Grab It and Go

Some Dude: You’re a magician . . . do a trick.

You: Ok. See this magazine on your coffee table . . . Open it to any page you want. Then stare at the page while my back is turned . . . I see an image of fried chicken and another of Rachel Ray . . . then about half way down I see a headline . . . “The Perfect Mashed Potato Recipe.”

That sounds like an impossible effect, and maybe it is . . . but maybe it isn’t. After all, you’re a magician, and you shouldn’t be caught not being able to do magic. I’m not suggestion that everytime someone says jump monkey boy that you jump. You don’t have to perform magic everytime someone asks. However, your reason for saying no should NEVER be because you “don’t have anything on you” or that you aren’t “ready.” It should be simply because you choose not to, not because you’re forced not to due to the environment (or lack of it).

I’ve written about this in the past, and it seems to be a subject that people can relate to, so I thought I’d talk a bit more about it in this month’s Roots and Branches.

Root:

Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root is . . . be prepared . . . you know, the Boy Scout motto. Let’s learn how to be Boy Scouts (even if you’re a girl) or at least live up to their motto. There are various ways to prepare yourself for this type of situation. First, just knowing some basic sleight of hand and simple magic principles (timing, misdirection, etc.), you can pick up just about any small object and do “something” with it . . . whether it’s a simple vanish or transposition or whatever.

That’s one way to prepare. Another way is less improvised than this, but is still effective. Maybe you know that a certain friend of yours subscribes to Time magazine. Go purchase a copy in advance and memorize a few key elements on a few pages. Then when you go to your friend’s house next Friday, if the opportunity presents itself, force a page on someone . . . another page on someone else . . . etc. You get the idea.

A third way to prepare is to just know a lot of tricks with a lot of ordinary items: keys, coins, rubber bands, silverware, salt shakers, pencils, dollar bills, straws, etc. There are plenty of great resources for this kind of stuff. Here are a few of my favorite options:

• Off The Cuff By Gregory Wilson
• On The Spot By Gregory Wilson
• Amazing Magic & Mentalism Anyone Can Do Vol. I By Jay Sankey
• Amazing Magic & Mentalism Anyone Can Do Vol. II By Jay Sankey

I’m not suggesting anything revolutionary here, but rather, just reminding you of some classic principles and ideas that you should be thinking about.

Branch:

Let’s build our branches. Here’s your assignment for the next few weeks . . . start right now. Look around you. What do you see. I just looked around and instantly saw my iPhone, a bunch of loose change, my Little Caesar’s rewards card, a binder clip, a straw . . . a bunch of other stuff, but not what I would consider things that you’ll likely find kickin’ around when someone asks to see some magic.

Next step, ask yourself what you can do with this stuff. I see four quarters. I can do a four coins across routine. Or I could just do a simple coin vanish. Maybe Miser’s Nightmare (from my DVD, Gemstones, and a ton of other things. I’m sure you can think of a bunch of easy coin effects. What about the straw, the iPhone, etc.? I’m not gonna give you all the answers. You need to figure this out yourself. Your goal is to be ready (without having to carry anything on you) to impact people with the simple props found in the environment. Next month we’ll talk about the other extreme.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.