Could yall share your thoughts on these videos. Any good???? Is there any valuable advice for restaurant work?

Andrew

I heard it is excellent, worth your bucks.

Hi Andrew:

I have volume three. I bought it specifically for his copper, siler, brass routine. The whole tape is excellent, and very valuable for the restaurant and/or bar worker.

This is the first time I'd seen Doc work, and was very surprised. I expected him to be brash, in-your-face, smart-alecky, but was surprised to find him very funny, yet very warm and personable.

Highly recommended by me.

Ron Reid

Hi Andrew!
I have had these tapes for a couple years and they are great--I have watched "Doc" in person performing these effects for real audiences and they are "workers"!
Some of the items may not work as well for restaurant work since he is working behind the bar on a close-up pad--but many can transfer.
I have used his copper/silver/brass routine and anniversary waltz--both are very strong and are on tape #3
2 other routines that are excellent to learn from is his ambitious card and his multiple selection routine.
All in all--some great, real world magic and Doc is a really nice guy too!!
Enjoy,

Gene B

I must agree I think everyone who gets these tapes will find something they will use, Docs card under glass is a lesson in boldness as well as missdirection. And his multiple selection is great for any kind of large table work you may have as it is a great way to finish by involving everyone at the table. For anyone that performs bar magic, these videos are essential as Doc also shows how important it is to keep the money going in the register while keeping the customers entertained.

Doc.

I'd like to add that, while some of Doc's routines involve some card sleights, they're not that hard to do.

The great thing about Doc's tapes is that they are full of tricks that you WILL use everyday. No pipe dreams here. The best part is Doc's "tips" section at the end of the tapes. He gives advice to help "sell" the trick and play the audience.

They are great tapes!

Fantastic tapes. The performance sections were filmed during a regular show so none of this brought in audience garbage. You get a chance to see how he deals with the crowd.

I agree with the plusses offered by the previous posts, however, I found his "challenge" approach to his performance on Vol. 1 to be less than magical. "I will get the card under the glass -- AGAIN!" I consider the tapes to be more instructional with regard to a particular kind of performance, audience management, as well as taking care of the "business" end of bar magic (i.e., the bar itself).

Don't get me wrong, not only are the effects strong, the instruction portion in quite insightful in which he and Michael Ammar discuss the subtleties and variations of the various effects and sleights. But there was just something about his approach that I found a little off-putting. It could just be a matter of taste. I don't deny it was entertaining, and I would love to see him live. But it's just not my style.

Perhaps I will have a different impression of the other 2 videos on the series?

Did anyone else get this vibe from Vol. 1?

Cheers,
Jim

I didn't.

Granted for that one effect he played it up as a bit of a challenge it didn't in any way make the spectators feel that he was making fools out of them. He didn't present it as a "I'm going to fool you and you're an idiot" effect. It was obvious that he was trying to make it seem harder for him to do it thus making it more incredible when he succeeded.

Hi Adam,

I didn't say or imply anything about Doc Eason making fools out of the spectators. I agree that he was not out to make idiots of the audience. In fact, he clearly went out of his way to involve as many individuals as possible, remarkably remembering their names, making chit-chat with them, making them feel good and enjoy themselves. But, given the fact that he sought to increase the difficulty (as you said, "make it harder for him to do it") by way of the challenge, it diminished the "magic" and emphasized his skill at misdirection and sleight of hand. I certainly grant the amazement factor of Doc successfully and surreptitiously getting the card under the glass so many times, but again, that's not so much perceived as magical, but rather as skill, quickness, cleverness, etc.

You granted that the "challenge" was played up for "that one effect." However, in the instruction portion of the video, he stated quite perspicuously that the challenge was the running thread throughout the entire (nearly half-hour long) routine.

I am hoping someone will tell me that this approach to his magic is only used in Vol. 1, in which case, I would be more inclined to consider purchasing the other two videos in the series. But basing my assessment on the first installment of "Bar Magic, I am afraid of taking that chance and have decided to spend more time and money on books instead of videos.

Any further insights you or others may have on Doc's series would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Jim

Hi Jim--
I have all of Doc's tapes and the presentation style varies--On certain effects; such as card under the glass, he let's the spec. "in" on what will happen--as he gets the card there the reaction builds. I have watched him in person and it works well--that said though--this style could easily be changed to a presentation that fits better with your character.
With the bar environment and somewhat rowdyness of his audience--that presentation really kills em!
Many other effects on the other tapes are not done with the same "I'm gonna get ya" style. Overall, the tapes really teach lots about audience mgmt., misdirection, staging the effect, on & on.
I found them to be great--since it's "real world stuff" not stuff just performed for a "studio" audience.
Hope this helps!

Gene B

I agree about this being real world magic. His effects are excellent, soundly structured, and entertaining. This is a lot of material you'll want to use. And if you look deeper you'll find the even greater lessons offered involving things like timing, misdirection, psychology, routining, and audience management. These tapes are a great investment. His "bill to lemon" is the most entertaining and clever version I've had the pleasure of performing.

Having seen Doc lecture in Jax, FL and getting to spend time afterwards talking to him, I can tell you his magic is to be seen live as the video just doesn't do him justice.

If you pay attention to the male spectator to Doc's right, the guy turns the routine into a challenge with his remarks that he will birddog the glass. Doc just goes with the flow and it becomes more of a challenge.

I have owned the 3 videos since they came out and have learned a great deal from them.

My suggestion...buy the performance only tape that is sold by Doc and just watch the people and their reactions. It is a MUCH better version to decide on his work.

I don't see anything wrong with building up the misdirection and sleight of hand aspect of the trick and diminishing the magic. He works behind a bar and his job is to entertain the people. Not perform magic, but to entertain people.

uhm... how does increasing the challenge make it less magical? If I tell you to not let your eyes leave that glass, and STILL the card appears under the glass. It may make it a different style of magic (as opposed to the "Let's see the wondrous magical world we can create together!" style), but I don't think it's necessarily less magical.

And now that these videos have sold from my offer in the "DVD's For Sale" section, I feel I can praise them without feeling self-serving.

This is a FANTASTIC set of videos. If you have any desire to do bar magic, restaurant magic, close-up magic, magic for real people, magic for other magicians, or if you just want to watch a really entertaining performance segment, then get these videos.

I just watched all 3 videos again, and I have to say if you do bar magic, get them. If you don't, get them anyway. There is something great waiting for everyone. When Doc was going to reveal the secret to his bill in lemon, he looked as though he was going to cry, since this was his "money maker". I really like the Anniversary Waltz, and the birthday card. You can use these anywhere.

No, you mean Steve Spill was going to cry because it's Steve's routine and he performed it for years at the Brook Farm Inn of Magic in the 1980's. The routine kicks a**.

I cannot recommend these tapes enough. His Color Changing Deck has been my opening card effect for 12 years, and never fails to get a tremendous response.

I first heard of Doc Eason from Michael Ammar's old Magical Arts Journal on Bar Magic. Back then, Doc was offering a performance only video of a night at the Tower, and included a set of lecture notes for a few of the tricks. About 5 years later, I had the opportunity to meet Doc and catch his lecture. He is just an approachable guy who has plenty of advice and years of experience to share.

There is definitly a wealth of material on the tapes that can be used for restaurant magic. In fact, my early days of restaurant work in the early 90's was pretty much most of Doc's material. The Copper/Silver/Brass routine, the Color Changing Deck, and Ambitious Card.

One of the routines on his new set that comes in handy is his work and very detailed explanation on the Multiple Selection. If you have ever had a party at the restaurant, and you are trying to figure out how to share something with 18 people all the way down the long row of tables, this trick is perfect.

Get them...you will not be disappointed.

Regalfan,
I've only seen Volume 3 but it was full of good stuff. I've seen you talking about Anniversary Waltz elsewhere. That's a $15 trick by itself and you get it here. He has a great 2-in-the-hand, 1-in-the-pocket routine using nuts and a bolt with a kicker ending, a great opening effect with cards where the spectator freely selects the only red card in a deck full of black 2 of clubs (or whatever. I don't remember the cards he used) and his Copper Silver Brass is very commercial. You could also learn a lot from the way he handles his audience. I liked this tape a lot.