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Ed Oschmann Inner circle Lake Worth FL 1011 Posts |
Hi Simon,
Long time fan, first time caller. I've always held the opinion that, when using a memorized deck, I want to use it to "demolish" my audiences. Routines like Histed Histed, Everybody's Lazy, or my friend Steve Ehler's 3 Card Trick fit the bill. Routines which, in the end, destroy the stack. You and your friend Mike Close have written extensively about the Open Index and "Jazzing". Routines where the deck is (often) returned to stack order. I'm sure that it's just me, because I haven't given it a fair shake, but many of these routines feel lackluster. Especially compared with the routines I mentioned above. How, where and when do you use these strategems for maximum impact? I guess what I'm saying is "Make me see the light!". Thanks Simon, your books are by far them most read in my library. Ed Oschmann |
jayhoward New user 59 Posts |
Hi Ed,
Never heard of the effect called "Histed Histed," a googling it didn't turn up anything. Can you tell me who's trick it is, and where it might be available. If I doesn't take too much of your time, a short description of the effect would sure be appreciated. Thanks! Jay |
Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
Histed Heisted can be found in Simon's book Bound to Please, page 95
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
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Simon Aronson 1943 - 2019 74 Posts |
Good question, and I have a number of responses to make. But I should clarify one important fact: I am not a big user of jazzing with a memorized deck.
That doesn’t mean I’m against jazzing, or that it doesn’t have its place, but I think it’s not for everyone. But one main point I’d like to make at the outset is: please don’t identify jazzing and memorized deck magic. You can perform an entire routine (even an entire act) with a mem-deck, without ever jazzing (witness my DVD Volume 3). Jazzing means a lot of things to a lot of people, but I generally like the musical jazz analogy: there’s a basic, known, planned theme (melody, rhythm, etc) that the performer has from the outset, and he can improvise and play with it along the way, always returning to the basics for the climax. That basic plot or theme provides a structure, a plot, a basic effect. Within that plot, choices can be offered, flexibility is available – but the overall plot gets remembered similarly. Vernon’s “Trick that Can’t be Explained” is the classic example of this At the other extreme, jazzing is sometimes associated with just “winging it” – sort of, “name any card” and then, depending on what’s named, an entire effect gets built up from scratch. It becomes almost a challenge: I’ll find your named card in a magical way. These are endpoints on a spectrum, and there may be no hard and fast clear line where the demarcation is, but you get the idea. Personally, I’m in favor of the first kind, and pessimistic about (at least my abilities with) the latter, for a few reasons. First, if you’re winging it, you sometimes wind up with a weak, circuitous, or tortured effect. That’s the nature of the beast, the price you sometimes pay for the occasional knockout effect when you “hit”. I don’t like that choice, because I don’t want to risk any “weak” effects. There are enough good, strong mem-deck effects that I can do, that I don’t need to risk confusing or losing my audience. Second, it wastes a good weapon too early. Assuming you hit a good effect, what do you follow it with? I think it’s a big mistake to do it again and again. (That risks exposing the basic secret, that you know where every card lies.) And third, I like to save jazzing for two other circumstances, where it can be useful. First, jazzing is always there to take advantage of the “occasional opportunity” that may arise – when someone names a card, and you can easily and secretly get it under your control. So I may not have planned to do a spelling trick, but if someone names a card at positions 10 – 15 of the Aronson, I’m ready for them. And second, jazzing is useful as an “out.” Given the Open Index concept, if and when a trick goes wrong (e.g., a spectator mis-remembers her card), you can, with thought, often produce a successful and surprising conclusion. Don’t get me wrong – I’m NOT legislating for everyone. Juan Tamariz is perhaps the master of jazzing with a mem-deck, but his expertise points up an important point. It makes more sense for someone who is “performing all the time.” The Open Index gets tied to a host of other “on your feet” techniques and skills: equivoques, estimations, glimpses, audience management skills, – and you need to be on top of them at all times. Bottom line, I think I’m more of a control freak, and I want to feel confident of how my tricks will end up. So, while I’ll definitely take advantage of situations, I don’t take the open ended risks that free-for-all jazzing involves. Simon
"There's a world of difference between a spectator's not knowing how something is done versus his knowing that it can't be done."
Shuffle-bored (1980) http://www.simonaronson.com |
Simon Aronson 1943 - 2019 74 Posts |
What about the rest of you, those who do use a memorized deck. How much jazzing to you actually do, and what sorts of effects do you use it in?
Simon
"There's a world of difference between a spectator's not knowing how something is done versus his knowing that it can't be done."
Shuffle-bored (1980) http://www.simonaronson.com |
Danny Archer V.I.P. Philly 607 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-08-20 16:07, Simon Aronson wrote: Hey Simon, A pleasure seeing you and Ginny at FISM ... I use a Mem Deck all the time in my professional strolling work and most of the effects I do are Jazzin’ in nature … A typical set would be; A cards is removed and by riffling the deck and looking at the 51 remaining, I name the selection … I repeat this with a new selection by instead of looking I listen as I riffle the deck by my ear … A spectator cut off and hands me the packet and I tell them how many cards it contains … While my head is turned away, I dribble the cards, they says stop and the bottom card of the RH and the top card of the LH are shown to 2 different people, the deck is placed behind my back and I reveal both cards … For the climax in a display of Super Memory, I ask someone to think of a card and another person a # from 1-52 … the cards are shuffled again (I shuffle and cut frequently thoughout the routine using my own Archer Shuffle for a false shuffle and Double Undercuts for False Cuts) … and I flip through the faces of the cards in about 8 seconds … I then name the position of the named card and the card that lies at the selected number and show both are correct … The last effect would seem to be a misuse of the Mem Deck principle but I have found that preceded by my other effects, plus the constant cutting and shuffling of the deck, kicks this simple effect into the miracle class … My best guess would be that working professionals would need routines or effects that keep the deck intact, I carry a spare Mem Deck in my case but I rarely need it … if you are not doing a 2 hour strolling gig, keeping the deck in order is less of a concern and then the many wonderful effects you have created could be used … Just my two cents Simon … I hope to see you at another LVMI or MINDvention |
Kjellstrom Inner circle Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe 5203 Posts |
I have found that you can do amazing effects with an open index.
One is to combine the o-index and a Card to Wallet: just palm of the named card and load into your wallet. That is very strong. JOL Billfold Wallet is the best I ever seen, I recommend that very much. The old classic effect Premonition is possible to do with an open index. |
ithomson Veteran user 330 Posts |
Everybody
I'm not sure you'd call it "Jazzing", but Alan Shaxon has a "Name A Card" feature in his performances that really shines. Effectively it features 52 different revelations of cards. Alan uses the Bert Harding stack, but (as our Guest of Honour has pointed out), any stack could be used. I believe Alan has now published his routine through Peter Scarlett, but I'm not sure about that. Cheers Ian |
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