I am super excited about this. I had mentioned a new routine I had been working on about a few weeks ago in an unrelated post. Well, I finally got to show it to a live audience. So, my current show “The Magicians Expeditions” is roughly a 90 minute performance of theatre, magic, illusion, all woven together by one central story….my story. (the story is captivating enough that a Hollywood production company is preparing to buy it) The show is half grand illusion and half stage magic using the audience as participators. Each routine is based on a true life event. I have hired professional writers to help routine the magic around the story and keep it honest. The response has been truly overwhelming. Well, enough about all of that…..I wrote a routine called “The Soldiers Guardian Angel” in this routine I begin by showing a box hanging from the stage a la master prediction system. I obtain random information from the audience (a first name, a last name, a blood type, a military rank, a month, a day, and a year) and have a random recorder write it all down.

Example:
JACKSON, SAMUEL
O NEG
CAPTAIN
31 MAR 1976

Without going into ALL of the patter I will summarize. I tell a story about my belief in the presence of guardian angels. I also emphasize that it is my belief and doesn’t have to be yours, what is right for you is awesome just as is what’s right for me. I talk about the nature of “close calls” everyone can talk about….the near car wrecks…..the almost falls….ect, and about how you can feel the hair stand on your neck, or the rush of wind against your face, and that could be the guardian angel letting you know they are there. I talk about how I believe that when they are present they like to let you know they are there. I then tell a true story about how on my last combat mission in Afghanistan we flew into a hot LZ to pick up two airborne rangers wounded in an ambush. As I ran from the helicopter to get one of the wounded I went to jump over this shrub when the rock under my right foot gave way and I slipped. I had to side step the bush to keep my balance and noticed that on the other side of the bush was a land mine. Had I not slipped, I would have most likely lost a leg or worse. “Was it luck….coincidence…or a guardian angel…??” I then recite a poem that I wrote called the Soldiers Guardian Angel. After that, I open the box and inside is a sealed envelope which I hand to a spectator. They open it and there is a large folded piece of paper, drawn on that paper is a set of dog tags with all the information on it.

That is kicker # 1 and the standard MPS trick many of you know.

Kicker # 2 is that I then explain why that information appears to be written on a dog tag. I say that as a soldier part of my duty uniform is to wear my dog tags. Since I am not on duty I wear a different set. I then pull off my dog tags and embossed on the titanium steel dog tags is:
JACKSON, SAMUEL
O NEG
CAPTAIN
31 MAR 1976

which is all the information we got from the audience. I say “Was this Luck….Coincidence…or a Guardian angel…?? I am not here to influence, challenge, or change your beliefs. However, if you are now feeling the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you are experiencing the same feeling I got when I realized I had just missed stepping on that landmine.” The spectator then gets to keep them as a souvenir and a kick ass good luck charm.

Your thoughts??

P.S. I already talked to members of DC's former team who came up with his license plate trick. They said that his and mine are completely unrelated they had no issues with it and thought it was a great routine. (added for those who would cry foul)

P.S.S. I already know what you think Tom so no need to chime in ;-) (no ill will, just good natured ribbing there)

Poem that accompanies the routine:

A Soldiers Guardian Angel

A Soldier’s guardian angel follows him to war.
A soldiers guardian angel knows what he’s headed for.

Air, land, or sea, his battles are all the same.
A Soldiers Guardian angel is an expert at his game.

To protect his young fighting man would be his only goal,
And if that task should not succeed, then guide his mortal soul.

A Soldier’s guardian angel is the busiest angel around.
Leading Soldiers from harm’s way, at times knocking them to the ground.

In war nothing is certain; you sometimes have to roll the dice,
And in the end you just might pay the ultimate sacrifice.

So today a Soldier fell, upon a sandy battlefield,
And to him his guardian angel was finally revealed.

Dressed in khaki greens, he said his name was Sam
He fell in ’71 in a place called Vietnam.

He said “I’ve helped guide many men through many a battlefield,
Now I must be moving on, for there is more I must try and shield.”

The Soldier looked at the Angel Sam, he said “What now am I supposed to do?”
Sam replied “Shield that Soldier hunkered down, he now belongs to you.”

I think it is a great routine! I also think the story line would be much more effective without the "apology". The concept of guardian angels is powerful and is familiar to nearly everyone, regardless of their belief system. "... It is my belief and doesn’t have to be yours, what is right for you is awesome just as is what’s right for me", in my opinion, only serves to dilute the first "impact moment". The best magic comes from personal experience, so there is no need to be "politically correct".

You never see Jeff McBride or Eugene Burger apologizing for using Vishnu or shamans or Mother Earth in their routines because some in the audience may not hold the same beliefs.

On television, your personality came across as the perfect balance between strength and control. Take advantage of that!

Great routine!

The hair on the back of my neck stood up just reading the final reveal you posted!

As strong as DC or anyone's Routine out there!

Hope you get it on youtube so we all can see it!

As strong as any Stage Illusion.

Just reading that was strong, it makes me think that my MPS is unworthy.

That routine is awesome!

Very nice and very touching. I wish you all the best!

As a mentalist I was impressed with the overall thought given to the story behind the effect. I'd love to see the show. Where do you perform?

Mostly in the Pacific Northwest. I was on a few episodes of America's Got Talent this summer, making it to Vegas....but not past.

That routine might work, if you've got the right people working backstage.. ;-)

Only the BEST!!!

Awww.. Thanks buddy! I wish you all could see this routine live... It is INCREDIBLE! Words can't describe exactly how well it played live. Excellent work Scott!!