talkmagic.co.uk

By the way, I just downloaded your Sucks Dice Trick from the Buskers. I highly recommend it to people to read in bed as a cure for insomnia.

If Paul makes the cover, I'll be delighted both for Paul and for me since I wrote the article! But I have a feeling that photo won't work. She needs a hi-res image.

Here you are. I posted this on the rather silly Genii Forum. At the time I had forgotten the title (The Magic Menu) and gave it the name of The Choo Choo Trick.
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Actually that isn't the real title. It is the title given to it by the most irritating James Munton who has had the audacity to continually make derogatory remarks about this wonderful performance item of mine. Most ungrateful after my guidance and tuition got him a spot on television after I taught him hypnotism. As to the real title I have completely forgotten it and I consulted Edwin Hooper in the spirit world who first brought it out and he couldn't remember the title either. No doubt some know-all here will butt in and tell us what it is.

While I was chattering to Edwin he allowed me to give away the secret since he isn't selling it any more and it isn't much of a secret anyway. I must say that Edwin is far more affable in the spirit world than he was on earth.

The only trouble is that I can't remember the bloody routine properly. I haven't done if for ages but that is not a point for Munton even though he will claim it is.

I shall try my best to recall it though and may even add it back to my repertoire.

First you have to have a number of big cards with words imprinted upon them.And as I write this I think the awful title is coming back to me. Or at least I think it is the awful title. I say "awful" because it is the same name as the dreadful Sisti personage's magazine. The Magic Menu I kid you not.

One each card you have the words Sausage, Cheese and Biscuits, Meat and Veg, Fish, Soup. I keep wondering if I have missed out a
card with other food type words but the above seems fine.

You stack the cards. Now that I type this I am wondering if Edwin's version did not use cards after all but a book with the expressions on each page and you turn the page showing each food one at a time.

No matter. I shall continue. Stack the cards and show the word "Sausage" first. Ask the children what it says and if they have a British education they will be able to read it and say it out loud. If they merely have a Canadian education or even worse an American one they may not be sure what the word says so you will have to explain it to them.

Put the card at the back of the pile and show the next word or expression which is "Cheese and Biscuits" Say the word out loud. You don't have to get the kids to say it any more otherwise there is a danger that the trick will become more boring than the card trick described on another thread.Place this at the back of the stack.

The next expression is "Meat and Veg". Do the same. Now you show "Fish" and finally "Soup" By placing each card to the back of the stack you will finally end up back where you started. It is essential to use the sequence above.

You explain to the assembled brats that if you say the words twice quickly it will sound just like a train. And as I am typing this I am beginning to wonder if Munton is right after all. It does sound terribly childish I suppose. I will, however, press on. You go through the above procedure again but you get the kids to say each food item twice and if they do it at a snappy pace it will sound just like a train.

Try it for yourself. I get a vibe that there are juvenile minds on this forum. Here is the sequence. "Sausage, Sausage, Cheese and Biscuits, Cheese and Biscuits, Meat and Veg, Meat and Veg, Fish, Fish, Soup, Soup!" It is essential that you say "Soup" with a high pitched voice.

Damn! I have just remembered that the word "Coffee" should be in there somewhere. I think it is the first word. I am now wondering if the word "Sausage" was a figment of my imagination or if it should be placed in a different part of the sequence. Let me think for a moment.

I am pretty certain that "Cheese and Biscuits" comes after "Coffee" now but I have no idea where the bloody sausage fits into the picture. Maybe it wasn't there in the first place. I am inclined to say just leave out the word "Sausage" altogether and substitute the word "Coffee" instead.

I suppose I had better go back and ask Edwin again.

Meanwhile I do think that this item might be a good warm up in a children's show.

Oh do be quiet Munton.
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Oh dear god, not the Choo Choo Train Wreck! Anything but that.

To more serious matters, I would be interested in your feedback on my new school promo video. Please could you take a look and let me know what you think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyAkJ5IQAWY

EDIT: why can't you embed a video on this forum?

Just to make things crystal clear, this thread is entitled 'Children's Magic'. It's not entitled 'Have a go at other performers no matter how comical you may think it is to do so'. All contributions and comments are expected to be positive and, hopefully, helpful to other performers.

Quite right, Mandrake. But please bear in mind that I and Paul have known James for years and our conversation should not be taken too seriously. But I do agree that tensions which are outside this forum should not be brought up here. With regard to his school video I am sure he realises this is mainly a British site and the school show circuit is not prevalent in the UK. Or Canada either come to that. So I don't know what help we can be to him.

One minor thing does bother me about his video. I am sure it won't bother anyone else though. It is just that his microphone looks like a giant blob or boil on his mouth. I find it vaguely irritating. The rest of the video seems fine though. And I will certainly concede that Munton is a very busy professional performer.

Thank you Mandrake. I agree with you 100% and I wish Mark would stop it. In the case of the Choo Choo Train Wreck I consider it a public service. I would hate to see the tragic consequences of an unsuspecting magician attempting to perform it at a show. It could literally end a career.

But let's get this thread back on track. Did you get a chance to view my promo video? I'd love your feedback. All the Brits I have asked dislike the voiceover, but I think it is fine.

mark lewis wrote:One minor thing does bother me about his video. I am sure it won't bother anyone else though. It is just that his microphone looks like a giant blob or boil on his mouth. I find it vaguely irritating. The rest of the video seems fine though. And I will certainly concede that Munton is a very busy professional performer.

Hmm. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that you've mentioned it, it is irritating me too. I wish you hadn't mentioned it, because there is nothing I can do about it now.

All I can tell you is that I performed this train thing regularly on St. Anne's pier and it went over very well as an opening item. You can't knock it until you try it. On the other hand what suits one performer does not necessarily suit another. Magicians often discuss if there is such a thing as a bad trick. I think it is the wrong question. The proper question is if a trick suits you or not. A trick may be awful in one person's hands and wonderful in another's. And that is the case even if both magicians are superb performers. It is what suits you that matters.

I posted that routine to be helpful. Those that think it will suit them can try it and those that don't will not. No skin off my nose either way and a possible benefit so somebody.

I disagree. I think there are plenty of bad tricks. A great performer can make a bad trick entertaining, but it is still a bad trick.

I have a solution! Why don't you video the performance and post it on YouTube so we can all decide?

Thank you for your understanding gentlemen! I haven't viewed the promo vid yet but will give it a whirl later on this evening - no idea why we can't embed them in this forum but I guess that's to do with the settings and the version of phpBB in use, sorry.

Mark. Thank you *very* much for that routine description. It had me laughing for some time

Mark and Co, I've done a little pruning here as things were getting quite silly (or am I just getting too sensible in my old age?) and so that we can hopefully get back on topic.

I might have known that Lady of Mystery would be first on the scene. No mystery about that. But where is my wonderful Letter routine? No reason for that to be "pruned". You have thrown out the baby with the bathwater.

I didn't actually mean to delete the letter routine but after being woken up by the girls at half 3 this morning, I had my grumpy head on so the whole lot went.

Lady of Mystery wrote:I didn't actually mean to delete the letter routine but after being woken up by the girls at half 3 this morning, I had my grumpy head on so the whole lot went.

That's a real shame, because it was a hilarious read. I was wheezing with laughter into a handkerchief as I read it. I usually try not to laugh loudly when on a train, but I failed to maintain my dignity this time.