Sorry about this week!

There will be no video this week. I got too much stuff going on. Couldn't learn a new thing and didn't feel like rehashing old stuff either.

The Cigarette Routine

Cigarette magic is obsolete. Dead. People with cigarettes get the lynching. However, done as a "perverted" magic routine this is great. To the uninitiated: Perverted magic is, when the cause of the magic is not the magician and the magic happens against the will of the performer. A good inner monologue actually makes it possible to convey the thought that the magic is unwanted to the audience. Generally people like that approach if it is used sparingly. Trying to light the cigarette but failing constantly because of the magic interfering. The roots of that routine comes from David Stones Quit Smoking routine, which is a good start if you are interested in basic manipulation with cigarettes. The routine as it is demonstrated here is not difficult at all and the setup is minimal. (big pockets help)

The cigarette is never lit and therefore any danger is excluded from the routine. I used to end the thing by not being able to light the lighter and then, when it finally happens the cigarette is broken. Here is the routine done for real people in 2006 on stage. (German performance)



And because it's still my birthday here you go with a little added bonus.



PS. I don't smoke!

The Simple Thimble Routine

Alright we got thimbles. That's a prop that is rarely seen today. I can see why. It seems a bit outdated and who want's to be outdated. But then again it's an unusual prop. And unusual props generate natural interest. So why not use it? So basically I start with explaining the premise of the first effect. And believe it or not it usually is not perceived as a trick right away. But as a genuine display of skill. And that is a good thing. The karate coin trick is a magic trick. Simply because it's not possible. With a thimble however it is. So naturally the interest curve peeks at the moment of the effect, creating a nice intro to the endless thimble production.

DUDE IT IS REALLY HARD TO SAY: "Fifth thimble", especially for a guy like me who's first language is German. Speaking "th" here equals speech impediment. We are trained from the very beginning not to have a lisp.

After that endless production there is the color changing sequence. It's not much of a sequence, but the change is so startling (the last one) that handing out the thimble is required at that very moment.

more later

Growing Coin

Plucking a coin from an ear is one of those goodies, that is too underestimated. When I started that sequence of putting the coin in one ear and pulling it out the other it got me good reactions. Soon thereafter the mouth and nose bit followed. Having a beard the production from the beard was inevitable.

But how do you finish such a one coin routine? Well by the standard final load. Most often its a large coin. And that was the case for years. But when I got an even larger coin I was thinking about making big coin even bigger. The method I use actually works in the real world. It is very obvious in the video. But in real life your eyes would follow the coin in the air. The routine used to be much, much more complex. Here is a version from seven years ago:



Now the routine is much more streamlined and it is much better on the angles. The final appearance of the giant coin actually is a nice show stopper. Especially for kids who dog that sort of stuff. In fact doing this for kids I usually point out another weird connection. If I put the coin in my hand, it comes out somebody else's ear. And then I have a short sequence of plucking the coin from the kids head. Try it, it's killer material for the youngsters.

In term of method there is nothing special. Just stuff from Bobo.