Spectacle written by Stephen Minch is a great book and contains many hidden magic gems. The list of contributors reads like a who’s who of magic. Included in the book is an Oil and Water phase by Ray Kosby with an easy-to-do mixing procedure that looks very fair. I’m surprised I have never seen anyone actually performing it. Take a look. Then buy the book!
I keep promising myself that I’m going to continue the Hidden Magic Gems series I originally started over a year ago with Jack Parker’s wonderful effect, Buried Alive. I’ve compiled a lot of tricks onto the list, but I haven’t made time to film any of them yet. Well, one of the items on the list may not be “hidden” for much longer as Vanishing Inc has just released it as an instant download.
The trick is called More Memory Man by Joel Givens. I’ve been performing it for the last 4 years or so, and it’s great. There are no difficult sleights, relatively little memory work, and absolutely no stack. This is done from a legitimately shuffled deck. The routine was originally published in Joel’s book Session written by Joshua Jay. In fact, you can check out my video review here. Whether you purchase the book or the download, if you want to look like Rain Man with a deck of cards, you should definitely check out this effect.
Link to the Video Demo: http://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic-downloads/card-magic-downloads/more-memory-man/
What’s the old saying? If you want to keep something hidden, put it in print. I think there’s some definite truth to that statement. After all, there are SO many things being published every week in the world of magic; who could ever keep up? Well, that’s where this blog comes in. Every once in awhile I will share a hidden magic gem buried away in a book that you may well have laying around at home. Of course, I’m just trying to get the ball rolling. If you come across a hidden gem in your own studies, I would love to hear about it.
The first one comes from Jack Parker’s e-book Set to Kill. The trick is called “Buried Alive.” The routine has a feel similar to Ryan Swigert’s Kickback but without the use of gaffed cards. A video performance may be seen below.
Unfortunately, Jack’s e-books are no longer available. However, his hardcover book 52 Memories is full of great material.
Some of you may have seen Richard Kaufman announce in the most recent issue of Genii magazine that I
Connect with me:
