Everyone should get this book. Ironically I am just starting to read it now, but it is a great book to ponder on.
-Tony C.
P.S. I’ll update more soon.
Everyone should get this book. Ironically I am just starting to read it now, but it is a great book to ponder on.
-Tony C.
P.S. I’ll update more soon.
What is the point of someone picking a card again? I took it for granted probably like every other magician, but lately I have been thinking what is the reason. I mean it is a great effect when a spectator selects a card and returns it to be shuffled and to find it again, but I think that we as magicians might be taking it too far…
An example. Triumph. what is the trick? It is making a shuffled mixed up face up/face down deck magically right itself into a normal state. Now where the fuck does having a card selected come into that equation? Do we dilute the trick because of the selection? Isn’t it clearer if triumph is done without a card being selected?
Imagine handing a spectator the deck and having them throw it on the table and shuffle face up/face down. you have them square the deck on the table. You then do your magical move and then spread the deck. The deck magically rights itself into all face down. that is impressive, clear, direct. Now add a selection into that trick…. it makes me wonder why. Its like we want magic to happen “around” the selection. The selection really takes a back seat.
“Look, I turned all the cards face down!… and found your card.”
Think about it this way. If you did a set of card tricks but never had a card selected, do you think it would stronger or weaker than a set of card tricks where every time it had to have a selection?
Do you just cut to the fucking meat of an effect because you don’t have a card selected? How many times had you have a layman say “like it really matters where I put the card… you know where it is anyways.”
Here is some homework. How many effects do you know that doesn’t involve a selection?
So I have been keeping this one for myself for a while and only been telling a few friends. Its a “kicker” effect to end ANY card trick. There’s so many out there but never one that can fit into any card trick.
Here it is under this line. Highlight it to see it.
FIRE WALLET. THE BEST KICKER FOR ANY CARD TRICK.
Alex is an up and coming magician. Don’t believe me? Here is a video of him doing a move that is very difficult and doesn’t have any applications. My kind of stuff.
Cover Pass WIP from Tony Chang on Vimeo.
Long time since i blogged. Sorry about that. I started getting into coin magic. I actually started out basically in coin magic before I got really heavy into card magic. It’s time to go back and re-learn it again.
Now the topic is about this Japanese coin magician, Ponta the Smith. I’m sure you seen his videos on youtube before, but if not here is his youtube channel. Amazing hands, amazing coin work, and best of all… no gimmicks.
One big reason I got out of coin magic was because of the trend of where it was going. It got so god-damn gimmicked that it sickened me. What happened to the good old days of just using one shell. Now its all about the triple threat gimmicks and flipper coins and crap. Now I for one am not all against using gimmicks but like in my previous posts I feel many people use gimmicks because either they don’t have the skill to pull it off or they are just lazy.
If you disagree, check out the work of Ponta and Kainoa Harbottle. They do things that are so magical and visual without the use of gimmicks. That is the difference between good magic and bad magic. Many forget that magic is a craft. You can’t be a good painter if you have a machine do the painting for you. You have to hone your skills.
Anyways, just a little rant. If you want to learn some good coin magic wait until Ponta comes out with his DVD over here in the states. Also pick up anything by Kainoa, expically Coins on Edge.
Happy Holidays.
Sandwich routine that uses the BeKind Vanish. Hope you guys like it.
Password : Who invented the trick “The Visitor”? Larry ________
BeKind Sandwich from Tony Chang on Vimeo.