|
|
Jim Pace
V.I.P.
Portland Oregon
557 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 17, 2003 5:56pm
Curtis,
How long of a performance in the strolling venue can you see yourself doing before you become mentally zapped?
What are some of your favorite effects for these venues?
Thank you in advance,
Jim
"The drum that beats the loudest is always the most hollow."
|
Curtis Kam
V.I.P.
same as you, plus 3 and enough to make
3419 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 17, 2003 7:16pm
Jim,
An interesting question. It does depend somewhat on the venue, as you know, some audiences can take a lot more out of you than others. I find that when I'm forced to work a loud, crowded event where there are a lot of other distractions, and many people are there to "work" the party rather than to have fun, I'm forced to re-introduce myself over and over. I can get "zapped" pretty quickly.
On the other hand, I could work a venue like the Magic Castle all night.
Under normal conditions, the Dave and Busters gig is a three hour shift, and that's generally long enough for me to find my mind wandering to thoughts of being home.
I hate to say it, but my favorite effects for the long strollers are ones that work in every situation, and I don't have to force the audience into any particular mindset in order for them to enjoy them. In other words, surefire stunts. So, sad to say, I end up doing "the Coin the Falls Up" quite a bit. Thankfully, that gets people's attentions, and I get to follow it with a lot of Gary Kurtz-style visual coin fantasies. The Visual coins across works well in this situation.
As you know, there is a temptation to mess with your repertiore on really long gigs. I have intentionally gone three hours without doing a single card trick. Or months without ever doing a sponge balls, or some nights are "All Coins Night".
For cocktail strolling where people are standing, I find cards to be safer, and do a Repeat Force, Card on the Forehead, and Card to Envelope quite a bit. I do not do an ambitious card. I do "Leipzig's Opener" quite a bit, and a mental set, using the cards for mindreading effects.
I should mention one that may surprise some people, in these situations, I frequently do "Coin in the Bottle". It is an absoultely impossible effect that people have not seen. It is one of the few coin routines that has a sustained effect, i.e. the "impossible situation" lasts indefinitely.
Thanks for asking. I hear great things about your magic from Reed and the northwest magi's. Don't you guys have quite a bit of trade show work up there? SOme of those can be real long hauls, even assuming you've got the breaks built in.
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
|
variable75
New user
66 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 19, 2003 12:49pm
Curtis-
I second your comments for the coin in bottle. I have developed a routine, which I think is generally solid, however, I have decided not to perform it in the restuarant because I never know when the gaff is going to break on me.
Have you encountered this problem? I really love this routine, but I don't want to constantly worry about the gaff, thus pulling my thoughts away from my presentation.
I would love to hear more about your thoughts on the coin in bottle, especially in a repeat performance venue, if you get the chance to write.
Thanks for your insight and comments!
Best regards-
Dave Stegall
|
Steve Brooks
Manager
Northern California - United States
4192 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 19, 2003 1:03pm
I'm not sure what Curtis' solution might be, but I always use two bands with the gaff. If one breaks, there is one still there as a back-up. 
Just a thought...
You can now follow me on
 and
 See you there!
|
Curtis Kam
V.I.P.
same as you, plus 3 and enough to make
3419 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 19, 2003 1:21pm
Dave,
I have had the gaff go on me a couple of times, but each time I can identify a moment when I simply had not been paying attention to the proper "care and feeding" of the prop.
I assume you're following David Roth's advice, and putting two bands on, instead of one. I also assume your folder is built to take two bands.
The second band is a back up, and the two will almost never break at the same time. Also, the second band provides a little extra snap.
When I'm using the coin steadily, I change the bands every two weeks, just in case. I also change the bands whenever the coin seems to be losing its snap. This is a sure sign that one of the bands it about to go.
With the above precautions, your chances of having a blowout are very low. Accidents still happen,and I have dealt with the immediate problem by simply cutting it short and heading right into the final switch.
The long-term solution is, of course, to buy another coin (it's one of the cheapest gaffs there is) as backup.
If you've got a lot of breakups, and they occur when you're taking the coin out through the neck, consider changing the bottle you're using. Get something with gradually sloping sides, like a coke bottle.
For repeats, I have introduced the effect, and then learned that they have seen it before. I offer to let them try, placing the bottle in one of their hands, and switching for a bent coin in the other. I tell them to heat the coin by squeezing, and then to try. They discover that they have bent the coin, and you're done.
Other times, I do the effect a different way. There are many approaches published, and I suggest being aware of John Carney's, Michael Ammar's, Johnny Thompson's and Barrie Richardson's approaches. John Bannon's mini version makes for a nice back up or variation, and it takes up no room in your case.
Of course if the effect is working well for you, the ideal situation is to be set up for the Kevin James routine. This will allow you to perform an unforgettable full routine, and to ad-lib bits and pieces where appropriate.
One final note, I don't know about you, but for years I tried to get around shaking the coin out the neck as an ending. I did not think the switch would be convincing. I was surprised when I read that Michael Ammar and Johnny Thompson hadn't changed this. After all, John Carney had, so did John Bannon and others.
Experience shows that this switch is quite effective. People dive for the coin. I now use it exclusively.
Thanks for your comment, I hope your band stays together!
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
|
variable75
New user
66 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 19, 2003 7:10pm
Curtis/Steve-
Thanks for the comments. It must be my coins or perhaps, (and I am sure this isn't possible), me because I have tried the two bands and my coin seems to work worse, not better. The edges of the coin don't appear to be wide/deep enough to take both bands and I always have a little "extra" sticking out at some point on the coin.
Speaking of bands, I am still using the braces/dental variety that seem to be standard. Have you found better, stronger bands out there? Do my coins suck? I have actually put the effect down for awhile, which is disappointing because I put a lot of hard work into it getting it to work for me. My routine combines touches from Ammar, Carney and Kevin James. I love it, but I need more work with the gaff.
As absolutely obvious as the gaff seems, for some reason I am having trouble with the bands, replacing them, doubling them etc. I use an exacto-knife to clean out the edges, but I think I am doing something wrong.
I really appreciate any help you could give to a guy with these serious "banding" problems.
Oh, in addition I received a great presentational idea from Pete McCabe that I currently use for my routine. The main premise revolves around those little wooden ships that you used to see in the bottles. How did they ever get in there? I thought it was nice, because without some kind of presentation it quickly becomes and "eye candy" without meaning (who cares) type of effet and I think it has potential for so much more.
Sorry for the rambling...
|
Curtis Kam
V.I.P.
same as you, plus 3 and enough to make
3419 Posts
|
Posted: Feb 20, 2003 4:49am
V75,
I think you might want to try a different coin, or different bands. Sometimes the bands, especially for the quarters, are too big. You know, I took my daughter to have her braces tweaked a while back, and the orthodontist had bands in all colors, including a sparkly silver, and a copper-like gold. These would match the edges of our coins quite nicely. You might want to get yourself a buck-toothed kid and check this out.
Watch out for this: On one coin, the groove collapsed right at the edge of the segment of the coin. You know, right at the join, some sort of impact compressed the groove, and it was very dificult to get the band in there. It was also easy to open up once the problem was identified.
I have a presentation based on Karrell Fox's "Polka Cola", the coin in the bottle, and the ship in a bottle theme. I'd like to hear about what you're doing.
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
|
| The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The February 2003 entrée: Curtis Kam » » What is your limit? » » TOPIC IS LOCKED |
|
|
|
![[8]](/forums/images/digits/8.gif)
![[1]](/forums/images/digits/1.gif)
![[5]](/forums/images/digits/5.gif)
![[3]](/forums/images/digits/3.gif)
![[6]](/forums/images/digits/6.gif)