Has anyone tried Cody Fisher's Sweet Dreams routine foe Professor's Nightmare?

Anyone?

Script is very very good but I havent dared to use it yet. However for adult audience I have no doubt it would kill!

J-M

The entire routine is based on a gag of mine that I wrote years ago and did for the first time on TV in the UK in 1988.

The review of my TV spot in Abra magazine said that this gag would unfortunately almost certainly find itself into many performers repetoires. I had two magicians at the following IBM British Ring convention actually come up and tell me they were now using my line in their show. Someone then printed it without my permission as part of a routine in Repro magazine and over the years I have seen it in print many times, never with any credit to me, and featured on other magicians performance and instructional dvd's.

I've long stopped being concerned about the absorption of material by others. I chose to smile and see it as flattery and think on it as contributing to the world of magic. Better that than frowning and being bitter.

I'm absolutely sure Cody hasn't knowingly taken my line and worked a routine around it. (I actually think the laughs I still get with it as a gag are bigger and more effective than the routine of Cody's but then I'm bound to be biased)

But I find it hard to believe that my gag, which has over the years been widely 'distributed' by others within the magic world for general consumption, was not the starting point for Cody's routine. This is fine. But a nod of acknowledgement would be appreciated even if it's after the event.

I am so glad you spoke up for yourself. I wrote this on another post.
"The peril and frustration for me is listening to people praise these guys with "new" moves who don't give credit (since most of it isn't theirs. They take credit for being clever when all they have done is create a good video of someone else's work. They build up a fan base who deify them and then its hard to correct or say anything bad about their hero. "

I use Cody's routine at every stand-up show. It is a great routine, gets great laughs, and packs small. I use it for teen to adult audiences and it never fails to cause side splitting laughter. IMO it is the best rope routine available. Buy it... you won't be disappointed.

Neal,

I have NEVER read your routine, heard of "your gag", or ever read ANYTHING you have written. Where can I find a copy of your absolutely hysterical routine that I am 'subtly' being accused of ripping off? Will you send me a copy? Can I buy a copy from you so I can compare the two? I have live video footage of my routine from my comedy club days...would you care to trade videos in order to compare? My routine is filled with mostly original lines that were co-written by my friend Peter Henrichs. In no way did I use your routine as a starting point for my routine. I do not need to steal other people's routines.

And Ian I have no idea what I ever did to upset you? You hassled me on the "Silk To Egg" thread as well. What's up? If I have ever wronged you in ANY way please contact me and let's talk about it. I certainly do not appreciate you accusing me of "not giving proper credit" or saying that my work is "not mine" or "someone elses". How dare you...These are some pretty harsh comments to be accusing me of. Again if you have issue contact me...but please do not go around slandering my name for no reason at all.

Concerning a 'fan base'...I certainly don't have that. I am a very small fish in the great big magic pond. I try very hard to put out solid routines for working performers...that's it! Many of the individuals that have purchased my releases over the past many years have contacted me either on the phone, via e-mail, or PM's here on the Café. I try to help out as many people as I can. I don't have 'fans' I have 'friends'. So yes when something ridiculous like this shows up, you will have people questioning your statements. I would certainly do the same for my friends...

Sincerely,
Cody S. Fisher

Cody,
This wasn't a condemnation of your work as much as a comment about someone other than myself voicing their frustration about routines.
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My objection to lots of routines (not specifically yours) is that in a routine, there are derivations and credit that should be cited. When I perform or make a video instruction, I do not use any one's patter. In moves, I credit a twist of the wrist or a rope pickup method to the point of minutia. Even you admit that the lines were "mostly" yours.
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I had hassled you on the egg effect with you ad descriptions, not your originality. The fact that you felt justified in your egg effect to leave out the critical detail of an impossible perception by saying that everyone does that in ads.
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I know you are successful and creative, but my comment perhaps should not have lumped you in with "other guys" (plural). My comment was in support of someone who appears to have been wronged. It did not matter what routine it was, I was commenting on speaking up.
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The paragraph I included was a quote from another thread (note the quotation marks)and copied and pasted in haste.

I just want to clarify that although it seemed that my comment was directed at you, it was worded badly, an inappropriate, inaccurate, statement and I apologize.

This will be the last time I comment about anything of yours.

Ian,

Thank you very much for your very mature response to my above concerns. I appreciate the manner in which handled it. I wish more misunderstandings here on The Café could be handled like this. There are certainly no hard feelings on my part at this point. Take care my friend...

Cody S. Fisher

Kudos to both Cody and Ian. I really appreciate how they resolved the situation. Indeed, very mature on both their parts. My respect to the both of you.

Cody,

Let me start my reply to you by quoting my own post,

"I'm absolutely sure Cody hasn't knowingly taken my line and worked a routine around it."

I am not subtlety accussing you of ripping off anything. To be ripping someone off you'd have to knowingly be taking someone elses idea and using it. I went out of my way in my post to explicitly indicate that I am sure that this is not the case.

But I did originate and perform the same gag that your routine is based on. As I said I peformed it on TV in 1988, and it has over the years entered many magicians repetoires as it has appeared in print many times over the years and on dvd.

I would not be exaggerating to say that more often that not, when I have seen a magic act do a patter version of the Professors Nightmare, my gag has been a part of their routine and as I have said I have no gripe with this.

So given the wide spread awareness of this gag, again as I said in my post, it is, I'm sure you can understand, hard for me not to believe that this was the starting point of routine that is based on it.

But don't get me wrong, I perfectly well accept that the routine that you have come up with is your own. It is a fully scripted piece with many laughs and and bits of business with the audience written into it.

That does alter the fact that when I read it I see my gag at the heart of it. I wrote and told you this after I purchased this from you. As now, this wasn't done in any kind of accusatorial way and indeed at the time you didn't take it as such.

So I hope my position on this is now clear. I have no reason to have anything but respect for you Cody. Your reputation in the magic community is excellent and my intension wasn't and isn't to smear it in anyway. My dealings with you as a customer of your products has always been a very positive one.

Consequently, if you say you had never heard of the gag on which the routine is based and that you came up with it independently I am happy to accept this and apologise for suggesting otherwise.

If you still require a copy of my 1988 TV appearance I have it somewhere is on VHS PAL format I could film it from the TV with my phone possibly and send it to you.

Best regards Neal











I have bought your routine from you.

Sorry for the typos, missed out words, the big gap at the end of the post and the extraneous line of text at the bottom in that last post... I was trying to do about 4 things at once on my computer including talking on Skype before my battery ran out.

So where I wrote 'That does alter the fact....." it should have read, "That doesn't alter the fact..." There should be the word 'your' before the word 'routine' in the paragraph that starts, "So given..." And ignore what looks to be a closing tag line...I didn't see it was there and would have edited out but my battery ran out and so I couldn't go back and change it.

Neal,

Thanks for contacting me and explaining your position. It is clear to me now that this was nothing more than a simple misunderstanding between a few honest guys...and yes I do accept partial blame for the misunderstanding. Neal and Ian were both sincere in their apologies and so am I. Have a happy Father's Day my friends...

Cody S. Fisher

Hello Neal,

I always wondered where the gag originated. I remember seeing it performed on British TV in the 1980s and thinking it was hilarious, although I don't recall the performer. It's highly likely it was you.

Later, the gag appeared in Club 71 (Summer 1989) the bi-monthly magazine of Repro Magic to which I subscribed. I have the copy in front of me now.

It was written up by Steve Jones who adopted it for another trick entitled Baffling Bow. Jones wrote: "I don't know whose patter this was originally but it's based on a routine for the unequal ropes..."

The editor of Club 71, Walt Lees, commented the gag was worth a ten-year subscription to Club 71.

Cheers,

Martin

Martin,

You have a good memory! Yes that would have been me you saw on TV. It was my 1st television appearance and was on the Bob Monkhouse hosted show 'Opportunity Knocks'.

A friend of mine sent me a copy of that Repro Club 71 magazine as they knew the gag was from my show and they just wanted to make me aware that it had appeared in print. I didn't keep it though so well done for finding it!

Although it's over 20 years ago I also remember that quote of Walt Lees, saying that my one gag was worth the subscription to the magazine, which I'm sure he included as an editors comment in the middle of the effect's description

As I have said, it has now become very widespread in performances, in print and on dvd and at risk of repeating myself I'm fine with this. Compared to the viral like youtube disemination that now exisits the spread has been slow and sure and this really hasn't affected my use of it over 23 years so that's why I see it as no harm done.

Cody offered to remove the specific gag from his manuscript or credit me as it's originator and I am happy for it to remain in his manuscript and get mention in the credits.

The routine of Cody's is much more than just this one gag though, it is a complete 5 min routine with audience interaction, and plenty of bits of business and laughs scripted into it thoughout.

Neal

Rhodes airport in Greece has very dodgy internet..this was a duplicate of the post above!

WOW, just read a lot here. Glad things were resolved. Now as for the routine goes I have it love it but yet have been in a show or audience big enough to perform this. Hoping too very soon.

Just received it and had the time to review it. Yes, very BLUE. Not sure if I will keep it.

Decided to sell this. I have it posted under "Books, Pamphlets & Lecture Notes".

Yes it is a very blue piece, not sure if it would work for the majority of my events as I do more family type shows but it is a very clever and well thought out presentation and I never know what I might be asked to do in the future.