Dear Friends in Magic,
Welcome to all our new readers! (There’s been quite an uptick lately.) As long-time friends know, I always start with…
A BIG IDEA
Last issue I shared my excitement for what I call the “secrets sciences” of magic. These are the forgotten sciences behind and beyond the relatively mundane science we were taught in high school.
Believe me, the safe is NOT empty. In fields like topology, perception studies, weirdo mathematics, optical principles, logical games, psychology, and attention research, we open onto complex domains that yield wild and counter-intuitive results—and they are informing some of the best magic being created today.
Therefore, while I read and enjoy classic texts of magic, I also feel a pressing need to stay alive to the forward edge of magical methods, many of which are being driven by the secret sciences. Here are some of my pet “research” projects.
Memory Misdirection à la Tamariz. Chapter 4 of The Magic Rainbow is one of the most important texts published in the past twenty years. This is the place to start learning Juan’s detailed techniques for massaging and manipulating what audiences remember about our magic. A genuine game-changer.
Powerful Applications à la Weber and Trono. Some of the smartest work being done these days is by Michael Weber, often with Tim Trono. At the core of nearly every new release is at least one, often two, brilliant ideas that make an older principle utterly deceptive or connect to some new domain. They have a special talent for fooling me with methods I already know by using insights I never would have had.
New Studies in Materials à la Tenyo. I have never performed a single Tenyo trick, but I study most new releases and regularly re-read Richard Kaufman’s magisterial book Tenyoism. Why? Because the genius-level teams at Tenyo continue to create deceptive methods and new applications for physical materials, such as plastic, rubber, and paper.
Enhanced Deception through New Psychology à la DaOrtiz/Earl/Thomas. We have a new generation of performers who deceive more by doing less. They exert control through freedom; they force without force; they create astonishing magic through apparent simplicity. Dani DaOrtiz is the shining star of this movement, but I’ve also learned a lot from work by Benjamin Earl and Garrett Thomas. Not your grandpa’s psychology of magic.
These are just a few of my secret-science laboratories. While certainly there are unexplored treasures in magic’s past, if I get mired in common techniques from yesterday, at some point my safe of secrets will be empty!
IN THE STUDIO
Coming right up is a trip to Las Vegas to teach our 7-Day Master Class with Jeff McBride. The class is full, and I am ready to roll with many new teaching units and routines. Can't wait!
After that comes the School's double-header magic events in Chicago, May 29-June 2: |
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