talkmagic.co.uk

Hey all

( Thanks for taking the time to read this, by the way )

Ok, so, I've started "learning" the Human Blockhead. I started with Cotton Buds, which was kinda uncomfortable and started giving me burns after I became pretty adept at impaling myself with them.

Thus, I got an actual (yet small - about 2 or 3 inches) nail to practice with, which I found extremely comfortable and content with; it was a nice 'fit' and it cut straight through any obstructive bogeys.

However, today I've just moved onto a longer, thicker nail that looks a lot more awesome and it doesn't fall out as the smaller nail often did. So, I've got a couple of questions I feel I should ask in case I damage myself.

I understand that the learning process is, sometimes, quite uncomfortable (or even painful, in some cases), though it takes practice to become adept at a certain size etc. However, the new nail is about 4 or 5 inches, and though it isn't painful, it is a tight fit and it's rather uncomfortable; I don't appear to have much flexibility with it (and a red bogey came out once). I was wondering if this is normal when you move onto a more 'shocking' nail?

Please, forgive any misconceptions I have of the effect or any lack of knowledge; I am sort of a beginner with the Human Blockhead, and I don't want to actually damage myself.

Thanks in advance for any replies,
Callum

(The new nail also, awesomely, reaches the edge of the nasal cavity; feels cool )

Dude, use a smaller nail. You really should never be causing yourself any pain or harm while doing this trick. If you do you could do yourself some serious damage, get a thinner nail, and a 4inch nail is long enough...

It's not so much pain as just a general pressure.

What I'm really concerned about is if 'Training your nostril' (as I was told)usually causes some pressure?

I suppose it's not beyond the realm of possibility. but it would be easier to just get a thinner nail. I've always found if you're going to use a nail that looks a little too big then people will assume it's some kind of gimmickery, whereas using a smaller nail carries a realism value

Thanks for the advice, buddy

I'll keep it in mind

No worries, i used to do this quite a lot and the best advice I can give on it is: Stay Safe, you don't want it to go wrong when you've got 4 inches of metal in your face

I can relate to that

Take care, Ian

Oh my god!

While I know this method is inherently safe, it's not something I would like to learn without an experienced guide.

I mean, look:

I've got a couple of questions I feel I should ask in case I damage myself.

Your brain, a very important and invitingly soft vital organ, is less than an inch away.
This is just one quarter the length of the nail that you are pushing into your head.
If you push the nail in straight, you get a largely sickened round of applause. If you push the nail in upwards, you die.

EDIT: Or go blind. Don't forget the bones seperating your nasal cavity from the cerebral cavity (and other things like your eyes) don't have any need to be thick and strong. And I'm not a medic (Farlsborough - you're a medic, yes? Help me out here) but I even think there are little holes in these plates to let nerves in and out. Take care.

I just found this site...hello everyone...

To Callum...

I do a blockhead sideshow act, with heavy metal bands, here in the United States...

It is a very cool thing to learn...

My advice...just be careful...anything that doesn't feel right...probably isn't...and always...be aware of your surroundings...I had 2 screwdrivers in my nose at once, and a guitar player slammed into me on stage...if he had bumped them in anyway...well, I guess I could have been hurt, very badly...

Just have fun...be safe...and good luck!!!

Yes be carefull, I had a friend to take a nail out and she thought it would be funny to push it in further, 4 inch is long enough. I find that that size nail is as much as I can take thickness wise too

After learning it through a video podcast by Brian Brushwood and moving from cotton buds to 4" nails from B&Q, I've found some strange things.

1 - I can do it surprisingly easily. I can tilt my head forward completely and the nail will come out on it's own with only a little bit of resistance. My massive skull has a use for once!
2 - My mother is completely understanding of it, knows how the entire procedure works, that I am relatively safe in doing it. Yet my dad isn't. (understanding, not safe)
3 - It is a fantastic thing to carry around even if you have just got the nail (and something to clean it with) for an impromptu demonstration. Such as one I did at the pharmacy counter at a local Tesco...
4 - The day before yesterday I had an internal job interview at work, and in an effort to avoid looking like a plank, I tried to answer the questions quickly. To answer one about times when I had to solve a personal problem (I said self confidence), I brought up magic and the human blockhead (it forces me to manage other people, especially the blockhead). After that question, I felt stupidly confident for the rest of the interview process. Thanks Magic!

Anyway... yeah, be careful, and remember that the most important thing, aside from being able to put a nail up your nose without killing yourself, is communicating well with those that are watching.

Marvo Marky wrote: Don't forget the bones seperating your nasal cavity from the cerebral cavity (and other things like your eyes) don't have any need to be thick and strong.

Correct... I wasn't aware of this effect at the time I was learning head and neck anatomy, so I haven't had a chance to find a suitably prosected cadaveric head and go and wiggle the cribriform plate, but it's not very thick at all. I imagine it to be like the boney bits that separate muscle compartments in a crab, if you happen to know what that's like.

Whether it's dangerous or not... put it like this, I've heard at least 5 stories where something has happened during the effect - tripped, pushed, fell, got nudged - I'm not really sure it's worth it. But mostly I don't do it because I love food, and a huge amount of what you believe to be your sense of taste is actually your sense of smell. And every time you put a nail or something in there, I find it hard to believe your not scraping and damaging those delicate little sensory cells... one single routine is not worth the rest of my life eating tasteless food thank you very much.

Why would anyone want to learn to push a nail into their head? And a 4-5 inch one at that?! Madness. I shall be avoiding this one as I like my brain intact, thank you very much. Good luck to you, though.

I've always thought this trick to be bloody stupid, some people say it's safe, some aren't so sure but the fact is that there's lot of very delicate gubbins in that area of the body, why would you ever want to do sticking a nail into it? It's not even magic really is it? Much more of a freaky, look at me party trick.

I've also heard stories of people getting some nasty infections from doing this. Is it really worth risking your health for a chance to show off?

Dirty Davey wrote:

the fact is that there's lot of very delicate gubbins in that area of the body

Thankfully by a genetic good stroke of fortune, my brain is the size of a small walnut and therefore I feel secure in the knowledge that I could safely waggle a tent peg around inside my bugle.

That apart, if you are going to stick a 5" nail in there.... use a 4" and just tell everyone it's a 5. Most folks (especially men) are terrible at judging size and won't know the difference.

And get some decent gunk to sterilize your nails.