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Hi Guys,

As a magician I try and create moments in peoples life that they will remember for the rest of their life which is why I love to hear what tricks lay people remember.This is why I love to hear it when I finish my routine and someone say something like "You know,15 years ago a magician pushed a bottle through a table".

I have now started to record what people remember on a notepad and I would love to see if any of you guys have heard people talk about tricks,thank you.

Best,

Oliver GS

6 years ago, when I used to do a few tricks for the locals in a bar where I live, I set up a card in sealed chewing gum wrapper and carried it around, never thinking the opportunity would come up to do it (or that I would have the confidence to perform it). But I did perform it that night.

My friends sometimes talk about when I used to do tricks, and they would ask to see something, one of my friends will tell that story about the chewing gum trick and i often dont have to do a trick at all.

jhmagic1 wrote:6 years ago, when I used to do a few tricks for the locals in a bar where I live, I set up a card in sealed chewing gum wrapper and carried it around, never thinking the opportunity would come up to do it (or that I would have the confidence to perform it). But I did perform it that night.

My friends sometimes talk about when I used to do tricks, and they would ask to see something, one of my friends will tell that story about the chewing gum trick and i often dont have to do a trick at all.

Thank you very much for sharing,what do you think the reason they remember the trick is?Is it because they were so amazed or are there any other reasons?

I think people tend to remember things that are slightly different, for me I find that my sponge bunny routine is always quite well remembered.

magicollie wrote:

jhmagic1 wrote:6 years ago, when I used to do a few tricks for the locals in a bar where I live, I set up a card in sealed chewing gum wrapper and carried it around, never thinking the opportunity would come up to do it (or that I would have the confidence to perform it). But I did perform it that night.

My friends sometimes talk about when I used to do tricks, and they would ask to see something, one of my friends will tell that story about the chewing gum trick and i often dont have to do a trick at all.

Thank you very much for sharing,what do you think the reason they remember the trick is?Is it because they were so amazed or are there any other reasons?

I think it was different from stuff I had done before, ie just a card trick.

The image of a card instead of a piece of gum coming out of the packet was what stuck with them, its unusual and unexpexted to them I guess. We all remember unusual images.

Both chewing gum and cards are everyday objects, but when combined in that way they create a not so everyday image.

This might seem a little unprofessional, but whenever I intend to perform I keep an envelope with a single Queen of Hearts inside it, with the writing "I will make them say the Queen of Hearts" written on it.

This is for all those times when I ask a spectator to just 'say a card outloud please' during any routine, like for an ID routine...

If he/she happens to choose the QoH as they often do, then I have them search through my pockets for other envelopes, make sure that this is the only one and then have them open it and theres the reveal.


It looks so impossible because it IS so impossible, as its simply not the intended trick. No one has ever forgotton this though, and it is -unfortunetly- my second most requested trick after metal bending.

Eshly wrote:This might seem a little unprofessional...

Unprofessional... I dont think so. Im sure you will find alot of Magicians that do this, Its a great idea.

'When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities.'
Deepak Chopra

wouldnt it be better to have " you will name this card" written on the envelope?
if you have the identity of the card contained written on the outside, you completely destroy any hope of the effect having a climax.

I think Tom meant that he had the writing on the back of the card... but I could be wrong

You might want to write on the envelope something like:

"If my powers of mental coersion are working at full strength, the volunteer will have no choice but to name the card contained within"

Might also be a good idea to have a deck that is missing the QoH too (so long as you don't need a full deck to perform with if they don't say that card!)

EDIT - and, of course, if you do need a full deck for the alternate trick... what a good time to practice your deck switch

No no, I meant the writing "I will make them say the Queen of Hearts" is written ON the queen of hearts itself. The envelope is just small and black.

Notice the small psychological wording of it too, which I am slightly proud of for not screwing up on: It says 'them' instead of 'him' or 'her', which often makes people misremembering it and makes them think I also predicted gender.

The fact that it also says "I will MAKE them" enforces the 'psychological explanation' I use, instead of a psychic. A psychic would write something more like "I predict he will choose this card".


The writing is simply written on the card to make it far more visual (thick black sharpie writing across the Queens face looks lovely), and to give the skeptics something to think about; as it would make slight of hand (to switch the 'prediction') almost impossible.

When I was still quite new to performing in public and long before my first paid gig I did a session of close up at a dinner table for my nephews 18th Birthday.

I put in to it a very basic coin to bottle, not a signed coin but one which was marked in advance by me.

I didn't have a PK ring at the time and sellotaped the necessary item to my wedding ring.

That trick is still talked aboout by the family and my brother keeps the bottle with the coin in it on his living room shelf to show to visitors. The coin I should add was too big to go in through the neck and despite the answer to how did it get there is obvious to me has never been guessed right once.

Similar story - when I first joined the company I work at now, I set up 'Labelled' to use at an off-site team building event. I carried the bottle with me, no-one noticed it at all until I performed the trick and ended up with a signed label inside a sealed bottle of Sprite.

The boss still talks about it to this day and, unfortunately, I am now required to do a turn at every works do!!!

The boss did also tell me that, as it was a very hot day on the day of the team building event, he cracked the bottle open and drank the Sprite on the way home... anyone who knows the method will grimace, as I did, at the thought of doing that!!!

Why? Did he discover the method?

Eshly wrote:Why? Did he discover the method?

I wouldn't have thought he would but...
Was he a bit off colour afterwards
Or am I thinking of a different method?

Oh, and tricks people remember are, in my opinion, tricks with something thay always carry with them (i.e ring), as every time they see it they are reminded of you, or ones that leave souvenirs in impossible conditions.