Any reviews yet?

I loved the clown.

Yea you would.....

I like the mell mellers style and so I enjoyed this dvd also.
I´m also a proud owner of the "tickling the mind" 1+2 dvds and I love them.

This time I didn´t find a lot of stuff I could or would use.

The effect I love is the mindreading duck.
Russ or Mell Mellers (if you read my words and want to answer): Where can I find such duck?? This duck is great but I never saw such puppet, where can I get it?

Hi CinChiller,

I've emailed Mel to ask him for you, but he's away at the moment. I think that he had the duck made by his own prop builder. I do remember a dealer selling a similar prop some time ago... does anyone remember who?

Best,
Russ

Hi Russ,
thanks for the effort.
Would be great, if this puppet could be available somewhere.

Can somebody describe the duck puppet routine?
-Woodfield

I too enjoyed the Meller's DVD 1&2. This new set is a bit problematic in that several of the effects that were demonstrated, were not his to explain. The Mindreading Duck belongs Steve Spills, who has been doing that routine for more than 25 years (Magicopolis and Brooke Farm Inn of Magic) and the phone book test uses a ruse from Val Andrews Un-faked Book Test again with no credit.

I had heard that Steve Spills may be releasing the mindreading Duck with his complete routine and all the props. I'll keep you posted.

I have to agree with cinchiller, I did not find this DVD as good as the Tickling the Mind set. There is still some great stuff on the new DVD, and of course the same ole humor and lines from Mel himself...I enjoyed the Duck routine as well, very simplistic, and definetly something someone could add to and build on. I will say that the duck appeared to me to be a stuffed animal, not a puppet. With that being said, I would assume one could substitute just about any type of stuffed animal or puppet for that routine.

Inmotion, you are right, it´s more a stuffed animal than a puppet and it´s a goose and not a duck, but it´s animated and this animation technique makes it so interesting for me.

I am waiting for my copy to be delivered. Would be a shame if the goose routine was lifted from Steve.

To back up what corpmagi has said, I believe this is to be released in the near future. I know Bob Kohler had the prototype on display at Magic Live that the routine of Steve's would be released. A very funny routine that I have loved for almost 20 years.

The "mindreading duck" (yes, I have to correct me, I took a closer look again and it´s something between a duck and a goose) is a variation of the effect from "tickling the mind". It´s the mindreading act with the house number. The difference is "just" the animal that do all the magic.

@ Michael, unfortunatly I don´t know the routine you talk of, but it sounds interesting. Can you tell me more? And which steve do you mean?

Sorry to butt in.. but you can purchase 'The Steve Spill scrapbook' from his site
http://www.magicopolis.com His Mindreading goose is on there and very enjoyable it is
too!

Thanks Markymark,
unfortunatly I find many links there, but no link to his stuff he offers.
I just can find his dvd at hocus-pocus but nothing more.
Do you have some deeper links?

Hi, If you click on the link to buy tickets it will take you to his small online
shop. He was offering this excellent dvd with $10.00 while he was a guest here on
the Café so mention this place and he may give you a discount.
I love my performance only dvd's! [This,Max Maven and Del Ray]

$10.00 discount I should have wrote! And he paid postage to Europe!

Markymark, thanks for the hints. I contacted steve. This dvd is the only product he offers.

@ Michael Dustman,
No word about the goose routine nor tghat he plans to release it in the near future.

So no one has watched the new DVD yet?

I've watched and have to agree that while I like Mellers' style, it wasn't quite up to Tickling the Mind Vol I. (I haven't seen V. II but imagine it to be quite clever). I have also seen Spills' performance of the duck, and yes, Mellers did remind me of that one. I also liked the phone book effect and his book test. The bouquet appearance was rather pedestrian, and his "noises that aren't pleasant" wasn't as thoughtful as some of his stuff. . .


On the whole, it's definitely worth seeing, but not up to his earlier work.

I think part of the reason this dvd was somewhat dissapointing was due to the makeup of the crowd...it looks like he played a Christmas event in a seniors residence (ie 80+)...they just didn't react as a group to Mellers lines or effects....maybe they couldn't relate to his character or maybe there was just too few of them as you need a critical mass of people to produce and feed off the room energy.