On the guilty pleasures of a sleight of hand aficionado

“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live”
George Carlin

Hello my lovely readers, as I sit around lovesick by the stupid idiosyncrasies of social media and other so called communicational devices of the present times I thought I would share a piece of my mind on a subject that spikes my interest due to its rather taboo nature

I am speaking about the degree of Organicity in the performance of magic and due to the rather philosophical nature of said topic this post will not pose any definite statement but instead I hope it leaves you questioning a few things we just simply take for granted

Once again I find myself quoting Darwin Ortiz for in his books one theory he states that when working for a lay audience we shall aim towards fooling the emotional rather than the intellectual reasoning of our spectators.

In other words, one must accept the fact that the spectator does not intellectually believe that us magic performers posses real magical powers for if we really did we would instead be producing food for the hungry or curing cancer or simply solving all of the world's problems, would we not?

This limitation also stems from the fact that right from the word go the spectators know that we are magicians, even more so when one is a professional working a paid event.

However I could not help but notice how the impact of my magic increases when performed under the most organic of situations. 

Stripped from every stereotype or clever verbiage, magic achieves its moment of true astonishment on the minds of the spectators. Something as simple as a well performed color change for a stranger is sufficient.

I do think this happens simply because it catches said individual off guard and it knocks him or her down to the canvas in the least violent of ways.

So next time you are on the bus, instead of not taking your eyes off your phone, scan the room, make eye contact and do something with the cards when you know they are looking, then quite simply put the cards away, smile at them and walk away knowing you have created the most memorable of performance experiences.

This is just one way of achieving it and I urge you to look at Michael Vincent, John Armstrong and many others for a way of getting the same result on a formal performance setting.

You must also check out Dan and Dave's organic lecture notes, its insightful nature will take you by surprise.

Cheerio lovely readers, Professor Moriarty's workout routine shall now continue 

“If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything”
Marilyn Monroe

On how the Goldberg Machine aids in the understanding of Darwin Ortiz's contributions to the construction of the magical Effect or quite simply OHTGMAITUODOCTTCOTMEOQS

"Time spent with cats is never wasted"

Sigmund Freud

Those of you lovely readers who happen to be in the luck of calling yourselves friends of yours truly are aware of at least one of the following two things:

First of all, I am a devote student of Darwin Ortiz and what I call the "Strong Magic paradigm" named so dearly after Darwin's stellar book on the theory of magical presentational strategies. However, there is a newer book on construction of the magical effect considered to be the underdog of Darwin's vast contributions to this craft we all know and love and that is the book entitled "designing miracles". While this second book is recent and considerably shorter than what Ortiz has us used to, I think it really encapsulates the real work on the subject in hand.

In both “Strong Magic” and “Designing Miracles” Darwin explains his approach to methodology by posing an interesting axiom that constitutes one of his so called "Darwin's laws", it goes something along the following lines: 

"If the spectators cannot figure out the when, they will never spot the how"

Keep this in mind for before I forget I shall address the second fact about my persona that one must be aware of if it is one's desire to be a reader of this fantastic blog of the modern shenanigans of card artifice

On a more philosophical note, I do not fear a blank canvas but I do not seek inspiration either, I honestly enjoy waiting for an idea to click into place and construct itself in the most perfect of manners.

On the other hand, that may be the reason why I chose not to keep a regularity of any sort when it comes to posting things on this platform. It is my game and therefore I play by my rules, however egotistical that shall sound.

Precisely it was yesterday when that sweet epiphany I was longing for came to me and I decided to begin writing the present essay.

Have you ever heard of a Goldberg machine? Well, allow me to retort:

"…A Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption, invention, device or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered or overdone to perform a very simple task in a very complicated fashion, usually including a chain reaction. The expression is named after American cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg (1883–1970)…"

It is not by mere chance that I first teased you with the quote from Darwin's book. You see my lovely pilgrims, it refers to methodology in quite a revolutionary and one could also admit controversial way.

What is really fantastic about Darwin is that he thinks from the spectator's point of view when creating an effect and from a magician's when technique is concerned. I truly believe this to be the reason why he is quite simply the best effect constructor at present, especially but by no means exclusively when it comes to gambling flavored routines

Spectators have a rather linear way of solving problems or seeking plausible explanations to a seemingly impossible effect, Darwin states. In order to prevent the spectators from finding said solutions he employs an indirect methodology in the form of various devices of both manipulative and psychological nature. This change of paradigm demands a higher level of technical ability from the performer which I personally find quite convenient since I absolutely love difficult and unorthodox sleight of hand, even more so when I can properly apply it to my magic.

Magicians often opt for a direct methodology resulting from their inability to differentiate the effect from the method.

Having clarified that I do think that the best Effects are often simple and direct while having quite indirect inner workings, just like the Goldberg machine! Magic is wonderful, is it not?

In an attempt to wrap up I would like to mention one of Darwin's most controversial statements about the methodological directness of Vernon's travelers and Michael Vincent’s solution to the problem entitled "the ultimate travelers". In this routine, Mike manages to get to the true meaning of Darwin’s law and use time displacement to achieve a cleaner version of the effect that ends up with the deck in the box and the magician reaching with empty hands in order to remove the four aces from the pockets, because they are already there.

However, I would feel guilty without mentioning an exception to the previously exposed thesis.

I am of course speaking about my friend John Carey, who manages to fool the spectators by using amazingly simple and direct methods and still keeping that nice balance between smoothness and Spanish influenced psychological ploys.

I hope that trough the use of the comparison between the Goldberg Machine and Darwin’s approach to methodology I may indirect you to a better way of thinking about methods when it comes to constructing a magical effects and ultimately fooling the pants off of the audience.

Cheerio lovely readers, Professor Moriarty checks out

"I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it"
Niccolo Machiavelli

On what it takes to eat an elephant

“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!” 

Albus Dumbledore

Magic is all wrong lovely readers, but do not worry much for through this rather extensive essay I will try to illustrate the verisimilitude of such shockingly pretentious opening line.

There seems to be a common axiom that both magicians and laymen use. It came to me an epiphany the other day and I realized that such dogmatic attitude may very well be the root of all our problems.

"It is easy once you know the secret"

The past phrase probably ranks up there with "the hand is quicker than the eye" in that imaginary list of common beliefs of magic that have been traditionally trivializing and working towards the ultimate annihilation of the craft  since the begging of gods and men. Well, that and the medieval church burning conjurers alive, but that's a story for another day

Anyways, back to my epiphany:

"It is easy once you know the secret" should read "It is easy until you know the secret"

The present change of paradigm I am proposing will divide the topic of the essay in two, one section will deal with how I think this affects magicians and the other one will concern itself with the effects it has on muggles

If we magicians live by such an absurd motto it will most definitely reflect on the way we present ourselves and our magic. Thinking that things are easy once one knows the secret exposes a lack of dedication and respect for the secrecy of our craft in present days displayed by the abundance of YouTube tutorials or performances of 11 year olds that excuse their poor subterfuges hiding themselves under the holy cloth of misdirection, when in reality they do not understand one bit about neither of those things

To my mind, the only way of solving this is by understanding that technique is the single most important aspect of magic. Without technique, there is no external reality. Therefore, if we dedicate ourselves to perfecting the inner workings of our miracles, we may work towards changing that awful miss-conception,

On the other hand, the way the axiom in question affects laymen is by making them believe that magic is an utterly trivial discipline and the worst thing may be that, surprisingly enough they are right. The way laymen are usually exposed to magic is by watching TV, which is not the ideal media for the presentation of the craft we all know and love.

Let us all face it, we cannot go back to the late 1800's and enjoy the golden era of magic yet but we can and we should try and put a little more thought into every single performance we give for the only way of spreading light into the darkness is by presenting better magic and the only way of doing it is through attention to detail and dedication to our endeavors.

In conclusion I'd like to thank you if you have made it this far and I'd also like to add that the past series of posts were meant to illustrate what I exposed in the present essay. It is our job to make it look easy on the eyes while leaving the complex inner workings to ourselves.

Until next time lovely readers, Professor Moriarty checks out.

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

Sherlock Holmes

créme de la créme Volume 2

"Crème de la crème translates into English as "cream of the cream", in cooking terms meaning cream undergoing a deluxe treatment."

"The phrase also has a figurative meaning that it is most commonly known by, this being: the top, the best of the best or somewhat elite, also expressed as "the cream of the crop". Analogues can be drawn to the cooking term, meaning in some terms the same thing"

On a rather brief note I am pleased to be able to share with you something that I've been seeking out for quite some time. Imagine being right there when Jason England first met Gary Plants, the man who would inspire him to become the gambling expert he is today... Wouldn't that be nice?

Luckly, someone actually taped the whole thing and Mr. Plants has been kind enough to let me share an extract he posted on Youtube.

Click Here for the performance!

Have a good night my lovely readers, Professor Moriarty's left the building

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road"

Stephen Hawking

Crème de la crème

"Crème de la crème translates into English as "cream of the cream", in cooking terms meaning cream undergoing a deluxe treatment."

"The phrase also has a figurative meaning that it is most commonly known by, this being: the top, the best of the best or somewhat elite, also expressed as "the cream of the crop". Analogues can be drawn to the cooking term, meaning in some terms the same thing"

Oh what a treat you are in for today, lovely readers of this rather pretentious yet fantastic card artifice blog...

The name Tony Cabral came to my atention in 2013 when I was first begining a study on what is now my favorite routine to perform at the table. Those who know me will be aware that I am of course speaking about "Estimation Aces" by Edward Marlo. Furthermore, those of you who know Tony's work, probably a lot more than those who are familiar with mine, know that when researching the many versions of this fantastic principle, Tony is the man one must go to.

Notice my choice of wording earlier when I decided to call the Marlo item a principle rather than an effect, This was one of my first conclusions when I first set out to investigate the many variations lost within the magical literature. I noticed that those who "Thought outside of the box" method wise achieved a better effect than those who limited the performance of this miracle to doing the same thing four times in a row.

The individuals that really took the present principle from crayons to perfume are Andrew Wimhurst, Michael Vincent, Ricky Jay and Antonio Cabral. Let me briefly describe what I like about each of the three.

Andrew added the notion of a spectator cutting to the aces rather than the conjurer. This means that the effect stops being a demostration of skill in a way, which can be an excelent thing if that is what you are looking for. At first I was rather skeptical about letting the spectators steal the show but it was Tony who convinced me that after having performed it countless times behind the bar He found out that at the end of it all, the spectators still atribute the success of the routine to the performer.

On a rather personal piece of advice I may have to add the example of another one or two performers that have experimented with cutting the aces, the first of those being Jason England and the last being The Charming Cheat, Martin Nash.

Although Mr. England's rendition does not use the principle that we are discussing, his use of the Zarrow Shuffle allows him to let the spectators decide which ace is to be cut out each time. This is a powerful tool but one that I don't personally recommend you use for all four aces, use it wisely and in such a way that the spectators appriciate the fact that the ace is named. Funny enough, doing it only on the third ace may even convey that you can do it whenever you want, but that's something I rather keep to myself for now...

Mr. Nash also achieves the same thing through the use of equivoque. Before cutting to the third ace he allows the spectator to choose one of the two aces that remain and then he assings another spectator with the ace that the first spectator did not name. Once again, I do not want to expose much of the verbal ploy on a public forum but I guess those who read me know what I am talking about already

Michael's version is the one that really did it for me. It makes use of advanced card ruse and subterfuge in order to maximize the effect in a way that only the Vincent touch can. Without exposing too much, check the way he gets into the routine and what he uses to expand the effect on the final two aces. By the way, this is the routine I perform nowadays when the setting allows for the appreciation of such a wonderful miracle.

Ricky Jay's rendition is wonderful as well as artisticly stunning, you can find it on the 52 assistants videotape, if you can find it in the first place. This routine totally fooled me and I am still not sure about its inner workings.

Finally readers, thank you for making it this far! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Then how much is a motion picture worth? Here's the Cabral version of "Estimation Aces" for you enjoyment and edification

Click here and prepare to have your minds destroyed my friends!

'There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.'

Sherlock Holmes

Teaser: The Ouroboros By Ignacio Lopez

This time for a rather different approach to the craft that we all know and love, I present to you my friend Ignacio Lopez and his wonderful and smooth card handling.

Click Here for the performance!

"The Journals of Professor Moriarty: Thanks to Barry"

August 3rd, 2014

Thanks to Barry

“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it”

Alfred Hitchcock

Introduction

The following is a rather peculiar experiment of mine regarding Dai Vernon’s lovely plot “Matching the cards”

And I write peculiar due to the fact that I do not usually come up with magic that is visual and quick for I do not personally like it that much. Suspense has always been better than surprise when it comes to the way I like to present magical curiosities.



I first came across this plot when I saw Michael Vincent, who I modestly consider a mentor of mine; perform his awesome rendition of it. Mike has got many ways of presenting the routine and is to my knowledge the individual most responsible for the constant revitalization of this and many other classical items of conjuring.


However, I also owe thanks to Joseph Barry since it was after I saw him perform a fantastic three card production, which I think is original with him, that I got to thinking along the lines of what now is the effect I am writing.

The present routine represents a personal milestone in my magical journey  for it surged from one of those wonderful moments in which one connects methodological dots in one’s head rather automatically and one can almost feel it all click into place. It is truly a wonderful feeling.

Effect

A spectator touches a card and leaves it on the table sight unseen. The magician then proceeds to rapidly and visually produce three queens from the pack. He then states that if his instincts worked correctly the card on the table should be the missing queen.  To everyone’s surprise, the card on the table is an ace. The magician now shows that the three queens have now changed into three aces.

Note: Should you desire to access the full manuscript, please do not hesitate to contact me directly

Cheers

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe"

Carl Sagan