talkmagic.co.uk

Now we all know that when we see Criss Angel and David Blaine on their 'Street Magic' shows, the majority of the time, it's not real street magic. They're often not random people, and camera editing allows for all sorts of amazing things. Reactions are usually blown out of proportion too.

But... Do you ever perform REAL street magic? And I don't mean stopping someone in the street, saying "Hey, wanna see some magic?".

I mean involving magic as part of your daily routine.

For example... Using a r**en and a sh**l to turn a 2p into a 10p when you're a few pence short at the off license?

Trying to pay for a £20 item with a five pound note. Placing it on the counter and turning it into the required twenty with just the wave of a hand?

Producing you credit card from thin air?

Making your credit card disappear?

Making a pen disappear?

When you have two many coins out to pay, making them simply vanish?

This is what I consider to be real out-there-street-magic. I guess maybe street magic's not even the right phrase. But you get the idea.

You're not stopping anyone, disrupting their day. You're in a perfectly natural and normal environment. They're probably bored to tears behind the till...

But yet you're able to make a change in someone's day, and a moment of excitement, a few minutes of mystery, really ASTONISH someone.

Turn an ordinary event into something special.

Make someone's day.

Now that's what magic is about.

- Josh.

I quite often do it in the pub, I show some magic and watch for other people who look interested and move on to them but I don't really like approaching people in the streets.

People are usually busy and have somewhere to be so the knock back rate is quite high. On the bus or train can be a good place to approach people though as they don't really have anything better to do, you can usually get a very good audience.

I have on occasion been on a train or the tube and been looking trough my bag ( a small rucksack) and in it has been my appearing snooker cue. The faces you get when you pull out a 5 foot cue hand, look around in your bag and then put it back in is priceless. One guy once just burst out laughing.

I love that Greedoniz, that would make a briliant ice breaker, might have to try that.

I was working on the ice cream counter at the cinema the other day. a couple came up to me and the guy ordered his ice cream. after id served it he mimed like he was going to run away and leave his g/f to pay. We had a laugh and she ordered her ice cream. While i was scooping it for her, the guy made some remark about if they ran away, i wouldnt know where to find them.

As i carried on scooping the ice cream, i noticed a ghostly reflection in the curved glass of the counter. The girl was holding their tickets in her hand at a slight angle, and I was seeing a backwards reflection in the glass! I handed over her ice cream and spoon and said 'thats £5.20 please, and if you run off ill be following you into screen 9' The look on their faces was priceless. She asked how i knew, and i said casually that im a mind reader. It was all the more wierd for them because i told them what film they were seeing and it happended to be a film about a psychic premonition

I sometimes, vanish coins as I'm handing them over and paying for things in shops, pubs etc...

Last christmas eve me and my housemate were heading to the bar. When I stopped at a shop to buy crackers and saw cheap spoons so I bought a couple for that day to show some tricks. While buying them the girl looked puzzled at the two spoons so I took one of them and did the whole bending in an open hand.

The look on her face was priceless as one of two guys on their way to a bar was able to bend spoons using his mind.

I have done it in a shop on occasions when IM handing money over. I make them vanish and change values and when the assisant looks shocked and asked how I did it I just look confused and say I don't know and walk out.

I usually make my bus pass appear magically in the morning. Even the grumpiest bus drivers end up grinning!

I was once in class and a friend ask me for some change for the vending machine so I grabbed her pen and make the coins come out of the cap.

I also like doing magic on buses. People are stuck there and they are bored so even if I'm just sitting in the corner, making a silk appear and vanish or something, it brightens up their day.

I was bored on the train once, so i searched my pockets and found a single card. I was looking at it for a while, trying to think of an effect with just one card when i realised that a guy just to the right of me was watching. So i just started twirling the card in my fingers, before making it disappear. Even with a bit of noise on the train i could hear a gasp!

I also did an Elmsley Count with money once, but it didnt go down too well. She just looked at me like i had gone into her house on christmas day and urinated on her children.

Whenever I go to pay for something at a till, I will now usually sleeve the coin I am giving to the assistant ( only having recently learned sleeving however ). Then produce it from thin air . Or just vanish it and insist I paid for it before 'magic'ing a new one, insisting they dont lose this one

Occasionally Ill give a £5 note over the counter, when it should be £10. Using a TT, ill change it. I have once used flash paper to change the bill though.

Other than that I use the raven a lot.. but ill just generally stop people and perform a few effects. Ill often use d'lites to pull lights fromtaxis driving by, throw them around a little them swallow or sniff them to make them vanish

I have at work, when its someones bday that I dont like will use a bobo switch to dump a penny into the envelope rather than the £2 they expect.. but that not magic its just cheap

Im always doing vanishes of cards and coins on the bus, people always watch and often old ladies will thank me for making them smile in the morning

Ive also got a few magical ways of producing my business card!!

Excellent everyone!

I'm really glad this generated such a response.

I.D... You made me laugh a lot, especially with the birthday swich!

The raven (or alternative) is probably the easiest way to go about switching things at tills, etc.

Oh, and I love the appearing snooker cue idea!

And I'm SO doing that with my bus pass tomorrow.

What about the old 10 pound note in the roll of Polos? Always gets quite a comical reaction.

Mike.

The vanishing cigarette in a bar or at a party is brilliant. Whenever somebody is looking for an ash tray I'll take their cigarette of them and casually vanish it then walk of without another word.

Then usually the spec will shout after you asking what just happened there.

Michael Jay wrote:What about the old 10 pound note in the roll of Polos? Always gets quite a comical reaction.

Mike.

Never heard of that but just thought of a great idea!! Have a £10 pre-rolled in a packet of polos. Get a flash £10 in finger palm. Borrow a £10 and do a switch then set the £10 note alight!!

Say sorry and offer them a polo as compensation. They will probably not accept. So offer the whole packet.. They will just look at you funny. Then insist they open the packet of polos. That would be a good effect!!