Okay, so, the title's slightly misleading. It's not an entire summer vacation, but it's a short one during the summer. I'm off to Europe for a little bit, going to see some sights and enjoy some food, more sights, and hopefully more food.
In the off-chance that I'll have leisurely time while there, which is most likely in the airports to and from, I'm bringing two books: Scarne on Card Tricks and The FFFF Book. Scarne because, well, it's a classic and I haven't gone through it yet. FFFF because, I mean come on.
Well, that's about it. A short one today folks, and I'll be skipping my post on Thursday this week to enjoy the break. I'll be back next week though =]
I leave you with the question of: if you were taking a trip and knew you'd have time to read, what would you take with you?
A few weeks ago, I mentioned a challenge from a Discord group -- The People's Palace of Prestidigitation. The challenge is centered around magic with paper bags. That's it. Just... perform something using a paper bag!
Back in April, I was watching a lecture by David Regal ([[ vanishing inc link]]) and he started the second lecture with a very simple, but very fooling, trick that used a paper bag. Watching the trick, I knew what the ending would be. It was impossible not to guess that that would be the ending. Knowing that though, and watching his performance, made it that much more impossible because it happened exactly like I thought it would... but there was no way it could have!
Of course, David taught how to do the trick. It wasn't a card trick, but I was very interested. I immediately bought a pack of paper bags and a secret ingredient: rubber cement! And then, I let them sit on a shelf in my closet for about four months now.
When I saw the challenge from P.P.P., my first thought was that David Regal trick. I do want to clarify though; I don't think he actually invented the trick. It's a simple switching bag, but, with paper bags. Maybe he invented the way to do it with the paper bag and rubber cement, or maybe he learned it elsewhere. I'm not sure; I'll be certain to ask him one day though. Ah, but anyways, my thought was to do a card trick utilizing the paper bag via the method he taught.
This was the first time I've ever used rubber cement and wow. This stuff is pretty cool. It's messy, but cool. It dries fast and isn't that sticky. I learned a very important property of it though, and this that after a strip of it dries it doesn't stick to regular paper... instead, it sticks to another strip of dried rubber cement! Using this principle, you can have two innocuous "paper" things that operate as paper should and then, by pressing them together, bam, they're stuck! It's magic =P
So far, I've made 6 gimmicks and practiced the routine about 9 or 10 times. I also messed up 2 other bags because apparently being able to cut a paper bag is a skill they need to teach in school. I'm heading out on vacation soon though, so if I don't get this down and recorded before then, well, I won't be able to submit it for the challenge.
If you're curious if I get it or not, make sure to follow me on Instagram (@gbabbits) because that's where I'll post it. I'll post a performance of it whether I get it done in time for the challenge or not, but if it's before the end of the month -- wish me luck!
It's Monday and you know what that means... Monday Mail Call!
Each Monday (give or take), I use this feature to highlight a few of the things that have made their way in over the past week or so. Packages, purchases, and emails -- oh my!
This week I received 15, that's fifteen, decks in the mail. Most of these were from Ellusionist's clearance sale that had a bucket load of decks for as cheap as $3. Well, I scored some decks for $3. Nothing crazy to write home about, mostly Madison Rounders, but a few Bicycle decks thrown in there too. Fortunately, and unfortunately, I think I have just as many decks coming in again from various sources too. My mountain of decks needs some serious pruning.
The coolest thing I got in though was The FFFF book. If you were to see it, you'd think it were an ordinary book. If you were to lift it, you would be pleasantly surprised by how heavy it is. That's how much awesome is contained within.
Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic, or the FFFF Club, is a group that holds an annual convention that's invite only. I recently learned of it through a casual mention in The Buena Vista Shuffle Club and did my research. It's easy to see that it started with Eddie Fechter, but what I didn't know was just how big of a magician this guy was.
A year or two ago, a magician I've spoken with on Twitter, had mentioned him to me and I went down the very short rabbit hole of watching some of his performances on YouTube -- decades old recordings of him performing at the Forks Hotel. His magic was straight to the point, and very upfront. Or, ballsy, as some would say. You just get sucked up into his personality and bam, magic. It took me quite a while to finally find a copy of Magician Nitely that has some of his work, but I did. It was great stuff, but that was about it.
And then, the Shuffle Club opened my eyes that there was way more going on here. This ballsy magician, this guy that's just the life of the party, really had a gathering. He wasn't just a bar magician, he was a guy who loved magic. Well, The FFFF Book doesn't have any routines by Fechter in it, but it does have a lot of routines by a lot of different people -- all members of the FFFF Club.
Here I was thinking that I might consider joining AMA or IBM or one of the other magic clubs, but I'm starting to think that the coolest ones are invite only...
Unfortunately for me, I have several other books that are open in front of me and I can't get to The FFFF Book at this exact moment. I am really excited to flip through it though, there are a lot of great names inside!
Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!
Oh also, if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), just reach out here.
Back in May, the course kicked off. It was 30 days long and covered magic across several areas including cards, coins, and even gags. On the course description page, one of the frequently asked questions had a good answer to help set expectations about the experience level being covered though:
Even if you have no experience, you'll be able to perform nearly all of the tricks you're learning in class right away.
I wrote about the course a few days after I started it and wanted to give a proper review after I've finished. Well, let's dive in!
Course Overview
The course, fully titled David Blaine Teaches Magic, was offered via the online app Studio. We're told that we will learn 30 tricks in 30 days with none other than David Blaine himself!
For the first time, David Blaine shares the methods behind his magic. In this one-month online class, learn 30 of David’s favorite card tricks and physical feats. Take what you learn and immediately blow the minds of your friends, your family, or any audience.
The 30 tricks are spread out over the 30 days of the month in different video lectures that all feature David Blaine, but many of them also have Asi Wind and Steve Cuiffo sitting at the table with him, equally participating. There are a couple of the videos with other guests that make appearances as well, such as in the Breath Holding and Breaking Handcuffs lectures.
The schedule is structured in a way where, after each video, you have a chance to submit a project. These projects are video recordings of you performing what you had just learned. Once submitted, your peers that are taking the course with you have a chance to provide feedback on your performance, and you can provide feedback on theirs as well.
Most of the course is on card magic. There are a few coin and bill tricks, and some physical feats like I mentioned above. The course even touches on theory, inventing tricks, and how to keep learning once the course is complete. All in all, it's a package deal!
Expectations vs. Reality
As I hinted at initially, my expectations of this course were that it was going to be very basic. Something like a video version of one of those magic kits you get for Christmas when you're 10.
Why did I think this? Well, the quote at the top of this page for starters. It flat out says that with zero experience, you'll be able to perform these routines right away. As someone who's studied magic for years -- practice is a big part of it. I can walk away from this course and perform magic, without practice?! They must be tricks with a setup, or simple self-working tricks, or something ridiculously basic right?
On top of that, when we were introduced to our peer groups on Day 1 I didn't get the best impression. Of the unknown number of people who registered for the course, we were separated into groups of 20. In my group of 20, only 3 of us had prior magic experience. And that includes David Blaine, who was the 20th member of everyone's peer group (like Tom from Myspace...).
So, to repeat, my expectations were that this course was going to be very basic that it was a way to get to see how David Blaine thinks and his approach to magic.
Time for a Dose of Reality
Lesson 1, Introduction to Magic: Key Card. Look... I'm going to admit, I laughed when I thought about how I spent money to learn about a key card. I know key card magic. I have used it for years. It's, well, beginner magic. And then, they took me to school.
In a 23 minute video, David, Asi, and Steve went not only over how to use a key card when performing, but how to catch glimpses, how to psychologically force a glimpse, and they even cover the Breather Crimp when diving into Pit Hartling's Finger Flicker routine (with his permission). Psychological forces, not quite beginner material. Breather Crimps, very much not beginner material.
I was hooked from lesson one, and I watched the rest with enthusiasm. However, the enthusiasm did wane over time as the individual lessons became less "action packed" as the first one was. The only, in my opinion, comparable one to the level of excitement was the Improvisational Magic & Bets lesson, which was Lesson 2. These first two lessons, also including the bonus "advanced" Lesson 1 add-on, were non-stop back-and-forth tip and technique, and the three magicians kept building off one another. It was amazing!
Looking back at the first two lessons, after I had completed the first week, I realized that my enthusiasm for them was because of having the existing knowledge of the routine basics. Knowing how to do the handling upfront gave me the added benefit of being able to listen more succinctly to their words and the wisdom they were trying to share. This goes back to many magicians who will say, time and time again, that they would read or watch the same thing over and over and over. I wondered, for the longest time, why would you keep going back to something after you've already learned how to do it -- and it's because there's more there.
I only expected the content to be covered in breadth due to the different topics and genres being covered, but there were areas where we saw depth too. The Out of This World lecture, wow. Prior to this course, I only knew the original version. I thought the original was good; albeit I've never performed it because it just doesn't really fit my style, but wow. This course went over several variations of it, even how to perform the routine with a shuffled deck in use! Do you know what I did the night I learned that version? I performed it! It also helped further beat into this thick skull of mine the fact that with any magic sleight or routine, you can always play with the concept more. You can tweak it; you can make it more "you."
The physical feats lectures were my least favorite. The Arm Twist, yeah not my thing. I pretty quickly figured out how it worked since I saw David perform it on TV when I was a kid and didn't care for it then either. That lecture, however, did cover a very important topic that applies to all of the other types of magic though -- How to Make People Care. You know that line: "hey, want to see a card trick?" It's not a very good hook now, is it? Knowing how to be a performer, how to get people interested and invested -- now that's an important skill.
I was disappointed with the Breaking Handcuffs lecture. I bought a pair of handcuffs before the course started too. I guess I didn't pay enough attention because I thought we were going to do a magic trick with them, something neat like an escape artist type of trick. No, not quite. Spoiler alert but uh, you physically destroy the pair of handcuffs. It's a "strongman" trick that will cost you $28.95 (plus tax) to perform. But hey, at least I have a pair of handcuffs now! I'm sure there's a trick or two I can figure out with them.
By the end of the course, my excitement and enthusiasm did dwindle. This is primarily because the last few lectures, not including the Brainstorming the Trick ones were the physical feats. All of the gas was at the very beginning of the course, and I felt like we were running a bit on empty there towards the end. This is important to note, but the end met that original expectation of the course being a way to see how David Blaine approaches magic and how he thinks.
Studio Platform Opinion
I've used a few different online platforms for different magic courses. The official MasterClass platform, Teachable, and a couple of regular streaming services that have no fancy features. Studio is a bit similar to MasterClass and Teachable, but it definitely has its own vibe.
I did enjoy the concept of having a peer group to work through the course with. Unfortunately, my peer group wasn't that active. Instead, even though I was uploading my projects for my peer group, folks that I've never met or heard of before were the ones providing feedback. I didn't mind since the entire idea was the get feedback, but I can see how it would make people uncomfortable. You're supposed to be working with this small(ish) class and some jerk from next door decides to crash the party.
The structure of the day-by-day lessons was an interesting one too. It made it more of an actual course opposed to a catalog to stream. 30 days of non-stop deadlines though, it was really pushing it. And you couldn't unlock the next content before completing the previous stuff. I get the whole day-by-day concept, but the lessons didn't really follow one another so there wasn't a big point to it.
Studio isn't my favorite platform, but it got the job done. It allowed me to focus on the course itself, guided me through the daily lessons, and provided a decent way to upload content and receive feedback on it. I don't think we need yet another online course platform, but hey, who am I to judge.
Takeaways
If all the above didn't spell it out well enough, let me summarize here.
I think that, for someone just getting into magic, this course is a pretty good resource. If you're interested in how David Blaine approaches magic, or how Asi Wind or Steve Cuiffo both approach their stuff -- yeah, I recommend it!
If, however, you're an established magician, it's not worth the price. For the price of this course, you could instead get 4 months of Vanishing Inc.'s VI+ which would get you 12 several-hour-long lectures and live chats, and you'd have money left over to buy that pair of handcuffs! But, again, if you're really into David Blaine, go for it!
Also, while the course is titled "David Blaine Teaches Magic", it really is a team effort here and we get so much more from it because of the group participation. I don't think that this course would have the same level of content if it were just Blaine alone. Things really, really picked up when the group started bouncing ideas back and forth. Was it scripted to be that way? Most likely. However, while watching these three guys up there at the table, you feel like you're sitting at the table with them. And that was worth the experience!
It's Monday and you know what that means... Monday Mail Call!
Each Monday (give or take), I use this feature to highlight a few of the things that have made their way in over the past week or so. Packages, purchases, and emails -- oh my!
This past week was a big one with packages coming in left and right! Though, truth be told, I think I ended up placing even more orders this week than things I received so I'll likely be getting a lot more soon too!
I had missed the original campaign (with the latter two decks), so I was really happy to be able to add them on and not have to go for crazy after-market prices. This specific campaign, for Samhain and Imbolc, celebrates Winter and the coming of Spring. The campaign itself was in November and December, so it made sense at the time =P
They're absolutely gorgeous tuck cases, but the decks themselves are pure Jocu greatness when it comes to artwork. I haven't opened mine yet (but will soon enough), but the photos on Kickstarter and Instagram have been quite nice. I'll almost feel bad using them for magic. Almost.
Up next, two books that also arrived in the same box... because they were from the same company -- Neat Review! I went a little brand-fan crazy and jumped on ordering both MAINSPRING and Magic as Medium.
I didn't know until after I received them, but Neat Review actually says that both books play off of each other as a coupling. One's for the mind, one's for the body. That'll be neat.
They're very different physically. MAINSPRING is tinier and flimsy; it's a paperback, about the size of a deck-and-a-half both in height and width. Magic as Medium is hardcover, an interesting textured cloth cover, about the size of a ... well, a book I guess. Is there a normal size for a book? I guess not. I'm looking at my different shelves and yeah, someone should really standardize book sizes!
Both of these books are more towards the theory side of the house, less the "here's how to do a routine" one. The initial vibe I'm getting is that they're both a collection of essays that relate towards a common theme and are merged into a book. And I like that.
So there it is folks, 4 new decks and 2 new books. I'm still riding my Talk About Tricks high so I doubt I'll dive into these two within the next week or two but I am excited to see what they hold. They might actually be Fall books for me; I can see myself bundled up and kicking back next to the fireplace with a hot chocolate reading them. And it's currently around 100 degrees outside as I type this, so I'll stop =P
Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!
Oh also, if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), just reach out here.
