How do you guys start off you CMH routine, patter-wise? I can't seem to come up with anything very good and I could use some ideas.

Thanks,
Crixx

"See these? When I was in the asylum these were used as restraints for certain patients." Using something to this effect would likely depend on who your doing it for and your age.

What else could you call the elastics?
Tires from my first bike?

How can you use this description?
"I used to do tricks with my bike. The tire are a bit worn and have become soft but I can still do something without the bike."

This was a quick thought and pretty bad. heheh

You could patter about magicians doing Linking Rings.
Maybe talk about marriage and divorce or going steady with someone and breaking up.

Good Luck

I talk about the finger cuffs we played with as a kid. You know, the harder you pulled, the tighter the cuffs got...but if you just relax and give a little wiggle....they release!

Jim

I don't have a patter at all.
Throw stones on me if you want to, but I feel that CMH doesn't need a patter because rubberbands are something everyone knows and everyone uses. AND everyone know that it is impossible to penetrate a rubberband with another.
conclusion: no patter needed.
all these marriage/ handcuffs whatever stories sound ridiculous to me. After all they know these are rubberbands. In my opinion you're taking away part of the mystery by stating that these aren't perfectly normal rubberbands.

yfirum

Yfirum. Crixx was looking for patter suggestions.

Personally, I don't regularly use patter either. It depends on who I'm doing it for and the mood I'm in.
Sometimes I'll talk about friction and the bands getting soft. A puff of breath and the bands penetrate.

Jon Allen has an interesting presentation for his CMH on his video, 'Spectators Don't Exist'. I won't divulge his presentation, as it's not mine to give, but it is the best I have come across, and is the one I use when I choose to use patter. I agree that the effect is strong enough and inherently clear enough that it does not require patter. That being said, I probably use Jon's patter about 50% of the time. He also has a subtlety for the penetration while the audience member holds the band that really sells the effect - I use this EVERY time I do this, as I feel it makes the trick play much better. The video is worth picking up for a variety of reasons, and his opening line for approaching tables may be worth the price of admission for some tablehoppers.

See these? (looping them around fingers)
Know what these are? (without waiting for an answer) These are Crazy Mans Handcuffs.
I know this cause I was locked up with them once. (stretch apart with fingers apart)
They call em crazy mans handcuffs cause you can't get out of them without one flying across the room (contracting and stretching open handed as far as possible without losing a band) which you will then go crazy looking for.
Know what? (without waiting for answer again)
I figured out how to get out of them...
I remember that if you stretch and rub rubber together (following here?)
It will heat up and melt. And if you cool it off (blow on the bands and seperate)
you can get out of the crazy mans handcuffs.

That's the patter I use... I've used it since the first time I did it.

~Craig

I like your ideas guys, thanks. Yfirum, you don't have patter at all? You just pull out rubber bands, don't say anything, then unlink them? Sounds interesting.

-Crixx

Oh well, I do talk. It's just more a "look at this" presentation. I know that many people detest this way of showing a trick, usually I do have a more sophisticated presentation, but I feel it's appropriate to CMH.
just my humble opinion.

Here's mine. Enjoy!

I used to perform this all of the time, I would use presentation like Slydini silks, where you have them tangled, and then do something casual like gesture, and show that they are now untangled without saying so. This gets a laugh and I would go on to other things with the rubber bands.

Kaliix, I like your presentation. Pretty cool.

-Crixx

I start with a simple broken - restored in specs hands band trick...

I then do CMH and comment how whilst some special people like yourself can restore a broken band, I as a magician can break and restore a band so quickly that if you blink you'll miss it... just like this... I don't even need to cover it repairing itself et al...

I don't like magic bands, or hand cuffs or any non-sensical explanation for any trick... bar voodoo stuff (but I even base that on factual stuff) - its a waste of time and dismissed by an audience as quickly as you say it, unless it's a joke/has a punch line!

Here's a cool rubber band trick David Copperfield taught me.
Al Angello

I introduce the effect with something this:

"Have you heard of Harry Houdini? When I was young and getting interested in magic, I thought it would be wonderful to be an escape artist like Harry Houdini. Unfortunately, with a wife and two small boys, I've found that handcuffs, chains, water tanks, and trunks just aren't in my budget. Luckily, I've found an escape trick that has props within my budget."

That's when I pull out the rubber bands. It never fails to get laughs. I've seen others use similar patter, but mentioning family constraints on my budget and the cost of escape props prior pulling out the rubberbands seems to personalize it for people.

Scott