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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Mark,
This is great stuff! Keep it coming... Yours, Paul |
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MarkTripp Special user Michigan 618 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-12-28 12:45, The Donster wrote: There was a group in Springfield, MA that I did some lectures for. No one else has asked, and those I have contacted are not interested. Such is life. |
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The Donster Inner circle 4817 Posts |
I Agree well those who are not getting your lecture don't know what their missing
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MrEscape New user 9 Posts |
Brilliant post! Well written!!!!!
Sir Harry J. Baron III |
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The Donster Inner circle 4817 Posts |
Yes it is well written and well thought out.
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itsmagic Inner circle middle earth 1117 Posts |
Mark,
Great post. Thanks for sharing. What's the difference between RemoteRemote2 and ITripp or other IPOD remotes? Also, when I did a search for RemoteRemote2, only foreign websites came up. Do you have a suggestion for a dealer in the US? Thanks again for your SECRETS. |
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The Donster Inner circle 4817 Posts |
Maybe the remotes are different for different parts of the country.
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Bobcape Elite user Rapid City, SD 470 Posts |
You can find RemoteRemote 2 - here or the AirClick - here. Both of these iPod remotes use RF instead or IR, so they do not need to maintain line-of-sight. You can use either one in your pocket, etc. The AirClick is getting great reviews on the iPod Lounge website.
Bob
Be Amazed! + Enjoy The Magic!
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MarkTripp Special user Michigan 618 Posts |
The air click seems to be better (came out after my remoteremote) as it will operate your laptop as well.
Either is a very important addition to your show. |
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Bobcape Elite user Rapid City, SD 470 Posts |
Here's another remote for the new iPods. While this one is IR it has many more features and may be of use to some.
Bob
Be Amazed! + Enjoy The Magic!
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The Donster Inner circle 4817 Posts |
Bob thank you for the link.
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
After a little poking around on the web, I was able to find a web page with a list of the Scout leaders for my local district, including their email addresses. I sent email to a couple of good prospects and was immediately invited to drop by the District Roundtable last night. I had prepared a nice one-sheet with the pitch for the Blue and Gold show, with some press quotes and the Challenge Rope Escape hook: if their best guys can defeat me in the Challenge Rope Escape, their show is free! The flyer was paperclipped to copies of newspaper clippings from my Against the Tide escape; one of these is the front page, above the fold, with three photos, so the clipping shows the masthead.
I showed up early. There were a couple of Boy Scouts there, so we had some fun with magic that I had brought. I handed out Two Card Monte sets, and a couple of them got really good at it right away. They worked it on the new arrivals and I progressed to some of my other material. The District Roundtable folks included both Cub Scout and Boy Scout leaders, and I was allowed to make a brief pitch and hand out materials. They really liked the Challenge Rope Escape hook. One of them asked if that offer was good for a unit that included Sea Scouts ("Because they know some knots that these other guys don't"). I said yes, of course. I also handed out a DVD of my Chrysalis escape for WEAR. One of them asked the price, and I told them; they didn't flinch, but some of the smaller packs may have to band together for some occasion other than the Blue and Gold, or maybe they can sell more popcorn. The Scout leaders also told me that they have a Scoutmasters Banquet that they might like me for, and that they would consider me for a Jamboree in the spring. No one booked me one the spot (committees, you know), but I am very confident that I will get a set of good engagements out of this. Several of the Scout leaders have seen me at one or another of my public performances. One had seen my Feejee Mermaid sideshow and asked if I had brought "the fish." They asked me to do a few things, and I did. I only did one escape item as my last piece. I approached a Scout leader who looked like he had a lot of experience and confidence and asked him to tie my wrists any way he liked with 11 feet of rope. I got out, but as I did, I told him that he had done such a pretty job of tying me that it was a shame to mess it up by getting out. In preparation for the shows to come, I bought all of the scouting manuals and an old copy of the Cub Scout Magic Book on eBay. This is "opposition research." Thank you to Mark Tripp, for your very generous posting of many great ideas. Thank you to Harley Newman for training in the wrist tie, which is about as pure a piece of small escape work as there can possibly be, no fancy gimmicks here, and they can see it. Thanks also to Jim Snack for his great course on marketing and his generous follow-up assistance by phone. This is my first "class project" and it looks like it is going to work out very well. Thanks also to the great folks that make the Magic Café such a terrific place to learn and exchange ideas. I would not have found Mark, Harley, or Jim without the Café. Now the rest of you go out there and do it! Yours, Paul |
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Mr.Wizard New user 69 Posts |
Guys, there it is....
...he did what I said, and wait till you see how many bookings he gets. I have no idea why so many people here send me nothing but venom. I am on the road, and have been in the towns some of you are from. I sat alone in motel rooms reading some very unkind things, when we could have been having dinner and going more into this. I never even posted the act, I have more to share.... ...but read some of the stuff directed at me over the magician vs escape artist thread, and ask yourself, why do you think I would bother??? |
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Mr.Wizard New user 69 Posts |
Some current thoughts....
First, I am such an Apple guy, then you cut me cider comes out. However, last year when I wanted a new laptop, Apple would not give me credit. Dell did. About a month ago I was looking for a hard core GPS unit for the car. Guys, if you do shows for a living, you need one of these. Anyway when I priced the units, I thought "wow"! Until I got an offer from Dell. Their AXIM X51v, is a PDA with a GPS kit. Now, always remember with DELL that any price is a suggestion, what you pay depends how how well you can deal. But I got the entire package, with GPS for under $499. What I didn't know is that this is also an MP-3 player! I haven't worked it all out yet, but think I can get everything onto this unit. Look it up if it interests you. |
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Mr.Wizard New user 69 Posts |
The Act - Cub Scouts
You need to look up the nightclub act I posted here before. We also need to talk, one last time, on my view of the escape act. Either you are a mystery man, or you are not. If you think a locksmith is something special, open up the yellow pages and look them up. LOTS of locksmiths, magicians too for that matter.... ...but men of mystery???? That is what Blaine and Angel are reaching for isn't it? However, trust me on this, ANYONE can be a man of mystery, it has nothing to do with how you look! Unless you look like me and try to be Blaine, then you are in trouble. Yes, I know some very well known people do not agree with me. It is hard for me to show you why their throughts are flawed, as I do not want to hurt people's feelings if I can avoid it. Lets just say I have sat with laymen and they are not impressed at all with a locksmith on stage. Believe it or not, I am moving on with how I do this. I will post the act first, then expand as needed. Rope Tricks - (NOT/KNOT, magic tricks per se like cut and restored, but things like the one handed knot, vanishing knots and the like. Comedy Rope Tie - Ok, Billy Bishop gets next to no credit for this, and he should. I L O V E the version in the Mark Wilson course, but you should get the book about Mr. Bishop (Bis the Magish) to read his handling for this. It also sets the "mystery" as this happens under cover as well. Siberian Chain - Stand up, have the chain examined, and do this as an even faster "in again/Out again" Handcuffs - I will tell you how I did it, not how I would do it now. As I have said before, LOTS of different looking cuffs, and were hard to open with a key, but all could be shimmed easy, and yes, I did a bit of work to make sure of that. Take the edge off the bow teeth, and some other stuff. Lock about eight people up, give them the keys, and let them go. You want the audience to see that it is not so easy to get out of handcuffs, even with the kay. If someone gets out, you have lines like "Obviously YOU have been in cuffs before", or "Reminds me of prom night", etc. Let them out, then they lock you up. Now, again, there is NOTHING interesting or exciting about watching someone shim a bunch of cuffs on stage. There is HUGE interest in the idea that the person on stage knows something that the world would give its eye teeth to know! THAT is what being a "Man of Mystery" is all about. I used a small platform that had two plumming pipes screwed into the base. The pipe openings held a half circle that I put a small curtain on that covered me from my knees to my belly button. Now, REALLY listen to this line, and then do as you wish.... "Ladies and Gentlemen, Scouts, I know some people are very unhappy I do not do this in full view. There is a reason. If you see someone get into handcuffs and "poof" instantly they are out, that is a magician doing a trick. It isn't real. If you see someone taking a hairpin to handcuffs, again, lets just say the police would be in big trouble if that's all you needed. But, there is a secret. One the police of this country have asked me not to share, out of respect to them and their work, I will never show this secret to the public, except to my chosen successor." During that, after it was examined, you walked into the little cutrain. Got the ya-ya from its hiding place (I had it on fishing line behind my fly), do the deed, and drop the cuffs to the padded platform you are atanding on. EVERY cuff is dropped still locked! The last cuff is removed, and put back on with "The Mark Tripp Subterfuse" (thanks to John Novak for the title, I know I spelled it wrong, its early). Clean up. Leave the curtain, walk over to the light, hold up the cuff and look it over. Walk back, but before you get there, lift your knee, snap your arms down and the cuffs will fly off! Take your bow. I will stop here and post more later. However, really reflect on what I just described. I would even suggest you learn it and do it, THEN tell me if you think it is not the better way. But, as always, the choice is yours. |
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Dear Mark,
This is all very fine stuff. Thank you again! Yours, Paul |
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Mr.Wizard New user 69 Posts |
I left out you have the blue box transport set up. The cuff is another "maximum security" cuff, that is easy to shim.
Before the show began you locked up the scott master in this, and gave him the keys. The running gag of the show is to ask how he's doing etc. Then of course you get out when he puts them on you. Strait-jacket is next. You take a bit of a rest, talk about scouts and scouting and why we have Blue and Gold then... ...the challenge rope escape for your pay check. That is how I did it, and I did it ALOT. Again, I want to urge you to get Burling Hull's books on showmanship. Finally, in the interest of credit. The idea and manner of doing escapes this way is a direct link from Houdini himself, to Burling Hull, to Don Viano, and finally to me. Let us remember, and respect those men, who gave me the gift I now share with you. |
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Mr.Wizard New user 69 Posts |
Challenges?
PHUI! If someone wants to double lock cuffs or play games, you stop them dead with this: "Look, I am sure you are aware Houdini took as long as two hours to escape from some things. NO ONE here tonight has the time or the desire to see that. However, if you'd like to set up a challenge, and we BOTH will put up money for a good charity, we can talk after the show and set something up for a better time and place." Then you move on. If they push, REMIND them you allready have a challenge scheduled for the evening (the rope escape) and you only do one challenge per show. When it is time for the rope tie, invite the challenger up to assist in tying you up. Finally, I ALWAYS fixed EVERY cuff I used so it could NOT be double locked. Now, in truth, I NEVER had that problem, ever, when I was working. Enjoy |
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Mr.Wizard New user 69 Posts |
Ok, guys.
I see some other posts around here that we are going to have to get very clear on the fatuous "picking in full view" concept. 1. Houdini did not do that 2. Burling Hull did not do that 3. William Larsen Sr did not do that 4. Steranko did not do that 5. Viano did not do that 6. Steve Baker did not do that Now, simple question, did ANY of the people who say picking in full view is a good idea, reach the heights the men above did? To say "How else would you get out" is flummery. There is no "magic" either, but we sure don't want them to know how we do magic tricks, now do we? For dramatic effect, I have said you can use the thought of lock picking to great effect. Look up Mark Tripp's ungimmicked guiloteen for the hands, posted well over a year ago, and see the theater of the "dropped pick" in action. However, and yes, I have done both, I assure you diminish yourself and your skills when you pick things in full view. Just my opinion.... ...and the opinion of that list above! |
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jondark445 Special user 716 Posts |
Can someone point me in the direction of where I can get info on the rope escape...I have a great show that I'd love to offer the local scouts, and the rope escape/challenge would be a great addition...
--Jon |
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