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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
Develop the knowledge, skill, and showmanship you need to thrill audiences of all ages
Magic For Dummies is your introduction to mystifying friends, family, and the world at large with the art of the magic. Emmy award-winning author David Pogue teaches you dozens of fun, inexpensive tricks that you can do with everyday objects like office supplies, clothing, food, and even your phone. Card tricks, sleight of hand, disappearing tricks—it's all in here. You'll also learn how to practice and improve your skills, so you can take your magical performances to the next level. Plus, this book includes tips on how to refine your techniques, so you can dazzle any live or virtual audience. This entertaining introduction to the world of illusion is a must for aspiring magicians.
- Get easy instructions on how to perform and perfect basic magic tricks
- Become a more entertaining magician, with tips on connecting with your audience
- Discover the fun of performing magic tricks for friends and strangers, in person and online
- Wow people of all ages with card tricks, optical illusions, and beyond
This book is for readers of all ages who want to learn the art of magic, including beginners and those who have already tried a trick or two.
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Seitenzahl: 465
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Magic For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Magic For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
The Process of Learning a Trick
Welcome to the Circle
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Becoming Magical
Chapter 1: All Form, No Content
The Anti-gravity Pencil
Pencil Up the Nose
The Disappearing Anything
The One-Legged Leg Vanish
Fingertip Munch
How to Get Rubbery
Off the Wall
Chapter 2: The Instant Gratification Chapter
Two-Card Sleight of Hand
The Tale of the Tightrope Walker
The Pencil-and-Quarter Double Vanish
Part 2: Wizardry Anywhere
Chapter 3: The Financial Wizard
Hard, Cold, Pencil-Breaking Cash
Sheep and Thieves
The 7-Penny Reflex Test
Don’t Show Me the Money
Heads or Tails: The Shadow Knows
Chapter 4: What to Do with Other People’s Clothing
The Anti-gravity Ring
Necktie Decapitation
Cheapskate Houdini: The Triple Rubber Band Escape
Munchy Bands
Part 3: The Restaurant Zone
Chapter 5: Cutlery Is Your Friend
The Bendy Spoon
The Classic Salt Shaker Penetration
Forks a Lot
The Three-Mug Monte
Three-Object Monte, Freakout Edition
Chapter 6: Playing with Your Food
A Sugar Substitute
The Evaporating Sugar
Beans through the Orifices
The Floating Dinner Roll
Can Grenades
Chapter 7: Matches Made in Heaven
Making an Ash of Yourself
Ashes through Someone Else’s Palm
The Three-Matchbox Shell Game
Weighing the Matchbooks
The Static-Electricity Test
Part 4: Pick a Card … Trick
Chapter 8: I Could Have Dealt All Night
How to Shuffle without Really Accomplishing Anything
You Do As I Do
The Hands-Off, Mixed-Up, Pure Impossibility
Aces by Touch
Dealing to the Aces
The Envelope, Please
The Name of Your Card
Soulmates
Sleight of Foot
The Future Deck
Dream a Card, Any Card
Chapter 9: The Build-Your-Own-Card-Trick Kit
How This Chapter Works
Forces
Revelations
Part 5: Group Hysteria
Chapter 10: I Knew That!
The Triple-Prediction Spouse-Clincher
The Phone Keypad Test
Divide & Conquer
The Book Test
The Great Vegetable Prediction
The Telephone Trick I: Call This Number
The Telephone Trick II: Call the Phantom
The Paranormal List
Chapter 11: Bigger Magic
The Torn and Restored Toilet Paper
You Can’t Do as I Do
The Strength Test
Walking through Ropes
Spiffy Pop
Unpoppable
The Classic Cut-Rope Restoration
The Late-Night Party Murder Mystery
Part 6: The Part of Tens
Chapter 12: Bonus Magic
The Big Money Rises
The Photocopied Card Trick
The Linking Pretzels
Ring off Rope
The “Magic For Dummies” Grand Finale
Chapter 13: Ten Basics of Good Magic
Don’t Reveal the Secret, Ever
Don’t Repeat a Trick
Know When to Start
Know When to Stop
Build Up Your Audience
Suit the Tricks to the Crowd
One Great Trick Is Worth Ten Not-Ready Ones
Keep at It
Act the Part
Make It Yours
Chapter 14: Ten Dead Magicians Worth Knowing
John Henry Anderson (1814–1874)
Harry Kellar (1849–1922)
Howard Thurston (1869–1936)
Joseph Dunninger (1892–1975)
Cardini (1899–1973)
Slydini (1901–1991)
Ed Marlo (1913–1992)
Dai Vernon (1894–1992)
Siegfried and Roy
Max Maven (1950–2022)
Chapter 15: Ten Things to Say When Things Go Wrong
Part 7: Appendixes
Appendix A: How to Get More into Magic
YouTube
Live Shows
More Books
Online Magic Stores
Magic Shops
Magic Associations
Discuss Online
Take a Course
Perform
Appendix B: Magic Words: A Glossary
Appendix C: Trickography
Part 1: Becoming Magical
Part 2: Wizardry Anywhere
Part 3: The Restaurant Zone
Part 4: Pick a Card … Trick
Part 5: Group Hysteria
Part 6: The Part of Tens
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: At the outset, the setup looks innocent enough (A), here featuring ...
FIGURE 1-2: The tip goes near your nostril (A); hold it in place with your left...
FIGURE 1-3: (A) shows the windup. You’re looking where you’re going to “throw t...
FIGURE 1-4: The preparation (A), the illusion (B), the secret (C), and the big ...
FIGURE 1-5: CRRRUNCH! The shattering of your bone has got to be heard to be bel...
FIGURE 1-6: From your side, the setup looks like (B); from the audience, though...
FIGURE 1-7: Start with your arm as short as it goes (A). Start tugging. Stop wh...
FIGURE 1-8: (A) It’s a bird! It’s a plane! (B) Actually, it’s someone standing ...
FIGURE 1-9: Who’s coming over the wall (A)? Bit by bit, it’s you (B). Thank goo...
FIGURE 1-10: He’s got me!
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Find the four cards and put them on top of the deck (A). Now begin ...
FIGURE 2-2: Pull apart the middle strands of the string and re-twist until they...
FIGURE 2-3: Tap the quarter (seen in A and B from off to one side), bringing th...
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: Make sure the folded bill is “nice and sharp” (A). Raise the bill h...
FIGURE 3-2: Start with the five sheep on the table (A). When you pick up the qu...
FIGURE 3-3: (A) Begin with seven pennies on your palm. (B) Count the seven penn...
FIGURE 3-4: The starting lineup for Don’t Show Me the Money.
FIGURE 3-5: Just flip the coin normally (A), but catch it claw-style (B). You h...
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: There’s a lot of band hidden in your left hand (A). The anti-gravit...
FIGURE 4-2: Grab opposite ends of the tie (A) and don’t let go! Pull X to the l...
FIGURE 4-3: (Photos A, B, and C are from
your
view.) Start with an ordinary rub...
FIGURE 4-4: All these photos are from
your
perspective. (A) shows how you “seal...
FIGURE 4-5: Photos A and B show how you introduce a full twist. In p...
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: The secret nickel (A). No one must know! The top hand should overla...
FIGURE 5-2: The napkin takes on the shape of things to come (A). When you move ...
FIGURE 5-3: The forks go on the far edge of the coin’s rim (A). Once balanced o...
FIGURE 5-4: See the black smudge (exaggerated for clarity) on the middle cup (A...
FIGURE 5-5: These are the hands of your confederate. The upper hand tells you w...
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Prepare by wadding up an Equal packet and wedging it between two fi...
FIGURE 6-2: Before you begin, make a slit (A). Ditch the sugar (B). After openi...
FIGURE 6-3 Moisten “one” bean and spit it out (A). Then pretend to take it from...
FIGURE 6-4: If you looked under your napkin, you’d see the roll that you stabbe...
FIGURE 6-5: Get that soda shaken, not stirred (A). Make a big show of transferr...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: The original ash slash should cross your life line diagonally (A). ...
FIGURE 7-2: The transfer takes place when you’re adjusting your volunteer’s han...
FIGURE 7-3: Your preparation in the restroom: a matchbox rubber-banded to your ...
FIGURE 7-4: In preweighing (A), you’re actually jamming each cover shut. When t...
FIGURE 7-5: Balance on toothpick off the edge of your hand (A). Bring the “char...
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: A fake riffle shuffle involves controlling which cards fall first (...
FIGURE 8-2: As you hand over the deck, memorize the bottom card (A). You each d...
FIGURE 8-3: Your spectator makes a three-pile sandwich (A). Look for a stretch ...
FIGURE 8-4: After your pocket is inspected for emptiness (A), the deck is put i...
FIGURE 8-5: Tell your volunteer to deal out four piles (A). The climax is yours...
FIGURE 8-6: You’re holding the envelope (A) so that the audience can’t see the ...
FIGURE 8-7: Have your spectators peek at the bottom of one of the three little ...
FIGURE 8-8: Find the cards that match the top and bottom cards (A). Put the lov...
FIGURE 8-9: Your volunteer is all thumbs (A). Take this advice with a grain of ...
FIGURE 8-10: Fan the cards the wrong way (A), and you can see the writing on ev...
FIGURE 8-11: Notice the value of the first card and the suit of the second (A)....
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: Your volunteer sets aside the top half of the deck (A). (Caution: M...
FIGURE 9-2: The Move, as seen from underneath (A). The Deal (B).
FIGURE 9-3: The top card, in cantilevered position (A). After the toss (B).
FIGURE 9-4: Lead your volunteer as you walk among the cards.
FIGURE 9-5: Your prediction — both before (A) and after your erasing binge (B).
FIGURE 9-6: Have the spectator hold the deck as shown in (A). Slap downward on ...
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: Your first prediction actually gives you two chances (A). As you g...
FIGURE 10-2: How to spell your way across the keypad (photo A), and how to mind...
FIGURE 10-3: Always eliminate the one that’s not your prediction object (A). Wh...
FIGURE 10-4: Peek at the first word or phrase — and the page number (A). Give t...
FIGURE 10-5: A volunteer picks fruit (A). You bear fruit (B).
FIGURE 10-6: Show your volunteers your list of ten paranormal entities (A). On ...
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: Enter the party zone with a square of toilet paper behind your ear...
FIGURE 11-2: Clasp your hands, wrists crossed (A, and then B). Help out one of ...
FIGURE 11-3: It doesn’t matter how many people are pushing. You’re stronger!
FIGURE 11-4: Handle the ropes mostly by the center, concealing the white thread...
FIGURE 11-5: Trim the inner bag and slip it inside the outer one (A) and (B). L...
FIGURE 11-6: Shove the skewer all the way through (A). Optional follow-up: The ...
FIGURE 11-7: Hold up your rope in a U shape (A). As you bring the middle of the...
FIGURE 11-8: After the rope is cut (A), you seem to have two halves (B). Knot t...
FIGURE 11-9: Your confederate is the guy with the glasses. Can you spot the mur...
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: Start with the $1 inset by about an inch (A, shown from your angle...
FIGURE 12-2: The prepared photocopy is two-sided. Shown here is side A (A) and ...
FIGURE 12-3: Before you begin the trick, break off a loop (A), link it to anoth...
FIGURE 12-4: The only honest part of this trick is the beginning (A). From the ...
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
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Magic For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
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Introduction
How are magic tricks even a thing anymore?
These days, everything is magic. You can control your thermostat by talking to it, see who’s at the front door when you’re 3,000 miles away, and generate a novel just by asking ChatGPT to write it. In movies, there’s nothing that computers can’t generate — even new scenes featuring dead actors. Who’d be impressed by some dumb magic trick?
And yet magic hasn’t gone away. In fact, on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, there’s more magic than ever in history. The kind of magic you’re about to learn — small, physical, in your hand, and not transmitted through a screen — is popular now precisely because it’s in the real world. Whoever’s watching knows it’s not edited or generated — it’s right in front of them!
A magic trick creates a tiny, giddy, momentary bubble of disbelief. “That’s got to be a trick,” the audience says to itself — “… almost certainly.” For a split second, you, the magician, have grabbed the spotlight in a way that nobody can resent. Magic is therefore the perfect skill for the businessperson who needs an ice-breaker, the teenager who wants a self-esteem boost, the ham or klutz who needs a socially acceptable outlet, or the romantic who wants to impress dates.
About This Book
Would you like to saw beautiful women in half? Would you like to escape from a water tank on national TV?
Wrong book. Sorry about that.
In this entire book, there’s not a single trick that requires a crew, not one trick bigger than an icebox, and not a single prop whose construction involves a table saw. Big stage magic is glorious to watch, but wait until you see people’s faces when magic happens in their hands. Trust me on this: The joy isn’t in knowing how other magicians work; it’s in being the magician yourself.
I’ll teach you how to perform little miracles. You can do them on the spur of the moment, using unprepared items you borrow on the spot: money, pencils, clothing, silverware, phones. You’ll be surprised at how just a couple of extraordinary stunts with ordinary things can add charm to your personality, impress friends, and land important job promotions.
And by the way: There’s no real sleight of hand in this book. Not one of the tricks in this book requires days of practicing “moves” over and over again. Out of the 841,302 magic tricks in the world of wizardry, I’ve found 90 that are astounding without being difficult.
That’s not to say, however, that doing magic doesn’t require skill; the talent required here is showmanship. Only a small percentage of doing a trick well is trick. Most of it, believe it or not, is presentation — timing, eye contact, style, and talking. Learn to put over a magic trick well, and you’ll also find yourself improving at making speeches, telling jokes, and understanding politics.
Where the tricks came from
A magician who makes up a new trick generally gets no money for it. The idea may get passed along from magician to magician — at magic conventions, in conversation, in performance — but the inventor doesn’t get rich. As any lawyer will tell you, you can’t copyright an idea.
As a result, magicians make it a point to honor the originator when they write about a trick. Professional magic books and videos are full of such crediting. The thoroughness of this may sometimes seem ridiculous — “This is a trick originally developed by Dai Vernon and adapted by Jay Marshall into a version Michael Ammar presented in his first video, with the ending twist added by Johnny Thompson” — but it’s a sweet and noble tradition.
There’s nothing illegal about publishing a bunch of tricks without acknowledging who thought them up, but it’s not classy. That’s why the lineage of tricks in this book appears in Appendix C, the Trickography.
Of handedness
To keep everyone from going insane, I’ve written this book as though everyone’s right-handed. If you’re a lefty, simply scan the book into your word processor and do a global search, substituting “left hand” for “right hand” everywhere it occurs.
The Process of Learning a Trick
So how do you learn a new trick? Read about it. Get the props together and try the trick in private. You’ll usually know right away if the trick is going to be any good. For example, I recently read about a trick where you push a cigarette through a quarter. OK, cool, but I don’t smoke, and most public places ban smoking; where would I ever even be able to do that trick?! Next!
If the trick shows promise, though, the next step is to video yourself doing the trick. Analyze your weak spots by watching the playback.
(When I was your age, pre-smartphone, you’d practice in front of a mirror, which meant that you couldn’t practice eye contact or misdirection — directing your audience’s attention to the wrong place by looking there yourself. Major fail.)
Welcome to the Circle
Writing a book like Magic For Dummies is not without its risks.
Some professional magicians believe that magic is a private club, a closed circle to which newcomers are not welcome. One pro I know, whom I’ll call Floyd the Great, broke out in screaming red hives at the thought of a magic book for beginners. “Magic is for magicians,” Floyd told me. “If you write this book, you’ll be destroying the art!”
As the co-author of Opera For Dummies, I’m already familiar with art forms that some consider a private club. I know that there’s an upper echelon of “experts” who, having clawed their way to the top over many years, feel threatened by the thought of throwing open the doors to anyone who’s interested.
Ah, but these people have it absolutely backward. The art of magic will die if it isn’t taught, if the excitement isn’t passed on and amplified. After all, where the heck did Floyd get his start? You better believe that some book or some person taught him. I’m firmly of the belief that everyone should know at least a couple of magic tricks. The more people get interested in magic, the more they’ll do it, invent it, watch it, buy it — and even become Floyd’s fans and followers.
So prove them wrong. Make the art prosper by doing a few tricks really well. In doing so, you’ll find your life enhanced in ways that have nothing to do with magic. You’ll be more comfortable in front of crowds, more confident in everyday transactions, and more fun to be around. You may not believe in magic, but you’ll be turned on to the magic of physics, of words, and of psychology. In other words, you may very well discover the magic of magic.
Icons Used in This Book
Cute little icons dress up the margins of this book. They’re there to help you spot items like these:
Yep, it’s a tip: a sage morsel of advice accumulated from battle-scarred experience.
Most people love watching magic. Some, though, treat your performance as a challenge to be conquered, and you as a charlatan to be exposed. This icon tips you off to places where, if you’re not careful, an audience member could ruin your trick.
Much of magic is acting, if not downright lying. You’ve got to pretend you’re actually violating the laws of nature. Here are your moments to ham it up.
Misdirection, of course, is drawing the audience’s attention to the wrong thing at the right time, so that you can get away with whatever sneaky deed is required. This icon indicates those delightful opportunities.
This icon denotes something you have to do before performing. Because this book is so heavily slanted toward impromptu tricks — magic that doesn’t require setup — there aren't many of these icons.
Beyond the Book
In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book also comes with a free, access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that discusses how to recover from a flubbed magic trick, important magic words, and more. To view the Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and type Magic For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
If you’ve never tried to fool anyone in your life, start at the beginning: Chapters 1 and 2, which offer some tricks that are so entertaining, people will love you even if your performance isn’t flawless.
If you’ve had some experience doing tricks, try the chapters near the end. The card tricks, mentalism tricks, and parlor-magic tricks are pure gold.
But really, you can start anywhere. This book’s not a novel; you can read the chapters in any order without getting confused about the plot. Have fun!
Part 1
Becoming Magical
IN THIS PART …
Take your first, timid, no-skill-required steps into magic.
Let comedy do the work for you.
Get used to being the center of attention.
Chapter 1
All Form, No Content
IN THIS CHAPTER
How to get comfortable in the spotlight
The importance of patter
A few goofy, funny tricks to warm you up
If you’ve read this book’s Introduction, you know that only a tiny percentage of a magic trick is what you do. The rest is how you do it: your sense of humor, timing, and conversation. Hate to break it to you, but behind the scenes, some of the world’s greatest magic tricks actually look pretty dumb. Out front, they look spectacular — but you may have to overcome a certain self-consciousness when doing them.
How can I possibly stress the importance of personality in magic? How can I cure you of worrying that you might get caught doing something silly? How can I hook you on the rush of entertaining people, even if you’ve never been a show-off before?
Hey, I’ve got it: I’ll begin the book with tricks that are nothing but showmanship. These tricks aren’t even tricks. They’re optical illusions, hilarious visual jokes, laugh-out-loud quickies. These tricks aren’t about fooling people; they’re about entertaining people — which, after all, is the goal of magic. Because there’s nothing for the audience to figure out, you won’t suffer that kind of performance anxiety.
These tricks will, however, get you into the habit of performing. Try them out. Get a sense of how people react to you. Practice being onstage. See how it feels to talk as you go. After you do a few of these, you’ll be ready for the added excitement of astonishing and entertaining people; that’s what the rest of the book is about.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PATTER
Patter is magicians’ terminology for “what you say while you’re doing the trick.”
Not every magician talks while performing; some stage magicians, for example, hit Play on a playlist before doing their stuff. You, however, may find it a tad inconvenient to whip out a Bluetooth speaker as you sit down at the restaurant table or stand in line for a movie.
No magician performs in absolute silence; it’s just too uncomfortable. Because the music thing isn’t ideal for close-up, impromptu performances, you have to talk while you do your tricks.
Patter can take various forms. If you can’t think of anything clever, just describe what you’re doing. (“Now I’m going to insert this steak knife, which you’ve previously examined, into the melon …”) Sometimes you may be able to create a storyline that goes with your trick. (“Centuries ago, there was a magical steak knife from India who fell in love with a forbidden cantaloupe …”)
If you’re going to perform a trick before your speech at a business function, for example, it’s usually easy to make up patter that ties in with your pitch. (“Now, most consultants are like steak knives plunging into a melon. They only tackle problems they already know they can solve …”) The point is to say something as you go. Make it funny, make it serious and mysterious, make it New Age and life-affirming — just say something.
Because patter is a huge part of any good magic trick, I’m going to suggest patter for every trick in this book. If you use it, great. If you don’t, replace it with your own homemade patter. Just don’t perform in silence.
The Anti-gravity Pencil
You don’t necessarily need a pencil for this trick. You could also call this trick the Anti-gravity Butter Knife, Letter Opener, Straw, Ruler, Magic Wand, or Other Long Skinny Doodad.
The effect: You clench a long pencil (or other long skinny doodad) in your fist. You hold it high above your head — and open your fingers one by one. But the pencil doesn’t fall! It hangs there against your palm, defying gravity.
The secret: The only thing defying gravity is the index finger of your other hand. Like I said, this one isn’t really designed to fool anyone older than about nine years old (although you may be surprised). But it sure looks good, and it’s great practice for overcoming the “The-secret-is-so-stupid-I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this” syndrome.
Rub the pencil (or other doodad) up and down against your clothing, as though you’re building up a static charge.
“Did you ever fool around with static electricity when you were a kid?” you might say. “We used to rub balloons against the carpet, and then they’d stick against the wall.”
Lay the pencil across your open left palm (photo A in Figure1-1).
For added effect, you might pull it away from your skin a couple of times, as though you’re testing the static charge.
FIGURE 1-1: At the outset, the setup looks innocent enough (A), here featuring a magic wand. After you’ve closed your left hand (B), your right hand (seen in C from behind) is missing a finger, although nobody will notice. And voilà … anti gravity (D)!
Close your hand into a fist. Grab your own wrist with the other hand, as shown in photo A. Turn your fist so the back faces the audience. As you do so, straighten your right index finger (which is out of sight) so that it pins the pencil against your palm (photos B and C).
You’ll have to open a couple of your fist fingers briefly to let your index finger in.
I know, I know — you’re worried that people will see this move. They won’t. First, your turning wrist blocks your index finger’s movement. Second, your audience isn’t even tuned in yet — as far as they’re concerned, you haven’t even started the trick yet! If you act as though nothing important has happened yet, so will the audience.
After you’re in position, however, your attitude should change. Now get slow, deliberate, and highly mystical. Start acting.
“The funny thing is — when the humidity is just right …” (It’s okay to not finish your sentences here. You’re much too busy concentrating.) “I’ve found that even heavier objects can sometimes — here, I’ll just …”
Raise your hands to the level of your head. Look at your hands. With a great display of difficulty and danger, open your fingers one by one (photo D).
Leave the thumb last; to the last moment, you want your audience to think, “Oh, big deal. The thumb is still holding the pencil.” Then, when you finally do open your thumb (and the pencil doesn’t fall), there’s a moment of genuine shock or hilarity, depending on how seriously your audience is taking you.
At this point, spread your open fingers wide. You might decide to move your hand slowly around, maybe even shaking it. You might even roll the pencil mysteriously up and down your palm (with your index finger), although doing so immediately gives away the secret. (Which is fine if you’re doing this for comedic effect or for children.)
Finally, close up your fingers again and bring your hands down. Deliberately turn your left fist knuckles up — which perfectly conceals your right index finger sneaking back out of your fist and joining the other fingers on your wrist.
You’ve just reversed the move you made at the outset. There’s nothing left for the audience to see but your left fingers opening, revealing an ordinary pencil that, by now, has lost its static charge.
If anyone actually looks mystified, you can now hand over the pencil: “You wanna try? It feels really neat!”
Otherwise, if everyone’s smiling and thoroughly entertained, you might decide to (a) get back to work, (b) break your pencil with a dollar bill (see Chapter 3), or (c) push the pencil up your nose (see “Pencil Up the Nose,” later in this chapter).
TRUTHS OF MAGIC, PART 1: NOBODY QUESTIONS THE PROCEDURE
At one point in the Anti-gravity Pencil trick that opens this chapter, you’re supposed to grab your wrist with the other hand. In 1,000 performances, nobody will ever ask why it’s necessary for you to grab your own wrist! Deep down, they’ll assume you’re trying to stabilize your fist, help lift it into the air, guard against germs, or whatever.
But the more important lesson here is useful in overcoming your shyness about doing magic: When it comes to how you do something, the advantage is definitely the magician’s. For some reason, audiences simply don’t question the way you do something; they just assume that the rules of the trick are a given.
Look: If a stage magician were really magic, he’d just stand there in the middle of Times Square with his assistant and slice her in half with a power saw. But he doesn’t. He puts her in a box. On a table, on a stage. With the audience seated out front, limiting their view of his assistant before cutting her in half.
But not a single person complains about all that setup. To them, a woman still got bisected, and it’s a darned-tootin’ miracle.
Pencil Up the Nose
Amazing isn’t the right word for this trick. Breathtaking isn’t the word, either.
Juvenile is more like it.
Still, nobody will forget the day you grabbed a sharpened pencil and shoved it all the way up your nose.
The effect: You grab a pencil and shove it all the way up your nose.
The secret: Not just any writing implement will do for this one. You need a longish pen or pencil. Above all, it must have a uniform size, shape, and color all the way down its shaft. Bulbous Mont Blanc pens are no good for this. Striped pencils don’t work, either. You can use pencils with writing on them — but only if the other side is completely blank.
After you choose your weapon, you can start the trick:
Point out your sinus problem.
For maximum effectiveness (that is, maximum grossness), tie your patter into an attack of congestion. Let the “attack” interrupt something else you’re saying at a moment when several onlookers are available.
“So anyway, I was considering a 5.25 percent jumbo mortgage, but it was only adjustable after the first five-year term. So I thought I’d get something variable instead, and I — I —”
Start squinching up your nose and sniffing loudly, both inward and outward.
“Excuse me, I’ve got this — this congestion problem. It’s acting up again. Let me just take care of it. Here, can I borrow this pencil?”
Position the pencil.
Grab the pencil’s eraser end with your right hand. Place the pencil tip just under your nostril, as shown in Figure 1-2, photo A. (If one side of the pencil has writing on it, the side with the writing on it should be away from the audience.) With your left hand, cover up your nostrils and the pencil tip, as shown in photo B.
Your right hand position is spectacularly awkward, I admit, but nobody said magic was going to be painless. You’re holding the eraser end of the pencil — but you’re not grabbing it from the side, as a sane human being would do. Instead, you’re holding it from underneath, so that your fingers and wrist are almost extensions of the pencil (see photo B). Your fingers are toward the crowd, your thumb is toward you.
Slowly slide your hand up the pencil, allowing the shaft to slip behind your hand and wrist.
Do this with a great deal of grunting and grimacing; you’re beyond words at this point.
Of course, the pencil never actually moves. Your left hand protects your nostril from actual impalement, holding the pencil point exactly where it is. You’re sliding your right fingertips up the shaft of the pencil, as shown in photos C and D; your hand and wrist conceal the pencil shaft (as shown in the transparent photo C). The whole sliding-up process should take about five seconds.
Because the pencil is the same color all the way down the shaft, nobody can tell that it’s not actually moving. (Note: Do not actually insert the pencil into your brain matter.)
FIGURE 1-2: The tip goes near your nostril (A); hold it in place with your left hand (B). Keep the shaft hidden as you slide your right hand toward your nose (shown in C, transparently, and in D). After you’ve finished “clearing your sinuses,” politely wipe off the pencil (E).
The optical illusion is unforgettable — if you hold your right hand and arm so that they completely block the pencil’s shaft from view, and if you simulate sufficient discomfort. Try it a couple of times in selfie videos before you perform it. Think: What would your face look like if you really shoved eight inches of plywood into your cerebral cortex?
After the pencil has been “shoved” deeply enough — see photo D — you may wish to rest for a split second, or even wiggle the pencil slightly (you know — to loosen up your phlegm).
Slowly extract the pencil.
Once again, you’re really just sliding your right fingertips down the pencil shaft.
When your right fingers hit the metal ridges of the eraser end, grab it and pull it free from your nose. Look skyward for a moment and inhale deeply, as though to demonstrate how freely you can now breathe.
Be polite! Wipe off the pencil on your clothing (photo E) and graciously offer it to the person who’s watching.
Say, “Here — wanna try?”
The Disappearing Anything
You won’t get far in your study of magic without hearing about misdirection. That’s when you make the audience look at the wrong thing, so they completely miss the real action of the trick.
You probably assume that misdirection is very difficult, especially with an audience all around you. Actually, though, misdirection is amazingly easy, thanks to this handy piece of psychological trivia:
People look where you look.
If you’re talking to me at a party and I look sharply at something over your shoulder, you will turn and look, too. But if I’m looking you straight in the eye while I talk, you must look me in the eye. You can’t help it. Meeting the speaker’s gaze has been programmed in your DNA and reinforced every day of your life.
You probably assume, too, that you’re new to misdirection. Actually, I doubt it. Misdirection goes on every day, all around you, in fields unrelated to magic. It happens in child-rearing. (*Thud.* “Waaaaaahhhh!” “Ooh, look, Timmy! Here comes Mr. Teddy Bear!”) It happens in politics. (“You had an affair while in office!” “Look out! There’s a war in the Middle East!”) It happens in relationships. (“You’re late again.” “Oh, yeah? Well, you forgot my birthday last week!”)
You’re about to see a trick that relies purely on misdirection. Mastering it will require a big mental gulp on your part — you won’t believe you can get away with it — but it’s super-easy and quite magical-looking. In short, I’ll show you how to make anything disappear. Anything small, anyway.
KEEPING YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE
Beware one common misdirection pitfall of beginning magicians. Painfully aware that you’re doing something tricky, and deeply worried that someone will catch you, you may try to cover your actions by staring at your audience. That is, if you’re at dinner, you might unconsciously stare into the eyes of your date.
They, like all humans, are helplessly programmed to meet your gaze. They will completely miss the trick. They’ll also think something’s wrong with you.
Instead, look above people’s heads, as though you’re going to chuck this poor croissant all the way to the restrooms. And it’s not staring, anyway; it’s aiming.
The effect: You grab something small — a dinner roll, a $20 bill, a cork, a business card, an oyster, an egg timer — and toss it into the air, where it vanishes instantly.
The secret: It’s all misdirection. You look where the thing is supposed to fly; everyone else will follow its trajectory. Too bad for them — it won’t be where they’re looking. The trick is over before they start paying attention!
The fake-out toss is probably the easiest to learn at a restaurant, where you’re seated at a table. For this example, say you’re working with a dinner roll.
Hold the object in your right hand.
“Hey, have you read any of the new research about the aerodynamic properties of dinner rolls?” you might say. “Check this out!”
Photo A in Figure 1-3 shows a dinner roll in pre-throw position.
Drop your hand back and down, as though you’re preparing to throw a Frisbee.
This step and the next two all happen in one fluid motion, by the way.
Simultaneously, turn your head out and to the right and look where the roll would go if you were really going to throw it.
Again, this is exactly what you’d do if you were going to toss a Frisbee.
Drop the roll into your lap (the table hides it) and whip your hand in the direction you’re looking.
Once again, your hand moves exactly as though you’d just tossed a Frisbee (photo B).
FIGURE 1-3: (A) shows the windup. You’re looking where you’re going to “throw the object.” And then (B): It’s all over.
Thanks to the power of your eyes and your violent hand motion, there’s no way anyone can help jumping back and watching to see the roll’s flight through the air. After about one second, they’ll realize the roll is gone, and they’ll immediately stare at your hands — which are, of course, empty.
The whole thing takes less than a second.
Don’t be nervous, don’t slow it down, and don’t look at the roll once you’ve begun the windup. It’s just a quick toss. Video yourself with your phone trying the trick; you’ll see how incredibly convincing this illusion is.
The One-Legged Leg Vanish
Here’s another gag that won’t fool anyone, but will have everyone thoroughly entertained.
The effect: You hold a coat or towel in front of your legs for a moment as you sing corny circus music. When you lift the coat, one of your legs has vanished — leaving only the shoe behind!
The secret: Pull your heel out of your shoe before you begin the trick. You then simply tuck your leg up behind the coat.
To prepare, grab a coat, towel, throw rug, or some other piece of opaque fabric big enough to cover your legs from the knees down. You’ll have best results if you loosen your shoe before you take the stage.
Stand with your feet together. Lower the coat so that only your shoe tips peek out.
“All my life I wanted to do magic tricks,” you might say. “But people would always say: ‘Hey — try making yourself disappear!’ and they’d burst out laughing.”
As you talk, pull your foot free of the shoe; your toe is touching the floor of the shoe for balance.
Photo A in Figure 1-4 shows your starting position.
“The funny thing is, I took’em seriously. I’m working my way up to making my entire body disappear into thin air. Wanna see what I can do so far?”
Behind the coat, lift your free foot up, balancing on the remaining foot.
Look down as you do this. (Remember: The audience looks where you look.)
Slowly lift the coat about two feet, enough for people to see that your leg is missing.
It’s actually a very funny sight — not what you’d call mystifying, but extremely weird (photo B). (Of course, it’d look at lot less weird if people could see you from behind, as shown in photo C.)
As you hold this position for a moment, you might fill the time by singing some corny show-biz tune, like the classic circus tune or (if you’re old enough to know it) the “Twilight Zone” theme.
Slowly lower the coat to your shoe tips again. Slip your free foot back into its shoe and whip the coat away to reveal your fully restored leg (photo D).
GRACE UNDER FIRE, PART 1
Kids, in particular, adore The One-Legged Leg Vanish. One six-year-old in my neighborhood nearly nailed me last summer, though. After a masterful performance of The One-Legged Leg Vanish, he yelled out, “Now make ‘em both disappear!”
So, I did what any self-respecting magician would do: I made something up. By sheer coincidence, I was standing directly in front of the kid’s back porch. A railing came down parallel to the staircase, and it ended with a post just about at the level of my hips.
I did the same trick — except I loosened both my shoes. Unbeknownst to the kids, I actually sat on the railing post, lifted up both my legs, and — sure enough — convinced the kids that I was now floating in the air!
FIGURE 1-4: The preparation (A), the illusion (B), the secret (C), and the big finish (D).
Fingertip Munch
This trick is tacky, juvenile, and completely revolting. It’s one of my favorites.
The effect: You’ve got a hangnail. As everyone watches in grotesque fascination, you begin nipping at your finger with your teeth. Deeper and deeper your finger goes into your mouth as you bite, until suddenly — crrrrrunchhh! — you accidentally chomp your own bone. The sound of splintering skeleton is loud enough to hear from the next table.
The secret: The sound of disintegrating bone is provided by a piece of hard candy (cough drop, LifeSaver, whatever) you’ve previously socked away into your mouth. (Handy alternative: Slurp in an ice cube from your drink.)
The only tricky part to this whole affair is getting people’s attention — and even that shouldn’t be too tough. “DARN!” you can exclaim loudly. (That usually does it.)
When everyone’s staring at you, stare at your index fingernail, picking at it.
“I hate getting these hangnails. You ever get those?” Now start nipping at the edge of your finger with your teeth.
Push your finger farther into your mouth and chew harder.
As the moment of truth approaches, ensure that your finger is actually outside of your teeth, between them and your cheek. You don’t want to shatter your distal phalanx bone for real; your reputation would be more “idiot” than “hilarious magician.”
After about four seconds, kick the hard candy into position between your back teeth with your tongue. Bite down hard.
Figure 1-5 shows the effect.
What makes the trick (in addition to the horrific cracking, crunching sound) is that you freeze in horror, motionless, eyes wide, and let out just a tiny whimper of excruciating pain.
After a moment of enjoying the crowd’s aghast expressions, chomp two or three more times on the pieces of crushed candy, now pretending to enjoy the taste of fresh finger bone. Finally, pull out your finger, look it over, announce, “Got it!” and smile broadly.
FIGURE 1-5: CRRRUNCH! The shattering of your bone has got to be heard to be believed.
How to Get Rubbery
You’ll never get hired to do a Netflix special doing these tricks. You will, however, get people at the next table gawking and pointing. And you’ll be able to entertain the kids on the airplane — you know, the ones in the seats in front of you who insist upon standing up and looking back at you all the way to London.
Here they are: two ways to stretch parts of your body in hilariously realistic ways.
The Stretchiest Thumb in the World
The effect: You grab your thumb and stretch it until it’s nine inches long.
The secret: It’s all in the twitching.
Hold your left hand out. Give a couple of twitches.
That is, flex all five fingertips twice, as though you’re scratching an invisible dog’s neck or slipping into a tight glove.
That’s an important move; you’ll repeat this twitching every few seconds throughout the trick.
“You wanna know why I’m such a great magician?” you can say. “It’s because I’m double-jointed. Check it out.”
Stick your left thumb into the bottom of your right fist. Here’s the twist: Stick your right thumb between the right index and middle fingers.
When you plop your right hand on top of your left thumb, the right thumb looks like your left thumb sticking out. (Photos A and B in Figure 1-6 should make this all clear.)
After you’re in position, twitch twice with all the “left hand” fingertips again. This time, however, your right thumb twitches with the left fingers, in perfect sync.
FIGURE 1-6: From your side, the setup looks like (B); from the audience, though, it looks like (A). With plenty of grunts and grimaces, pull until your thumb is stretched (C). You can end the trick, if you like, by yanking your thumb all the way behind your back (D).
Pretend to pull hard on your left thumb. Slowly pull upward with your right hand, so that it looks like you’re stretching your left thumb.
Make it look like you’re really exerting yourself. Grunt. Actually, of course, your right fist is just sliding up the left thumb (photo C). Every half inch, pause and do two more fingertip twitches; those twitches go a long way toward making it look like your left thumb is still visible.
“See, I was born with this extra cartilage. It lets me stretch my fingers in unusual ways.”
As you pull, bend and even twist your “left thumb” in hideous directions.
I like to turn mine, slowly, 180 degrees so that when I twitch, my thumb tip is pointing toward my shoulder, “Exorcist”-style. You can also try bending your “thumb” all the way backward so it touches your wrist. It looks really grisly.
If you keep stretching and twitching, eventually only the tip of your left thumb will still be concealed by the right fist.
End the trick by un-stretching, slowly compressing your thumb back to its normal length, and then taking your right hand away and showing your left hand back in its normal proportions.
Or you might make a sudden spasm, whipping your hands to either side of your abdomen, as shown in photo D. (Your real left thumb disappears behind your back.) Pause — and then twitch. It looks for all the world like you’ve just stretched your thumb all the way behind your back.
Medic!
The Stretchiest Arm in the World
For this grand finale for the stretchy portion of your performance, you must be wearing some kind of jacket or blazer. Anything with elastic at the sleeves won’t cut it.
The effect: You point out to your audience that your coat is a few sizes too big; your sleeves are positively hanging off your arm. No problem, though: With your other hand, you dislocate your shoulder, grab the newly freed arm, and stretch it until it’s a full foot longer than it was before.
The secret: It actually has more to do with sliding than with stretching, but still, you won’t believe how freakish this stunt looks.
Before you begin, tug your right sleeve downward as far as possible. Scoot your shoulder backward in the coat to help with making your arm look very short. Hold your right arm out horizontally.
If you’ve set up everything right, only the tips of your fingers should be peeping out. Photo A in Figure 1-7 shows this starting position.
FIGURE 1-7: Start with your arm as short as it goes (A). Start tugging. Stop when your arm is much too long (B).
“People sometimes wonder where I get all the money to buy my magic tricks. Simple: I save on clothing! See, I don’t care what size of clothes I get. If something’s too big or too small, I just stretch my body to fit. Like this. Let me dislocate my shoulder here …”
Use your left hand to karate chop your right shoulder (make a corresponding “Aaah — !” sound).
The idea is, of course, that you’re trying to detach or dislocate your arm.
Grab your right fingers with your left hand. With tiny, half-inch tugs, start pulling your right arm “out of its socket.”
Let your right arm be tugged; help it along by shoving it farther and farther out of your sleeve. The optical illusion happens at your sleeve edge. People see the flesh sliding past that fixed vantage point — and get supremely grossed out.
