Dean Atkinson, Ventriloquist and Magician

iPhone post

2008-11-11T00:24:00.000+11:00

I am writing this on my iphone

i phone

2008-11-10T11:36:00.003+11:00

Today is the day. I have been toying with the idea of putting ALL of my media/calenders/phone/GPS/emails, into one unit for a long time. The i phone seems to be the only option. It's quite interesting actually as I swore off i pod last year in favor of a drag and drop Archos media player. Maybe I will keep it for video as the i phone still does you no favors when it comes to converting those kind of files.

Photographic Memories

2008-10-27T22:49:00.002+11:00

This is a mentalism item that I came up with after watching my friend Andy Nyman's DVD 'Get Nyman'

Somewhere on that DVD Andy talks about the possibilities of using accomplices in the audience to transmit certain information to the on stage performer. Understand that such plants are not 'stooges' (not that theres anything wrong with that) but rather hidden assistants akin to sound operators and lighting technicians...kind of. You need five photographs of some family members, pets etc, and a large black envelope. Do not show what is on the photos until the end. This adds to the mystery and helps this effect to be less than 'perfect' The fact that you use photos of your own family adds a nice touch in the presentation and patter.

1 Establish a code between you and your friend so that he/she can signal you the numbers, one through five, with their fingers around a drinking glass. i.e: if they hold the glass between thumb and first finger they are signaling the number one. If the thumb first AND second fingers are curled around the glass the number is two and so on up to the number 4, four fingers and a thumb holding a glass. Number five is represented by not holding the glass at all but rather leaving it on teh table or having it in thier lap with their hand over the top.

2 Each of the photographs corresponds to the numbers one to five. A simple way for your friend to remember this is the order in which they are positioned on the table or in a stand. An easy way for you to memorise it would be the number of bodies in each of the photos.

You instruct your on stage participant to take one of the photos and place it into the black envelope. The others you say should be placed face down with the envelop eon top of them. The sizes of all of the items should be designed in such a way that the envelope completely covers the photos once it is placed on top.

3 When they have done this they are to remember the photos image and ring a small bell so that you know they have done this task (the bell idea belongs to my friend the mentalist Mark Mayer who has performed this trick several times to great reactions.

4 You turn around and look at your friend in teh audience. Your friend now signals you as to which photo was selected and you done.

5 You reveal the photos that are under the envelop first one by one and then after that you slowly reveal the on eon the inside.

6 The fact that you did not show the photos at first adds an element of mystery to the effect. It will lead the specs to think that there may have been duplicate photos and switches involved which ofcourse there are not. Still a good place to have your specs though as it is a very good red herring. They will be racking their brains to try and figure out where the duplicate photos went. For this reason it is also a very good magician fooler.

When Mark Mayer performed this trick at 'Magic Mondays' about three years ago he totally nailed Charles Gauci with it. For all the above mentioned reasons you might want to keep it under your hat.

Back From Tas

2008-10-26T20:41:00.004+11:00

Well, I just returned from a delightful weekend in Hobart working for John Berry of Cables Plus Tasmania I was staying in a three bedroom unit. My every need was catered to.

I did about sixteen hours of magic from the minute I walked in to the moment I closed my stand up show in the evening and they loved it. Most of the time I was just talking about being a magician, which is part of the deal when you are booked as a guest 'speaker' as opposed to just an performer.

I had a quick speedboat ride to see some wonderful caves and a seal colony (courtesy of John) This morning before hopping on a plane back to Melbourne, nursing a little bit of a sore head.

John was the perfect gentleman and a good example of a man who treats his business seriously and his clients and guests with respect

Roving Aces

2008-10-23T23:06:00.004+11:00

This is a fairly easy ace cutting sequence that I do in roving.

1 Loose, and control the aces to the top via your favorite method.
2 The first ace comes into play via a simple false cut. As I do this when I am roving the cut I use is the 'Classic Pass False Cut'. Show that you have cut to the first ace. Pretty easy so why doesn't the spec try to find the second one for themselves.
3 As you say the above take a double from the top. Face up ace, and face down ace back to back. Riffle down the end of the deck and get the spec to call stop. Wherever they stop insert the double. You say "face up as a marker" You spread through to reveal that they have stopped at the second ace.
4 Outjog these cards and at the same time get a break under the top card (third ace)
5 Move the two face up aces to the top and do a simple sandwich load of the third ace between them. Cut them face up into the deck.
6 Pass them back to teh top. It looks like they visually rose bringing a card between them
7 Stick the three aces up aces in an outjog position.
8 Do a double lift and say, "The last ace is always difficult. It actually isn't the ace at first. Turn the double down and lift off the single face down ace. Place it into the outjogged cards face down and pull them all out of the deck.
9 Place the cards between the specs palms and have the X card transform into the last ace whenever you like.

DIY

2008-10-23T17:10:00.004+11:00

Through a lack of being able to procure the correct kind of re-fill paper I found myself making a 'Cardiographic' pad from scratch this morning. For those who are not aware of how unenviable this task was let me just say that Cardiographic is a perfectly balanced example of 'impossibly annoying to re-set (verses) fantastic reactions, ratio. Having said that, remember that I did NOT just re set it...I MADE a new one.

The thing is now complete and working very well considering I cannabalised about three pads/spiral binds/covers to make it. Cardiographic is a joy to perform and never fails to get anything less than a great reaction. After I had shouted at my wife several times during it's construction I calmly told her that it was all worth it......for whom exactly I don't know.

The plus side of making up a Cardiographic for myself was that I was able to transpose it to am A4 size pad, much better for my roadcase. BTW If you are going to reduce the size of this trick to A4 don't reduce the size of the gimmick/drawing. Keep that the sam eas it looks more impressive when a 'big' card starts to rise out of a 'big' picture. When Copperfield did this trick he used a massive pad and it looked great. When most of the people doing his exact routine, even down to the music
up loaded themselves on You Tube as raging plagiarists they used regular sized pads.

Rainbow

2008-10-22T12:19:00.002+11:00

A Routine with the Rainbow Deck.

You need a rainbow deck for this. It's not quite the same without one.

Place a blue card on the top and a blue card five cards up. Also place one on the bottom
1 Take out the deck and spread it face up between your hands.
2 Take the last six cards form the top and turn the rest of the deck face up on the table, next to the blue box. As you do this pull the bottom card out to the side a fraction. This (and the fact that the cards are next to a blue box) helps to sell the idea that it is a complete blue deck.
3 There should be six cards in your hand, the upper one is blue.
4 execute a Rhumba count to show all blue back. The cards are dealt face up on to the table.
5 Ask a person to name one.
6 Push it forward
7 Turn the deck face up and place it in the box for later
8 Pick up the remainder of the tabled cards and kiss them to the face of the selection.

9 Turn the selection over to show that the colour of the back has changed.
10 Kiss the selection to the rest of the packet and turn them over doing another Rhumba count. Tis shows that the back of all the others have changed to a third colour.
11 Kiss all of the cards together again and deal them singularly to the table showing six different colours.
12 Climax by showing the deck (inside the box) has changed colour too.

Dean's Gypsy Curse Routine

2008-10-21T19:57:00.003+11:00

I have always been a great fan of Peter Kane's 'Gypsy Curse'. I actually consider it the best packet trick in existence even though it is essentially just a re hash of the classic Wild Card. I first sterted to perform it when I was 13 and I can honestly say that I have included it in almost every close up show that I have done. That's a lot of performances of one trick. My presentation for it has enjoys several incarnations over the years. The one I present here is the way I currently perform it. It is also worth pointing out that, of all the effects in my repertoire, Gypsy Curse was always my Dad's favorite trick.

In addition to the GC cards you will need a Himber wallet that they fit into and a $5 note.

Place the $5 and the GC cards into the wallet in such a way that the cards are in one side and the cash in the other.

1 Take out the cards and perform the effect up until the moment that the three apparent black cards are on the table (the rest of the cards are in your hands)
2 Ask a person to name where they think the back card is. Whatever they say ask them if they would be willing to bet $50 on it. You can now have as much fun as you like trying to get the money.
3 Place the money into the empty side of the wallet and close, reversing it on to the $5 side.
4 Say, I'll give you a clue it's one of the cards on the table. At thsi point reveal teh cards in your hand as four blacks.
5 Place the wallet down on whichever card they nominate.
6 Turn over the card to show that they are right.
7 You now say, watch me though because I cheat. All these cards are red. infact so are the cards in my hand. This renders the trick a fraud so all the money needs to be kept for poilce evidence. But here is something for your trouble
8 Open up the wallet and give the guy the five.
9 When you think the time is right you say. Actually these cards are worth about $50. Would you rather the cards or the cash.
10 Place the cards back into the empty side of the wallet and magically change them to the $50
11 I usually use a bit of time misdirection before I reveal this. It's a little too perfect if you so it quickly and looks like a trick wallet. I usually put the $5 away in the pocket, plus the pen I have used to get him to sign the $50 and then do teh reveal.

DA

Flash Eight Ball

2008-10-21T16:00:00.004+11:00

This is a trick that I do all the time in roving.

You need a deck,some Flash paper, a lighter and the eight ball.

The whole lot is inside your right pants pocket.

1 Force the 8 of S and Control to the top
2 Reach into the pocket to take out the lighter and at the same time palm the top card in there.
3 Go back in for FP and also palm the eight ball
4 Say was your card a black eight, they say yes, you say was it this one?, burn the FP and chuck the eight ball in teh air at the same time. It looks like it just appears there.
5 They say, WOW, but no wormg mine was the eight of spades. Have them go through the deck to find their card only to discover that it has vanished.
6 Go back into the pocket for more FP and at the same time re palm the card.
7 Produce the card with the FP in a similar way.

February 09

2008-10-21T15:50:00.004+11:00

I booked my first gig for feburary2009 today,(I have bookings for Jan and March already too) A roving for the pre-dinner drinks portion of an event at The Palladium at Crown. I love the Crown function rooms and I have worked them many times before. The area outside The Palladium, where the cocktails occur, is a nice large open space to rove...with lovely plush carpets to boot.

Big Gig In Tasmania

2008-10-20T22:07:00.003+11:00

I spent this evening starting to write up a checklist for a gig just outside Hobart on Saturday. I have a new table since the last time I traveled interstate and I am trying to figure out how to protect it whilst in the hold of the plane. I booked this gig about three months ago and it's come along really fast. I really love getting on a plane to go and do a gig...it feels very special. I'm performing for a client during his annual client thanks and get to spend the entire day Saturday at the retreat where the gig is taking place......maybe a massage and a spa before my show in the evening? I'm really looking forward to it. It should be lots of fun.

Flash Matches

2008-10-20T10:35:00.003+11:00

WWW.DEANATKINSON.COM

This is a short, interactive routine that I have been using in roving situations for some time now. You will require a deck of cards, a marking pen, a piece of flash paper and a box of matches. the deck is in your hands. the rest of the gear is in your right pants pocket.

1 Have a card selected.
2 Reach in for the marker and have the spec sign their name on the card.
3 Place the pen away.
4 Control the card to the top.
5 palm the card away from the deck and conceal it in the pocket at the same time bringing the matches out. Place the deck aside for a moment.
6 Hand the spec the matches and request that they take one out of the box.
7 Reach into the pocket again and re palm the card, also taking out the flash paper at the finger tips.
8 Ask the spec to light the match and take it from them in your left hand.
9 Burn the flash paper and at the same tiem push the palmes selection upinto the fingertips. The card has appeared in a burst of flames.
10 replace the card in the deck and control it to the top again.
11 Once again palm the card into the pocket whilst removing flash paper. When hand is inside the pocket you quickly fold the card into quarters. When you remove the hand the FP is once again at the fingertips and the folded card is concealed in a Ramsey palm.
12 Request that the spec empties all of the matches out of the box. Place the deck aside again.
13 Take the empty match box box from the spec and place the FP inside it. before you do this though secretly place the palmed folded card in there first, The FP resting on top of it. Leave the box half way open.
14 Have the spec hand you any match. Light it on the box and then drop it on to the paper inside.
15 When the flames subside you can reveal the card has magically appeared in the box.

Dean Atkinson
15

Dean's Routines

2007-04-23T21:28:00.000+10:00

The Dean's Routines DVD will be available in about a month. The price will be between $25 and $30AUD and will include the following effects.

Very Hot Mama. (This is my take on The 'Chicago Opener' which includes a complete colour changing deck, flash paper and lots more.)

I, Magician. ( very easy stand- up card trick where the spectator plays the part of the magician. This fries people)

Spider Bite. ( A 'not for the faint hearted', hard core card effect involving Tenkai palming, The Pass, Future Reverse other very difficult moves)

Cups and Balls. (A very fast paced, funny and energetic version of the classic. I have fooled many many magicians with moves in my version of this trick. For the most part it's quite easy.

Triple Trouble. ( This is my take on the now classic, stand up, three coin effect. No shells but plenty of interesting misdirection. A joy to perform)

Credit. ( a gaffed vesrion of my effect Credit Queens. Great effect, very easy and extremely deceptive. I nailed David Jones, Kamal Bhushan, Glenn Hamilton Richard Jones and Chris Shing the first time I did it for them. Very easy.

Cash Flash. ( The most fun you will ever have with a Thumb tip)

Rip. ( a torn and restord where the pieces vanish as they are being torn. When they come back they are discovered retored in the card box which has been in full view the entire time) This is a good trick to do with the Mystery Box although My own version is more organic and uses the card box.

If you would like to reserve a copy of the DVD plese let me know and I will ship in Australia free. You can have your copy before it is sold at the Convention!

The Importance Of Being Flash Paper

2007-04-23T20:55:00.000+10:00

Tonight I did a quick hour of roving at Yarra Yarra Golf Club.

Since I did a 50th birthday there earlier last year they have had me back 7 times to do one thing or another. The club is hidden among glades in Bentleigh and was recently re -furbished. I also did the opening in February. the crods are always fantastic. I find that the audiences at yarra really respect professionalism.

Tonight was a little bash for some of their corporate members and I was milling during pre- dinner drinks in their wonderful new members bar. I was booked from 5.30 until 6.30 to enteratain as people finshed up golf and got into the free plonk. I also realised during this time how imprtanat Flash Paper is. As part of my on going efforts to downsize I decided to remove FP from my roving all together. The gigs I did over the weekend went just fine without it but tonight I realised there was a difference. With those previous three night's worth of engagements I had already established myself with a stage spot during which I was doing ventriloquism. I did very LITTLE magic in the second part of thsoe shows but rather just mingled with people and did a few solid card tricks but really just joining the party as an fairly interesting 'paid' guest. Tonight I was doing JUST roving for the first time in a while outside of doing some stand up too. Although I went down great for the fun blokes at Yarra Yarra as I always do (and gave out 23 buniness cards which I had counted before leaving the house) I did feel, as I said to Joanne on my arrival home, that I could have done with some FP. Jo quite rightly pointed out that what I meant was I needed a bit of pizzaz. She's was right.

I also made a point of doing two of the effects from my up coming lecture DVD tonight and one of them is at a real loss without FP which I noticed as I was doing it.

I told my friend the magician Nick Morton who is producing my DVD, that he had to refuse to allow me to make anymore alterations to effects for this DVD. The shoot date set for next Monday.

For anyone interested in knowing what I have decided to put on there. With only two exceptions the material is very easy. I will give you the run down in a bew post at some point soon. I am explaining my cups and balls (with all the cute bits where I hide the bal l under my arm) for the first time but the Card to Pocket routine will remain a mystery for a while longer. I write that as a few people have asked me if I was going to incude it. Sorry but no.

From One Extreme To Another

2007-04-22T16:06:00.000+10:00

Kevin was not as big a hit at a house party last night as he had been in a bar the night before. The style of function was also very different. The Friday night gig had been a corporate, lot's of people letting their hair down in a public place. Last night I did an hour at a guy's 40th in Glenn Iris. We all had a great time but the Vulture was (although very entertaining) the weakest part of the show. As ever though I am probably being too hard on myself. Ventriloquism is quite a tough sell in someone's loungeroom and even though the client Nadine had done a great job at hiring caterers who created an indoor beer garden there is something just a little bit to cozy about a house party to warrant expecting people to buy into puppets without any real warning. It could have been the audience though but they were so great for the rst of it that I think it was just enviromental. There had not been that much drink passed around yet either. Also I think my delivery may have been off once i started to feel the wall growing a little. Domino effect maybe?

By the way,when I say that I don't think vent goes over in a loungroon during an adult show that's not strictly speaking true. Maybe a character who was a little easier to identify with would have been better. Kevin is a' mock horror' sort of deal, which is very funny but in a more public or corporate setting. Even though there are quite a few call backs to an audience member in his routine already I have decided to personalise the routine more and drop more of the guests names into the routine...or even just celebrities names might help to make it more identifiable and or topical. I am doing him again for a Rotary function in town next Friday night and intend on working on some new bits of dialogue this week. The trouble with Rotary is that it is not private neither is it corporate so it's tricky. I think I will still drop some of the guests names in though (if I can remember them in time) and see how I go. It all depends on how well people know each other I guess. The bit that I do with the dummy mask was a storm (last night) as it always is. Like the Vulture, the new spider bit struggled too. After the show it was on to 40mins of walk around. I don't have to tell you that was fine....yep I can do that now...that's just what I DO, what I have done for years and its just fine. based on the responses I get week in and week out my walk around is pretty much perfect. I am very comfoartable doing walk around I always have been. I enjoy it a tremedous amount.

The other extreme was Maddie and Violet's Birthday Party today at the Silly Seahorse in Chelsea Heights. One of my parents presents to them. I, ofcourse, supplied a show during which Kevin went down a storm...as did all of the other puppets. No before you ask I don't do the same routine for kids as I do for adults. There were two other parties on at the same time as us and I just said that everyone could watch my show. We had the whole place screaming and shouting.

I have to go now as I have loads of Barbie dolls to open. Why do they package them so well? The loungroom looks like Santa's grotto.

Coming Of Age

2007-03-23T11:21:00.000+11:00

You know you have come of age with magic and that you now look upon ways to improve it from a purely entertainments viewpoint, when, upon being asked how many card tricks you know you say;

"Two"

It's true though. They serve me extremely well too. Don't ask what they are. You've never heard of them. You'll have to come and see me somewhere. I don't even do Triumph anymore and that's a ball tearer. There just isn't time.

Variations On A Theme

2007-03-23T10:37:00.000+11:00

About five years ago I developed a routine called Cash Flash. I use it all over the place, close up walk around to platform gigs. It's a real workhorse. It's a very decent way of getting a borrowed note into play tooand has a very nice comic build that I have always been proud of. The long and short of it is that I am including this routine in my new set of magic lecture notes, 'Dean's Routines'. I wanted to call them 'Extreme Dean' but my name sake Dean Dill has already taken that.

Last night, whilst working an hour of roving, I tried out something new with the basic concept of Cash Flash. Instead of using money I simply use a signed playing card. As I was approaching the end of the routine I realised that the perfect climax would have been a Mystery Box. Luckliy I had mine on me at the time. It was too late to finish with it on that particular performance though because, as most of you are aware, The Mystery Box needs to be in play from the outset of a routine. Upon approaching the next group and after doing a few gags and my classic opening rope routine, which is also going in my new notes heaven help me, I belted out the full version of 'Card Flash'

Here it is.

1 the Mystery box is placed upon the table. When working rooms that have no tables I place it on the floor in the middle of the circle of people I am performing for. I also do Matrix on the floor sometimes. I got this idea years ago from my friend Chris Shing who actually does Shadow Coins on the floor.

2 A card is signed and the rest of the deck can be put away as it will not be used again.

3 As you are placing the deck away you steal a TT with a silk inside it from your pocket.

3 Do the old silk from card bit.

4 Place the silk and TT in your top jacket pocket or shirt pocket if working in Australia during the Summer months.

5 Fold the card into quatres and hold in the right hand.

6 Reach back into the jacket pocket for the silk and hold that at the left fingers.

7 Pretend to place the folded card under the silk but actually retain it in the right hand. A fake corner piece would work really well here as you could have the spec hold on to it. It might hold youuponbeing able to get the silk into the TT though.

8 Go into your pocket for a lighter and dump the card in there for a second.

9 Heat up the silk to create a bit of magic. Place the lighter back into the pocket.

10 Pull the silk away from the hand to reveal that the card has vanished.

11 You now draw attention to the Box. You say I will now push the silk inside my hand and change it back into the card. The silk will appear inside that box.

12 What you have to do now is get the TT. I have no logical reason for it (which is abummer as my magic usually has very good flow to and from the pockets) last night I just reached in and got it. whilst I was fumbling for the lighter again. You and I will need to work on this some more.

13 Vanish the silk in the TT and ditch whilst using the lighter again. At the same time palm the folded card back into play.

14 You say "ahhh no card" That's Ok at least the silk will have travelled to the box. Then you explain that to discover a red silk in the box would not be that impressive as there could be two silks that loook the same.

15 Instead you reveal that the missing card inside the box. Thispart is easy as you already have the folded card in your right hand for the MB Shuttle Pass move.

NOTES

Most routines that us ethe KMB do not involve the card being folded openly from the outset so teh effect of thisclimax is somewhat weaker than other routines that use the prop.

The Work

2007-03-22T10:39:00.000+11:00

For the past three nights I have watched Jeff Dunham's DVD 'Arguing With Myself' twice through each night. Once as per normal and then once with commentary. Sitting and watching ventriloquism DVD's (and I have plenty of them) over and over again Is not unusual for me. For me, research has always been part of the work and watching movies has alwasy been the most enjoyable research. It's also the easiest. As an actor, magician OR ventriloquist I have always found that watching other practitioners of the artform is the most beneficial of all research. More than reading a 'how to' book on comedy, for example, one would be better served watching as much comedy as possible, not out of any interest in stealing material but rather to see how it's done. To learn how timing works etc.

In watching GOOD practitioners over and over one becomes a better performer oneself. I don't exactly know why this happens, all I know is that the improvement happens gradually and through a subliminal process. In any case I have found it a very enjoyable and useful form of pratice that is at least a break from sticking on a puppet and going over your lines at full energy.

This brings me to my next point. How does one practice ventriloquism?

Well, firstly the practice is forever ongoing, at least the rehearsal of new characters and dialogue is. It's like sleight of hand in that sense. You canalways be better. Even if you focus on the same 15 minutes for five years as I am trying to do.

For me about 2 hours of each day is spent doing the very sort of prctice I mentioned at the end of the second paragraph. I spend 2 hours a day with a puppet stuck on my hand going over and over the dialogue at speed. I also tape these sessions on a little recorder and listen to them back before I start again. This is an old trick I use to employ when I was doing a lot of theatre acting. It helps you to remember your lines that's all. After I have gone through the final run of the night. I leave the last recording on the recorder and listen to it several times the next day while I am going about the more mundane business of normal life. I also run the lines when I am walking to the shops, to and from the train station, with the dog or on the way to gigs etc.

For me the main practice sessions come when I am actually in front of real people. I dont wait to get booked for a vent gig either. Ido lot's of walk around and always MAKE myself doa short tenminutes at the top of these booking with vent. It doesn't alwasy work out because of the structureof the nightbut at most private functions it's fine.The mainplace topractive iskids shows. Most people spend a year in their bedroom developing an illusion show and then expect it to work it first time out. Many begginers with a performance goal have no idea that most of their practice SHOULD be taking place in front of real people. In the case of a big magic act or a vent act the most obvious example of this is kid's parties. I am lucky enough to count this as a very primary source of income and one that I enjoy intensly. I relish the vent practice that I get at kid's shows. Every tiny bit counts and whereas the routines are totally different to those one would use for an adult audience it doesn't matter. When I get home form a Kid's show and Joanne asks me how it went the first thing I always tell her is how well the vent went over. I am also constantly surprised at how comfortable I am with vent at kids shows. A huge leap fromthe first days of doing it. This is a combination of practice and balls. BTW balls really help in showbiz. I never use to have them but I do now. I don't know where they came from I just had to get them soIgot them......about three years ago. I think It was Dante's and the MS that caused this.

Anyway, as I have said in the past. Performance does not exsist in your bedroom. You have to do it for real people. I also think that you have to do it for real people about two weeks sooner than you think you should. This is the complete opposite of my friend Eugene Burger's attitude towards magic. I'm sure my friendship with him will survive it though. You have to get it out there. To revisit the Dunham DVD, Jeff admits to the paint being 'still wet' on his Bubba J figure, A hard character he had never used until that point. So the smarter to are and the bigger the balls and his are big, the easier it is to simply launch into something. I have also seen Dunham doing Melvin The Superhero for a BIG stadium crowd whilst reading the jokes. It didn't matter. It didn't effect the separation or the illusion of reality at all.

As well as watching good ventriloquists I watch loads of bad ones. I love it. I do not do this out of any sense of sadism you understand but rather to see what (absolutely) does not work. When I say bad ventriloquists I don't just mean kids on you tube but some pro's who just don't do it for me. Most of these guys are really famous.

I'm rambling now. I'll shut up.

I will say one more thing about vent routines and it starts at the rehearsal stage. If you don't have a GOOD laugh every ten seconds you need to reduce the length down to where you do. Unless you have a very funny puppet or some very funny sight stuff or a conceptual thing happening like Taylor Mason or Jim Barber you should pull it back. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the people watching. Most of them are not as interested in it as you are. most of them do not share your fascination with puppets. Ecpecially sesame street style puppets. It took me a year to realize that Fetch did not work for adults. Although his dialogue was funny and a little risky. It took too long to get ito it. As soon as the audience see the muppet they see a pupet show. This is why Dunham starts with Walter. I'm hoping that my Vulturefits the bill...so to speak. In time I can certainly see myself doing an old man to. It'sjust a formula that seems to work. I have the character already. Finding the puppet is the next thing.

Food for thought anyway. even if, in reading this bac, I did kind of give you the courses in the wrong order.

Photos

2007-03-20T09:54:00.000+11:00

The photograph of Kevin The Vulture in the previous post was taken by my very good friend Kamal Bhushan. Excellent photography is one of his many skills (he keeps it quiet) and over the next week or so I hope to have more shots of my characters for you all to look at.

Kevin The Vulture

2007-03-20T09:44:00.000+11:00

"I need a holiday!"

"Where would you like to go?"

"The Canary Islands"

"You'll need lot's of sunscreen"

"Stick it on my bill........get it?"

If you want to catch Kevin's PUBLIC debut please join Glenn Hamilton, Micky Wyld, myself and others at the next Magic Monday's at Dante's on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy. You can call The Magic Store on 9682 0153 for more details or to book tickets and reserve seats.

Ventriloquists

2007-03-19T12:35:00.000+11:00

One of my favourite ventriloquists (actually THE favourite) Jay Johnson was talking on his blog last month about the backstabbing nature of "vents" He also makes reference, somewhere in there about an old "vent" saying that goes something like

"Get two magicians together and you've got a convention, get two ventriloquists together and you've got a fight"

I know what he means but it seems the same negative aspect of the way "vents" conduct themsleves could ACTUALLY be applied to magicians TOO. Similarily , magicians might employ the same adage the other way around.

As Jay points out most of this backstabbing comes from the internet forums. I personally don't look at the magic forums anymore. The negative tasete those sites eventually leave in my mouth have made them impossible to look at. I have NEVER looked at the ventriloquist forums. I suppose I have been lucky in the sense that I have only ever looke upon ventriloquism as a way to entertain an audience andnot tried to use it as a way to gain respect from piers. With magic on th eother hand, I have gone through phases where acceptance from the larger community seemed attractive. These days I don't give a monkey's. I try my best to stay away from the mindless, boring conversation that one usually sees on these forums.

I suspect that Jay doesn't give a monkey's either....or rather a monkey's joke.

Push

2007-02-23T11:14:00.000+11:00

You loose a selected card in the deck and say "If I press the top card on to the table and wait five seconds. 1 2 3 4 5 YOur card completely vanishes (you don't show this yet so it's funny) and then I continue to cound to ten 6 7 8 9 10 the card re appears after having changed into your signed card"

You then repeat this under the specs hand and ask them if they can feel the moment at which the card vanishes and re-appears.

You lose a selected card again and say "you're probably wondering how this happens?. And also if I'm telling the truth about the card vanishing and coming back. Well first I press the different card really hard and it vanishes" with this you press another X card on to the tablebut this time SHOW that it has gone. "When it comes back it has turned into your card . You don't see the bit where it vanishes usually because I keep my hand over the spot until the right time"

With that you press your empty hand over the spot again and the selection appears.

I have a method for this and it plays realy well. Thouht you might like to muck around with the effect seffect for yourslef. In case you're interested my methosd uses four moves.

1 A control. Thios has to be one that uses no cutting or shuffling for the effect (that I am going for) to really work.

2 A double lift

3 A one handed top palm

4 A rub away vanish

I should point out here that these are the only moves I use in professional work with cards full stop.....with the possible exception of some Tenkai work, a Top Change and a reverse.

VentriloquismTip Of The Day

2006-11-01T17:10:00.000+11:00

You HAVE to keep telling yourself it's only about the laughs. You just have to KEEP telling yourself that and all the rest will fall into place.

One of the first pieces of advice that Darren Carr gave me when I started to pester him about all this stuff was. "If you're not funny, you might as well forget it"

So whether it's a kids show or an adult gig you have to make them laugh.

It's just stand up comedy with a puppet and you have to keep telling yourself that. If your worried about a gag going over make the delivery itself funny. This is easy to do with characters.

Puppetry?

2006-11-01T14:22:00.000+11:00

I just watched some clips of a US puppet company called Avenue Q on you tube. I have to say that after spending so many months now in trying to perfect ventriloquism that watching straighfoward puppetry just doesn't cut the grade for me. This is actually testimont to how important lip control REALLY is in vent. I CANNOT make the leap when I am watching someone's mouth moving. It doesn't do it for me. I just see a person. Look, I love the muppets and I love Sesame Street and whenever you see one of those characters interviewed on TV or something the camera always zooms right in so you can't see the actor anymore. It doesn't work for me when I can see the puppeteer. Not after seeing so many venrtiloquists.

What have I learned from this. Not that there is no place for puppetry, far from it. The hysterics of the Aneue Q audience is testimont to this and they look like they do a great job. What I have learned from it is that lip control IS very important if you are going to call yourself a ventriloquist. I don't care what anyone says.

On a similar note more often than not you can also see the persons hand indide the puppet. What I mean is that most puupeteers (even when they walk on stage with them) use dolls that have bottom entry....(Ohhh Errrr) . Ventriloquists seem to favour puppets that enter at the back or neck and also have legs. It really helps sell the illusion.

Entrances And Exists

2006-10-29T17:36:00.000+11:00

In his excellent book 'Kids Show Ventriloquism' Mark Wade discusses the 'Dead Time' aspect to crossing the stage and putting on a puppet. He further suggests different ways to cover this, the most important of all being applause. He's right. This time needs to be covered but I will also elaborate upon it here.

The entrance of a puppet character is just as important as the entrance of ANY character to teh stege. When I was at Drama School one of the first things we were taught was how to enter the stage as if you have just COME from somewhere else. At it's core this illustrates ' physical motivation' If the puppet is going to spend 5 or 10 minutes in the comapny of the audience in his or her guise as a living creature then he or she needs to be alive form the very first second.

The American ventriloquist Jeff Dunham is a master of this particular technique. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that puppets need to be 'talking' or 'shouting' at you straight away. As with real live actors (more so in some cases) there is a great deal of comedy to be had of a silent entrance as long as it is motivated and above all animated. Edgar Bergan would move Charlie McCarthy's head so much, this way and that and have him looking around all over the theatre before he reached centre stage. The character needs to be alive form the start.

I watched a video clip of a ventriloquist's first 'adult' gig.

Now, For a vent who is moving form kids parties and giving it a pop in this area is a very nerve racking thing. Trust me I have already done it and continue to practice it weekend in and out. My admiration goes out to anyone who is giving vent a whirl before grown ups. Having said that what really let this guy down at the end of the day was that he either A) did not have a script for the first 1o seconds of his act or B) He forgot it. Ergo the entrance of the puppet was reduced to a fumbling mumbling improvisation which got alot of strange looks and one or two deadly 'smirks' form the audience.

The puppet needs to make a real spalsh!!!! Trust me. learn the lines, it's very important to have a script. Learn the lines and make that puppet turn waves as soon as he is seen coming out of the case.

The exits need to be equally orchestreted. just do what I said a second ago but in reverse.

The puppet should leave the stage to applause. Treat him like a spectator or even better a special guest. Something like this " Give it up for fetch The Dog!!!!" As they give it up put him away. Don't wait for the applause to die down and then put him away. Unless you make him say "Now take your hand out of my ass puppet boy" as he goes into the case.

Why You Shouldn't Drink Alcohol In A Public Park

2006-10-27T12:18:00.000+10:00

Even at a BBQ I say don't do it. I say have your BBQ party in the yard, if you want to drink grog. But this post is not really about the issue of drinking during organized park events, or even about winos who have no choice. It's about Dads right? Just regular Dads like me who find themselves in the park between about 9 and 10am on a Sunday morning. No need to go down there with a stubbie. No need at all, and yet I still see it weekend in and weekend out. That, Dad in his tracksuit with a stubbie in one hand and half a smoke in the other, image is becoming an all to familiar sight for the girls and me on a Sunday morning.

You don't have to drink a stubbie in the park on a Sunday morning whilst taking your kids out for a play. You bloody play with them, have a good time and then go home and kick back with a stubbie in your yard................please. To be honest I wouldn't even do that as I think it's the wrong message for your own kids. I just don't want my kids to have to see it. I don't want them to have to feel it's normal.

Why You Shouldn't Eat Takeaway For Breakfast

2006-10-27T11:48:00.000+10:00

So I saw a guy eating out of a takeaway bag at about 9.15 this morning. He was a big guy, a fat guy right. At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt in the consideration that it MAY have been a bag of breakfast related products so I had a good look. No. It was a hamburger and god knows what else. A hamburger (and God knows what else) is NOT what one should eat at breakfast. So I figure the fact that this guy was big was less than a coincidence. A big (and young at that) guy eating takaway for breakfast, is fat (I'm sorry) for a reason. That reason should also go without saying. A large person eating takaway for breakfast is probably not doing this for a treat, or as a one off. A larger person eating takaway for breakfast on a normal Friday morning, sitting at the railway station does so (I believe) with some regularity.

OK, sure most of us love food right? I do. At the same time I'm sure that I probably eat to much of it sometimes. I would to love eat hot chips for breakfast, or at anytime of day for that matter? but I don't. You know why? I have control. Not much of it , but enough to abstain from that. I have a certain amount of self respect and enough passion for wanting to enjoy a nice meal in the evening without thinking "oh maybe I should have eased up on that fried horse and large fries for I ate breakfast"

Having said all of that everyone has a rock and roll weekend every now and then where they just eat all the hamburgers and cocaine in sight at different and unusual times of the day but with that exception it's in bad form.

Takaway is not a breakfast food. It's ridiculous!

Doms

2006-10-24T16:40:00.000+10:00

Did I mention that I bought the Domino set along with KerPlunk the other day? Well I'm telling you now.

Funny thing is that that domino set has quickly become the most requested pastime in the household.

About 3 months ago, on a visit to Canberra, Maddie and Violet found a set of old domino cards in the games room of the house we were staying in. They quickly got the gist of it and I had been meaning to buy them a set of their own for ages. So when My Nanna May and Grandad Stan over in the UK called to say that I should spend a few of their dollars (pounds) on the girls I thought it a good opportunity.

So it's dominos morning, noon and night at our place right now. I play the version of the game as I know it. The only way I have ever played it. The game the grown - ups (and I) used to always play when I was tiny with the exception that we now have to LOOK at each others doms to try and outsmart each other....well The girls do...OK I do too.

Doms are great! It's a very skillfull game of wits. It is also very nostalgic for me as the game itself forms one of my earliest childhood memories. That of sitting around the big round, white table in the kitchen of My other grandparent's (Babs and Jock) house in Selwood Close Thornaby.

The sound of the doms rattling as they are mixed sounds just the same as it did back then.

I'm Just Glad That KerPlunk Is Not Magic Trick

2006-10-23T11:26:00.000+10:00

My God This game is a bitch to re- set! Having said that my girls find it especially easy.... I on the other hand get very frustrated and throw things.

I bought them dominoes at the same time. Now there's a game that is easy to re-set. There is no re- set. it's the un-gaffed coins across of games. KerPlunk is the bloody Girl to Tiger of games...even though it resembles a sword cabinet. Except it's clear. Now that would be a good trick!

BTW I am sorry for the lack of posts I have been busy...playing KerPlunk. making a living too, which to be honest is just as enjoyable as playing KerPlunk anyway.

Put This Date In Your Diary

2006-10-10T17:34:00.000+10:00

I know it seems like a long way off but please pencil this into your diaries.

Magic Monday's 6th of November Show At Dante's Cnr of Gertrude and Napier Streets in Fitzroy.

Magic Monday's alwasy rocks and it is alwasy packed out so make your plans early. Novemebr is a special Melbourne Cup show where the best Bonnet or Bowler will win a great prize.

Join myself
Chuck Fayne
Michael Boyd and Cathy Costello
Glenn Hamilton
Fetch The Dog
Cuddles The Clown
Carlos The Cat (can't believe I gave the cat a name that started with the word C..Ouch
and Fingers the Hand............for Magic Monday Mayhem.

Showtime

2006-10-02T13:19:00.000+10:00

I'm off to Magic Monday's tonight. For those who don't know this is a monthly magic event that I help to organise with three of my magic buddies. Mark and Sandra Mayer and Glenn Hamilton. The show is held on the first Monday of every month and Dante's Theatre, eatery and bar, in the heart of bustling Fitzroy. The show will also be going into it's third fantastic year soon and is still the only 'regular' monthly magic event in the country

Tonight's show has Chris Morant and David Jones including myself and Glenn Hamilton on the bill. I am really looking forward to seeing David as he is one of my favourite magicians and it is very difficult to get him to do any stand up at all. He will no doubt be as solid as a rock as he was the last time I saw him do stand up when we worked together on the "It's Magic" show at the Carlton Court House. I am also working a close up gig with David next week for Baron Insulation as I did last year.

Please come and join us at Dante's on gertrude Street, Fitzroy for a cracking show tonight.

D

Slow and Smooth

2006-09-27T11:51:00.000+10:00

My Good friend Chris Shing has always been known to use this phrase in relation to coin magic. To see Chris perform some of his 'World Class' coin magic is to witness this term played out to it's full beauty and potential.

What is the crux of that expression though? Does it mean you have to perform everything slowly in order for it to register? No I don't think so. At the heart of the matter I think that what it really means is to perform with deliberate clarity. This usually means using pace and pace as we all know CAN involve speed.

Why am I talking about this? Well it is in relation to vent. I have been practicing the arse off a routine for the past three weeks in readiness for a performance on Monday Night. I am learning this scripts the same way that I learn acting dialogue for an audition. Every spare minute I get I go over the lines at speed and level. I act it out in it's entirely and in the case of vent I also us e the correct lip control when it's the puppet's turn to speak. Ok I can now recite this dialogue backwards in my sleep and whenevr I act it out in practice I am doing it VERY quickly. Too quickly maybe.

So how does that 'Shing' catchpharse come into all of this? Well, what I have to do now and certainly on the night, is to take what I have accomplised and channel that speed and solidity into something that is slow and smooth. I have no choice but to slow it down. Not in terms of the speed orpace ofdialogue but in terms of the gaps. The pauses. Without sacrificing the pace of the routine I must search for a way to find the MOMENTS. Discover the moments where I am not going tospeak.This will crete the artificial idea of twodifferent people. The places to BREATH. I need to (at the very least) prepare for the laughs. I need to think about the diction and above all the clarity. This clarity, as I have already said, is what I believe to be the true meaning of the phrase Slow and Smooth.

This Has To Be The Last Word

2006-09-27T11:42:00.000+10:00

Very Young Kid . Excuse me do you have any fake, plastic, hollow thumbs?

Me. (confused) No, Sorry

Give me a break! At least he was polite.

Naming Your Puppets

2006-09-23T01:21:00.000+10:00

Ok here's the deal. I think it's kind of lame to give your puppet characters a name thet BEGINS with the same letter as the kind of animal he/she is. E.G Leo the Lion, Charlie the Chimp, Chris the Crocodile. I know that it is a tried and tested formula but I still think it sucks arse. It shows a complete lack of imagination and above all isn't really releasing any comedy potential or for that matter any creative thinking from your audience at all.

When the audience hears you say a name like Percy the Parrot they just accept it and move on to judging you on what they are about to see. They say to themselves. "yea percy has nothing to do with a parrot, it's not funny, ergo this character isn't going to be funny..let's hate him! This ventriloquist has simply thought of the first name that begins with the same letter as the sort of animal his puppet represents...let's hat him too as he spends no time or thought on his characters at all.

So try and give your character a funny, cutesy, organic, congruent albeit alternative name like Fetch The Dog.

Leo the Lion...Give me a break.

Having said all of that I do have a character called Cuddles the Clown. This name in relation to the character however is a humorous contradiction to the chracter itself and is therefore forgivable.

Magic Monday's

2006-09-22T11:38:00.000+10:00

Just a quick heads up to remind you all about the next magic Monday's at Dante's Restaurant, 150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Monday 2nd October. Doors open and close up starts at 7pm.

The fantastic line up for October includes.

David Jones
Mark Mayer
Glenn Hamilton
Fetch The Dog

See you there...............otherwise I'm not going to show anyone my pass anymore.

Vent Practice Tips

2006-09-22T11:14:00.000+10:00

Say hello to Fetch.

Ok I know there are like a million people out there practicing ventriloquism at the moment. That's why there are only really about 3 people in the country that do it for a living. So here are some ideas that I have found useful over these past few months in learning how to do it better. Remember that it is very nerve racking so the more you can practice on real people the better. it's like magic in that respect. It is ALWAYS going to be smooth when you practice in your bedroom. Ohh err.

# 1 Let one of your puppets read your kids a bed time story every night.

Now I have been doing this since my kids were tiny but I only just started to do it without moving my lips. Maddie and Violet have become my best and most honest critics. Up until about three weeks ago they were still saying that my lips were moving. They are now saying that my lips are not moving. I KNOW that this is not a lie to make me feel better. What reason does a 4 year old have for that.

# 2 Give your puppet a part in all of your magic tricks.

Even if this is a s simple as your puppet coming out and saying the magic words. I have a routine with a Peeper Eye Puppet and I am currently using him to come out and breathe some magic on to the trick. befopre this I do a few lines from the set routine. I am doing this at every opportunity in The Store which means I am completely comfortable with the peeper at gigs.

# 4 Watch as many ventriloquists as you can.

Even if they don't teach what they are doing you get a stack of info from just watching them. I have been looking at a lot of Jeff Dunham lately. I reckon he is about the best around right now. It is also interesting how he is also Darren Carr's favourite vent. Darren ,for those that don't know, is Australia's best ventriloquist. Wheras watching Dunham has not helped with the lip control it has given me many things to think about in terms of timing, character seperation and comedy.

# 5 Take some acting, dialect and voice classes. I already did this many moons ago when I was studying to be an actor. Learn how to use breath control

# 6 Get a PA system. It's probably not going to work if your voice isn't amplified. I use a radio head set system.

# 7 Learn how to write funny material and then learn how to remeber it then learn how to say it as two different people......quickly.

Good luck. remember that vent is about 100 times harder than you think it is going to be. It's like being two stand up comedians at the same time.

BTW if you would like to see Fetch in action I suggest you come along to Magic Monday's a week on Monday. Tickets can be reserved by calling Dante's Restaurant on 9417 2468. they can also be purchased at The Magic Store by popping in or calling 9682 0153.

I Can See Your Lips Moving

2006-09-07T12:38:00.001+10:00

I have been away from here learning ventriloquism for the past couple of months. I am getting quite good at it to be honest. The most importrant thing is that I am FULLY and SICKLY into it. I HAVE been for years and did it as a kid all the time. Recently though I decided I was going to indulge all of my comedy and acting skills and learn how to do it on a more serious level. I have invested in some brilliant characters one of whom (Cuddles The Clown) had his debut this week at Monday Magic here in Melbourne.

I admit that the initial idea was to add something very special to my kids shows but I can see this expanding into other areas. Magic Monday to name but one

The lips are pretty good right now and it does come naturally with practice. Loads of people keep telling me it doesn't matter if the lips move and I politely agree. Deep down though I know that it does. It's the msot important thing! Anyone who really thinks that it doesn't mater are either saying it becasue THEY can't do it (like when bad card guys say the pass isn't important) just don't care about it enough to think about the psychology. Moving your lips during vent is like doing the cups and balls without the loads. A recent poll on a vent forumactually polled this question and the first option of "Very Important" came out first on 89 percent.

If The Choices Were Limited

2006-08-04T12:37:00.000+10:00

Say you were stuck at the office and you knew you were going to be late picking the kids up from school. Say you had no choice but to call one of the following people/entities to do a bit of babysitting for you. Who would you choose and why?

A Dalek
Hannibal Lecter
Pinhead
Freddy Krueger
Jason
Mike Munroe
Darth Vader

OK Vader and Munroe are out straight away. Darth Vader doesn't even live anywhere near this galaxy or for that matter anywhere close to thes period in space or time, if the disclaimer at the beggining of his movies is to believed anyway. I don't tink I have to explain why it wouldn't be Mike Munroe...That's would just be chaotic insanity. So who do we have left

Jason is a bit of a relentless killer...although I guess your kids would be OK...unless they were teenagers of course. The Dalek is a relentless killer too so you would have to be very careful there. In addition to that he can't get up the stairs. That could be very upsetting for a baby crying in the bedroom (I don't give a shit if you think they can fly BTW.....I don't care what Billie Piper says. Daleks CANNOT float, just like R2D2 CANNOT float. If Daleks and Artoo could float why didn't they do it in the old days or the new days if their Artoo MANY lives could have been saved if they did and that's the saddest part.

Who's left? Not Freddy Krueger. Nah.... that wouldn't work he's too much of a smart arse. Plus they would be awake all night. Well they would have to be wouldn't they?

Pinhead and Hannibal Lecter both possess the qualities it takes to be a babysitter. I reckon they would also get on like a house on fire. They may even have tea at 4 together.

This post is insane.

The Rancor Monster

2006-07-29T14:23:00.000+10:00

No point in having the keeper if you don't have the cretaure itself. I LOVED this. You could make it's mouth open and close.

Nostalgia

2006-07-27T22:17:00.000+10:00

Seriously, all this talk of Star wars has got me feeling very nostalgic. Since it is ONLY 10pm I am now going to go and watch the bonus disc from the SW DVD box set.

I will report on my other favourite pieces tomorrow.

D

Rancor Keeper

2006-07-27T22:05:00.000+10:00

My Nanna Babs sent away for The Rancor Keeper after saving up little tokens from several other toys. It was such an exciting morning when that little package arrived but I had to wait it out the whole day at School before it was brought around to our house that evening.

he came in a little white box with my Nanna name and address printed on a sticker on the Side. What WILL he look like I thought. What WILL he feel like. Such experiences are now felt when waiting on Schoolcraft Coin Gaff or something.

You couldn't get The Rancor Keeper in the shops at that time so it was very very special indeed.

years later (through friends or plays I was in at the time) I had the pleasure of meeting three of the actors who had been in the Original movies. Julian Glover, Ian Mcdiarmid and Paul Brooke the guy who actually played this role in The Return of the Jedi. All three guys were quite open to talking about Star Wars Glover even enjoyed telling me how funny he thought it was that Alec (Guiness) was the only actor who had agreed to take 'Scale' instead of a wage.

Regret

2006-07-27T21:33:00.000+10:00

Every now and then my girls will remind me of the regret I have at not keeping my Star Wars toys for them to enjoy. It's cute when your kids remind you of stuff like that by telling YOU the story you told them.

I told them about all of the figures and ships I had collected about six months ago when they started to show an interest in the movies. I explained that back when I was 10 I didn't know that I was going to be a daddy and that getting cash for a new computer desk was more important at the time. I had to put my 'Commadore 16' on something you know. So one cold winter afternoon in about 1984 or 85 I can't remember I lined up all the toys on the back lawn and most of the littler kids from the neighbourhood came along to grab the bargains. This sale happend only a few days after my final purchase, Luke Skywalker in a Stormtrooper outfit. Do you have any idea how cool that concept was to a 10 year old. Do you have any idea how cool that concept is to a 31 year old? I remember feeling mixed emotions that day. I didn't want to say goodbye to those things but I knew I had to. Some people let their toys go slowly, some never let them go at all. I let mine go and now I regret it. For the sake of the girls and for the sake of myself. Nothing would have given me more pleasure than being able to share all that stuff with them now....But it's gone. That cold winter afternoon and took a breath and gave up an entire life. I was able to LOOSE myself in Star Wars toys. I could lock myself in my bedroom and set up entire scenes on the window sill. Time quite literally stood still or passed with no consequence.

It's all gone now I rushed in like a fool. Sometimes you have to slow down. I still rush in now but I am much less of a fool and I am learning ways to deal with it. someone once said "When I became a man I put away childish things". What a twat.

Start buying it all back again I hear you say. Well there are a number of reasons why that is a ridiculous argument. 1) It's just not the same 2) I can't afford it as a way to just amuse myself whilst under the pretense that it is for the girls when they are really into Barbie. and 3) you can't get that stuff anymore. Also 4) it just wouldn't be nostalgia would it.....it would just be new toys. A crap new Starwars re- hash just like the crap new re- hash films they wasted money making. You CAN get the 'Original Trilogy' re- release figures though but like I said they are about $40. I imagine they were the equivalent back then too. I certainly remember them being more important back then. The toy shop I used had one of each figure (and they ALWAYS had the entire set bang up to date) under a GLASS COUNTER They also had a permanent member of staff behind it with all of the others on a peg rack at the back. You had to ask for the figure you needed and she would get it for you. How cool is that? SW figures were a class act when I was a kid. It was like going into Tiffany's.

Here are some of the pieces that I would have enjoyed watching Mad Violet (yes that IS me) playing with the most.

Tie Me Up. Tie Me Down.

2006-07-20T14:54:00.000+10:00

Sometimes you get a very pleasant Suprise. For years I thought that The Royal Rope Magic DVD was probably pretty basic and not worth a look. I would sell it to begginers without really looking at the back and never putting it on to the big screen TV here at The Store. How wrong I have been in underestimating this DVD. Hosted by Tomas Medina who is in himself a hidden gem in my opinion this DVD has some equally 'gem like' rope routines on it. Routines including versions of The Ring on Rope, Kellar Rope Tie (performed as a nice card trick), Cut and Restored and Thumb Tie plus a full description of the small rope Long rope principle. A principle that I consider to be the ost important in all rope handling.

Copies can be purchased from The Magic Store for the ridiculous (Kamal Bhushan is going broke on these prices) price of $29.95

In general the Royal/Fun incorporated DVD's are much better than you think they are going to be. The Troy Hooser Cups and Balls one is another classic example of this.

Big Al's Lucky Card

2006-07-20T13:58:00.000+10:00

You know that Al Capone had a lucky card right? It's true. Here why don't you point to one of these cards and sign HIS name on the face. Then we will always remember it as Big Al's Lucky Card.

Here I'll loose it in the deck just like the beggining of most good card tricks. The thing is Big Al always kept his card on top so he could deal it to himself in a game. I know it's not there now but if I snap my fingers...there it is. As long as it was on top he could deal seconds like this until he got to his spot. Let's loose it again.

I know what your saying. What about all those games he was in where he wasn't using his own deck. well he still carried it around with him. Right here in his pocket. I know that your thinking this card cannot possibly be Big Als but you'd be wrong. You see this card is indeed Big Als lucky card. You might be asking, "What if the back designs didn't match?" Yea, no one ever questioned it. They just let him win...All the time

You know, he used to play a game with his enemies....and some of his friends come to think of it. You had to cut to his card in a shuffled deck. If you got it right you could walk away with all of your limbs in tact. If you got it wrong, and I have to tell you that the stakes are pretty high, you had to put your finger in his famous cigar cutter. I got this on Ebay. I think it was part of a Hollywood estate from way back (Finger Chopper).

Want to play? Remember it's just for fun. Ok the card is lost. Cut the deck. What did you get? Oh what a surprise, you got it wrong. Put this card between your hands because I never want you to forget the reason why what is about to happen had to happen. Curl the fingers of your top hand around the lower hand but leave the fore finger sticking out.

Now you know what it must have felt like to be a gangster...living life on the edge every day.

CHOP!!!

Wow check it out. The solid blade has gone straight through your finger without harming it. You know why?

You got the right card.

Check it out.

There it is between your palms. Big Al's Lucky Card.....Keep that forever and if you ever get hard up you could always try to sell it on Ebay. After all it has been signed by Al Capone.

Have fun.

It's Because Things Just HAVE to have names...That's all.

2006-07-20T13:19:00.000+10:00

Everything has to have a name. If this wasn't the case there would be anarchy.

I sometimes get puzzled looks when I refer to the 'over dribble of urine into the underpants in the moments after trying to put the old man away after a whizz' as a 'Wembley'

Or the' sticking up of the underpants into the crack of the backside as a 'Wedgie'

Or 'the accidental swallowing of one's own vomit whilst trying to control being sick in public' as a 'Blake Carrington'

Or the 'smell of a teenagers bedroom in the morning or a train carrige after 12 am that is neither faeces, bad breath, body odour , alcohol or cigarettes but rather a mixture of all six rolled into one pungent offense on the senses' as a 'Mingha'

Or 'the wearing of one's own trousers under a costume whilst on stage so you can get out of the building quicker as a or more specifically (TO) 'Loonie'

Or 'the fluffing of your words during the performance a magic trick' as a 'Leveridge'

Or the 'terminal illness caused by smoking way too many cigarettes in one's life that finally leads to horrible and often uncomfortable (because of a loss of essential fluids) death' as ' Lung Cancer'

I mean what else are you going to call these things.

So for all those times these things have happened to you and you could never put a name on it there you go. Things just HAVE to have names.

The End

#5 Mark McGann

2006-07-20T12:41:00.000+10:00

No It's not the guy from 'Withnail and I' and 'Doctor Who'. He's already famous. neither is he the guy from the hit ITV sitcom 'The Upper Hand' or the OTHER brother 'Steven' who hasn't been in anything since 1994.

He's Mark. the same Mark who played a nearly flawless John Lennon in the 1985 biopic John and Yoko.

Mark McGann could have played any of the roles that Paul McGann played just as well as him.

Mark McGann.......Famous but not famous enough in my opinion.

#4 Basil Brush

2006-07-20T12:21:00.000+10:00

Not strictly speaking an actor I still feel as if Basil Brush deserves a mention. This guy is a born showman and yet up until a recent redux of his show airing on the ABC I doubt anyone over here would have remembered him. I don't think anyone in the US knows who he is and that's a crime.

Basil Brush could have played any of the roles that went to 'Kermit the Frog' or 'Chucky'

Basil Brush.....famous but not famous enough in my opinion.

#3 Swoozie Kurtz

2006-07-20T12:15:00.000+10:00

What's the deal with Swoozie Kurtz. Why hasn't she won an oscar? I have very little to say about this other than this woman should be a houshold name by now.

Swoozie Kurts is much better than Glenn Close or Gina Davis

Swoozie Kurtz...Famous but not famous enough in my opinion.

How Many Other People Can Say This?

2006-07-20T11:57:00.000+10:00

I once spent three months sitting under the stage of The Globe Theatre dressed as a fish.

Score!

#2 Mark Lewis Jones

2006-07-20T11:42:00.000+10:00

Here's another worker who has had to get up very early for the past twenty years. MLJ has enjoyed his fair share of juicy theatre rolls over the years some of which were among the major characters in Shakespeare and other classics. recently has had a little American interest but not enough in my opinion. This guy needs to be seen (on stage) to be fully appreciated. MLJ has amazing control and presence on stage which has enabled him to command a tremendous respect from both co- workers and audiences alike. This presence also translates very well to screen.

Lewis Jones could have easily been any of the characters played by Sean Bean or Hugh Jackman. He would also have made a great Lincoln Burrows in Prison Break.

Mark Lewis Jones...Famous but not famous enough in my opinion.

#1 Patrick Malahide

2006-07-20T11:26:00.000+10:00

Ok so this guy has enjoyed a CERTAIN amount of US interest recently but why has it taken so long. Why isn't he a global houshold name yet? Why does everyone know who 'Bill Nighy' 'Kenneth Brannagh' or 'Alan Rickman' are but very few people world wide have ever heard of Patrick Malahide when he can act them all into the ground. Now even though this guy has never had to do a shift in McDonalds or even 'sigh on' for the past thirty years he has still had to WORK HARD for every cent and I include in that an approximate fifteen year stint on Minder. This guy has had got out of bed before 6am every morning for the past thirty years to go to a TV set or a cold rehearsal room and in addition to that he is an exceptional actor.

Malahide could have easily been James Bond, Hannibal Lecter or Charles Xavier with his hands tied behind his back.

Patrick Malahide...famous but not famous enough in my opinion.

Famous Actors Who Should Be MORE famous By Now.

2006-07-20T11:17:00.000+10:00

Now I know what most people will say to that. That such actors should be grateful for what they have and why do they need a boost in confidence from me when there is over 70% unemployment. Well It's my blog and If I want to acknowledge that certain (current) stars of stage and screen should have been given the opportunity to take it to the NEXT level I bloody well will so here goes.

Still On The Subject

2006-07-18T16:41:00.000+10:00

There's ONE crazy hospital for you.

A Search Result For Doctors Bag

2006-07-18T16:31:00.000+10:00

Question?

What sort of doctor carries this sort of bag...oh err campaty camp camp???!!! don't trust him with a prostate examination..... Phnarr Phnarr!

Answer.....Maybe a 'female' doctor BAMM!

Busted!! I got you for being homophobic AND sexist...yes women can be doctors too.

SCORE!

Actual Bag

2006-07-18T16:30:00.000+10:00

Here is a picture of the actual bag I found

SCORE!!!!

What a Find!

2006-07-18T16:08:00.000+10:00

Ok you know how people who live in the suburbs often chuck huge amounts of domestic garbage on to the road out the front of their house in the hope that there MIGHT be a council collection sometime soon even though there have been no flyers through letterboxes about it and the people in question just want to get it out of the house? Ok. Now, you know how people who take that stuff because they think it will look good in their houses or because they think they can use it look like total scrubbers? Ok. Now you know how I always wanted a Doctors bag so I carry Cups and Balls and a close- up mat and linking rings and loads of trick decks and a Pom Pom Pole and be like David Jones and PaTtrick who both use one? Right. You know how I was walking to work this morning and I saw a really cool thing that someone was chucking out and I walked past because I didn't want to be a scrubber and take it in case someone saw me and how three seconds later I turned back got it and took it back home and then started out to work again looking around to make sure no one saw me? Yea well that thing was one of those Doctors bags I have been looking for for ages.

What a find. And since it was a free addition to my act I will not be putting my rate up becasue of it. Still $48 an hour then............. What a Scrubber

Classic Stuff

2006-07-17T23:30:00.000+10:00

I just spent a night of classic Man in a Boys world indulgence. After dinner I drank a bottle of Traditional Lime Flavoured Schwepps whilst preparing for a kids show coming up on Sunday. It has been a while since I did a gig for this age group and so I had fun pulling out some props I hadn't seen for a while. Change bag, Big Bad Kong, Rocky Raccoon plus various silk products. After that I watched two episodes of the first series of The Twilight Zone. Much as I love this old show I still can't work out why the astronauts don't wear any helmets or protective space suits.

I have also noticed the recurring motif of 'loneliness' in The Twilight Zone. Has anyone else noticed that?

The God...Or Just A God?

2006-07-13T14:20:00.000+10:00

This is a picture of my favourite magician. This is and has been the case for more years or reasons than I care to mention. ever since the first time I saw him on 'The Best Of Magic' and then later on 'The Magic Comic Strip'

OK Having said that If you do happen to be affraid of my best friend (palming) there is a routine you can practice to face and with any luck overcome those fears.

The routine is called 'Famous 3 Card Trick' and is a version of the six card repeat by David Willimson to be found on Dave's DVD 'Sleight of Dave' I have been doing this regularly for some months now

As well as incoporating the 'Classic Palm' to great effect the routine has near perfect construction and is also a psychological examination of the Elmsley Count with a huge potential for comedy and a cracker of a climax.

Because I thought the routine was a LITTLE too long I do the 'repeat' less times than Dave. I guess this confirms my theory that David Wiliamson is 'A' God and not 'The' God. A question that has been raging within the magic community for years.

David Williamson is appearing at this years 'Super Day Event' organized by Sean Taylor in Sydney Australia. The question being. "Do you really want to be in the prescence of your god or not? What would you say to him? What COULD you say to him? If you have an answer to these questions then go book yourself a ticket by calling this number (02) 94116233

Wrong

2006-07-13T13:09:00.000+10:00

Laura lays on the foot of the bed
mimics a noose with the telephone cord
Doctor's on the phone then she hangs up and says
"I ain't never gonna see the winter again"

How can you not have a great day with these lines going round and round in your head.

OK seriously.......Much as I love Ryan Adams and the Cardinals I'd rather have Hannibal Lecter in my head.

These last few posts prove once again that my sister and her Bee Gee's hating boyfriend, Rory (yea he knows who he is) have an exceptionally wrong taste in music. It's not just this either. At Christmas Emma contaminated my i Tunes with loads of dubious albums including Louis the X1V. These guys encourage dominatrix and glorify pornography.

It was so different when I was in my twenties. We smoked dope, developed life long liver conditions and set fire to houses and you know what.....that was quite sufficient thankyou! We were happy without music.

Flooded

2006-07-13T12:57:00.000+10:00

Well I have been flooded with questions about the 'Ryan Adams' song 'September' from a post a couple of days back.

Some people seem to be a little concerned about the fact that I think this is an up beat kinda song.

How could these lyrics not fill you with warm, fluffy, feelings of happiness?

They carved your name into the stone
and then they put it in the ground
I run my fingers through the grooves when no ones around
Drink 'till I'm sick and then I talk to myself
in the dog days of the summer

It's made my day anyway.

Dark Side Of Elton

2006-07-13T10:28:00.000+10:00

It seems It's not only Pink Floyd who have embedded strange coincidences in their albums.

I have also noticed something strange when listening to Elton John and watching The Wizard of OZ at the same time.

OK this is really freaky but If you watch the last scene where Dorothy is leaving OZ and lsten to 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' it is very difficult to imagine that our old friend Elton didn't do this on purpose. Keep watching and yu will see some dogs of society come in to join the Tin man in a howling session. Soon after this The Scarecrow who has become disillusioned with being an academic and prefers life on the farm, leaves his penthouse to go back to the plough. To cap it all in the last five seconds if you watch really closely you see The Lion catch a Horney Backed Toad. BUSTED ELTON! We all know that Elton is a friend of Dorothy but this is ridiculous.

I also heard that he is trying to convince us of his hetrosexuality by getting married again. Pull the other one John. Next you 'll be telling us that those big pink afros were wigs.

The Ultimate Feel Good Song

2006-07-11T16:09:00.000+10:00

If you need a bit of cheering up why not download the song 'SEPTEMBER' from the album 'JACKSONVILLE CITY NIGHTS' by 'RYAN ADAMS AND THE CARDINALS.'

You will find this catchy little ditty going round and round in your head for weeks. Perfect for BBQs and Pass the Parcel games.

British Theatre In Mourning

2006-06-30T11:20:00.000+10:00

1843 - 2006

The theatre world is today mourning the loss of Dame Celestine Chilton. Those who knew him will remember him as a kind, normal person who just happened to be an actor. His potrayal of the welsh character in The Merry Wives Of Windsor at The Macawon theatre will go down in history as one of the most camp, overdone, theatrical anomolies of the 20th century. to his friends he was affecionately known as 'Sister Footlights' or 'Mother Greasepaint'

I loved him...he was a normal person. He was special
......Stuart Robb

I miss him like the desert misses rain, I need him like a dessert needs cream
...........Adam Redmayne

He owes money on his term nine LAMDA fees.
...............Tony Sprackling

Five! Six! Seven! Eight...and to the side six seven eight
...................Anne Durham

He was a playboy...well he read it anyway.
................Princess Diana

And the sentiments just keep pouring in. This is truly a sad day for British theatre.

In Response

2006-06-28T13:31:00.000+10:00

In answer to one of the comments during the last post here are the characters that I can spot in this photo. You have to understand that this is 'fishing' Finding starwars characters in this picture becomes a little like finding 'Paul Death Clues' on Album covers.

from the back to the front...which seems perfectly logical to me.

Jawa
C3PO
Chewbacca
Darth Vader
R2D2
Obi Wan.

Kind of.

Guess Who?

2006-06-25T14:30:00.000+10:00

More Great images from Gus's Star Wars archive website. Go and check it out! Can you spot the famous Star Wars Characters pictured here? There at least 4 that I can say and another 2 possibles.

Wrong

2006-06-25T14:10:00.000+10:00

One of the better and at the very same time most freakish figures from the 'bootleg' section of the Star Wars Archive website is this rather creepy, camp looking Darth Dader rip off. This website is an absolute treasure trove for the Star Wars fan. I am spending a nice Sunday afternoon browsing through it with a cup of coffee and a pleashant sense of nostalgia.

www.toysrgus.com

Desperado.

2006-06-24T13:11:00.000+10:00

I just heard on the radio that the 'Eagles' classic 'Desperado' is about a cowboy who refused to fall in love. I had never realised until now how (in so doing) this song mirrors MY life almost exactly.

Sponge Apology

2006-06-24T12:53:00.000+10:00

I understand that many readers would have been concerned about my cutting short the last sponge post. To make up for it here are some serious facts about sponge for your reading and information pleasure.

1 Until late in the 1800s Sponge was considered a planimal (Zoophyte) They were lumped in this cateogary with creatures like Big Foot, Lord Lucan and Nessy in being neither a plant or an amimal (or both I guess) Anyway we now know that they have cells and are therefore animals. Lumped together in this cateogary with gorrilas, Ronald McDonald and Snakes.

2 There are over 10,000 names for sponge. Scientists estimate that only 6,000 are valid. There are 4,000 species yet to be discovered.

3 There are ONLY twelve species of commercial bath sponge. You can't use any old sponge in the bath, at least not right out of the ocean. Fishermen test the safety of sponges by squeezing them.

Awesome Names You Wish You Had #2

2006-06-24T12:39:00.000+10:00

Evandale Questworth, Nosmo Walterson,
Scarsberry Fog , Lawn Scottsdale,
Skip Townhenge , South Gastrinotal,
Bones McClure, Druid McMerrick,
Jimbeam Lauthoris , Lilanda Phibes,
Carl Phalacios , Regan Micropeck,
Deckred Spartanax , Strent Killsman,
Logrio Daring , Darkwork Lavendar.

We can only live in hope to have names and bodies like these people one day.

More About Sponge

2006-06-24T12:19:00.000+10:00

I have been wondering of late on the perfect way to end a sponge ball routine. My own routine specifically can be used as a good exapmle. As the people who read it here will be aware there is a sequence in my routine which more than facilitates the easy loading of an incongruent object at the climax. Having said that many guys and girls who work with these things will load an object which is actually congruent to the routine in question. A jumbo sponge ball for example. Now even though such an object differes in colour and size it still, in the larger scheme of things bares corolation to the rest of the routine. Even a sponge rabbit bares a connection, a sponge bear rabbits a connection, even a sponge bananna is congruent. At the end of the day the qudience, even the 'A' udience may flutter with astonishment for a brief second but what if we want more than that out of life? One thing you can do is PLACE the secret sponge object into another persons hand. This is easier when it is the same colour. So in other words what you make up in the interaction and personability of using the persons hand, you loose on the total incongruency. In many ways a final load in SB is similar to those in Cups and Balls. A lemon, for example...........

Why am I talking about this!? It's ridiculous! I'm a grown man. I need help.

Insanity

2006-06-24T12:07:00.000+10:00

Someone I know, let's call him Corandad Vespalek, ate 12 Krispy Kreme donughts yesterday. It's not one of those candy addicts either although they apparently got through a fair few each.

Eating this many donughts in one day is insane and needs to be addressed psychologically.

Awesome Names You Wish You Had

2006-06-23T17:48:00.000+10:00

Canton Vestuile
Phelston Orbit
Spanafex Normandy
Jeff Quartz
Hortensia Gangelene
Patterson Filimnoil
Philestuile Arragnight

Awesome!

The Name is Ridiculous as There are Rarely Any Nuts Involved.

2006-06-23T14:46:00.000+10:00

Those two crazy candy addicts I was telling you about brought me in a Krispy Kreme doghnut today. They brought in six dozen in fact. Apparently they have been cueing outside the new outlet since February 1985 and finally got to buy some of that holey (or not sometimes)sweet boxed goodness today. I had the Original Glaze which I have to tell you was pretty great. The Candy Man was telling me how Australian doughnut eaters wouldn't know a good doughnut if it came along and ate THEM. Wheras many barbituate addicts know what that feels like, the best that the rest of us can do is get ourselves along to Krispy Kreme at Fountain Gate shopping centre, cue up for a few weeks and grab ourselves a sample of the way these things SHOULD infact taste. From what I can gather the 7-11 just doesn't cut it.

Having sung all those praises the best doughnuts I ever had were in Greece when I was on a family holiday there about 15 years ago, about the length of time it takes to get served at Krispy Kreme. One thing KK (Oh there is almost an Urban Myth/Conspiracy Theory looming with that abreviation...either that or it's just a convinient way of saying OK on MSN) does have in common with those holiday DN's I was telling you about is that they are both made in grease. Trez Lolism

Kremecrest out.

P.S upon arriving home tonight and sitting down with the paper it seems that the Age does not share my enthusiasm of the Krispy Kreme franchise. The article is interesting and i do agree with most of it but I don't think that the author Tony Cutliffe really has a handle over how to handle the argument of nutrition. Tony makes a point of letting us know that one Krispy Kreme unit is the equivilent to 20% our normal daily intake of calories. This may be true but it is not by any means cutting edge journalism. Come on guys, Krispy Kreme are not the only culprits in the war against healthy nutrition and in any case I spent most of the day thinking that the 200Kcal per regular doughnut was pretty reasonable in the larger scheme of the day. Tony's specifications are also based upon the calories required by the body at rest not taking into any account the factor of excersise. Maybe in so doing he himself is encouraging a stagnent lifestyle. I walked off my Krispy Kreme at on my lunchtime walk to Pollywoodside and back so who's laughing now Tony Cutliffe.

Touches

2006-06-23T11:18:00.000+10:00

No this has nothing to do with Banacheck but rather my Card to Pocket Routine. My main magical focus right now is taking all of the tricks that I already do and transforming them into something better than they are. You can achieve this in a number of different ways. You can edit them, you can give them new and interesting storylines and plot movements or you can (as is the case with 'Pockette') add to them. As long as the additions are validated and above all entertaining, this aspect of the excersise can be very rewarding for your audience and yourself. I probably don't need to say that many of my effects have enjoyed a bit of a flash paper redux for example but in this case there isn't a scrap of flamable paper in sight. What I have done with 'Pockette', a routine I have been performing for about three years now and which has fast become my most used, most requested and favourite card effect of all time. is add a little manipulation at the opening. I love 'Pockette' especially the way that oit fools magicians. If there was ever a trick that deserved some re working it is this.

I usually start by saying " This is a very famous card trick. It's called HOW DOES THE GUY GET THE CARD IN HIS POCKET. I'm talking about my pocket and your card. See there it is" and the first phase is done really quickly. Too quickly I have often thought so here's what I am doing now. After I tell them the name of the trick I say "This isn't called HOW DOES THE GUY GET THE CARD BEHIND YOUR EAR" and pull the card from behind their ear. Then I say "I mean why would you need to have that card behind your ear when you have all these behind there?" and I pull a fan out from behind their ear. Then I say "No, no this is called HOW DOES THE GUY GET THE CARD IN HIS POCKET" and THEN I do the first pocket load of the routine.

This has been getting very big reactions and I would urge anyone to look at their repertoire in the same way every now and then. Life and art is about change, transformation and evolution. So go serve yourself up a bit of what my good friend David Parr would call Brain Food. Read all you can, (David's book Brainfood for a start) watch all the magic DVD's you can. watch all the films you can and get the ideas flowing. Examine ALL the little magic toys you can buy. BBuuyy all of this from TTheuu Mkgagic Stppolore* Search for ways to breath life into and keep the current fresh. Al Baker woke up one morning and tried to figure out how he could get away with doing the same 10 tricks forever. Scholars would realize that this is far from the end. This descision is really only the tip of the iceberg.

Chuck Fayne told me (just last week) that Perfection is only the beggining, or something like that. One of the great pleasures of the artist is repetitition and with that repetition you afford yourself the unique opportunity to discover and re-discover elements forever changing with the same 10 or 15 routines forever more.

Advice for the day then, and this is the first thing I tell people who ask for my advice on what they need to do to become a magicician. Buy, watch or read and then start doing 20 tricks. Work them like no one has ever worked them before. Show them to everybody until you can do them backwards in your sleep. Work on them for a year. Doing them for yourself and loads of other people ten or so times a day in rotation. Once you have reached what you consider to be perfection, make the perfect more perfect and then turn that into something beautiful. Once everthing is beautiful try to think of ways to make it more so. That's kind of where I am at the moment hence the search for changes and the subsequent discovery and revelations that are enjoyed by my audiences and myself. While you are working on your repertiore you should learn all the moves you can. Buy all the books and all the DVD's so that there is training going on throughout this process. Training that you will need to access in the later stages of perfection. Keep buying effects (if your ppocket will permit it) as new magic toys are fun and keep your brain active. You may find that a new purchase slot's into an idea really well. Combine props to re - invent interesting story lines. hang out at The Magic Store, the country's most creatively fertile place where service and good acvice is part of the landscape.

Many hobbyists often find that they need to constantly change their repertoire to acccomadate their stagnant audience. The old adage of course being that the professional performs the same tricks to different people and the hobbyist peforms different tricks to the same people. OK, Find an audience. That's my second bit of advice to begginers. perform to as many different people every day. The tram, the train, the street. the worst that can happen is that you will be rejected or that people will think you insane. At the end of the day though it's practice and it's training no matter which way you look at it. That brings me to another point that I intend to address in a post later today. You have to perform for real people as part of the process of achieving perfection. Doing tricks for the mirror and doing them for humans are two totally different ball games. I strongly believe that a routine needs to be performed for real people much earlier in it's developmental process than most people would ever think. I have said this many times and I will say it again; at the end of the day it isn't brain surgery. It DOES put food on my table but the consequences of getting caught are not life threatening.

So get some stuff together and get out there. It's the only way you can reach perfection, or at the very least 'solidity' which is the corner stone of being really polished. A polished get's noticed and above all talked about for years to come.

* Subliminal Message

I Know, I Know

2006-06-23T00:00:00.000+10:00

It occurs to me here, late at night, that I didn't actually get around to writing the next ghost story tonight even though I promised it would be so. I got side tracked watching the very funny and slightly zany 'Black Books'. I reckon it's 'The Young Ones' of the 2000s. Very similar in structure and humour. Anyway it's right up my alley and I became more than a little absorbed in it tonight. I'm going to have a little night cap now whilst listening to some music for 20 mins or so and then off to my bed. I just finished putting loads of old photo's up around the walls of my study. This room, like the rest of our big old house, is looking and feeling very cozy these days. Kit is lying asleep on the couch and I'm sure he agrees, at least on the inside.

I Love It So

2006-06-22T16:55:00.000+10:00

I love the way in which people who know nothing about magic get so intense about purchasing a TT. It's fascinating to watch these creatures while outside of their natural habitat of laypersondom. Colour, size, length width specifications etc. It's a circus it really is. get over it! Mark is with a guy right now who has been looking through the TT box for about an hour. What's the big deal? I love the names they dream up too. I've heard all sorts. Thumb Piece, Magic Thumb, Thumb Top. Dylan once heard Thumb Glove!.......... Blimey! OMG this needs to be adressed. There is far too much emphasis being placed upon TT's. Seriously I couldn't live without it but I don't care what it looks like or if it's a LITTLE tight or loose. As long as it had a nail, is kind of my flesh tone and is clean that's good enough for me. There $5 for godness sake. They are like disposable razors. Just grab one.

OK I've had it this guy just pointed at the sponge balls and asked what the clown's noses do.

Setting an Example

2006-06-22T10:35:00.000+10:00

I saw a girl walking down the street with her young daughter yesterday. She (the mother) was puffing away on a ciggy without a care in the world while the daughter (in my opinion) was walking too close to the road, which out of interest was the busy 'Station Street' , main road which runs on the in -land side of the railway lines between Mordialloc and Carrum over in my neck of the woods.

Firstly the smoking. I can't understand why ANYONE in their right mind would want to indulge this habbit in this day and age. Especially people as young as this girl. It's insane given what we know about the dangers both to one's own health and the health of those around you. Which brings me to my second point. How can any responsible smoking parent think that it is fine to light up and suck away like that right in front of their kids. This case I mention was a particularly good example as the child was of impressionable age (about the same age as my two I would guess). Not only does this deliver a terrible misguided message of what is right and wrong to a little one but it also subjects them to half a life time of poisonous inhalation.

These parents may argue that they only smoke outside the house or in certain designated areas but I think that matters little within the construct of child psychology. I think that these parents should consider the future of their offspring and in so doing the part they themselves play in that future. As sure as God made apples most of those kids would want their Mummy's and Daddy's in their lives for as long as possible. Not dead under the sod. What a discrace that such a stupid little rolled up package of horrible weeds and drugs could mean the difference between life and death and at the same time risk orphaning a child.

Give it up for your kids.

Another thing while I'm on a rant about this. I seem to be seeing kids left in cars a bit too much lately. Or kids in the front seat without seat belts or on their parents knees. It's not good enough! Let's look at the 'alone in the car' thing. The parents usually arrive a few seconds after I discover these situations but that does not excuse the fact that it happens. DONT LEAVE YOUR KIDS IN THE CAR. It's insane! There are sooo many dangers.

1 They could start the car
2 They could strangle themsleves with a seat belt
3 Another car could crash into them (OK this could happen to any stationary car even if the parents were also in it, but what if the accident could have been prevented by pulling away quickly?)
4 Heat
5 They can be abducted
6 They can escape
and there are probably more.

I have dobbed in two people for this. Luckily for them they have rocked up with their excuses before the police arrived. Both times I managed to get the rego details over to the cops on my mobile so I can only hope that a back up check was carried out. I don't know how they work it though. One time I thought a particularly HARD looking Chelsea Mum was going to beat me up for calling the cops on her. It didn't come to that though as she was more concerned about getting away before the cops arrived. Proving she knew she was in the wrong.

I am staggered by the way some parents treat their children. The attitudes they take with them, the way they shout at them and the language they use in front of them in addition to the problems I have mentioned in this post. At times It makes me wonder if my wife and I are over protective. This wondering never turns into concern though as I know I am right to be a vigilant as I am.

It's child abuse. Don't do it.

When You Get Your Own Blog You Can Do This Too.

2006-06-21T19:44:00.000+10:00

More on the Morrow

2006-06-21T19:36:00.000+10:00

Hope that didn't scare you too much. All these stories are true by the way and whether you are a believer or a cold hearted sceptic like me you have to admit they are pretty creepy. It's like I always say though. I don't believe in ghosts but they do kind of scare me a little. It's absolutely true. It's a little like my attitude towards the two gentleman in the photo. I know that they don't exsist but that doesn't stop me being frightened of them.

Tomorrow a first hand account. Pertty freaky stuff in 'The Face Between The Curtains' This was witnessed by at least five other people so it must be true....kind of.

Have sweet Nightmares kiddies! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (sounding like the Crypt Keeper)

Terry, The Greyhound and The Graveyard. Chapter Two.

2006-06-21T18:24:00.000+10:00

Now then fright fans where was I? Oh yes!

So there they are, Terry and Shadey I mean and the later stops dead in her four tracks, turns to look directly at the cemetary railings with uttter intensity, ears sticking up in the way that all dog lovers( including, at that time, Terry) all know and love. I guess that he stood still in his tracks too. I suppose his head started to turn to follow the unusual gaze of the dog but I can't confirm that HIS ears stood on end unlike I can almost gaurantee that the hair on the back of his neck did just that as the sight that confronted him next was something that his wildest imagination could not have prepared him for and something that his imagination would neither let him ever forget. There, staring back through the dead of cold, winter, Thornaby night. On the side of Acklam Road, across from the cemetary gate and just up from 'The Little Boy Park' was a little face. A little face and a little tiny body of a thing that could not be described by Terry in words in all the many years to come. Not in any detail that could be fully understood anyway. Looking back was to his mind's eye, a little ghost. Yep, a short, white, childlike entity that held the railings and just peered on out at him with black eyes. Although I didn't know this when I heard it for the first time I guess it might have looked a little bit like that freakish kid from The Grudge. All tiny and white and creepy and naked. The dog ran over to the cemetary and Terry ran home. He could never remember what happened to the figure. When he ran through the kitchen door my nanna May greeted him with those words that sound so generic and cutsie here.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" I guess he looked at here and said something like "I have"

The dog was pretty smart and If memory serves found it's OWN way home a little while later. To this day no- one knows if she caught the thing or not. Greyhounds are trained to chase you see. Trained to chase food around a track. Whatever it was that night, be it real or imaginary, was indeed real enough to be chased, on a completely primary level, by an animal and at the same time was terrifying anough to send Uncle Terry home in a hurry. In the years that past I often found myself walking past the cemetary railings after dark and I can honestly say (because the human psyche is such a fascinating thing) I never once got passed (even though I was usualy going very quickly) without sparing a thought for Terry's little friend and getting more than my own fair share of goosebumps in the process. I tell you this story as I have heard it more than once from Terry although nor I, or anyone else I ever met, ever saw anything like it themselves either before or after that night.

Oh It's Getting Colder AND Darker Already!

2006-06-21T16:48:00.001+10:00

I know you can't wait to find out what happens to Uncle Terry and his Greyhound but it's just not quite dark enough for the punchline of a ghost story yet. Patients my Ghost Pet's (Tenyo), patients. It's pretty spooky though even though it is second hand.

The Library is Not as Dismal as I Thought. The DVD's Are Not as Black as The Books Anyway

2006-06-21T15:58:00.000+10:00

Actually scratch that title. I don't think that the Library is a dismal place at all, I just wanted to cleverly work a Black Books reference in there. The Library is in fact an extra cool place full of wonder, colour and enchantment. The childrens section that is. The rest of the books all seem very boring to me. When we got to the library we walked in on the tail end of some School Holiday activities and were able to join in. There had obviously been a Pirate theme as the girls were given hats and feathers and we got to make a telescope each and eat Chocolate treasure. All in all it would seem I have underestimated the Library however. Underestimated, at least, the DVD selection. there I was thinking that it was lame and then there I am borowwing the ENTIRE season of the hit British sit com 'Black Books' starring that guy (left) who came into The Magic Store one day when he was over here for the comedy festival and bought a DC (Dynamic Coins in laypersons terms) for his daughter.

I have heard ohhhh soooo many good reviews of this show from the critics and my friends alike but I never saw any of them when they shown on Australian TV. The reason for this is that back at that time, ER (Emergency Room in laypersons terms) was on the other channel and Joanne was watching that. Jo will always win a TV watching competition hands down. It just stands to reason that the females in this household (any many I would imagine) have control over this aspect of domesticated family living, hence the reason why Kit and myself spend most of our time in here (the study) these days....on the computer and practicing the $100 Bill Switch and napkin rose making. Well I suppose that Kits just sits.

Anyway to slice a long story into little bite sized breakfast bits. the DVD range at Chelsea Library is EXPANDING. Even though I have no interest in karaoke discs.

Library

2006-06-21T13:54:00.000+10:00

We are off to the Library in a sec. The thing I like best about the Library is that they have some,quite a fair few infact, DVD's. You get to borrow two DVD's for a week. The cool thing about this is that they are the sort of movies you wouldn't rent from the video store. To be honst they are the sort of movies you wouldn't even watch if they were on TV. Oh I tell a lie you MIGHT watch them if they were on the ABC but it just wouldn't be worth sitting through them if they were littered with ad breaks. I'm talking about films like, Jumanj, Return to OZ, Star Trek 2, Flubber, etc etc.

The point is it's cool to be able to sit back and enjoy movies like that every now and then. Especially when they are so free and easy. By the time you get to the end credits you may know something you didn't know at the beggining. Like maybe, just maybe it wasn't half as bad as you always thought it was in the years you spent as someone who had reached that descision without ever having watched it......or something like that.

#2 Terry, The Greyhound and The Graveyard

2006-06-21T13:24:00.000+10:00

Years ago my Uncle Terry used to race Greyhounds. In my lifetime I can remember two separate dogs At two sparate times in my history. One was called Timmy and the other who is part of our story was called Shadey. They both lived in the same pen in the back garden at different intervals in Terry's youth. The pen is now a cubby house called Orchard Cottage but that's another story. One Saturday night, one late saturday night as it must have been after 12am, Terry rolled in from the Queens Club after several pints and decided to walk the dog. As i said Shadey was here name and she was beautiful and silvery. You have to understand that a greyhound needs plenty of excersise and Terry had probably already walked her several times that day. One thing I remember about my Uncle Terry from my childhood, apart from the fact that he had( and I guess still has) lot's of tattos and used to watch cartoons with me well in to his late teens whilst slumbering on my Nannas couch was the fact that he was totally devoted to animals, especially the ones he kept as pets. At one time or another he had owned everything from fish to ferrets.

So there he was (Terry) I guess walking Shadey around Thornaby on Tees late at night eventually finding himself about half a mile away from home, alone, in the dark and cold...... just outside the railings of Thornaby Cemetary. Thornaby Cemetary is a very large place. It's also a very spooky place and supplied us with many scarily happy hours in our youth. One Halloween night we all went for a scare in there only to be greeted by a voice from the dark which said "please get out" It scared the shit out of us at the time because we thought it was a Satanist. In retrospect it was probably the caretaker but a noise in the dark is a noise in the dark. A face in the dark or rather a face AND a body in the dark is a totally different kettle of Kettle Chips though and it is that which brings us to what happened next.

The terrifying moments that followed started with The dog staring over (to the other side of the road) at the cemetary gates, standing dead still with her ears pricked up.

TBC.

Goodnight.

2006-06-20T20:13:00.000+10:00

I'm off to walk the dog now. When I get back I'm going to turn the TV around so I can sit closer to the fire, pour myself a glass of red and watch Good Night and Good luck on DVD. More true life ghost stories tomorrow. I have some corkers that are sure to get your goose bumps bumping. Tomorrow night a story titled 'Terry, The Greyhound and The Graveyard'

Having got all excited about scaring you with that story. I am now going to go out into the dark and walk the dog. That's a pretty un- savoury thought considering that I already know what happens in that story. Why did I implant that idea in my own head?

Goodnight and wish me good luck I guess.

Winter Ghost Stories

2006-06-20T19:47:00.000+10:00

Oh how it's so,so cold and dark outside. A chill is in the air and an icy breeze wafts through clicking and cracking the blinds in this spooky old study. Actually this study is cozy, warm and inviting. Especially since I put some cushions on the nice couch and reduced the wattage of the globe in the big old cozy lamp. That's not the point though. It's still cold and dark outside and it is fast becoming the season for spooky stories late at night (even though it IS only 7.45pm). So Mull up the wine, turn up the heater and get yurself all rugged into your lovely jim jams. The real life ghost adventures of Dean Atkinson are about to begin.

#1 BINGO BOO

When my Nanna Babs was alive she always enjoyed going to the bingo. Most Saturday nights ( if I remember correctly) my Dad would drive her over to Stockton town centre and drop her off right outside the big old door of the MECCA bingo Hall just up from the Odeon cinema and Leslie Brown Toys. There was a short window here as Nanna would quickly open the door and jump out just before my Dad pulled away. It saved a park and was convinient as long as it took only a second as there were cars creeping up his tail end. This story takes place about two years after my Nanna died of lung cancer ( You may think it bold for me to come out and say that but it's reason enough for any smokers who are reading this to drop that filthy, horrible, stinking habbit. If it hadn't been for smoking she would probably still be alive) and my Dad found himself driving the same way past the MECCA complex in Stockton highstreet on his way home from training or football or some such thing. Upon driving past the bingo hall and with every door in the car closed and I might add LOCKED.......in that very moment of passing the MECCA, the passenger door.........................................opened.

Sounds cute doesn't it? I don't care...it happened.

Valiant

2006-06-20T15:42:00.000+10:00

The girls and I rented 'Valiant' today. I have to say I enjoyed this cartoon about pidgeons a lot. Although being an animation from the Dreamworks Studios they have made it look and feel like an old Ealing Studios war movie from the 50s. Very entertaining. I also have George Clooney's 'Goodnight and Good Luck' to look foward too tonight.

We also stuck loads of stickers all over the girls bedroom wall today. This is a custom they have gotten into lately. You may be forgiven for thinking that this would look like a' right mess' but it was actually authorised by Joanne and looks pretty cool against the light cotton tail that my Dad slapped on the walls just after Christmas. We also made Jo some paper napkin flowers for when she gets in from work. These are my latest fad BTW and I have even invested in odering some Michael Mode custom coloured napkins. I have an idea worked out for how to give them away at gigs as part of a trick. In many ways the napkin rose/flower is a more a sophisticated giveaway than a balloon doggie in my humble opinion. They are also dead easy to carry and don't have to be blown up. More about these later.

Life!

2006-06-20T15:35:00.000+10:00

When you post on blogspot the option you go to is called 'Create' It sounds all super scientific doesn't it? Like I'm 'creating'. ha ha ha ha ha ha. Creating life ha ha ha ha ha It's alive don't you see ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha. This post is ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh The War just doesn't ever go away.

Solid Sponge

2006-06-20T10:43:00.000+10:00

Because of all the fan mail I have been getting in relation to the sponge ball routine I mentioned in an earlier post I have decided to describe it for your own performing pleasure. You only need two balls and a piece of wrapped candy. I use a minty.

1 Put everything, including your parole card, your right pants pocket
2 At some point in the moments before you want to start this sensation of sponge reach into your pocket and secretly take one of the balls out in the famous 'Sponge Ball Palm'
3 Produce it from behind someone's ear.
4 Really place it from your right hand into your left and say "Do you know what happens when you put a ball in your and and squeeze?" Everyone says "It vanishes" or words to that effect. At this point you open the hand to show that it is still there and say "no it stays there...It's called reality" Everyone laughs and you seize the moment to perform a false transfer from the right to the left again.
5 Position check then is that the ball is in the right when everyone thinks it is in the left.
6 Reach into your pocket with the palmed ball and pretend to take another two out. One of these is the second ball and the other is simply the one you had palmed already.
7 What follows is something I have fooled loads of magicians with (including, I might add Mr Sponge Ball himself, Glenn Hamilton). You say "Another two in the pocket that makes three. OK one on the table and two in the hand" You put one of the two balls on the table and place the other on the back of knuckel that they think the 'First?' ball is in.
8 You grab this ball with the right hand and snatch the hand away to the side but in the same action you place and leave the sponge in the LEFT hand. You have to do this really quickly so that it does not register that there is actually only one ball in play. At this point (and this is a real nice psychological ruse) the audience should believe that you have a ball in each hand. Especially when you point to the left fist with a suspicious closed right fist and say "OK two balls here"
9 The point is that they have MISSED the ruse completely. Thi is because of Time Misdirection. More about this in a second. You actually only have one ball in the hands. You now say "One ball will jump from my left to my right" make a gesture with the closed fists and then open your left hand to reveal one ball. Most people will think theya are on to you (including Glenn Hamilton) and assume you just have another ball in the left. I open the left and say "Look empty. Did that confuse you?" they usually say yes.
10 False transfer the ball in the hand from the right to left again and then hand the spec two as one to hold.
11 I do a bit of a delay here. Most people who know me and know that I love to play around with the psychology of magic will tell you of the importance I place on Time Misdirection. This is a classic example of this theory at work.
12 Instead of vanishing my ball and having them find it in their hands straight away I add an extra frame to the video tape. Open your hand and say that the ball is invisible. pretend to take it with right hand and place it behind their ear (this is a throw back from producing it behind their ear at the top) reach into your pocket and say. "This third ball, the one from before that vanished, is the one that I will use. Quickly pretend to place a ball from your right into your laft. say "You don't believe I have a ball here do you? your right (open your empty left hand) it's actually in your hand" They open their hand and discover two. the delay on this is just long enough for it to sell and sell big.
13 You say "Ok let's finish with a quick observation test. One in the hand" false transfer a ball. One in the pocket. take the next ball, add the palmed one to it and dump them both in the pocket grabbing the candy at the same time. the hand comes out secretly palming the minty. "and one behind your ear" You pretend to grab the invisible ball from behind their ear and put that in the left hand too. What you really do is secretly drop the candy in there. "How many balls in the hand?"
14 Whatever they say open the hand to reveal the candy. You say "wrong you pathetic idiot. But here's some awful, month old candy for you to chew on while you think about what you are doing with your life watching a guy ij a cheap suit play with balls made out of foam"

as an alternative to candy you could of course use a large sponge load or even a poisonous insect.

Comments

2006-06-20T10:21:00.000+10:00

A lot of people have been asking why I disabled comments on the blog. The truth is I didn't have the time to read, reply or even keep track of them all. Since I have better control over my time managment these days I have decided to allow comments again. Please feel free to tell me how crap I am on a regular basis.

Sweet Lady C

2006-06-20T09:43:00.000+10:00

I have these two friends, let's call them Trent Core and Jeff Quartz. It sounds really strange, kind of like I'm making it up for the sensation of it all, but it's actually true. These guys are addicted to chocolate. Candy in general to be frank. As part of their SA (Sugar Annonymous) 'Steps' , they have to write about their past experiences of this horrible addiction on the internet. Please take a look at their fantastic blog at this address.

www.thesugarrevolution.com

It is a complete insight into the dangers of candy addiction. At some points they even make a sensation of the risks, encouraging you to "Try it for yourself" or giving certain evil chocolate bars "10 out of 10" etc etc. Please don't be lulled into a false sense of security by these guys. They are predators. Candy will make you unpopular, fat and very ugly. Even though these guys look buffed and beautiful on the outside on the inside their souls are black and I guess they must be using the supernatural to disguise it.

All joking aside lovers of candy should look in on a regular basis. a lot of great work has gone into this blog and I'm sure we are all aware of how hard it is to sit around eating candy all day in order to write about it.

Any Friend of Dorothy is a Friend of Pink Floyd

2006-06-19T12:50:00.000+10:00

Here's a bit of classic Man in a Boys World fluff. I love that Dark Side of the Rainbow stuff. You know what I mean right? Where you play Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at the same time as you watch The Wizard of Oz you get these strange coincidences. I just watched some of it on You Tube and it's pretty creepy. I don't believe it for a second but that does not change the fact that it's cool. Apparantly to do the test properly you have to start the album after the MGM lion roars for the third time on the movie. You also have to make sure you turn the sound right down on your TV. Anyone with enough spare time on their hands to do this should give it a go....... I guess.

How's this for a coincidence though? After I watched the news clip about it on You Tube I went over to turn the radio up and The Wall was playing. Creepy.

How Does a Clown Smell Without A Nose?

2006-06-19T11:31:00.000+10:00

He can't, he doesn't have a nose. That's not the point though. The point is this. Why, in my life , have I seen Three rogue sponge balls lying around on the floor. I guess that these incidents may have been five or so years apart but the point is they happened and It's very strange. A sponge ball is NOT the sort of thing you expect to see discarded at the side of the road. Not three times not one time. There they were though. Totally at random. In three seperate locations that were totally unrelated to each other and similarly unrelated to magic in genaral. Neither was there ANY evidence of a magician or a magic show either at the time or in the immediate past. Strange? Well it seems maybe not. You see something happened to me whilst I was walking from South Yarra train station to The Magic Store this morning. I glanbed down in to the gutter and saw another one. OMG I screamed (on the inside) Not another one! In this moment I seriously began to consider whether there was some pattern here, some message, some hidden meaning. That my whole life was working towards this moment. That Sponge balls were only fit for the gutter and that I should abandon all together my rock solid 1min routine that I do all the time both as a demo and also in the real world. A tiny voice was beggining to whisper. Yes they are garbage and they look camp as hell. Whenever someone sees you pull one out from your pocket or even behind their ear they want to actually kill you. But then the dust begain to settle. I ate the metaphoric sugar( so to speak) at the end of a metaphoric three hour pot smoking extravaganza and calm begain to pass over me in a wave of joy and peace. This wasn't a magician's sponge ball! It was a clown's sponge nose! For all I know the previous three incidents could have very well been exactly the same as this I just didn't know it then. A clown's nose discarded upon the road. Nothing to see here ladies and gentleman, noting at all unusual about that, especially in Melbourne where clowns go missing all the time. In Melbourne finding a discarded clown's nose on the floor is like finding a lost footy scarf. I picked up my step, I arrived at The Magic Store and grabbed those little absorbant spheres from the shelf and belted them out to the first person who walked through the door. It was OK. I had walked through the darkness and the universe was not actually speaking it's dark tones of foam to me. I had beaten the sponge kraken who is usually 6 times larger than he should be as he spends 24 hours a day under water. Taking a breather every now and then to eat a maiden or clash with a titan. The point was,I was alive.

Magic Store 50% Tenyo Sale

2006-06-18T21:03:00.000+10:00

The Magic Store is currently offering 50% off selected Tenyo items (that's those crazy half toy, half magic trick instalations from Japan) and I have to say you don't really appreciate how good Tenyo is until you really play around with it. In all of the many hours that I have enjoyed behind the counter at work I have never demonstrated Tenyo's 'Ghost Pet'. I always thought it was a little lame and a bit too much like a toy. OHHHHH how wrong I have been. This trick is impossibly cute. It is also very stylish looking and is a prop which would not look out of place in the magic boxes of most proffessionals. For those that don't know too much about it it's a nice cross between a haunted match box (except it's a nice stylish looking black box) and a magic drawer box. In other words (and to keep a long story short) the box is empty, it moves around on it's own before finally OPENING on it's own to reveal something inside. You can use anything that fits but they give you a piece of rolled up paper with a picture of a ghost and the words 'I love' printed on it. Oh those zany, random Japanese people.

The 50% sale atThe Magic Store is all but over now but many of these great Tenyo items are still available. If your like me (A closet Tenyo fan that is) Give someone a call at The Magic Store today.

Not 'Fayne ing' disappointment.

2006-06-18T20:50:00.000+10:00

I'm totally bollocked that I missed Chuck Fayne's workshop at The Swiss Club today. I love Chuck Fayne and I am proud to be able to call him a friend. I won't harp on about him as I know he blushes easily but I will say this. Chuck Fayne is just about the most solid performer I have ever seen. Watching Chuck perform is a true lesson in timing and showmanship. It's just as simple as that.

many apologies to Chuck for my not being able to be there today but I had a quick gig to do out my way and the timing was just off.

I would love to hear back from some of the Melbourne guys who attended.

Cash Flash

2006-06-18T20:31:00.000+10:00

I have been performing a trick for about three months now that I call 'Cash Flash'

I developed it about a year ago and have been finely tuning it on a regular basis for most of that time. Performing it every now and then for the first nine months and currently belting it out all the time. It is Trez commercial and visual. That's kind of where I am at with my magic right now.

It's a great routine. Flash Paper, borrowed money, loosing borrowed money, comedy, a plastic thumb, a plastic tube, a nice silver Zippo....Ohhh lovely.

The thing is I always figured that 'The $100 Bill' switch would go great guns in there somewhere. Trouble was, up until about a week ago I had never bothered to learn it. Well the time finally came and I have to tell you that I am SOOOO glad that I have added this move to my repertoire. How dod I ever live without this move for so long. What I am very surprised about however is how easy it was to perfect. I thought it was going to be dead hard, expecially with our wonderful plastic currency.

I won't be explaining 'Cash Flash' here. It's just too good. I have shown it to a couple of magicians but luckily for me there not the sort of bloodsuckers who would lift anything.

Interestingly enough the routione also has an extended version which climaxes with a Knife through coat. Along the way there is also the vanish of a watch. I have been using this version in my stand up act recently. The most recent time being at a gig last saturday night. BTW speaking of that gig it was one of the best times I have had performing magic for ages. For a lovely lad named Aarron who was celebrating his 21st Birthday. I had been booked by his charming girlfriend Rae. They had a great bunch of young friends who were a terrific audience. I know that the two of them have looked in on this blog from time to time so if your reading this, thanks for a great night you two.

As fro the rest of you. LEARN THE $100 BILL SWITCH!!! It's your friend! Actually you know what DON'T learn it. Forget you ever read this.

weekend

2006-06-12T17:23:00.000+10:00

I realized something over the weekend (At some gigs). I can't live without flash paper and palming. I have already expressed my passion for flamable paper here before so let's talk about palming. Palming is my friend. It's actually my best friend. Seriously no one should have to live without 'The One Hand Top Palm. I can't begin to describe how many of my routined use it in one way or another.

Do yourself a favour....Try palming today. Don't worry if you get caught it's not life threatening. You have to get caught once in a while in order to ultimately get away with it.

Dean

Excuses and Tootsie

2006-06-12T15:12:00.000+10:00

Well to be honest there isn't one, at least not a plausible one. I was going to report back in after my fast and how difficult it was. The truth is I got a little side tracked with work, family and Magic Store commitments. I am pleased to say that I am now back.

The fast WAS hard. I still think David Blaine is an exceptional entertainer. I have to say though that I think he is someone who has gotten better over time. I happened to catch his very first special a while back and he's much better later on. I recommend fasting to anyone who wants to shed a few pounds and feel an over all sense of betterness. It has changed me back into the sort of pwrson who gives careful consideration to what he eats.

It's good to be back here and I hope you all start reading again.

BTW do yourselves a favour. Grab a copy of 'Tootsie' on DVD. I had completely forgotten how good this movie was. After seeing it again last week I put it right on to my ten best films of all time list. Every aspect of this picture is sensational. It's one of those movies you enjoy when your a kid but do not really understand the true comedy of until you are an adult. I LOVE this film. It is OHHHH so funny without sacrificing endearment. The characters are filled with love and empathy and played exceptionaly well. Please watch it again tonight.

I have always thought that Duistin Hoffman was a fantastic actor but one really needs to see a film like Tootsie to appreciate that he may actually be the best actor of all time.

All The Rest

2006-04-27T12:23:00.000+10:00

This fasting none sense is unbearable. I have sooo nearly piked it on several occasions. I need time and space. For this reason I have decided to take a few days off from posting. I know that I said this the other day and came back, but this time I mean it. Fasting is REALLY hard but then I suppose failure (on my part) would actually prove my original point better than success. I have dropped a few pounds though which is insentive enough to continue.

I will return AFTER the weekend with a full report of my experiences and how they may mirror the Blaine attemp in a small way.

To all the people who took the time to read about this experiment I hope it made you more aware of how the bashing Blaine issue(given this guy puts his body through extreme measures for his art) is a tad un- called for. I am in Day Four and am a wreck.

See you on Monday....and I mean it this time. No more silly flash paper and coin shell advertisments just fasting and then the re feeding of Dean Atkinson. I imagine this will involve a slap up at TGI Friday's and huge bowls of chips in front of the Telly. Yes that's right, We have Telly Savalis coming over this weekend.

Amazing? Not Really He's Working Up At Crown.

2006-04-26T15:43:00.000+10:00

The Amazing Johnathan just came in here. Old School. He didn't buy anything but was nice enough to offer to get me tickets for his show. Top Magic Bloke then.