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broothal Elite user Europe 448 Posts |
My first reaction when I started to watch this DVD was "oh my gawd he shaved his cool beard off!". That's right - this DVD features Jamy without his cool van dyke beard.
This is basically a recording of a lecture Jamy gave 7 years ago in London. There are tricks on this DVD, but they should not be the reason why you should buy it. There are only 4 effects on the DVD, and you probably know them, or their derivatives. I repeat: you will be dissapointed if you buy this DVD for the tricks. The reason why you should buy this DVD is, that Jamy Ian Swiss is a brilliant thinker. You will learn a lot from listening to his explanations, because he goes into great details about the why, and not so much about the how. And this is where the DVD is different from a lot of other material on the market. It is evident from hearing Jamy Ian Swiss speak, that he knows what he's talking about. Every word he says has content. Every sentence has a message. So it's quite demanding to listen to, because you have to concentrate. If "easy to master card miracles" is pop music then "Live in London" is classic music. It's not for everyone, but those who get it will truly enjoy it, and it will remain viable for centuries. I recommend this DVD to professional magicians and to all magicians serious about their art. |
saturnin Special user Montreal, Canada 964 Posts |
I second everything Christian said.
Ronnie Lemieux
There is no road to happiness,
happiness is the road! |
dustindiamond New user 3 Posts |
Are the tricks impromptu?
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trickster2000 Loyal user Toronto 284 Posts |
I wish he would release a dvd of his lecture he had last year at the CAM convention... he started with an auditorium full of magicians, and when it ended, there was mabee 20 magicians left... I was sitting in the front row and loved every minute of it. Many magicians were offended in hearing him speak his mind, but sometimes the truth hurts..
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MentaThought Special user 615 Posts |
Gee, too bad no one HECKLED Swiss while he gave the London lecture just as he's said to have boasted of having actually heckled Kreskin during one of Kreskin's shows.
"A good mentalist ... will teach you a miracle because he understands the subtleties ..." -- Banachek
"If this works it'll be BEAUTIFUL!" - The Amazing Kreskin on a stunning effect he performed on his 1970s television series (PS: it worked) |
dustindiamond New user 3 Posts |
I think that some people left because they were bored.
When I saw him lecture, I would have left...but I fell asleep. Yawn. |
jeline Regular user Baltimore 150 Posts |
Jamy is one of the best teachers out there. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone as passionate and knowledable about magic as he is. I attended the Cincinnati Card Clinic and found him to be an excellent teacher.
If you can't go to Card Clinic, get the DVD. |
zombieboy Special user Connecticut, USA 889 Posts |
With Jamy, you either love him or hate him. I love the guy, simply because we share the exact same mindset and opinions when it comes to magic. He is a genius, except some people just don't realize it.
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oombob Special user Canada 843 Posts |
I believe he is a master technician, but having watched the opening card to matchbook routine from this lecture a few times over, I felt his interaction with his volunteers and audience was just plain obnoxious. Let me break it down:
1. He starts off by waving his hand right in a woman's face to emphasize that he is doing close up magic. 2. He makes a lame misogynistic joke about no longer cutting women in half because he's been through therapy. 3. He holds a matchbook in front of his other volunteer and asks him "What does that look like to you?" When the volunteer responds "a matchbook", he pats the volunteer like a chimp and says "good answer" in a condescending manner. 4. In another "charming" moment, he mentions to the volunteer that if he doesn't remember his card this whole thing is "a waste of time". 5. He further condescends to the female audience volunteer by saying she no longer needs to remember her card, she just needs to remember her name, implying that this will be simpler for her. 7. Upon getting the same volunteer to hold her card face down in her palm he remarks "you've passed the motor co-ordination part of the quiz." 8. At the completion of the trick when he acknowledges that the woman's signature is in fact on the folded card, he remarks "you bet your butt it is!" 9. He then completes the trick by holding up a sign that says: *** I'm good! Maybe I'm missing something... but that had to be the most charmless presentation I have seen in a loooong time. |
korttihai_82 Inner circle Finland 1880 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-12-27 23:40, oombob wrote: That over some stupid lovestory about cards atraction to person or card being more ambitious than others any day! You also left out A LOT from the presentation, not to even mentioning how well he really treats that lady. This is still one of the best DVD´s that are ever made and people who claim its not are excactly the people Swiss is constanly making use of in his examples on what is bad magic. Some people just cant handle the truth and look into the mirror... J-M |
jstone Inner circle Someday I'll have 1473 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-12-28 08:50, korttihai_82 wrote: Do you really believe that people who claim that this DVD is not one of the best DVDs ever made are people who are examples of bad magic? I'd bet that even Swiss himself would disagree with that statement. People have got to realize that every person has different taste, and just because some people like or dislike a thing doesn't mean anything more than they have different taste. I love Indian food. My wife hates it. Does that mean that she doesn't know what good food is? That's just ridiculous. For every magician out there famous or not, there are people who love them and people who hate them. To state definitively that if you don't like a particular product put out by Mr. Swiss then you are an example of bad magic is just ludicrous. I'll step down from my soap box now, but before I do, let me assure you that if you disagree with what I've just said, then you are wrong and a bad magician(for those not in the "know," I've just used irony). |
Markymark Inner circle 1686 Posts |
I do feel you are missing something oombob.He is performing for an audience and not just the woman who is helping him.Jamy's character is a card sharp from New York not a generic restaurant magician so it accuratly represents him.
I got a lot of inspiration from the summing up at the end of the dvd when Jamy talks about 'The performance'. Sure you can do 'stunts' and card 'tricks' but if you can act and have charisma [and a script that engages people] you can shake people to their very core!
''In memory of a once fluid man,crammed and distorted by the classical mess'' -Bruce Lee
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oombob Special user Canada 843 Posts |
I have seen Jamy Ian Swiss in person, and he was utterly charming... as well as other performances by him that were simply outstanding. This is why I felt let down by this one particular performance placed in this lecture DVD setting. For the reasons I have stated, this particular performance left me cold. C'mon guys!...finishing a trick by holding up your close up mat with a sign that says "dang I'm good!"??
Even with a healthy dose of irony... when can this be defined as anything but obnoxious? What kills me is that he then follows this routine by preaching about performers who come off as obnoxious because they act as showoffs. Wha??? I guess I wish this opening routine better reflected his thoughts on how magic should be performed....that's all. |
sirbrad Inner circle PA 2096 Posts |
Jamy was my inspiration long ago, and I love all his work, especially his book. Loved him in The Art of Magic documentary, as he exhibits some mad skills with carfs, coins, etc.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method or procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers. -- Harry Houdini
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