The Tricks of Art and the Art of Tricks

As we careen towards Christmas the mind turns to gift giving.  It is natural to think of what to give the single most important person in one’s life: oneself.  I was looking at web sites for inspiration.  Naturally, some of these websites sold magic stuff.  And thus it was that I was reading the blurb on some trick or other and it slowly dawned on me, in a “hey! wait a minute!” moment - I already own this trick.  So cleverly was the ad written, or so slowly does my brain work, that I did not recognise a trick for which I had actually paid good money (well, money).

Of course, the trick was one that I had bought, played with for a while before realising and accepting that I had no hope of pulling it off in a real - as opposed to an imaginary - life situation.  I have quite a collection of such tricks.  I will not name any of them for the same reason that I did not attempt them: to do so would risk more self humiliation than my delicate ego could bear.

Suffice it to say that most of these impossible-for-me tricks were described as being “easy”, “with no difficult sleights” or “for the beginner”, or some such.  At any rate I was not brave enough to try any of them on actual people.  I am coming to the conclusion that I am not cut out to be a magician.  There are so many good magic practitioners around that the field is best left to them.

I saw a performance of Sam Powers at the Casino recently.  It was very impressive.  In case you don’t know, Sam Powers is a magician/illusionist.  He performs a variety of effects but his escape from a locked trunk routine has to be one of the fastest on the planet.  I was one of the audience asked onto the stage to check out the trunk and handcuffs before the trick and I could find nothing amiss with the equipment (which, of course, is to be expected). You may watch the performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUAPvshOkyU

Powers also does an excellent series of dove productions and some nifty close up magic including a torn and restored card effect. I can see why he won “Magician of the Year” five times.  If you get the opportunity to see his show you will certainly not be disappointed.

Some times it occurs to me that there must be something addictive about learning and performing magic tricks. How else can I explain to my long-suffering wife that I have just spent more money on yet another magic effect?

I think the addiction comes from the first electric sizzle of anxiety at every nerve ending that comes the moment, when, without sufficient practice, I recklessly launch into a new effect before a group of my “friends” and realise the great, horrible, empty, doom-filled cavernous gap between my imagined level of skill and my actual fumbling, numb-skulled level of skill.

This has happened once of a few dozen times, often among a group of fellow art students. At this moment my group of “friends” turn into a pack of critical, unsympathetic, spiteful, baboons, hooting and cackling with undisguised glee at my every slip and fumble. My voice, which I smugly imagine will boom out with calm assurance, emerges, squeaking and fluting with timid embarrassment as my “little magic trick” stutters to a tremulous, rambling, red-in -the-face-soggy-armpit-anti-climax.

At that point I slink away for a cup of coffee. And plan my next magic trick which will be soooo much better!

If this is the sort of experience that appeals to you, then my friend: IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE MADE FOR MAGIC AND MAGIC WAS MADE FOR YOU!!!!

Mentalism is a category of magic.  As the name implies, it does not involve manipulation or sleight of hand but the performer instead presents the illusion of some mental feat such as mind-reading, ESP, precognition, mind control, psychokinesis or hypnosis. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentalism)

An effect I have recently acquired, called Postmentalism, is as follows: I tell a person I can predict  the outcome of an impending event, such as a football game.  To prove this, I write my prediction on a piece of paper, without showing it to anyone put it in an envelope, address it to the person, put a stamp on it, and hand it to him or her. I accompany the person to any mailbox in town and watch as he or she posts the letter.

When, in the course of the post, the letter is delivered at this person’s address and opened the prediction is found to be true.

This description is accurate.  The concept overcomes any objections that could be raised if the performer, or, for that matter, another person was entrusted to post the letter.  It would immediately be suspected that they had the opportunity to replace or change what is written in the original note (which only the performer has seen).

Although I have not attempted Postmentalism yet, after careful study of Mr Stockman’s instructions, I am reasonably confident I can perform it.

The limitations of Postmentalism as magic are that it is not performed before an audience; the outcome is delayed; and only one person actually experiences it. However, it promises to be effective and I look forward to trying it soon.

While Mr Stockman devised his method independently, he acknowledges Kenton Knepper (a living legend in mentalism circles) had published a similar effect in 1998 and again in 2005.

I purchased Postmentalism from Penguin Magic (http://www.penguinmagic.com).