IMPROMTU PENETRATION from Russell Leeds' DVD "Banding Around"

What The Audience Sees:

"Jamie said he was feeling pretty low-key today as he was playing poker last night but that he wanted to show us something with a poker chip he took home from the game. He saw Big Ted's huge elastic ball on his desk, however, and got really excited. He asked us to give him an elastic and then he took my pen (which I'm not even sure he gave back! Oh well, he earned it!) and held the elastic stretched behind the pen. He told us about how Houdini used to have an act on stage where he could walk through a solid brick wall and that he thought he discovered how Houdini had done it! He said he had to practice on small objects first before he tried it himself and that he would demonstrate with the pen and elastic. Get this- he made the elastic pull through the pen! It was amazing! I mean, we saw it go through one strand at a time! Big Ted got so excited he started to doing jumping jacks! I can't wait for Jamie to bring a brick wall to the office- it's going to rock! Get it? Rock...Brick wall... Ha Ha...Okay, so maybe we should leave the comedy to Jamie...But this was seriously good!"

How It Went:

Great! I love elastic band tricks and this one is awesome! You know, I personally believe that, as a magician, I should be able to perform magic that isn't a massive production. Sure, I have a stage show and, if asked, I could bust out a set at any given time that, I like to think, would be really entertaining. But there's times where you need to establish yourself as someone who can simply perform miracles all the time and that I'm not just a "performer" per se. That I really am a magician. Sometimes you just need to make the coin disappear and leave them wondering at that.

As a result, I'm always on the lookout for little things that will constantly keep people reminded that I'm a magician all the time. And this penetration fits the bill wonderfully. It was totally spur of the moment and used things that people had on them. They really enjoyed it and they're left with the items so that you know they're going to try it when you're gone. And, of course, they won't be able to.

Best Lines:

"Who needs Houdini!"
-That was a great compliment!

"Make Angry Bob go through a brick wall but without the magic part!!!
-Toooooo funny.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

I'm just going to say 5/5. I mean, I barely know how it works, lol. I actually had to turn my portable DVD player upside down to learn it! At any rate, he didn't even bother trying to guess.

My Rating:

Some people might think I'm crazy for loving elastic band stuff as much as I do but I'm telling you, this can be some of the strongest magic around. Everybody on Earth has, at some time or another, played with an elastic band and some people deal with them on a day to day basis. This particular effect isn't as strong as a three phase Crazy Man's Handcuffs, however, but it's still great. 8.5/10.

The JDG Tip:

I think it's crucial that the band is at a 45 degree angle. When you're performing this you'll know what I mean. I think the illusion is better when you don't have the band go perfectly horizontal.

Closing Thoughts:

Thanks for taking time to visit the new Magic Café blog. I've started performing two effects every Friday and it's been going really well. Thanks for reading!

Jamie Grant
Vancouver Magician
www.jamiedgrant.com
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