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MagiCurrentsRecipient of the IBM's Quality Ring Award

2002-2003

Honest Sid Gerhart Ring 76Website

www.ring76.com Volume XVII No 3 March 2003

Ring 76 Announces names Ring Purchases DVDof 3 New Honorary Members Magic Series for Library

The Board of Directors has voted to present Al Knox,Olive Edwards, and Jim Swoger with LifetimeHonorary Memberships in Ring 76. These threenames will be added to the Ring honor roll, that alsoincludes Pat & Art Hannum, and Roy & BettyArmstrong, who were presented with their lifetimehonor in July 2002.

Al Knox, our first honoree for 2003, was a pastpresident of Ring 76 and a longtime member andsupporter of the magical arts in San Diego. Knoxmoved to North Carolina 12 years ago but continuesto maintain friendships and contact with Ringmembers in San Diego. His efforts in entertaningyoung people and encouraging them to learn moreabout magic, as well as his gospel magic, with amessage has earned him the respect and admirationof Ring 76, and we are proud to award him aLifetime Membership in recognition of his manyefforts and achievements in our behalf.

Olive Edwards, our second honoree in 2003, hasbeen an active part of Ring 76 since the early 1960s.With her late husband George Edwards, this couplekept the Ring moving along over the years. Oliveoften times assisted George in his mental routinesand question and answer act. At magic eventslarge or small, Olive and George were always onhand to carry out what ever job needed doing. AfterGeorge died in 1990, Olive had other interests tokeep her busy but always kept up with what wasgoing on within Ring 76. With greatful thanks forher untiring work for so many years, we add hername to our roll of honor for Lifetime Achievementand Membership.

Ring 76 recently purchased a 50 Volume DVDMagic Study course from the International MagiciansSociety as part of the Ring library. The lessonsinclude card magic, coins, ventriloquism, cabaret,linking rings, mentalism, silk magic, rubber bandmagic, rope magic, sponge balls, escapes-the listgoes on and on. The teachers include a who's whoof magicans with names like Harry Lorayne, DerekDingle, Lou Lancaster, Patrick Page, JohnnyThompson, Dean Dill, Tony Clark, Tom Mullica, andmany others.

V MAGIC ACADEMY*— •IMu)i<

80 Volume Complete MagicHorn* Study Coune

TTt»™ l» no txttir «ny to

These DVDs are available to all Ring members freeof any charge for viewing and study. There are fivedifferent programs on each disc. We know thesediscs will be popular, so for now we are limiting one

Continued on Page 4 Continued on Page 4

Page 2 MagiCurrents

February Meeting finds 10 Contestantsin the annual Ring Close-up Contest

Our February meeting was called to order by RingPresidentDon Soul afew minutesearly becauseof a busyschedule.There was abriefbusinessmeetingfollowed bythe induction New Members being installedof 20 newmembers to Ring 76. Twelve of those members were onhand to receive their membership certificates. RingTreasurer Richard Ustick wrote the material for theinstallation ceremony. Our congragulations to all of ournew members. Our next installation ceremony will be in

August.

We had three IBM members visiting from Austin,Texas. Roger Gross, Kenneth Jones II, and Bobby

Lee Lucas were inSan Diego for atrade show at ourconvention centerand took theevening off toattend our meeting.Thank you forjoining us and

_ IBMfrom Austin, Texas

taking part in our meeting.

Our 1st Vice President Bob Ingalls was unable totake part in the February meeting, so Richard Ustickstepped in and organized our close-up contest andwas the MC for the program. This year's Close-upcontest included cash prizes: First place, $50;second place, $25; and third place, $15 - in additionto a plaque and certificate for those taking part. Astrictly enforced time limit of 10 minutes was placedon each of the 10 acts. It was one hundredminutes of quality magic.

The first contestant was Chef Josef Rennieltner,wearing his chef's uniform who opened with a fastmoving egg bag routine, then, with spectatorsholding the ends of a rope, amazingly passed therope through his body. Josef then had a card

selected and offered toremove an article of clothingeach time he missed findingthe choosen card that finallyturned up on his T-shirt. Itwas a strong opening act forthis competition.

Howard Harris asked CharlieGott's ten-year-old grandson,Danny Gray, who was a guestfor the evening, to join him onstage. Howard made Danny's

Josef Rennleitner

selected cardpenetrate throughthe table into theyoungman's waitinghand. It was abaffling effect andwas Howard'scomplete act.

Then veteranperformer, Michael

Howard Harris &Danny Gray

E. Johnson, moved onto thestage with a very smooth-cutand-restore rope routine thathad a lot of audience by playand lots of laughs. Thenwith the help of a member ofthe audience, Michael did avery funny and clever silkpenetration through his arm.

Coin worker Ted Dunning MichaeTE. Johnsonproduced four coins from thinair, then set about using his

coins in a veryentertainingroutine usingan Okito CoinBox as a bank

I and playingcards as stockcertificates.Ted finished his

[ act with a goodsolid coins-

Ted Dunning across routine.Nice clean work.

MagiCurrents Page 3

For these close-up acts we had a video camera setup with a large screen picture so everyone in theroom could follow the action.

Gary Dismukes started his act with a surprise andvery beautiful production of a

I] full goblet of liquid from a small' silk. Then a deck of cards wasmagically produced and cut intothree portions by spectators.Each portion was shuffled anda single card from each packetwas selected. Gary then,using his unique powers,divined all three selected cardsto a big round of applause.

Gary DismukesKenny Shelton then amazedus with some business using aborrowed dollar bill. Keepingwith his theme of money,

Kenny then produced four coins from a glass filledwith confetti. He then caused each coin topenetrate his hand in a most convincing mannerand fall into the glass. He put a lot of work into thisact.

David Eldridge used a standard ESP deck to mystifyus with the help of a spectator.David has become a premiermentalist and matched orpredicted the spectator'schoice several times, usingdifferent techniques for eacheffect. For his finale, a mind-blowing closing with the deckarranging itself into ESP suitswith no assistance fromDavid. That one lefteveryone scratching theirneads David Eldridge

Last year's Close-up Magician of the Year, TomMcCarthy, did a difficult

I Kings to Aces routinecalling upon his enormous

I skill with cards. ThenTom absolutely bewildered

his audience with an original Golden Shells and Pearoutine. Tom ended his routine with a hugediamond under one of the shells instead of the pea.A lot of nice moves and some great showmanship inthis routine.

Loch David Crane usually appears in the characterof Baffling Bill Cody, afrontier magician, but forthis contest he becamethe medieval magican,Merlin. Loch's regaliawas complete with a chainmail headpiece andpointed boots. Loch didseveral things for us,including a magnificent Loch David Crane

Tom McCarthy with hisGolden Shell routine

card stab substituting aunicorn horn for the usualknife. An excellent character, costume, and act.

The final performer of the evening was our oldestmember, Jim Swoger. Jim, assisted by Danny Gray,did a packet trick using what appeared to be hand

made cards. Poor Dannycould never find the clowncard which finally appearedin Jim's pocket. Swoger toldmembers after thecompetition he invented thetrick and routine thatafternoon and made it up forthis show. Jim still showshis love of magic in the bestof all possible ways - byperforming.

Jim SwogerThe entire membershipvoted on this year's covetedclose-up Magician of the

year. The winners will be announced at ourinstallation banquet July 19th' and awards will behanded out at that time.

Our Monday, March 10th meeting will feature themagic of Ring 292 in the North County. Jack Evansand his group presented an outstanding program ofmagic last year when they brought their show to SanDiego. They are back with a new program ofentertainment. Cake, coffee, and tea will follow theprogram. Here is an opportunity to meet some ofour fellow magicians from North County. This isalways an exciting meeting, so plan to attend. Bringa close-up effect; there is always a session after theregular meeting.

Page 4 MagiCurrents

Honary Members Continuedfrom page one:Our third honoree for the year 2003 is Jim Swoger,who is celebrating his 80th year in magic. Jim begandoing magic shows when he was five years old andat the ripe old age of seven he did a coin trick forHoudini. In the 1930s he was one of the busiestmagicians in Pittsburgh, Pa., doing a full eveningreview style show. In the 1940s he and MelbourneChristopher were in the same Special Servicesgroup in the Pacific during World War II. Jim didthousands of shows for G.l.s under battlefieldconditions. When the war was over ,Jim opened amagic shop in Pittsburgh that became known as'The House of Enchantment." For 40 years Jim,advertised his magic creations in the Linking RingMagazine and appeared in shows and was part ofthe dealers' room at IBM Conventions all over thecountry. In the 1990s he moved to Oceanside andwas presented with an honorary lifetime membershipin the IBM and the SAM. He continued to createnew magic effects and market them. For the Ring76 Close-up contest last month, he created two neweffects and at age 85 presented them as acontestant. For all that he has given to magic andmagicians everywhere, we are proud to welcomehim as an Honorary Lifetime Member of Ring 76.

We announce these 2003, Honorary Lifetimememberships now; however, their names will beengraved on our plaque of honor, and they will bepublically recognized at our ceremonies andinstallation banquet in mid-July. As honorarylifetime members these three individuals will begiven all rights and privlges of regular members ofRing 76, dues free.

Ring Receives SidGerhart Donation

Ring 76 member Fritz Lotze and longtime friend ofthe late Sid Gerhart recently donated a file ofmaterial that was once the property of Mr. Gerhart.

The file includes notes in Sid Gerhart's handwritingon his now well-remembered medicine show pitchact. Also included is the complete script for his act.

It is hoped that a showcase can be purchased todisplay these artifacts and many of the other SidGerhart items in the Ring's collection. This to bettermemorialize our Ring's namesake.

DVD Library Con'tFrom page one

disc per-person and we are asking that you onlykeep a disc for one month. Borrow it at onemeeting and return it at the following meeting.

This is the first set of DVDs we have added to ourlibrary, but we hope to continue this effort. There ismuch valuable information in these programs for thebeginner and advanced performer as well. We askthat you handle each disc as though it was yoursand keep them in good condition so they can beused for many years to come. The retail value ofthis collection of magic lessons is reported to be$1250.00.

We will have a listing of all the lessons in the library.We request that you ask Jack White for theindividual discs and sign your name in the check outbook. Jack, will check your name off the list whenyou return the borrowed disc. We also want toremind our members that we have added a numberof new books to our library, many recent donationscoming from Jim Swoger, Don Holcomb, Bob Pozner and Jim Whiting. Before or after our nextmeeting take the time to look over our library andsee if there might just be the book or DVD you arelooking for. The library is for the benefit of all Ringmembers.

A MagiToonby Jim Whiting & Ellen Friedman

,~v

"/And now, before the concert begins, pleaseturn off cell phones and pagers; and magiciansif you will put away your cards, coins andthimbles

*-*

MagiCurrents PageS

Magic notes from Jack White

Ring 76 Junior Magic Program Is Alive & Growing!The other evening, minutes before the Ring 76Board of Directors meeting was called to order, FredKaplan, who heads up our junior magicians programwas showing me a very different and clever cardtrick. I had just attended the David Regal lecturethe evening before and thought I had witnessedevery clever card trick invented. But Fred's trickblew me away. Knowing I could not ask how he didit, I instead asked, "Where did you find that effect?"He said one of his young students had come up withit. And added, "It's a killer, isn't it?"

I

I,

Fred Kaplan's efforts in establishing a Ring 76,Junior Magicians program is growing each week.

-With theassistance ofPhil Tuttle, acompleteteachingprogram has

k K '?*-&* 01 been writtenw *"••—^alP t«a M - : ' I and put into

lesson planform. Recentlythese two menbegan taking instudents from

Fred Kaplan &his students

the BarrioLogan area ofSan Diego.

They now have 12 youngsters from this "at risk"neighborhood.

Some months ago Kaplan made an appeal for helpto our members, especially for a member who isable to speak both English and Spanish. To date,there have been no volunteers; however Fred tellsMagiCurrents that one of his students is doing a finejob of translating for the students who speak onlySpanish. However, there is still a need for an adultSpanish-speaking magician to help make thisprogram more meaningful for Spanish speakingstudents.

This spring Kaplan and Phil Tuttle hope to havehoned the skills of their young performers so theycan entertain at birthday parties and take their showas a group to North County retirement centers,offering a complete program of magic. The studentsare all working hard to achieve the quality that allowsthem to appear before an audience.

Because Phil and Fred have already completed thehard work of creating magic lessons for their youngstudents; volunteer instructors need not have anyfear of not having enough material to work with orhaving magic tricks to teach the students. Theseyoung people make all of their own props andperfect their movements and skills with theinstructors looking on from the sidelines and givingconfidence and advice.

Adult volunteers are needed to assist with theteaching of magic. Help is needed two Saturdaymornings a month and perhaps one afternoon orevening a month to learn the lessons to be taught tothe students. If you would like to volunteer, callFred Kaplan at (858) 451- 9012 or you can sendhim an e-mail at magicrnan@san.rr.comHe will get back to you with answers to questionsand information on his growing program.

If you know of a youngperson who hasexpressed an interestin learning magic, youcan use the abovephone number or e-mail address to getinformation abouthaving that youngsterenrolled in these juniormagic classes. It isimportant that we asRing 76 membersencourage youngpeople with an interestin magic to receive agood foundation in learning our craft. It is alsoimportant that we all take part in this mentoring effortthat Kaplan and Tuttle have so diligentlypursued.

Fred is also asking for donations of props, tricks,books, and videos you might have and will never useso that he can offer them to his junior magic classes.

He hopes to have his youngsters ready to present aprogram for the Ring membership by late thissummer. In the meantime we are all proud of whatFred Kaplan and Phil Tuttle have accomplished in avery short period of time. Now if you can give of alittle of your time a couple of times a month let's givethem some support in this exciting program. If youtake part in Fred's classes, you will probably havethe same good fortune I had, and learn somethingnew from the students.

Page 6 MagiCurrents

Offer of new websitesfor Ring 76 members

Support our MagiCurrentsAdvertisers with your business

It seems today that more and more magicians aredirecting potential customers to their online Website.We recently heard from a Los Angeles company thatis making a special offer to IBM members. Wethought you should know about this, but we want tomake it clear this is not an endorsement for thiscompany by Ring 76.

Websites4magicians, is offering to build a Websiteand customize it to fit your needs. What struck us isthe price. They are currently offering the make yourWebsite for $49.99; normally they tell us they charge$99 for Websites. This is a special offer tomembers of the International Brotherhood ofMagicians, so you may have to give them yourmembership number to make sure you are a paid upmember in the IBM.

This company has produced sites for top magicianssuch as Tina Lenert, Christopher Hart, JonathanLevit (that X-Files guy) and others.

If you are looking to put your own Website online,you might want to contact websites4magicians.comThey have an information site you can look at whichis Info@websites4magicians.com If you want totalk with someone, their phone number is( 866)-855-7749.

We also remind our online members thatMagiCurrents is on posted on the Ring's Websiteeach month with most of the pictures online in color.If you have not visited our Website we urge you todo so. There is a brief history of the Ring, as wellas our current activities and other useful information.The site address is www.ring76.com

You may have noticed a new San Diego businesshas joined our list of monthly advertisers in thepages of MagiCurrents.

We welcome A Better Deal, Tuxedos and accessoiesto our pages. Better Deal is a discount tuxedocompany offering designer quality dress suits forperformers.

They are located in the Bird Rock area of La Jollaand offer same day service . They are offeringcustom design tuxedos from $99. Give your act anew quality look and dress yourself up in a newtuxedo. The way you dress will get you more andbetter bookings.

We urge Ring 76 members to support all of thepeople who advertise in our pages each month.Their advertising has helped to pay for ourcontinuing efforts with this newsletter.

A BETTER DEALDiscount Designer Tuxedos & Accessories

Sales • R e n t a l sSame Day Service

369 Bird Rock Ave. (at La Jolla Blvd.)(858) 551-6044 J .Kle in(858)551-7542 Faxwww.sbdtuxcdo.com

Magician

Terry Luncefordsupports

The IBM & Ring 76

Life Skills MagicYouth enrichment and after-schoolprograms, teaching the skills of lifethrough the an of magic, always witha positive message.

Michael E. Johnson, Founder1657 Paiomar Dr.San Marcos. CA 92069(760) 747-4627 Strategic partnerships welcome!

MagiCurrents Page?

Magic Pro-TipsBv Brad Burt

Ever wonder what makes magic, magic? Everask yourself the following question when looking at aparticular effect, trick, routine: Why? No, really.... Why?Why is THIS magic?

Ever notice that magic comes in flavors thatstart at the simplest of what can only be classified as'Puzzles' and gradually move toward thesublime? Sublime equaling the kind of routine thatleaves you thinking that maybe magic is REAL.

Ever think about what magicians do so deeplythat you really begin to doubt the validity of what wedo. Seems so trivial. So much nonsense. Why? Lookat it this way....if we really could do magic, wouldn't wepluck real gold coins from the air and predict the lotteryin such a way that we always win the big ones? Don'tyou think that 'lay folk' think that same thing? I meanlet's face it, they really are NOT stupid. So what is itthat we are doing out there with our decks of cards,purses full of half dollars, pockets bulging with spongeballs, color changing knives, fake body parts, and smallsilk hankies? What?

If the above seems like a downer, I'm sorry,because it's not meant to be. I am convinced that thebest way to do the most powerful and excitingmagic is to be firmly rooted in the REALITY of the situ-

Bar & Grilf Since 1986

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ation. You have to know what your audience is think-ing in order to manipulate how YOU want them toreact. You have to lead them along a neatly devisedroad only to dump them into the uncertainty of a darkforest of doubt in what they experienced of your magic!

Reality says that dollar bills do not float aboutthe place. And, in fact they don't. That's what makesit magic when YOU make that happen. I knowthat for myself, after doing magic for over 32 yearsprofessionally, I have to periodically step away fromthe technique and try and SEE what the audience isSEEING! I encourage you to do this. Work at it. It isnoteasy. We sit behind the curtain and watch the rabbitbeing placed into the hat. We know the extra coin is inOUR hand and the deck has a brief, but crucial set up.We KNOW what is going on and it ever so subtly af-fects our management of the miracle we are striving topresent.

Thus the maxim, "Practice until you no longerknow what you are doing," comes into play. What wepresent flows with such automatic grace that wecan stand outside of ourselves and SEE as the audi-ence SEES. The magic happens NOT because WEdid some unseen manipulations, but simply becauseof the 'Magic' in OUR hands. The magic flows likestreams of energy from us and activates a series ofhappenings that can not happen. You see, thetruth is that not everything IS possible. If that were truethen magic would truly be a silly enterprise. But, it isNOT silly. It is an entertaining link with a realm thathumans would love to believe is possible and thus whenastounding things happen before them they are, infact, comforted.

Magic well done is truly one of the most impor-tant of entertainments, and we should all be thankfulthat at some turn in our lives there it was for us to pickup and learn and do. Thank you.

Planting seedsfor a new generation.

Caring.Sharing,

Giving back to the community.

Fellowship of Honorable Magicians1657 Pahmar Dr., San Marcos, CA 92069

PageS MagiCurrents

View from the Cheap Seats

By Jon A. HandWhat are we doing here?

I have a modest magical library according tomost of the magic people with whom I converse(either personally, or online). My total holdingsinclude 130 books, 2 DVDs, 12 videos, and a coupleof CD-Roms. Of course, I have chosen thesevolumes very carefully, and they include the both oldand new classics such as the complete TarbellCourse, Greater Magic, Dai Vernon Book ofMagic, Stars of Magic, Hay's Amateur Magician'sHandbook, Lorayne's The Magic Book andApocalypse, Milliard's Royal Road & Expert CardTechnique, Elliott's Phoenix and New Phoenix,Sisti's Magic Menu volumes, Magic of MichaelAmmar, Jinx, and Ammar's Complete Cups &Balls, to name only a few.

Herein lies the crux of my article: How muchis too much? What are we doing with the materialthat we have? How much of it do we actually KNOWand USE? When does the enthusiasm for one'shobby and/or profession end and "magical secretlust" begin?

One reviewer called Lorayne's The MagicBook "enough material to make a close-up star outof a serious student." The Tarbell Course containsin its eight volumes the complete spectrum of magic,from close-up to stage to illusions. Greater Magichas (in the Kaufman 1994 edition) some 1400 pagesof magic from virtually a "who's who" in magic duringits pre-1940s heyday. Collected periodicals suchas'Jinx'(3 volumes),'Phoenix (6 volumes) MagicMenu (2 volumes), Apocalypse (4 volumes), andmany others by Karl Fulves and Richard Kaufmancontain hundreds of tricks each.

When one first gets into magic as a hobby,"magical secret lust" dominates the learning. Then,as too much money gets spent for dross, and thestudent learns more about basic principles of magic,the lust dissipates for a while. I suspect that itcomes back with a vengeance, however, as thestudent begins to mature in his knowledge. Whatstarted as curiosity, perhaps decades previously,

now reincarnates as""know everything that isknowable."

Then, the race begins. How many books,videos/DVDs, pamphlets, and dedicated tricks canone afford to acquire to "keep up with what's new"?Somehow, we feel as though we are missingsomething if we don't have the latest/greatest fromAmmar, or Sankey, or Daryl, or whomever.

What you will discover, if you are honest withyourself, is that you probably have more magicsitting on your shelf as yet undiscovered (or at leastunder explored) than you could ever learn in alifetime. Two years ago I challenged Ring 76members to learn one trick per month (from theirrespective existing libraries) well enough to add it totheir performing repertoires. Did you do it? I did,and I am glad that I did!

A few months ago, Brad Burl's column in thissame newsletter challenged those same members to"get out there and perform." I would add that"armchair magicians" are missing fully half of the joyof the hobby. There is nothing that compares to thejoy one feels when that fleeting moment of rapturouswonder crosses the face of your spectators.

My message to you today is to dig into yourlibrary, learn some great forgotten material, andmake magic for an audience. Put your "magicalsecret lust" or "know everything lust" aside and re-examine what got you into magic in the first place.Performing the impossible, even the mildlyimpossible, for either a handful or a gaggle ofspectators is what it is all about.

Ring 76 CancelsPublic Show inOceanside

The public show scheduled for March 8th at the StarTheater in Oceanside has been postponed for avariety of reasons.At this writing no new date has been set for theNorth County magic program.

The Ring 76 Board of Directors is looking for amember to volunteer as a producer for our fullevening program of magic. The producer would berequired to audition and arrange the various acts fora smooth flowing program of one to two hours inlength.

Any Ring member interested in taking on this mostimportant job should meet with Don Soul or JackWhite for details.

Several new opportunities for Ring 76-producedstage shows are on hold waiting for someone to stepforward and organize the people and the program.

MagiCurrents Page 9

MKND OVERMATTER

By David Eldridge

He Lived As A Devil, Eh?

Effect: A packet of 14 cards is shown face down. Theperformer deals the top card face up onto the table.On it is the name Bonnie. The next card is dealt faceup, and placed to the right of the 1st card. The nameon it is Clyde. It is explained that each pair ofcards are partners in crime. Some are fictional, andsome really lived. After all the cards have beendealt into two piles, either pile is placed on top ofthe other. The cards are then mixed and cut severaltimes. The packet is then handed to a spectator whois instructed to deal the packet back and forth intotwo piles. After the deal, the spectator may stop, orpick up either pile and place it on the other, and do

/^ the procedure again. This is done as many times oras few times as the spectator wishes. When thespectator is satisfied with the two piles, he is totake the top card of either pile, and place it unseeninto his pocket. The spectators each pick up a pile ofcards, and thoroughly mix them, even going so far asto trade as many or as few cards as they wish. Thetwo piles are finally shuffled together into onepacket, and set face down on the table.

Two new cards are introduced. They bear thenames Holmes and Watson. These are our "Detec-tives" Their job is to hunt down the criminal's partner.Holmes goes face up on the bottom of the packet, andWatson goes face up on the top of the packet. The"Watson" card is now dealt to the table. The next cardis placed on the bottom of the packet. The next card isdealt on top of the "Watson" card, and so on until the"Holmes" card is dealt to the table. The cardsremaining in the hand are discarded.

The packet on the table is picked up, and the deal-ing process continues, but in a slightly different way.This time, the top card goes to the bottom of thepacket first, then the 2nd card goes to the table. Thisis done until a smaller number of cards is sandwichedbetween the two Detective cards. The cards NOTsandwiched are discarded.

The packet that remains is now picked up, andthe top card is dealt to the table, and the second cardis placed on the bottom. This continues until only onecard is sandwiched between the Detectives. This cardis turned face up. It says, for instance, "FrankJames." The performer points to the spectatorspocket, and says, "Jesse James! You are underarrest!" The spectator removes the card from hispocket. It bears the name "Jesse James."

You will need to make up the following pairs ofcards; one name to each card:

Bonnie & ClydeButch CassidySundance KidBorisNatashaThe JokerThe RiddlerErik MenendezLyle MenendezFrank JamesJesse JamesBill ClintonAl Gore

Place the cards into the order given. Now, for thetwo Detective cards. You may use any names you wish,but I have a love of Shelock Holmes, so I preferHolmes and Watson. Place all the cards into a packetwallet, and you are set.

Bring out the packet of Criminal Cards, and deal themface up alternately into two face up piles, as per thepresentation. After the deal, pick up either pile,and place it on top of the other. The packet is nowin a cyclical order (abcdefgabcdefg). Pick up thecombined packet, and give it a Charlier shuffle.Briefly, hold the packet in the left hand, and pushoff about a couple of cards off the TOP of the deck intoyour waiting right hand. Now push off a couple ofcards off of the BOTTOM of the deck and place themon top of the cards in you right hand. Now push off acouple more cards off of the TOP of the deck and placethem unde neath the stack in your right hand.Continue this procedure until you have exhausted thedeck. All this has done is cut the packet once. Setthe packet on the table and allow the spectator to cutthe packet as many times as she wishes. The packetis still in a cyclical order.

Now with an ove hand shuffle, run 7 cards, reversingtheir order, but place these 7 cards back where thecame from. In other words, do not place them behind

Continued on page 11

Page 10 MagiCurrents

Magical ThinkingAn Essay

By Dr. Joel MoskowitzIf you are a thinking magician and think you know aboutmagical thinking, this might make you think about theway people think and it may affect your performance.

A youth told his parent, "When I grow up I want to be amagician." His parent responded, "You can't be both,son."

Inherent in this wisdom lies the psychological mecha-nism which enhances mature spectators appreciationof the art of magic. In psychoanalytical terms, the rootlies in magical thinking. A significant factor in allowingoneself to be amazed and amused by the conjurer isthe capacity to think and feel as an infant. Performersare well accustomed to encountering an audience mem-ber who reacts with offense to being, as they feel, de-ceived. These people become distressed when in asituation that taps a time when they were miraculouslypowerful and helpless at the same time.

There is no time in our lives when we are as great amagician as when we are infants. Powerless in fact,we seem to be able to command these huge creatures(parents and other adults) by simply thinking weare wet, hungry, cold and with the most minimal of sig-nals they do our bidding. The essence of magical think-ing resides in this early period of cognitive develop-ment. Magical thinking refers to the belief that gestures,postures, specific thoughts or expressions canin some mystical way lead to the fulfillment of wishesor ward off evils. It is a very primitive belief system. Inmost, as we grow and mature, we learn that just be-cause we step on a crack it won't break our mother'sback.

Very young children, not understanding what actuallycauses things to happen, may harbor these erroneousideas. To some extent religion and superstition encom-pass this kind of conviction. Persons with severemental illnesses, i.e. .schizophrenics or those with ob-sessive-compulsive disorder, may exhibit similar reac-tions.

If one searches for references regarding magical think-ing on the Internet, you are mostly directed to the con-cept that this thought process is a feature in, for ex-ample, faith in alternative and complementary medi-cine. Although the articles infer that there is a cross-cultural basic hard wiring amongst humans that im-pels us to

sucn oenets i.e. religion, tne explanation doesn't godeep enough. As babies, we humans have all the sameneeds. Our pattern of learning about the world andhow we can affect it and it affect us is doubtless thesame for all of us. Magicians recreate the experienceof defying reality. As spectators we identify with thewonderworker. In so doing, we enjoy the marvel of avery early time in each of our lives. Those who cannotgo back to this feeling state suffer a rigidity, which mutestheir capacity for pleasure. All the illusion arts, frommimes to movies, depend on suspending disbelief.The personality that permits us to think like Einsteinand play like Bugs Bunny is the optimum adaptive style.

It is a major aim of our educational system to teach ushow to reason logically. Magic defies logic and science.It is a generally accepted truism that scientists are par-ticularly vulnerable to the outside the box techniquesof the conjurer. Remember UriGeller and the StanfordResearch Institute (not connected withStanford Univer-sity)

At the Magic Castle in Hollywood, in the Close UpRoom, the Host will choose two spectators to sit oneither side of the performer. In this position, they serveas the surrogates for the people in the bleachers. Alasfor the magician if either or both assistants feelchallenged by not knowing how it is done,. The enjoy-ment of the wonders is obliterated when these person-alities feel threatened by the mystery.

Their reaction is contagious and the audience is wit-ness to an unwilling contest where the performer isforced to be on guard. The assistant conscious orunconsciously will behave so as to sabotagethe performance. Thereby he/she gains control of whatthey feel is diminishing them i.e. being fooled.

What is the performing magician to do upon encoun-tering the insecure assistant who is more concernedwith the how than the hooray? If you have a style, thatsuggests that indeed you do possess extraordinarypowers, no explanation will be sought. A mentalistperhaps. They will ask to kiss your ring and start anew religion in your name. Satisfied that you are theproof of what they have known, all along, that there arethings not understood by physicians or scientists. A.Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, the ultimatelogician, refused to accept his friend Houdini'sprotestations that he did not have unearthly abilities.

If your performing persona requires you to offer a dis-claimer (It is only stagecraft.) be prepared that some/many will see this as just another subterfuge to con-ceal mysterious powers. Can the deceiver be tellingthe truth? Remember the profound: "For those whobelieve, no explanation is necessary. For those who

Continued next page

MagiCurrents Page 11

^

Continued from Page 10

do not, noexplanation will suffice."

In the instance of the audience member(s) who areuncomfortable about not knowing how you accomplishyour astonishments, psychological karate may sooththeir apprehensions. Assure them that in beingsuspicious, they are in good company. Erudite men/women of science are also baffled. Offer to providethem with enlightenment They can take lessons fromyou. Calmed, the need to compete for the holy grailof knowledge will disappear. Few will accept the offerof the forbidden apple. Bow and vanish.

Juvenile DiabetesFoundation lookingfor Magicians

The San Diego Chapter of the Juvenile DiabetesResearch Foundation will host its annual GalaBanquet, Saturday Evening, May 17th at the HotelDel Coronado, part of the fund-rasing effort is asilent auction. The officers of the DiabetesResearch Foundation are asking a magician orgroup of magicians to donate a magic show to theirsilent auction committee.

Auctioning off a magic act or an evening ofentertainment by a group of magicians has becomea popular auction item for nonprofit orgnizations.Recently Bob Ingalls and Jack White put a magicshow together for a silent auction benefiting TheFamily Justice Center." Someone bid $550 for aone-hour magic program. All of the money bid goesto the orgnization. Bob & Jack had the pleasure ofmeeting new friends and doing a little magic. Theyalso knew they had helped a worthy cause.

If you or you and a fellow magician would like todonate your services for a magic show to help raisemoney for reseach to fight Diabetes in young people,contact Anita Simons, at (858)279-9160 or you can e-mail her atsandiego@igrf.GrcDonations must be made before April 10th.

David Eld ridge Con't from Page 9

the cards they were in front of. The packet is now ina Palindromic order (abcdefggfedcba). Hand the packetto the spectator, and as in the performance, let himdeal the packet back and forth into two packets, andplace either pile on top of the other. Let him dothis as many or as few times as he wishes, but makesure he knows that he is to stop when he has two pilesdealt that he is satisfied with. When he issatisfied, instruct him to take the top card of eitherpacket, and place it in his pocket. As he is placingthe card in his pocket, pick up the packet that he didNOT remove the card from, and begin to sloppily mixit. However, you must keep track of the bottom cardof your packet. That is the card that partners withthe card in his pocket.

I do this by mixing every card BUT that one, which Ileave on the bottom of the packet. Instruct him to pickup the remaining packet on the table (the one he re-moved the top card of) and thoroughly mix it. After abit of mixing, place the bottom card (the partner card)on top of your packet. Take back his packet of cards,and riffle shuffle the two packets together. In doing so,make sure that the top card of your packet becomesthe 2nd card of the combined packet.

In other words, shuffle one card on top of your toppacket's top card. Table the combined packet.Bring out the Detective cards. Place one on top ofthe packet, and the other on the bottom of the packet.As you have probably guessed, you will now do aDown/Under Deal. Deal the top card (a detective card)to the table. The next card goes to the bottom of thepacket. The next card is dealt to the table. Thenext card goes to the bottom of the packet, and so onuntil the other detective card is dealt to the table.The cards remaining in your hand are discarded.

Pick up the tabled packet. You will now do aUnder/Down Deal. This is the opposite of what youjust did. The first card (a detective card) goes to thebottom of the packet. The next card is dealt to thetable. The next card is placed on the bottom of thepacket. The next card is dealt to the table, and so onuntil the packet is exhausted. Three cards will besandwiched between the Detectives. The cards out-side of the sandwich are discarded.

Pick up the small packet left, and once again do aDown/Under Deal as before. At the end of the deal,only one card will be trapped between the twoDetective cards. This will be the partner of the cardin his pocket. Flip over your card, and see the name,then "arrest" the criminal in the spectator's pocket.

Pase 12 MagiCurrents

Mark's Magicby Mark Stone

VANISHING RECORDS

EFFECT: A transpar-ent front square boxwith no top orbottom, is held andshown empty. A flatpiece of blackplastic with a hole re-sembling a "phono-graph recordjacket" is shown andplaced horizontallyinside the box. :Then, up to eight 45RPM normal recordsor the color — •——Jchanging record setare displayed andvisibly placedon top of the plastic record jacket inside the box; therecords are visible at all times. Suddenly, the frontof the prop is flicked with a silk and instantly, all of therecords disappear without a trace.

APPARATUS & DISCRETION

Mark came up with the idea of this effect because healways enjoyed doing the "Color Changing Records"routine by Pavel. The apparatus is built in lucite and isa square box with a clear front and without a top or

b o t t o m .The out-side boxpanels arefinished inbright col-ors and theinside ofthe box isflat black.

A white flat piece of plastic with a large hole that re-sembles a record jacket rests inside the box: therecord jacket sits free on top of two side guides andcan be slid back and forth or removed.

The box's back wall has an extra short fake flapattached to it and a collapsing flap hinged to the fakewall top edge (fig 1). One side of this flap is white witha painted large black spot (hole) the same size as theplastic record jacket hole. The other side of the flap isfinished in flat black.

With the flap up it appears you have a regular emptybox. Now, move the left hand palm up and put it under-neath the bottom of the back wall(fig 2). Turn the box around with a smooth and slow180 degree turning movement, saying at the same time,

"There isno falsetrap".

*i

The in-stant theclear frontis facingyou, re-lease the

flap by using the right thumb. The flap(Fig 4) willdrop down ontop of the record jacket. Continue turn-ing the box so the clear front is again facing the audi-ence. From the audience point of view you are justshowing the box on all sides.

The box is now resting in just the left hand. Then placethe set of color changing records or regular 45 rpmrecords inside the box having them apparently restingon top of the record jacket. (But in reality they are ontop of the open flap.)

Grab the silk with the right hand and flick the clearfront of the box in an ascending movement that coversthe box's clear front for just a moment. At that mo-menttilt the front of the box slightly toward the audience sothe record jacket will slide forward (use your fingers tohelp) creating a gap between the back wall and theflap with the records.

It is through this gap that the left finger tips will pushthe flap back to the closed position, carrying all therecords into the secret back compartment.

Immediately the left fingers hook the record jacketthrough the hole and push it back to its original posi-tion (flush to the wall.) All the records are gone! Allthis movement is easly done while the clear front iscovered with the foulard for 2 or 3 seconds.

With the right hand, immediately grasp the box by the

MagiCurrents Page 13

^ upper backedge (flap andback wall to-gether) andshow the boxempty.

This is a won-derful way tofinish off yourcolor changingrecord routine.

We are again indebeted to Mark Stone for sharing thiseffect with our members.

For our members who do not know Mark Stone, formany years he operated a company known as CosmarMagic Company, based in La Mesa and produced manyoriginal effects that were sold around the world.

Mark began performing when he was just a boy andcontinued his interest in magic most of his life. In the1980s he was an active member of Ring 76 and for atime served as Ring president. This is the second ofhis original magic effects he has contributed toMagiCurrents, and we look forward to more in thefuture.

Mark is currently preparing a book featuring many ofhis stories and his magic creations.

Shoot Ogawa Lecturesto Ring 76 April 7th

Shoot Ogawa, the 27-year-old magician from Tokyo,will present his lecture at Jack's Magic Place,Monday April 7th At 7 pm. Syd Segal has bookedthe legend of close-up magic for this special lecture.

Ogawa was featured on the cover of MagicMagazine in March and was thesubject of an extensive six-pagestory in the popular magazine.He recently won the MacMillan'sInternational Close-upCompetition in London. Butwinning first place awards isnothing new for this youngperformer; his first award came in 1993 at theMidwest Magic Jubilee.

We may be lucky enough to get a preview of Shoot'ssoon-to-be-released "Ninja Rings" routine that is saidto be sensational. Make your reservations for thislecture early because it is expected to be even morepopular than the David Regal lecture in February.

Contact Syd Segal by calling 619-265-1536 to makeyour reservations for this special lecture.

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Page 14 MagiCurrents

f '•Message/ %•

fr <?w t/fgp

President

Anyone follow British magicians? Anonline friend of mine in Nottingham,England, has been fascinated withour Ring and wonders if someonecould provide information on a maginamed Marcus Finkelstone.

Our Web site has stirred interest notonly from IBM headquarters butpeople not previously interested inmagic. Ring 76 member KenDeWoody will soon relocate our website to a different server, as well asrevamp it, and I'm looking forwardto seeing the results.

It's time to start thinking about get-ting really involved with Ring 76. I'mproud that my administration haslaid the foundation for many direc-tions in magic - from performing tostimulating youth interest to dia-logue among other Rings and more.

Who wants to join the board andkeep the enthusiasm high? Theelection of officers is not predeter-mined, and if you want to try for aspot on the board of directors I urgeyou to run for one of the offices.

This month's theme is strictly enter-tainment and the calibre of talentis superb. The North County Guildis back again this year chompin' atthe bit to put on another fantasticshow. This meeting is not to bemissed.

Don,

76

ClassifiedAdvertising

List the magic items you no longerneed it this column and turn theminto cash. See Jack White forlisting your items:

Fukai "Milk in Silk"Pour milk into a beautifullucite 8 ounce glass—suddenly out flutters awhite 1- inch silk from theempty glass. New andcomplete $25.00J.P. Jackson 858-569-0096

Early Grant Tricky Bottles:Eye catching barber polestripped tubes with BlackCherry Bottles—Very goodcondition. $35.00J.P. Jackson 858-569-0096

Real Doctor's Bag...Carry all yourclose-up magic in this great case.Good used condition, hard to finditem. $75.00 Phone Bob Ingalls619-990-6822

f^ec-idcni Magician &Gccav/.i! Amoassador athe Co'vetle Dine:1 £87-203?4rv'.embc' of Hollywood'sFresl.'jj/O'js "MagicCsstle"Since 1SS*VMervoer crIntc'n-jlicna Brothenoo:oi M3g:oan?Since 1S764MernDer c(Ssr:ioly of Arr.encrr.Maglc'ansSince 1S74

"Magic"Mike Stilwell(619)660-9662

P.O. Box 1165 _Rancho San Diego. CA 91979email: magicmikeofsci@aoi.com

Board of DirectorsDon SoulPresident858-484-3492dsoul@san.rr.comBob Ingalls1st Vice President858-571-3340bailysgp@san.rr.comDiane Lane2nd Vice President858-278-1669dvlane@san.rr.comJack WhiteSecretary619-299-9037prestoone@cox.netRichard UstickTreasurer619-463-2407rustick@flash.netSherry LuftSgt. at Arms619-543-0354Robert PoznerMember at Large

MagiCurrents:

MagiCurrents is publishedmonthly by Ring 76, SanDiego. Editor is JackWhite, editorial officesare at 4275 UniversityAvenue, San Diego, CA92105. All submissionsand letters should besent to the above addressor e-mailed to prestoone®cox.net,

MagiCurrents Page 15

^

News

Michael E Johnson of SanMarcos misses coming to Ring 76meetings, because of a very busyschedule, however, he was ableto work in last month's close-upcontest. During 2002, hepersonally booked 352 magicperformances. This year hecelebrates his tenth year as a full-time, working magician, withrecent appearances at the HotelDel Coronado, Lawrence WelkResort, a major trade show at theSan Diego Convention Center,and Sea World. His originaleducation program called "LifeSkills Magic" is still growing, nowin its fourth year at the Boys &Girls Club. Michael welcomesIBM members to attend a LifeSkills Magic class; if you wouldlike to learn more about theprogram. Call him at (760) 747-4627

Josh London presented hismagic lecture to the HollywoodIBM Ring 21. The Februarylecture was one of the largest inattendance for Josh, to date.Josh says his "CardTransposition" routine receivedthe most reaction and interest.Josh is hoping to book moreSouthern California lectures thisspring and has lined up Ring 313in Orange County for June.Because of his busy scheduleJosh's column did not appear inthis issue of MagiCurrents.

Terry Lunceford, made his 52nd

appearance at the Magic Castle inHollywood in February. Terry iscurrently preparing to produceand edit Aldo Columbia's lastestmagic video, here in San Diego.Terry, will also be a guestperformer at the up-comingHawaii Magic Convention, in lateMarch and then he is off to

Briefs

Fectors FFF Convention in NewYork. Here is a man who knowshow to keep busy. But no matterhow busy, Terry always managesto drop by a Ring meeting andspend time with the members.

We are happy to report that Ring76 member Lane Lee, is nowback at work after beinghospitalized in late December witha coronary artery blockage of90%. Doctors placed 2 stents inhis arterys to open the flow ofblood. He has been told to take iteasy for a while, but will make afull recovery. We miss you, Lane,and look forward to having youback at a Ring meeting soon.

Ring 76 members are still reelingfrom the surprise article andpictures in the February issue ofLinking Ring magazine (page 54)on our Ring receiving the QualityRing Award. We thank LinkingRing Editor Phil Willmarth for themany kind words and recognition.

Chef Josef Rennleitner has soldhis popular Encinitas restaurant"L'Affaire" and is currentlyspending more time practicing hismagic, sailing his boat and lookingat a possible new businessventures. If you ever had achance to eat at his restaurant,you know the food was excellentand under the watchful eye of hiswife, the service was impeceable.The San Diego dining communitywill miss Josef's superb efforts at

operating a first class restaurantin the North County.

Acting Territorial Vice PresidentJeff Marcus has been makingvisitations to Rings in SouthernCalifornia and has passed alongword that Long Beach Ring 96would be interested in renewingour annual exchange programthat was started many years agoand discontinued in the late1980s. Efforts are being made toreactivate such an event.

Ed Green of El Cajon is currentlybuilding two major illusions, oneby Robert Harbin and the otherby Jim Steinmyer. At theFebruary Ring meeting Ed wasasking for help in figuring out theworkings of one of the effects.By the time the meeting was over,he said he had the answers hewas looking for to complete theprojects. Hopefully, we can seethose illusions at a futuremeeting?

Magic Mike Stilwell was keptvery busy with Super Bowl Partiesin January. Mike and Steve"Sleeveless" Sloan worked thebig ABC Television Sports partythe night before the Super Bowl.They were on a private yacht inthe middle of San Diego Baywhen the fireworks display wentoff. In February Mike worked aprivate party in Palm Springs forGroucho Marx, sons. Thatparty was a who's who of showbusiness.

Sumit Dua, is currently workingas a paramedic in Los Angelesthese days and will begin medicalschool next fall at USC, in L.A.He has sold 200 copies of hisDVD on the torn ... restored cardeffect. Meir Yedid has beenpromoting the DVD on his websitein recent weeks.

Page 16 MagiCurrents

March 10th Meeting: Exchange Show with Ring 292 in the North County.Jack's Magic Place, 4275 University Ave. Pre-meeting at 6:30 pm.Meeting at 7 pm. Ring 292 is bringing a show to San Diego. Jack Evanshas promised another great lineup of talent. Coffee and cake to followthe show.

April 14th, Ring meeting is our annual magic swap meet and auction:Reserve your seller's table early so as not to be disappointed. SeeRichard Ustick.

May 12th Ring meeting presents a special mentoring program. We willhave a special teach-in with guest instructors presenting a variety ofnew effects. These workshops have been a big hit in the past, so don'tmiss this program.

March 24th Board of Directors meeting 7 pm. Jack's Magic Place. Allboard meetings are open to members.

Return Address:Ring 764275 University Ave.San Diego, CA 92103