talkmagic.co.uk

Hello all,

Its been a while since I posted a review here, and Im sorry to say that it's gonna be a bad one too.

"Cloud Busters" - This book is being hailed as the 'Ultimate Street Magc effect' - This could not be ANY further from the truth. It claims you will be taught the lost, forgotten art of weather manipulation (yes you read that correctly!) - You will be taught how to make clouds appear / dissapear, you will learn how to create rainbows, stop the rain, even clear the sky of ALL clouds leaving a beautiful blue sky! - sounds impressive doesn't it? All for a mere £26.99.........thats about twenty six pounds and ninety nine pence too much in my opinion!

Weather Manipulation is not a trick! REPEAT: NOT A TRICK. The only truthful thing in this book is the first paragraph, and I quote:

"You may be a little disappointed when you first discover the method"

.......Disapponted isn't the word - How about RIPPED OFF!

This book actually has the nerve to tell you to say to your spectators:

"Now, this may take 20-30mins to work, because it's using up alot of my magic power!"

.........Are you F***ING KIDDIN ME!

Who the hell is gonna stand around staring at the sky for half an hour while they wait to see if the weather will appear to change!

This book embodies the very thing wrong thats with magic today. Im sick of being peddled these ridiculous, unrealistic, ineffective illusions. Magic is losing its purity. TRUST ME..........stick to your cards, coins, ropes, silks, dice...whatever you use to perform your magic effects.

DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT !!!!!!

Can I be so bold... are you a professional working mentalist who fits the criteria of the target audience of this publication?

I really think that this is aimed at the more pro end of the market, and if you don't fill that criteria, then you wouldn't find any benefit from this.

(I fear that this may be akin to my previous metaphor of a joyrider reviewing a Bentley)

I haven't read Cloudbusting, but from what I can gather the technique / idea does seem very similar to an effect published in David Shuttleworths "Mind Control"

Is there any substance behind it? I don't know, it seems to be a "faith v science" argument. I have tried the method laid out in "Mind Control" and I have made it work, but I have also failed as well. I haven't spent too much time on it so I can't say conclusively that is phenomenal or rubbish.

Admittedly I may be way off the mark here with my assumptions that the two methods are similar - if someone has read both and can tell me they are not then I will stand in the corner with my hands on my head.

Can I be so bold... are you a professional working mentalist who fits the criteria of the target audience of this publication?


seige - No, im not a professional mentalist......I am however, realistic enough to know that the "TARGET AUDIENCE" in question here.....a complete imbecile......will be the only one to believe your CHANGING the weather....especially when you sometimes have to say...."Please just wait half an hour for it to work?" (and sometimes it wont at all)

This form of unrealiable & varying ending, doesn't constitute as a trick! A trick either works or it doesn't. If it does - great, then its earned its place as being a magical affect......if it doesn't work sometimes, then why bother using it as an illusion at all - especially if thats gonna make you look like a fraud, and a bull shitter when you cant do it!

No dis-respect seige, im sure your a very competent magician, with years of more experience than me, and your probably a very nice guy too.....but im not completly stupid.....I know how the average guy thinks (why - because I am one) Spectators who belive tricks like this, are in the same vein as magicians who make things float or move on there own, and then have the audacity to expect their spectators to believe it happened without the aid of I.T.

Anyone who believes that the weather doesn't change on its own in 20-30mins anyway is a complete uneducated cretin....and personally, i dont wanna spend the rest of my life performing to the calibre of spectator who is unfamiliar with the concept of - THE * WIND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALL OTHER MAGICIANS - Just learn some sleight of hand, and forget s*** illusions like this that either dont work. Or rely on the priciple of, well there is no principle - CLOUDS MOVE, GET OVER IT, Who the f*** is gona actually think that the magician is doing it!!!!!!!!

So, once again, no offense seige. Thanks for replying to the post by the way, all the best with your cloud busters book, hope you enjoy it. Good luck mate, unfortunatley your gonna need it if you think anyone will believe what your going to be claiming to do (and I bet, deep down, you know im right, don't you?)

TylerMason wrote:Hello all,

Its been a while since I posted a review here, and Im sorry to say that it's gonna be a bad one too.

"Cloud Busters" - This book is being hailed as the 'Ultimate Street Magc effect' - This could not be ANY further from the truth. It claims you will be taught the lost, forgotten art of weather manipulation (yes you read that correctly!) - You will be taught how to make clouds appear / dissapear, you will learn how to create rainbows, stop the rain, even clear the sky of ALL clouds leaving a beautiful blue sky! - sounds impressive doesn't it? All for a mere £26.99.........thats about twenty six pounds and ninety nine pence too much in my opinion!

Weather Manipulation is not a trick! REPEAT: NOT A TRICK. The only truthful thing in this book is the first paragraph, and I quote:

"You may be a little disappointed when you first discover the method"

.......Disapponted isn't the word - How about RIPPED OFF!

This book actually has the nerve to tell you to say to your spectators:

"Now, this may take 20-30mins to work, because it's using up alot of my magic power!"

.........Are you F***ING KIDDIN ME!

Who the hell is gonna stand around staring at the sky for half an hour while they wait to see if the weather will appear to change!

This book embodies the very thing wrong thats with magic today. Im sick of being peddled these ridiculous, unrealistic, ineffective illusions. Magic is losing its purity. TRUST ME..........stick to your cards, coins, ropes, silks, dice...whatever you use to perform your magic effects.

DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT - DONT BUY IT !!!!!!

Tyler... I bought it out of curiousity.

And it's no less credible than the material that's been used for many years to wow audiences by the big stage pros like Copperfield, Burton, Henning etc.

After all, do you REALLY believe a single human can vanish a pyramid, or even FLY?

It's entertainment, and I know that with names like Jermay and Osterlind giving this the thumbs-up that I may be justified in saying 'Give it a chance'.

Although your review is subjectively justifiable as negative, there was no need for it to also be immature, unfounded and crude. Drop the swearing.

tyler - I'm not sure what you are saying...do you not like the book?

only if i ever run out of toilet paper! Then maybe it will have a use

I don't have the book but I imagine that in the right situation (think Copperfield or similar) this could be a real miracle. However, marketing it as the ultimate street magic effect seems misleading to me, at least from what little I have read.

Is the language really needed there Tyler? Simmer down, fella.

TylerMason wrote:I know how the average guy thinks.

Anyone who believes that the weather doesn't change on its own in 20-30mins anyway is a complete uneducated cretin...

Didn't YOU buy this effect?

Didn't YOU believe that there was a pheasable method behind it?

You are slating people who believe that the weather could change via any other means than it naturally occurring over time, but YOU yourself bought the effect with the hope of being able to acheive it

That's extremely hypocritical of you!!

Mr Merciless has a point.
A lot of us get the same feeling from learning a trick i imagine. we get that "oh, is that is?" feeling then don't want to do the trick, completely forgetting the first impression we ourselves had of said trick, hopefully the same impression a spectator will have when you show them. just because it isn't as magical for you anymore...

I'm not sure what people buying this effect would expect from it. Do people actually think they are going to be able to change the weather on a whim. If so then they will be dispointed.
Having said that, I can't imagine many working pro's getting much use out of it (though I haven't read the book, but unless the methos includes a stealth plane with giant built in hair dryers on its wings, then I have an idea though not the details). It seems to be a book people will buy 2for the sake of curiosity" rather than to actually use.
My main worry would be making sure people were actually look at the right cloud. If you have ever tried to follow someones pointing hand to a spot in the sky (i.e. a cloud in the shape of alan titchmarsh) it can be very difficult, and that once in a lifetime chance to perform the effect would be lost.
I would be interested to see the author perform this on dvd and show reactions.

I.D wrote:

TylerMason wrote:I know how the average guy thinks.

Anyone who believes that the weather doesn't change on its own in 20-30mins anyway is a complete uneducated cretin...

Didn't YOU buy this effect?

Didn't YOU believe that there was a pheasable method behind it?

You are slating people who believe that the weather could change via any other means than it naturally occurring over time, but YOU yourself bought the effect with the hope of being able to acheive it

That's extremely hypocritical of you!!

Yes i DID buy the effect (obviously, otherwise i wouldn't be moaning about it on here would i?)

The point is, im trying to ensure that no-one else makes the SAME MISTAKE i did for god sake!

ITS NOT A STREET MAGIC EFFECT, ITS NOT AS IMPROMPTU AS IT MAKES YOU THINK WHEN THEY ARE SELLING IT TO YOU, and im trying to warn any other regular magician out there (without the aid of a TV crew to edit out yourself standing around waiting for a cloud to move like tv magicians would have to)....OK

This shouldn't be marketed as the "The Ultimate Street Magic Effect" and you know it!

I've read the book and I must say I totally disagree with Tyler.

Myself I enjoy busting clouds whenever I go, and surely one day or another I'll present a version of it.
The weather Trick is only a little part on the book, which by the way is plenty of incredible and useful advices worth any magician willing to improve his art.

I think you were so upset you didn't really read that book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

When I saw the book advertised, I have to admit, I was rather sceptical about the way it was being marketed. I'm assuming that it's a psychological suggestion based effect similar to some of Kenton Knepper's material.
Although, in theory, if the performer was perusasive enough with their presentation skills, this kind of effect is acheiveable, it's certainly not something you could perform as 'street' magic.

The phrase 'street magic' alone has a different meaning to me these days. It conjurs up images of presentation lacking third-rate Blaine's who want easy, self-workers to 'freak people out' with. Bad marketing from the publishers for this book.

I am put off it at the moment but will keep a keen eye on any other reviews that appear as I do have an interest in this kind of thing.