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Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
I can't let this week go by without mentioning that I had the pleasure of meeting Todd at Tannen's a few months ago. Not only was it a pleasure to meet him, but I was surprised to learn that Mr. Robbins is, in addition to his other obvious and varied talents, a serious card magician. We even compared multiple selection routines! Where he finds the time, I don't know.
I just thought the "regular" magicians here might find that interesting. After all, Todd brings to card tricks the same formidible presentational chops that he uses to make physical stunts sing. I know you'd rather keep it quiet, but Todd, is there one card effect, perhaps one that's commercially available, (wink wink) that you might have found impressive enough for your own use?
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
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Todd Robbins V.I.P. New York 2922 Posts |
Well, I'm glad you brought that up, Curtis.
I often start my performance with fire eating. It's a perfect opener. It shows skill,the routine is filled with jokes that lets the audience know who I am and the response from the audience gives me an idea of who they are. The problem is that it is harder and harder to find venues that allow the use of open flame. So, I have been toying with the idea of opening the act with some card work. This plays well with what comes after the opening routine. The second hunk I do in the act is asking people if they want to see card tricks or something that's not a trick, that is amazing and something vile and disgusting. So, cards would work well in fire-less shows. But what card routine to do? I played around with the Thurston stage routine. It's a lovely routine that Jeff McBride has put on video and Lance Burton did on one of his specials. It didn't seem like just the right thing for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that angles would be bad for some of the venues I work. So, I have decided that I will be adding in a multiple selection rountine. The problem with this is, how do you end it? Well, into my life comes the PREFECT solution. It's a piece of performance that will not only be a lovely climax to the routine, but it will also segue into the rest of the act. And this is The Rat Pack, created by Mr. Curtis Kam. It is a great bit (and calling it a bit does not do this justice since it is soooo strong)where you put the deck into a REAL rat trap and snatch the selected card out before the trap snaps shut and crushes your fingers. If done well, it adds a nice element of danger to card magic. And the danger is real. That trap is straight from the hardware store. There is a slight modification made that in no way diminishes the danger and only allows the deck to rest in the proper position. Man, it's a beautiful thing and I want to thank Curtis again for releasing it. I'm just glad the few will have the guts to do it! It will be seen soon at Monday Night Magic. |
Jon Stetson Veteran user 329 Posts |
Ah, yes. Yet another of Todd's talents. Todd's card magic comes from the school of two of the true greats, Jay Ose and Francis Carlyle. It is a joy to watch.
Stetson |
Todd Robbins V.I.P. New York 2922 Posts |
Being the laziest man in show business (I will have to lay down after writing this post)I am filled with regret that my card work ain't what it should be. You have work to be good at cards! Therefore, my push off second and bottom deal is not what it should be and I have to cover my inadequaties with bluster.
Part of this come from the fact that I grew up around folks like Michael Weber. I came to the conclusion that there was no need to work hard at sleight of hand 'cause I was never going as good as the guys that were around me. I have always found myself around first class sleight of hand folks. I currently hang with Simon and I'm partners with Jamy Ian Swiss. So, I took a different path. The irony is that I have probably ended up working harder to do what I do than if I had perfected the Pass. And I doubt anyone found themselves spitting up blood trying to learn a side steal. The other quirky thing is that I spent a chunk of time around Dai Vernon when I was a junior member of the Castle. We talked quite a bit...but not about cards. We talked about one of his other passions. Playing the piano. He always had a desire to be a professional pianist and used to hang around musicians in NY. Vernon used to come into the Castle during the day and practice on Irma's piano. He would be there when we had our monthly Saturday afternoon meetings. The other junior members used to hide in the corner and sneak glimpses of him. One day after he had finished playing and was walking out of the Irma room, I said, "Mr. Vernon, that was a nice Cannonball." He looked startled that a sixteen year old kid knew the name of the rather obscure tune he had just played. He asked how I knew that and I explained I played ragtime, knew Dick Zimmerman (the best ragtime player alive today) and was a member of the ragtime organization the Maple Leaf Club. This broke the ice and we talked about how he got into the music and the musicians he knew. He told me a bit about the ragtime piano players he knew and I loved hearing about all that. Later on, I played for him and he played for me. It was great. Ray Grismer gave Vernon piano lesson and Vernon gave Ray magic lessons. |
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