work because you so often use questions to invite people into the performance. Do you want to say anything about that? Eugene: First of all, it tells the participant or the audience that I am taking them seriously, that I am really listening to them, and that we are engaged in a conversation. . . . Jeff: . . .so much so that, if I ask a person a question when performing gift magic in a social situation (and I do not mean a formal show, which is a very different context), and the person’s answer or the conversation turns to something more profound, the magical moment may even sacrificed to a much more important connection. The palmed object may go back in the pocket for a while or maybe forever while this person is in a state of bonding. Larry: As we are talking about this, I am imagining some readers might feel uncomfortable about performing this way because it is so intimate. . . . Jeff: . . .that’s why YouTube was created! Because you can avoid all intimacy. . . [laughter]. But I interrupted you. . . .

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Larry: No, that was well worth it [laughter]. But it seems to me that the only alternative is just to be demonstrating stuff, and then it seems the magician is. . . Jeff: . . .trying to “blow the audience away”. . . Eugene: . . .and doing one-liners. Larry: What specific suggestions do you have for someone performing gift magic to help their performances be better? If you had one thing to suggest—one little gift—what would it be? Jeff: To start with the simplest magic possible, the simplest techniques, so you don’t have to think that much about the technical level or procedure. This allows you to focus on the quality of the connection and “the moment” rather than the method. This allows you to be relaxed and at ease rather than anxious or worried about being exposed. Larry: Have you ever had a moment of gift magic blow up? There you are about to give this gift and the whole thing just falls apart? Jeff: Oh yeah. I remember I was doing my Rising Card effect “Kundalini Rising” for a group of people at kind of a new age center and I had dialed up the performance pretty strong on the breathing, the whole mythology of Kundalini, and all of the yoga involved. Then at the end of the experience, after the whole induction and mythology, with the card rising in her hand, I said she could keep the deck as a souvenir. I saw her eyes kind of open wide, and I said, “No, no. . .take it!” Which she did, but later I saw her leave the cards on a ledge. She did not want this gift. Like this was too powerful; she did not want a touchstone. We have to always remember that people experience our magic on lots of different levels. They also have different belief systems because of different cultures or cultural programming and so they respond to magic in lots of different ways. So I usually ask permission before even performing. I will say something like, “Do you like magic?” For instance, I have had experiences in Africa when the reply to that has been, “No! Magic is evil!” So imagine what would happen if I had just blithely forced my magic upon that person. I am not there to convince someone

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that magic is this great scientific exploration of perception and deception, you know? So I just drop it. I am not on a mission to convert people to ”the western application of science through the optical arts of magic” [laughter]. Larry: Here is a question for you from George Parker, and it touches on something we talked about before. George says that it seems there is a difference between, on one hand, what we might call a promotional gift, like doing an effect with a business card that has our name and address on it so they have it “for all their future event planning needs.” And on the other, giving away money or a gemstone or flower that isn’t promoting anything. So the question here is, how should we handle promotional gifts so that they still feel like gifts? Eugene: I’d like to jump in on this. I was just reading a book that Jeff gave me about doing readings for people, and one of the author’s techniques was to do a Magic Square for someone on the back of a business card. So his idea is that while one side of the card is promotional, the other side has some value and remains a gift. But it is a very tricky line to walk. . .I think this is George’s question. Larry: Part of walking it, I suppose, has to do with how you handle the promotional side. I mean, I could talk about my business number and instruct them to call me “for all their future event planning needs,” or I can give them the Magic Square card without commenting on the “market side.” Jeff: Relating to this, there is a Rosicrucian concept of doing good acts in the world without suffering gratitude. One can “suffer” from someone’s gratitude, which was for me a very tricky concept to understand. But for example, “Oh thank you!” [craven and supplicating]; this suffers me with a kind of status I may not want, and perhaps also suffers me with their feeling of needing to reciprocate, which wasn’t my intention at all. So a key question to ask here is: when you give a gift, do you expect it be reciprocal? If so, one needs to be sensitive to the fact that it starts to look more like a market transaction than a gift. And we also want to think about how to deflect the idea that you want something back. We might say something like, “No, no, this is just for you.” Another idea is the notion of reciprocal altruism, which is much discussed

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in gift economies and circles. This is the idea that even if someone gives back, what he or she encounters is another gift. So, for example, someone receives their “lucky card” from me, which sends them to my website. Nonetheless, he or she finds there another gift—that is, the reading or meaning of their card—as well as the opportunity to gift someone else by sending them a lucky card too. This is a subtle way to deflect the circle of obligation. Even so, there is a difference between these kinds of gifts and the origami sculpture folded out of a ten-dollar bill that has been left anonymously in the hotel room for the chambermaid. Larry: The distinctions you are talking about remind me of an ethos that is very much present in Jewish culture. The Talmud, for example, gives a ranking of different gifts determined by how much recognition is attached to them, with the very highest gift involving the giver’s total anonymity. For Jewish people, strictly anonymous giving is a mitzvah, a blessing in another way as well, because the word “Anonymous” on a list of donors provides coverage for people who are not able to give anything. Jeff: Yes, excellent. There is another dynamic to this as well, which is that there often has to be the right context for a gift. People have to be in a gift-receiving mode or environment sometimes to even understand something as a gift. There was this fascinating story in the Washington Post recently about Josh Bell, the violin player. Josh Bell is a concert violinist who plays one of the most expensive violins in the history of the world and sells out concert halls for over a hundred dollars a ticket. And there was this social experiment where he was busking in a subway for many hours one day. He only made about $35; most people just walked past him. It was interesting: many children would stop and watch him, but their parents would always pull them away. For some reason children could perceive this amazing gift that was there for them, but most adults couldn’t see or hear it because there wasn’t a context for this gift; the gift was invisible to them. So people need to have a sense that they are in an environment where a gift is being given. I mean, to just leave a pen on a table for someone means nothing. It isn’t a gift; it is just a piece of junk. And here is the key thing: magic makes a gift special. The moment of magic is a live moment. It isn’t just handing a pen to somebody or handing a business card to them, or a “friggey magnet.” But if I can magically produce that magnet, then

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you might actually put it on your refrigerator and see my URL. Again, we need to remember if that is the only reason why I am doing it, if that is all it is about, then it isn’t a gift. A pure gift is, at best, anonymous. Larry: Your comments here have brought us back to our intentions—that an important part of the context is the intention. Random events aren’t gifts; there has to be an intention of a gift, even if we do not know who gave it. The ten-dollar bill folded into an origami figure is anonymous, but clearly it was intended as a gift. So this comes right back to us as magicians. What is paramount with gift magic is the intention with which we infuse our performance; that is what makes the difference between a mere promotion and a genuinely felt gift. Jeff: Yes, and sometimes my intention is or has to be market based and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes I need to perform a piece of magic in a certain way or setting that makes a booker want to hire me for money. This isn’t a gift situation—it is a commodity exchange: here’s my talent, hire me. But all that is very different in spirit and intention from being in a park, approaching a family playing there, picking up a leaf and making a flower bloom from it, giving it to the grandmother, and then walking away. Here there is no promotion, no name even—all they have is an incredible story to tell and a memory. I have given and received this kind of magic countless times—having wonderful little exchanges that do not lead to any reciprocity. Larry: Do you think there is something about magic that makes it especially connected to gift-giving? Jeff: Let’s look at the nature of magic: from one perspective magic is an effect without a cause. And that maps right onto a gift—something that arrives without demand or a plan. Thus there is something about magic and giving, and receiving too, that defies expectations. So there is a connection between magic and giving that we can only learn about by exploring the moment, by doing it and not intellectualizing about it. With performing magic specifically, you have to be out there thinking, “How can I discover situations in which I can create this wonderful dynamic?” As Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors the prepared mind,” so when I go out into

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the world I carry a thumb tip with a rainbow streamer and a pocket full of fold-up roses so I can take advantage of a perfect moment. But you have to be sensitive to whether or not the moment really is a good one. Just the other day I was in China working with a man whose business associate was a woman who didn’t really like magic. She was busy working behind a counter at a cash register and he said to me, “Do something for her!” Now even though I had prepared this extensive little routine, I could tell that the woman didn’t have the temperament or the time to indulge me in my gift-giving [laughter]. Not only was she pre-disposed not to accept any magical gifts, she was actually determined to counter them [laughter]. I could tell this just was her point of view on magic. So I put that routine back in my pockets, but still wanted a moment of connection with her. I concealed one of my little flowers in my hand, and as I went to give her a little coin, I changed it into the flower, and simply said goodbye. That was it. I walked away. That was it, and she accepted the gift because she didn’t have the time to process what had happened. If she had seen me go into a whole magic routine, she would have just folded her arms and rolled her eyes. Larry: On another subject, as we head toward the end of this conversation: we know that part of Lewis Hyde’s idea is that when we have received a gift, then we are ourselves inspired to give on, typically to other people. . . Jeff: . . .pay it forward. . . . Larry: Right. So sometimes one way we know that we have received a gift is that we find ourselves engaged in a “labor of gratitude” that keeps the gift we have received in motion [for more on this idea see chapter 12]. With this in mind, would you say there are specific pieces in your repertoire that were labors of gratitude in this sense? Pieces that were inspired by a gift you had received and were giving on? Jeff: Not so much with specific pieces, but what comes right to mind is a ritual we do in our home where Abbi and I have a box of objects that we have collected from all over the world. When students or friends are here I invite them to select an object from the box—and all the objects have a story attached to them that I am happy to share with the person who has chosen one. Abbi and I have been doing this for years since we moved into the house, just to create a sense of gifts moving

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through us. We are so blessed. We have so many gifts coming into our lives, and we are happy to continuously “pay them forward.” So we have this exquisite box, which people will see when they come to the Magic & Mystery School, and they will be able to look inside and take a bit of the magic home with them. It does not even have to be performance oriented; the whole thing is just a state of mind, a way of being. It is a way of living with gifts, so that gifts are passing through us continuously without hoarding them.

•

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2 Gemstone Gift, Mirror Version George Parker

The Gift

A small gemstone. In this version, the gemstone is an anchor to reinforce someone’s belief that his or her wish will become as real as the stone.

The Effect

After a mirroring exercise, a gemstone materializes between the hands of the magician and the spectator.

The Props

A small gemstone such as a tiger’s-eye, amethyst, turquoise, or crystal. If you don’t wish to use a stone you could use any other small object. I have also used special coins (that I give away), little Guatemalan “worry-dolls” (a kind of good luck charm), and little pieces of jewelry.

Introduction

This is an effect to be performed one-on-one. The spectator turns into a participant along the way. While talking about various ways people try to get connected to each other, you explain the psychology of a technique called “mirroring,” which is consciously used by good sales people and excellent coaches and other

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•

M i r r o r Ve r s i o n

communicators. You explain how they imitate little gestures, words, and tones of voice to make the person they are speaking with feel more comfortable and open. Then you go into an actual mirroring exercise that actors use to train their empathic skills, which ends up producing the gemstone between the four of your hands. This is not something you do for just anyone. I had to learn that the hard way. I have both selected the wrong person and chosen an inappropriate moment. Both types of situations ended with person not knowing what to do with the gift and giving it back, which was kind of embarrassing. So now I take care to only do this version when the time is right and for people who are open and likely to make the connection. I have designed a quick, much lighter version for other situations [see the next chapter].

The Prep Work

I am right-handed, so I will describe the handling that way, but of course it could be reversed if you prefer using your left hand. Start out with the gemstone hidden in your right hand. Clip it between the fleshy parts of the first joints of your first and second finger (figure 2). If you prefer, you can also clip it between your second and third finger.

Figure 2

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Performance

If the moment feels right, bring up the subject of how people in various parts of the world have different habits of greeting each other. “In the western world, for example, we shake hands.” While saying this, stretch out your right hand (figure 3).

Figure 3 The participant will automatically mirror this. If she is reluctant to do this, gently help her by taking her right arm with your left hand and guide it to your right hand. If you are relaxed she will not suspect that your hand is loaded, but also make your hand a little hollow so the hard stone doesn’t touch her hand. “In India they use the more ceremonial greeting, “namaste.” Put your hands together while you take a little bow (figure 4).

Figure 4

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M i r r o r Ve r s i o n

“There are dozens of ways to greet someone but they all share the same purpose: to make a connection. Now there is a universal way of doing that. It’s called ‘mirroring’: you imitate the ways of your conversation partner, his tone of voice, his lingo, his gestures, and—if you are an advanced communicator— even the way he structures his messages. Of course one must not overdo this, but once you start to mirror your partner you will feel the atmosphere change. You will become more sensitive to his feelings and he will feel more open. These days, salespeople, human resource professionals, management trainers, coaches, or anyone whose livelihood depends on excellent communication is trained to master this technique. To start learning it, there is a basic exercise that actors use.” During these lines keep your hands in view. Make small gestures to stress your points. We want the participant to remember that she has seen your hand empty all of the time. “Imagine this is a mirror.” While saying this use your index fingers to draw a rectangle in midair starting just above eye level (figure 5).

Figure 5

19

Gift Magic The bottom of this virtual mirror is somewhere around your waist. I keep my hands as open as I can. The gemstone is hidden behind the second finger of your right hand (figure 6). After finishing the rectangle, stretch your hands while saying, “Now follow my lead.” The participant will also stretch her hands (figure 7); think of this as starting position.

Figure 6

Look into her eyes and say, “If this were truly a mirror you would be looking into your own eyes, and vice versa.” Take a few beats to look her in the eye and let this sink in. Then continue, “If this were a real mirror and I was doing this. . . .” At this moment you start to move your right hand eight or so inches to the right. Her left hand will follow along. Return to the original position. Now do the same thing with your left hand, moving it to your left. Her right hand will follow along. Now start to cross both hands (figure 8).

Figure 7

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M i r r o r Ve r s i o n

Figure 8

Comment on this, “Excellent. Have you ever done this before?” After you finish this, you basically will repeat these gestures, but in the vertical plane, speeding up just a bit. First, lightly touching her fingertips, lift your left hand up about eight inches, but keep it stretched. When you lower your left hand you immediately do the same thing with your stretched right hand. Now raise both hands but tilt them while moving up (figure 9). When I do this, I start to move my left hand about half a second earlier than my right hand. She will understand what to do and will not pay too much attention when the right hand, with the hidden gemstone, moves up. Although you may feel vulnerable because the gemstone is actually exposed, it is safe to do this because her own left hand will block her view (figure 10).

Figure 9

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Also remember that she doesn’t know what’s coming so she won’t pay attention to this. This is also true if there are people surrounding you. When you start to perform this you will want to feel safe and do the act for just one person. Once you feel comfortable, go to the next level and position another spectator on your lefthand side. After that you won’t really care anymore where people are because you will have developed confidence in the invisibility of the stone during this phase. Then your hands meet hers as though on the surface of the mirror (figure 11). Keep both of your hands just a little bit hollow so she won’t feel the hard surface of the stone. Lower your hands again so you’ll end up in your starting position (as seen in figure 7).

Figure 10

Figure 11

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M i r r o r Ve r s i o n

“Mirroring establishes a connection between people. But if you want your souls to connect, sometimes you need to go through the mirror.” This is the line I use, but you might find it too heavy. Change it to suit your own style, but finish in the same position as I do (figure 12). That is, push your hands under her hands to pass through the surface of the virtual mirror.

Figure 12

Then turn your left hand palm up and move it toward the center, while your right hand stays the way it was and moves over to the center. Most of the time she will copy you without problems. If you feel she’s doesn’t know what to do guide her right hand by lifting the little finger of your left hand and locking her little finger with it (figure 13).

Figure 13

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Lift your right hand and lower your left hand while turning it palm up, guiding her right hand in process (figure 14 is an exposed view of this moment). You will end up in the position shown in figure 15.

Figure 14

Figure 15

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M i r r o r Ve r s i o n

“When people connect on that level new ideas are born and powerful emotions come into existence. And those will eventually materialize into what we call reality.” At this moment let go of the gemstone and then lift your right hand so the gemstone comes into view (figure 16). Don’t let it fall into your left hand because that would give away the method.

Figure 16

Take the gemstone with your right hand, place it on her left hand, and gently close it while looking her into her eyes. Then say, “Please keep this. It’s a good luck stone!”

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Notes • This piece came to be when my studies in palming techniques and strategies merged with the well-known mirroring technique. I like this kind of magic very much: it feels like a dance between you and the spectator, who gradually turns into a participant. Instead of demonstrating a trick, it becomes something much more. I have performed this effect thousands of times and the small investment you make in buying the gift is nothing compared to the priceless reaction. I have met many people, sometimes years later, who still carry the stone with them and tell me they consider it a good luck charm. Of course you can replace the gemstone with any small object. Recently I have started to work with little bells, the ones court jesters tie to their hats. This offers a new, fun challenge because the bells create sound if you aren’t careful, which is something you don’t want until the very end. Clipping them between the joints of your fingers dampens the sound, but still you need to time your speaking to help cover any mishaps. The big reward is that when, at the end, ringing is the first thing that happens, it amplifies the effect of the materialization.

•

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•

Q u i c k Ve r s i o n

3 Gemstone Gift, Quick Version George Parker

The Gift

A small gemstone. In this version, it is an anchor to help someone focus on his or her priorities.

The Effect

After telling a participant that a wish is nothing more than “a memory of your own desired future,” you ask her to make one. After doing so a gemstone materializes between the empty hands of the magician and drops into the participant’s hands.

The Props

Just as in the Mirror Version [in the previous chapter], a small gemstone or any other any other small object. However, in this version you also need a thumb tip.

Introduction

This is typically performed one-on-one, although it easily can be done surrounded. I developed this version because the longer and more intimate Mirror Version isn’t always appropriate. Over the years I have performed this for magicians and fooled them badly because a gemstone isn’t the kind of object

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one associates with a thumb tip. To me, being fooled by methods and techniques I know very well is one of the most liberating experiences. It turns me into the person who I aspire to be: open-minded and playful.

The Work

Put the gemstone (or the gift of your choice) in the thumb tip. Put the thumb tip over the thumb of your preference. I am right handed but I have performed this using two thumb tips so I could immediately repeat the ritual. This comes in handy when you are performing for two friends and don’t want the second one to feel left out. I will describe it the way I perform it when using my right hand.

Performance

Either the right moment presents itself, or you have carefully worked for hours to make the right moment occur. Say, “As magicians we can help you to fulfill your wishes. A wish is nothing more than a memory of your own desired future. Please hold out your hands in a cup like this” (figure 17).

Figure 17

Trust me when I say that, properly performed, they will not spot the thumb tip. As has been observed countless times by working pros, if you act without guilt you will not evoke the suspicion of doing something sneaky. Guilt is the magician’s archenemy. A perfect technique executed with guilt is worse than a somewhat flawed technique executed without guilt. So show her what you mean for just a second and she will follow your gestures.

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•

Q u i c k Ve r s i o n

Immediately turn over your hands and touch the back of her hands with your thumbs and lightly touch the palm of her hands with both of your second fingers, supporting her cupped hands (figure 18). This looks extremely open.

Figure 18

Then say, “Please, make a wish.” What is so interesting here is that most people, even complete strangers you have met only briefly, will close their eyes to make their wish, something that will intensify the effect for them. Perhaps it is my intention that helps them relax, or perhaps they associate making a wish with a moment of pleasure, or both of these things. Whatever the reason, it is satisfying and even touching when a person I have just met closes his/her eyes to make a wish. This moment in the performance is a vulnerable one, so allow the participant some time to process it, then say, “Look at my hands. There’s nothing between my fingers.” Before describing how I gesture to hide the thumb tip, I must pause to say that I’m not a big fan of saying what is already obvious. Frankly, I dislike phrases such as “This is a deck of cards” or “I will shuffle the cards” when you are showing or shuffling the cards. I call this “dubbing” and it frequently occurs in magic. But in this particular situation, it amplifies the effect to underscore that your hands are empty by both showing and saying so. Unlike the Mirror Version, this Quick Version of “Gemstone Gift” happens so fast that they might suspect the gemstone was hidden between your fingers. When they

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try to backtrack what happened I want them to be aware they clearly saw my hands empty. In any event, while delivering those lines you will elegantly carry out a series of movements that shows your hands empty and stresses the fact that nothing is hidden between your fingers. Start by showing the back of both hands as in figure 19.

Figure 19

Then quickly turn them outward, showing the palms of your hands (figure 20) and immediately intertwine your fingers (figure 21), take them apart, and wiggle them as though you are playing the piano.

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Gemstone Gift

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Q u i c k Ve r s i o n

Figure 20

Figure 21

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Gift Magic

This all happens in one elegant, continuous movement. This flowing motion will not only create the illusion of openness and moving slowly, but the participant will remember having seen your hands completely empty. Further, all this happens about ten inches in front of her eyes, which makes it virtually impossible to spot the thumb tip. So don’t feel guilty or go into old-school moves like pointing your thumbs towards them. Your confidence and the structure of the movements will make the thumb tip psychologically invisible. You will now produce the stone and let it fall from between your hands. Figure 22 shows how you rub your hands together as if you are compressing the air to materialize the gift of which you spoke. At least this is what it looks like to your audience. In fact you have taken off the thumb tip while bringing your hands together. See figure 23 to see the position of your thumb.

Figure 22

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Gemstone Gift

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Q u i c k Ve r s i o n

Figure 23

As soon as your hands start to touch each other, bend your right thumb, with the thumb tip, inward. While making the first rubbing motion take the thumb tip off of your thumb. In one smooth motion you continue rubbing your hands. Releasing the thumb tip in an uninterrupted motion is a knack. But once you find the right rhythm, it looks very convincing. The thumb tip is now secured between your hands. The opening is pointing down. By opening your hands just a little bit the gemstone will be released. Gravity will do most of the work but you’ll be able to assist through the rubbing motion. Create drama by showing some muscle power while pressing your hands together. Make noises as if it takes a lot of effort to materialize the stone. You don’t need to grunt or make bedroom noises, but a little acting is okay. After two or three seconds drop the gemstone (figure 24) and say, “My wish for you is that your wish will materialize into something as tangible as this good luck stone.” I wrap it up by pushing her hands together and smiling while saying, “You can keep this. It will help you to focus on your wish and make it come true.”

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Gift Magic

Figure 24

Final Thoughts • This Quick Version of Gemstone Gift is technically easy but very gratifying for the performer as well as for the receiver. I will typically perform this as “a random act of kindness,” or as a good way to show my gratitude to cab drivers, hotel staff, waiters, or any person that has been kind to me and may not be noticed or is under-appreciated. I have used it as a pre-show act to create some anticipation before performing my theater show. It’s also a great piece to generate (or at least measure the amount of) interest for other, more elaborate, magic. Opening with, “Hey I’m a magician. You want to see a card trick?” works quite differently than, “I’ve got a magical gift you might like!”

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Gemstone Gift

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Q u i c k Ve r s i o n

Figure 25

Figure 26

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Gift Magic

Addendum: One Handed Version • You might call this the Super Quick Version. Cutting just a little edge off of a thumb tip (say 1/5th of an inch) will make the following move easier, but be careful not to cut so much that the thumb tip won’t hold your gemstone anymore. Put the stone into the thumb tip and load it onto your thumb. You will basically go through the same movements of materializing the stone by rubbing, except you will do it with just one hand. This can be executed even faster than with two hands and you can skip any interaction if you like. To begin, invite the spectator to hold her hands in a cup just as above. Support his hands with your other hand. Deliver the lines you have scripted for yourself while showing the back of your right hand, then the palm of your right hand (while keeping your fingers widely spread and wiggling them). Then steal the thumb tip off your thumb by bending your thumb inside of your fist. If you do this while moving your hand up and down and left and right a bit you can easily camouflage this. (To understand this movement, just think of Fred Kaps doing his long salt pour.) When the thumb tip is secured in your fist, the open side is up. Squeeze your fist like your milking a cow. This looks to the spectator as though you’re materializing the stone when in fact you are turning around the thumb tip so the open side will be towards his cupped hands. Dramatize this a little bit. The thumb tip will not be visible if you have cut it down sufficiently and if you control the angles carefully. In a surrounded situation you might want to keep your hand moving to be on the safe side. If you feel insecure about this moment, just cut your thumb tip down further to something you can handle and which will still contain the stone. Figures 25 and 26 are exposed views of this.

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36

Lucky Seven

4 Lucky Seven Lawrence Hass

“Lucky Seven” has become one of my prized, “go-to” routines. It fools both laypeople and magicians badly. Or, better put, it astonishes them deeply. I realize that when you read the script and handling you might not think such a strong reaction would happen. I didn’t think so either when I first read the root source. . . and then I actually performed the piece. At the end, people are fairly stunned and sometimes even gasping at the final revelation. “Lucky Seven” is based upon Roberto Giobbi’s “Seven,” which was published in the May 2006 issue of Genii magazine, pages 16-18. Roberto designed the trick so he could teach it at the seventh “Gathering for [Martin] Gardner”—a private convention attended by magicians, puzzle experts, and mathematicians. Given the large number of non-magicians at the convention, Roberto’s handling was essentially “self-working.” But as he observed (with lovely wit), magicians would “instantly come up with numerous complications” (page 16), and he offered some of his own. I explored Roberto’s refinements and tried several additional ones. In the end, I came up with the following handling, which is actually easier and more deceptive than the original at all key points. To my mind, an equal question was how to justify my removing a Seven card at the beginning of the trick— indeed, why not a Three or a Two? (The truth is that significant actions that go

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Gift Magic

unexplained weaken our magic.) Musing about that quickly lead to the theme of luck, which runs throughout the entire routine and holds it all together. My work on “Seven” is included in this book with Roberto’s kind permission. He asked me to mention his own work was inspired by Gary Plant’s “A Four-tunate Choice” (Genii, September 1997) and by suggestions from Richard Vollmer. I am happy to do so, as well as with offer my thanks to all three gentlemen for their creativity and generosity. And yes. . . there is a great give-away at the end.

Script

Every day in Las Vegas, people win big by trusting to luck. Let’s see if today is your lucky day. Shuffle the cards. Go ahead: really mix them up. Are you satisfied? Now I will not change the order of the cards, but I am going to remove one for later. This one! [The card is set aside but kept secret, either in a glass or on the table. Face the participant and start dribbling the cards, slowly and fairly.] At some point, say “stop.” Right here? Are you sure? Would you like me to drop off a few more or start over? Here it is; remember it! [Turning your head, show the top card of the lower portion; then drop the remaining portion on top of it.] Take the cards and mix them. . . . Now go through the deck and remove a bank of any ten cards. Just make sure your card is among them. Let’s double-check: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Good! Now I’ll deal the cards back-and-forth, like so, mixing them as we go. [You reassemble the two piles and start the dealing again.] This time you can see how they are mixed: watch the. . .Three of Hearts [keep dealing]. Ah! See, this time the Three of Hearts is over here. Again, now it is over here. You see how it goes. Here’s the game: I will keep dealing the cards, mixing them as we go. . . Whenever you feel lucky, tell me when to stop. [Sotto voce:] Back and forth. . . mixing as we go. Right here? This is a big moment. Imagine you are in Las Vegas at one of those green-felt tables. Imagine the slot machines ringing in the background. And imagine that the contents of this envelope are riding on the outcome of this hand—because they really are! I

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Lucky Seven

tell you honestly, you could win big. Shall I keep mixing or do you feel lucky right here? It is completely up to you. [Either continue mixing or stop right there, as the participant decides.] You are committed! The die is cast; the deal is done; the cards are on the table. Open the envelope. . . . Yes, it is a genuine lottery ticket. You could win big. And its yours to have. . . if today is your lucky day. You will remember I removed this card before you even selected your card! It has been here the whole time. It is a Seven, a lucky Seven. [Counting down from the top of the pile on the table:] One, two, three. . .watch closely. . . four, five, six, and. . . seven. [Slowly and fairly isolate the seventh card.] Let’s see how you did. What is your card? [Turn the seventh card over; it is exactly the participant’s card.] You did it! You win! It’s your lucky day. [The participant keeps the envelope and lottery ticket as a gift.]

What Is Happening

Roberto’s original handling used the “Criss-Cross Force” to force the selection. Then after retrieving the ten-card packet, which includes the selection (the force card), you turn the packet face up to glimpse its position. After that, you perform a displacement (if necessary) to position the selection in the seventh position from the top. While the dealing procedure (to be described below) moves the positions of other cards, the seventh card never changes position and the outcome is assured. While I explored the use of other forces, such as the Hofzinser Cull Force (of which my handling is described in Transformations: Creating Magic Out of Tricks, Allentown: Theory and Art of Magic Press, 2007, pages 77-79), I did not especially like having to turn the ten-card packet face up to locate the position of the force card. That action, followed by the displacement, seemed to be just a bit too much “perceptual noise” at a crucial point in the routine. I quickly realized I could eliminate both the “face-up glimpse” and the force by using a marked deck. (For the record, I use the “Ultimate Marked Deck” because they are Bicycle cards printed by the US Playing Card Company and because the marks are perfectly positioned at the corners.) From time to time, when working impromptu, I have performed “Lucky Seven” with the Hofzinser Cull Force and the face-up glimpse, but after exploring the idea of giving a lottery ticket away at the end, I rarely use this piece impromptu anymore because the gift really takes this piece to a higher level.

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Gift Magic

As mentioned at the outset, I realize that the above script and handling— with mixing, selection, dealing, displacement—might read as procedural and “hands-y.” But this isn’t how the piece plays. It all flows smoothly and naturally. And with the application of the marked deck, “Lucky Seven” is about as clean as card magic gets. The preparation is simple: the cards are on the table already from a previous piece or in a pocket of my jacket; a small, bright red envelope with a lottery ticket inside is in another pocket. The action proceeds in keeping with the script. I will pick up the script at the first place that requires elaboration. “Now I will not change the order of the cards, but I am going to remove one for later. This one!” At this point, remove any one of the four Sevens and place it aside, sight-unseen, on the table. For me, if there is some kind of appropriate glass, like a large-mouth wine glass, I will place the Seven in it, back toward the audience. I like the visual aesthetic this creates. “At some point, say “stop”. . . . Would you like me to drop off a few more or start over? Here it is; remember it!” Slowly and fairly dribble-drop the cards from one hand to the other. Because you are using a marked deck, you can stop wherever the participant wants, so underscore that this is completely fair. When the participant (say, a man for this description) is satisfied, glimpse the mark on the top card of the bottom portion and, while immediately turning your head away, use your thumb to slide his selection to the side so he can see its face. With your head still turned, slide the card back square with the deck and place the top portion on top of all; then square the deck, slowly and fairly. Only then turn to face the participant and immediately hand him the cards. “Take the cards and mix them. . . . Now go through the deck and remove a bank of any ten cards. Just make sure your card is among them.” It is important to tell him to remove a bank of ten cards. This decreases the likelihood he will remove one card at a time from different places in the deck, which slows things down to a crawl. This hint doesn’t always work, but it usually does. If he starts to remove cards one-at-a-time, in certain circumstances I might reiterate it: “Take a whole group—that’s it; just make sure yours is among them.” “Let’s double-check: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Good!” You need to make sure there are in fact ten cards or the effect won’t work. But this counting “double-check” also makes sense to the participant. In fact, they are usually relieved that you double-check because they don’t want to mess anything up. Importantly, you will take the opportunity of counting the cards

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Lucky Seven

from hand-to-hand to read the marks and identify the selection. This will allow you to displace it to the seventh position, if need be. Here are the details—first of the displacement, then the handling and timing of it. If the selection is the top card of the packet as it is handed to you, shuffle off one card and throw the rest of the packet on top. Then shuffle three single cards and throw the rest on top. The selection is now in the seventh position (from the top). If the selection is the second card from the top of the packet, shuffle off two cards and throw the rest of the packet on top. Then shuffle two single cards and throw the rest on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the third card, shuffle off three cards and throw the rest of the packet on top. Then shuffle one single card and throw the rest on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the fourth card, shuffle off four cards and throw the rest of the packet on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the fifth card, shuffle off one card and throw the rest of the packet on top. Then shuffle four single cards and throw the rest on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the sixth card from the top, shuffle off two cards and throw the rest of the packet on top. Then shuffle four single cards and throw the rest on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the seventh card from the top: Stop! Do nothing! Enjoy the moment and thank the gods of magic. If the selection is the eighth card from the top, shuffle off one card and throw the rest of the packet on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the ninth card from the top, shuffle off two cards and throw the rest of the packet on top. The selection is in the seventh position. If the selection is the tenth card from the top (the bottom of the packet), shuffle off three cards from the top. The selection is in the seventh position. All of that reads as complicated, but it isn’t. If you take ten cards and practice placing a certain one in the seventh position from any position in the packet, you will see how quickly you will learn every placement. In some cases, it is simply obvious how the displacement should go. However, for the sake of completeness, I have listed all the permutations above. The more difficult thing is the timing of the displacement shuffle. It really has to happen on the off-beat, as an in-transit action (Arturo de Ascanio). Here

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Gift Magic

is how I do it. I count the cards, from one to ten, with my attention (and my body tension) very closely focused on the cards. After “ten,” I relax my body and attention, and look the participant in the eyes with a warm smile and a nod. I hold that moment—there is no rush; my hands with the cards are motionless. Immediately after the participant smiles or nods back, and while still looking at him, I start the displacement shuffle as I deliver the next line, “Now I’ll deal the cards back and forth. . . .” By the time I get to the end of that phrase, the displacement is done and I start to deal the cards back and forth. Again, in short, the displacement shuffle occurs “in-transit” between the moment of confirmation and the beginning of the deal. Done this way, it flies right by—especially because I have not turned the cards face up. “Now I’ll deal the cards back-and-forth, like so, mixing them as we go. This time you can see how they are mixed: watch the. . .Three of Hearts [keep dealing]. Ah! See, this time the Three of Hearts is over here. Again, now it is over here. You see how it goes.” What starts happening here is a dealing procedure that looks very natural and which will be repeated until the participant decides to stop. Handled properly and supported with the right words, this procedure is fully deceptive for laypeople and for most magicians. They will believe both that the cards are thoroughly mixed and set into a random order by their decision about when to stop. (And they will be mistaken. . . .) The dealing procedure is, simply enough, that the ten cards are dealt into two piles, starting on the left, then right, back-and-forth, until the cards are depleted. At that point, the right pile is placed on top of the left pile, and you can either deal them out again just like that, or count down to the seventh card to reveal the selection. The procedure—dealing them out back-and-forth and then putting the right pile on the left—always ends with the selection in the seventh position. Very cool! You will deceive yourself when you do it the first several times. The magic words to accompany the action are “deal” and “mixing”: I “deal the cards back-and-forth, mixing them as we go.” I use these words repeatedly and consistently throughout procedure. It is completely true that I am dealing the cards, but not quite entirely true I am mixing them—the seventh one doesn’t move. To increase the conviction that the cards are being mixed, it is important to use Roberto’s brilliant device of the “demonstration.” That is, the second time through the dealing procedure (as the above script conveys), you turn the second dealt card face up (I have chosen the Three of Hearts for the script, but it might be

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Lucky Seven

any card), and leave it face up for three repetitions of the procedure. The audience will see that face-up card turning up in different positions and different packets. The third time through the procedure with that card face-up (that is, the fourth time in total), it will land second down from the top of the right pile: turn the card back face down, place the right pile on the left pile, and announce the game that the game will commence, as follows. “Here’s the game: I will keep dealing the cards, mixing them as we go. . . . Whenever you feel lucky, tell me when to stop. . . . Right here? This is a big moment.” Throughout all this, keep going through iterations of the dealing procedure at a fairly brisk pace. There is no need to do it neatly. The messier each pile is, the more random it looks. Just be sure the seventh card from the top of the combined packet stays in the second position from the top of the left pile before reassembling the piles. And there is no need to square the ten cards after each dealthrough. Messy is good. There is one further point to mention here. From time to time, the participant will say “stop” at some point in the middle of the procedure—that is, I won’t have dealt through all ten of the cards. This is no problem at all. I simply say, “Great! Let me just finish this hand,” while I finish dealing the ten cards and put the right pile on top of the left. This use of the word “hand” makes perfect sense with the procedure I have been using and the moment flies right by. “Imagine you are in Las Vegas at one of those green-felt tables. . . . And imagine that the contents of this envelope are riding on the outcome of this hand. . . . I tell you honestly, you could win big.” Along with adding flavor (the Las Vegas setting) and an aesthetic object (the red envelope) this moment adds mystery and value to the proceedings: now they are playing for something! “So shall I keep mixing or do you feel lucky right here? It is completely up to you. . . . You are committed!. . . Open the envelope. . . . Yes, it is a genuine lottery ticket. You could win big.” To the best of my knowledge (and confirmed by Max Maven), it is Richard Osterlind who first came up with the idea of giving away lottery tickets at the end of a routine; he uses them as the consolation prizes for his version of “Bank Night” (see the DVD Richard Osterlind’s Mind Mysteries, Volume 1). This is a big-time, commercial idea. In “Lucky Seven,” the lottery ticket is not a consolation prize, but the prize for winning the game; it completes the script and sends the participant away with a gift: everybody wins! Most states have a lottery and before a show or a dinner at which I might be called upon to perform, I purchase a one-dollar or two-dollar scratch-n-play

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Gift Magic

ticket from a gas station. When I am performing in a city or state that doesn’t have a state lottery, such as Las Vegas, I use a genuine one-dollar or five-dollar poker chip from a famous casino, such as Harrah’s or the Rio. But I much prefer to give away a lottery ticket at the end; it fits better with the theme of a game. “You will remember I removed this card before you even selected your card! . . .It is a Seven, a lucky Seven. One, two, three. . .watch closely. . .four, five, six, and. . .seven. [Slowly and fairly isolate the seventh card.] Let’s see how you did. What is your card? [Turn the seventh card over; it is exactly the participant’s card.] You did it! You win! It’s your lucky day.” The specific order of events here is important for maximum effect. First, you show the Seven. Second, you count down to the seventh card and isolate it. Third, you ask the name of his card. Fourth, you reveal that the isolated, seventh card is the selection. I should also mention that I do not ask the participant to count down and turn over the seventh card; I do it myself—slowly and fairly—so I can control the timing and drama of these elements. Until this publication, I have only explained “Lucky Seven” at a handful of magic lectures. I really hope you enjoy this piece. “Lucky Seven” is a worker.

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44

C e c i l L y l e ’ s “ Pa p e r H a t T r i c k ”

5 Cecil Lyle’s “Paper Hat Trick” Eugene Burger

Cecil Lyle was born in London in 1892. He made his performing debut in Birmingham in 1912, and created his famous Paper Hat Trick in 1920. He performed it at a matinee before the Duke of York on October 14, 1920, and on October 17, 1920, at the Magician’s Club in London. In his shows, the effect was performed by Lyle’s wife. I have long believed that Cecil Lyle’s “Paper Hat Trick” was one of the great effects of twentieth-century magic. Consequently, I have been surprised that when many magicians perform it they throw it away as if it had no value. The plot is simple. Two pieces of tissue paper are shown, torn, and crushed into a ball. When un-crumpled, they have transformed into a charming paper hat. I began performing the effect professionally in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, I added a second hat to my routine: first, the traditional brimmed hat for a lady, then a stocking-type hat for a man. When I began performing it as a stage routine in the 1990s, I changed the sequence: I first made the stocking hat for myself, and then the brimmed hat for the lady assisting me. While basic hats can be purchased from magic dealers, the hats I use are of my own design. My major aim was for the performer to make both the brimmed and stocking hats with two identical sets of tissue paper. Previously, since each type of hat was made by a different supplier, the starting pieces of tissue paper did not match. I much prefer the consistency of using the same types of paper for each.

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Gift Magic

Also, I modified the design with a star-trap pocket for easier handling. My hats are produced by Robert Charles in Chicago. They are the only hats that I have ever authorized. Interested readers should contact Robert directly at: [email protected].

Performance

Unfold the two pieces of tissue paper so the black piece with the pocket is toward your body on the right side (figure 27).

← (Red)

(Black) → Figure 27

The pieces may be casually separated and shown: the red paper is in the left hand; the black is in the right, with the right wrist turned so that the pocket is hidden (see figure 28). Put the pieces back together, with the black piece nearest to you, and tear them to the left of the pocket (figure 29). Put the left, loose pieces in front of the right pieces with the pocket and tear again. Again, put the left, loose pieces in front of the right pieces with the pocket. The papers are now crushed into a ball, folding the papers away from you. The star trap in the pocket makes it easy to crush all the loose paper into a ball,

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C e c i l L y l e ’ s “ Pa p e r H a t T r i c k ”

(Black) →

(Red) →

Figure 28

← (Red)

(Black) → Figure 29

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Gift Magic

which exposes the folded hat. The hat is now unfolded. That is the basic technical handling of the props. In my performance of this effect, the presentational frame is that this is a magic lesson for the assisting audience member. On stage, I usually have two chairs and the lady and I sit in them. I make the man’s hat first and put it on my own head—and then the hat for the lady is made. We both wave our hands (“in a mysterious way”) over the crumpled paper and I conduct the entire process in a light, but serious way. When I performed the effect in a show with Jeff McBride in Atlantic City, I performed it with a little girl from the audience and we sat on the edge of the stage. When selecting my adult participant, it is exceedingly important that I find a woman who has a simple hairstyle that will not be damaged by wearing the hat. Also, even though it is obvious that I will be putting the hat on her head, I always pause and ask permission to do this or ask if she would like to put on the hat. Delivered with a friendly smile, this request is never denied—but the person (and the audience) appreciates the courtesy. People frequently comment positively afterward that I asked the lady if she would like to put on the hat, rather than just moving into her space and putting it on her. I make an effort to convey that all this is being done in a light way. Because I put on the first hat, there is no sense of disrespect shown toward the participant when she receives her hat. I’m not making fun of her; rather we’re having fun together. This attitude makes all the difference. Finally, as I have said, even though the presentation is light-hearted, I’m also relatively serious as I open the papers to reveal the hat. This serves two purposes. First, it encourages the audience to focus on the magical moment (because, after all, the trick is a good one—stronger than we realize). Plus, the contrast between the serious activity and the amusing result creates strong impact. I hope you’ll have as much success with this piece of magic as I have. And to Cecil Lyle, from all of us (and especially me): thank you for this wonderful gift!

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48

Two Magical Gifts

6 Two Magical Gifts: An Interview with Eugene Burger (Conducted by Lawrence Hass in Chicago on June 10, 2009)

Larry: Several of your magic effects end with gifts for the audience participant. How did you get started with this approach? Was there someone who influenced you in this way or was it your own idea? Eugene: It probably came from the first time that Don Alan gave me a souvenir gift and it was probably a card with my name on it that had been discovered in some fabulous place. Larry: So let’s talk about magic effects like this. Do you have a favorite? Eugene: Absolutely! I think one of the greatest—if not the greatest—close-up magic gift effect is Bert Allerton’s Aspirin Tin trick. The effect is deeply deceptive and the gift is so special because it is placed in an envelope with the person’s name on it. I think that it truly is one of the great effects of close-up magic generally. You can find it in Robert Parrish’s wonderful book about Bert Allerton, The Close-Up Magician (Magic Inc., 1958). I discuss it extensively in my book, The Performance of Close-Up Magic (Kaufman and Company, 1987), and I perform it during the seated close-up show on my DVD, Gourmet Close-Up Magic (The Chicago Tapes, The Miracle Factory, 2004). In fact, on the DVD, I perform it for your wife, Margie.

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Gift Magic

Larry: Yes, I remember! It was a most memorable night. Eugene: What I want to do here is explain my most up-to-date handling of the effect because I have made some improvements, but my script has remained unchanged. Readers interested in that should go to The Performance of Close-Up Magic. Larry: Let’s start with the effect. What is going on? Eugene: The effect is that an audience member selects a card and then initials a small piece of photographic paper, which is placed in an aspirin box that is not snapped shut. The audience member then picks up the aspirin box with their thumb on the bottom and fingers on top and aims it like a camera at the selected card. They click the box shut as if they are taking a picture. Then the audience member opens the aspirin box to find that the initialed photographic paper now has a photograph of their selected card. And it gets better because the performer now attaches the photo of the card to the card itself using a picture corner used to secure photos in albums. This is placed in an envelope and the audience member’s name is written on it in reverse writing, just as Bert Allerton did. The envelope is then given to the audience member as a delightful gift. Now Allerton himself went one step further, because on the flap of the envelope he had his name and telephone number. But depending on your view of marketing that is either a good idea or a bad one. Larry: But you haven’t done that. . . . Eugene: No, I never have because I think it changes the nature of the gift. If the envelope doesn’t have my name and contact information it is a pure gift, but if it does then it is becomes advertising. Larry: Besides you and Bert Allerton, who else has done this great effect? Eugene: Don Alan performed it too, and that got me in some trouble. Larry: How so?

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Two Magical Gifts

Eugene: Well, I never knew this, but apparently Don felt that he was Bert Allerton’s successor. . . . Larry: Ah, in Chicago and in close-up magic. . . . Eugene: . . .yes, and he apparently felt that all of Bert’s material belonged to him. So from his perspective Robert Parrish had no right to write that book which I read as an innocent reader, and I had no right to write about the trick in The Performance of Close-Up Magic because it was his. Now the story has a happy ending because before Don left Chicago we had the opportunity to perform at a few parties together and he would give me rides home, so we had a chance to work this all out. By the time he left Chicago we had made peace on this subject. But previously I had no idea what I was walking into. I had read a trick in a book and because I thought I had significantly changed the method, I thought that it was open to discuss. Let’s talk about how the trick is accomplished. In the bottom of the aspirin tin is a removable bottom—a rectangular piece of file card. Above that is the photograph of the card, photograph side down, and above that is a false bottom on the bottom of which is a magnetic shim. Once the audience member inspects the photographic paper and places it shiny side down in the aspirin tin then you lift away the false bottom with the blank paper above it by covering the tin with something that has a magnet. That leaves in place the photograph itself for the audience member to put his or her initials on. Bert Allerton had his magnet in a matchbook and he justified placing the matchbook on top of the tin with this off-handed comment, “. . . and you can make a little darkroom.” In Bert’s day you didn’t have much choice in magnets, so he used a horseshoe magnet and because it was so strong he had to pick up the aspirin tin and hold it or the entire tin would have moved or stuck to the bottom of the matchbook. I found a magnet company in the Chicago suburbs, took my false bottom with the shim there, and experimented until I found a magnet that would pick up the false bottom without moving the tin. Now I had a much better situation. The tin would never have to be touched—it was just laying on the table. The next step was that I put the magnet in a stack of cards, which you can read about in The Performance of Close-Up Magic. I did this because by the late 1980s matchbooks were already starting to go away, and of course by 2010 they are pretty much gone.

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If I were to take out a book of matches in someone’s home or even in a restaurant people would look at me as if to say, “What’s going on here? Are you going to light that match?” So my idea to put the magnet in a small block of cards was a good one. But in 1994 when I produced the effect—I made up and quickly sold a thousand of them—my friend Jack Gould had a brilliant idea, which was to put the magnet, not in a small group of cards, but rather in the card box itself. This was perfect because it meant you didn’t have to bring this small stack of cards in and out of play; the box was always there. Then later I realized I could go one step further: I came up with a way to make the magnet removable by placing the magnet on a double-blank playing card that attaches to the inside of the card box. So for the first time, here are the details on this. I take a card box and fold its flap all the way back (figure 30).

Figure 30

Then I insert a double-blank card into the box, draw a pencil line across the card at the folded edge, and cut off the excess card. In the center of the blank card I place the magnet with a piece of heavy tape and in two corners I place two pieces of Blutack. Now this card can be inserted into the card case (figure 31) and the Blu-tack at the top of the box holds it in place so if anyone were to pick up the card case it would look perfectly empty (figure 32). This is the way I am performing it now.

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Two Magical Gifts

Figure 31

Figure 32

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Larry: That is really good! I recall that at one point you used a flash bulb in the routine, didn’t you? Eugene: Yes, and that was quite fun, but then the Magicube flash cubes became very difficult to find so I dropped that part. Larry: What makes this a great close-up trick? Eugene: First of all, it has a simple plot: we are taking a picture using an aspirin box as a camera. It is simple, but it is also weird and offbeat. Also at the end everything is examinable and of course the audience member is presented with this amazing personalized gift. Larry: Where does one find an aspirin tin today? Most aspirin containers are plastic. Eugene: I have had students find them on ebay. In fact, one friend acquired one for “Blackstone Aspirin” from the 1920s or 1930s. But you know, Larry, this really is a trick for the few and not the many. Over the years I have had many people write to me about it, but not very many have gone to the trouble to make it up and incorporate it into their working repertoire. And further, it really is a close-up trick: it is a amazing trick for two or four people, but when you get to six or eight it becomes less effective because you can’t see it as well. For instance, it would absolutely not work in the Close-Up Room at the Magic Castle; that venue is just too big for this intimate trick. This is a trick for the few. This is true in another sense too because I always viewed it as a special trick—one that not every one was going to see. This effect was for the wife of the president of the company. This was for the person who was paying the bill at the dinner party or for his wife. This is for the special person—it isn’t for just anybody. And you know, I have had people come up to me ten years later and say that they still have this envelope on their refrigerator. Isn’t that amazing? It is because you are giving such a unique and personalized gift. Larry: Where do you find envelopes that are exactly the right size for poker-size playing cards? Eugene: Well, you do not go to an office supply store or even a stationary store.

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Two Magical Gifts

Figure 33

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Gift Magic

Instead you want to go to a printer that specializes in wedding invitations. Or you could go to Crane Paper Company, which you can find in malls in many cities; they have an envelope that is the perfect size. You could also look for the Eaton Paper Company and get their “Mr. and Mrs.” size envelope. Larry: So this is not a hard thing to find—envelopes that are just the right size. Eugene: Not at all, if you go to the right place. Larry: Let’s talk about personalizing the envelope. How do you do it? Eugene: I do what Allerton did—I write the participant’s name with reversed letters. Happily, there are only twenty-six letters to learn and one can learn how to do this in no time. But I must say, I still have trouble with “W”s; I turn the envelope upside down and make an “M.” I guess that is my little block. [Editor’s note: to see how all the letters are made and some samples of names, see figure 33.] Larry: I suppose once you have practiced the letters thoroughly you can write someone’s name very quickly. Eugene: Yes, in fact I timed myself before you came and I wrote the name “George” in twenty-five seconds. Larry: Have you used these personalized envelopes with other routines? Eugene: Yes, I have used them with my Burned Card routine, “A Bizarre Ritual” (in The Experience of Magic, Kaufman and Greenberg, 1989), in which a pentagram is burned into a selected card. This card also makes an interesting souvenir. Larry: This part of the effect when you write the name is an epilogue—it happens after the magical effect. How do you manage this dramatically so you do not lose peoples’ attention? Eugene: First of all, the audience does not know what I am doing, so they pay close attention as they are trying to figure that out. Second, it only takes about thirty seconds—that is not a problem. But also, remember that they are watching it upside down. They have no idea where this is going until I turn the envelope

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around and they suddenly see their name. So it is a revelation. Larry: So you must get some ahs and ohs in that moment, or even another round of applause. Eugene: Absolutely. Larry: Let’s talk a bit more generally about gifts and gift magic. How do you think about the relationship between magic and gifts? Eugene: I think that the question of gifts takes us to the heart of magical performance. One of the most important things to realize about a gift is that it can be rejected; it can be dismissed or, if accepted, discarded later. For a gift to be received and treasured, especially a magic effect that becomes a gift, it must be given value by the giver. And this is equally true with magic generally. For a magical performance to be received as a treasure by our audiences, as something special, it must be perceived as having value. That is why I say that the question of gifts takes us to the heart of magical performance: a magic effect, whether it ends as a gift or not, must be given value by the performer if it is to be received as something truly special. Larry: How do we give value to our performances? What do you have in mind? Eugene: Years ago I was involved in religion and I used to go to a lot of religious services. One thing I noticed, particularly in Roman Catholic services, was the way priests handled things. You can see that there are ways of handling things that give them value, that seem to honor the item as opposed to just picking it up and using it. So part of it is learning to respect the world of things, isn’t it? Part of it is also my intention and my attitude that gives my performance value. I think that this is at the heart of whole thing when it comes to magic, and I think that this is part of what was lost in the twentieth century: the sense that magic has value. But I also think that in the twenty-first century this is going to come back—in fact, it already has started. Larry: One of your quotes that I frequently think about and offer to my magic students is that, “No one will think your magic is more important than you.” So one’s own sense that what one is doing is really, truly worth something is not

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peripheral or optional; it is the whole thing really, if one wants the audience to feel that something special is happening. Eugene: Yes. . . . Larry: Let’s talk about some of the permutations you mentioned earlier. You said that a gift can be refused and not accepted. How and why does that happen? Eugene: Let’s say you give me a book and I don’t have any intention of reading it. In that case I might say to you, “Perhaps you can find a better home for this book because it really isn’t my cup of tea.” First of all, I am being truthful, but also when I say that, you appreciate the fact that I appreciate the fact that you are giving me a gift. So I am honoring the gift by saying it could “find a better home” and I am not rejecting it or the spirit of your gift in a negative way because I really do want to help it find a better home. Larry: So you might refuse a gift when you aren’t able to appreciate it or enjoy it? Eugene: Yes. And then a person might also accept a gift and later reject it. This happens as well. Jay Inglee tells the story of going out to dinner and there was a magician present who did Card in the Wallet and at the end he gave the signed card to Jay’s aunt who received it very graciously. But when the performer walked away from the table she turned to Jay and explained exactly how the trick was done—how he had palmed the card off and then put it in his wallet—and then she ripped the card into three pieces and dropped them in the ashtray. And of course the performer never understood that the gift had been rejected. He thought it was a fabulous success [laughter]. Larry: So I wonder, did he actually give her a gift? I mean if his magic was so weak that she could penetrate it perfectly. . . . Did he actually give her a gift or did he only think he had? It seems to me there is an important lesson here for magicians who would give gifts when they perform: just because you give something out at the end doesn’t mean you have given a gift. Eugene: Yes, or it doesn’t mean you have given a good gift—one that touches people and stays with them.

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Larry: Why is it usually easier to give a gift than to receive one? Eugene: I think it is about ego. Giving a gift may strengthen my ego because it feels good and I am in control. Receiving a gift makes me vulnerable to you, the giver. And that can be scary. For example, think about how many people say, “You shouldn’t have!” I think that comes from the discomfort of being vulnerable to the giver. I think one of the most important things in life is learning how to receive gifts in a way that encourages people to give more and not less. This is true for everyone at all levels of society. We need to learn how to receive the gifts of others in a way that honors both the gift and the giver and doesn’t reject them. Larry: Yes, another, subtle way this rejection goes is for me to say, “Oh thanks, now I will give you a gift tomorrow,” and then we have just started a system of exchange or a transaction. Eugene: And that is not a gift. Larry: Would you say then that every magical performance is itself a gift, or could be given in the spirit of a gift? What specific things might be required for a performance of magic to be given or experienced as a gift? Eugene: Well, I don’t think of magic generally as a gift. That is not the model or the metaphor I would use. The reason I wouldn’t use it is because when I give a gift I no longer have it—that is part of the very character of a gift. But with a magic performance, I still have my performance and can do it for others. Indeed, I have not given my performance away. So for me, performing magic for others isn’t a gift; it is a sharing. It is a sharing of something. We share it together, but I also keep it too. It seems to me that this is something subtly different from giving a gift. Larry: So magic is a sharing, and some magic can end with a gift given. But I see a fair amount of magic today that doesn’t seem like either of those. What do you think is going on? Eugene: I think a lot of the magic we see today is ego-driven. It is about me, the performer, and “I’m cooler than you.” Or the reverse: “You are not as clever as I am.” Neither of these is a sharing. Or consider audience abuse magic acts that we

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so often see in so-called comedy magic. There isn’t much sharing going on there, is there? Larry: Do you have any other recommendations for magicians seeking to explore these ways of performing—as a sharing or with a gift at the end? Eugene: First, I think one needs to understand the goal—one needs to just see the goal. And for me the goal is a magical interaction with a person or with a group of people. Whether it is a stage show or a close-up show, to me magic is about an interaction or relationship—a magical sharing of something. Being clear about that is the very first thing. And then I am in a position to ask what I am doing that contributes to this or what I am doing that takes away from it. We need to ask this with honesty and clarity because, for example, not all laughs are good laughs, and even though I get a laugh on some line the audience actually may be thinking that I am a jerk. Larry: Yes, indeed, one thing we know is that sometimes people laugh because they feel distinctly uncomfortable, or because they have been surprised, not because they “feel good.” Eugene: Yes. Giving a gift or sharing something with someone are really beautiful things. One doesn’t want to “yuck it up” or make it foolish or cheesy and common. ... Larry: . . .or overly sentimental. Eugene: Yes. Larry: A gift you are giving in this book is your first-ever explanation of the way you perform Cecil Lyle’s “Paper Hat Trick” [chapter 5]. I have seen you perform it dozens of times and it is always a big hit. Why do you think it is so effective? Eugene: Because it looks so magical to non-magicians. When I started performing it, some magicians heard I was performing it and raised their eyebrows because this was a trick they threw away; it wasn’t worthy of performing. But I saw it as six

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solid, entertaining minutes! [laughter]. The frame I use for it is “The Magic Lesson.” The lesson isn’t only for the person up there with me, but also for magicians in the audience. The lesson for them is about how to take a trick that everyone else has thrown away and turn into something special. So. . .it is very easy to do, and that is always a help, but it is a charming trick and to a lay person it absolutely looks like magic. Larry: I also think it is also a place where you establish and develop your performing character: charming, delightful, and fun. Eugene: Yes. Larry: When you perform it on stage you first create the man’s hat and put it on yourself and then make the hat for the lady or little girl, but you once told me that at corporate parties you begin by creating the lady’s hat. What is that about? Eugene: [laughs] It is about me trying to make certain guys in the audience feel a little uncomfortable! To explain that I need to back up a little. My first breakthrough with the hats was realizing that I needed to have the hats made myself because there was no one who was making a ladies’ hat and a stocking cap with the exact same size and color of paper. And that was what I wanted to have: both hats made out of the same size and color of paper. So at a corporate party, I will bring up with me both a man and a woman, I will make the ladies’ hat, and then everyone laughs. But it is important to say that I always select a woman whose hairstyle is such that she would be willing to put the hat on. Not that I am going to make her, because I never just put the hat on her myself. No, I always hand it to her or say, “May I” or “Would you like to wear this?,” because I don’t want to get into her space. So after I have made the ladies’ hat and gotten a laugh, then I look at the guy in the audience I want to tease and say, “Why are you laughing?” as I take out two more identical pieces of paper. What is beautiful about this moment is that the guy doesn’t know where this is going, and no one knows, and the question is whether I am going to make the guy wear a ladies’ hat. The surprise is that it isn’t a ladies’ hat at all but a stocking cap and it all resolves in a lovely way. But it is also important that when

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I am just finishing unrolling the hat I immediately say, “Why look, it is a little pirate hat for you!” and that stops anyone from thinking it is a dunce cap that children in nineteenth-century schools often had to wear as punishment. Because I do not want him embarrassed at this moment, not at all. At this moment I want everything to be happy and resolved. So I call it a pirate hat and hand it to him, and if he is a good sport he will put it on because she put hers on, and if he doesn’t put it on, it doesn’t matter to me. You know this is a fabulous trick. Once I was doing a Bar Mitzvah for the son of the largest commercial florist in the city and the party was at the Park West, which is a quite an excellent Chicago location. When I arrived, there was a fourteen-piece band, nine of which were horns. I started my first walk-around performance and I was screaming to be heard. But I had happened to bring sixty hats with me and so I just started making hats. It was kind of embarrassing because people got in line for them, and I felt like a balloon artist, you know? But when I left, the guy who paid me gave me a hundred dollar tip and said, “You were wonderful,” because he looked out into this room and there were all these people wearing these goofy hats. And so I was a great success that night. I have always carried a lot of hats with me, just for those situations I might encounter where the music is so loud that I have to move away from speaking toward tricks that are visual, and this is a great one. The other thing I have done at Christmas time is had the hats made in red and white so the stocking cap would look like a Santa hat, and I would use them for both women and men. Larry: Have you ever tried other hat styles? Eugene: No, these are the only two styles I have worked with: the Cecil Lyle hat, which is the ladies’ hat, and the stocking cap. This is an astonishingly wonderful trick. Larry: How do you get into this? Eugene: I have already discussed my approach for a corporate event, so I will talk about how I do it on stage. First, I will do it either with a little girl or with a woman. Again, the key is to select someone who is going to have fun with this and who has a hair style or hair cut that will allow her to put this hat on without destroying some two-hundred-dollar hair style from the beauty shop. If it is a little girl, we

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will usually sit on the edge of the stage and if it is a woman I have two chairs brought out for us to sit in. I begin by explaining that this is the magic lesson and I am going to teach her a piece of magic that is called the “Paper Mystery.” I take out the two pieces of paper and show them, and I do this with my right hand turned over so the pocket is hidden under the piece of paper [see figure 28 in the previous chapter]. Then I tear the paper up [as described in the previous chapter] and say to the woman, “Now we must say a magic word. Let’s use the oldest magic word known: ‘Abracadabra.’ It means, it is created as it is spoken.” Now I wave my hand while stressing out the syllables, “Abracadabra!” I stop, look at her, look back at the paper, look at her, look back at the paper, then I open it, and it is the stocking cap. No one knows what is going to happen to it, and then I put it on myself. Then I take the woman’s hand and I swing it between us, and that gets a laugh, and then I say, “Ho, ho, ho,” which get the big laugh because I have this white beard. Then I say to the lady, “It is your turn,” and I take out two more pieces of paper that are identical to the first two. I make the first rip and holding onto the third that has the pocket, I hand the other two-thirds to her and have her rip it again. Then I take her pieces back from her and make the ladies’ hat. After I have unfolded it, I put my finger inside the hat and twirl it on my finger up in the air so people can see all sides of it, and then I present it her and say, “May I?” She always says, “yes,” because she is having fun and it isn’t going to bother her haircut. I will tell you, many people, particularly magicians’ wives, have appreciatively commented to me about the fact that I didn’t just put the hat on the woman’s head. Larry: Two questions: the second time, don’t you have her say “abracadabra”? Eugene: Yes, I do, that’s right. I instruct her to wave her hand “in a mysterious way” and say, “abracadabra.” Larry: What then is your final line for the trick? After you have opened the hat and she has put it on her head, how do you bring the piece to a close? Eugene: I stand up, with my right hand, gesture toward the woman and say her name, which is an applause cue. Then I take her hand, she gets up out of the chair, and I escort her to the edge of the stage and off she goes.

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7 The (Cookie) Monster’s Dream Rich Bloch

Credit for the basic concept of a Miser’s Dream routine with cookies goes to Bob McCallister who for many years hosted a network show originating out of New York, Kids Are People Too. Bob was a genial, loving man whose preferred mode of transportation in Manhattan was roller skates. I met Bob at Tannen’s Jubilee more than thirty years ago. When he died in the mid 1970s I lost a friend and so did the kids. I have added a few wrinkles to his ingenious concept.

Effect

The performer begins the legendary Miser’s Dream routine. (The routine toward which every one of our uncles—who no doubt knew nothing of the title and had never read a magic book—gravitated instinctively because they all pulled quarters from our ears and noses when we were young.) Believing as I do in the power of evolution and Al Fosso, I will skip the modus operandi for this iconic mystery. It suffices to note that, consistent with the standard routine, after producing coins from the ears, arms, and noses of audience members, the performer drops the coins, noisily, into a bucket. At some point in the routine, however, much to the performer’s astonishment, he reaches into the next awaiting ear only to find. . .a chocolate chip cookie. Instead of dropping it into the bucket, the performer eats it. At this point,

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he sets the bucket aside, reaches into his pocket, and removes a folded paper lunch bag. The performer hastily finds another available ear on a child, produces the next cookie and still another, and drops them into the bag, where they land with an appropriate thud. At one point however the performer’s attempt to produce a cookie from mid-air fails miserably. Nothing. He tries again, without success. “Where’s the cookie?” he asks. As he turns to look behind him, the children see a chocolate chip cookie hanging from the middle of his back. The screams continue until he reaches back, removes the cookie, and drops it in the bag; then he immediately turns the bag over onto a waiting tray, which becomes piled high with chocolate chip cookies that have, in fact, filled the bag to the brim.

Set Up

You will need two chocolate chip cookies in your left-hand pocket and a “replica” cookie with a small hook in it, similar to a hook coin (described below). This is discreetly pinned to the back of your jacket before you begin. A folded lunch bag is placed in your breast pocket. A bag chock-full of chocolate chip cookies is placed on a table behind you, out of sight. (I put mine in my satchel that is placed behind me on the table.) When you have wrung as much as you can from the standard Miser’s Dream, secure one of the chocolate chip cookies from your pocket and make that appear instead of a coin. Produce the cookie, act surprised, then eat it. This will get a big laugh and it immediately signals the children as to what is in store. Look perplexed and pat your pockets as if looking for something. Reach in your pants pocket and secure the second cookie, but continue to search for, and ultimately discover, the paper bag. Remove it with your empty hand and open it. Hold the bag between your thumb (on the outside) and your middle finger (on the inside). By snapping your fingers, you can replicate, perfectly, the sound of something dropping into the bag. Produce the palmed cookie, lower your hand into the bag, palm the cookie again, and snap your fingers as if the cookie had dropped. You are now ready for the next production. At some point, actually drop the cookie into the bag from well above it. This first will reinforce the notion that you had been dropping them in all along and, second, move you to the next step of searching for the next cookie to produce

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from thin air. (At this point, you can produce an “invisible” cookie, toss it into the air and “catch” it in the bag with the appropriate thump.) Now for the build to the climactic moment. Reach into the air, searching, apparently unsuccessfully, for yet another cookie. As you are searching and asking where the cookie might be, turn your back to the audience. The children will immediately notice the cookie hanging in the center of your coat and scream. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for: while your back is turned, simply ditch the empty bag and switch it for the bag full of cookies. As you turn back, thank them for the discovery, reach behind you, and unhook the dummy cookie. I generally say something snappy such as, “I’ll keep this one for me and [dumping the full bag onto the tray] these are for you!” You may pass the tray around at that point. This will give the children ample time to eat the cookies during your show and wipe their hands on the furniture. In the event you should wish to ingratiate yourself with the hosts rather than incurring their everlasting enmity, you might consider telling the children, “I’m going to put these cookies in bags, one for each of you. At the end of the party, each of you who has behaved will have a bag of cookies to take home.” The more entrepreneurial among you will print up appropriate promotional stickers for the little goodie bags. A final note on the misdirection cookie. It’s awfully hard to secure a bent pin to a real cookie. I have opted, instead, to simply cut out the picture of a chocolate chip cookie; they usually have a juicy one on the bag of cookies you’re going to buy. I glue it to a piece of cardboard with a bent pin glued or taped to the back.

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Hypertript ych

8 Hypertriptych Robert E. Neale

Hypertriptych

Hypertriptych is a way of mounting Hypercard for both the display and demonstration of illusion and disillusion. It is not incidental that the title refers, although not exclusively, to a picture serving as an altarpiece. The triptych is one of my symbols of spirituality.

Hypercard and its Construction

Hypercard is a small piece of cardboard that looks impossible to the eye. No diagram can do justice to such a marvelous little vision, but see figure 35 below. (If you are already familiar with Hypercard, do the really impossible thing of trying to recall how you responded when you first saw it.) The card has been cut and folded into this configuration. No cheating has occurred, such as separating and then rejoining a portion. Note the flap sticking up and the empty spaces. How could this be? And be assured that this drawing does not do justice to the actual threedimensional object. It is a visual and mental fooler of a high order. Hypercard first came to my attention in Karl Fulves’s The Pallbearers Review, Volume 10, Number 10 (August, 1975). It was a brief mention that illustrated the result and challenged the readers to duplicate it. Hypercard next appeared in Fulves’s The Chronicles, Number 1 (1978). In this more extended treatment,

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Fulves cites Kim Iles as the source who supplied the oddity to Martin Gardner. He also states that it is used as a question on the entrance exam for the School of Architecture at the University of Leningrad. The source remains unknown. To construct Hypercard, use a 3” x 5” index card. Fold it in half lengthwise so that the crease runs from the center of one short edge to the center of the other short edge. Fold it in half the other way so that the crease runs from the center of one long edge to the center of the other long edge. Fold each of the short edges to the center crease you have just made. The card is divided into eighths. Cut the three slits shown in figure 34.

Figure 34

Figure 35

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Hypertript ych

To form the oddity, give the right half of the card a half turn toward you. This means that the upper right corner moves up and toward you, and the lower right corner moves down and away from you. The card should now look like figure 35. The two sides of the card are horizontal and the flap in the center sticks up vertically. It looks odd instantly, and on reflection, impossible.

Construction of Hypertriptych

Hypertriptych requires three 3” x 5” index cards, one 5” x 8” index card, a red magic marker, and some red plastic tape. See figure 36 for the completed model. Cut down a card to make a Hypercard that is 2½” x 4”. Color it red with the marker. Paste it to the exact center of the large file card. Use the tape to attach the long edges of the small file cards to the short edges of the large file card. The tape serves as hinges so that the new wings fashioned out of the small cards can be opened and closed.

Figure 36

Demonstration

For display, Hypertriptych stands with the wings almost all the way open. They are hinged forward just enough to keep the construction upright. The flap of Hypercard sticks out horizontally. Once the illusion of impossibility has been appreciated, slowly close the wings, covering the left and right sides of Hypercard (as in figure 37).

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Figure 37 When fully closed, only the center of Hypercard can be seen, the flap sticking out between the wings, and the mystery has disappeared because the sides of Hypercard confuse the eyes. Disillusionment rules. Then open up the wings again to their former position for the mystery to return. When the confusion is returned, the impossible appearance reappears. The eyes tend to be fooled even though the mind knows better. What a gift for oneself and for others! In its humble way, Hypertriptych illustrates the function of belief systems in relation to illusion and disillusion. The human animal lives by means of meanings that it makes up. Without such illusions, we could have no organization for survival. But these meaning-belief illusions are limited, can conflict with each other, and can grow weak and unable to function. At the very worst, belief systems can attempt to prolong the dying of illusions by defending them from the death they deserve. But at their best, they work to expose the destructiveness of not having any illusions at all. I believe spirituality to be a perpetual movement between the building up and the tearing down of illusions. When we remain stuck at either extreme, idolatries of belief or disbelief rule. But when we remain in motion, the spirit which is make believe rules and we are guided without diminishing ourselves and others. Illusionment and disillusionment are each incomplete without the other, and faith is always a movement toward one or the other. This tells you something about what Hypertriptych means to me. Whatever it might mean to you, you are well-advised to be more cautious than I have been in speaking about it to others.

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Note • An earlier version of this essay was published in The Linking Ring, official magazine of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Volume 75, Number 3, March 1995.

•

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9 Gifts, Relationships, & Fetish Objects: An Interview with George Parker

(This interview was held on February 27, 2010. George is at his home in Almere, a suburb of Amsterdam; Larry is in Sherman, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, and they are in conversation through Skype.) Larry: George, let’s start with this. . . . You know the history of this book project as well as anyone because you’ve been a part of it from the very beginning. Tell us about how Gift Magic came to be? George: The idea was born in a conversation with Jeff at Firedance 2004, held in the Santa Cruz mountains. At that point, I had developed a lot of gift magic and Jeff had developed a lot of gift magic, and in his endlessly creative way he said, “Well, George, you should write a book!” [laughter]. I hadn’t thought about that at all, but his saying that did strike a chord. I felt, “this could be something.” However, I postponed it because at that point I had never written a book for magicians. But the idea stayed with me, and a year later, Jeff and I talked about an early sketch I had put together. It wasn’t very organized or detailed, but it did mention some essays and pieces I wanted to share. Things moved forward from there.

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Larry: How did Eugene come to be involved? George: Well, not only is Eugene a great teacher, a great magician, and a dear friend, but he is also a very experienced writer. Given my own experiences as an author, I knew if we worked together, we could make this magic book happen. So at the Magic and Meaning Conference in 2006, I shared a further draft with Eugene and he jumped on board. However, after that decision, the project froze a little. Jeff, Eugene, and I all had a lot of things going on. But I kept working on my pieces—I wrote them up, brought Jay [Fortune] in to illustrate them, and put them together as a unit—and gave them to Jeff and Eugene in the fall of 2007. At that point the book was called “The Gift of Magic” but again things stalled until you came on board in 2008. Larry: Yes, it happened when we were all performing at the Magic Castle in May 2008 for “Magic and Mystery School Week.” Knowing my work and research on the phenomenology of giving, Eugene said that I should join in the book project. George: I was so relieved when you came on. Your magic, philosophical approach, and talents as writer, editor, and publisher were a great gift to this book about gifts. And then you brought Bob Neale along, and Rich Bloch contributed as well, and Jay doing the illustrations. . . . We have a perfect team—everyone is bringing his special creativity and diverse approach to the project. And friendship: this is a book by friends about friendship. Larry: Yes, as Lewis Hyde shows, one of the key things gifts do is create community, and so the community of all of us—as writers, thinkers, and magicians—has been forged in the process of working on this book together. But also, I hope the community will expand because everyone who purchases the book is directly supporting other magicians in need through The Encore Foundation—all of which builds and strengthens our community of magicians. George: I think you have just expressed the essence of it. I had read Lewis Hyde previously, but your keynote presentation at the Magic and Meaning Conference in 2008 made his views so clear and memorable to me. The way I would say it in Dutch isn’t precisely how Lewis puts it, but the idea is the same: “A market

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economy creates ‘wealth,’ but a gift community creates ‘health.’” Larry: So you read Lewis Hyde later in your life. I think that for Jeff and me, and also for Bob Neale, Lewis’s book was an important influence and inspiration. I take it that isn’t true for you; you must have come to “magic as giving” from other sources. What were they? George: Magic had been the center of my life for about six years before I became a professional magician in 1999. Prior to that I had worked as a consultant, a management trainer, a computer systems salesman, a computer systems programmer, and before all that, I worked in health care, having studied psychology/pedagogics (or educational theory). But the connection for me between magic and gifts happened way before that when my father put a cigarette into his hand, opened it, and his hand was empty. As a five-year old boy, my first reaction was not “How did he do that?”—a rational thinking reaction. Instead, it was these deep butterflies in my stomach, this strong feeling, and a sense that suddenly anything was possible. This felt like a great gift. It was really from this experience that I realized a gift could be anything— it didn’t have to have a bow on it, it didn’t have to be money or material things, it didn’t even have to be announced with words. My father showed me that a gift could be an experience. He had created for me what I now call a “positive trauma” [laughter], which is what I now try to create and design for people in my shows and presentations. In any event, back then I knew I wanted more of that experience and wanted to see if I could create it for other people. So I got a magic kit, but was utterly disappointed—even devastated—because all it contained were “tricks.” There was nothing even near to what I had felt with my dad. After that, I stayed away from magic and started to find the connection in literature, such as Edgar Allen Poe. This was great because Poe explores mystery, the unknown, and other universes, which was kind of like the magic I had felt, but still pretty distant. I remember almost aching for more. For instance, I have a vivid memory from that time about wanting to be able to instantly materialize a real pie on my hand using my mind only; I remember thinking in very concrete terms, “How could I make that happen?”

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After that, because of that desire—rooted in my dad’s astonishing piece of magic—I started to treat my own life as a laboratory in which I could make my visions into something real. That is what all those different jobs were about and all the changes from one project to another: I was pursuing magical transformations in my own life, which all finally came together when I plunged into magic in 1993 or so. And the process of reinventing myself, my relationships, and my work hasn’t stopped. Larry: Besides that experience with your father, was there a rich gifting culture in your family or around you growing up? How did you come to realize there was more to life that “wealth”? George: Well, my parents were both very generous people. Not just in giving me “stuff,” but in their attention and interest in me. For instance, we would go on a road trip or something and my mother would say things like, “George, did you just see that? Did you notice what that looked like?” I would have to say that both my parents gave me the gift of helping me be aware of the richness of the world around me. Larry: I also remember your telling me about being influenced by a significant gift-giving holiday in Holland. . . . George: . . . Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is the holiday based on an actual person Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicolas) who died in 328 A.D.; he is the mythological root source for “Santa Claus.” The story is that he rode around on a boat full of gifts, distributing them as he went. So in Holland, we celebrate his birthday on December 6th with a gift-giving tradition. The basic practice is probably familiar to Americans—where everyone puts their name into a hat, then takes the name of someone for whom you need to make or buy a gift. But in Holland, there is more to it. Of course you have to get a gift for your person (although the gift could be anything and it didn’t need to be expensive). But you also had to wrap the present in a surprising way. Ideally you would create something that was related to this person’s character or preferences. So if your person liked Bach you would create a puppet of Bach or create an organ to wrap your present in.

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To top it all off, you have to write a poem for the person, one that comments on the person in a funny, but also very honest way. The spirit of this is for you to give the person the gift of your honest, perhaps critical, yet loving commentary. My father was a master at this. I still have some of his poems, that is how revealing they were [laughs]. It is all pretty complicated and fun, but the point here is that growing up with this practice was extremely influential upon me because giftgiving had to be so thoughtful, intentional, and personal all at once. Larry: Let’s shift gears, from past influences to the present. When do you perform this kind of magic? What inspires you to move into a gift-magic mode when you are out-and-about in the world? George: I have to approach your question with a bit of history. The first piece of gift magic I developed was producing a little gemstone. . . . Larry: . . .which is in this book. . . George: . . .yes. This is especially dear to me because I have been doing it so long and it is easy to carry around. And giving someone a gemstone has a little something special to it. It seems to have more meaning than candy or money. Now I am not a believer in the power of the stones, but I do believe that receiving a stone can affect someone in a powerful way, if you know what I mean. I love how the stone can trigger someone’s mind into a state of beauty and interest. In any event, I started working with gemstones to practice my palming and other sleights, but before long it developed into a presentation that engaged the participant and gave them a very powerful experience. This is a piece of magic you do not do “for” someone, but “with” them. This is true with all the gift magic I perform. I am, above all, interested in turning “objective observers” into “subjective participants,” as Jeff would say. I want to involve them in the process of the magic happening itself. As readers will see with “Gemstone Gift” [chapter 2], the participant is involved from the very start in mirroring the movements of my hands, which very quickly becomes interactive. But that also adds to the deep deceptiveness of the piece because once the person is focused on the interplay and has seen my hands totally empty (they think), the appearance of the stone at the end is totally

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astonishing. So now I can answer your question. It is important to choose “when” and “who” very carefully because if I do not, then the person won’t really have a significant experience. I quickly discovered that you don’t do this piece for just anybody at any given moment. You have pick and choose the person and the place carefully. For example, as I mention in the write-up, if I am doing a show at a theater, I might perform it for a person who is not going to be able to see the show because he or she will be working during it. I found in that type of situation, the person would be very open to joining in. Another thing I do to increase success is “warm things up.” For example, I sometimes start by asking, “Would you like a gift?” That question sets the stage for the interaction I am after, and I can use the character of their response as a way to know how much or how little interaction will be appropriate. In Holland, for example, when you ask someone, “How are you?” it is normal for people to really, honestly tell you! [laughter]. So when I ask a question like this, I listen, pay close attention to them, and use the relationship that is developing to deliver the material gift. In my various experiments, I quickly realized that I needed to develop variations of my pieces so I could have a version to perform when I didn’t have much time to develop the relationship. An example of this is the Quick Version of “Gemstone Gift.” I wanted to be able to do this effect quickly, say, for a waiter who had given me exceptional service. That is the perfect kind of moment to take a bill that I will leave as a tip, wrap it around my thumb, and then pour out the gemstone for them. (This idea was inspired, I think, by something Roger Klause used to do—he would wrap a bill around his finger and produce coins from it, like a little cornucopia.) I especially like this with the money and a gemstone because it deepens what is going on: the two different economies are connected in this presentation— one is wrapped around the other—and that pleases me very much. Larry: How do you deal with the situation in which you are about to perform this meaningful gift magic, but the person doesn’t join in because of previous bad experiences with magicians? How do you deal with the resistance that some people have when they hear magic is about to happen? George: Well, these pieces are constructed so that most people don’t see it coming.

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But in those few cases when someone is skeptical, it is even better! This is one of the things I have learned as a pro: the most powerful magic happens when someone’s expectations are low [laughs]. Larry: Ah! So you let them have their suspicions [laughs]. . . . George: . . . absolutely! But in my experience, it is much more usual to receive a different kind of response. For example, a few years ago I was doing a show in Copenhagen, having a bite before going to the theater. The waiter had been especially friendly, so as I handed him a nice tip, I launched in, “This is for you. You can make a wish if you would like, because I have a gift for you that will help your wish come true.” Now, the moment I delivered that line, this guy immediately closed his eyes and surrendered to the moment. Maybe it is just something about me, or the way I say it, but this is the reaction I get more often than not. When I say, “You can make a wish,” most people close their eyes and now this experience isn’t about “magic” or “tricks” at all. It is simply about wishing and “away we go.” Later in the script the idea of magic is invoked, but my participant is already so disarmed that when the stone appears, it floors them because it is so unexpected. What is happening here is extremely important: the magic is supporting the ritual, rather than the ritual stroking my ego. Again, in this kind of performance, it is not about me; it is about the magical action and interaction creating a memorable experience. There is something more I want to add. When you are honest with the participant and genuinely present with them in the moment—when you create a little ritual that is meaningful to them, and then give them a powerful experience, the gift that arrives becomes a little “fetish object” for them. A fetish in this sense is a object that a person carries around to remind them of a powerful experience. Typically, the object doesn’t have much worth in terms of wealth, but it is charged with a powerful emotion now and keeps the memory of their wish alive. I think true wishes spring from our soul. So in a way the object becomes a doorway to our soul. This connection has always been a great part of the healing process. That’s why I think it contributes to our health. I call this intentional approach to gift magic, The Fetish Strategy. Larry: I always like to test myself by imagining critics and what they might say to

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me. In the spirit of this, how would you reply to a critic who says, “All this stuff about ‘wishing,’ its just for kids; you can’t really do that kind of stuff for adult men and women.” George: I would say in the spirit of Dunninger, “For those who understand, no explanation is necessary; for those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.” If someone truly doesn’t understand what I have been talking about, I would be the last person to try to convince him/her to do this kind of magic! But I would also invite them to play with it a little bit in order to see if some prejudice is keeping them from seeing the value here or whether this kind of magic just isn’t for them. Larry: Besides “wishes,” what are some other themes that lend themselves to gift magic? George: Well, “Tehis re erom” (Chapter 13) offers another kind of theme completely: “There is more than meets the eye.” For example, if you are walking through a city, you will make up in your mind an image of the city on the basis of all these impressions. But is that image really the city? Did you see everything that was really there? This kind of thing happens about organizations too. We form an image of what some organization or institution is, but we probably only have about twenty percent and probably far less of what is really going on. It is probably a much higher percent for what you know about your co-workers. Most people intuitively know this, but they forget. “Tehis” encourages people to form an image in their mind and then discover that there is more going on. That weird, felt experience happens again and again. At the end, the participant turns over the card and sees there is yet again another sentence. My long experience with this piece is that people find this fun and delightful—it is a kind of gift to be reminded that there is “always more than one thinks there is.” Larry: It also occurs to me that one can “give magic” without using an explicit theme at all. George: Yes, that is what I have done with my business card for years. First, let me say when I do this piece of magic with my business card I am not giving a pure gift because I am promoting myself or, at best, creating a promotional gift.

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Nonetheless, I wanted to turn the moment of handing out my business card into a micro-show. My thinking went like this: if an image tells us more than a thousand words, then I would add, “an experience tells us more than a thousand images.” So if I want someone to remember my name, which is a word, I need to create a strong experience with my card. So I invented a business card with an empty mirror on it in which, magically, my reflection appears. Now the moment of giving out my card has become something more than just an exchange of information; it has become a micro-show, a taste of what my big show is going to be. Or if the person has seen a big show, the card becomes a fetish that they might keep much longer than the average business card. This happens all the time: people call me and say, “I came across your business card and I remember the moment. . . .” It is eight years later! I think this shows that a charged object, one charged with the emotion and energy you create as a magician, stays with people much longer than just some cheap give-away that marketers get out of a catalog. Larry: We have come back to your idea of a fetish object and what you called before “the fetish strategy.” George: Yes, the fetish strategy makes you aware of how physical objects can be charged with emotion that is triggered by very magical routines. I believe this charging process is ritual magic. But the reverse phenomena can happen too. Rituals and ritual objects can become “dis-charged” when they have lost their meaning even though they are still performed or used. This can be seen especially with religious rituals, but a simple example is when one’s grandfather of eightytwo years keeps whistling at women but has no clue why he does it. The ritual has become dis-charged. Larry: It seems then that part of our work as magicians is to charge our work with significance; because if we don’t do that, our audiences won’t experience the kind of charge you are talking about. George: Yes, exactly. I work for extremely diverse audiences, from construction workers to CEOS, and I do so with equal love. But I have to come up with material

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that will speak to those different specific audiences. It might be that I change the script, or it might be that I do different material itself. For example, to circle back to an earlier point, for a construction builder I might not use a gemstone or I might do it for his children so I do not directly engage him on the symbolic level, which might feel like a challenge. Of course I am over-generalizing, but you get the idea. Such a person can see it in his children and resonate with their enjoyment. For him, I would probably produce a bill, a coin, or something like that. So again, the task is to charge the experience and the situation with meaning, and that requires that we develop a whole variety of scripts, rhythms, props, cards, coins, whatever, to come up with ways to charge some specific object, in some specific moment, for some specific person. Larry: George, I assume you don’t believe that all the magic we do should be gift magic. . . . George: By no means. But if you think about music, the most interesting musicians to me are the ones who are willing to explore and master different styles of music. This is why I love people like Todd Rundgren or David Bowie because they are totally open to exploring new styles—or Beethoven for that matter, or Mozart or Stravinsky; they are all explorers. If you apply this idea to magic, then you start to see many magicians only perform one style; they keep doing the same, repetitive thing. So for them, I think gift magic might be a perfect way to explore different sides of themselves. For me, gift magic is important and I even weave it into my stand-up shows because I think it adds to what people think magic can be, but it is far from the only kind of magic I do. Like the musicians I admire, I like to challenge myself, even re-invent myself, by exploring many styles of magic. Gift magic is one of the styles I happened to have explored at some length. Larry: One last question for you. If you had three tips to give readers about performing gift magic what would they be? George: The first one would be: “You are not the center of this kind of magic; the audience and the communal experience is.” So don’t focus on the trick and don’t focus on you, but focus on the moment and the other person.

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Second: “What do you genuinely want to give without getting anything in return, not even gratitude?” It could be an object or a piece of wisdom, whatever, but it should not be promotional since that has a commercial intention. Of course, that is fine too in it’s own place, but we are focusing on gift magic here. The third tip is: “Start experimenting today with some trick you already have to see how you could do it in this mode, because this will cause you to explore your own intentions and think about who you are.” Ultimately, it might be a gift to yourself to try working in this way! I have come to believe that these little moments of gift magic, which I have performed thousands of times, have been far more significant in my life than the big, formal shows I do because they are so intimate and powerful, and they charge me so much that my scrapbook of memories is filled with thousands of experiences, some of which will stay with me forever. For just one example, once I performed “Gemstone Gift” for a woman who much later told me she had wished for her dying mother to pass away without pain. The doctors weren’t able to take the pain away for some reason and it was horrible to see her mother like this. Two weeks later the mother was pain-free; four weeks later she passed away peacefully. I have no idea what happened here, but I do know that this woman connected something deeply personal to that performance experience and then connected the experience to a profound life event. While I do not perform gift magic to get anything back, there is no question that when the woman shared her personal story with me, I received a great gift.

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10 Zor - Rose Jeff McBride

This rose production was inspired when Jeff saw a preview for the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro starring Antonio Bandaras. There was one shot in the preview (which does not appear in the film) that involves a similar production. It is very simple and direct, but extremely magical when one does not know what is coming. This piece also nicely illustrates what Jeff discusses in his interview (Chapter 1): the connective power of magic that happens in the space between the eyes of the performer and the participant. —Lawrence Hass As Jeff performs “Zor-Rose,” there is no script. The preparation is simple: remove the head and a small portion of the stem from a full-sized rose (or other similar flower). The head is turned upside-down so the stem can be secured against the back of the hand under a finger ring. Jeff produces the rose with his right hand, and thus it is secured to the back of his left hand. The following description will follow that set-up, although of course you could switch the hands. The piece is only to be performed for a single person; it will not be magical to anyone at your sides. As you approach your participant, your hands are relaxed at your sides, with your palms outward so the flower is hidden behind the left hand (see figure 38, rear-view).

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Figure 38 What is equally important is that you are making excellent eye contact with your participant, smiling and warm. When you get close to her (or him), about two feet away, your two hands will move at about the same time in the following way. First, bring your right hand up from the side, keeping the right palm toward the participant. The palm-out right hand will settle in the middle of the space between your two sets of eyes, with the “L” shape of your index finger and thumb being at the center. (It is important that you do not lose your focus on the participant’s eyes during this motion or the connection will be broken; this means your right fingers will be blurry to you in the space between you.) A moment after the right hand starts its movement, the left hand does the same: it comes up from the side, left palm outward; however, the palm-out left hand settles back by the left ear. (The rose is concealed behind this hand.) With just one beat, and while maintaining warm eye contact, the left hand starts slowly moving forward, as though you are going to put the participant’s face in a small frame between your index fingers. Figure 39 captures a snapshot of this movement, and so it looks stiff and tense; instead, aim for relaxed hands and a flowing motion.

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Figure 39 Properly performed, the above actions should be rather hypnotic. However, you are not going to complete that expected movement of framing her face. Instead, as the left hand approaches the right hand, you will quickly bend the left fingers forward so the rose is now standing upright, and your right hand will reach down to hold the rose so it can slip out from under your ring. (Figure 40 shows and exposes this movement from the side.)

Figure 40

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Once your right hand is holding the rose, it becomes stone still and the left hand quickly and smoothly continues its forward bending motion so the stem is disengaged from under the ring; in one swift fluid motion, the left hand turns palm up and comes to rest under the rose in the right hand (figure 41). Indeed, the hands are in a position of presentation and, smiling, you give the rose to your new friend.

Figure 41 A couple of final touches are in order. First, it is important that you do not pluck the rose out from under the ring with the right hand, but rather that the flower becomes disengaged as the left fingers continue their downward movement. Practicing this will make the production smooth. Second, what makes this production deceptive and magical is that it happens so quickly in the weird place in front of the participant’s eyes where their vision moves from blur to focus. In fact, you do the production on the blurry side of that line (toward their eyes) and then pull the flower back into area of focus. It will seem as if the flower came out of nowhere. However, be very careful not to get

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too close to her eyes or it will feel dangerous or invasive; you do not want her to blink. Gentle, fluid, and smooth is the idea. Practice and performance will teach you how to do this just right. As mentioned at the outset, reading this description or seeing the production from the side cannot convey how magical it is. Practice it and then try it out: you will see that it is extremely effective. Also remember the primary action here is to offer the gift of the flower and not to “slam, bang, smash” its production. If you keep your intention on the gift, your performance will have the proper feeling.

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11 Something Robert E. Neale

Script

How do we see ourselves when we look back over our own lives? Some people see. . .not very much. They draw a blank. [The blank face of a card is shown.] If anything, they see. . .what they could have been. When Studs Terkel was interviewing many Americans from all walks of life for his book, Working, a prostitute said. . .something. . .that became the theme for the subsequent musical. She said: If. . .I could have been [a blank card is shown], What. . .I could have been [the other side is shown to be blank], I could have been. . .something! [“another” side reveals a star] We all here are something. So you can keep this star. . .because you are something [the performer approaches, looks at, and gives the card to, a specific spectator]. . .who can be proud. . .and grateful. . .and mindful of others. As can we all.

Prop

Employ a double-blank card with a large five-pointed star on one side. Cut the shape out of a gummed gold foil notary seal two inches in diameter. Outline it with a red marker and also draw five short red rays reaching outward from between the five points. (See an example in figure 42.) Use blank business card stock or playing card stock. Carry several cards so one can be given away after each performance.

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Figure 42

Routine

The presentation can be for an individual or a group. Hold the card in the palm of the open left hand. Look toward the blank face when you say the word “blank.” Return your focus to the card after “She said” and hold it there while you deliver the quote. Pause between “If ” and the rest of the phrase. Pause between “What” and the rest of the phrase. Pause between “I could have been” and “something.” Show the first side blank. Use the so-called “Carlyle Turnover” to show the “second” side blank. Use a regular turnover to show the star side. To focus attention, I give the card a minute shake down and up on the “If ” and again on the phrase. After apparently turning over the card, I repeat this shake down and up on the “What” and the phrase. I give the card another minute shake up and down while giving the phrase for the last time, and then use the regular turnover to show the star side with a final shake. Look at the audience as a whole while showing the star to everyone and then look at someone specifically. Give the card to that spectator.

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Turnover

Use a fake turnover that twists the card one hundred eighty degrees on the same side. Consider using the standard so-called “Carlyle Paddle Move” or Phil Goldstein’s “Quadraphonic False Turnover.” For the “Carlyle Paddle Move,” briefly, hold the card in the palm of the open left hand. The left thumb moves below the card. As the hand rotates palmdown, the thumb pushes up on the card. When the hand is fully back up, the card seems to be have been turned over. Place it in the right hand. Return it to the left hand, turning it over in the normal way to reveal the star. For the “Quadraphonic False Turnover,” briefly, start in the same position. The left thumb revolves the card over to the right in book-fashion. In a continuing action, the right hand takes the card at the outer end and turns it inward. The card stays in the left hand. It is actually turned over twice. Turn it over again in the normal way to reveal the star. For full details on both of these moves, see Phil Goldstein’s Focus (Seattle: Hermetic Press, 1990), pages 33 and 30, respectively.

Sources

This piece is drawn from the musical Working (1978), music by Stephen Schwartz, lyrics by Micki Grant. The words, originally used by a prostitute, are from Studs Terkel’s book, Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do (New York: The New Press, 1996). And come to think of it, that prostitute was something.

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On Giving, Magic, & Giving Magic

12 On Giving, Magic, & Giving Magic (Inspired by the Work of Lewis Hyde) Lawrence Hass

(Based upon a keynote presentation delivered at the Magic and Meaning Conference in Las Vegas, October 2008.)

Good afternoon everyone! Most of you know I am a philosopher, but you may not know the kind of philosophy in which I specialize. It is called “phenomenology.” That is a big word, but don’t let it scare you: “phenomenology” is simply “the study of living experience”—the study of experience as we live it. Phenomenologists do not seek to “analyze” experience or “explain” experience—there are other specialists who do that. Rather, phenomenologists seek to uncover and bring to light important features of living experience that have been overlooked or forgotten. Why do we do this kind of work? At the outset, a brief answer will have to suffice: we do this kind of work to know what we live, so we can live it better. Phenomenology is about knowledge in the service of life. With that preamble in place, I want to tell you that during the past four or five years I have become deeply interested in the phenomenology of giving. I have been reading, thinking, and teaching about this universal human activity: giving a gift. I have been trying to understand better what this important phenomenon is all about.

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At the same time, Jeff [McBride], Eugene [Burger], Bob [Neale], and George [Parker] have all written about, spoken about, or actively perform gift magic. So my presentation today is going to interweave these two things: some general insights about human gift-giving and the practice of performing magic with a gift. Why am I doing this? My answer is an extension of what I just said: I want to illuminate and clarify these things so we can give better, live better, and give better magic. For me, this is what the best kind of philosophy does. It does not noodle around about abstract metaphysical things; rather, it tries to uncover and illuminate fundamental, important life phenomena so we can do them better and experience them more richly. Before turning to magic and “giving magic” I need to work for a while to clarify the phenomenology of giving itself. And for me, the very best book on this subject—the one that will guide me today, the one that inspires me most deeply— is The Gift by Lewis Hyde. I am holding here the original 1979 edition of the book, which has a rather scholarly subtitle, “Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property.” However, the current edition, which is widely available at bookstores and through Amazon.com, has been re-titled in a less formidable way, The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World.¹ Let’s start here: Lewis Hyde is a really smart guy. He is both a MacArthur Fellow and a Harvard Fellow, so he rotates his teaching between Kenyon College (where he holds a named chair) and Harvard University. The first thing I would tell you about The Gift is it is not a fast read; it is somewhat dense. I don’t mean to say that it is dry or dusty-academic; it is not that. When I say “dense,” I mean you’ll need to stop every few pages and just absorb what you have read. If you do that, you’ll find that you are thinking about at least three things you’ve never thought of before. It is that kind of book—a good book—one that makes you smarter. Indeed, I experience this book itself as a gift because it is so inspiring (as you will understand by the end of this talk); it keeps “giving” as we read and you will find yourself overflowing with ideas. In the time I have this afternoon, I can only scratch the surface of the phenomena and implications that Lewis Hyde discusses, so if you are especially interested I encourage you follow up with the book itself. The core, foundational idea in Lewis Hyde’s book is that we need to understand that two economies exist in our lives; humans live amidst two economies. One economy is the familiar one people talk about all the time, what Hyde aptly calls “market economy.” Market economy is all about buying and selling,

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producing things, making money; it stresses efficiency on behalf of monetary value. I do not have to make a large argument about the reality of market economy: it’s all around us; it is what happens to be tanking right now as I speak [delivered in October 2008, at the onset of the banking collapse]. The market economy is one economy that humans live in. I say it is one economy. Already that might sound odd because many people assume and speak as though the market economy is the only one. But Lewis Hyde rather powerfully shows that isn’t correct; we also live in the middle of another economy, what he calls the “gift economy.” If market economy is about buying and selling, gift economy is about giving and receiving. If market economy produces objects to be sold (“commodities” or “products”), gift economy generates relationships and connections between people. If market economy is about individuals making money, gift economy is about making community. If market economy measures “cash value” and “wealth,” gift economy is inspired by “worth” and “health.” With a vast array of real-world examples drawn from anthropology, sociology, and common, everyday experience, Hyde shows that the gift economy is equally real in our lives, equally present, and equally important. He is not saying that market economy is unreal, false, or unimportant; rather he is counteracting the usual assumptions that “market” is the only economy—the only set of values. For Lewis Hyde, it is important to recognize, first, that there are two economies around us (not one), and then that they are radically distinct. You cannot reduce the gift economy and its phenomena to the market economy without destroying it. These two economies work on different rules. Their touchstones, values, and goals are different. They simply do not work the same ways, and if we do not realize this, if we try to assimilate one to the other (in either direction), we are going to remain blind to a whole dimension of living experience. His claim is not that they are unrelated—they are, and sometimes closely so. No, his claim is simply that they are irreducible. Having said that, for Lewis Hyde, the problem that modern people face, in America at least, is that we have become so blinded by and swept up in market economy—buying and selling, producing and product, punching a time clock and making money—that we lose sight of the gift economy. For him, it is not that modern people are not giving and receiving—we often are—it is simply that we have lost sight of it, we fail to understand it, and so we cannot perform it well. This loss of sight and feeling for the gift economy is especially troublesome, he says,

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because that economy is how we make and nourish community and relationships, it is how we make spirit and become “inspired,” and it is how and why we make art. Indeed, for Lewis Hyde one of the greatest casualties of the domination of market values and market thinking is the extent to which it obliterates art. The values and concepts of market economy cannot produce art, do not produce art— all it can do is reduce artworks to “commodities”—and so cannot understand art and its genuine “worth.” Perhaps, then, we already start to get glimmers about the importance of his book for us, not only as gift-givers, but as magicians! Having seen the two economies, their irreducibility, and the contemporary need to uncover and recover the gift economy, I want to discuss three essential features that Hyde shows are intrinsic to gifts and giving. Again, my goal today is for us to see these essential features so we can give better, live better, and give better magic (and we will get to magic down the line). The first essential feature of the gift that Hyde reveals is that when you give, you give up. Indeed, when you are genuinely a giver, you give up the thing that you give; you give it up and give it away without any expectation of return or reciprocation. If you give something with the expectation you’re going to get something back, then that is not a gift; it is a transaction, which is a market operation. In short, to give a gift is to give something away without expectation, desire, or even hope that you will get something in return. When you are really giving a gift, if someone tries to give you something directly back, such as “Here, then, take this,” or “I’ll get the next one!” we typically respond, “No, no, no. . . .” because that annuls my gift by turning it into a market exchange. Thus, Lewis Hyde says, “The gift is property that perishes” (page 8); what perishes is your claim to the thing you are giving. When I think about this important difference between a gift and a transaction, I am reminded of my sister (may she rest in peace) at Christmas time. Even though I am Jewish now, I was born Catholic so we celebrated Christmas, and along about the middle of November she would start asking: “What do you want for Christmas?” and then she would say, “Okay, put it on the list; now here’s what I want. . . .” Do you know this kind of thing from your own families? I loved my sister and we were close growing up, but there was a big part of me that didn’t want to tell her what I wanted, didn’t want to put it on a list, or see her list because the whole thing was starting to become an economic transaction, “I’ll get you this if you get me this,” which seemed to be violating the spirit of the season. I couldn’t

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have put it this way at the time, but I realize now that my resistance and discomfort was because a set of market operations—transaction, barter, exchange—was being forced onto the gift-giving situation. I just used the word spirit to talk about what was being violated. The word “spirit” is going to come up a lot today, because as I suggested before, Lewis Hyde argues that spirit belongs to the gift economy. Not in a religious sense, but rather in the “energy” sense. For Hyde, spirit is the current that circulates through the gift economy. As he explicitly puts it, spirit (not cash) is the currency of the gift economy. When we give or receive a gift, we are inspired. Check it out in your own experiences: don’t you feel “touched,” “moved,” “inspired to give” when you have received a genuine gift? And aren’t our best, most authentic, gift-giving moments ones that are similarly inspired? This recognition that spirit is the current and currency of a gift relationship already takes us to Lewis Hyde’s second essential feature of gifts, that is, “the gift must always move” (page 4). In their very nature, gifts flow; they circulate. They flow between people in relationship and thus transform the relationship, and they do that between individual people and groups of people. Thus, to change the metaphor a bit, gifts are the lifeblood of a community, however small or large. “The gift must always move.” I am aware that this idea may at first seem strange. Don’t we receive a gift and then keep it? Doesn’t a gift become my possession? However, Hyde shows that there is more going on here than we usually think. One could certainly “take possession” and “hoard” something one was given, but those activities are really market operations—they are what moneymakers do with land, property, and capital. On the other hand, if we don’t confuse ourselves with market values, if we look carefully at what actually happens when we receive a gift, we can see the ongoing movement Hyde describes. Indeed, when we receive a genuine gift (and not a transaction token), when it arrives with a surprise (which it usually does), we feel moved to give a gift ourselves—if not to the person who gave us the gift, then to someone else, to others, or to a group as a whole. We can see what I mean here with a little example. Imagine someone at, say, Christmas (again) who happily takes gifts from all his family members, but gives nothing to anyone else—who does nothing to help make the holiday or prepare the dinner—who shows up, gets his gifts, gives nothing to anyone else, does nothing for anyone, and immediately takes his gifts to his room, locks the door to put them away in storage. Such a person will have ripped his “gifts” from flowing circuit of

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giving, giving on, feeling, and feeling moved to give that energizes the community on that day. He inspires nothing and gives nothing; again, he will have “violated the spirit of the season.” We would look at such an extreme person and say, “He doesn’t get it!” and he doesn’t. He has no idea of the gift economy and gift community that is flowing all around him. It wouldn’t take very long for such person to be excluded from the community, even in a family. All of this brings us now to the third and final feature I want to discuss: that is, by their very nature gifts are generative. Indeed, the spirit of the gift, its current and currency, is generosity. In fact, this third feature was already contained in the first two features. Since giving requires “giving away” and inspires “giving on,” genuine giving is generous and generative. That is to say, genuinely performed, authentically done, giving generates more gifts, other gifts that circulate through a relationship or community, all of which transforms it and forges it as they flow. To twist a colloquial phrase, every gift keeps giving. Thus, while it is certainly possible for us to violate, annul, or reject some gift we have received, ordinarily gifts inspire us, move us, change us (even if momentarily), and transform the relationship between us. In especially powerful cases, we might find ourselves undertaking what Hyde calls a labor of gratitude. We might labor in gratitude so that we pass the gift along. Hyde distinguishes the labor of gratitude from market-driven work, punching a time clock. “Work” is typically painful, forced, coerced, “counting down the minutes”—I do it for a wage. But labor in gratitude is typically inspired, unforced, and “time flies.” We gladly do it for free, because we are moved to do it, inspired as we pursue it. I am certain that every one of you can identify a labor of gratitude that you perform. And I suspect what you will find when you reflect on it is that your labor is actually inspired by some gift that you were given by someone or some community. Also you will probably find that the fruits of your labor are aiming to be given on to others. For one example, my own talk today is a labor of gratitude toward Lewis Hyde and his book. This book arrived in my life as a gift. It changed me and touched me deeply, and there is no question that my talk today is a labor of gratitude to share this gift with you, to move it along, to pass it on. Additionally, I suspect Lewis Hyde himself labored in gratitude to write his book. I say that because having written and published a few books recently, I see that each one of them was a labor of gratitude in his exact sense. First of all, you don’t write books for the money [laughter], at least I don’t! Unless you

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are Stephen King, Dan Brown, or Thomas Friedman, there is not much money in writing books. Consider this: my magic book, Transformations, was five years in the writing. My philosophy book [Merleau-Ponty’s Philosophy] took ten years to write. This kind of time frame and intense “labor” does not make good business sense. Through the lenses of the market economy, in fact, it makes no sense; I look like an idiot! [laughter]. But through the lenses of the gift economy, they make perfect sense: they were labors of gratitude toward different things and people who moved and inspired me. My philosophy book was a labor of gratitude on behalf of everything I learned from the great French philosopher, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and my magic book was a labor of gratitude towards my teachers in magic: Eugene, Bob, Max [Maven], Juan [Tamariz], and Jeff. One way you can tell when a book was a labor of gratitude is by looking at the dedication page. That is usually a big tip-off about who has given a profound gift to the author, a gift that they are attempting to “give on.” With this brief and partial phenomenology of giving in place, I will soon turn to the fascinating relationship I see between giving and magic, and “giving magic.” But first, I want to take a few questions—to make sure things are reasonably clear before we move on. Question: “What about re-gifting?” [laughter]. Larry: Let’s talk about re-gifting—this is important. The customary notion about re-gifting is that it is bad—yet most people do it anyway! [laughter]. But Lewis Hyde can help us see that whether or not re-gifting is bad—or better, whether or not it is actually a gift—depends upon exactly how it is done. For example, say someone comes to my house and brings me a bottle of Chardonnay. The fact is that I hate Chardonnay. So imagine I go to my next party and just give that bottle of Chardonnay to the host. What I did was not a gift. Someone calls out: “Chardonnay never is!” [laughter]. Larry: I completely agree! [laughter]. And besides that, the reason is that I’ve done nothing with the gift I was given. There’s been no labor, no gratitude, no labor in gratitude. There’s been no spirited investment in this action. I’ve just taken it and said thanks even though I don’t like Chardonnay. In fact, I violated the person’s gift to me because I took the bottle of wine while hating it, and then I am just going to get rid of it. There is no generosity in my re-gifting; I am just meeting a social obligation: “Phew, that’s over! Thank heavens I don’t have to bother going to the store!” Under this scenario, my re-gift was not a gift.

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On the other hand, if I take that bottle of wine I was given and transform it somehow through the spirit with which it was given to me, then my re-gift could be a gift. Imagine that I wrap it in something really special for the host or write a little personal poem for her. Then I’ve labored, at least a little, in gratitude. The essential part of this is that I have transformed it in the spirit of genuine giving. Question: “Is a gift always a positive thing?” Larry: I am glad you asked this because it allows me to briefly talk about some complexities I was not able to cover before. The key thing about gifts is that they are lifeblood of a community; they are the tissue by which relationships are formed, forged, deepened, and extended. Obviously, that is often a good thing: communities and relationships usually need to be strengthened with the inspiring energy of gift giving. At the same time, however, gifts might be offered from someone or some community that we do not want to be involved with. For example, a young man might offer an engagement ring to a woman in the effort to bring her into a relationship she is reluctant to have. Or you might receive a gift from someone in a larger social, religious, or political group and, before you know it, you are enmeshed in a larger community you don’t want to be a part of. Or someone might pass on to you a gift that radiates his or her venomous envy or aggression. We might think of these as dark gifts: “Beware of people bearing dark gifts.” There is also a further subtlety, which would depend upon the exact circumstances: the situation in which someone appears to be giving us a gift, when they are actually trying to make us indebted to them. That is really just a disguised market transaction. About all these things, we need to be thoughtful and careful; giving and gift giving is a complicated thing and not always positive. Now it is my turn: I have a question for each of you. When would you say you have received—not dark gifts—but gifts in the full, inspiring sense we were discussing earlier? When have you found yourself laboring in gratitude? Someone in the audience: “Last night, somebody showed me a piece of magic and just opened himself up to me.” Larry: Ah! The person gave you a gift and you felt inspired. You felt connected to him. This is how the gift economy works! Good! How about the rest of you: as you think about your lives, when have you received gifts in the full sense; when you’ve been inspired to give on? Audience member: “Right here at the Magic and Meaning Conference.”

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Larry: I am glad you feel you have received gifts here this weekend. Me too! I would also observe that you all have given gifts to the community as well. Some of you have donated presentations to the conference, and we thank you for sharing “the fruits of your labor.” Some of you have been attending to important logistics to help the conference go forward. And all of you have contributed books to the book give-away. This conference is a really excellent example of a gift community, of a gift economy, where the whole thing flows and goes and grows through people’s generosity. There is no dealer’s room here! [laughter]. I am not saying there is no place for that; I love a great magic shop as much as the next person. But to me, the world gets a lot more interesting and understandable when we appreciate and see the gift economy going on around us and see that we can consciously choose to foster it. The truth is that everybody gives and receives gifts; the human animal finds and forges communities through giving. No one can really live for long by being an entirely, one hundred-percent, market-driven person; the notion of such a person is an abstract fiction offered by Adam Smith and other (market) economic theorists. Actual human beings—the ones who are born into families, live, and die—form friendships, communities, and relationships no matter what they happen to do to pay the bills. Obviously, many people have market professions: bankers, stockbrokers, business people, accountants, and so on. But there are socalled giving professions too—a fact that is worth underscoring because these are so often devalued by those market masters. Teachers are one example: as a teacher I’m in the giving “business.” Mentors, authors, artists, academics, doctors, healers, clergy—the list of giving professions could go on and on. Some people spend their days working in the market economy; that is wonderful. Other people spend them laboring in the giving economy; that’s wonderful too. My overall point here, and for Lewis Hyde as well, is that it is not like one economy is good and the other economy is bad. The essential point is they are fundamentally different—related but irreducible. Hyde says, and I agree, that deep problems come when we confuse the two or fail to recognize the gift economy, which happen to be the tendencies in modern America. Again, market economy is not a bad thing; what market economy does for you is promote individuality. Its tools and concepts, such as cash, transactions, work for a wage, wealth, give one a certain kind of freedom and detachment from the bindings of a community, and in certain circumstances and situations, one might really need those things. I am

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thinking, for example, of my first paying job when I was sixteen, which allowed me to eventually buy a car. . .which allowed me to get out of the house! [laughter]. Wealth, work, capital, exchange value provide an individual with mobility—class mobility or just traveling-the-world mobility. These are not bad things; they are good things. But that’s only one half of the picture, because it is only through the gift economy that communities are made, that love is found, that generosity abounds, that people feel inspired and labor in their gratitude. It is only through the gift economy that healing and holding happens. And as Lewis Hyde argues at great length, it is only through the gift economy that art and the work of artists can be adequately understood. Indeed, if the market economy “produces,” it is the gift economy that “creates.” This is a perfect place for me to turn our attention to the promised topics of magic and “giving magic.” One of the key themes of the second half of Hyde’s book is his argument that artists and the processes of art-making fundamentally belong to the gift economy. As we know from our experiences as artists, typically artwork is inspired and created. Indeed, art is not “manufactured” or “produced” like cars on an assembly line; that is the way the market produces commodities. On the contrary, art flows from inspiration and the flow itself is a creative one. Inspiration and creativity: these are things one only gets from the gift economy. At its best, artwork inspires us and transforms us and, in powerful cases, we labor in gratitude to give on what we have received from it. I am certain that all of you know that feeling of inspiration from other artists and teachers. Of course, the work of artists can be turned into or treated like commodities, and thus become a cog in the machinery of market operations. (I am thinking of some of the Cirque du Soleil shows across town, and the “Disneyification” of Times Square in New York City.) I am sure those things can be experienced and enjoyed on some superficial level, but to witness the crass, grinding transmutation of artwork into “product” is painful for all of us who care about art and artistry; we know that something essential has been lost. When something born in the labor of our gratitude gets wrenched into the market world, it feels like something cheap and dirty has happened. To be honest, I wouldn’t say it has become “cheap and dirty”—I recently paid a lot of money to see Mary Poppins on Broadway and it was squeaky clean! [laughter]. What has happened, precisely, is that the inspired, created artwork—born in the gift economy—was transplanted into a realm from which it didn’t originate. The “pain,” “discomfort,” and “feeling one needs a shower”

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is the result of this discordant transplanting of a gift artifact into the commodified world of the market. Hyde’s work on the gift and gift economy can explain and clarify our feelings about this; he can help us understand what is happening here. I can now make a key point for you, one I have been working toward from the beginning. That is, since magic performance is a form of art, it originates in the world and economy of giving. And so, from the start, we need to approach our craft and art as a giving. I mean, later we might let it be transplanted into the world of market values, but if we start in that world, if we start with those market values, we are not really going to be creative or much inspired. We might produce a product, but we’re not going to create art that gives and keeps giving. I think this insight is especially illuminating for magicians working today. I think this because we are just drowning in “product,” aren’t we? All the downloads, junky tricks, and piles and piles of DVDs: they are “product,” they feel like product, not like artworks that have been inspired and creatively brought into being. They inspire nothing: we consume them and feel starved, so we buy some more, consume them, and feel starved again, and so on. That is a happy thing for a marketer, but it does nothing for us as magical artists. As creative magicians who want to create something meaningful and moving for others, the current trends of rather desperate magic-market buying and selling is one to avoid. And the first step in avoiding it is simply to see what is going on, to understand the different worlds and economies that Lewis Hyde writes about. So in our efforts to be creative magicians, we know what to avoid. But how might we proceed? How should we go forward to make magical art? One way to get started, I think, is to try to become keenly aware of our inspirations. I say this because being deeply conscious of our inspirations can help us start to labor in gratitude. So think about who inspires you; think about where and when you get inspired—then see if you can’t consciously create from your gratitude. I think you will find that the result will not be the bad kind of re-gifting—where you just replicate and give away an imitation of what someone has given you. If you are alive and aware of the gifts you have received from another magician, if you are really inspired by them to give on, this will lead you to infuse it with yourself and your creativity. To be sure, Lewis Hyde does not call it a “copy” of gratitude [laughter]. I would also say that as magicians, as artists, it is important that our giving is not only created, but performed. Indeed, magic is a performing art. It is odd to

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have to underscore this fact, but again, in our market-driven magic subculture, we see many people refer to themselves as magicians when all they do is produce product to buy and sell. We have become too tolerant of the extension of the word “magician” to people who are essentially salesmen. They might “perform” on the download, on the DVD, or at the magic lecture, but it is just a means to the ends of market values. I think it might be time for us who care about magic to be a little more discriminating about who we call a magician. Creating a download, selling a trick, demoing a trick, teaching a trick so you can sell it, probably doesn’t make a person a magician. On the contrary, a magician, a magical artist, is someone who performs; he or she is a performing artist. They perform hopefully inspired and created artworks in an inspired and creative way. They seek to “give on” in their own way the gifts they have received from other people, other artists, and artworks. As we approach the end of my presentation, I would make two final comments about the creative circuit of art and artists. First, it is no accident at all that, from the dawn of written history, artists have come together to form communities and collectives. The way I put this for my magic students is, “artists dwell in packs” [laughter]. Hyde’s ideas help us understand why: artists dwell in communities because communities both sustain and are sustained by the creative, inspirational giving and “giving on” that marks the gift economy. Look around and see, examine the world: creative, inspired, inspiring artists live and work in packs. This is true of magicians, and the Magic & Mystery School is an excellent example of one of these complex collectives. But it is true of all the artists I know: architects, writers, painters, musicians, dancers, actors, and so on. So as a little piece of homework, I invite you to think very carefully and clearly about the magic communities to which you belong. What are they? Make a list. Some of them might have big familiar names, but others might turn out to be the small, intimate group of folks “who get together every other Saturday.” Magic collectives, like all artist communities, are diverse and complex. So ask yourself, “What precisely are my support communities?” And then ask, “Do they support, nourish, and inspire my creative and performative work? Or am I simply feeling obligated, giving energy, without getting charged?” Finally, once we identify our core communities, ask, “What can I do to be a better participant in it? Do I encourage and support others in the community enough? Do I give enough, or mostly take, buy, and sell?” In my view, Hyde’s account of the

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dynamics of giving can help us become much clearer about our own actions and the kind of communities with which we will choose to be involved. The second comment I want to make is that, in a very important sense, it takes courage to live and perform as an artist—that is, in the gift economy. It takes courage, first of all, because so much of the world around us is the market economy, filled with people who act and think their market values, assumptions, and categories is the only way. From that perspective (as noted before), being an artist, writer, philosopher, teacher, performer, looks pretty stupid: “How are you going to make any money doing that!” It takes courage to stay creative and inspired in the face of these widespread attitudes and pressures. Living and performing as an artist also takes courage in another sense. This is because performing and giving gifts born of our gratitude and inspiration doesn’t itself entail they will be received. It takes great courage and character to labor in gratitude because our “fruits” might be refused, rejected, or criticized. I think about this as a college professor: I labor hard and creatively to offer great classes for my students. But, for one thing, I don’t always succeed; creative work is like that! Also, there is no guarantee that my students will connect with the gifts I am trying to give. Now what I have just said about teaching is at least as true for performing magicians. It takes great courage to give the fruits of your creative labor—there are no guarantees at any given performance that you will succeed in adequately sharing it, no guarantees that the audience will be in any frame of mind to receive it. The good news, however, is that as magicians we have access to all these gift communities that can and do support our creative, performing lives. Indeed, the intimate relationship between giving, magic, and giving magic can be seen in how generous, communal, and joyful magicians are. One sees and feels that spirit at the big conventions and the smaller gatherings, such as this one. Words that magicians use to describe this feeling is “brotherhood,” “family,” or “community.” You hear things such as, “I can go anywhere in the world and find a magician who will give me a place to sleep.” All this is the spirit of giving; it is the gift economy in action. And there is a wonderful abundance of it in our subculture of magic. After all, magicians all over the world donate their artwork (in hospitals, at community events, magic gatherings, over dinner). They contribute their writings and tricks to magazines and journals. They freely share their secrets with dedicated and serious students. In my view, the magic community as a whole and in most of its smaller

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subsets is a pretty flourishing gift economy. While we currently struggle with an overabundance of product, marketers who call themselves magicians, and some confusion about the differences between buying tricks and actually performing them, these incursions of market economy do not outweigh the generous abundance that can be found among magicians all over the world. And so I want to close today with a little list of maxims for the health and well-being of magicians—maxims that follow from the basic insights and arguments in Lewis Hyde’s inspiring book on giving. They are not rules, but tools—possible guides to our behavior in the world. I hope you will receive them in the affirmational spirit with which they are intended. We might try more to: Honor our inspirations. Labor in gratitude. Perform more often, that is, give magic. Donate our magical labor, even more than we already do. Donate our resources to support the magical labor of others. That is, be a good patron of magic! Think less about buying and selling magic and more about performing it. That is, again, give magic. Remind people about the important differences between gifts and commodities. Remind people about the important differences between how products are produced and how we create as magical artists. I believe that if we let these little maxims guide us, the results will be better magic. I believe they will be better for magic. And I believe that will create a healthier magic community.

Notes • 1. Lewis Hyde, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property (New York: Vintage Books, 1979). Second Vintage Books edition re-titled, The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (2007).

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Tehis re erom

13 Tehis re erom George Parker

The Gift

A special card containing two messages. One message has magically become visible during the effect. The participant (a man in this description) is left to figure the second message out for himself.

The Effect

Random letters on a card magically reassemble in two phases until the final, readable sentence appears: “THERE IS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.” The Props There are three types of cards in play. They are included with this book as a gift. What I will refer to as type I cards have random letters on them. You will find six of them. The type II card reads, “TEHIS RE EROM MHEA ENYET ETH EST.” And the final revelation, the type III card is saying, “THERE IS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.” A sample of each of these cards can be seen below, figures 43, 44, 45. You can perform the effect with the cards included. If you want to learn more about creating your own version or ordering extra type III cards, go to the final notes section below.

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Figure 43

Figure 44

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Figure 45

Introduction

In the mid-1990s I worked a lot of trade shows. I developed a trade-show approach that would place salespeople in better position to “score the lead.” A “score” means that the salesperson makes “first contact” and secures the customer’s data. Research showed that with my approach the company attracted five to seven times the amount of customers they previously got. And the “scores” went up as much as 350%. This is not the place to explain every strategy I used, but one particular trade-show magic effect I performed in those days seems to have been part of the result. It started from my thinking about how we could trigger the curiosity of my client’s customers. Mailing them something that would magically transform wasn’t enough. Why not send them a card with a secret message and promise them this message would magically transform into something readable in the hands of

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the “house magician” at the trade show? And why keep it at that? Why not invite them to staple their business card to the final result and put it in a bowl for a prize drawing? So I let my client formulate a theme or a one-liner. I would create type I, II, and III cards. And they would send out the invitations to the trade show and include the type I card and instructions. When I had the basic idea, I worked out a first version together with my friend Frank Neeling, a wonderful musician and magician. This version used four cards. I developed the effect further to what you will find below. I do love this effect because it involves a lot of interaction with the spectator who becomes more of a participant. Also because the final message not only relates to the real world, it relates to the trick itself—and I enjoy selfreferential scripts.

The Work

This effect is designed to play with the participant’s perception. Of course, every magic effect plays with the audience’s perception but this effect takes it to a physical level. So I’ll first describe the effect from the participant’s point of view to help you understand what kind of reactions I am looking for. Then I will describe the workings from the performer’s point of view.

1. The Spectator’s Point of View

First phase. A magician presents a small stack of identical cards. He says, “I’ve got a message for you,” and then shows you the backs and fronts of the cards. The backs and faces are the same and you are confused because you see a jumble of letters. He asks, “Can you make anything out of this?” and you do your best to make sense of it. The magician slowly turns the stack of cards clockwise and counterclockwise as you desperately look for clues. Then he takes two steps back and you look at the face of the top card from a distance. The magician continues to rotate the cards. You are still not able to see a pattern. Then he says, “The weird thing is that the letters you need to create the message are all here. The problem is they are completely scattered over the surface. It’s like in real life: the ingredients are there but you just have to find the right mix to create the highest possible value. And that’s why I am here to assist you.”

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The magician smiles and waves his hand over the cards, and much to your surprise you see the bouncing letters morph into a clear sentence. You are pleasantly surprised and a little bit relieved since your curiosity will be satisfied. Because the magician is standing a few steps away from you, you can see it is a sentence but you’re not able to read it. He steps forward but your initial relief turns into a bit of disillusionment when you discover you still can’t read it because the card is upside down. The magician notices it too, “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s upside down.” After he has finished turning the cards one hundred eighty degrees, you are confused because what seemed to be a sound and solid sentence is actually groups of letters that form incomprehensible words: “TEHIS RE EROM MHEA ENYET ETH EST.” The magician says, “I promise you, all the ingredients to decipher the message are here. The words have the exact same length as they do in the final message.” You try to reshuffle the letters but can only come up with something like: “THERE IS MORE. . . .” But you can’t figure out the rest of the message. Second phase. “Let me help you. Please hold out your hand.” You do so and the card is turned over. The magician rubs it against the palm of your hand, looks at it, rubs it again, and then slowly turns it around, “I’m sure you will be able to read it now!” The letters on the card have been rearranged and form a sentence: “THERE IS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.”(Type III card). You feel relieved and satisfied. Third phase. “You can keep the card as a present and you’ll find you can decipher a second message all by yourself.” The magician points at the letters in the border of the card. After looking at them you turn the card around and finally you are able to read the clearer version of them on the back. You are very pleased with yourself when you solve this little puzzle. It says: “True is what you believe is true.” The line repeats itself all around the border.

Discussion

As you will have noticed, I aim to create a range of micro-emotions: confusion, relief, surprise, magic, being moved a little bit, hope, disappointment, a bit of frustration. I don’t like straight lines and I personally think many effects suffer from a build up that is simply too linear. Some performers can get away with that because they add a range of emotions to the effect or they are excellent comedians or actors. But I think that everyone profits from effects that have some texture within it. This is a modest example of such an effect.

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Also I especially enjoy audience participation. My good friend and mentor Tommy Wonder put considerable effort into avoiding too much interference by the audience, an approach that worked very well for him. However, I especially like to connect with, touch, and interact with people whenever I can to create more waves of emotions. Although I learned many important tools for audience management and control from Tommy, this piece (and others I perform) is intentionally structured to increase audience involvement.

2. The Magician’s Point of View

Arrange the cards face up in the following order: one Type III card (the readable sentence), five Type I cards (the messed up letters), one Type II card (the incomprehensible sentence), and one Type I card. There are of course many ways to change the cards from one version to another. Please play with different methods to perform the transformations from one card to the other. I will describe below a basic working version of the changes. First phase. When you say, “I’ve got a message for you,” Push off the top two cards as one so that the second card (Type II) and the bottom card (Type III) are hidden. If necessary, you can “get ready” by secretly pushing the top two cards to the side, getting a little finger break, and re-aligning the top cards before you step up to the spectator. This is the way many magicians get ready to prepare for a Double Turnover.

Figure 46

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After spreading them in this way, count off the cards by pushing them one by one from left to right keeping them fanned and in order. Keep the bottom (Type III) card hidden by not pushing over the card that covers it. When you say, “Can you make anything out of this?” square the cards and display the top card (showing the cards as in figure 46). Allow some time for the participant to process the information because he will want to at least try to solve this puzzle. While he is trying to figure out the message start to turn the stack of cards slowly clockwise and then counterclockwise, as if you are trying to help him look at the text in a different way. Take two steps back and keep turning the cards slowly. The participant will still have trouble deciphering the message, so say, “The weird thing is that the letters you need to create the message are all here. The problem is they are completely scattered over the surface. It’s like in real life: the ingredients are there but you just have to find the right mix to create the highest possible value. And that’s why I am here to assist you.” At this point perform the Houdini Color Change by switching the top and second card (the Type II card) in the following way. Hold your hands in the position shown in figure 47. To help the participant remember that your right hand was empty you can wiggle your fingers playfully, as if preparing for the magic. He will focus on your hand and remember he has seen an empty hand so he won’t jump to the conclusion that you must have a card hidden in your hand. That thought alone would kill a lot of the magic that is going to happen. Now the basic idea is that you will push the top card to the side, and then slide the second card out the other side until you can slide it back on top of the top card. But to create the illusion of transformation with this move there are some details to which you must pay attention. First, push the top card toward the top of your left hand fingers using the palm of your hand until it is outjogged for about half an inch to an inch. Look at figure 48 to see the exposed view. A lot of things happen while getting into this position. You use the palm of your right hand to push the top card to the side; at the same time your left first finger holds back the rest of the stack. Immediately after the top card is in the new position, you will put your left first finger back to where it was when you started. The consistency between the first moment (figure 47) and the second moment (figure 48, exposed view) is extremely important to create the illusion of a smooth transformation instead of hinting the switch of two cards.

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Figure 47 Now when your right hand moves back to show the sidejogged card (of course the audience thinks they look at the top card of a stack), the heel of the hand slides the second card back along under the top card (figure 49, exposed view of the returning movement). Once it is free, your right hand pushes down on the second card causing it to tilt slightly. As this is accomplished your right hand starts to move back again (towards the top of your left fingers) and carries along the former second card on top of the former top card until the stack is squared. The right hand immediately moves back again to reveal the change. To deepen the impact, open the fingers of your right hand on the way back. It is as though your fingers moved the letters into what seems to be a sentence. To finish this illusion rub the card a little bit as if moving the last letters to the right spot.

Figure 48

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Figure 49

It should appear as though waving your hand over the card with the mixed up letters created a readable sentence (at least it will seem readable at this point in the routine). Since you are standing a few feet away from the participant he won’t be able to read the card but will assume it makes sense now. Slowly get closer so he becomes aware that it is hard to read. Then look at the card and apologize, “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s upside down.” Turn the whole stack around to show the message: “TEHIS RE EROM MHEA ENYET ETH EST.” It sounds like a foreign language. Is it Latin or some kind of fairy language? Say, “I promise you, all the ingredients to decipher the message are here. The words have the exact same length as they do in the final message.” Second phase. As you deliver the last line take the top card containing the weird sentence and give it to the participant. At the same time your left hand drops to your side so you can turn over the bottom card (the type III card) against your left leg. That is, with your hand at your side, turn over the stack of cards, push the bottom card (which of course is now the top card) halfway off the stack, and use your left leg as to turn over the card (figure 50). The spectator is very busy reading the card so there is no rush nor should you be worried being caught. Don’t look at what you are doing with your left hand; simply focus on your eye contact and interaction with the participant. When you have turned over the card, hold a little finger break and say, “Let me help you.

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Figure 50

Please hold out your hand.” Use the time he needs to decide which hand to extend to take the card out of his hands. While moving the stack into view, place the type II card right on top. If you time this correctly they will not see the type III card. Then execute a simple Double Turnover. Once both cards are turned over reposition the participant’s hand a bit while keeping the stack in full view. The reason for this is to put a little bit of time between the Double Turnover and the final revelation. Take the new top card (the type III card) and place it on his palm. Wait a moment, then look under the card. Rub it on their hand and finally turn it over. “I’m sure you can read it now!” He sees: “THERE IS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.” Third phase. Allow some time for the participant to process the message. Then say, “You can keep the card as a present and you’ll find a second message that you can decipher all by yourself.” Point at the border of the card. It says: “True is what you believe is true.” The line repeats itself all around the border.

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Final Notes • The Houdini Color Change is a well-known technique that is often mistakenly attributed to Erdnase, who later described it in The Expert at the Card Table. The complete details of this technique as well as evidence to support its correct attribution can be found in the wonderful Card College, Volume 3 by Roberto Giobbi and translated by Richard Hatch (Seattle: Hermetic Press, 1998), pages 744-746. Of course there are many alternatives for exchanging the cards. This is a perfect effect to experiment with various techniques. For example, I sometimes use a Top Change for the last phase. That is, after they have studied the card, I take it back, talk about how the card contains all the information you need to make sense of the word jumble, execute the Top Change, walk back three yards, show the card (the type II and III cards will look the same at this distance because the length of the words are exactly the same), and immediately start to shake it a little bit (to rearrange the letters but also prevent the participant from focusing too much). Then, while I walk towards the spectator, I slowly stop shaking the stack and the letters seem to have rearranged themselves right before their eyes. Recently, Richard Sanders used this kind of effect in his “Identity.” Although he uses a different technique, the effect looks the same in the mind of the spectator. Of course I actually give the final card away. If you want to do that too you can either create a Survival Version® of this effect [see chapter 16], purchase refills, or design your own special saying and order this customized version. You can e-mail me to make inquiries about the last two options at [email protected]. To help you create your homemade Survival Version® of this effect I’ve added some pictures of the cards I made, figure 51. If you have created your own one-line saying, mix the letters up and write the type II card using the same layout as the type III card. So use the same number of words. Although they are fantasy words they should have the same length as the type III cards. It is nice if the first two or three words are almost readable instead of complete gibberish. Using the same layout helps create the illusion of transformation. Making the first couple of words, almost readable helps create a nice tension.

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Figure 51

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14 Some Magical Gift Ideas from Jeff McBride

From the beginning of my involvement with this project, I knew I wanted to have this chapter be a part of the book. That’s because Jeff is an overflowing fountain of creative thinking, and I knew he has long been applying that creativity to magical gifts. At first I thought we would just compile a short list of some of his gift ideas, but soon it became clear that it was better to explore them in a conversation. This conversation was held on Sunday, March 21, 2010 through Skype. —Lawrence Hass

A Magic Gift With a Future Larry: One of your great magical gift ideas is the way you sign and personalize a playing card. Would you talk about this in some detail? I am sure readers will want to learn about it. How did you get this idea to do something more meaningful with a signed card? Jeff: Magicians are gifting audiences all the time, but I feel they are often unaware of the potency of their own gifts and are unconscious about some of the gifts they start in motion.

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For example, I have seen many people perform something such as “The Ambitious Card,” which is a very quick, very good cocktail-party effect. They have the participant sign the card, which is good and generates interest, but at the end of the routine they give the participant the card with their own signature on it as a souvenir. That just doesn’t make sense to me: why would a participant find his own signature special? So years ago, I started doing something different, this practice of personalizing the card, especially for close-up work. I got the idea, I think, from personalizing the playing cards I was throwing out in my shows. As you know, my manipulation cards that I throw out have a little message on the back: “This is your lucky card. Every card holds a special meaning. To discover this card’s secret, go to www.mcbridemagic.net to find out.” And there is a little tarot reading waiting there for them. In any case, many times people bring their card up to me after the show and ask me to sign the card: of course I am going to write my name on the card— not ask them to sign theirs. Think about how odd that would be! So I just got into the habit of personalizing these cards. I would ask the person’s name and then write, “To Janet” (or whatever), followed by a little inscription and my autograph. Therefore when I was in a close-up setting performing signed card effects, this seemed the natural thing to do. I first have the person put her first name on the card, “Janet” (see figure 52)—which is, incidentally, the perfect way to save

Figure 52

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Figure 53

embarrassment from my misspelling her name. Then I take the card back from her and add the word “To” in front of her name, and then add a short inscription and my autograph below it (see figure 53). After that, I go further. I tell her we are going to create a little piece of art and I hope she will show it to her great grandchildren someday and tell them all about this moment in time. My intention here is to convey that there is more going on than this moment and that hopefully by the end of this experience they will want to keep the card to show their great-grandchildren. . .or at least somebody at the office the next day [laughter]. Larry: This is great because it overcomes the problem of just handing the person something at the end of the routine which they didn’t really want, and don’t know what to do with, so it just gets thrown away. Jeff: Especially if, after the names, you go on to make the card a piece of artwork. I say, “Up here in the corner, I am going to draw a little symbol of Mercury, the magician,” and I draw a little Mercury glyph. Then I ask her to draw something that represents her. I tell her that it could be simple like a smiley face or a heart (which clues her in to what I have in mind). See, I do not put a lot of pressure on her; I

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want her to feel relaxed. Sometimes I will point to my own symbol and say, “Don’t worry. I am no Rembrandt, but neither was Picasso,” which gives her permission to scrawl. Because, after all, Picasso gave us all permission to scrawl! [laughter]. Then I say, “See, we have this valuable, one-of-a-kind piece of art.” What we have just done is imbue this commonplace piece of cardboard with some heavy mojo: her signature, my signature, personal symbols, and even a possible future (the possibility of showing it to her great-grandchildren). Now finally, we are ready to launch into the effect, which for me is usually my Card to Wallet [“McWallet” on Magic at the Edge, which may be viewed at www.magicalwisdon. com/giftmagicbook, courtesy of L&L Publishing].

Audience Participant as Hero Jeff: To expand upon this idea a little, we often think what we are doing is showing people tricks. What we are actually doing is giving our audiences the gift of a personalized magic experience. Even more, we are giving them a story in which they play an important role. This is so important because we live in a story culture—a culture full of stories; we are surrounded by stories. We wake up reading stories in the newspaper, on television, in books, but they are always someone else’s stories. But here the magician gives me the palpable gift of a story I can tell for the rest of her life: “Look, this card was given to me by the Man with the Fastest Hands. Amazingly, it went into a wallet that was in my hands the entire time.” Or, “I opened up my hand and sponge balls poured out of them.” “He took my key and bent it.” “He took my card and somehow stuck it to the ceiling.” The real gifts here are the stories that our participants can tell—their own story. They are not merely re-telling someone else’s story. They have become a sort of hero in a mythic story— they have met a magician—and have proof of the magical experience. Larry: Wow! Jeff, this is a fantastic. To give people a story in which they are the hero is a truly wonderful gift. Jeff: Recently, I read this very interesting book on comedy magic called Stand Up by Ian Keable. I enjoyed the book a great deal, yet he had a chapter in it on working with audience “volunteers”—you and I call them “participants”—and he had only two categories: “audience volunteer as foil” and “audience volunteer as prop.” The

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first role is that the audience is there to be at the end of the jokes—a foil for the jokes; the second role is to hold the props, to essentially be a glorified display stand. But Ian Keable doesn’t mention another, far more powerful role: audience participant as hero. That is the role I build most of my routines on. Larry: Me too. Jeff: But the sad truth is that we did not grow up watching the audience member made into a hero. Mostly they play the foil. For example, one of my earliest recollections of magic is Al Flosso doing the coin routine in which the boy is the foil, not the hero. Now it is true that Al gave frequent affirmations, “You’re all right, boy!” But most of the time we saw comedy magicians tell people to “stand on the trap door,” or “hold up the other clean hand,” and never saw the audience member as hero. So there is, and has been, a conscious shift in the kinds of roles an audience member can play on the stage—they can be a hero. Larry: I am curious about this. My perception is that audiences have changed over time, that there was more tolerance in the past for that kind of use and sometimes abuse, whereas now audiences are much more disapproving, particularly with children and women. Do you agree? Are audiences changing? I mean, we look at Flosso now and it is pretty distasteful; it looks like he is assaulting the kid [laughter]. Jeff: I think there are still audiences who enjoy insult humor and put-down humor; I think those audiences are still out there. At the same time, I think the more often thoughtful magicians are exposed to it, the more they start to move in another direction because they are looking for a new context and new direction for magic. It is those of us who have seen so much audience-abuse magic, we are the ones looking for ways to do something different and empower our audience members. At the same time, in the last twenty or thirty years, there has been more push-back in our culture about certain kinds of things; there has been a lot more emphasis in our culture on respect and non-violent communication, and more emphasis on interpersonal skills—cultural values that were just not there fifty years ago. Larry: So I suppose this points to one other magical gift we might try to offer our audience participants: the gift of kindness [laughter].

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Practical Party Magic Larry: Let’s shift into some other areas. What other kinds of gifts have you been exploring? Jeff: Let me set this next thing up with a bit of context. On Magic at the Edge I teach “Rainbow to Rose,” which is more of a social, personal trick. Also we both know some fairly fast gift magic pieces, such as George Parker’s quick gemstone appearance [see chapter 3]. But also a gift magic performance can be more formal, such as “The Fire Ritual.” This kind of piece works in a different way than those others; it can be the climax of a social gathering or party, and I have used it many times at birthday events or anniversaries to put a formal group gifting experience around the event. [“The Fire Ritual” can be viewed at www.magicalwisdom.com/ giftmagicbook, courtesy of L&L Publishing.] So there are personal, one-on-one gift-giving magic tricks and more formal group gift performances, but here is something that falls in-between—it is a gift approach for the well-known fountain of silks. You can take your small gift for someone and wrap it up in the fountain of silks. In the course of a party, when people are opening up presents, the fountain can sit under your leg or you can load this easily into play by putting it under somebody else’s scrap of wrapping paper. Then you say, “Oh there is one last present,” and you tear open the wrapping paper and release the snap or velcro strap—whatever the seal is on your fountain of silks—and now the fountain itself is a big surprise spilling out of the torn scrap of wrapping paper, and at the center is your little boxed present, perhaps with a small card on it. Then when all the attention is on the little gift box, you reclaim the fountain of silks so people do not mistakenly think that is part of the gift. We wouldn’t want that! [laughter]. Larry: That is great. You could put a little wrapped present in the fountain. . . . Is there anything else one might produce out of it? Jeff: Well, the fountain is perfect for anyone who, like me, is not very good at wrapping presents or who really doesn’t have time to run to the store for wrapping paper and tape. I am not so great at those things, but I can wrap a fountain of silks rather hastily. So you can put your little unwrapped gift in there and just go to the

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party. You could load it with candy or a small object—anything about the size of a boxed watch. It would be an excellent way to give a ring to someone—it would work for a proposal. Larry: It occurs to me that you could even take the loaded fountain of silks and wrap it in black paper and just place it on the gift table. You wouldn’t even have to hold it under your leg and secretly load it in. You could just open up the present, remove the fountain, and launch in. Jeff: Absolutely. In fact, you could experiment with having the person who is receiving the gift open it him or herself because a good, packed fountain of silks kind of undoes itself. But as I said, it would be pretty easy for the fountain to be mistaken as part of the gift itself. It would be important to use that moment of misdirection when the gift comes out to steal your fountain away.

Magical Gift Experiences Jeff: Here is another kind of gift for people to consider: the gift of a really unusual, wonderful experience. Experiences can be deeply memorable and affecting gifts too. For example, one of the great pleasures of my life is the magical community that has evolved here in Las Vegas over the years. One of the most talented inventors I know is my friend Gary Stadler, who we call The Wizard Garee. And one year he gave me the amazing gift experience of “A Jeff McBride Show.” To explain, occasionally we have art parties at our house where we create gifts for each other, like delicious food, pieces of music, art work, and we spend the weekend surprising and delighting each other. And one time Gary sat everyone down on the couch or chairs, turned out the lights, put on a piece of music he had created, and performed the Illumination light routine—with the lights on the fan and the dancing vortex canes. We were all just blown away. I had given him the seed of an idea for lights on a fan, and he just ran with it and gave me the gift of a full Jeff McBride performance. I mean, he dressed up, created the music, and then give me that tremendous experience. My point here is that we are not simply talking about physical gifts— though we are doing that too. A magical experience that has come about through

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careful, loving intention can also be a very powerful gift.

Magic at the Crossroads Jeff: At the same time, we can have moving gift experiences without someone’s specific attention or intention. Sometimes the surrounding context helps us experience something as a gift. For example, the whole context of the Burning Man festival is about gifts and giving; people work all year on creating gifts and many of them of them will be given anonymously. People will just put their gifts out there to be received without any recognition or reciprocation. Many people consider anonymous giving in this way to be the purest form of giving because we don’t even have to “suffer gratitude” for our gift. In this kind of situation, the gift-nature of the objects and experiences are carried by the context, by the fact that the whole spirit of the festival is to be a big gift community and gift economy. On the other side of this festival experience, the experiences of receiving gifts, we have no idea what we are seeking, and perhaps we just come across, say, an interactive art installation that affects us deeply, like a message in a bottle. These gift experiences, of anonymous giving and unexpected receiving happen all the time in certain communities like Burning Man—large ones and small group gatherings. Let me give you a specific example of this. At Burning Man, you might walk into some art installation and find what is called a “Hermeon”—which refers to an ancient place, a temple or shrine at-the-crossroads. What you will find in one of these—just as was true in the ancient world—are all these different little objects or symbols piled up. The point is that you can take one of those things and also leave something of your own for a fellow traveler on the path. . . . Larry: I love that. . . . Jeff: Yes, it is an ancient gift-giving tradition for getting connected to other people traveling the road. And it can take lots of forms. One of these at Burning Man was a battery-powered refrigerator in the middle of the desert and people could leave notes on it for things that they wanted—like drinks or ice cream. They would come back the next day and their order would be there inside. It was a wonderful,

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mysterious, anonymous gifting object in the middle of the desert. Larry: I am wondering about something. . .we are talking about anonymous giving. But as magicians we are performers. So how might we create something like anonymous magical giving within the framework of a show? Or what might a Hermeon look like in a contemporary magic show? Jeff: Ah! That is an interesting question [laughter]. One thing might be to have an art installation or a Hermeon in the lobby—you could set something like that up in the lobby. You know, anything that gets people interacting and sharing moments would be in the spirit—anything that supports even momentary gifts of contact. And after the show, signing autographs is gifting.

The Gift of Connection Larry: Your saying that reminds me of something further. Sometimes after a show, one can put people in contact and relationship with each other. You know, signing autographs or chatting after the show we sometimes say, “Oh, I just met someone you need to meet. Come with me and I’ll introduce you. . . .” We are starting to make a web-work of relationships. Jeff: I really do think this is an important thing, something I have learned over the years, and something I try to share with all the magicians I work with, young and old alike. That is, bookers for a party are not necessarily wanting some hotshot to come and “blow people away” with their technique or their “mad skills.” What bookers are really looking for, at the bottom of it, is somebody to make happy party guests and help those guests interact. I think a good, interactive magician can take a very stale group of people at a party who don’t really know each other and by the time the magician moves on to the next group, those people know each other’s names and are, say, pondering over an impossible object or experience. A good interactive magician gives everyone at the party something to discuss, both at the party and after they leave it. Larry: That really is a magical gift. If we can leave our audiences feeling that way,

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connecting with each other and excited, that is for us to have given a great gift. Jeff: Yes, we might think our task at a cocktail party is to do “The Ninja Rings,” but on a much more practical level, we should be linking the people together as they watch. Magic then becomes the medium that accelerates communication and connection. People sometimes think of magic at a party as a “diversion,” but I really feel strongly that the magic at a party should help people open up to each other so there is a more relaxed and gregarious feeling in the room. Larry: So then, to extend your metaphor, while we performers might be “the key ring,” everyone else is the rest of the set—they have all been linked. Jeff: There we go! [laughter]. Larry: We have talked about several magical gift ideas so far: turning a signed card into a piece of artwork, performing in way so the person is internal to the story rather than a spectator, using a performance to create connections with you and each other at the show, perhaps creating a Hermeon in the lobby before or after the show. . . . Jeff: . . .you know, sometimes the Hermeon is something as simple and as special as a guest book. . . . Larry: . . .yes, sure. . . Jeff: . . .because people leave gifts in them—the gift of their sincere words. As you know, we have a gift book in our house. Everybody that comes to or visits one of our classes signs the “Guests of the House of McBride” book. We do not say it is a guest book because people have a default kind of response such as, “Oh thanks for the great time.” We tell everybody that opens the book that we want something more than that—that we hope the person will leave behind a gift of wisdom. And it is a give-and-take—it is a Hermeon—because they leave a gift of words, advice perhaps for a fellow traveler on the path of magic and mystery, words to live by, something from the heart. But also they can read and take with them words of wisdom and encouragement from others, from people such as Channing Pollock

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and Billy McComb—from every great magician who has entered this house, whether it is Siegfried, Lance, Johnny Thompson, or Teller. And then, too, guests may take with them something from our Box of Treasures, which is full of transitional objects in our lives, things that have spent time with us, but which are now ready to move on to make room for new things. Because as you know, as Lewis Hyde shows us, gifts have to “pass on,” they have to pass through us, they have to stay in motion.

Anonymous Gifts Larry: Do you have other magical gift ideas you would like to share? Jeff: Well, I would like to encourage readers to explore different ways of creating and leaving anonymous gifts. They don’t have to be big and complex; they can be as simple as, for example, in a restaurant, leaving the salt and pepper shakers balanced on edge. The waitress or bus-person comes over to clean up the table and all of a sudden they find this moment of wonder left for them. Larry: What is the technique for that? Jeff: It is an old idea. You put a small pile of salt on the table and then tap the saltshaker a few times to pack down the salt in it at the angle you want. Then you put the shaker at that angle on edge amidst the salt so it balances there. Finally you gently blow the rest of the salt away so you leave a little mystery. It is a temporary, delicate, static piece of magical art for that moment—a little gift for the person who has waited on you. Larry: That is terrific. How different that idea is from something I remember from the S. S. Adams magic book I had as a kid, where you put your tip into a glass of water, put the menu on the top, turn the whole thing over on the table, then slide the menu out so the waitress has to spill water all over to get her tip. What a nasty little idea that is! A dark gift. . . . Jeff: Yes, they also call those pranks [laughter], and they morph into hoaxes, and we get farther and farther away from gifts.

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Larry: Do you have any final thoughts you want to share about magical gifts? Jeff: I think I want to add, and stress, that the magical gifts we give people are a touchstone and talisman to reactivate a moment in time. In this way, a simple little stone or a playing card can be a time-travel machine. A person opens his wallet and takes out this card and they journey back to a time when they had a miraculous encounter. And then they re-tell the story and the story gets multiplied. The little gift has become a touchstone and a treasure. In this way, magical gifts transform the mundane into the magical; they make something that is very common into something uncommon and special. I think it may also be an important gift for us to realize that one person’s piece of scrap paper could be another person’s golden treasure—a trigger for a wave of memories of an encounter they had with a magical person in a most magical world.

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A Simple Gift

15 A Simple Gift Lawrence Hass

This little production of a small gift object is simple, almost nothing, light as air. And yet, for the right person at the right time, experience has proven it to be genuinely delightful. I have performed it hundreds of times to very warm, astonished reactions. In thinking about why this piece plays so powerfully, I have come to see that part of the answer is its very simplicity. Everything is so clear and direct: the little star (the object I usually produce) appears out of nowhere. Also the piece engages the participant’s heart and hands, and leaves them with a memorable gift. Many years later I have had children and adults show me their star and recall when they received it. If all that isn’t enough to tempt you to learn “A Simple Gift,” consider this: you will never, ever have to pull a quarter out of someone’s ear again! First things first: I learned this piece at Alain Nu’s Phoenix Gathering in 2001 from my friend Just Alan—a most wonderful magician. I saw a lot of great magic that weekend, but Just Alan’s little piece really knocked me out. Just Alan calls it “Wish Granted” and I am grateful for his kind permission to share here my handling, script, and little touches. Please think of this as Just Alan’s gift to this book of gifts. The “right situations” are like this: 1) I am working the house before a theater show, shaking hands, welcoming people, and introducing myself. And

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there I see a child (boy or girl) between the ages of six and ten, or a smiling, warm woman. Or 2) I am invited to socialize at someone’s house and they have a child who is interested that I am a magician. Or 3) from previous visits, I know a secretary, waitress, bank teller, check-out person, etc. who is interested in the fact that I am a magician. In these kinds of situations, with these kinds of people, I launch in.

Script

You know, there is magic all around us, in grand things and simple ones. . .like the everyday wishes we make. Tell me: did you make a wish on your birthday this year? And did you really, truly wish it would come true? Well. . .touch my hand right here. I just made a wish. And it really came true! [Open your hand to reveal a little star.] This wish is for you. Keep it, and sometime today make a magical wish of your own.

Method

I prefer to produce a little star because it perfectly fits with the theme of making wishes. But I will also produce a penny (which still fits the theme) if I don’t have my stars with me, and occasionally, for the right person, I will produce a little heart. (Figure 54 shows you the objects I use and their relative size.) You can find such things at craft stores.

Figure 54

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I begin with the small object I want to produce in right-hand finger palm position, with my right arm down at my side. On the word “Well. . .” I extend my left hand, palm up, fingers open so the participant sees that it is empty. On the word “Here. . .” I move my right hand up and toward my left hand, which remains stationary (figure 55). What happens is that the right hand will leave the star in the left hand as it uses the right index finger both to turn the left hand palm down (figure 56) and to point to a place on the back of the hand for the participant to touch (figure 57). As you look at these three figures, imagine them as mere moments in one, fluid motion.

Figure 55

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Figure 56

Figure 57

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Now this might seem easy to do, and it is, but it is also easy to do badly. I have taught “A Simple Gift” to dozens of students over the years and many of them “get it” but some just do not. No matter how hard they practice, they can’t make the movement natural and the secret placement invisible. So at the risk of belaboring something “simple” I want to share some essential details for making the piece fully deceptive. 1. It is imperative that the right hand does not clutch the star as it passes over the open left palm. Indeed, while I hold the star in a loose right-hand finger palm when my arm is at the side, when I bring my right hand in motion toward my left hand, I loosen the grip further and let centrifugal force keep the star against my fingers. Thus, as my right hand approaches my left palm, it slows down and the star will naturally fly into my left hand. So instead of “right-hand clutch,” “pause,” and then “release” (all of which would be painfully obvious), the correct action is a flowing, almost throwing movement of the star into the left hand. It will take considerable practice for you to get the right feel and speed for this action. 2. Equally important is the fact that the secret placement (actually, throwing) of the star is an in-transit action (Arturo de Ascanio). That is, it secretly “happens on the way” of a strong primary action. Here, the strong primary action is using the right index finger both to turn the left hand palm down and to point to a place on the back of the left hand for the participant to touch. In fact, the pointing action and request for the participant to touch your hand is so strong that the previous moment, when the right hand was over the left palm, becomes psychologically invisible. As you practice the movement, always keep your intention on the primary action and try to forget about the secret placement; this is essential for success with this move. As you start working on this piece, it will be difficult to get the intention right because you will be focused on getting the move right and keeping your right fingers relaxed. As you keep working on it, you will suddenly find that you both have the right flow and intention; then the piece will be deceptive. 3. After all my work with students on this piece I can tell you a common problem is the tendency for the right-hand motion to be too fast as it approaches the left hand. Doing that draws unwanted attention to the right hand and all is lost. Practice moving the right hand so it is slow enough to feel natural, but fast enough for the star not to fall. 4. Finally, it is important to use the technique Juan Tamariz calls “Shifting

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the Gaze” during the secret placement (see The Five Points in Magic, Seattle: Hermetic Press, 2007, pages 11-12). That is, I look at my open left hand, then, as my right hand flows toward it, I look up at my participant to catch her attention while the placement happens, then I look back down at my right index finger pressing on the back of my left hand. This subtle shift of my gaze splits the participant’s attention even if she doesn’t look directly at me. I invite you to try the piece with and without this technique; I think you will quickly notice the difference it makes.

Final Thoughts

When I say the line, “And I think it came true!” I give my left hand a little twitch— what Topas calls “The Clic.” (See his lecture notes, Presentation Secrets, 2000.) This is an important action because, as Topas says, it is powerful and expressive and it precisely defines the moment of effect (page 10). After the “Clic,” I slowly, fluidly open my left hand one finger at a time to reveal the star. After a couple of seconds, I pick up the star and present it to the person with a gift-like intention. Trust me when I say it will be very warmly received. As thoughtful, creative magicians, we are always tinkering with this and that as ways to improve the deceptiveness of what we do. Thus, I know from my own experience that some of you may be tempted to devise a way to show the right hand empty at the outset of the piece. For example, you might be tempted to use a Ramsey Subtlety or devise some way to secretly load the star after showing the hand empty. Far be it for me to stifle creativity, but my advice is: forget about it. Showing the right hand empty in advance is unnatural and unnecessary. As Vernon taught (for example, see The Vernon Touch, page 73), this kind of action “telegraphs” that you are getting ready to do something and subtly challenges the audience. Both of those things are exactly what we want to avoid with a friendshipmaking piece such as this one.

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16 The Survival Version®: A Concept for Your Magic George Parker

Introduction I am lazy at times. I’m scared of failure. I’m ashamed of half-baked, half-finished products. I can’t stand feedback that’s right on the money. In short, I have hangups that make me postpone action. At the same time, I love to perform magic and create amazing memories, and without action I am not going to be able to do that. So many years ago, I realized that I needed to either solve these hang-ups or come up with a strategy that helped me move forward in spite of them. For reasons I am not entirely clear about, I did the latter. Over the last thirty years I have used my own life as a laboratory. I wanted to learn about how people create reality, how they bring real things into being. So I started to study books by people who were exploring these ideas. More important, I tried out every concept and technique that I found. As a result of this practical approach, I have redefined myself several times as a person and as a professional, and now I live in parallel worlds living my visions as a performing artist, author, and motivational speaker. Although there is still much more to discover, I keep going back to some basic principles that help me be creative and productive. One of these concepts is what I call the Survival Version®.¹ It may also help you to create things faster and more closely to your highest vision.

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The Concept Many people don’t dare to dream up their lives and so they cannot live their dreams. I’m not talking about huge dreams, like putting a man on Saturn or anything like that. I’m talking about events you wholeheartedly want to have happen in your life. In making an effort to make those fantasies come true you will generate creative energy and improve the overall quality of your life. Many people seem to shut off their dreams because they think they need money to achieve their goals. Or they stop fantasizing about what they really want to achieve because they feel they don’t have the talent and skills to materialize their dreams. Most of the time, however, a person doesn’t need money, but rather solutions. Further, if someone doesn’t have the skills, they can usually get the necessary training. And frankly, talent is highly overrated. Take any emotional “flatliner” or mentally retired person who thinks nothing of him/herself; put the right pressure on this person to produce something creative and they will do it. After all these years of teaching and talking to people from all walks of life, I believe there is fire in all of us. Igniting it is inspiration; the rest, ninety-five percent, is just persistently working to move closer to your goals. The Survival Version concept is a way to get connected to your goals right away—in a way that is mental, emotional, and physical. A Survival Version of something is a micro-version of your highest vision in life. This micro-version includes all essential aspects of what you want to achieve ultimately. But it’s done without any budget, or with very few means. These are the steps you take: 1. Vision. Imagine having a hundred billion dollars. Or living in a world where money is no issue whatsoever. Or imagine living in a magical garden where every fantasy immediately materializes. Then create what I call “a valuable memory of your own future.” This means that you fantasize about a moment in the future you truly long for and for something you really want to happen. 2. Essence. In your mind, distill the essential ingredients in this movie or picture. What aspects must be present? Or what properties cannot be omitted? These essentials can be material in nature such as a color, shape, or thing. But also think of other kinds of properties such as a certain atmosphere, a specific person, an emotion, or anything you feel cannot be left out. 3. Action: the Survival Version. Create a micro-version of this vision in your actual life. Include all or most of the ingredients that you discovered in Step 2. Pretend you are in your own future and then do what you set out to do. Don’t spend a lot of money. Don’t postpone action and don’t use a lot of time. Use what

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is already there. Be inventive. Improvise. That is, find a way to prototype your own future into your present life, even if it is for a very short time. Force yourself to do this within twenty-four hours. 4. Learn. What worked? What didn’t? Did the action change your vision? Start planning the next action including everything you learned.

Two Examples 1. Suppose you crave for a vacation. Start imagining the ideal vacation. Maybe you imagine going to California. You see yourself having great dinners, meeting interesting people, having a couple of days at the beach, reading a good book, keeping to your own schedule. Once you have done that look at these pictures in your mind and ask yourself: What cannot be omitted? What elements do I really need to be there? Maybe you feel that having time on your hands is essential and also reading a good book. Maybe you also think that wearing shorts will add substantially to your overall experience. (I’m not kidding, these things happen!) Now create a Survival Version of that vacation. Plan a day and a night off, and if you cannot do that plan half a day and a night. Put on your shorts, pick up a good book, and turn off your cell-phone, computer, and anything else that could possibly interfere with your free space. 2. Once someone tested me by saying, “I want to spend more time with my kids.” I said, “Okay, imagine doing something with them that would satisfy this need. Be generous and make up ten memories of your future and then pick one that stands out.” After a while he said, “I would like to spend one night in the Sahara with them. I did that once.” I asked, “What is essential in this image?” He said, “My kids need to be there. The sand and the starry night are a big part of it, along with the atmosphere of playfulness and really enjoying our time together.” Now he needed to create a Survival Version keeping these elements in place, so I asked him, “What could you do over the next few days?” He answered, “Well, I suppose I could go to the beach.” “But what if I wouldn’t allow you to leave your house?” “Well, I could do something near our sandbox outside.” I pushed him even further, “What if you would have to create this experience inside your house?” He paused and then said, “I could pick up some sand at Home Depot, put up the Christmas lights, and create the right atmosphere for the kids.”

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Discussion A Survival Version may seem trivial at first view. “I’m not going to pretend I’m in the Sahara while I’m in my sandbox. How childish!” Or “I really need my vacation and I’m not going to take a day off and pretend I’m in Barbados!” You must understand that a Survival Version doesn’t mean compromising your vision. It invites you to make up your future without looking at what you think is possible or impossible. After you’ve created a vision of what you wholeheartedly want, creating the Survival Version of it will help you to get real with it. To clarify this a bit more, consider the difference between a reactive state of mind and a creative state of mind. “Reaction” and “creation” have the exact same letters. But the slight difference in the order of the letters amounts to an enormous difference in how we live and act. For example, a reactive sailor will first listen to the weather forecast; then based upon what he hears he will then determine his goals. But a creative sailor will envision his goal first, then listen to the weather forecast because it will provide him with information he needs to determine his strategy. In a reactive state of mind we look at the world as a collection of unchangeable facts that have to be coped with as they come. But in a creative state of mind we see the world as the ever-transforming result of our individual and collective ideas and actions. A reactive mind looks at one’s life and perceives facts. A creative mind looks at one’s life and sees possibilities. A reactive mind is led by current reality to have ideas about its future. A creative mind is led by the reality it wants to produce to have insights about how to make it. Both types of awareness look at the same world but have a completely different experience of it. In a reactive state of mind you will always need compromises because you are very attached to current reality. But in a creative state of mind you will keep inventing new reality, including reinventing yourself, until it coincides with your vision. A Survival Version of something, of course, finds its roots in the creative state of mind. By trying out your future you will create a new experience and new experiences will lead to new knowledge. The type of knowledge that is produced by experience is much more powerful than knowledge that is produced by mere thinking. Experiences involve not only your thinking but also all of your senses

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and your subconscious mind. Therefore experiences are the highest level of information and they will speed up your learning process much more than any theory.

Applying the Survival Version Concept to Your Magic I first published the Survival Version concept in my Big Book of Creativity (published by Archipel, 2004) and I also discuss it in The Creation Game (2009), a card game I have created to help people shape their lives in the way they want. But I’ve been applying it to my magic from the very beginning. Here is the application: 1. Vision. Visualize the ideal routine or show for you. Imagine what kind of magic you would perform if there were no limits, no technical problems, and no budget limitations. This doesn’t mean to imagine yourself as a real magician; I suppose you could go for that kind of a grand fantasy, but for me, that’s not much of a creative trigger. Instead, I try to think smaller and more specific, such as, I want to mess with the minds of my audience in a playful way. Or I want to create a suspenseful act, or do a hilarious routine and juxtapose it to a creepy one. Or I want to invent a David Lynch kind of storyline. Visualize whatever you like, but keep fantasizing until you are truly excited about it. It can be a routine, a whole show, a single effect, an outfit, a prop, or a method. 2. Essence. Just as a true alchemist, distill the essential ingredients. What is essential in this routine, effect, or show that you have envisioned? This is not an easy question to answer. The nature of the essential ingredients may vary. And there will be a different set of essentials in every project. Also after having done a Survival Version, your idea of what is essential will develop. When I came up with my first non-linear theater show, The Fifth Element, the effects, props, music, and lighting were not essential. However, the non-linear structure was central, as well as my desire to have it be a one-man show. In another project I’m currently developing, the challenge is to use one deck of cards (at least that’s how it would appear to the audience), and every effect should have a different premise and use the cards in a different way. So, for example, there would not be two “pick a card” tricks.

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Here is a list of some considerations that may help you determine what is essential: · the way it affects the audience (emotionally, mentally, physically) · a specific prop or quality of a prop (weight, size, shape, etc.) · the number of people for whom you should be able to perform it · a method you really want to use · sound and music · a stage picture · a certain category of effects (productions, vanishes, transformations, etc.).You can use the works of Sam Sharpe or Dariel Fitzkee as guides. · a specific story you want to tell 3. Action: the Survival Version. Focus on the essential aspects of your vision and create something you can do/perform within twenty-four hours. For The Fifth Element I did a card routine that followed the non-linear structure I had envisioned. Further, I used a bunch of effects from my existing repertoire but disrupted their previous structure. For the “all card” show, I created a short routine including several different premises with cards. When you are stuck and start to rethink the whole thing, be aware that this is an often-used and well-camouflaged procrastination strategy. It appears you are moving forward but most of the time you are not. “Doing” is a great way of thinking. Once you have created your first Survival Version you’ll see why. 4. Learn. You will get reactions and new thoughts based on step 3. Use this feedback and everything you learned to take your act closer to your vision. If everything went well, rehearse your act until it overlaps with your vision. If there were parts that didn’t work out as you hoped, refine or redefine your vision. Or refine/redefine your next action. Final Thoughts: From Survival Version to Full Version and Back Again For me, the Survival Version idea works well in most aspects in my life. But especially in magic it helps me to stop fantasizing and start making. In doing

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so I have stumbled on techniques, props, and other possibilities I couldn’t have conceived by merely thinking about my acts. Having worked with this concept for so long now I have also discovered another side benefit I expect that you will find helpful. To clarify this, let me give a little background. As just mentioned, I developed my Fifth Element show from a Survival Version into a two-hour, oneman evening show. While this worked really well in theaters, it would not work at dinner shows or at 10:00 p.m. in Las Vegas, where I performed a version of this show in 2006. For those occasions I needed to scale it back to forty-five minutes to an hour. But here is the “survival version” pay-off: because I had worked through all of the above stages of the survival process and thus was aware of what was essential to the show, I could easily make what Eugene Burger calls “a good director’s cut” of the show. So in fact I created several shorter versions of the show, throwing out lines, acts, props, and everything that wasn’t really essential to move the show forward. Aside from being able to travel with the show more easily, it also helped me purify the show for “commando” situations. Thus, while the concept of the Survival Version enables you to materialize your vision immediately, the same concept can further help you perform your vision in its purest form—one in which every line, every prop, every movement is well thought through and charged with actual and personal experiences. And that’s when real magic happens.

Note • 1. Editor’s note: “The Survival Version” is a registered trademark belonging to George Parker, however, I will not indicate that at each appearance in the text.

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17 Debunking the Five Great Magic Myths Rich Bloch

(Delivered at the International Brotherhood of Magicians Convention, July 2, 2009) This morning I want to address what I see as five great myths in magic: 1. You must practice in front of a mirror. 2. Sleight-of-hand is the epitome of our art. 3. Exposure will destroy our art. 4. I am just one new trick away from stardom. 5. All people love magic—and can’t wait for me to perform.

Myth Number 1: Practice in Front of a Mirror

Some years ago, the World Magic Seminar ran a magic movie festival, where we invited would-be filmmakers to present short pieces on magic scenarios. If you were there, you know some of the films were positively brilliant. In my judgment, however, the most brilliant film of all never got made. Mike Close had the idea of filming a magician practicing a trick, shot from the perspective of the magician. You would see him looking at a mirror and working on a difficult card sleight. Then at the crucial moment of performing the Hofzinser Cull Spread, the screen would turn black for an instant, then return to normal after the sleight had been completed. The magician would have blinked. This was an ingenious idea because

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we’ve all done it. Of course, standing in front of a mirror creates a body double where we become performer and audience at the same time. But then comes the self-imposed illusion. At that moment of potential artistic crisis, to insure the audience part of this duo is totally fooled, we blink, and presto! The sleight is done and the “audience” is dazzled. The point I am making is this. Of course it’s important to practice. One needs to school the muscle memory and to become at ease with the mechanics. Doing it in front of a mirror is helpful, at times, to insure one accounts for angles and other logistical and geographical necessities. But if all one does is practice in front of a mirror, the point of all the work has been lost. The reason to perfect the move is so we never have to think about it again; the purpose is to free whatever artist resides in our souls to concentrate on presentation, on entertainment. Only after we have mastered the physical skills, can we ask and answer that all-important question in life, as in magic: “Was it Good for You?” In the final analysis, the purpose of the physical practice is to support our mental discipline, because if we are not focused on the presentation, we will never be able to make those critical artistic decisions that underlie any successful performing adventure.

Myth Number 2: Sleight-of-Hand is the Epitome of Our Craft

To this, I say: nonsense. In truth, I didn’t always feel this way. When Nick Ruggiero and I ran Collectors Workshop, we took endless glee in recounting some of the phone calls we would get from clients. I could do forty minutes on those phone calls alone. (“Please make sure you wrap it in brown paper and send it to my office.”) The labyrinthine efforts some clients took to conceal the purchases from their spouse—and in magic that probably means their wife—were legendary. But more frequent than those calls were the ones that went something like this: Caller: I want to order trick number 221—“The Ultimate Miracle.” I have only one question: Does it require any sleights? Answer: No, it is entirely self-working. Caller: Do you swear to God? Answer: Yes. Caller: I really mean it—I can’t do any sleights. Answer: No sleights.

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Caller: Good. Can you overnight it? I have a show tomorrow night. For some time, we used to chuckle and shake our heads at these indolent, benighted, misguided souls who were of course purchasing effects that had been carefully designed precisely for them. But then it occurred to me: they were correct in an important way. Think about it. The goal of great sleight-of-hand, no matter what the move, is to hide any evidence of sleight-of-hand. As I postulated above, the goal is entertainment. And if one can skip the mirror, the blinking, and the self-deception and head straight for the entertainment, by God, we’ve come close to being actors who, in the sage words of Robert-Houdin, are playing the part of a magician. To prove my hypothesis, imagine the following. You sit in awe of the miracles that Juan Tamariz has just spun for you and then are told that every effect in the show can be done by purchasing one trick deck—red or blue, poker or bridge, Bicycle or Bee—for five hundred dollars. There would be a line around the block, and they’d all be behind me.

Myth Number 3: Exposure is Bad and It will Ruin Magic

To be fair, this is not a lie, per se. But it is a rule that in my judgment is very badly understood. At the outset, we need to define terms here. By “exposure,” we usually mean intentional exposure. We are after bad guys who proceed in a mean-spirited fashion to tell everyone how it’s done—especially for profit. To be sure, no one will walk the plank at the I.B.M. for accidentally revealing an effect. Now the poster child of mean-spirited exposure is the Masked Magician. That son-of-a-bitch actually revealed (gasp) the Linking Rings on TV! Just when 150 million people had collectively forgotten they used to perform it themselves right out of the S. S. Adams magic set their grandfather passed on to them! My friends, I am here to deal in inconvenient truths. There are good reasons to guard the gates of our secret craft. But the following is not one of them: “If we reveal that magic involves tricks, people won’t believe in magic and they won’t believe we are magicians.” Wrong. Keep this to yourself if you must, but I’m here to tell you that our secrets are available in every public library, in every magic store, in thousands of free websites on the internet, and occasionally, in boxes of cereal. But you may ask, “If that is true, how can it be that people are still fooled,

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that magic still exists, that we still wear our top hats and capes?” The answer is clear: magic exists because people wish it to exist. And that explains the virtue of the rule against disclosure. We keep the secrets for the same reasons good parents don’t spill the beans about Santa Claus. We protect the treasure for the same reason actors don’t pierce the fourth wall. It’s because there is something inherently enchanting about the ability to create fantasy, to construct illusion in the eyes of a child or in the minds of an audience. It’s not for us, you see. It’s for them. I am not here today to defend some no-talent bastard who takes thirty pieces of silver for intentionally destroying illusions. However, I suggest to you that the inept presentation of magic—by which I include thoughtless and inappropriate presentations as well as outright errors—does the real damage; it inspires cynicism and the rejection of magic by our audiences. Ultimately, it’s the loyal, good-hearted, but inept devotees who drive damaging stakes in the heart of this craft.

Myth Number 4: I am Only One Prop Away from Greatness

This one is really a self-imposed deception. No one would say it aloud. Rather, we mouth platitudes that go the opposite way, “It’s not the trick; it’s you,” and that sort of stuff. While that happens to be true, the fact is that we stand in front of the dealer tables and surf the ads in the magic magazines with the unshakeable conviction that the only thing standing between us and immortality is one killer trick. If you don’t believe that, go home and open up the drawers in your magic room—or in my magic room. They are stuffed with discarded (or should be discarded) crap that is nothing more than the collected tombstones of dashed hopes. This next statement will surely guarantee my expulsion from the Magic Dealer’s Association (if fifteen years of unpaid dues has not already done that), but here it goes: props are our enemies. One morning, my family and I were camping out in the Grand Canyon. I sat up in my sleeping bag with the greatest prop idea I’d ever had. It was a variation of the old carnival item where you hit something with a sledgehammer to see how strong you were, and if you hit it hard enough the little slug would travel up and ring a bell. In my concept, a borrowed watch would travel down toward a jar of smoking acid. Lights would flash, bells would ring, and the spectator’s watch would ultimately be saved at the last minute, only to reappear somewhere else. I jumped out of the sleeping bag and ran to a pay phone to call Nick Ruggiero to

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get him started building what became marketed as “Carnival Countdown.” It cost thousands of dollars and it was one of the most beautiful props we ever built. I performed it again and again and again. However, I never left the stage without some lingering disappointment. So I did what I always did in such cases: I videotaped it and sent it to my mentor and life-changing teacher, Davey Marlin-Jones. I asked him, “Why am I not getting a better response from this?” “Because,” Davey responded, “the prop is far more interesting than you are.” Davey advised me to get rid of it immediately, and I did. It’s almost impossible to overcome anyone or anything that is upstaging you. Think about it. There is no other performing art that plays to its props. Actors don’t decorate the chairs and tables with glitter tape. And magic is the only art where you can buy a box and be on stage that night. You can’t do that with a violin. Moreover, doing a one-man show is the hardest of all theatrical genres. We are deprived of the usual theatrical elements that make for build-ups and resolutions. There are no entrances and exits; rarely are there moments when we are off stage, so what we bring to the show is revealed very early on. And if the set doesn’t change as we progress through the show, the audience has pretty much seen it all too quickly. Yet we dare to present ourselves with shiny props that generally reside on stage at all times, demanding attention even before such attention is appropriate. Nonetheless, our irresistible temptation as magicians is to hitch our hopes to the awe that will be inspired by that Chinese box in the corner. Finally, we attempt to overcome all these built-in booby traps without the assistance, intervention, or oversight of a theater director. We may be “actors playing the part of a magician,” but there is no self-respecting actor in the world who would attempt a theatrical adventure like this without some serious direction from someone who knows what they are talking about. The lesson here is relatively simple, but terribly important. We need to tell kids to practice, to protect secrets, but more than that, we need to tell them that if they want to perform, they need to do far more than just read the magic instructions. They need to read and learn about theater. At its best, magic is a theatrical discipline. It doesn’t matter that sometimes our theater is no larger than a living room; we need to know what it means to be on stage.

Myth Number 5: Everyone Loves Magic

No, they don’t. The words of Somerset Maugham are worthy of restatement here:

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“He asked me if I liked card tricks. I said no. He did five.” Ideally, magic, like any other art, should be available on demand rather than “demanding to be available.” I distinctly remember a visit to our home by a close friend of ours that coincided with a visit by a magician acquaintance. During the course of conversation, the magician pulled out a small change-pursesize zippered pouch, which, he confided, contained a full forty-minute show. We nodded politely, desperately afraid that any skepticism would be met with a fortyminute proof. The lasting image I am still trying to shake from my mind is our walking upstairs to my study with the magician demonstrating four variations of sponge ball moves he felt should be shared. I remember praying for a lightning bolt to strike—I didn’t care whom. And remember, I love magic. I’ll say it again, magic is a theatrical art that ought to be cultivated properly and nurtured gently by us, its stewards. One of the beauties of magic is that its particular theater can exist in virtually any setting. But it’s worth remembering that theater performances are generally most successful when the patrons, in one manner or another (such as by buying a ticket), show some desire to be entertained. It is worthwhile, having noted that not everyone loves magic, to close with some observations about why they feel that way. Too often, spectators see magic as nothing more than a puzzle, or more cynically, as carrying the aura of a cheat, a swindle. This fact is why I have such an aversion to referring to magic effects as “tricks.” In the final analysis, if we are true trustees of this art, we need to remind folks of the meaningful distinction between illusion and deception. Deception is a mean-spirited act, practiced by one upon an unknowing other. It generally results in pain and unhappiness. Illusion, on the other hand, is a joint effort involving the willing suspension of disbelief. When properly pursued, the result of illusion is enjoyment and happiness and a certain trusting complicity between the performer and his audience. These are the distinctions that separate the Actor from the Grifter, the Performer from the Perpetrator. I admire everyone who appreciates the possibilities of magic, who dedicates themselves to being stewards of the art, who values the happiness and satisfaction that a bit of illusion and wonder can bring to people’s lives. As I look around the room, I see so many people who embrace these values too. Among other things, this explains why I’m so flattered to have been asked to address you this morning and so flat-out pleased to be among this group of friends. • 147

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18 The Gift of Magic: Some Obvious Reminders Robert E. Neale

(An excerpt from Magic Matters, Theory and Art of Magic Press, 2009, pages 5-6.) Magic is a gift. Some of the implications of this thought follow. . . .

Some Obvious Reminders

1. Magic itself is a gift. It can create the appreciation that things are not as they seem, and therefore, that something better is possible. This gift counters demoralization by offering new possibility and hope. Producing a silk can suggest that something surprising and wonderful can occur. 2. The specific theme of a trick can be a gift. Magically joining two silks that represent people can signify the possibility of love. 3. This gift of the possible is ambiguous. And it is dangerous. Will it be for better or worse? So reaction to it is ambivalence. Folk tales about three wishes and their unintended consequences illustrate these dynamics. 4. It follows that the gift can be a challenge from the performer to stretch the minds

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and hearts of the audience. This can save performers from sentimentality. 5. It also follows that the audience can reject it just like any other gift. It can be returned to the giver, discarded, saved for another time, or given to another person. 6. A performance can also offer a physical gift to a spectator or the entire audience. Such a gift can be a token of the more fundamental gift of the performance. It seems likely that this does not happen as often as it could and should. 7. The gift can also be of oneself, something personal from the performer. This can be an idea and/or feeling, something of concern to the performer. It need not necessarily be identified as such for the audience, and there is a danger of a confessional approach that abuses the spectators. 8. Finally, such a gift is reciprocated, as the audience gives back to the performer during and after the show. If the performer does not realize this and sees gifting only as a one-way process, he or she is presumptuous and patronizing. In sum, magic is both giving a gift to the audience and receiving a gift from the audience. Magic performance is a gift exchange. . . .

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19 A Conversation with Robert E. Neale

(This conversation was held by e-mail, July 15-16, 2009.)

Larry: Thank you, Bob, for this conversation to supplement your contributions to our book on giving magic and magical gifts. I am so pleased that you are a part of this shared project, for many reasons, but one of them is that you have already done considerable thinking and writing about gift magic. In fact you have a whole section of gift magic in your latest book, Magic Matters. As part of that section you provide a list of eight reminders about the nature of the relationship between magic and gifts. We have reprinted that list in this book [see the previous chapter], and I want to ask you a few questions about your ideas. Your first reminder is that “Magic is itself a gift.” And that is, you suggest, because it “creates appreciation” and “counters demoralization” by offering new possibilities and hope. I understand that, I think. Let me ask you to say more: are there other things that gifts do? Are there other things that magical gifts do? Bob: Oh yes. Gifts do much, as you know well because I have heard you speak it about very usefully. (I guess that comment is my gift to you, and it is a belated

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thanks for engaging me with questions.) What comes to mind immediately are: gifts reveal something about the giver; reveal something about the giver’s understanding of the receiver; gifts offer connection between giver and receiver; and especially, gifts prompt gift exchange which helps foster friendship and community. All this involves a host of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, so any specific giving can be quite a fulsome piece of interchange. Magical gifts can do all this too. Larry: I can imagine critics of this book project who might say, “magic as gift,” “gift of magic”—all this is mere metaphor and loose talk that yields confusion and the meaninglessness of words. “Magic is a gift? Duh, no. . . .magic is a performing art.” What might you say to that imaginary critic? Bob: I’d say, “You are right!” There are a great many terms and phrases that are exceedingly vague and perhaps quite empty. For example: God, freedom, democracy, love, and the American way of life. These are valuable precisely because they are vague enough to win a general hearing and provoke fruitful conversations among people. With topics such as these, and a good many others, we typically start from our own meanings and tend to assume that we understand each other. So I would say “magic as gift” is a valuable way to start the discussion, but far from sufficient to end it. To me, it serves as an opening reminder that the performer is making an offering to others. This is a most obvious point, but I do not know the extent to which it is appreciated, understood, and utilized. To the imaginary critic, I would also observe, just for the serious fun of it: those terms about freedom, love, and “magic as gift” may only refer to our illusions. If so, that is just fine, as illusions are among our most valuable products. But that is another topic. Or is it? Larry: Your third reminder is that the gift of a magic performance is ambiguous and dangerous. Help us understand this. “Ambiguous” and “dangerous” isn’t usually how we think about gifts in general. Do you think all gifts are like that or only magic gifts? And if only magic gifts, what gives them this power? Bob: Gifts offer connections between people. Thus, giving and receiving create attention to relationship and to obligations. Given the nature of the human animal, how could this not be ambiguous and dangerous? What is weird to me is our neglect of this fact, of the ambiguity and vulnerabilities in our relationships with others.

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I guess I assume that we are more comfortable both ignoring it and ignoring the other ways we have for coping with it. I don’t blame us one bit. But now and then, some acknowledgement of these dynamics is to our advantage. Larry: Let’s shift gears a little. Your sixth reminder is that a magic performance can offer a physical gift to the participant or the audience as a token of the performance. In fact, our book here is full of magic like this. You also suggest that this “does not happen as often as it could or should.” Why do you think so? What do you think is going on with contemporary magic that it loses sight of this? Bob: To give a physical gift is such an obvious thing to do! It is such a normal and even expected part of our living with other people. Think of all the occasions on which we offer a gift—the big formal ones, the small personal ones, and totally unexpected and haphazard ones. Whenever a magician gives away a playing card with the spectator’s signature on it, it can remain tucked in the corner of a bedroom mirror for years. We hang on to such items. As a non-performer, I am happy to recommend that we try to offer a gift during every performance. I believe that, even when received by only one person, an entire audience will experience the connection established. So I think magicians should develop the habit. Why we have not is a puzzle to me. Maybe it is a matter of when and why we began to be performers? Maybe some social maturity is required? Maybe there many more reasons that do not come to my mind. It surely was an understanding that came to me, shall we say, late in life. Larry: As usual, Bob, your list of reminders tries to respect the complexity of the topic at hand. So while you provide us a number of ways in which magic is a gift and relates to gifts, you also want to protect magic and gifts from sentimentality. You have written at some length about this in Magic Matters, but can you say some things here? What troubles you about sentimentality in magic? What might you say to someone who insists that gifts by their very nature are sentimental? Bob: Well, I take it that “sentimentality” refers to behavior that is an excessive emotional response to some situation. So in being cautious about sentimentality, the issues for me are: what is the situation, what is emotionally excessive in it, and who decides? As to the claim that gifts are sentimental by nature? I disagree; gifts

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can be all sorts of things. For example, they can be “appropriately” supportive, cautionary, or destructive. So I would say that “inappropriately supportive” gifts are typical of sentimentality. In some specific cases, the situation is not always clear. And my presentation for “Something” [see chapter 11] is a good example of this ambiguity. Is it sentimental or not? That depends on the attitude of both the performer and the audience. The performer affirms to the audience that we all are “something.” This is a version, perhaps, of that traditional conviction that we are all children of God. But what does it mean to us and to others? In my presentation, I deliberately refer to a prostitute as the source of the conviction. With an audience of friends, I know about the people who I am proclaiming are “something.” But with an audience of strangers, I do not. Is my claim for real? Do I really mean it? Or is it a marvelous example of secular piety? Sentimentality? Further, if I do mean it, what are the implications about anyone and everyone in the audience? About prostitutes, yes, and about murderers, rapists, child-molesters, enemies of our communities at all levels? Are they “something”? And, if so, how are we to relate to them? To me, these are mind-boggling questions about the nature and demand of acceptance and rejection between people. Our answers to the questions are equally disturbing to me. It is easier to be sentimental. But such superficiality is not my intention with “Something.” Come to think of it, it might be fun to reconsider the conclusion, and make a brief addition that inhibits sentimentality in the audience. A couple of questions might do it. Larry: This brings us to the dark side of gifts. Indeed, you remind us that gifts can be rejected, discarded, or casually re-gifted (ouch!). Does that provide any special lessons for us magical givers? Bob: I do not know what might be special lessons for us magical givers. All the performing arts (along with so many other professions and vocations) offer gifts that can be responded to in these ways. I am not even sure that they represent the “dark side” of gifts. The “dark side” to me lies in the performer who neither expects nor tolerates rejections or discards. In psychotherapy there is a term most helpful to the budding therapist—“the helping neurosis.” This refers to those who cannot handle a patient responding negatively to their attempt to help. We try so hard to give and are blind to the needs of the one who is then required to accept the gift, and this is destructive. I assume that experienced performers, like experienced

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therapists, are accustomed to this dynamic and can even use it to further their goals. Of course one can try to avoid this problem by offering only “light” entertainment that is a welcome gift of distraction from daily life. Therapists cannot do this, and magicians can, but need not do so without deviation. I am not a performer and pontificate on this matter perilously, but I obviously enjoy sometimes presenting “heavy” entertainment themes as is done by humorists and dramatists. Larry: I must say you have one piece of gift magic that is so disturbing I wonder if it is even performable. It is called “Pass It On” (in Life, Death & Other Card Tricks, pages 23-26). It is a deeply intriguing trick—I have thought about it a lot—but the pay-off is that the performer passes an allegedly fatal curse on to the participant: a negative gift! Tell us about negative gifts. Is there any light in them? Why should we ever perform such a thing? And how have your performances of this trick been received? Bob: Yeah, I do like to make up disturbing pieces. I need to mouth off about gender bias, torture, and capital punishment matters that underline problems in our society. So presentations come into being that are deliberately disturbing. Let me repeat: I am not a performer. I do perform occasionally for other magicians and for friends. Only rarely have I performed for strangers. When I created “Sole Survivor” [see Magic and Meaning, pages 133-136], I warned Eugene that it could not be performed for everyone, but he went out and presented it in a bar. I was delighted. (Eugene can get away with a lot!) So it all depends, I suspect, on the intention and manner of the performer. “Pass It On” is in the joke section of my card book. It is a joke, but it also has a serious intention. The end of the presentation tries to allow for both the practical joke experience, giving the spectator and audience permission to ventilate their feelings, but also discusses the experience of so-called “primitive” and “childish” reactions. And I do not want to involve a spectator in such an experience without encouraging their immediate reactions. Whether or not this can work depends on both the performer and the audience. Undoubtedly it will fail with some people or many. I do not know. I have never performed “Pass It On” as I have performed “Sole Survivor.” Maybe I should ask Eugene to do it. I acknowledge that it is easy for me to encourage others to take risks, as I do, for example, with a holocaust joke [“A Jewish Miracle” in Magic Matters, pages 131139]. But humorists and comedians do this so very valuably for our society and I

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do not see why magicians need do less. Clowns may be society’s saviors. Larry: Even though we have just focused on a negative gift, much of your magic is filled with marvelous or delightful gifts, like “Hypertriptych” [see chapter 8]. “Hypertriptych” is so interesting to me because it looks and feels so impossible; I feel my mind bend as I look at it. But why is that delightful? And how can such an impossibility hold open new possibilities, as you suggest in your reminders? I suppose what I am after is the important but complex question about your understanding of the relationship between the impossible and the possible. How can they co-exist in a magic trick or performance? Aren’t they opposites? Is magic the art of the impossible or the possible? Bob: Yes, well, good question! I proclaim: impossibility and possibility must coexist for human life to exist and for magic to support it. To affirm only one alone of these two is to elevate it to a false god. It is only when they are full partners that meaningful human reality occurs. What more can I say? I can add further proclamations, ones that I support, even though they may be contradictory. I say, try for the impossible and claim success. Borges affirms, “revelation is imminent.” As many authors have said in effect, “I know this is true because I made it up myself.” The clash of impossibility and possibility fosters illusion, that act of imagination without which we cannot live and through which magic supports our humanity. Larry: Having studied your books and essays, I know that one of the central concepts in all your thinking, and thinking about magic, is “play.” Indeed, in your earliest book In Praise of Play you frequently say that playing is a gift. And so in your thought I see a three-way connection—a triangle: “Play—Gift—Magic.” Do you want to say something about this? Is magic a gift also because it is play? How is play a gift? Help us understand this cluster of relations. Bob: Well, I am not sure that I do want to say something about this. Play is so big a topic for me. I might invite the reader who is especially interested to check out my essay, “The Teddy Bear Illusion: On the Three Mothers of Magic” in our book, Magic Matters [pages 89-103]. But I will say this: for me, religion is mature play. And illusion means to be in play. And since, again for me, the distinction between

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magic and religion is tenuous at best, the place of play for the human animal and for magicians is profound. [Editor’s note: Bob also discusses this important and subtle set of ideas in his book with David Parr, The Magic Mirror (Seattle: Hermetic Press, 2002)]. Larry: Reading In Praise of Play, which valorizes play as the measure of a fulfilling life, led me to think about how frequently we hear the language of work related to magic. We say things like “I have to go work on my magic.” Or “I want to go see this famous magician so I can get ‘the work’.” Or “Here is how the trick works.” If you are right that magic is play (and I think you are), what is all this language of work about? And what are the costs of it? Bob: The issue you raise is justified and big. But who knows what we mean by “work”? I pair it with “play” and it remains just as complicated. I do remember my own original feeling and thinking about these two terms and behaviors. My father was a small town lawyer who loved his work. It was his life. After I wrote a dissertation on play for my doctoral work as a young man, I realized that I was talking to my father. And sometime after that, I also realized that for my father, his work was really play. Yeah, and sometimes my play is really work. So it goes. One more thing, Larry. The conclusion of my eight reminders on the gift of magic is about reciprocation between the performer and audience. Magic performance is a gift exchange. And you, Larry, know quite a bit about that.

•

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Bibliography

Bibliography Books

Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous. New York, Vintage Books, 1996. Allerton, Bert. The Close-Up Magician. Magic Inc., 1958. Burger, Eugene. The Experience of Magic. Kaufman and Greenberg, 1989. -------. The Performance of Close-Up Magic. Kaufman and Greenberg, 1987. Derrida, Jacques. Given Time: I. Counterfeit Money. Translated by Peggy Kamuf. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991. Erdnase, S. W. The Expert at the Card Table. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Fulves, Karl. The Pallbearers Review. Volume 10, Number 10, August, 1975. -------. The Chronicles. No. 1, 1978. Giobbi, Roberto. Card College, Volume 3. Translated by Richard Hatch. Seattle: Hermetic Press, 1998. -------.“Seven.” In Genii: The Conjurors’ Magazine. Volume 69, Number 5, May 2006. Goldstein, Phil. Focus. Seattle: Hermetic Press, 1990. Hass, Lawrence. Transformations: Creating Magic Out of Tricks. Allentown, PA: Theory and Art of Magic Press, 2007. Hyde, Lewis. The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property. New York: Vintage Books, 1979. Keable, Ian. Stand Up: A Professional Guide to Comedy Magic. 2008. Neale, Robert E. “Hypertriptych.” In The Linking Ring. Volume 75, Number 3, March 1995. -------. In Praise of Play. New York: Harper & Row, 1969. -------. Life, Death & Other Card Tricks. Seattle: Hermetic Press, 2000. -------. Magic Matters: Tricks and Essays. Sherman, TX: Theory and Art of Magic Press, 2009. Neale, Robert E. with David Parr. The Magic Mirror. Seattle: Hermetic Press, 2002. Parker, George. Het kleine boek van de Creativiteit [The Big Book of Creativity]. Amsterdam: Archipel, 2004. Plants, Gary. “A Four-tunate Choice.” Genii: The Conjurors’ Magazine. Volume 57, Number 9, September 1997. Tamariz, Juan. The Five Points in Magic. Seattle: Hermetic Press, 2007.

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Terkel, Studs. Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. New York: The New Press, 1996. Topas. Presentation Secrets. Self published, 2000. Vernon, Dai. The Vernon Touch: The Writings of Dai Vernon in Genii, The Conjurors’ Magazine from 1968 to 1991. Washington, D.C.: The Genii Corporation, 2006.

DVDs

Burger, Eugene. Gourmet Close-Up Magic. On The Chicago Tapes. The Miracle Factory, 2004. McBride, Jeff. Magic at the Edge. L & L Publishing, 2008. Osterlind, Richard. Richard Osterlind’s Mind Mysteries, Volume 1. L & L Publishing, 2003.

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About the Authors (in the order of appearance)

Jeff McBride is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading magical artists. His innovative style of magic combines mime, masks, Kabuki Theatre, world-class sleight-of-hand, and grand illusion to create a completely unique performance experience. Jeff McBride has traveled the globe many times, having performed in dozens of countries on six continents. He has been featured on every major television network in the United States. He is also a regular headliner on the Las Vegas Strip, a city in which Jeff has been acclaimed as “light-years ahead of the pack” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which also named him Best Magician in Las Vegas. His shows have won similar acclaim at such wide-ranging venues as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Olympic Arts Festival in Barcelona, off-Broadway in New York City, and on tour with the Radio City Rockettes. Jeff McBride is also one of the most honored magicians of our time. He has been named Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood, and has received dozens of honors and awards for his magic, including being a three-time award winner at the International Grand Prix of Magic in Monte Carlo. In addition to his work as a performer, Jeff is celebrated as a worldleading teacher of magic. He has lectured and led workshops for a wide array of organizations including The Smithsonian, The Disney Institute, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and the Center for Symbolic Studies. Jeff also writes a monthly column, “The Show Doctor,” for MAGIC magazine and he is the author, with Eugene Burger, of Mystery School (2003). Jeff McBride is the Founder of the McBride Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas, which has become recognized as the world’s leading school for magicians. Since 1993, Jeff ’s school has been offering a wide-array of educational experiences for magicians from around the world, including Mystery School, Master Class, the Magic and Meaning Conference, and many other specialized classes on magic performance. For more information: http://www.mcbridemagic.com http://www.magicalwisdom.com

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George Parker is an internationally successful corporate speaker, storyteller, and stand-up illusionist. He has dedicated his life to exploring and inspiring the process of transformation. George’s performing and teaching is grounded in his lifelong studies of theories of change in such fields as biology, psychology, physics, hermetic philosophy, and organizational management. It is also grounded in his own intentional, practical efforts to explore radical transformation in his own life— efforts that have taken him from studying pedagogics/child psychology (his university degree), to working in health care, then as a programmer/system developer, salesman, trainer, and consultant. Since becoming a full-time professional magician in 1999, George has performed thousands of shows in over twenty countries. He has elevated the notion of a “lecture-show” into a distinctive artistic category of its own—one that combines high quality conceptual and intellectual content with great entertainment value. As a result, he is one of the most sought-after, busiest corporate speakers in the Netherlands and throughout Europe. Alongside his corporate work, George has also written and produced two one-man theater shows: The Fifth Element (2006) and The Death and Resurrection Show (2009). Not only has he performed these shows in cities such as Las Vegas and London, but he travels internationally to teach magic to and lecture for magicians. He is a member of the Faculty of the McBride Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas and is a regular Keynote Presenter at its annual Magic and Meaning Conference. George Parker is the author of two books on the creative process that have become bestsellers in the Netherlands: The Little Book of Creativity (2001) and The Big Book of Creativity (2004). He has also authored The Creation Game (2009), a card game/practice that inspires fun and thoughtful creative transformations for the participant. On a more personal note, George met the love of his life Marja Lingsma thirty years ago and they have raised two sons, Ivar and Emil. Marja is a digital artist, and together, she and George have co-created a book of images and poetry, Imagination-Reality-Mystery (2010). For more information: http://www.georgeparker.nl

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Lawrence Hass, Ph.D., is a magician and a philosopher. He is Associate Dean of the McBride Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas and holds the position of Professor of Humanities at Austin College (in Sherman, Texas). Larry has performed his thought-provoking, inspiring magic from coast-to-coast, including such diverse venues as the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas, Princeton University, Magic Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, Jeff McBride’s Wonderground in Las Vegas, and the Magic Castle in Hollywood. He is also the author of the bestselling book for magicians, Transformations: Creating Magic Out of Tricks (2007). His award-winning essays on magic have been published, in four languages, in leading international magic journals and magazines. He has been a regular columnist for MAGIC magazine and he currently writes a monthly column for M-U-M, the magazine of the Society of American Magicians. Larry is also the Founder of the Theory and Art of Magic, an ongoing series of ventures dedicated to elevating the magical arts. In one of its forms, the Theory and Art of Magic produces artful performances and educational lectures by world-leading magicians. In another of its forms, Theory and Art of Magic Press is dedicated to publishing high-quality books for magicians that will feed their heads as well as their hands. After twenty-three years in the college classroom and many awards for it, Larry is well-known as a master teacher and he is a leading teacher of magic. He has taught many college-level courses, not only on aesthetics and phenomenology, but also on magic performance, and on the theory and history of magic. He also travels the world offering lectures, workshops, and mini-courses specifically for magicians and magic enthusiasts. In his capacities as a magic performer, writer, and teacher, Larry has been featured in a wide array of international media, including the New York Times, USAToday, The Chronicle of Higher Education, by the Associated Press, and on the Discovery Channel.

For more information: http://www.lawrencehass.com http://www.TheoryandArtofMagic.com

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Eugene Burger is an internationally famous magician, having entertained audiences from Las Vegas to Tokyo. He has appeared on television numerous times in Great Britain, Canada, Belgium, Finland, Japan, and in the United States on such highly acclaimed shows as The Art of Magic (PBS) and Mysteries of Magic (TLC). He has been profiled twice on CNN. Eugene’s performing talents also have been widely recognized by his peers, for example, he has twice been named “Close-up Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood, and in 2008 he received a prestigious Performing Fellowship from that institution. At the same time, over the last thirty years Eugene Burger has become recognized as one of the craft’s deepest thinkers and most eloquent spokesmen for instilling artistry and intelligence into the performance of magic. He has achieved this stature through lectures, workshops, and classes offered worldwide, but also through over twenty best-selling books and DVDs for magicians, including The Experience of Magic, The Performance of Close-up Magic, Mastering the Art of Magic, Spirit Theater, Magic and Meaning (with Robert E. Neale), and Eugene Burger’s Magical Voyages. Since the early 1990s Eugene has partnered with Jeff McBride in creating the McBride Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas—an institution for which he serves as Dean. Since the late 1990s he has partnered with Larry Hass in the creation of The Theory and Art of Magic program, an ongoing series of events and educational programs at institutions of higher learning designed to celebrate the magical arts. During the past several years, Eugene has been a featured speaker for top executives of such major companies as Coca-Cola, Williams-Sonoma, Unisys, and Pottery Barn, as well as top business schools including Wharton, and the graduate schools of business at the Universities of Chicago and Maryland. In the year 2000, Eugene was named one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Magicians of the Twentieth Century” by MAGIC magazine.

For more information: www.magicbeard.com

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Rich Bloch In 1946, famed comics Bud Abbott and Lou Costello asked Billie Bloch, Rich’s mom, for permission to have her three-year-old son stay in Hollywood and begin a career in show business under their tutelage. Billie declined, whisking her son back to the safety of the East Coast. But the hook was set. By age seven, Rich was hanging around stage doors and doing magic shows. At eight, he landed his first T.V. gig as assistant to Dick DuBois, television’s first Magic Clown on the DuMont television network in New York City. And so it began. Rich has become one of the busiest corporate entertainers in the world. He is a frequent headliner on Las Vegas and Atlantic City stages, a motivational speaker (Rich is a two-time recipient of the coveted “Blackstone Award” from the International Platform Association), an author, and a playwright. He has served as scriptwriter and magic consultant to the legendary Orson Welles (who once introduced Rich as “an Edison of magic”) and to various theater companies, including the Folger Shakespeare Theater in Washington. He is a featured headliner for various cruise lines, including Crystal, Regent, Cunard, Holland America, Silver Sea, and Royal Caribbean. He has been a five-time nominee for Stage Magician of the Year at Hollywood’s Magic Castle and was the recipient of a Fellowship in 2006 from that institution. Rich also has a long history in magic as an inventor, (out of magic, too—he holds a patent on a device to assist disabled ice skaters), builder, and performer. He is the originator of more than eighty effects used worldwide by professional magicians. At home in Washington, D.C., he lives with his wife Susan (a Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University), two children, three cats, an Old English sheep dog, and a parrot that does card tricks.

For more information: www.blochmagic.com

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Bob Neale is a teacher and writer. Throughout his career, he has exercised his imagination by making up things in the overlapping areas of religion, magic, and the arts. The results have been psychological theories about death and dying, religion as mature play, and the relations of loneliness, solitude, and companionship. An understanding of the place of magic in daily life grew out of these explorations. And the expression of it was facilitated by his creation of origami models, puzzles, and tricks, frequently presented with social, political, and philosophical meanings. He cares about magic as imagination at play in the expression of truth through illusion. Bob is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ with degrees from Amherst College and Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he taught for twenty-four years as Professor of Psychiatry and Religion. His publications during that time include In Praise of Play (1969), The Art of Dying (1973), and Loneliness, Solitude, and Companionship: New Dimensions in Relationship (1984). Bob is an internationally exhibited and published creator of origami models. He delighted many paperfolders and magicians with his “Bunny Bill” in 1964. In 2009, his impossible object “The Impossibill Braid” gave instruction on construction in both text and DVD. Between these years, he has published Origami, Plain and Simple (1994), Folding Money Fooling (1997), Frog Tales (2000), and Which Came First? A Collection of Magical Designs (2006). Bob’s essays on magic and tricks have appeared in many journals, pamphlets, and books. He was a monthly columnist for The Linking Ring for five years. His first book for magicians Tricks of the Imagination (1991) was followed by: co-authored with Eugene Burger, Magic and Meaning (1995); Life, Death and Other Card Tricks (2000); co-authored with David Parr, The Magic Mirror (2002); with the assistance of Michael Weber, Celebration of Sides: The Nonsense World of Robert Neale (2006 DVD); This Is Not A Book, (2008); and Magic Matters (2009).

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Ab ou t Theory and Art of M agic P ress

About Theory and Art of Magic Press Theory and Art of Magic Press is an outgrowth of the Theory and Art of Magic program, an ongoing series of educational events and conferences dedicated to promoting and celebrating the magical arts. Since the program’s founding by Dr. Lawrence Hass in 1999 at Muhlenberg College, the Theory and Art of Magic has featured performances, talks, and lectures by world-leading stars of magic, including David Blaine, Eugene Burger, Roberto Giobbi, Andrew Goldenhersh, Max Howard, Bill Kalush, René Lavand, Max Maven, Jeff McBride, Jim Steinmeyer, Juan Tamariz, and Teller (among many others). The program continues from Dr. Hass’s new home base in Sherman, Texas, where he is Professor of Humanities at Austin College. As an extension of Dr. Hass’s endeavors, Theory and Art of Magic Press publishes high-quality books that are intended to help magicians think and learn more fully about the magical arts and also to teach top-flight performing material. For more information about Theory and Art of Magic Press, please go to www. TheoryandArtofMagic.com.

Published by Theory and Art of Magic Press

1. Lawrence Hass, Transformations: Creating Magic Out of Tricks, 2007. 2. Lawrence Hass, New Thoughts and Mysteries, 2008. 3. Robert E. Neale, Magic Matters, 2009. 4. Lawrence Hass, editor. Gift Magic: Performances that Leave People with a Souvenir, 2010.

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