21st September 2021
September meeting is our AGM, and we had very fast election with little change before we got on to the main and important part of the meeting, the entertainment. We are still in a COVID-19 lockdown and unable to meet in person so we again had a Zoom meeting.
Our re-elected president, Dale Trueman had volunteered to run the meeting with an evening to “Teach and Learn”. Dale had asked five members to teach an effect or routine in under about twenty minutes. Our first “teacher”, Anthony Dillon had been fascinated by a routine shown to our Ring by English performer, Mark Leveridge over a Zoom lecture a few months ago. Mark’s routine with a silk and ring was the starting point for Anthony to devise his own penetration of a coin through a silk. His explanation was clear and I am sure that many of our members spent time later that night practicing with a coin and handkerchief or silk.
Peter Rodgers is a big advocate of the literature of magic, both books and magazines. They have many advantages over video instructions. Tonight he performed and taught John Bannon’s “Bluff Oracle Aces 1” from Bannon’s great book “Destination Zero”. Peter recommends all of John Bannon’s writings from when he wrote his early books and edited The Card Corner column in the Linking Ring, through to his DVD’s and recent books and columns in Genii magazine. Peter then explained that it was Karl Fulves who first came up with the idea of finding a card by eliminating packets of cards via the reverse faro in his effect “Oracle” from the November 1970 issue of “The Pallbearers Review” (Vol.6 No.1). Lin Searles was the brains behind producing the four aces on the way in “Moracle” Pallbearers July1971 (Vol.6 No. 9). John Bannon, however was the final genius putting it all together and routining it with multiple false shuffles to retain the stock of aces.
Our President Dale then came back to explain the Salt Pour routine that he had performed at a previous meeting. When we are not in lockdown Dale is performing as “Snowy” a drug dealer from Sydneys criminal past in a theatre restaurant in Sydney’s Inner Eastern Suburbs. Snowy is a cocaine dealer and in this routine the salt is now cocaine, the drug of preference in the early years of the twentieth century. Dale showed us a video of a rehearsal of a performance. He then explained how he had researched salt pours and had discovered that the best resource was Levent. Dale uses multiple Levent gimmicks during each nights performance where he has to repeat the act four times. He explained his set up, his moves, and how he controls the gimmicks. He explained how he disposes of the gimmicks into a Topit and his source of fine salt which gives a much better and longer pour than standard table salt.
Conway Restom is known for his mental magic but tonight he was teaching some coin effects. Conway repeatedly produced coins from his bare and sleeveless hands and then vanished them one at a time. He spoke of moves and ideas by David Stone and David Roth. He told us how to use large coins and how to palm multiple coins and to learn to drop them from the palm one at a time. He explained how to make your hands look natural by pushing the thumb out and to stop the unnatural curve of the back of the hand by pushing the little finger out. Conway talked about the choreography of the effect, he spoke of the symmetry of movement such as doing the same action with both hands. He spoke of pre-conditioning, such as pretending to produce a coin from a child’s ear with an empty hand, then do it for real. He likes to make use of the dirty hand and to use different methods in the routine. He credited his final vanish to Joshua Jays vanish in the “Triad Coins” routine available from Vanishing Inc. Conway also highlighted as a good reference book Peter Lamont & Richard Wiseman’s “Magic in Theory” which examines the ways in which human psychology plays its part in magic and sleight of hand.
Peter Wood, the last of the organised teachers performed and then taught “The Homing Card”, made a classic by the incomparable Fred Kaps as was the Salt Pour. Peter, to get away from card tricks likes to use “UNO” cards making this a family friendly routine. Peter says he is going to show you an effect with five red cards, but when he shows them one of them is black, “no matter I’ll get rid of that, it will work with four red cards” but when counted another one is black again. Then three then two and then one and the black card keeps returning. Its a great and very funny routine with many methods going back to the 1940’s. Originally invented by Fred Braue and published in Hugard & Braue’s Showstoppers With Cards in 1948. Peter’s version was based on Bill Malone’s routine which was again based on an Ed Marlo version. Marlo originally wrote it up in the New Tops Trick Annual for 1963.
We always encourage members to perform at our meetings and Phuoc Can Hua volunteered. He showed us a fan of cards, with a flick they turned into a fan of jumbo cards. Phuoc then taught us all how to make our own set with just a few spare cards, some cheap jumbo cards from the local dollar shop, a split pin clip some thread and some glue. Well done Phuoc. Jeffrey Clark got a spectator to bind his thumbs with tape. Jeffrey did the same to himself. They then covered their hands with a cloth but Jeffrey managed to escape instantly upsetting the poor spectator who was trapped.
Because we were using Zoom technology some members of Ring 273 Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory 250 Kilometres (150 Miles) to our south joined us. Both Phil Bevan and Joe McGrail-Bateup of the Canberra Ring performed. Phil performed a novel Coin Matrix using the Zoom technology to assist him. Joe then attempted to read a spectators mind by using a strange “Wiki” App. He finally succeeded after a few attempts. Joe then produced a pack of cards apparently made up of cards from 52 casinos. One card was chosen from the back and another from the face. When the cards were turned over it was discovered that Joe had predicted the cards prior to the start of his performance. It was a fine performance of Liam Montier’s “What Happens In Vegas” from Alakazam Magic in the England.
After the performances many of us lingered on to fraternise amongst old friends.
Peter Rodgers
Sydney Magic Club 