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B. Morrison Regular user 109 Posts |
Has anyone here picked up a copy of Larry Baukin's "Bizarre Magick - The Collector's Edition", and if so, what are your thoughts on it?
I've been a big fan of his since seeing his stuff in Seance and the New Invocation, so I'll probably pick up a copy either way, but I thought I'd check here first. |
B. Morrison Regular user 109 Posts |
Meant to include a link in my first post... http://www.mevproshop.com/baukin-bizarre-magick.html
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DocBenWiz Special user Meridian, Idaho 992 Posts |
This was a "must have" for me even though I swore I was done with "spooky" purchases til year's end...there goes the budget, but I rationalize that certain astounding collectible books in hand, are my exception!
"Pay no attention to that strange man behind the curtain" (it's only "Doc Benjamin from the Amazing Wizardelia Wagon")
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DocBenWiz Special user Meridian, Idaho 992 Posts |
I expect to receive the book by post within less than a week, but in the meantime, I received the audio linked interview with Larry Baukin and found it very interesting and a worthwhile companion to the book. Although I kmew Larry's name and reputation, I was not familiar with his works amd the depth of his career. Fascinating to me as I learned I had many of the same early (adolescent and 20-something) interests, but...more important to me was that, for the first time in my life, I think he answered a most personal lifelong question, one that has always just been sublimely below my consciousness..."Why?"...why was I drawn to those same things he discusses in the "early years" and since then to "bizarre magick" more recently? I love his answer. Not anything you would think or guess and IMHO you would only understand by hearing him in this audio.
"Pay no attention to that strange man behind the curtain" (it's only "Doc Benjamin from the Amazing Wizardelia Wagon")
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B. Morrison Regular user 109 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 10, 2015, DocBenWiz wrote: Knowing something of the personal journey of *any* artist, be they magician, actor or singer, gives you an appreciation of what they do, and in this case it makes the routines in this book more than just a collection of spooky magic. Like you, the "Why?" has been a constant companion of mine, and listening to the audio gave me the feeling that Larry and I are brothers from another mother. I especially like his Hanussen trilogy... I'm thinking it will work nicely for my Halloween seances this year. |
Woodfield Special user 756 Posts |
Here's my review of Larry's anthology. It's a great read and yes,
don't overlook the bonus audio. Note: Sorry about some of the formatting issues, I'm copying and pasting from a Word Document Bizarre Magick, The Collector’s Edition Publisher- Pro Shop Enterprises 2015 Author- Larry Baukin Available from www.mevproshop.com Price- $139 Domestic $169 International Bizarrists and aficionados of that branch of magic that is spelled with a ‘k’ will recognize the name Larry Baukin as one of the pioneers of the art form. This collection not only contains 40 contributions to various magazines he made from the mid 80’s to the mid 90’s, but three complete books as well, adding another 30 routines to this handsomely produced hardbound edition spanning over 260 pages. The tome begins with the reprint of Laughing Souls And Other Visitations. Stories run the gambit of brothers fighting on different sides of the Civil War, a medicine show pitchman, a touch of Mexican folklore, and my favorite of this booklet, Nazi Germany’s Palace of the Occult. Here we meet, for the first time in magical literature, the man that was Hanussen, the opportunistic clairvoyant who rubbed elbows with dangerous men and paid the price with his life. The three routines centered around this subject dovetail nicely and include an effect with rune stones, another with the Key-R-Rect lock and keys, and ends with a mini séance effect with some index cards in order to contact the spirit of Hanussen. Next we come to my favorite of the three books, Dr. Fathom’s Amusements. Here we are treated to a fictional character, “H.P. Crowley”, a psychic detective called to a carnival to investigate a murder and a disappearance. Elements of noir and the strange other-worldliness of carny life read like Gresham’s Nightmare Alley. Yet in this case at each attraction he visits, an effect is performed and is then explained before we arrive at the next attraction. Again, with all of Larry’s routines, the story takes center stage and the props are used to add texture and bring the spectators into the strange world the performer has created. Tarot cards, the “Grandmother’s Necklace” effect, flash paper, regular playing cards, a Himber Wallet, the three shell game, blank faced business cards, the Gypsy Switch, the ashes on the hand effect with a clever force of the hand that is revealed with the ash stain, and a great use of the Pegasus Page effect to bring the whole story to a satisfying conclusion. The third book in the collection is The Book Of Aleister Crowley. Like all of Larry’s routines, these are all set within a thoroughly researched subject, in this case the “World’s Most Dangerous Man”. Effects include a torn and restored cigarette paper, the Haunted Key, the Blister Effect, Spirit Writing, cards changing with the Crowley Tarot Deck among other effects that are used to shed light on this real life character from history. My favorite of this booklet is The Serpent’s Kiss (part 2) where a blister appears on the chosen finger, not from the traditional intense heat source but from the bite of one of Crowley’s disembodied teeth! As with the other two books, the routines work great together for a complete performance, or can be used separately. The last third of the book contains some 40 routines Larry contributed to bizarre periodicals. While the three books just mentioned tackle a few similar themes, which the reader begins to feel comfortable with, this third section is one surprise after another. We might find ourselves hearing about the Salem Witch Trials in one routine and the next we are finding out what Edgar Allen Poe was doing wandering around the streets of Baltimore the night before he died. The reader will notice how well edited the routines are throughout the book. Not a single word wasted. Props are also kept to a minimum. What we have here is a master class on how to effectively combine a compelling story with a magic effect to present something that will first create interest and then grab the spectators by the collar and drag them into a strange world that at first seems a little familiar but then leads down them down the rabbit hole. Once again, Loren Tindall deserves a lot of praise for publishing this collection in hardbound form. During the next dark and stormy night, pull the book off your shelf, grab a snifter of your favorite beverage, and toast Larry and Loren before you crack the book open and read about the real (and some not so real) characters and dark events that have shaped our magical heritage, or as Dr. Fathom told our psychic detective, H.P. Crowley, “We are tricksters, Mr. Crowley. The mountebanks, the mentalists, the freaks, and the jokermen of history. We have always been here. And you, as you are aware, with your unusual talents, are one of us.” Highly Recommended Woodfield “A Conversation with Larry Baukin” Bonus Audio File 1 hour in length. Purchasers of the book will also receive a downloadable audio file that contains a telephone interview between the publisher, Loren Tindall, and the author, Larry Baukin. Even though it’s a telephone conversation, the audio is as clear as if they were both sitting in the same room. There is a lot of good content on this audio and it’s just a heck of a lot of fun to listen to. Subjects include: 1. How Larry got involved in Bizarre Magick 2. Larry’s involvement with Tony Andruzzi, publisher of the New Invocation 3. The commercial way to present Bizarre Magick and the importance of character. 4. Finally, Larry and Loren give the listener insights into Larry’s previous release, The Unholy Grail. A system for tarot card readings that the reader has some control over yet still is flexible to allow his/her intuition to remain in play. Plus, lines that he’s collected (some from shut-eye readers) that he’s found effective in doing readings for some 30 years. Major highlights for me were: Using a bizarre routine as a gateway effect to lead into readings. Larry outlined a structure that would work well in a Psychic Home Party situation. Why you need to do a live demonstration for agents. The difference between trying to look mysterious and actually being mysterious. And of course the few anecdotes Larry shares that really show the passion he has for the subject matter. Woodfield |
Jim Magus Loyal user 246 Posts |
I was a subscriber to New Invocation magazine, and when issues came out, I looked forward to contributions from Larry Baukin. Much material in the magazine was impractical, but Larry’s storylines were always strong and his methods were practical. Perhaps it was because the author was a trained fiction writer (and now ironically a professional reader). His routines moved quickly to the point and were never too long and drawn out, avoiding the wordiness that has long been the complaint about bizarre magick presentations.
In addition to his contributions to the New Invocation, Séance, Magick, and the Altar Flame, Larry released three books. Dr. Fathom’s Amusements, published by Tony Andruzzi, was originally going to include elaborate illustrations by Tony that were destroyed in the tragic fire at Tony’s apartment. That did not stop the book from being released. It is a take on Carnival ten-in-ones with a flavor of the Circus of Dr. Lao. Laughing Souls and Other Bizarre Visitations, published by Mary Tomich’s Thaumysta Publishing Company, is a collection of bizarre routines on subjects such as Salem witches, Civil War ghosts, Aztec warriors, Day of the Dead, and Nazis, and includes three classics that are ideal for beginning bizarrists, as they are easy, practical and versatile. The Book of Aleister Crowley, also published by Thaumysta Publishing Company, is subtitled Nine Dreams in the Life of the Wickedest Man in the World, and all the routines in it involve the legendary occultist. Bizarre Magick; the Collector’s Edition is a collection of those three books and Larry’s contributions to New Invocation, Séance magazine, the Altar Flame, and Bascom Jones’ Magick. Reading through the collection, I find the routines are as relevant today as they were when they were created. The story lines are still as strong as any of the material that is being created today, and the methods are practical and have stood the test of time. In “Poe Effect,” the premise is that Poe was seeing a medium the last few missing days of his life, a powerful idea that I have used in routines of my own after reading Larry’s routine in New Invocation. It is followed by a séance routine, a Lovecraft routine, routines on the Devil’s Triangle, witches and the Witchfinder General, Jack the Ripper, zombies, vampires, and much more. Highly recommended to the beginner as well as to the experienced bizarrist. |
Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
Thanks for a bit of History, Jim !
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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Nyama Possessor Veteran user Under the Shade Tree 322 Posts |
Thank you kindly Woodfield and Brother Jim for the honest, informative and in-sight-full review. Been looking for this collection since my originals were destroyed... Ironically, I emailed Loren asking about the availability of Baukin's previously-released eBook version of "Bizarre Magick Collection", which was offered some years ago on MervPro. Not one week after I emailed Loren was the hardbound edition announced and released! Apparently my 3rd Eye was right on time.
This is a definite MUST HAVE for all storytellers, bizarrists, metaphysical magi and mystery artists. ~ Nyama ~
The Honorable NYAMA POSSESSOR
Co-Founder & Co-Creator of MAGICAL REALISM, Owner of ANCESTRAL REALM PRODUCTIONS * 17 Year Member of the Shadow Network * ICBM Alumnus * Creator/Author of SUMMONING RUMI and numerous other underground proprietary releases... Books, routines and tools coming soon, available only and exclusively at www.AlchemyMoon.com |
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