Mining For a Gem
Greeting and Salutations,
I hope that the holiday season has been good to each of you. I hope your stocking was stuffed with great magic that will keep you busy in front of a mirror for a while. Doing what is up to you!
For a quite some time, my good friend Jeff has been asking me to pen a regular column for him. I have from time to time offered him a piece of my mind, and magic too, but was always reluctant to write a regular column. Take whatever excuse you want, but I have finally caved! (Yes the rock pun was intended!)
Jeff gave me the title for the column but stated he had no idea what it would be about. So, in sitting at my kitchen table one evening we brainstormed and came up with an idea that you will, hopefully, find entertaining and hopefully useful. So without further delay the new column will called The Diamond Mine
Ok, now you’re asking yourself, “what?!” Just hear it out.
Jeff writes a review column here every month called Gems and Rubble. In it he gives us his opinion of whatever has caught his eye or his mailbox. Sometimes, at least in my opinion, he hits it out of the park. Other times I’m not sure what rock he crawled out from under.
Thus the concept of a “mine;” you have to dig through a lot of dirt to find a true “gem”. See it’s coming to form.
What I am going to do is take one effect form something that he has reviewed the previous month and put it to the test. Call it a practical review. That way we can see if it really works. I will build it, practice it, and finally perform it. But not just once, I will focus on performing it for the entire month.
I will perform for three groups in particular, getting direct feedback from only two of them. The two that I will ask directly what they think are family, friends and co-workers (basically those closest to me) and my fellow magicians. Then there are those perfect strangers. I will get feedback from strangers, but it will not be solicited. The feedback will be just their reactions.
Then I will let you know how much it really cost, how it really played and whether or not the effort was worth the pay off. That does mean that I am going to have to try some things that are totally out of my element, but I am up for the challenge.
Finally, I am going to allow requests. Yes really, requests! However there are a few rules. Jeff has to have reviewed it the previous month (in other words, make sure your requests for February’s article come from January’s reviews). If the cost is too much I will not perform it but will happily give you a real cost and “mine” something else. Lastly I will not perform anything that I think will offend the members of my audience.
Since this is the first month I will pick the first effect to mine. I have chosen: Everything’s a Radio from Miracles for Mortals Vol. 2, by Geoff Williams. The write up will be in January 2010’s issue of The Diamond Mine. Thus starts my new magic collection of gadgets! On a side note, this is not something that I would have normally done as an 1880’s cowboy.
So in a nutshell, we will either find a gem, and I can give you a verifiable thumbs up, or we’ll just have to keep minin”!
Until then,
Diamond Jim “The Cardslinger”
Please take a moment to reply to and “like” this article and make your requests!