Effect:

A small tube of Advil is displayed. It is sealed. The magician displays the receipt for the medicine. It vanishes. In his hand now is a few loose Advils. The spectator then breaks the seal on the tube of Advil and opens it to find that the pills are not in there. Instead, the receipt is found there in place of the pills. Everything is examinable.

Method/Preparation:

It’s a simple matter to unseal and reseal these tubes of medicine. Very carefully start to peel off the pull tab. Normally, this is just ripped off around the lid, and you open up the tube to get your medicine. However, in our case we’re going to slowly and steadily peel the tab. As you start to peel it, you’ll feel it break loose from the body of the wrapper one “click” at a time.

Slowly pull it all the way around the tube until you get to the very end. Leave the last half-inch-ish attached. At that point, you can safely remove the lid without removing the strip entirely. Take off the lid; dump out the drugs and put in whatever your load is, in our case, the receipt for the pills.

Take a moment to look at the images above to get a sense of this process. Once you’ve loaded whatever you’re going to load (e.g., dollar bill, receipt, card, etc.), replace the lid. Then slowly, but surely reseal the tube by carefully lining up the “teeth” from the strip to the “teeth” on the rest of the tube’s label. Get in there closely and look at it carefully as you reseal.

If you get the teeth lined up perfectly — this is easy to do since we didn’t remove the strip entirely — when it’s later reopened by the spectator, it’ll have that oh so satisfying ripping sound that sells the illusion of it being truly sealed. Once you’ve got the teeth all lined up and the strip is resealed, run your thumb around the tube starting from the part that remained connected, all the way around to the pull tab. The idea, here, is to get out any possible air bubbles and to make sure the adhesive really re-sticks itself. This will further aid in the illusion of it truly being sealed.

That’s part one of the prep work. Well, technically, it’s part two. Part one is to go to your local gas station — that’s the most common place to find these tubes o’ drugs — and purchase at least two tubes. However, pay for each one as a separate transaction. You want a single receipt for each one. So if you buy ten at once, you’ll have ten receipts and an annoyed cashier.

The idea is that you have a duplicate receipt with the same time and date stamp. If you do the transactions quickly enough, you can get two identical time stamps. Obviously, buying ten will not end up with ten identical time stamps, but you’ll get a few with one time stamp and few more with a different time stamp. If the system that prints the receipts records the seconds (in addition to the minutes and the hour), then you’ll need to cover it with your thumb during the performance. Alternatively, you can just ignore the time and only mention the date, or you can ignore both. We’ll discuss this more during the presentation.

Typically, the receipt will be wider than the height of the tube, so you’ll need to fold it over first. Then roll it up. I just roll it around a Sharpie. It’s about the perfect diameter. See the images below for clarity. Once you’ve opened the tube per the previous instructions and dumped out the pills, you can place your rolled up receipt inside and reseal as described.

Part three of the preparation is the rattle gimmick. Have another tube of Advil that has not been tampered with and either tape it to your arm under your shirt sleeve, or use a rubber band. This way, when you shake the tube that’s loaded with the receipt, you can give the illusion that the pills are in the tube as long as you’re shaking it with the hand that has the tube up the sleeve.

Step four is to get a few Advils and put them in a thumb tip. You’ll need a deeper thumb tip than you may be used to. Look at the image below to see the thumb tip I use. You can get a sense of the height (i.e., depth) of it by looking at it relative to the tube of medicine. Put the loaded thumb tip in your right pants ticket pocket.

The Vanish

The vanish I use is an old cigarette vanish. I roll the receipt up to be roughly the shape of a cigarette. I say “roll,” but in reality, it’s mostly folding. Then for the last “fold,” I roll it up like a cigarette. I hold it in my right hand between my first and middle finger just like you would a cigarette. Note: the two images below are kind of upside down. This only to give a better angle of the position of the receipt.

 

Then as I start to place it into my left hand, I secretly shift the rolled up receipt to right thumb clip.

While in thumb clip position, the receipt is placed in the left palm without actually letting go.

The left fingers close around the receipt as the right hand moves away to the right giving a very powerful retention of vision that the receipt is in the left closed fist.

The right hand dies: it just drops to your side. Next, draw attention to your left hand as you casually ditch the receipt in your right pants pocket. At the same time, load the thumb tip onto your right thumb. Depending on your pants, this can usually be done without having to put your hand in your pocket. You can just stick your thumb in your pocket as you let go of the receipt inside of the pocket. You can also load the thumb tip from this same position, again, depending on the style of pocket and where the ticket pocket is.

However, even if you have to put your hand  in your pocket, this is no big deal. The illusion that the receipt is in your left hand is very convincing, so there’s no reason for them to care about your “dead” right hand. Once the tip is loaded on your right thumb, slowly open your left hand one finger at a time. While all attention is there, casually remove your right hand from your pocket.

Once your left hand is fully open, bring your hands together and brush them in that universal gesture of “washing your hands of it.” Of course be careful not to expose the thumb tip. Next, you’ll ask the spectator to pick up the tube and shake it. As she does this, load the thumb tip into your left fist. This is easy. They’re all staring at the tube. When she shakes it and no sound is heard, pause, and say, “listen.”

Place your left thumb over the opening of your closed left fist and shake your fist. They’ll hear the Advil inside of the thumb tip. Don’t worry about the sound of the pills against the plastic of the thumb tip. I’ve tested it, and it sounds exactly like a fist full of pills without the thumb tip. The thumb tip just makes it a little louder, but the sound is the same. After the sound has registered with them, slowly pour the pills into your right hand (concealing the thumb tip, of course) or ask them to hold out their hands so you can pour into their hands. After that moment sinks in dump the pills from your hand to the table (or have her dump them from her hands to the table).

Ask her to open the Advil tube. While she does this, load the thumb tip back on your right hand (or left if you prefer). Casually hook your thumb(s) into your pocket(s) and unload the thumb tip. Have the spectator remove the seal, lid and receipt. Have her check the date and time. Point out that the date is the same (more on that in the presentation section below).

You’re done, and you end clean.

Presentation:

Magician: Things are so expensive these days. Gas prices, medical bills, groceries, etc. It gives me a headache, but I can’t even afford a headache.
Spectator: What do you mean?

Magician: I’ll show you. Look here’s a receipt for some Advil. I had a headache at exactly 2:30 in the morning last Friday. [Point out the date and time on the receipt.] It cost me $4 bucks! I don’t have that kind of money
Spectator: Maybe you shouldn’t have quit your day job.

Magician: Maybe not. Anyway, by the time I bought the pills and got home, the headache was gone, so I never opened them. Here they are (take them out of your pocket and shake them).
Spectator: You’re weird.

Magician: Your face is weird! I kept the receipt so I could take them back to the store, but they won’t take medicine back.
Spectator: All sales are final!

Magician: Yep. I guess I don’t need this (i.e., the receipt) anymore. [Make it vanish. More on that later.]
Spectator: Wow. You’re magical.

Magician: I know. Right? Listen . . . [Shake your closed fist. Pause. Dump out the pills.]
Spectator: That gave me a headache. Can I have one?

Magician: You’re funny. Would you mind opening the Advil tube? Just rip it open. What’s inside?
Spectator: The receipt.

Magician: Wow! Can I see that? That gives me a headache too. See . . . it gave me a headache at exactly 2:30 AM, last Friday. I guess I can’t shake this headache.
Spectator: Thanks a lot. Now I have a permanent headache last Friday at 2:30 AM too.

Alternate Ideas:

When I first figured out how to open and reseal these tubes, I had a totally different idea in mind for how to use the concept. Over the years, I’ve had several different ideas as well. Below is a short list of a few of them.

Lazy Shopper

Rather than swapping the receipt, you can swap a five dollar bill. The presentation would be slightly different of course.

Magician: I don’t have much time these days. I’m always running around like a headless chicken. It gives me a headache, which is weird since I’m a headless chicken. But I don’t even have time to buy drugs for my headache.
Spectator: Stop whining so much.

Magician: Sorry. When I’m too busy to buy medicine, here’s what I do. I sit at home and cause the medicine to come to me. Of course, I don’t steal it. I send the money to the store.
Spectator: I don’t believe you.

You then perform the same effect as previously described, but with money instead of the receipt.

Much Simpler

The above two effects (receipt and five dollar bill versions) appeal to me because they have a somewhat reasonable story line. However, this next idea is more direct with less story and even less props. You start by borrowing a dollar bill. You then say that this trick is so amazing that it’ll give you a headache. As you say this, you’ve removed the tube and started shaking it. Place the tube on the table. The spectator can shake it if they want.

You then vanish the dollar bill using your . . . wait for it . . . favorite method. Have them open the tube to find that the dollar bill is inside the tube with the medicine. To do this, roll up the bill in the same way that you’d do the receipt. Then carefully unseal and open the tube. Dump out the pills. Load the dollar bill in. It will unroll enough to fit the inner diameter of the tube. Then put the pills back inside the tube right inside the rolled up bill. You’ll be able to fit all ten back in there. However, it will be too tight, and you won’t be able to hear any noise when you shake it. So only put 9 pills back in, and it’ll sound just fine.

The advantage of this is that there are no loose pills, no rattle box and no thumb tip (unless that’s your “favorite method” for vanishing the bill). Also, you can memorize the serial number of the bill in the tube, and miscall the serial number on the borrowed bill. Have someone write down the serial number as you “read” it. Of course you’re really reciting the memorized one from the tube.

If you want to get even more clever, you can get a handful of sequential bills from a bank and scratch off the last digit of the serial number thus giving you several bills with the exact same serial number. Then when you borrow a bill, you can switch it for one of your bills. Then have them read the serial number as someone else writes it down. This will, of course, match the one in the tube. Of course, with this method, you can have several tubes prepared so you can repeat the effect multiple times throughout a night of strolling. Remember, each time you perform it, you destroy the seal, so you’ll need a fresh one each time.

In this scenario, you can either do the switch as mentioned above to have the serial number read by the spectator. Or you can just memorize the serial number as suggested earlier. You’ll only need to remember one serial number since all the tubes are loaded with duplicate bills.

Cards

You can also fit a card in there as well. However, you’ll have to fold it in half as shown below.

Then roll it up and put it in the tube. You’ll be able to fit all ten pills in there as well. The first picture below shows the inside with only 7 pills. This is just for clarity’s sake so you can see the card. The next picture shows all ten pills. When sealed up, you can hear the pills rattle just fine.

Again, with this effect, you use the same premise . . . this trick is so good it’ll give you a headache. I know John Bannon and Jay Sankey both have used similar lines in their own work. I’m pretty sure that’s where I got the idea to use it with this effect.

The advantage of using the card is that you can do a simple double lift vanish or some other move that requires no extra props. You just need the tube and a deck of cards.

Photos

Of course, you can tell the story of your ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend and how much of a pain in the neck they were. Thus you always carried Advil with you. Old habits die hard; you’ve still got some in your pocket. In this case, you pretend to “realize” that you have it in your pocket. Then you tell the story of what a pain s/he was. Then show a picture of them . . . tear it up and/or vanish it. A nice touch with this is that you can have something written on the back of the photo . . . a note from your ex, or something like that. Of course you  put it on both photos: the one in the tube and the one you’re going to vanish. This is as close as you’re gonna get to signed object to Advil tube.

For this, all you need is the tube in your pocket, and a picture in your wallet. This kind of thing is perfect for more casual performances. If you wanted to do it strolling, you can have several pictures in your wallet (assuming that you’re going to tear one up each time you perform). Then have several tubes in your pocket.

Experimenting

As you can see, this idea has a lot of potential. The best thing to do is experiment with several different objects that you may be interested in loading in the tube. Just buy a tube and rip it open. Don’t worry about saving the seal. I mean . . . save the baby seals, but don’t save the Advil seal in this case. Then just try rolling up stuff and seeing what’ll fit and what won’t. You might be able to fit small coins from other countries. Also, magic & novelty shops sell miniature coins.

You could put matches in there and cause them to vanish from a match book or matchbox. Maybe you could figure out a way to do a Tic Tac/Advil transpo where the Advil ends up in a sealed Tic Tac container and the Tic Tacs end up in the Advil tube.

Stuff a few super soft sponge balls in there. Then at the end of a sponge ball routine, the sponge ball vanishes, but in its place is a red pill, or the tube itself. I like the symmetry of the red pill and the red sponge ball.

Load it will small dice and patter about how taking drugs is always a gamble. On and on and on and on. Take some time to experiment and find out what fits your personality and style.

I’ve also played around with producing the tube. Maybe causing a dollar bill to magically turn into the pill tube. You can still start the routine off by saying that this effect is so good, it’ll give you a headache, but you never show the pills. Then you perform the effect and cause the object to vanish,  or rather: transform into the pill tube.

Another untapped idea is the wrapper around the tube. It actually unrolls. See image below.

I’ve experimented with writing a prediction on there (on the inside), or trying to hide something rolled up in there. I’m not sure what or how yet, but once you get something in there and re-roll it and reseal the pull tab, it should stay in place and can be handled with no problem. You can even glue it a little if needed to make sure it stays in place.

The Rattle Box

The rattle box (i.e., the tube strapped to your arm up your sleeve) is only needed in effects where the tube is pre-loaded with no pills in it. The only example of that above is the original effect where the pills trade places with the receipt. The rest of the effects do not require it. However, you may not even need it then. The fact that it’s sealed may be enough.

For me, however, I prefer the rattle box. I want to make sure that all things point to “This bottle is a legitimately sealed, untampered-with tube of Advil.” I have experimented with wearing the thumb tip that has the pills in it while shaking the tube. It actually works and even sounds right. However, it’s very awkward to hold the tube and properly conceal the thumb tip. I’ve played around with different grips, but never quite found one that worked for me. I like the simplicity of forefinger on top of the tube, thumb on the bottom and just shaking it.

You can, of course, feel free to experiment and see if you come up with something that’s comfortable for you and your style. In fact, I encourage it.

Multiple Repeat Performances

As you’ve seen, there are versions of this listed above that can be done by simply carrying around the tube and maybe one other item. For example the photo version only requires the photo and the tube. The dollar bill version only requires the tube if you borrow the bill, etc.

Although it’s a huge impossibility to have an object appear in a factory sealed tube, if the tube wasn’t sealed, it would still be a good effect, especially if the spectator holds the tube the entire time. So, if you want to carry a tube around with a dollar bill loaded into it, you can be able to repeat the effect without having to carry around a bunch of tubes. In this case, you’ll not be able to use the serial number because as soon as you remove the bill from the tube, they’ll want their bill back.

They think the one in the tube is theirs. You could, of course, be prepared with a bunch of duplicate bills in your wallet if you wanted to use the duplicate serial number idea mentioned earlier. Since this is not a sealed tube, but merely a tube with a lid, you’ll need to do something to make sure they “know” it’s the same bill. You could use a torn corner switch.

Then each time you perform, you have a new corner and new bill to load into the tube because you gave away the one in the tube, but you got a new one from the spectator. This is the one you vanished a moment earlier. This does mean, however, that you’ll have to carry around the loose corner where ever you go.

You can also do the photo version, however, you’ll need to have multiple copies of the photo in your wallet. The nice thing with the photo, you have the built in “duplicate” if you have a little note on the back of the photo — you’ll need this on all of the photos.

Final Thoughts

Stuff like this make my mind go in a thousand different directions. I’m assuming you guessed that after reading this effect. Take the time to play around and experiment with this idea. I’m sure you’ll find a ton of ideas that fit you. Good Luck!

There is nothing more satisfying than casually and subtly nailing a heckler… well almost nothing. I mean it’s hard to beat taking a bath in a tub full of chocolate milk while midgets feed you chocolate chip cookies. But besides that, nothing is more satisfying than a good “gotcha” with a heckler.

Case in Point:

I had a gig not too long ago that was a strolling corporate function. It was up in the mountains at a beautiful campsite right here in lovely Utah. With each group that I approached I opened with a variation of Jay Sankey’s “Die Hard Opener.” The basic premise is simply that a card is chosen, shuffled back into the deck and then you cause “their selection” to fly out of the deck into the air, and you catch it.

However, when you show it, you’re “wrong.” It’s not their card… just a magical phrase like “top change” and suddenly it is their card. It’s a very good opener, and the psychology behind it is brilliant. I’ve always loved this effect.

So I’d successfully performed it about 15 or 20 times without a hitch… the timing was great. Right about when they were thinking, “crap… did he really screw up?” The card was changed and I was Mr. Miracle. It was like that time that I was fishing in a lake of diet coke catching fish with meat hooks and chicken beaks for bait … ah good times.

But I digress … The point is this: On the 21st time I performed it, when I got to the point where the card was “wrong” some smarty pants guy said, “They actually pay you for this?” I had just done the switch right as he said that. The magic happened, and I showed the selection, and simply said, “Yes, The DO pay me for this.”

It was Awesome. The guy’s jaw dropped, the audience laughed and cheered, and he even sort of apologized by saying, “Wow. That was good.” How sweet is that. I mean it’s not as sweet as a forest fully of hollow chocolate Easter Bunnies and sour gummy worms being eaten by invisible insects, but still it was sweet!

I gotta go. I can hear someone playing Stairway to Heaven on the Banjo.

Effect:

An Alka-Seltzer tablet that has been “inadvertently” crushed to dust is healed again and becomes whole in your magical hands.

Method:

A finger-palmed tablet and a thumb-tip (TT). The basic idea is that you have a TT and an Alka-Seltzer tablet finger-palmed in your left hand. The TT is laying on top of the tablet. You have an Alka-Seltzer package (which is about the size of a sugar packet) in your right pocket. Ahead of time, you’ve broken the tablets while still in side of the package. This is pretty easy to do.

You can easily snap them both in half, and then in quarters while still in the package. Then a a little grinding and squishing and you can get them into a pretty powder-ish state.

Side Note: This is actually how I use them in real life. Then I just pour the dust into the cup of water. It dissolves quicker and more completely.

Anyway, once you’ve got one (or a bunch for repeat performances) ground up in the package, you put it in your right pocket and you’re set to go. The mechanics are simple enough. Tear open the package. Make a fist with your left hand. Pour the dust into your left fist directly into the TT. Place the package aside. Reach into your left hand with your right index finger and thumb in a pinch-like grip.

Show your right hand clearly empty. Then place your right thumb directly into the TT as your right finger grabs the tablet and pinches it against your TT. Open your left fist and display the tablet at your right finger-tips with the left palm as a “backdrop.” Then leave the tablet there as your right hand picks up the package and places it in your pocket while secretly ditching the TT.

Presentation:

Obviously, that’s a simple and relatively meaningless effect. However, a few key lines and moments can make it much more powerful. If you’re at a party and you’re eating a bunch of food, it’s not uncommon for someone to ask for Rolaids, Tums, Alka-Seltzer, etc. when you’re “feeling the heartburn,” so grab an Alka-Seltzer from your pocket, and secretly load the TT and tablet in the left hand. Then casually mention that you hate when they get all crushed up from being in your pocket. You prefer them whole because if they’re not whole, then there’s no “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz.”

Tear it open; do the effect shown above. Then as you place the, now, whole tablet in the water, you can then say “Plop . . . Plop . . . Fizz . . . Fizz . . . ” Then drink it and continue with “Oh What a Relief it is!”

Obviously if you’re using the above line, you’ll want to have two tablets finger-palmed in your left hand, not one. This presentation makes a small magical moment out of an everyday type of activity.

Alternatives:

If you want it to be more of a performance piece, here are a few ideas for you.

Corporate Scam:

Basically, you point out to the audience that more and more these days, products are becoming more and more of a rip off; more air (less chips) in a bag of chips; Soda bottles are being filled up all the way, etc. Feel free to make up a bunch of other ones, like: sticks of gum are getting thinner and narrower every year, etc.

Then point out that even medicinal products are jumping on the band-wagon. Show a package of Alka-Seltzer that has not been crushed. Let them feel that there are two tablets in the package. Then break them into fourths while still in the sealed package. Then show them how to grind them up in the package. They can even open it if it will help them grind it up better.

While they’re grinding, you’re secretly loading the TT and single tablet in your left hand. You’re also telling them that Alka-Seltzer tablets are 50% air and 50% medicine. Once they’re done grinding, you have them look in the package, and tell them that there’s only enough powder in there to make one full sized tablet. You then show them by performing the restoration outlined above.

Broken:

Using the above premise, you could turn the powder into two half tablets. The routining would be the same, but you would have one tablet that’s been broken in half (rather than a whole single tablet) finger-palmed with the TT in your left hand. At the end, when you’ve ditched the TT and wrapper in your pocket, secretly finger-palm a whole tablet in your right hand.

Then (while holding out the full tablet), stick the two broken pieces together and hold it in position for a French Drop in your left hand. The pieces will hold together just fine while your hold them in this position. Then with the right hand, perform a Spellbound change (or similar moved) to replace the broken pieces with the whole piece as you stroke the tablet in a heal-the-tablet gesture.

Be Ready

I have those effects at the ready, and I can do them at a moment’s notice. Typically, it happens when I meet new people and they find out I’m a magician. It’s the inevitable “show me something.” Well why not? Maybe they’ll book you for their upcoming event. Maybe they’re a talent agent or an event planner. You never know. What should be in your wallet? Stuff that fits you and fits your style. Also, my recommendation is that it doesn’t look like a prop but rather something plain and ordinary.

I’ve got enough in my wallet to do a 20 or so minute show of very powerful material. When I made the decision to go this route, I thought long and hard about the contents of my wallet and what stuff I really needed to have in it. I found a great app for the iPhone called CardStar. It lets you scan in all of your loyalty membership cards. Then when you purchase something at the associated store, the clerk simply has to scan the loyalty card bar code on your iPhone screen. That allowed me to get rid of a ton of stuff.

These days, most insurance companies (auto and health) have apps for your insurance card thus minimizing the need for physical cards. My wallet is now thin, sleek and full of magic. What’s in your wallet?

Until Next Month . . .

Effect:

The mysterious bank-line-stander-inner is nimbly rolling his last silver dollar (about to be deposited) from knuckle to knuckle, hand to hand when suddenly he is accosted by a nearby observer. “You must be magic . . . show me something,” she says. Mr. Mystery quickly yet smoothly hands a lighter to Ms. Curious as he also removes a balled up piece of paper from his pocket. Mr. asks Ms. to light the paper on fire while Mr. pinches it between his left thumb and finger.

The paper bursts into flames! As the flash of fire appears, Mystery risks it all and plunges his right index finger into the fireball. The flame is gone, and nothing but a cut little origami hat on the tip of his right finger remains.

Ms. Curious faints but not before she coughs out one last statement . . . “you made magical origami with fire.” You nod knowingly and step over her limp body getting you once step closer to the bank teller and one step farther from your last silver dollar.

Method:

I guess I could have just said, “a piece of tissue paper magically origami’s itself in a flash of fire.” But where’s the fun in that. I’m guessing you’ve already figured out the method. You just need some tissue paper, flash paper, a lighter and the ability to make an origami hat. There’s a link at the end of this article to an excellent site that teaches various origami folds.

Other than that, the prep is simple. Make a small origami hat from a piece of tissue paper that’s roughly the size of the piece of flash paper you’ll be using. You want it to fit nicely on top of your index finger. Have a lighter and a balled up piece of flash paper in your pocket.

When the moment’s right, hand the lighter to the spectator. Reach into your pocket and secretly palm the hat as you bring out the balled up paper. Place the balled up flash paper on your open left palm to display it while secretly hiding the hat in your left hand (finger palm-ish). Reposition it at the finger and thumb tips of your left hand. Make sure the ball of paper has a little tail that you can hold like the image below.

Ask the spectator to strike and hold the lighter. As you warn her that you’re about to burn the paper at your finger tips, your right hand relaxes and maneuvers its hat into position. Then bring the balled up flash paper near the flame (making sure she extends her arm far from her body – the flame may panic her) to the lighter. As it burst into flames, plunge your right index finger in a pointing gesture right into the flame. Let the moment sink in.

Afterthoughts:

Obviously, a bank may not be the best place to create a fireball, so use good judgement. Also, if you think you’ll be in a position to do this a few times, simply have a bunch of balled up wads of flash paper in one pocket. Then have the lighter in another pocket that is full of mini hats (in case you want to give them away). You’ll have to change the handling slightly since the flash paper and hats are in two different pockets, but it’s easy enough to steal the hat when getting the lighter.

Further, keep in mind that this is simply a way to be ready to “show me something” on command in a setting where you’re out in public not really planning to do a show. Again, read this month’s article, K.I.S.S. for a better understanding of the situation you might use this. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do this in other settings and in other ways, so take a peek at the variations to follow.

Variation 1 – Phoenix

Rather than have the hat appear on your finger, it can be at your finger tips so that it looks like you reached into the flame and plucked out an origami creature. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do a hat. It could be anything. Consider making a bird. Then you’ve got some presentational possibilities centering around the “phoenix rising again.”

Start with an origami bird made from flash paper and introduce it as a Phoenix. Most people are familiar with the “Phoenix rising from the ashes” concept. If you’re not, Google it. Next, Squish the bird; crumple it up. Then as you burn it, you say that the Phoenix always rises from the ashes. You then pluck the revived bird from the ball of fire.

Further, you don’t have to pluck it from the flame. You could have one regular bird hidden behind the one your crumpled up. Then as you light it, the flash paper one vanishes leaving only the bird.

Finally, another option related to this would be closer to the original effect above. Have a pre-folded origami beast at the ready. Then rather than crumpling up a ball of flash paper, have one that you’ve previously crumbled up really tight, but then reopened. This allows you to have a piece of flash paper that’s basically opened flat (with a lot of crinkles in it). This helps the flash paper burn a little faster so you don’t burn yourself. An open piece of flash paper that has not been pre-crinkled might burn to slowly and/or burn you. You can then hide your secret origami beast behind the flash paper.

Holding the secret beast behind the paper, you appear to be holding a the corner of a piece of wrinkly tissue paper with your pinched index and thumb. Of course also pinched in the index and thumb is the secret beast. Thus when you light the paper, the flash paper vanishes, and the beast remains. It’s much more visual than some of the other techniques.

Variation 2 – Flash and Bones

When I ran this idea by Jay Sankey, he offered this fun idea. Keep in mind that this would not be for those “show me something” standing in line at the bank moments. This would be more of a show piece. It’s a combination of mentalism and magic.

You have prepared 10 or 12 flash cards with different origami animals on them. The spectator then thinks of one of the shapes, and you magically create it using any of the previously mentioned methods.

Obviously, you can simply force the shape you want. However if you want to allow a free choice, you could have a small origami index in your pocket to cover the outs. I highly recommend the INDEX-terity system by George Parker. You can purchase it at The Theory and Art of Magic Website.

Finally, if you’re going to have them think of one, you’ll have to secretly gain the information. There are many ways (CT, Peek, Fishing, Progressive Anagrams, etc.). That solution is for you to decide and certainly beyond the scope here.

Variation 3 – Cold Climate Birdies

This one involves one of my favorite things in the world, a Frixion Pen. Basically, you draw a picture of a bird on the back of your business card. You tell your spectator that this bird is different from most. He doesn’t fly south for the winter. He prefers the colder climates.

As you say this, place a balled up piece of flash paper on top of the drawing of the bird. You then light the flash paper and reach into the flame producing a real origami bird. You do this as you deliver a script along this line: “if the bird gets too hot, he comes out of hibernation and flies away.” The heat from the flash paper is enough to make the Frixion drawing vanish, so you’re left with a blank business card and a paper origami bird.

Here’s the best part, however. You tell the spectator to take the business card home and that if they put it in their freezer (a cooler climate), the bird will find it’s way home. Of course, the cold of the freezer causes the Frixion drawing to reappear. Beautiful. To take it a little bit further, start by writing a message like “Thank you for helping me find my way home” or something along those lines. Before you leave your house, write this message on your business card. Make sure you leave enough room to draw the bird.

Now vanish the ink with hit or the eraser that comes with the pen. Then draw the bird on the card with the Frixion pen, making sure to draw it so that it is not covering the place where the vanished message was written. Now you’re left with a secretly hidden message on the card and a bird drawn on the card. This is all done before you leave the house.

Once you’re ready to perform, do the routine as described earlier. However, when they put the business card in their freezer, not only will the bird reappear, but the previously hidden message will also appear. As you hand them the card explaining that the bird will come back if the card is placed in a cooler climate, leave them with this statement, “Call me if he comes back.” They will.

Finally, in this particular variation, you don’t actually have to use origami at all. You can use a very small toy bird. If it’s small enough, you can secretly wrap it in the flash paper ahead of time. Then when you place the wad of flash paper on top of the drawing of the bird and light it, the flash paper will vanish, and the little birdie will be standing there on the blank business card.

You then hand out the business card explaining the whole “colder climate” thing. You then put the bird in your pocket and tell them not to wait too long to put the card in the freezer because the bird will get too hot in my pocket. Once you put the card in the freezer, he’ll vanish from my pocket and reappear on the card and go back to hibernating.

One last thing . . . you could also openly vanish the bird after you hand out the blank business card. Tell them that the bird flew away seeking a colder climate. Hopefully you (the spectator) will get the card in the freezer before he finds some other cold climate to settle down in.

Resources:

• Excellent site for learning simple origami
• Review of INDEX-terity
• Purchase INDEX-terity
• Everything You Need to Know About Frixion Pen Magic
• Related Article: K.I.S.S.

Root:

Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: Not everyone likes the same stuff.

This particular Bon Jovi tune is not one of their most popular. It never reached the fame of Runaway, You Give Love a Bad Name or Livin’ on a Prayer. But in my opinion, this song blows those out of the water.

Take the Young Guns II soundtrack. It’s 100% Jon Bon Jovi, and it’s incredible. It could be one of the most under appreciated albums of all time . . . certainly the most under appreciated Bon Jovi album.

However, many of my friends do not like My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms or the Young Guns II soundtrack. Yet they’re both in my top ten for sure. My friend and fellow magi Jay Sankey is another perfect example of this. Over the years he’s released over 1300 effects. They range from ok to miracle status, but which ones are ok and which ones are miracles? It depends on who you ask. One of my all time favorites, Ear Plugs, is my friend Dan Paulus’s least favorite effect.

To each his own as they say. My point here isn’t to review Bon Jovi or Jay Sankey. It is however, to point out the fact that when performing for your various audiences, you’ll have a variety of people who like and hate a broad range of your effects, personality facets, performances, etc. How do you cater to them all? In short, you can’t.

Should you perform the effects that are most likely to appeal to the most people? It depends on who you ask. Some say yes. While others say you should have variety and texture in your show. I tend to lean toward the latter. In my close up set, I have a really creepy tarot card effect, but I also have poker-based demonstrations of sleight of hand. I have comedy, drama, silliness, etc.

I certainly can’t take credit for this concept. It was Eugene Burger who first turned me on to this concept. Rather than focus on the lowest common denominator, I say “take a risk.” Try something that’s different. Try stuff that you enjoy doing.

Branch:

Let’s build our branches. Your challenge: Take a leap of faith. Take a look at your repertoire; then take a look at the stuff you that you enjoy. Find an effect that you’ve decided not to do because you think people won’t like it. There’s someone out there who’ll like it. Go find him/her. Take the time to dust off an effect that you’ve abandoned for the above reasons, and try to make it relevant. Gauge your audience. See how they react and try to get feedback from them, particularly if you’re a close up performer. Look for those who like it and learn from it.

You’ll also find those who don’t like it. Find out why. It may be a simple thing that you could tweak to give it a broader appeal. Or you may not want to tweak it. You may want to leave it in just the way it is allowing it to appeal to only those few who appreciate it. The call is yours; my goal here is to simply get you thinking about your magic. That’s it.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.

Root:

Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root is . . . be prepared . . . you know, the Boy Scout motto. Let’s learn how to be Boy Scouts (even if you’re a girl) or at least live up to their motto. There are various ways to prepare yourself for this type of situation. First, just knowing some basic sleight of hand and simple magic principles (timing, misdirection, etc.), you can pick up just about any small object and do “something” with it . . . whether it’s a simple vanish or transposition or whatever.

That’s one way to prepare. Another way is less improvised than this, but is still effective. Maybe you know that a certain friend of yours subscribes to Time magazine. Go purchase a copy in advance and memorize a few key elements on a few pages. Then when you go to your friend’s house next Friday, if the opportunity presents itself, force a page on someone . . . another page on someone else . . . etc. You get the idea.

A third way to prepare is to just know a lot of tricks with a lot of ordinary items: keys, coins, rubber bands, silverware, salt shakers, pencils, dollar bills, straws, etc. There are plenty of great resources for this kind of stuff. Here are a few of my favorite options:

• Off The Cuff By Gregory Wilson
• On The Spot By Gregory Wilson
• Amazing Magic & Mentalism Anyone Can Do Vol. I By Jay Sankey
• Amazing Magic & Mentalism Anyone Can Do Vol. II By Jay Sankey

I’m not suggesting anything revolutionary here, but rather, just reminding you of some classic principles and ideas that you should be thinking about.

Branch:

Let’s build our branches. Here’s your assignment for the next few weeks . . . start right now. Look around you. What do you see. I just looked around and instantly saw my iPhone, a bunch of loose change, my Little Caesar’s rewards card, a binder clip, a straw . . . a bunch of other stuff, but not what I would consider things that you’ll likely find kickin’ around when someone asks to see some magic.

Next step, ask yourself what you can do with this stuff. I see four quarters. I can do a four coins across routine. Or I could just do a simple coin vanish. Maybe Miser’s Nightmare (from my DVD, Gemstones, and a ton of other things. I’m sure you can think of a bunch of easy coin effects. What about the straw, the iPhone, etc.? I’m not gonna give you all the answers. You need to figure this out yourself. Your goal is to be ready (without having to carry anything on you) to impact people with the simple props found in the environment. Next month we’ll talk about the other extreme.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.

“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.” – William Connor MageeWhen should you perform a new effect? The same day you bought it at the magic shop in order to get an immediate sense of the routine’s impact?

After fiddling around with it for a week so that you have a better chance of not screwing it up? Or should you wait until you have really polished the handling and the script over several weeks of practice and rehearsal?

I believe magicians often try out a new effect either too soon or too late.

If you rush to show an effect you just bought to a friend or spouse you are not going to get a fair sense of the routine’s effectiveness.

You are merely going to get a sense of the impact based on precious little practice and rehearsal. Of what value is such feedback?

Alternatively, if you spend weeks or even months refining the handling and presentation before performing it for a live audience, you might find that it either does not suit your style and taste, or that it does not play as well as you thought it would.

And frankly, I do not believe you can polish or effectively refine an effect in isolation. You need the audience’s input!

With all that in mind, my advice is to spend no more than a couple of weeks diligently practicing the required sleights, rehearsing the entire effect and developing a rough idea of your script. Then start performing it for real people.

If you are serious about developing your repertoire, never invest time or money in an effect that you are not prepared to perform at least ten times (even if you have to force yourself to do it after the first few times)!

If you are disappointed by the audience response during a first or second performance, do not “toss it on the shelf.” That is a terrible waste, especially considering that there was something about the routine that initially excited you.

Even if the first few times you perform the effect it leaves your audiences cold, do not give up just yet. Stick with it at least a little while longer, if only to be absolutely sure that you are not able to make the routine work for you at this time.

I say “at this time” because, as your performance style shifts and your understanding of your own magic grows, you may well find that effects which “were not working for you” a year or two ago, suddenly become your favorites.

The other reason to not prematurely abandon a routine is because learning to deal with less than enthusiastic audience response is one of the best ways to gain your “performance legs.”

Remember, it is all part of a sacred process, with the goal being, not so much “killing tonight,” but becoming a master magician. That takes time.

I tend to try out new material for couples instead of individuals or large groups. I want to see how more than one person responds to it (increasing my feedback information), but I do not want to leave too many people utterly un-amazed if the effect “bombs.”

I also try to perform for a couple off to the side or in a corner, as far from the main performances areas as possible. After all, if it does not go well, the fewer the witnesses the better.

And because it is crucial that the new effect receives as much support as possible, I never open with a brand new routine (unless of course it is an opener). And if my opening effect fails to hit the couple between the eyes, I postpone trying out the new material because the scenario will not yield the kind of feedback I need.

The Basic Concept

Frankly, I would expect that most of the material found in this article will mostly be nothing new. However, I’m hoping that you’ll find value in a having a few resources and ideas all in one place. You’ve heard it before . . . use your business card in a magic effect. Involve their business card as well. Involved your business card in the effect in such a way that requires the spectator to hold or handle your business card.

Simple and Basic Ideas

1. Use your business cards for billets (assuming they have a blank side)
2. When using business cards, refer to parts of the card (e.g., Joan, just sign your name right there next to my web address . . .)
3. Have force cards/dates/etc. printed on your business card
4. Use them to write your predictions
5. Use them to perform a three card monte routine by drawing a black X on two of the cards, and a red X
6. Use them for spirit writing . . . having the message appear on the back of your card
7. Do a rising card effect with a signed business card

Think through your repertoire . . . what effects could easily incorporate a business card or two?

There are several resources available to inspire ideas:

• In my DVD, Stone Frixion Fire almost every effect uses a business card. Plus there’s fire!
• Michael Ammar’s Easy To Master Business Card Miracles is also an excellent resource.
• Jay Sankey has a couple of DVDs that focus on Business Card Magic:
  • Business Card Miracles is entirely focused on business cards
  • The Real Work on Restaurants & Bars has some cool ideas with business cards
  • Supernatural also has some excellent business card ideas
• Many, many, many others have contributed . . . to name them all would be impossible.

Finally, I highly recommend you read Jeff McBride’s article in his latest book, The Show Doctor entitled Memory Loss (Chapter 14).

Until Next Month . . .