Cast a Shadow

"Cast a Shadow" is the starting point for this routine. The routine is by Eric DeCamps and has been published on page 1648 in the Apocalypse Vol.12, No.6. The click pass is by Sol Stone. I changed the last vanish for the Himber Vanish by Richard Himber because it put me in a position where it is much easier to reload the coin into the clean hand for the first production. The production from the finger palm is by Apollo Robins and he teaches it in the Cultural Exchange DVD. A good looking production I think. The angles on this routine are quite good. It can be done surrounded, but then not everybody would get to see the effects. After the first production two different Shuttle Passes happen. The first one is the classic David Roth version but the second one the "Flying Shuttle Pass" created by Jay Sankey, which if possible should be the preferred method, as it really looks like the coin fly from the "other" hand. The routine itself makes heavy use of the Ramsay subtlety but I think the pace of the routine is fast enough to support the choice.

This is the sort of routine that best works with smaller coins. For the sake of the visibility in the video I chose bigger coins to perform with. But best would be quarter sized coins. That makes the handling of certain shifts of the stack of coins to a needed position much easier. And the chance of talking is minimized a lot. It's impromptu and borrowing the coins will make the coins above suspicion giving the performer the credit.

The Five Knots in Magic

Knotology, the science of knots.... Boring. However as a filler this is a nice trick. Takes away almost no space in your bag, everything is set up and you are ready to go. It can be done on stage, close up and even in medieval busking settings.

So let's talk about the actual setup. Well a TT, the piece of silk and the rope. The TT keeps the silk in place on the rope. The setup can be moved along the rope so it won't hinder the first two knots.

The appearance of the silk on the rope is a variation of "Flash Silk on Rope" by
Doug Edwards "Apocalypse Vol.15, No.12" p. 2149.

The last phase actually makes no sense at all. But you have the TT and the piece of silk... it just feels right to do it. Also you getting rid of the piece of silk is a necessary step in order to not fill up space in your pocket. Ever tried to reach into your pocket for a prop that you need and a piece of cloth is in the way. You need to get rid of the piece of silk.

Ring and Rope #1

Rope magic is one of those fields that is hard to credit. So many moves are just so darn similar. It is refreshing to us the old "loop through the neck" in a new way. "Cord Through" is the name of the first part of the routine. It's by Shigeo Takagi and was published in the Apocalypse (Vol. 11 No. 10 p.1552). He uses a shoe lace and a bottle opener. But I needed a ring for the second phase, so I used that.

The first part of the second phase is reminiscent of David Williamsons great Ring and Rope routine, making use of a familiar rope gimmick. It doesn't hinder the first phase at all. The second part of the second phase is by me. I found this by accident. If you do what I did in the video and hold your right hand the way I was holding it in the video, you'll end up wit the same result. First the ring will move towards your thumb ten hit it and stop. Pulling some more will pivot the ring around the thumb releasing the rope, while the ring hangs on the thumb automatically.

Coin And String

This is a routine I strung together using the best methods I could find for this type of magic. Let's mention the basics first: There are two ways of doing this. One is using just one object, like most ring and string routines and the second way of doing this is using a dupe. The drawback to the first one is, that you have to go through rather goofy phases of linking and unlinking, while the later version has the drawback of being to obvious. The second problem can be solved by attacking the issue with "cleanliness". And what better way to hide the second coin, by not using a second coin, but a familiar and common coin gimmick.

So going from there I went through my pile of books and read. The basic routines that I took "phases" from are by Sol Stone, Troy Hooser and Jay Sankey.

If you check out Vol.1 No.3 of the Apocalypse at page 30 you'll find the routine called "Stung Coin" by Sol Stone. Which is a nice prototype but gets needlessly lost in methods in my humble opinion. But there is a nice way to use the Downs Palm to hide the second coin. This routine was my starting point to get to the routine you see in the video. The next influence and I'd say the major influence is the "Charming Chinese Challenge" by Troy Hooser. You can find the routine in the wonderful book Destroyers by Joshua Jay. It starts at page 21. My little video doesn't do it justice, but the "Spell Bound Unlink" looks a lot better if you use a felt ribbon instead of the big string I used in the video. The ribbon seems to fall right through the coin. Another phase I took from Hooser's routine is the "Mid-Air Link" which is hard to do on camera but is so great in real life. It seems like there is no way trickery could take place. Especially if you do it with a certain level of nonchalance. And finally Jay Sankey has a wonderful routine called Leaving Home. It is published on his "The Very Best of Jay Sankey" DVD (Volume 3) He uses the Strinking Vanish by David Williamson ("Williamson Wonder" by Richard Kaufman) in a nice offbeat way to create the illusion of a link. That is the last phase I did in the video. It is the most challenging move in my routine, but worth the effort of learning it. The very first link is mine, I have not found that in any books I own, but I like it.

Three-Second Wonder by Gary Ouellet

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 10, Number 4 April 1987
Page 1335 et seq.

Personal Comment: I have been doing a version of this for years. The version of this I've been doing doesn't require to "bring back" cards. So when I read this I was all like... dude no need... but strangely this version here, the original is much more practical. And you know how much I like bold. So this is recommended.

Difficulty 3/5

No Quarter by Randy Tanner

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 10, Number 3 March 1987
Page 1323 et seq.

Personal Comment: As said in the video. I just came back from actually doing this to real people... It's killer. In book YOU take out a corner for verification. I did not. In this version the corner is left by accident. Which I think makes it much less suspicious as "proof" of magic, I think. Anyway, the original version uses no "devils handkerchief" and is fairly practical. I recommend checking it out. The routine is not "too" creative. It breaks no new ground, but it plays well.

Difficulty 3/5

Shooting Card by Jeff McBride

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 6, Number 5 May 1983
Page 775 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is tricky... and Harry Lorayne said all there is to say about it. As a revelation it is kind of weak... but put this into an action like cutting the deck, it suddenly becomes a startling production that fits well into a Cutting the Aces scenario.

Difficulty 5/5

Rearward Change by John Mueller

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 6, Number 2 February 1983
Page 743 et seq.

Personal Comment: I always had trouble with the classic push-in change of a double sticking in a deck. This is a bearable alternative.

Difficulty 2/5

Inside-Out by Hippie Torrales

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 6, Number 2 February 1983
Page 740 et seq.

Personal Comment: This version uses a gimmick. With little thought, it is not needed at all. I like the framing of the effect. Technically speaking it is just a reversal and a change. But somehow the "in the spread" feature makes it stronger, as there is little contact done by the magician.

Difficulty 2/5

The Perils of Jack

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 8, Number 2 February 1985
Page 1031 et seq.

Personal Comment: The story is boring... but here is the thing... You don't have to do a Sam the Bellhop routine with a full deck. A few is enough. But the story needs to be entertaining. Something I dare to say even Sam the Bellhop misses. I have seen a version by David Regal, which was the closest in actually entertaining me. What makes a normal full deck routine so strong is that it looks like you are either completely improvising or in full control throughout. This is rather weak, as it only showcases the later argument. It misses the ambivalence of a full deck routine. Yet I can testify that it plays well... at least with the story that I attached to. (it won't work in English, as it is German)
And I have no doubt that Mr. Torrales' version works for him.

Difficulty 1/5

Open Travelers & Co. by Hippie Torrales

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 8, Number 6 June 1985
Page 1077 et seq.

Personal Comment: This I like. Really... I may have found my personal Holy Grail in Open Travelers. I need a lot more work though. This version solves the last card nicely I think.

Difficulty 3/5

It's Uncanny by Doug Edwards

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 13, Number 12 December 1990
Page 1867 et seq.

Personal Comment: There is nothing special about the ambitious card part of the routine, but the color change has something nice. Something that is worth checking out. I think this could be great in a routine where you "wipe off" the pip of a card, by changing the three to a two of the same suit.

Difficulty 3/5

Not Alone by Bob King

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 8 August 1989
Page 1679 et seq.

Personal Comment: Bob Kings Material is truly targeted towards real people. I like that. This may be boring to magician, but this is strong stuff for laypeople. Good trick.

Difficulty 2/5

Kingly Sandwich by Doug Edwards

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 8 August 1989
Page 1673 et seq.

Personal Comment: Somehow I feel like this is confusing. Is it me, or does this seem to lack some sort of spark of genius. There is something missing. It is really nice, really, really nice. But something about it doesn't feel right. Why do I feel that a very basic sandwich routine creates way better reactions. This is for magicians.

Difficulty 3/5

Unclosed Prediction by Tom Craven

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 8 August 1989
Page 1672 et seq.

Personal Comment: As an Open Prediction sort of good I guess. But then there would be no reason to take out the mate beforehand. So I guess it is a mate routine then... and this is the main issue... the routine doesn't know what it wants to be.

Difficulty 2/5

If At First by Bob King

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 7 July 1989
Page 1664 et seq.

Personal Comment: Cute.... Really Cute... I wonder how this plays. I haven't tried.

Difficulty 2/5

Oil and Water Supreme by John W. McClure

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 8, Number 7 July 1985
Page 1083 et seq.

Personal Comment: Oil and Water, how I love thee. But this is not bad. Seriously. And getting into the setup is fairly practical. I think this is deceptive. What makes this good compared to other Oil and Water is the simple fact, that this routine is short. But again this seems to be more of an item for magicians. As Oil and Water should be. If you want the same impact, just do Triumph.

Difficulty 3/5

Ambitious Blacks by Roxy

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 8, Number 5 May 1985
Page 1066 et seq.

Personal Comment: Technically there is only one sleight. So this is easy. But maybe a bit too boring by itself. If you have a compelling story or premise for this, then go ahead. Is it deceptive... I think it is. Feels very "Phil Goldsteinish" to me.

Difficulty 2/5

I Predict by Jim Molinari

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 8, Number 5 May 1985
Page 1065

Personal Comment: Very nice little trick. But I feel, as much of an impact as this could have have this is more for the fellow magician. There are so many little thing to throw off magicians that you know who Jim Molinari had in mind when coming up with this handling. But it's a good trick and the method is really, really clever. No setup, little work. Good one. Bravo.

Difficulty 3/5

Ladykiller by Ron Ferris

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 8, Number 2 February 1985
Page 1030

Personal Comment: Talk about waste.... but here is when to do this. This is a perfect encore trick. The sort of thing if they ask you to do one more trick. You got yours scissors from that rope trick that you did and the deck is missing cards anyway. Why take them with you again? Do that trick and be done with the cards. This is so off the beaten path that it can hardly be compared to other card tricks. Therefore it is a great encore trick.

Difficulty 2/5