Docc,

You have a knack of taking items that most magicians have put behind them, because they are considered beginning effects, and breathing new life into them. The tricks then transform from beginners trick in a drawer somewhere, to a feature piece.

How do you go about this? Do you take something, disect it and figure out what to do with it? Or do you have an idea going into something and then just continue working it. Basically, do you start with the prop, or do you start with the idea for the prop.

Such notables are: Color cube, c/s coin, and especially steel ball and tube.

You know I love that.

It's strange what magical history remembers about a guy. I get pigeon holed and categorized and can't get past the labels in the eyes of some people. To a few, I'm still the con man, although that video was made back in 1991! To others, I'm still the "spooky" guy, forget that I haven't performed bizarre magick in this century! I'm often labeled as a Billet Man, though I can't read or write - just kidding.

During the craze over The Cassandra Deck, and after the release of Lolita and a couple of other mentalism-card tricks, a girlfriend commented that I'll be remembered as a card guy! Now... I'm getting the rep of the old-wine-in-new-skins guy. That's fine. I love all this stuff.

The Ball & Tube routine was a leftover from high school shows for friends. I discarded, not only the trick, but the complete presentation. I did it as little joke of "how I used to do it" for a friend and he loved it. I showed it to others, like Barry Richardson, and eventually it made it's way to the booklet and the DVD coming soon.

The Calculator Trick as Jail Bait on Monster Mentalism, Color Vision, The Number Stix (in Book of Numbers and on The Vault DVD), the six tricks with an Imp Bottle (from Sign of Four), the 1089 Force, Out-to-Lunch as a billet read, and the list goes on and on, are all oldies but goodies.

Now I see why I'm getting that rep.

Here's an example of the process. Chan Canasta published a card effect wherein the end result was you looked through the deck and found a selected card. The set-up was quite extensive, making it almost test condition magic. Basically you have to spot, memorize and position three key cards while you shuffled a previously shuffled deck. The participant could pocket a couple of the top and bottom cards and cut the deck to be certain you didn't have any clues. The deck was cut in two. The cards were individually read aloud from the bottom half, then one card secretly chosen. Hearing the names of the cards gave you two of the three key cards and thus the position of the third key in the top half. The chosen card was cut into the other half and the mage looked through it to find the card!

I know, it reads terrible. It performs just as badly. It's my example because I wanted to do another Canasta trick, so I dissected it. To do so, one must be familiar with Maskelyn and Devant's 28 Rules of Presentation (from Our Magic). Look for the most direct method. Wouldn't it be easier, I pondered, to spot the bottom card while the participant shuffled, have him cut, E'voque the top half so he could choose any card from it. Cut it into the bottom half - and have the same trick???

Also the rules state to have one clear effect. What was the effect? Was Chan apparently memorizing half the deck, then looking through the other half for a card he remembered being in the first half? If so, why wouldn't a mage just memorize half the deck, let a person pull one card and shuffle the cards. Then, the mage would look them over and reveal the missing card. If this was the effect, you could hold the other half in your left hand, spot the top card, and Curry Turnover switch the chosen card face down on the table! Now I'm thinking about switching the chosen card, not finding it. This leads me to simpler methods. Maybe just a marked deck, but that means we lose the borrowed feature.

And some times we look and say, "Nope. Not what I want here." and discard the entire project. People like Michael Weber also love doing this stuff. I know he'll agree with me when I say I've discarded probably 99 out of 100 tricks. It doesn't mean I won't go back to them some day, it just means I look, discover and discard.

This process is explained in detail in The Secrets to Perfect Paid Performances. Again, any questions about that underground publication, contact me at DoccLecture@hotmail.com

A lot from such a simple question.

"The Sign of Four" is one of my favorites, Docc. I've produced most of those props, in limited quantities, myself... I've always been very happy with the results they've garnered!

Thanks again, Docc!
Gaddy (in San Francisco)

Another old trick you have brilliantly reworked is the 7 keys to baldplate routine on your Monster Mentalism DVD - Uncle Klink. It was actually your explanation of how you came about creating that effect that made me rethink exactly what you said above regarding all of my routines and to apply that thinking: "what is the effect?" and "How can the prop be used in order to create a stronger and better effect?" I really appreciate you sharing your new takes on old and discarded props and effects, as well as setting me on the path to discover those gems myself.

Ya, I wish more read Our Magic!