Aaron Fisher is a genius. I like watching his instructional videos and listening to his podcast as much for his metathinking on magic as a psychological performance art as I do for their instructional--and entertainment--value.
Below are a few of his effects, as performed by me…
Panic:
Booya:
The effect behind “Booya”, the One-Handed Popover:
And, finally, Secret Weapon:
Check out Aaron Fisher’s website, AaronFisherMagic.com.
Feb 5
This is currently my favorite magic effect:
This is one of those effects that feels magical even to the one who is performing it, and of everything I know how to do, this gets the best reactions. It was created by Aaron Fisher, a magician who has the additional talent of being able to think out loud in structured ways about the theory and psychology. My kind of magician. And thinker.
Jan 21
I’ve been studying sleight of hand with coins, lately. Here’s a collection of some of the effects I’ve learned:
And an oldie from a few months ago…
In many ways, I find coin magic to be the purest form of the art.
Oct 18
Today’s my birthday…na na na na na na, na na! It’s my birthday too! Na na na na na na, na na!
Um, well. Anyway, here’s a little video about what I got for my birthday:
Fooling around with a coin (or two), in celebration of my 39th birthday, today.
Music is “Return”, as performed by the most awesomest of bands, “With Eyes Like Ours”. (Dudes, move to Austin with me if you actually want to make it in the music biz!)
Oct 9
Here is my latest effect: the Floating Bill:
The classic floating bill levitation trick, with my second son, Tommy, as assistant.
(Music is the TV Edit of “Tank!”, a.k.a. the theme to Cowboy Bebop, by the Seatbelts.)
Sep 22
This is the “out-of-the-box” (which, in my opinion, is the OPPOSITE of “outside-of-the-box”) routine with those silly spongey balls. I sympathize with Joshua Jay when he says (in his awesome book/DVD combo “Complete Magic”) that sponge balls are weird foreign objects that sillify modern magic. (Okay, not his words, but close enough.)
But I couldn’t resist. The things are just too darn fun to play with! So I cranked up some Chili Peppers and put on a show. Enjoy:
In other news, I am working on a formal “Why the General Church Needs to Plant New Churches in New Places” argument. I’m writing it as a paper, but will also be putting together a power point presentation, and maybe a video. As I work this out, I may try just blithering ideas on video here at MacFrazier.com, as a way of getting my thoughts strait. I would love to have your feedback as I do so. So stay tuned….
Sep 13
Here is the story of the “Obnoxious Kid”:
This is my presentation of the classic, “Triumph”, under the title, “The Obnoxious Kid”. Now, I actually love kids, and NONE of the kids I teach are actually “obnoxious”. My students are AWESOME! But it makes for a better story, this way.
The song in the background, by the way, is “Kilimanjaro” by the band, Township Bamboo, from their 1993 album, Journal of Dreams. (THAT will bring back some memories for some folks!)
And now here is “Pulling a Card Through the Deck, Two Ways”:
A simple Card Through Deck effect, with some Tom Waits (“Russian Dance”) in the background.
Have a magical day!
Sep 11
Here’s a random collection of effects I was working on the other day:
Originally, I was just working on my pass (which is much better than it used to be, thankfully), but then I started fooling around with some other stuff, including a still-in-progress sketch of an ACR, I’m calling the “Obnoxious Card”. Also included are a spin change, and a coin through card effect.
Sep 3
My latest card foolery:
Confessions of a recidivist card mechanic. (Just kidding. I still don’t play poker, or any other card game for money, any more.)
I’m wanted for the senseless use of Chipmunk music in three states.
I’m sorry, but no, I cannot explain.
Jul 20
Got a coin? And a sugar packet? To quote the freaky alien abductees on Boobah: “Look what I can do!”
And no, no fancy camera work. You would have seen the same thing if you were here in my office with me live. Except that there’d be sugar all over your hands, rather than all over my desk.
Jul 1
Thinking about chaos theory and Divine Providence, and messing around with a deck of cards, I came up with this video:
Many people in this world attribute everything to themselves and to their own prudence, and anything they cannot claim in this way they attribute to chance or coincidence. They do not realize that human prudence is nothing and that “chance” and “coincidence” are empty words.
-Emmanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence #70.