Some of my Magical Inventions

1977 "Sutz Cutz" - an unusual cut and restored rope effect.
1978 "Coin Balloon-acy" -Borrowed marked coin winds up inside a balloon. The first ever coin in balloon effect. (four stars in Genii magazine)
1980 "Best dam Tricks" book- on the rubber dam effect
1978 "Disc Go Dime (four stars in Genii magazine) - bingo chip placed on a key visually changes to a dime.
1980 Refreshments- 6 glasses full of liquid are produced from a production chamber (4 stars genii).
1980 Dependelite match pull
1980 Diminishing sponge ball -4 stars n genii
1981 Spirit of 76 floating ball
1980 Flagtastick- 3 silks change to a flag on a flagpole (4 stars in genii)
1982 Traveling silks - acrobatic silks without the bar
1980 universal utility clip
1983 pipsqueak
1982 thumb dyed
1982 super-steal holdout
1983 blendo tie
2008 Dances with ropes
2000 110 tricks with a svengali deck (booklet)
2000 110 tricks with a stripper deck
2000 Haunted Deck: book of revelations
2008 Matrix reloaded - DVD from lecture
2010 Ring and Spring DVD
1980 Magic with a Steel Ball and Tube
2008 Coin Balloonacy DVD

Words and Magic

The most invaluable assets to a magician are his words as well as his actions. The dialogue is as integral to misdirection as any move you could design. The mind's eye pictures a scenario suggested by the words of the magician, blinds the real eyes, and masks the actions of the magician with imagery.
The communication and eye contact of patter is a key element and a strong tool for the magician. The action of an effect can be mimmicked and performed but like the transition from silent films to sound, the patter adds depth and originality. The moves become secondary.
Patter is the personality of the classic effect called professors nightmare. Those words have been lost to magicians as the PN has become public domain. Whether it be the classic story of the professor who dreams about rope and numbers, or the magic missionary who uses parables of equality to spread a message, the words make it magical.  Like music and lyrics, moves with patter make the effect magical and memorable.

Jeff McBride

Got a nice little e-mail from Jeff McBride the other day. He was reminiscing about the old days. He had just got back from a tour in Europe and was catching up on local mail.

Getting back into the lecture circuit has been difficult. Except for my books, my name hasn't been out there. The internet was just evolving when I went "underground" with my magic.
By underground, I was teaching magic, had a shop, and did some local things, but nothing on the national scene.

Being there

I feel like Forrest Gump, traveling obliviously through life touching greatness, being there, yet never a part of it.

Who knew that while listening to Cassius Clay beating Sonny Liston would result in the legend that is Ali. I met Ali, and actually held his huge hands in mine as I showed him how to do a magic trick, facing him and guiding his hands through the motions of a performance. I was just another magic dealer in a booth at a convention in LA, yet there I was. An audience with the King, lasting 5 minutes and touching a piece of history.

Magic has let me touch the hands of Walter Gibson, who I only knew as a magical author and found out later that he was the man who wrote the shadow. My association was superficial, a coattail claim to fame for me. Gibson was gratious enough to endorse a booklet of mine which I asked him to contribute to. I actually needed some routines on an obscure subject, and he had written magic instruction which lent itself to my thesis. The gibson name on my books meant sales and associative fame (not fortune). This was my piece of his time when at age 85, his time was precious.

 

Magic, magicians, illusionists, & conjurors all seek the ultimate compelling effects. Most want to float objects, people, or themselves, then they want to cut & restore objects, people or themselves. And lastly they want to vanish objects, poeple or themselves.
All of this IS possible, anything is possible using the "art of Magic". The simulation of the occult, or mystical powers. Or IS IT?
Modern performers assemble their audiences under the guise of doing a show, performance art using magical arts.

write about the liars!!