The Tale of Two Packet Tricks

Another month of aging is under my belt and I can’t help but wondering just how Jeff manages to review everything that crosses his mailbox.  It’s utterly amazing just how much product the magic industry produces.  What’s even more amazing is broad spectrum of quality, spectacular to ok, mediocre to crap.  This month I experienced the extremes, spectacular and crap!

The first effect I played with this month was most aptly titled.  Have you ever chewed an ice cream cone down so fast that it hurt?  You know that mind numbing, painful feeling that takes a while to go away and no matter how good the flavor it just zapped the fun out of the ice cream? At least in this neck of the woods that’s called a Brain Freeze!

“Brain Freeze” by James Prince is perfectly titled, a mind numbing, painful experience that left me wanting to toss it across the room.  It just plain sucked!

On the DVD, James moves with such fevered pace that the first time I saw it I asked myself why should I confuse and confound my audience with a pace that is faster than a Jackrabbit on methamphetamine.  I came to realize you have to move fast so as to cover the poorly selected slight.

I will be the first to admit that I am no card mechanic.  However I can do a very clean Elmsley count and a Faro shuffle without much trouble.  This required neither.  However after hours of practicing the required slight I decided it was no longer worth the effort.  No matter how I tried I could not slow down the effect to make it comprehensible for performance.  So I finally abandoned it without ever taking it public.

Simply put, mind numbing to watch and even more painful to perform.  This single flavor could make me quit eating magic altogether.  This one is a lump of coal!

I am glad that I had a second flavor to chew on this month.

“Leipzig Would Have Loved This” by Bill Malone, should have been titled “Diamond Jim Will Love This!” Once in a while I run into a performance piece that is something I HAVE to add to my repertoire.  This one has been added and I have created a whole presentation to fit my character.

First thing, Jeff was concerned that there was a discrepancy in it that would not fly past an audience.  I bet I performed it at least fifty times and not a once did the discrepancy raise an eyebrow.

I found that it played very well for all types of audiences.  My family loved the effect.  My co-workers at This Is The Place Heritage Park actually brought in their family and friends telling them “You gotta see his new one!”  One of my co-workers exclaimed to her sister, “I hate him… don’t you just hate him!!!”

For strangers… it just plain killed!

I had two school groups from Japan this month. I couldn’t help it I had to be the showman even if it required a translator.  Both times the rumble from the group was a profound disbelief that eventually ended with a resounding applause.

I had a group of lady church missionaries that stopped in at my work and was told I had to show them.  Again it ended in applause.  One trick, just one trick!!  I did nothing more and decided not to follow it up.  I was asked to repeat this more than I expected.

There are three great moments of magic in this effect.  Two of them are unexpected convincers.

The only thing I can complain about; Bill, why couldn’t you have just given this to me instead of publishing it to the world?!?

This one is definitely a 5 carat Diamond!

I haven’t decided on next months yet, so hurry get in a request or you may be subject to Jeff’s request.

~The Cardslinger

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