{"id":161,"date":"2005-05-08T23:32:27","date_gmt":"2005-05-09T04:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escamoteurettes.com\/blog\/?p=161"},"modified":"2005-05-10T20:21:09","modified_gmt":"2005-05-11T01:21:09","slug":"amusing-nonsense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.escamoteurettes.com\/blog\/2005\/05\/08\/amusing-nonsense\/","title":{"rendered":"Amusing nonsense."},"content":{"rendered":"

Not so long ago, I wrote here<\/a> that I have a love-hate relationship with the cups and balls. If I left you with the impression that love<\/em> and hate<\/em> set the balance even, allow me please to clarify: I hate more than love the cups and balls.<\/p>\n

And, by that, I mean the trick itself<\/em>. As for the cups, I enjoy collecting them, though I won’t live long enough to out do my friend Bill Palmer<\/a>. Visit his cups and balls museum<\/a> to see what I mean.<\/p>\n

Glenn Bishop<\/a> has recently written quite a bit on the trick. (I hope you’ve taken the time to read what he has to say.)<\/p>\n

Lots of magicians have spent an awful lot of time on the trick. Dai Vernon and his friend Charlie Miller come immediately to mind. I recently mentioned Michael Ammar’s<\/a> ambitious compendium, “The Complete Cups and Balls Book.”<\/em> For many — I dare say most<\/em> — magicians, the cups and balls is a right of entry<\/em> to being a magician. <\/p>\n

In a telephone chat with my friend Jim Sisti<\/a> recently, I mentioned my wishy-washy opinion of the trick. He reminded me of a few performers, the routines of whom I have not seen. I hold out the possibility I may, indeed, enjoy a good cups and balls routine. I just need to see one first.<\/p>\n

There have been a number of beloved versions of the cups. The cups designed by Paul Fox (and now that I’ve invoked those two words juxtaposed, I may as well say, “Hello, psycho.”<\/em> You know who you are.) Danny Dew continued that design. The Charlie Miller set is a favorite of many. Then, in the late 1990s, Jim Sisti designed a beautiful set of cups I have said repeatedly I regret not purchasing. The only way for me to describe the Sherwood cups<\/a> is to use an expletive in front of the word “beautiful.”<\/p>\n

(As an aside, in doing a little research on this subject, I ran across an old review<\/a> of the Morrisey cups and balls set. The review was submitted in 1998 by John Evernden, who went by the handle “Olde Rabbit” on the Magic Talk discussion board. John pased away on June 2, 2001. Amazingly enough, I found the same review — word for word<\/em> — on the Ellusionist site<\/a>. But there it is attributed to David Mitchell. Interesting, don’t you think?)<\/p>\n

Back to the subject at hand: the trick itself doesn’t jazz me. And I’m not in terrible company, either.<\/p>\n

Writing in his column in Joe Stevens’ Winter ’95\/Spring ’96 magalog, Jon Racherbaumer<\/a> referred to the cups and balls as “an amusing nonsense.”<\/em> I read that column and had a Navin R. Johnson moment (“The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!<\/a>“<\/em>)<\/p>\n

It’s not a meaningful<\/em> experience to watch the confusing peregrinations of little balls and bigger cups. The trick is about what happens to<\/em> the balls. It’s about<\/em> cups and balls, but what about the symbolic<\/em> content of these things? Do they have any? Does anything relate to the spectators? Is anything relevant to their lives, dreams, and personal fantasies?”\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Racherbaumer didn’t overtly answer his question, so please allow me to: No.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jon also recounted a story that has stuck with me ever since reading it. Don Alan and his wife were watching a well known performer who was an acknowledged expert with the cups and balls, perform his routine. Don whispered to his wife, “Can you believe what he can do with those balls?”<\/em> His wife whispered back, “Who gives a shit?”<\/em><\/p>\n

Apparently, Don’s wife was not — how shall I put this? — emotionally engaged<\/em> in the cups and balls routine. That had less to do with how well<\/em> the routine was performed as it did why<\/em> it was performed.<\/p>\n

Racherbaumer notes this was a turning point for Don. He later turned his attention to routining Al Wheatley’s Chop Cup<\/em>. The rest, as they say, is history.<\/p>\n

What’s the point? Interestingly (ironically) enough, the only act I’ve found to actually make a point with\/about the cups and balls managed to make two points at once. In their now (in)famous cups and balls routine done with clear plastic cups, Penn & Teller<\/a> proved that:<\/p>\n