Until June...

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This is the final post for May. New posting resumes Thursday, June 1st. Newsletter subscribers will receive the June issue that day as well. If you’re a subscriber at the $25/month level and you have an ad to get in for the next issue, try to get it to me by the 28th or so

Speaking of ads, I forgot to get this one into the last newsletter and it’s time sensitive so I’m placing it here instead.

This is another way you can use your ad space even if you have nothing to sell. You’ve got a page to do with as you please.

Dear friends of the Jerx....

I am using my Jerx advertising to share some very grave news with you.

The Magic Nook will be closing at the end of this month.


You know the site. The one that only sells to VERIFIED magicians, and also does nothing to define what that means.

Magic is an art, and they know it when they see it:

https://www.magicnook.com/verified.htm


But perhaps it is most famous for these very good and very funny and very tasteful pandemic jokes:

https://www.magicnook.com/FREEpostPandemicJokes.htm


So please, if you will, pour out some woofle dust for one of my favorite magic shops.

Memorial armbands will be available in the lobby.

The Magic Nook
"Do-It-Yourself" Magic for "Build-It-Yourself" Magicians

CLOSING WEB SITE ON MAY 31.

If you would like some insight into where modern magic and modern culture are, consider tricks in the past that have been popularized for the people whom they fooled.

The Ambitious Card was known as “The Trick that Fooled Houdini” after Dai Vernon was purported to have fooled him with it.

Out of This World has been known as “The Trick that Fooled Winstons Churchill.”

Then there is the mathematical trick known as “The Trick that Fooled Einstein” as dubbed by Al Koran.

Houdini! Churchill! Einstein!

A master magician. An esteemed statesman. And the greatest physicist of all time.

Where are we at now…?

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If you’re looking to “freak out” someone of the status of a Post Malone, the trick is Hook by Eric Ross.

For those of you who have the last book, you will recognize this concept from the trick in there called The Line Code. If the premise of that trick escaped you in the written form, then this might help explain the idea behind what you are pretending to do in that trick.

In a few days, while we’re away, the 8th anniversary of this site will occur. I can’t wait to receive all your presents. 🥰

I’m looking into ideas of how I might celebrate…

That “nerf war party” is really calling my name.

And what’s the deal with a “cozy movie night party”? Cozy? You don’t have “cozy” parties with 8-year-olds unless you’re Jared from Subway.

Actually, what I’ll probably end up doing is throwing a soccer ball, going rollerblading, and playing Explosions on my gaming system. Typical 8-year-old stuff.

At any rate, thanks to those of you who have supported the site and allowed it to continue all these years. This will be one of the busiest months for me related to this site as I’ve had to complete a full month of posting, a newsletter, and finishing up the next book. I’m already beat and the next 10 days are going to be crazy.

What does year 9 hold? It’s likely going to be the busiest year yet: A brand new effect for the Jerx App, unlike anything I’ve seen in app magic. The first release in the Every Deck A Story trick series. The new book in October. The reprint of The Amateur at the Kitchen Table in early 2024. And another physical trick release probably before year 9 is up.

That’s assuming the site survives a bit of self-sabotage I’m considering doing next month. We’ll see back here on June 1st, Flip-A-Coin Day, where’s I’ll flip a coin to decide if I’m going to dox the person writing this site.

Every Imp Everywhere All At Once

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“Okay,” you say, “I admit, this is going to sound crazy.

“Have you seen Everything Everywhere All at Once? Did you like it? Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool too. I don’t know if was Academy Award-worthy, but it was fun.

“Do you remember the term ‘verse-jumping’ from the film? Right. It’s short for ‘universe-jumping.’ And it’s where you do some statistically unlikely action and because of that, you’re able to unlock the memories and the skills of yourself in another universe within the multiverse.

“I didn’t quite understand that when I first saw the movie, but I had a physicist explain it to me. Apparently, it’s based on a real-life concept. The idea is this… imagine some alternate universe where you had made a series of different decisions that had led you to become a master of… say… archery. So in that universe where you’re an archery master, there is going to be some action that you did in that lifetime that you did in no other universe. Some action that is completely unique. Something so unusual that you didn’t do it in any of the 43 quintillion other universes. Maybe you put crunchy peanut butter between your toes, or you got a full back tattoo of James Corden, or you licked page 32 of a TV Guide.

“And because that action is completely unique to that one universe, if you were to do that action here, it would link you to your consciousness there. And you would briefly possess the skills you have in that universe.

“Look, this is all very complicated science. I don’t know how it works. But I did discover something cool… there is an underground service—totally illegal—and if you text them and ask them about any particular skill, they will let you know whatever weird action you need to do to ‘universe-jump’ into the consciousness of a version of you that has mastered that skill. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it. Given that there are essentially infinite universes, there’s one of you somewhere who has mastered any skill you can think of. And for a few minutes you can experience living in that version of yourself.

“I made a list of different skills I would like to know what it feels like to have masteedr. I’m going to have you choose one, and then I’ll figure out what I need to do in order to acquire that skill…”

This Imp might not make a ton of sense if you’re not familiar with the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once. But anyone who has seen it will get the general concept pretty easily. And even if they haven’t, you could probably make the concept clear enough just by describing it to them.

So here you have a way to get into any trick that would otherwise be just a demonstration of some impossible skill.

It’s obviously a fantastical, unbelievable premise BUT it makes sense as an overall story. “There is this process that allows you to briefly sync up with other versions of yourself with distinct skills in other universes… I’ve just done what I need to in order to sync up with this other version of me… And now I can memorize a deck of cards in 8 seconds.”

That’s a cohesive fictional story.

This is what I find people respond well to.

If I just come out and say, “I can memorize a deck in 8 seconds.” You—as my friend—might think, “Well, no he can’t. I know him. His memory isn’t that great. So it’s just a trick.”

And I might fool you with that demonstration but it still comes off as just a detached moment of fake impossibility.

It would be as if I showed you a video clip of a person flying. You might think that was a well done video effect. But it probably wouldn’t stick with you in any meaningful way if you didn’t see it in the context of some kind of story.

An Imp’s purpose is to establish a greater context for the magic moment. And this Imp does so in a particularly fun way.

First, there is a direct correlation to a very popular movie.

Second, they get the pleasure of watching you do whatever unique “linking” activity you need to do—giving yourself a mohawk with mayonnaise, or shoving a tennis ball in your mouth, or whatever.

Third, you could use something like a Svengali pad or Digital Force Bag to force the skill you’re going to immediately acquire to further up the impossibility.

Fourth, it’s easier to enjoy this type of demonstration because it eliminates the desperate show-off element that a lot “look what I an do” tricks possess, because you’re not really demonstrating a skill you have. (At least not the you of this universe.)

You can also turn this idea around and have your spectator do something unusual which allows them to briefly acquire some incredible skill as a prelude to any Spectator as Mentalist/Magician effect.

New Release Round Round-Up #6

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Time for more uneducated opinions on new releases based primarily on first impression of the ad copy.

Heartbeat by Juan Colas

There’s been a lot of chatter in my email box about this effect. And understandably so, as it’s definitely something that grabs your attention more than some tired coin or card trick. But there’s also a sense that the effect itself, while unique, is also kind of random. The title of that video is, “They FEEL Your HEARTBEAT Through a Pencil.” Well, that’s kind of like, “They FIND Your DAD’S GUITAR PICK In a BEEF Ravioli.” Or, “They SEE Their MENTALLY SELECTED FLIP-FLOP In a Glass of Room Temperature TURTLE Ejaculate.” These are all things that are impossible but also fairly arbitrary.

Hopefully, in the instructions, there is some attempt to make this moment seem meaningfully impossible as opposed to just randomly impossible.

I have a couple of different presentational ideas for this that I will test out when I receive it, and I will report back on how they go (if they go particularly well, you’ll read about it in a future issue of the Love Letters newsletter).

The problem with tricks that are unique and arbitrary is that they become profoundly googleable. There is a real danger of a trick like this getting fucked-out real quick. Which is unfortunate, but also it’s just the time we live in.

I should also mention that Ellusionist’s advertising and marketing, while still gimmicky in some ways, has become a lot less embarrassing for them in recent months. That’s unfortunate for me, because I’ve had a ton of fun goofing on their shit in the past. But if I’m going to dunk on their stupid shit, then it’s only fair to acknowledge their new approach too. So “well done” to Geraint Clarke or whomever is responsible for that turnaround.

Heroes Hat by Marcos Cruz

Okay, sure, the trick itself may suck. But the voiceover! It may sound like they used a free text-to-speech generator rather than pay someone $20 to do the narration, but I know for a fact that’s not the case. I’ve heard it on good authority that they spent $114,000 training an AI on the stilted, awkward, charsima-less delivery of your typical magician and this voiceover perfectly mimics that style.

Haze by Wonder Makers

I can’t speak about the quality of this product or the nature of the smoke it produces, but I think if you put an object in your spectator’s hands, and smoke starts coming out of it, then their reaction is likely going to be, “Oh, I guess this object produces smoke.”

It looks like you just need one card to disguise the gimmick and can therefore use any poker-sized deck. So if I had to use this in a way that the spectator wouldn’t immediately think that there’s something funny about the deck, I would use it when visiting someone’s house. Set up the gimmick to use some deck in their own house, ideally one with an unusual back design (assuming you can just tape a card to the gimmick in a non-destructive way). And then you might have a chance of getting away with this. However they still might just turn the deck over and be like, “Oh, so that’s what’s happening.” (Assuming they don’t just drop the deck outright when it starts smoking.)

By the way, if your intention is to email me and say, “If you’re worried about the audience looking at this gimmicked deck, you need better audience management.” You’re right. I don’t really do “audience management.” Instead, I manage the tricks I do so my audience is free to think and act in a normal human way.

Tequila Diddler

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Here’s a small, fun, sexy idea to use with your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse/friend-with-benefits. It would not be good for your mom/boss/pastor (but don’t let me stop you, you freak).

If you’re apart from each other—maybe you live in separate houses, or one of you is traveling—call the other person on the phone before bed.

Tell them you want to try and tune into their mind and body. Have them put the phone on speaker and start touching themselves with one hand. They can choose to lie or tell the truth about which hand they’re touching themself with. Then they can choose to switch hands or not and again they will either lie or tell the truth about what they did.

You match your breathing to theirs and after a moment, one of your hands begins to feel warm all the way on the opposite side of town or opposite side of the globe. You can now tell them exactly which hand they’re going to town on themselves with. You can repeat it again, but afterwards, it’s probably best to move on to something more urgent.

This is Mark Eslsdon’s Tequila Hustler, just done with your lover’s genitals rather than a coin.

I’m not writing this as a joke suggestion. I’ve done it and it goes over surprisingly well. It’s fun and quick, which is what you want. You don’t want to do anything too substantial when you’re mixing magic with sex. For that matter, you don’t want to do anything too substantial when you’re mixing anything with sex. Licking whipped cream off someone’s nipples could be a sexy moment, but you don’t want to gobble down pulled pork and roasted brussels sprouts off them. Just do something quick and easy as a prelude to the good stuff.

Mailbag #90

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Do you have a theory as to why more guys are into magic than women? Most artistic pursuits are evenly split if not women dominant. Why not magic? —WL

I don’t know. Maybe magic isn’t an art.

Why are there more men than women in magic? Probably the same reason there are more men than women in juggling. In ventriloquism. In trick shots exhibitionists.

Because these things are stupid. And men, on average, have a greater interest in these types of stupid activities than women do (again, on average).

Yes, magic is stupid. It isn’t intrinsically wonderful and awe-inspiring. It can be made to be more powerful and engrossing than any other form of entertainment, in my opinion. But it rarely is. The idea that people will just automatically be charmed by you doing something they don’t know how to do is the fundamentally retarded misunderstanding most magicians have about magic. What most people think after seeing most magic tricks isn’t “Oh, how incredible! What a sight to behold!” What most people think after seeing most magic tricks is, “Huh. I wonder how he did that? I guess there’s some way to do that. Well… whatever.”

If people were overwhelmed by the wonder of everything they don’t understand, they’d never get anything done. They’d just spend eternity weeping at the automatic door at the grocery store.

For most people, faking the impossible—in and of itself—is sort of meaningless. Like repeatedly tossing 8 balls into the air or making it look like a doll is talking or shooting a basketball into the hoop from the second level of the stadium. And pursuing these types of meaningless goals is something that seems to intrigue men more than women.

I’m not suggesting women are some evolved species that isn’t into dumb shit. They’re just into different types of dumb shit.

[Regarding the post No Questions]

Great post & insights today!

Probably because this has been my mindset for years!

My first performance test of a trick/effect/routine is to my wife. I would say that she has the average lay person brain thought process but because she's been my wife for almost 40 years, she also "knows stuff", like some magic concepts. So with her, I get the best testing of both worlds.  

If she figures out the trick, I don't use it. Even if she's wrong but reasonably 'close', I might not use it. She has to have no idea as to which path to go down.

If she doesn't figure out the trick, then it gets tested on my mother or someone at work.

Bottom line: If ONE person figures it out, it's off of my performance list because most people aren't that stupid (although I'm around A LOT of stupid people.) —MP

A lot of people think their wives are really hard to fool when in actuality, their wives are just one of the only people giving them an honest reaction. If you have such a partner, consider yourself lucky. It’s great to have someone who will give you straight feedback. (Either because they know you can handle it if a trick didn’t fool them, or because they are just—more generally—sick of your shit.)

If you don’t have a partner, or yours is too kind really give you honest feedback, you need to cultivate some other relationships with people who will. Magicians are mostly useless in this regard. They’re delusional about what a normal person suspects or understands. Just seek out your smartest friends and use them as your trick gatekeepers. You don’t even always have to perform for them. You can just show them a demo of a trick online. “This has me stumped, do you have any idea how it could be done?”

If they say something like, “There’s probably something funny about the coins he’s using.” And you know for a fact there is and the routine doesn’t allow for the coins to be examined. You know not to pursue the trick. It’s the benefits of the Wife Test without the wife or the test (of your own performance).

I’ve been trying to think of a more interesting thing to tell people I’m into other than “magic.” Do you have any ideas of a better way to state that? What about telling people that I enjoy “manipulating perception”? —WO

If you tell people you like “manipulating perception” that may generate some interest. But if you then follow that up by doing something that feels like a magic trick to them, they’re going to say, “What the fuck? ‘Manipulating perception’? He’s just doing magic tricks.” It will look like you were trying to hide or disguise your interest in magic (which, let’s face it, you were).

Embrace the word “magic.” It may sound corny to some. People may have a negative association with it. That’s fine. Now it’s up to you to do something that defies their expectations. It’s up to you to do something where they say, “Wait… what was that. I’ve seen magic tricks before, but that was crazy.”

I get that saying, “I’m into magic!” can make you feel a bit like a dork. But trying to run from that will make you look even dorkier.

If I ever want to blunt the impact of just saying I’m into magic, then I’ll add some “sub-interests” afterward. So I might tell people I have an interest in magic “and some other related things, like psychology, gambling, old rituals, weird phenomena.” The nice thing about this is that you’ve given people a little grocery list of things. And they can pick one of those things to latch onto, if they’re so inclined. This can give you an entry point to an area of magic that might interest them without having to disguise your own interest in magic.

Dustings #86

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Supporter Ricardo D. sent along this video which could serve as a great back story for any strange object you want to exhibit to your spectator.

Your friend in Japan has sent you this mystery box from a Japanese vending machine. Let’s open it up together…

It wouldn’t take much to replicate something similar to those packages. Put the unusual object inside and include some roughly translated instructions.

The fact that you can point to this video or other references to these packages online gives the presentation some real-world weight.

This obviously has a lot in common with my Yento presentation. But it’s different enough that you could use both with enough time between.

When the pandemic happened, Marc Kerstein add an auto-pair functionality to his Xeno app. Xeno is an app that allows someone to go to a site that you direct them to—say, for example, a site of 100 movies—look at anything listed on the site, and you’re able to tell them what they’re thinking of. It’s just that straightforward. The only semi-tricky part was the process involved in syncing things up so you could get your peek. Auto-pair made that part of the effect simple and close to automatic. At the beginning of the pandemic, I used it quite a few times. But when I went back to performing in person, I completely forgot about it, like a dingbat. So this is a reminder for myself, and anyone else reading, that Xeno with auto pair allows for some of the most straightforward mind reading experiences possible.

One of the joys and frustrations of being off social media is being out of the loop. It’s nice not to have to be privy to every dumb fucking thought some casual acquaintance or distant relative has. But then again, when something important happens in the life of an old friend I’ve lost touch with, it would be nice to find out about that in a more timely fashion than being told 4 months after the fact, “Oh him? Yeah, he died.”

On a similar note, not being immersed in the social media aspect of magic has been a huge boon to me as far as creating my own material and ideas. But it does leave me out of the loop at times.

While I get a lot of emails saying, “I bought this trick and it kind of sucks, can you think of a way to make it better?” I don’t get too many people raving to me about some particular trick/product/or download out there that they love. Perhaps it’s because people assume I’ve already heard of it. Or perhaps they think, “Well, if he wants other people’s opinions, he can go on the Cafe and Facebook like everyone else.” But I’m just not interested in that scene. However, if you ever find something you love, I’m always interested in hearing recommendations if you’re so inclined to pass them along. Just send me an email.

Unintentional Real Life Magic Tricks

Attractive Magic

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Amateur magic is inherently unattractive. Especially the way it’s traditionally performed. Normally it’s performed in a show-off type of way. “Look what I can do!” That’s a very unsexy attitude.

Let’s say you’re a guy, and you happen to show up at an event and you’re wearing a suit that makes you look sexy. That’s great.

But if you show up and say, “Hey everyone. Look at me in my fancy suit! And this tie… it was really expensive!” That’s what’s known as a vagina-dryer-upper.

It’s the same thing: wearing a nice suit. But in one case it’s an attractive quality and in the other it makes you look like a tool. The same magic trick can come off in different ways as well.

Magicians often think, “Power is sexy. So displaying my magic powers will be sexy.” Nope. Sorry. Displays of power for the sake of displaying power come off as corny to everyone but the most vapid of mindless dipshits.

I’ve recently realized that a lot of my ideas about performing magic are about ways to make performing magic more attractive. Not because I’m looking to “attract” people with magic. But just because I don’t want to turn people off with magic, which I think is something the traditional modalities often do.

So how can we present magic in a more attractive way? Well, as I said, I think that’s the underlying theme of most of my writing. But I’ll get to some specific ways in a second.

First, let’s consider a trick…

“I can float a bill with my mind!”

This basic-bitch style of magic is about as uninspired and unattractive as it gets.

How could we present the trick more attractively?

  1. Allow them to see your progress. One day you’re just staring at a bill and nothing is happening. A couple weeks later you can get the bill to shift a little when you concentrate on it. A month later you finally get it to float. Watching people accomplish a goal is attractive.

  2. Do it casually without begging for their attention. If you dropped a bill and floated it back up to your hand nonchalantly, then you would just be the guy who shows up to the party in the nice suit, not the guy who says, “Look at my nice suit!” See: The Distracted Artist performing style. People who can do unusual or difficult things with ease and without seeking validation are attractive.

  3. Create a story around the moment that is not about you. If—to make this bill float—we have to take a little journey to some weird location of “low gravity” out on the edge of town, or there’s a haunted corner of the public library, or something, you can make the trick more about the experience than just the thing itself that’s happening. See: The Romantic Adventure performing style. For many people, life can feel like the same thing day after day. If you can give people a new experience (even a fictional one) that’s attractive.

You will find other techniques throughout this site, but those are some of the big ones.