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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I've been practicing Blockhead for a little while and I can get the nail in a good 3 inches which I'm happy with. I've also research a lot of the safety and presentation techniques.
The most succesful presentations I have seen involved hammering a nail into the face rather than just 'placing' a nail (or any other object) up there. But I find that hammering ends in the nail wiggling as it goes in so it creates danger not by its going in but by it's going sideways! I'd love some times from the experts! Please PM me if you are concerned about publishing dangerous advice on the public forum. |
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Slim Price Inner circle 1935 - 2006 1326 Posts |
The reason I'm sending you this is because you sure need to think!
Slim Price's Sideshow Notes/ Blockhead Slim Incomplete! Please E-mail me at sanscan@4dcomm.com before you kill yourself... Your research is/was faulty! Slim Click here to view/download attached file.
sanscan@tds.net
"I will never bitter be, as long as I can laugh at me!" "The people who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" |
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Mystician Inner circle Wallachia 3485 Posts |
Sanscan, in the interests of curiousity as well as safety, since you posted the first bit, could you post the rest ? It would seem to be a wise move, if the extra instruction provides information semi-critical to preventing injury.
BTW, I think it would be really neat to have a gimmicked nail with a card inside. You could do this little idea below that just popped into my head while I was typing the stuff above: (actually, the idea of a hollow gimmicked nail came to me a few days ago for another post, but the specific idea here just struck me) First off, use a mini deck, not a full size deck, I just don't think that could work. Force a card however you prefer; tell spec to think of the card really hard in their head, so that you can get it in your head. After a few seconds or so, you then tell the spec that you "have the card in your head", and clarify it with, "No, I mean, I literally have the card in my head !" - have the card "disappear" from the deck, with whatever your favorite method (palming, sidesteal, etc.). Now, hammer the nail into your nose/head, pull it out to "find" it's impaled a card ! Of course, it's the same card as the spec selected, too. I'm not suggesting loading the card into the nail right then and there, but rather, use a duplicate of the card to preload into the nail, and simply hide the one you stole from the deck in your pocket. I'm not really sure how feasible this is, the card would have to be rolled up inside the nail, getting it to appear impaled at the tip of the nail as you pull it out will be the tricky part, I imagine. Still, it would be a cute trick, and a real play on words.
Just hanging out with the rest of my fellow dregs.
http:// www . phrets . com Visit http://www.bizarremagic.net |
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I reread my first post and realised in appeared as if I was ACTUALLY hammering the nail into my head. I am aware of the role of the fingers in guiding the nail in. But the hammer does make contact with the nail and this is where I am worried.
Sorry to cause you to panic Slim! In experimenting with less sharp objects then nails and using only my fingers as the 'hammer', I have found that any sort of tap or striking action near on the object causes the object to wiggle sleightly. I worry that using a hammer and a nail (even a blunted one) I will cause myself an injury. Don't worry slim, I AM thinking and I won't try anything without being 100% of the technique and biology behind it! |
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Slim Price Inner circle 1935 - 2006 1326 Posts |
As I said, SEND ME AN E_MAIL... To sanscan@4dcomm.com. Sorry if that was not clear the first time I said, "send me an E-mail."
BTW. why do you want to corrupt a beautiful act? Slim
sanscan@tds.net
"I will never bitter be, as long as I can laugh at me!" "The people who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" |
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Black Hart Elite user Scottish Highlands 475 Posts |
Hello Nicholas
In my Haunted House event I had a character called 'Mississippi Sam' (played by Chris Priest). He was a gambler who sold his soul to the Devil for luck at cards. Anyway, Chris was a brilliant magician and played his character very well, he is also very handsome so the ladies just loved him. My character - The Black Hart - owner of the haunted house was dark and sinister. During the banquet Sam would appear to get a little drunk and this would be pointed out to me by one of my servants. Just before the banquet finished I would stand at the head of the table and call Sam to me. I would loudly admonish him for being insubordinate! I would them punish him. I produced a shiny nail and handed it to him. The audience were wondering what was going to happen. I would then produce a large claw hammer! By now the audience were getting the picture. I would hammer the nail into the table top ( a piece of wood under the cloth). "Hammer the nail into your face." I would command Sam. He was a brilliant actor by the way. He would then proceed to (apparently) painfully hammer the nail into his face (nose). The room would be silent but for the chink of the hammer on the nail. It was truly gruesome. After a few seconds so that the effect could sink in I would then hand the claw hammer back to Sam and say, "Now, take it out." He would then attach the claw to the end of the nail and slowly pull it out. Again, silence from the audience. Sam would make little noises whilst he did this and it sounded as if the nail was sort of squelching his flesh as it came out. He would then drop the nail on the table and I would send him away with the warning that next time he did not obey me it would be 'between his eyes'. It was a really great piece of theatre. Take no doubt that this is a dangerous thing to do. The nail was chromed and bluntd so that it would slide in easily. It was wiped with surgical spirit before the effect. We would have several staff members nearby to ensure that nobody could touch the nail or Sam whilst the effect was happening. Strangeley enough, whilst we did leave the nail on the table fo a while nobody ever tried to examine it! Best of luck. Do NOT waste this as a mere stunt... Keith Hart
Black Artefacts, manufacturer and dealer of weird, bizarre and psychic magic: www.blackhart.co.uk
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I HAVE sent you an email which you have obviously not received. I will send it again...
What do you mean in your suggestion that I am corrupting the routine? By discussing it publicly? Thanks for the notes Slim! I'm not sure what part you were referring to that was needed to fix my 'faulty' research. I assume you were confused because about me 'theatrically' hammering the nail as opposed to 'really' hammering the nail. Its interesting that whilst you REALLY are putting up a nail up your nose, the hammer is completely unnecessary except as a dramatic prop. And because people can't imagine the nail going into that space with breaking skin, shattering bone and rupturing cartlidge, the believe that its a painful type of peircing. I've mentioned that I am trying to learn this routine to friends and all believe its really creating holes. Does this mean that it is entering the realm of an illusion? With something like mental flossing you are really doing what you appear to be doing where as this creating an illusion that you are doing something far more painful. Perhaps this why people feel the need to add in the optional,cheesy fake blood and pasta (crunching on it for broken bones) to make just another gruesome magic trick. |
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Harley Newman Inner circle 5117 Posts |
If you're doing it right, and have a solid sense of showmanship, there's no need to clutter it up with sub-plots.
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain
www.bladewalker.com |
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FacadeTheStiltBoy Elite user Greensboro NC 474 Posts |
And don't forget to debur the end of the nail, that hurts when you forget to do it.
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I learnt THAT the hard way!
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bobser Inner circle 4178 Posts |
If for whatever reason you used too long a nail what would it actually do?
ie what would it go through and into where?
Bob Burns is the creator of The Swan.
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Todd Robbins V.I.P. New York 2922 Posts |
It would puncture the top of the back of your throat and go into the base of your brain or top of your spine. Ain't show business grand?
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TAIT Regular user uk 142 Posts |
(what would it go through and into where?)
Hi go through the nasopharynx and hit your lowest section of the brainstem it controls heartbeat breathing A bit late. |
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Thank you all for your advice, I performed this for the first time last night and got a WONDERFUL reaction. I performed it as a 'historical' piece and used patter about the people who invented and popularised the act without actually telling anyone what I was about to do. It really got their attention and had them hooked.
I brought up a woman from the audience to 'assist'. Her job was really to 'react' to the effect up close so people could feel how real and gross this is. I also had the head of the nail intialed so she could recognise it as the one she had examined. I felt that in the context of a magic show, it was important to sell it as REAL and not an illusion or trick. I hammered the nail in a block of wood which the woman kept as a momento of the occasion. I also came up with three very funny lines that you are all welcome to use. PM me for them because one is gross, one will offend Christians and the other is sexually explicit. |
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the Sponge Inner circle Atlanta 2771 Posts |
Quote:
On 2005-07-31 01:34, Nicholas J. Johnson wrote: FYI, Yep, same thing Ruby Colby did on TV. 2 of the 3 lines aren't "......it's not" and "if I sneeze......" are they? s |
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Nope...I did pretend to be about to sneeze though.
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Deke Rivers Loyal user 216 Posts |
Although the lines have been around a lot longer than Rudy, haven't they? I remember the "I thought it was a booger, but it's not" way back when I was a kid (and I'll bet it was old then!)
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I'm sure Rudy wasn't the first person to bring a witness up and then hammer the nail into a block of wood either.
I'd rather be 100% good then 100% original any day! Just did my second ever performance of this. 200 people including ten children. I had not really thought of the reaction of children to this stunt until now. Of course, I knew that it was not for kid's shows but at an adult event where kid's happen to be present I decided it was OK. Since my presentation is so polite (almost medical in nature) they kids were not scared or frightened at all! In fact, they came up to ask questions after the show! |
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ecm mike New user 15 Posts |
Todd,
After watching you put that friggin' railroad spike up your nose on the Criss Angel special, I'm surprised that you didn't puncture the the throat of some guy standing behind you!!! LOL.
-extremecardmagic.com- Not yo' mama's card magic!!!
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NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
So far my performances have been
1) A small after dinner show 2) A large fundraising (families including ten kids) 3) A night club show for 300 trendy types. 4) An actor friend's medieval birthday. All the guests were asked to perform 5) A slick function for corporate lawyers Five very different events but each time it KILLED! Each person has such a different reaction to the effect. Some love the science of it. Some love the mystery of it. Some HATE it and love hating it! (without hating me) PS - Some people asked me for the jokes but I deleted their PMs by accident. Please PM again |
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