The Clown and the New World

This is a poem inspired by the two Calliopes, the Carnival steam organ and the muse of epic poetry.

The epic nature of the the work necessitates dividing it into four postings. 


Part 1 - Tragic beginnings and the Livid Storm
Part 2 - The Carnival is Dead
Part 3 - The Clown and Robert Johnson
Part 4 - The Angel and the Greatest Show on Earth 

 

1

In the faraway land of Hayastan,

unfamiliar to the unschooled man,

beneath the mountain that once was

the port for Noah’s Ark,

lived a man that made a life as

a clown, in a circus park.

But there are no laughs in his caravan,

Life is hard for this poor man,

awaiting Death to take his wife,

one of two loves in his life.

Filled with grief the clown he saw

his wife wasting away,

but knew that there had to be

meaning in all dismay.

The horrid symptoms of consumption

was God’s will, was his asumption.

His other love, his little girl,

became motherless in this world.

The Clown took the death to mean

that it was time for change.

He thought perhaps the best would be

to board a boat to somewhere strange.

But his landlocked country had no shores

he had to journey to the ship.

He packed his case and prepared

his daughter for the trip.

He couldn’t wander west,

through Anatolia.

For there they slew his country men,

he would go through Georgia.

He traveled long and he traveled far

Out to the dark Black Sea.

He boarded a vessel that would sail

To the New World filled with glee.

They sailed through the Bosperus strait

Where he thaught his girl to fasten bait.

They stopped a day on the isle of Malta

then journeyed past the rock of Gibraltar.

They’d sailed far out on the open sea,

no land had been in sight

when a livid storm hit their ship

in the dead of night.

2

The wind is roaring and the sails they crack

as the ship is going down.

He protects his girl from the waves’ attack

shouting,

“I will not let you drown.”

But the sea is strong and it’s liquid arms

they are so full of force.

The drowning clown is willful, but weak.

You can never keep back anything

the ocean wants, of course,

but the father refuses to give up,

though life is bleak.

They draw their breath

and pray that they wont die

as the tired father treads the sea

and tries to hold her high.

He tells her

“It will all be good,”

but he knows it is a lie.

His legs they burn in the icy sea,

the painful fear and agony

tears at the poor clowns soul.

He’s clinging to his faith of old

“Please save me lord above,

take me please, and let her live,

my only little love.”

Nothing changes

God does not appear to hear.

“Why should God tear my child from me?

take innocent life at whim?”

He spits and coughs,

barely managing to swim.

He knows that the Almighty’s plan

is inscrutable to man.

There is no way a mortal can

begin to understand.

But he knows his own girls’ heart is pure,

she’s a beaming innocent.

“Please My Lord don’t drown her dead

I promise I’ll repent.

I’ll stop this silly life of mine

the constant sheer frivolity.

Please God, I beg you Lord

let her escape mortality

So many of your church men said

That only sin and devils work

With circus and laughs is spread

I thought them wrong I couldn’t see

That you were only testing me

to not trust my own head.

A little child so young and weak,

how could you in your wisdom seek

such havoc for the meek.”

He needs a rest so desperately

but the storm is blowing ceaselessly.

With his girl’s arms around his neck

Like an anchor from a ship,

She shouts into his dripping ear

with diction like a whip

“Please strong father hold me fast.

I can not even see the mast!

How can we sail to the New World

without even a boat?”

He smiles to calm his little girl

Whilst struggling to float.

With his last remaining strength

He takes his necklace of his head

It has always kept him safe

And promised hope ahead

Now he wants his girl to have

all his hope instead.

It sparkles as the lightening flash

and shortly lights the dark.

It is a golden recreation

of Noah’s Ark.

And how it hurts his soul to see

this symbol of a boat

That saved each living thing

by keeping them afloat.

He prays again to his Lord God

“Please send an Ark for me,

I can not hold her anymore

please end this misery.”

But nothing comes

and the storm it blows,

blows on and on and on.

His legs is lame

and he knows,

that the sea has won.

As the father cries tears of blood

and trembles with fatigue

The ocean waves come crashing in

and finally end the siege.

It grabs them both

and tear and tear,

and tear and tear apart.

No stronger love was fought unbound

in ocean or on solid ground.

So finally the moment comes

when he no longer can hold on

As she slips out of his grip

he sees her as a swan.

The clown he isn’t strong enough

to hold his little girl.

Their fingers part, she’s drifting off

he thinks he hears her cough.

In his mind his cygnet love

swims on to a better place

it brakes his heart to look upon

her little drowning face.

“Why do you deem it time,” he screams,

but God does not retort

All his strife has come to naught

Little hope remains for him,

it all seems rather grim.

He wishes to go to God as well,

so he doesn’t swim.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Is this the end for our poor Clown?

Is there any hope ahead?

Click here for part two of the story.

 

Lessons From the Way of the Showman – 32

Showman Shaman, zébulon rouge

The Art of Showmanship is about bringing humans together and taking them on a journey into a different reality. Through a Show the Master Showman changes Individuals into Clan, transforming them from an open hand into a fist.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 31

Spectators are nervous to stand out, to clap at the wrong spot or to laugh out of time. They are caught in the dilemma of wanting to blend in but also wishing to be unique.

Give them simple clear signals. You are the conductor, they the orchestra. They sit with their bows on their strings waiting for you to lead them. Together you create the music.

Captain Frodo's Carnival Lullaby

Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of performing songs I have written long ago, but due to the demanding 8 shows a week performance schedule of La Soireé, I have yet to perform live. It has made me nervous like I haven't been for some time, but it's also exciting. 
This is a link to a song which was recorded on the 20th of August, 2011 at the Butterfly club in South Melbourne. I was doing a show with Miranda Mahalo, Mikelangelo, and Saint Clare called Lovesongs and Carnival Lullabies.

The Showman's Guild

One of the Showman's Guilds' symbols,
recreated by Hamish McCormick. 

I can be silent no longer.
All the lessons and thoughts that appear on this blog has been inspired by a long term research and creative project of mine. My search for an elusive secret society called the Showman's Guild and their secret teachings known as the Way of the Showman. The fraternity has gone almost undetected throughout history, but through fastidious research particularly over the last four years I have piece by piece assembled an outline of this esoteric history of circus.

I intend to publish snippets of this research right here on the Illuminated Showman. For the Showman's Guild is the shadow, always behind the Illuminated Showman. It's time the shroud of mystery is lifted.

Man on a Tightrope

Man on a tightrope is a 1953 film about a circus in Czechoslovakia run by a True Circus Man. They risks all as they attempt to use their circus skills to escape across the border into freedom. The movie raises interesting questions of thought crimes. What's the right thing to do for a true communist who loves his country but who also loves the circus?
There are some awesome dialog about the bond between all fellow Showmen, Carnies and Circus Folk:

"You see, Sir, circus people aren't like other people. The only nationality we have, the only religion, is Circus."

“I have no more love for you than you have for me. We would both cheerully rob each other and cut each others throats. But we are together on one thing: we are both circus men, first, last, and always. We hate the government, we hate the police and and when it comes to the question of circus against the law – you know which side I’m on.”

A beautiful tale of truth, sacrifice, and a united brotherhood of Circus folk and you can see it all right here on the inside.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 30

Life is the Greatest Show on Earth.

The Creatrix

The Creatrix, Mark Ryden.

Whilst working for Circus Oz in 2005 I bought a limited print by the artist Mark Ryden. I had been fascinated with him for quite a few years, but had yet to purchase a proper print. Getting a print would be the only way I could have an “original” Mark Ryden on my wall since his art has long ago became unobtainable for someone on a Circus Oz wage. The print I got was by far my favorite of his works, the Creatrix. I found the lithograph print on e-bay. It was my most extravagant art purchase to date so the pre-arrival excitement was heightened by worries about being ripped off.  It arrived and to my relief it was genuine and in mint condition. I loved it and still today spend significant amounts of time staring at it, taking in the thousand truths and connective wisdoms of the complex picture.

In September 2006 I was in New York with La Clique, (then Absinth now La Soireé.) Nights were spent on the edge of Pier 17 in a Spiegeltent. We did rocking shows and hung out with Uncle Rob, our Soprano security man back stage. But during the days I went to the American Museum of Natural History. I stayed in NY for four weeks and visited the museum 5 times. I loved their dinosaur exhibits, spending hours just staring at these relics from deep time, a concept that still fascinates me just as much today. But the exhibit that I spent the most time on was something they called the wall of biodiversity. Basically it was a wall full of life. Organized and arranged in an explanatory and visually arresting manner. Standing before it everything seemed so beautifully connected. The lighting of the room, the whole atmosphere of the exhibits and the solemnity of the museum had deep impact on me.

Then on my last day hailing a yellow cab to go to the airport I buy an art magazine I had never read before. It was called High Fructose and it had a reproduction of a Mark Ryden print on the cover. I got a cab, got on my flight, opened the magazine to the interview with Ryden and found this:

The Wall of Biodiversity.

“The Creatrix is not about Creationism in the simple-minded Christian sense, but it is about the sublime mystery of life on earth. The painting was inspired by a visit to the Natural History Museum in New York. There is a room there called the Hall of Biodiversity. On a single wall the huge range of life forms on earth is displayed. In the painting, I wanted to capture the monumental feelings and thoughts this exhibition inspires in me.”

Now when I look at her, the Creatrix, hanging in my hallway, everything seems even more beautifully connected.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman – 29

We need to have the courage to expose our vulnerability.

Perfection is not as human as fallibility.

Small errors make life strong and beautiful.

Opening preview night of Dream Menagerie

My favorite moment of the opening night: I'm playing somewhere over the rainbow on the saw with Trent on ukulele and Derek Ives on drums. Imaan is hanging from the roof, the tent is filled with soap bubbles and Derek Scott has gotten 20 people up to dance. THEN. A couple gets up on the far end. A flash of doubt shoots through me - they are leaving. But instead they walk all the way around to the centre of the tent where they join the 10 other couples. He puts his arms around her and then they dance holding each other real close.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 28

Be playful. As you come on you have a secret and they want to know, they just don’t know it yet.
Your secret is you and your act.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 27

The crowd needs to feel that you are there for them. Reaffirm the situation, you are the performer and they the audience. Accept the situation, fully.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 26

Creation will take whatever time is allotted and no matter how long you have, the final week it will seem like it'll never be ready. But opening night the show is born whatever shape, form or sex it is. And you'll have to love it.

The Dream Menagerie is coming!

I have one hour left, I am eating the final supper before the Dream Menagerie becomes reality. So many hours creating, pondering, and rehearsing and it is almost there. I am thrilled and a little scared.

A documentary about me...

Just got off the phone with Hamish McCormick, the Carnival Cineman himself, and hence I am again excited about our upcoming documentary, check a teaser for it here. called like so many things I am working on at the moment "The Way of the Showman."

The exciting news is that we have secured ourselves Ben Walsh, a great musician and a friend to create a sound track for it! It will transform it completely. I just saw Ben direct a 10 person orchestra who where playing a score written by him. It lasted an hour and twenty minutes and made Shaun Tan's "the Arrival," come to life as a film. Check Ben's page about it here.

The Day We Killed Mystery

From an old newspaper review.

The Joseph Rockstacker Illuminated Circus, Carnival and Menagerie have come to Anchor for the coming week’s festivities and I was sent to see the sights.

The spot chosen, as all my readers have probably already observed, is the sports fields by the swimming hall, and never have I seen it looking so splendid. The grand Big Top, the Ferris wheel and the old Steam Carousel were all there. I wandered the Midway and took it all in, and a fine sight it was. I have chosen to use this culture column, not to review its main attraction, the grand Circus, but rather I want to convey what I experienced in a most singular and curious side attraction.

I was drawn to the anomalous little tent because it seemed to promise a different, almost anachronistic kind of Magic. The beautifully ornate woodcarvings on the show-front depicted strange symbolic images of Magicians. Their style was different from the other banners and circus pictures in that they seemed to hold some deeper significance outside of my understanding.

To me it had the air of times past, when Magicians were not just tawdry additions to children’s parties or entertainment on cruise ships or shopping malls. My interest was piqued, so I paid my dollar to enter and found inside the same style of decoration. The canvas walls were covered with painted symbolic depictions. One that caught my attention had a man climbing a freestanding ladder. He was almost at the top and held a key in his outstretched hand. Perched atop the wobbly structure his key pointed towards an eye with a keyhole pupil. The atmospheric imagery was indeed most esoteric and made me think more of secret initiatory fraternities, rather than venues for lighthearted sideshow amusement.

The little stage had deep red velvet curtains, with the letters BIS embroidered on them. They opened and with very little bravado an unassuming, but fiery showman with a big mustache came out. He smiled, seeming genuinely pleased that so many had chosen to join him in the afternoon’s spectacle. He began an oration about himself and his origin as an assistant in his father’s magic show then proceeded to perform a series of funny and baffling routines.

I found him a very amicable Showman, and could not help thinking I would very much like to count this chap amongst my friends. More than being fascinated with his particular tricks, I was captivated by the sense of genuine warmth and deep enthused passion that radiated from this curious prestidigitator. There was no shadow of doubt that this man loved what he did, and so did we. The crowd was all very much engaged, laughing and carrying on.

In one routine the Showman slipped an over-sized dice into a small cabinet with four doors, and promptly claimed it vanished, although it seemed obvious to us that it merely slid back and forth, with the clever conjuror always opening the wrong door to demonstrate the dice’s absence. The comedy of errors and his witty banter made frivolity rise to almost ecstatic heights. The children and more boisterous of us cried out, half chocked with laughter, at the misunderstandings, trying to get the Showman to open this or that door. In the end, when he finally opened all four doors of his dice cabinet, it became apparent he had indeed made the dice disappear and all the misunderstandings and fun that ensued was merely part of this man’s terrific showmanship. With many jubilant members of the audience wiping tears of joy from their cheeks, the lights dimmed. In the stark light from the spotlight, as dust rose from the dirty showground through the beam of light, the Showman proclaimed:

“It is time!” and held up a dead twig and a piece of red paper. In one swift motion he scrunched it up and stuck it on the end of the twig. Then he stepped towards some men in the front row who were drinking beers. With a slight nod he picked and pulled the green labels of their bottles. The men looked mystified by this strange behavior. The Showman then stuck them onto the twig and with this finished a crude imitation of a red flower. To this there was a smattering of goodhearted applause, but it also raised a few eyebrows in wonder of where this was going. The Showman continued with a serious tone:

“What power in us can transform what we see every day into something beautiful?” Of course no one answered this rhetorical question, and he continued to answer it for us.

“Love.” He said. “Love transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. Love lets us see the wonderful in the wonderful, lets us realize the beauty of what we thought ordinary and lets us discover the mystery of life wherever we turn.”

With that the Showman snapped his fingers, and here I must admit I don’t know if the transformation happened just then, or if this was when I noticed it, but the paper, beer label and stick had indeed turned into the most lush and perfectly formed rose. The inanimate had come alive, life from death, the mystery of mysteries. The Showman stepped forward and graciously let the ladies in the front row smell its exquisite fragrance, so strong in fact, even yours truly, could smell it from the midst of the crowd. Then, back in the centre of the stage, the Showman snapped his fingers again and with this the rose ignited and in a flash of instant fire it was gone. A gasp rose from the crowd and a man turned to me with an expression of awe on his face, his mouth moving, but no sound passed his lips.

Here I must interject that this might not sound like the greatest of conjuring effects, but dear reader, you must understand that at this stage in the performance this simple effect somehow struck the deepest and most resonant chord with myself, and dare I say the entire congregation. Perhaps precisely because of its simplicity, we the audience could see the miracle and mystery clearer. The applause was different than for all preceding feats, more quiet, but also more intense and heartfelt. I thought this would be the end, but little did I know.

“Now, we all just witnessed something extraordinary. We saw and together touched the mysterious. And I know you are wondering how it was executed. How can one do such a thing, what is the secret? Where did the rose go?” Murmur spread through the crowded canvas room.

“You all seem like warm and good people so I will let you take the final choice. Would you like me to reveal this secret? Show you where the rose returned to? Just let it all be explained, mundane and deflated? Or would you instead like to end this performance carrying this feeling of beautiful unexplained mystery with you? I will let you decide which feeling to leave with.”

I believe it was one of the guys in the dirty shirts wearing trucker caps that first said it, but regardless, as soon as one had uttered it we all shouted for the secret. The Showman raised his hands, but said nothing. He removed his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt and with his fingernails grabbed his flesh and tore. Before my eyes the Showman ripped open his chest. Blood poured from the rip and as the wound opened I saw the ribs beneath. He pried his fingers between them and broke them apart. An awful sound, somewhere between stepping on a dry stick and cracking a lettuce, made my skin crawl. Ribs wrenched open, he forced his right hand in and after some searching proceeded to pull out his heart. The thick veins and arteries hung long, thick and dripping from the still beating heart. With each beat blood flowed in great abundance out of the torn arteries. The Showman, pale and white as a ghost, again with his nails, tore his heart apart and from its core he revealed the rose. Gently holding its flower he began pulling it out. It’s thorns turned the flesh of the vain it protruded from inside out as he tore it free and held it forth with no strength in his arm. For a few moments he inspected us with a quizzical look upon his ashen face. His chest still open, blood still flowing. No one clapped. No one spoke. Then he fell, and was dead.

Suddenly the lights turned up to full and the sidewalls of the tent rolled up like spring-loaded roller curtains and the crowded midway looked in on us all. The spell was broken and in that instance I understood we had just killed Mystery.  

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 1 to 7

The lessons from the Way comes like lessons in life, in no particular order. Yet they all follow each other like one footstep follows another, each step placed where it is best for that moment. But overall they get you to where you're going.
The first bunch of these form the Illuminated Showman's Manifesto.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 1

A Showman is one who faces the other Way.

That walks with the crowd,

then turns around to face the Others.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 2

A Showman asks for attention and has something to show when he gets it.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 3

A Showman shows man - man.

Revealing the pulsing meat of

human experience.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman – 4

The Showman reminds us of the inherent folly

of all human endeavor.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 5

A show is artificial, meaning made by man for man.

A horse does not appreciate a card trick.

Completely artificial is also completely human.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 6

When we laugh at the clown

we are laughing at ourselves.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 7

The crowd has enjoyed the Showman from when he enacted stories by the cave fires, since he first drew a bison on a cave wall, back when they called the Showman Shaman.

Life and Death the Siamese twins

Life and Death the Siamese twins
are proudly on display.
Before the ever watching crowd
who wants to know the way.
The admission price a dollar twelve,
it sure is strange.
But to get inside the canvas world
you must have just the exact change.

Life and Death the Siamese twins
are each a sight to be seen.
But the greatest mystery lies within
what comes in between.
The fleshy band of life and meat,
will sell every seat.
What ties the two,
ties him and you,
together as one it is true.

It's time, its time right here in this space -
Life and Death stare you in the face.

Life and Death the Siamese twins
reminds us what has worth.
To see the sights, to take the rides
before we're in the dirt.
The Fairground comes and then it goes,
secure yourself a seat.
That they never come to town again -
makes Life and Death so sweet.

James Thiérreé a Master Showman and creator of worlds

When La Clique played in the Famous Spiegeltent which was set up in Sydney's Hyde Park back in 2008, I was lucky enough to get tickets. The show was created by James Thierreé, the grandson of Charlie Chaplin. I thought to myself, that is big shoes to fill - but I must say he filled them so much he had to curl his toes.  He didn't just get genes passed on from his grandfather, but also got circus in with the mothers milk. His mum Victoria Chaplin and father Jean-Baptiste Thiérreé ran Le Cirque Imaginaire and James began appearing in the show when he was 4.
The Grand opening image of the show where a coil of rope twirling and unfurling so large it would put even Derek Ives -Australia's own dark clown rope-master- to shame. It is breathtakingly captivating and formidable. This massive spectacle was followed by a heart thumping piece of physical theatre. Before long your intrepid showman was in tears.
I have been searching the tube on semi regular basis for footage of his epic creations, and yesterday I found it. I highly recommend this show, to anyone who has ever loved and lived.

Here is the link to his beautiful creation Au Revoir Parapluie. The link is for part one, once it finishes just follow the links to part two etc...

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

part 6

With your heart as a compass on your way, you’ll never go astray.

A few thoughts to expand on Lesson 4 from the Way of the showman: “The Showman reminds us of the inherent folly of all human endeavor.”

Look around and take in all the bizarre stuff we humans do. Most are consumed with their own peculiar endeavors. But not everyone has found their passion.

I had a chat to a fellow carny last night about retirement, which I find a strange concept. Why would stopping work be a good thing? If I had to stop talking, thinking, and doing shows it would feel like a punishment. I guess the answer is simple enough; a lot of people don’t like what they do. What they do for work they do because they have to. In this case retirement is the time where you can finally stop going to the factory or the office and just do whatever you want. This is the reality for many people.

As the Illuminated Showman Tom Waits said: “We are all gonna be dirt in the ground,” so what ever house of cards we’ve built will fall and crumble when the wind of life leaves. This is the inherent folly of all human endeavors. Pictured by a clown spending his fifteen minutes of fame in the spotlight, struggling to do something that in the end turns out to be a joke, pointless but fun.

So why do anything at all when it is all going to end? I think when you find what you love, not doing it because its going to end at some point in the future would feel worse than doing it and enjoying it along the way. Lets face it, if you have fun, live a rich life imbued with activities that feels meaningful to you and to those who share them with you, what more can we ask for? Meaning comes from you.

With no one else to tell us what the right thing to do is its best to follow your heart. If it feels right, do it. This is of course easier said than done. There is a lot of noise in the world and the heart’s voice is merely a whisper. But if you start listening for it, its in there somewhere. Whether we live only once, or some omnipotent agent in a world beyond placed us here for some reason or the other, we should make the most of the time given to us (thank you Tolkien.) Don’t wait till you’re retired, do it now.

You create your own reality, so make it a good one. 

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 25

It is paramount that you actually want to be on stage and that the crowd feels it. Once you can telegraph this you'll have a perfect foundation to build your act on.

Lessons from the way of the Showman - 24

Aim to discover one new moment each time you do your act. One reaction from the crowd that's new, an extra groan, an unexpected laugh - remember it and recreate it.
After 12 shows you'll need to lengthen your music or eliminate the weakest bits. You now have a natural selection happening. Your act is adapting and evolving.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - ?

Small room, big thoughts.

How many are there? Where do they come from?
The answer to the first is: I don’t know, but possibly endless; the second answer is: from two different sources. The first I will keep secret, for now.
The second is a peculiar blend of an inquisitive and exploratory mind spending too much time alone in hotel rooms. These refuges for weary travelers are like monk cells. The process of making them inoffensive to everyone has made them homely to none. There is usually only one chair and one desk and for some reason the mirror hangs right above the desk. So if I want to sit, I get locked in a face off with myself. This makes me think big existential questions. What am I doing with my life? Is my life shallow? Can you have a meaningful life with novelty acts and carnival fun as your foundation?
In times like that I pick up the complimentary pen and pad and jot down thoughts that are too big to keep in. I now post these on facebook as seeds for thought for other fellow followers of the Way of the Showman.

Impromptu Magic: The Penetrating Stick Match Trick

My passion has always been magic that you can pretty much do any time, any place using common everyday objects. I like this very magical effect because it's visual and can be performed surrounded (with just a little care). Please visit my web site for tutorials and lessons on sleight-of-hand magic and please subscribe to this blog and follow on Twitter for all of the updates.

Please send me an email or comment if you want me to upload a tutorial on any effects featured.

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.



Another Incredible Cigarette Vanish - and how to do it!

This is a very visual and astonishing sleight of hand close-up cigarette vanish. First see how it looks:

And here is how it's done.



Practice, practice, practice. And make sure you learn a number of cigarette effects before performing it. Otherwise, it's just a puzzle for people to figure out.

Don't forget to subscribe so that you'll be kept up to date as new close-up sleight-of-hand magic is added. Some of the upcoming tricks you can learn with everyday objects include: matches, cards, table salt, more cigarettes and some psychic, telepathy mind-reading tricks.

Follow on Twitter.

How to do an incredible mind reading trick with a phone book or dictionary or any book

This is truly a mind blowing mind-reading, telepathy effect for the spectators. A little preparation is required, but well worth the effort. This telepathic demonstration will have your audience scratching their heads.

EFFECT:  Begin by announcing that you are going to make a prediction. On a small piece of paper, you jot something down, seal it in an envelope, and give it to a spectator to hold. You then ask each of three spectators to give you a one digit number. You take those three digits and reverse the order and subtract the smaller from the larger. Take that result, then reverse it as well and add the two together. You then instruct the spectator to open the phone book (or dictionary) and go to a page and location corresponding to the numerical answer you arrived at. The name (or word) exactly matches the prediction in the sealed envelope.

HOW IT'S DONE: This can actually be done with any book and these days you may have to use something other than a phone book or dictionary. I know I don't have either of those handy, since I can just grab my Droid and get a phone number or definition, so another type of book may be necessary.

Prior to attempting this feat, you must decide which book you're going to use. Go to page 108, and count down nine lines. That name, word or phrase is your prediction.

First ask each of three people to give you a one digit number from one to nine (if one of them repeats a number already given, say they need their own number). If there aren't three people, have one person give you a three digit number (again no repeated numbers and avoid zeros).

Write that number down in clear view on a pad or chalk board. Let's say the number is 652. You then explain that you're going to reverse the order of that number, and subtract the smaller from the larger. 652 minus 256 equals 396. Take 396 and reverse it as well (doing all of this in clear view). Take those two numbers and add them together (396 plus 963). The total is 1089. Instruct one spectator to go to page 108, count down to the ninth line and read aloud what is on that line. Ask another spectator to open your prediction envelope and POW! BAM! WHALLUP! They match!

This can be an amazing feat, but be vewwy vewwy careful with your numbers. If you mess up, there's no going back.

NOTES: Make sure that each number is unique. 427, 891, 643 NOT 229, 443 828. Repeated numbers will throw off the equation and make you look silly.

If you wish to make it even more dramatic you can have three books and use a force to have them choose the right one.

This is an amazing demonstration of how to read minds and psychic skills. Because the mind reading, telepathic trick is so simple, it's very important to play it up with adequate drama.

It's also a good idea to have a number of mind reading and psychic effects ready to  perform. You don't want to give the spectators time to overthink how you may have done it. If they start playing with numbers, they may figure out that the solution is always 1089. Of course, if pressed and they ask you to give numbers, use repeated numbers if that issue did not come up. That way you'll have a different total.

Make sure you visit the Incredible Magic website to learn more fortune telling, mind-reading psychic tricks as well as learn incredible sleight-of-hand, close-up magic.

My passion for sleight-of-hand magic - a little background on me and why you might care what I think :)

Like a lot of kids, I was fascinated with magic when I was young. My parents even bought me a magic set with a little book of gags and practical jokes (okay I still use a couple of those), and a bunch of crappy little plastic gimmicks to do a bunch of crappy little magic tricks.

 

Although I took time time to learn and present them, they were more like puzzles than magic. And, of course, if you showed your friends the "vanishing ball in vase" trick, they immediately wanted to examine the cheap plastic vase which would expose the secret (if they didn't already notice that the little half of a ball shell didn't really look all that much like the real ball). So, I discovered that I liked magic, but not of the crappy variety.

 

My first magic book

 

So, there I was, a kid who liked magic but with no desire to show the stupid tricks in the stupid set that my stupid parents got me for my birthday (note: at that time in my life birthdays were not stupid).

 

The very first book that I purchased (okay, actually my friend Rick made it disappear from the shelves of the local library), was "The Amateur Magician's Handbook." by Harold Hay.

 

Now let me say that, if you've never read or purchased this book, click on the above link and get it. Amazon has lots of deals on used ones. I don't care what your level of expertise is, it's an amazing book written in a manner that is conversational, precise, thorough and will really get beginners off to a good start and take experts to a new level. You'll even enjoy reading the stuff you never intend to learn.

 

Finally, by my mid to late teens, I became pretty proficient at performing magic with common everyday stuff: cigarettes, coins, playing cards, salt, string, rope. To me, that was what magic was all about. Not some gimmicked piece of plastic.

I did purchase some stage magic props so that I could actually put together a show that I could hopefully perform for money one day.

 

My first magic show

 

Even back when I was 17, I was a pretty decent promoter, so I made a really hokey flyer, with me looking all mysterious. Hands pointed toward the camera as though I was trying to hypnotize someone. And the headline read: "Magic, Mirth and Mystery." Hah! Right. I had a flyer before I actually had an act. I knew a bunch of tricks, but hadn't put them together in any cohesive manner to resemble an actual show.

 

But, no big deal. It would probably be weeks, months or longer before anyone actually called the number on the flyer. Especially since most of the flyers were in the back seat of my 1966 Chevy Biscayne.

I did drop some off at a few of the local stores I frequented. The drug store, the bakery, the pizza shop. And I continued practicing my "tricks," figuring I'd worry about the complete "routine" later.

 

Then, less than a week after making my flyer, my phone rang. They wanted to know how much I would charge to do a magic show at an adult Halloween party. Oh crap. I had no clue. How does ten bucks sound?

So, to make a short story just a bit longer, I immediately started putting together an actual act, did the gig (which was okay), and the rest is comedy and magic history. Hee.

 

Gigging on a regular basis

 

After that initial gig, I got the bug and expanded my horizons. I was performing at kiddie birthday parties, doing close-up table-hopping magic at restaurants and even begging bar owners to let me try to entertain the audience during rock and roll band breaks.

 

Then, as I started adding more and more comedy to my stand up shows, I eventually abandoned magic almost entirely and started working the comedy club and corporate comedy circuits.

You can learn more about my stand up comedy life at Click on Comedy and the Dirty Joke Show web sites.

But really, this site encompasses a passion that I've had for many years. The ability to entertain and possibly astonish people, any time, any place with common everyday items like cigarettes, coins, cards and the like.

So, I'll be sharing my thoughts and reveal the secrets to some of what I believe to be the coolest, goddam magic I've ever seen (or done).

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.

Melting rubber bands trick revealed

Also called the Crazy Man's Handcuffs trick. Learn how two interlocking rubber bands can be separated 'magically'. Simple and easy to do.

Firstly, take a look at how Cyril did it and then the solution to the technique. Enjoy :)

Cyril Takayama's magic - rubber bands - separating the unseparable & linking the unlinkable


Closer look at Cyril's separating 2 rubber-bands trick:


Solution to the Separating 2 rubber-bands technique:




A number of cool rubber band tricks revealed:

Coin piercing cigarette trick revealed

This is cool. Shows you how a cigarette pierces through a British coin.

You will need a real coin and a specially made one :)

Cyril Takayama's cool cigarette trick

I am always impressed with Cyril's tricks. Here's one cool trick he performed up close with cigarettes.

The clip below shows Cyril in action. He shows how a broken cigarette can be pieced back together and even have the marks erased under a lid match stick. And then he shows how an empty cigarette pack turns into a full unopen pack.

Sorry no revelations here. If you know how it was done, please share it via comments below. Thanx and enjoy!

Cool magic tricks with cigarettes revealed

Here's some cool and simple magic tricks you can perform in bars with cigarettes. Check them out!

Cigarette vanish trick - 1 (using double-sided tape)


Cigarette vanish trick - 2


Cigarette vanish trick - 3 (using saliva)


Cigarette vanish trick - 4 (not so impressive, though)


Cigarette bend trick (Apart from this video trick, you can also use a dollar bill. Take a new cigarette, roll it up tightly with the dollar bill, and then bend it in half all the way. Unroll the bill and you will find the cigarette still intact without breaking)

Simple Magic: Mind Reader

I want you to mentally select anyone of these six cards at random. Have you've got it? Good! then memorize it, don't just look at the card. I want you to stare at it, whisper it's name (but not too loud, we don't want people to think you're nuts or something). Now remember the name of your card and don't forget it.

This is my pet fish, Violet. She may look like a angel fish but she's actually a shark... a shark card that is! Violet used to work at the blackjack table in Vegas, don't mess with her because she's always packing heat. When you're positive that you know your card click on Violet and she'll shuffle the card for you.

Optical Illusions 4

MARLENE
Can you find the portrait of Marlene's Dietrich? Mexican artist Octovio Ocampo created this charming scene of the famous 1940's film star.

ESCHER'S WATERFALL
Can water flow like this? No! If you follow the flow of the water, you will see that it flows downwards and into the dirt until it again reaches the furthest and lowest point, which is identical with its nearest and highest point.

UNLIKELY WINDOW
This still life of a man sitting on a window ledge by Belgian artist Jos De Mey incorporates impossible triangles. The man holding the cube is in homage to the man holding the impossible cube in M.C. Escher's "Belvedere".

ONE HEAD OR TWO?
Do you perceive one head or two profiles? This is a very nice example of an ambiguous illustration that "flip-flops" in meaning, giving either a single face partially obscured by the candlestick, or two faces in profile on either side of the candlestick. This is a variation on the vase illusion.

AN OLD OR A YOUNG WOMAN?
Can you find the profile of an old woman and a young woman? This well-known illusion dates back to the nineteenth century, when it first began to appear on puzzle trading cards.

THE FLOWERING OF LOVE
Can you find the lovers in the flowers? Look carefully at the petals of the rose; they form the outline of a kissing couple, or that of a single rose. Swiss artist Sandro Del Prete created this beautiful ambiguous illusion.

See also
Optical Illusions Set 1
Optical Illusions Set 2
Optical Illusions Set 3

Optical Illusions 3

ESCHER'S BELVEDERE
What is wrong with the structure? This is the first impossible print created by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, in 1958. The top floor appears normal, but is in fact perpendicular to the bottom floor: impossible!

BECKONING BALUSTRADE
Can you find the figures hiding in between the columns? This figure ground illusion is by Roger Shepard, and is a variation of the more famous "faces/vase" illusion.

MELANCHOLY TUNES ON A FLEMISH WINTER'S DAY
How does the column come forward? It can't. This is another impossible image, based on the original impossible triangle illusion by Roger Penrose.

BETWEEN ILLUSIONS AND REALITY
What is peculiar about the two openings?If your cover up the top half of the illustration, the scene is perfectly possible. Look at it all together, however, and suddenly it is a lot more difficult to get into the entrances than you might think!

THE IMPOSSIBLE TERRACE
Are you seeing the balcony from the bottom of the top? Both. This is an adaptation fo Sandro del Piero's "Folded Chess Set", where perspective from both above and below is given simultaneously.

L'EGISTENTIAL ELEPHANT
Will this elephant have difficulty walking?At first glance this elephant seems to have all its legs, but look closely: none of them are attached to its body! Roger Shepard created this variation of the "impossible fork" illusion.

See also
Optical Illusions Set 1
Optical Illusions Set 2
Optical Illusions Set 4

Optical Illusions 2

VANITY

Can you see the skull? Charles Gilbert, an American magazine illustrator, created this classic illusion, entitled "All is Vanity", some time around 1905. It was a very popular motif that was imitated many times, including by the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali.

MIRAGE

Where does the line of desert palm trees end, and the line of dromedaries begin? This Saharan scene was created by digital artist Alice Klarke.

SARA NADER

Can you find the face of the woman that the is serenading? This figure ground illusion is by Roger Shepard.

A MOUSE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH A CAT
Is the cat hiding from the mouse or the mouse hiding from the cat? This reversible photo illusion was created by digital artist Alice Klarke, based on an original drawing by artist Peter Brooks.

SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON
Can you find both a portrait of Saint George and a depiction of his slaying of the dragon? Look at Saint George's' hair to see the battle scene.

CORPORAL VIOLET
Can you find the three profiles (Napoleon, his wife and son) hidden between the leaves? This card, whose artist is unknown, originated around 1815.

See also
Optical Illusions Set 1
Optical Illusions Set 3
Optical Illusions Set 4

Optical Illusions

Collection of fascinating optical illusions, many of which have never before been published in this form. From classic illustrations of impossible figures to drawings of everyday objects which turn out to be extraordinary to scintillating graphic patterns which pulsate and change before-your very eyes, the variety of different effects is almost endless!

A HIDDEN PORTRAIT IN A STILL LIFE OF VEGETABLES

Do you perceive a face or a collection of fruit? This is Giuseppe Arcimboldo's classic portrait of the Emperor Rudolph II.

JASTROW'S DUCK/RABBIT ILLUSIONS

This is one of the most famous and classic of all illusion, which was created by the American psychologist Joseph Jastrow in 1888. Depending upon how you view the image, you can perceive either a rabbit or a duck.

VISION OF DON QUIXOTE

How many hidden faces can you find? There are several hidden faces in this illustration of the classic Cervantes character, but the main scene is ambiguous with a portrait of Don Quixote and his faithful servant Sancho Panza.

THE MYSTERIOUS LIPS
Do you perceive the face? The Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali, who was fascinated by ambiguous imagery, entitles this scene "The Mysterious Lips that Appeared on the Back of my Nurse", painted in 1941.

ANGELS
Can you find both the heads and bodies of angels? The head and hand of the large angel contain the bodies of four smaller angels.

See also

Optical Illusions Set 2
Optical Illusions Set 3
Optical Illusions Set 4