The shortest passage in the Bible is found in the Gospel of John, Chapter 11:35: Jesus wept.
This may not be the Gospel of John, and this may not be the shortest post ever on Escamoteurettes, but I thought I’d post my thoughts on my initial experience with Ben Harris’s new trick, Hole in the Head. Here it is:
It worked for me.
It worked the first time I tried. It worked the second time I tried. Same for the third and fourth times. By the fifth time, I was ready to show it to a friend. Stripping away the expletives, we’re left with the implication that its effect was favorably received.
Maybe it’s just me. (Insert “hole in the head” joke here.)
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You’ll have to get on the line and help out Pellegrino. He’s having a hell of a time. Think you could pull it off in St. Louis?
Thank’s John. I’m just waiting for the sun.
You have re-inspired me on this.
Tony Iacoviello
Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo) here comes the sun and I say…
Without the sun — bright and shining — on your back, this is not going to happen. This may be magic, but there’s still some basic physics involved.
Also, those of us who are already “equipped” to do the trick had better be properly equipped. I love John Lennon as much as the next guy, but he couldn’t do this trick (if he were still with us). If you get my meaning. And I think you do.
John
I see what you mean.
Tony
JOHN LE BLANC !!!!!
I expected better from you ! Throwing in “It worked for me ” is a tad naughty. What do you think of the effect really.
Doesn’t it just belong as a giveaway idea in with a better trick ? That’s how it feels to me.
Also I have a sneaking feeling that the most obvious answer to this miracle to the spectator is virtually the right one. They may say reflection when we know refraction but essentially they’ll be right.
Not feeling a bit naughty about my comments at all, and I’ll tell you why.
This trick is not about method; it’s about presentation. In fact, I’d say this trick is closer to a bizarre routine than any other brand of magic — a brand of magic not many can pull off effectively. (Including most people who claim to be bizarrists.)
Bizarre magick typically employs methods that are even simpler than Hole in the Head, but are wrapped in story that is engaging beyond questions of method. If spectators focus on the method, then I’d say the presentation needs work.
Seems to me that if this trick is presented in typical “street magic” format (i.e. David Blaine “look, look”) then it’s going to fall flatter than the shadow you’re pointing to.
There aren’t many Tenyo-type hits in the world of magic. When a trick doesn’t even come with a prop, that should be your first indication that your acting skills will be called upon to a greater degree.
John
John:
Well said!
Personally, i don’t classify this as a “trick” or “effect,” but rather as a “performance piece.” It is theater. There are two problems with this though:
1. It requires practice
2. It requires a skilled presentation
Unfortunately, most in our artform are unwilling to work on either one.
Tony
John:
Well said!
Personally, i don’t classify this as a “trick†or “effect,†but rather as a “performance piece.†It is theater. There are two problems with this though:
1. It requires practice
2. It requires a skilled presentation
Unfortunately, most in our artform are unwilling to work on either one.
Tony
You are so right. This is a classic that requires a great performer, like… like Ben Harris. At those levels, who cares whether the method is lacking something? Such complaints are for the plebs.
Meh. I say. Meh!
Hmmm,
Feels like this one is way out of my league then as I openly admit that saying ” They were called the shadow poppers..” with any sense of gravitas is way beyond my humble means.
Wait a sec, let me check again:
“They were called the sha..” Nah can’t do it. Good luck to those that can though.
Don’t feel bad, Mike; neither can I conceive of any circumstance under which I see myself uttering a sentence containing the words “shadow” and “poppers.”
On the other hand, I was a huge fan of Art Bell and his “Coast to Coast” radio show. Color me weird, but I find more plausable implausabilities in the world of Art Bell than I do in stories of shadow p… Well, you know.
HitH is a method in search of an engaging presentation. It seems to me that for those who don’t feel comfortable with that sort of thing, HitH is not a good choice of tricks. And, like any magic trick, there’s nothing that says you have to follow the script. The Grey Men…now there’s a topic I can embrace with four-fingered hands.
John