The obligatory "sorry for not posting for so long" post

On a whim, I decided to log in to my long since used blogger account today. I was shocked. It seems that I had been getting a load of traffic over the past year or so. I think the success of that came in part from the excellent products I had chosen to review, which in turn, as their popularity became more widespread, brought more visitors to my blog.

I am still very active in magic, and still consider it to be my biggest passion, however, I no longer work at a magic store. Several months ago, I took a career change, and now work as sole techy at www.modernfurnitureandlighting.co.uk

My magical notebooks are filling up again, and it seems as if a good number of people took the time to read what I had to say. Let's hope I can squeeze some time in to kickstart the blog again.
All the best,
Steve
www.modernfurnitureandlighting.co.uk

To The Max By Keiron Johnson

To The Max by Keiron Johnson arrived with us late last week (and is available here by the way). I had already watched the demonstration video, and was quite excited about it's arrival. After hearing Keiron's claims that the included holder would be able to keep ice ready about your person for up to an hour, I was eagerly looking forward to seeing what kind of James Bond-esque gadget you would receive. After opening the first copy I could get my hands on, my face dropped. What in the name of Vernon's ghost was this? I could not fathom for the life of me, how the included gimmick would stop a block of ice from melting for a minute, never mind an hour! The shop was heaving that day, so it wasn't until I got home that night that I was able to sit down and watch the DVD. I sat and watched the DVD with mouth agape (OK, so not literally, but it sounds better doesn't it?!). I loved both of the routines performed, but I still couldn't believe that the gimmick would leave me with anything other than a soggy pocket, and if I've learnt anything from working at Magicbox it's that there is nothing worse than having a soggy pocket! Unperturbed, I reassured myself that Russ Stevens wouldn't bring out a release that couldn't live up to such wild claims. Luckily I had prepared a couple of blocks of ice in readiness for receiving "To The Max". I popped a block, exactly the same size as a deck of cards, into the gimmick, and the gimmick into my pocket. I waited, and waited, and waited. Not wanting to interfere with the ice, I wished to test the worst case scenario, I sat with the heating on full belt. After an hour, and with no signs of leakage, I took the gimmick from my pocket and inspected the ice. The ice had lost, at most, a quarter of it's mass. The gimmick was cold on the outside, damp on the inside, and my pocket, believe it or not, was spectacularly dry! Hurrah! Keiron Johnson had made me pull an approval face that De Niro himself would be proud of. 

Experiment number two took place the next morning. Sure, sitting at home was O.K, but how would this thing fare up whilst I was trying to work in the shop. 9.00am, I pop a fresh block of ice into the gimmick, and the gimmick into my pocket. During the next hour and a half I exerted myself somewhat, carrying boxes in and out of the shop, up and down the ladders a good few times, etc. Whilst I certainly wasn't exercising, I was definitely struggling more than I would be at the average gig. So after an hour and a half, how was the ice faring up? As before, the block had lost no more than a quarter of its mass, the gimmick was a littler damper on the inside, verrrrry slightly damp on the outside, and my pocket remained as dry as a bone. Now things were getting interesting!

I've had a really lucky week, with a great number of different people to test "To The Max" out on. Customers, both experienced and fresh faced beginners have been fried by this. To quote a pal of mine who has also been using this, it really gets as close to "L&L" type reactions as I think you're going to get here on the good shores of Albion. I haven't been doing anything clever and sneaky of my own, rather, performing the titular effect exactly as taught by Keiron. When those first drops of water land on the spectators' hand, you can see the shock on their face. When you let a block of ice follow onto their palm, you can see their mind boggle. 

I could go on all night talking about this little gem. Let me just make a few more points clear before I wrap things up. Firstly, if you're expecting a cool little gadget, you're going to be sorely disappointed. However, if you, like me, are a fan of elegantly simple (I love that phrase, I use it a lot, get used to it :D ) solutions to a problem, then you will love this. Keiron details a framework for carrying ice to and from your gigs that makes this a real PRACTICAL effect. I worried about the time frame between loading and melting point. NOT AN ISSUE. Keiron shows you how to carry ice in another item (readily available, fairly cheap) for up to (I haven't tested this yet) 10 hours. Once you arrive at your gig, simply pop a block of ice into your "To The Max" gimmick and off you go. 

Let me summarise:

I love this. I will use this. Those people who go that little extra mile to prepare and carry the ice to a gig, are bound to have a true reputation maker on their hands. You need to be wearing sleeves; no issue for me, or any performing magician I know, though I know it might limit some people. This gets fantastic reactions, and I really look forward to using this outside of the shop. 

As always, if you have any comments, questions, concerns or criticisms, drop me a comment below. 

Best Wishes,
Steve

Woodyland - Disc 4

Well this is the final report you will be receiving from me on the phenomenal Woodyland. I have been really impressed by this set overall, blown away to be exact. So much material, covering the whole gamut of performing magic with playing cards. I really savoured this final disc, the topic of which, "Stacked Decks", is an element of card magic I hold dear. I have a personal love for the "idea" of stacked decks. The ability to disguise a series of tools inside a seemingly shuffled deck, and exploit those tools if necessary, really appeals to me. Now Woody kicks off with something very interesting, a discussion on the pro's and con's of working with stacked decks. Woody goes a long way to dispelling some common misconceptions about the use of stacked deck work, and offers some valuable insights into taking the fear out of relying on a pre-ordained stack to achieve a particular effect. 

Before watching this DVD, I was more than familiar with the popular Si Stebbins stack. What I was unfamiliar with, however, were some of the phenomenal effects made possible by the mathematical properties built into the stack. As Woody spends the first ten minutes laying out the internal connections between each card, each suit, and each value, things slowly started to dawn on me. I started to fall in love with Si Stebbins. I began to forgive it's alternating red-black disfiguring birth-mark and started to see the hidden beauty. I am a big fan of elegant simplicity, reducing something to the most effective form possible. Si Stebbins slowly started to creep into that category for me. 

The first effect, "Si Senor", sees Woody open a new deck of cards, give them a quick shuffle, and after laying them out in groups on the table, has a spectator select a card from any of the groups, remember it and then lose it in any one of the other groups. After collecting the piles and shuffling the deck, Woody is able to locate the spectators chosen card. In and of itself, a very fair and impressive trick; nothing too fancy, but bear in mind that when the trick is complete, a fantastic transformation has occurred. The deck that was in new-deck order just moments before this little miracle, now rests in perfect Si Stebbins order; marvelous, no? Ok so you really need a table. Darwin Ortiz, in "At The Card Table", can teach you how to achieve this without a table, but Woody's completes this task under the guise of performing an actual effect. Smashing!

The disc continues with "The Mentalist". This time an effect that with some slight modification can be performed in the hands. I like this a lot; it's now on the "to practice" list. A spectator removes a card sight unseen. They deal cards singly (to the table, your hand, the back of a small puppy, wherever) and you tell them you have the ability to stop them on cards with scarily similar characteristics to their pocketed card. The first card denotes the suit, the second the value. Boom, you're right. I think with a nice little presentation, this could be a killer (and it's real simple!). 

Now comes a real killer in the form of "Si Fry". A spectator chooses exactly how many cards they would like you to divine. THEY shuffle the deck. Their named number of cards are dealt to the table, by them. You could be blindfolded, yet you are still able to reveal each and every card that they are holding. This is great. Just great. It is devious in method, and seems truly impossible. The cards are genuinely shuffled by the spectator. Again, I really want to find a nice, neat little plot to wrap this gem up in, and I will slot it straight into my work. I cannot sing highly enough of this. This is currently top of my "get working on this now you idiot!" list. As before, there really isn't a great deal of work required to master this, just find your own style of performing it, routine it a little, and boom, a perfect little gem!

I can't personally think of a use for the next item, "forcing a number (using Si Stebbins)", but I'm sure it will be of use to some out there. Woody details quite perfectly a method for forcing any number on a spectator. I really have no opinion on this either way. It's clever, some will use it, not me. Maybe someday. 

After some discussion on the other curiosities hidden with the stack, Woody finishes with a piece of pure genius. "Spelling Routine" has its roots in "Routined Spelling" from his fantastic book. A real perfect way to close a formal close-up show. I am desperately looking for the right situation for me to deem this a worthy effect to learn. It has everything. A good beginning, a solid meaty middle, and a great finale. As with other effects, this isn't going to slot straight into the repertoire of every close-up table hopper. Rather, those fortunate enough to be able to spend intimate time with their audiences, with a table, and with rapt attention, will find a killer piece of close-up magic in "Spelling Routine". For what it's worth, I am usually far from keen on spelling effects. In this case, I can make an exception as there are some real strong magical moments occurring. 

One final chapter gives us some great insights into Woody's opinion on the psychological force, before the DVD closes with part four of the ever-revelatory interview. 

Overall, I am totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material on this set. I really really cannot recommend it highly enough. I've said it before, and I know it sounds trite and clichéd, but there really is something for everyone on here. 

And now it's time for me to go back to Disc 1 and start re-watching this brilliant set all over again. Keep an eye-peeled for possible edits to my original posts as I discover new gems :D

As always, if you have any questions, queries, complaints or criticisms, please feel free to drop me a comment below. 

Woodyland is still available here at a fantastic price. Order before 3pm and receive free next-working day shipping to the UK Mainland. 

Woodyland -Disc 3

Five routines, two techniques, and a wonderful section focusing solely on Dai Vernon's "Triumph" all come together into one fantastic disc, my personal favourite of the set. The disc kicks off with "Dorset", a fascinating twist on Paul Harris' "Reset" and an all-backs routine. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but this disc does not break tradition, all of the routines are explained impeccably. "The Bumblebees" is, at it's heart, a wild-card routine. Woody, however, has added some great comedy with his choice of music and the artwork used on the cards. It's simple, but great fun to perform, to watch, and has some great moves and subtleties that I feel are unique to Woody's own handling. The "Torn Corner Ambitious Card" is again par for the course. Whilst perhaps not a routine in and of itself, the "Torn Corner Ambitious Card" is an often underutilised principle, that Woody has refined and made a little easier to use. I know I will be sneaking this little gem into my close-up work. "Aces Through Table" was something that, whilst simple, I just overlooked in Woody's book. I loved the control he teaches, however, I couldn't see how "Aces Through Table" would play in the real world. O.K so you need to be seated at a table, but I guarantee the next time the opportunity arises I will jump at the opportunity to use this.The final effect, "Progressive Order", had me baffled. I fell in love with this straight away. Two spectators take a card from the deck. They shuffle the deck, twice. You rapidly thumb through the deck, apparently scanning for the two missing cards. You name the two selected cards. This is where things started to fry me. Even though the deck had been shuffled by two spectators, Woody starts to reveal the ordered nature of the deck. I'm not going to spoil this for you, I want you to enjoy it as I did the first time. I have added this to my list of practice items. Not only is it an excellent effect, it is the perfect demonstration of Woody's earlier theory on effect structure.

The "Techniques" section covers two killer little items. I am fairly cack-handed when it comes to the myriad of in-the-hands false riffle shuffles available. If like me, you have two thumbs that refuse to work together, then Woody's "Covered False Riffle Shuffle" may be the answer. Catch me over the next few weeks, and with a deck in hand, I bet this is what I'll be practising! This section finishes off with the "Gabi Switch". Again, I read this in the book. "Cool", I thought. I watched it on the DVD and I was fried. It's a seated deck switch! It will fool the best of them! I love this!

Excluding part 3 of the fantastic interview, this disc is wrapped-up with a thorough discussion on the correct way to approach Vernon's classic, "Triumph". As someone who uses this regularly, I found Woody's advice invaluable. He even goes on to point out a fabulous piece The Professor included in the original Stars of Magic text, which has often gone unnoticed by it's readers. Again, the next time I launch into "Triumph", I'm going to make a few tweaks thanks to Woody; I have no doubt they will only go toward strengthening the effects already strong reactions.

I don't want to sound like I'm singing about this product for any other reason than I absolutely love all of the material on here. This isn't a sales pitch, I work for Magicbox, and it would be cool if you decide you want to buy it off the back of this, but I swear I'm only interested in sharing just how brilliant Woody's magic is. I have a huge love for the art of magic, and if I can persuade just one person to purchase this set, over wasting a chunk of money on the next piece of marketing hype, then I will seriously rest happier at night! I've wasted a huge chunk of my own money over the years on crap magic that sounds great in the ad copy, but turns out to be tripe, if my opinions can help someone else avoid a piece of tat, then that's the best reward I can ask for.

Onward!

Woodyland-Disc 2

If you've been clamoring for explanations, disc 2 is where it all kicks off. Each of the tricks explained on this disc have a core theme in common; they are either interactive or automatic. After explaining his feelings regarding this style of magic, we are presented with the first set of explanations for the interactive tricks, "The Other Half", "Ring Divination", and "The Man With 3 Hands". The first two tricks are excellent. I have been using "The Other Half" since first reading it in "A Book In English". More recently, I used this as part of a routine presented to the Newcastle Magic Circle, for which I was awarded the Maurice Lennox Shield, an award presented each year to the winner of the circle's close-up competition. "The Other Half" is fantastic. It gets everyone involved, it's funny, and it is certainly fooling. What's more, it's super easy to perform! "Ring Divination" was presented here for the first time, and it had me from the minute I realised what was happening. As mentioned earlier, I really don't want to give anything away, but I can see many many people starting to use this. If I'm being totally honest, "The Man With 3 Hands" didn't really excite me that much. As an apparent demonstration on the ability to control cards, I think Woody has far better examples on the set than this. I found it a tad too procedural for my liking. Will it suit someone? Definitely! Will I use it, probably not! But hell, I'm being picky here; this is one 4 minute section I'm not so keen on on a DVD set that runs for over 10 hours, bah, so what! Forget I mentioned it!

The "Automatic" section explains one of my personal favourite routines of Woody's, adding some great subtleties not explained in the book. My personal favourite is Woody's handling of the ACAAN plot, and whilst the routine as taught in "A Book In English" was great, the DVD version has made it something I feel even more comfortable using. Whilst "Australian Poker", "Blessed Poker" and "The Impossible Sum" are all excellent effects, I paid most attention to "Weighing the Cards". As I mentioned in my previous post, this is a plot that really appeals to me. Woody's performance on Disc 1 was excellent, and the explanation reveals some great thinking that elevate this from being a simple trick, into a real crowd-pleaser. I believe I've also mentioned it prior, but "Weighing The Cards" is something that I can really see myself using.

The production quality of the DVD's are excellent. Once again, another top product from Luis de Matos and all the team at Studio 33. Woody's explanations on DVD 2 were very thorough, and share not only the bare methodology, but more importantly, the why behind certain moves, actions and structural choices. As a huge fan of his book, I still found I was absorbing a hell of a lot of new material and ideas from the DVD set. There are some effects in the book that I had shunned as being impractical, and after having seen Woody handle them PROPERLY, I totally revoke my original opinions. In fact, I have started to re-read the book with more vigour, now that I can better visualise some of the routines.