A long while back I made a post about how I thought it was silly someone had to actually name "The Biddle Grip" instead of "Hold the cards like this". Regardless, there are some things in magic I truly do not get. There are thousands of stories in the naked city. This is one of them.

I honestly do NOT get The Lepaul Spread. What is the big deal with this move and why do so many people say it's so damned hard to do. Has anyone ever honestly done the Lepaul spread and have someone go "OOOoooooOOOooooh" over it.

For those who don't know what the hell I am talking about here is a video of someone doing it. Sure it looks kool but why does everyone make a big deal of it. It only mildly looks kool and to get the full effect you'd have to say "Watch this [spread]" and even then all they are gonna do is pick a card cuz' when you spread a deck at someone their mind goes right into that.

Maybe it's just me but I dun get it.

Damn kids and their rock music.

Bizzaro.

Ok I do like to complain about the capitalist sillyness of magicians nowadays. Like the devil's cokebottle that came out a while back. A science experiment someone was charging 1000$ for. It wasn't priced that high for the secret so much I think as the fact that it was the price you pay for not thinking of it first. It was brilliant!! A science experiment disguised as magic. Hell it's not the first time. "Any unfamiliar science or technology looks like magic" You wanna fool some people look at the old chemistry magic books from many years ago. (Do yerself a favor tho' research certain chemicals listed in those old books. Turns out asbestos is bad for you. Who knew?)

Ok so in the vein of "What the hell were you thinking when you priced that" I found a new magical toy that I am pretty sure is priced a tad too much. Now let me preface this with a little disclaimer: I think this is a dandy idea however I do not think the effect exceeds the price.

Ok with that said, I think this product fits into another rant about the pros and cons of online magic demo videos. Watch the video and you tell me how it's done. It's a tad obvious and to anyone who is unscrupulous and has any kind of engineering skill or a hot glue gun could easily recreate it. Why would they do that tho'? Are they evil bastards who dun wanna support an original artist? Are they some terrorist trying to bring down magic from the inside? Hardly. It's more along the lines of there is no way they are gonna shell out 150$ for a gaudy tie puppet on a stick. If it was priced lower then anyone who WOULD make it themselves would prolly rather be lazy and just buy it. 20$ is a great motivator towards sloth.

Now I am sure that the construction is superb (Or it's made all MacGyver like with a rubber band, duct tape, and a prayer.) but I do think that is a bit much especially when the method is very obvious. Now I am all for a demo video if the method is not simplistic or easy to discern. The internet is a harsh place and you could get the same idea from seeing a live demo at a real magic shop however you don't get a couple 1,000 people going in and out of a normal magic shop every hour. When I heard the description I thought "Oh Sean Begonia's dancing hank with a tie." I could dig that for the price... however...

Now someone will ALWAYS say, "Yer buying the secret". Ok fair enuff. Ever get the feeling some secrets just ain't worth that much trouble? Personally I think (Insert guys name here. It's not listed anywhere) should have just kept this idea to himself and sold it in a limited exposure on his website or something. It's a GOOD idea...

Just not a GREAT 140$ idea.

Then again, any trick you get that entertains and works well for you money should be NO object.

Bizzaro.

As things draw to a Close...

Saw recently Mike Close decided, after allowing himself to be barraged by many mediocre magical items for review for ten years, to call it adieu and persue other ventures, like books.

The MAGIC interview (Kevin James on the cover) made a few good points. Magic items are quite prolific in the not so much terrible and great category but in the "enh" spot. Mind you he even mentioned that a review is an opinion. I know that the opinion of a magician is TOTALLY different than that of the people whose opinion really matter.. the layperson.

I released a trick in a limited venue and it got a less than stellar review in Genii. Mind you most of the review was more spent pointing out my writing style than the trick. Regardless, the reviewer, (Who shall remain nameless), wasn't thrilled. Do I care? Hell no. I have been doing this effect for well over a decade and it KILLS. What does it all mean? A review isn't always gospel. The best review is yours and yours alone. See it done, and if yer lucky, someone will show you how it works. Only then can you make an educated guess on whether it will work for you OR fit your style and character. (This is why the internet shops shouldn't be visited as much. Real live magic stores are hands on.)

However for those who can't drive or dun live near a magic shop and the intarweb is yer last bastion of magical placement some smart folks have started My Lovely Assistant dot Com. You might had seen the ads in various mags, but it's worth a look see. I have ever contributed a few of my own special brand of evil reviews there. Knowledge is power and some knowledge should be shared to warn others of shitty magical products *cough*HeNrYeVaNs*cough*

Just remember: Is it you.... and is it worth 25$ for a deck of cards with a hole in the card box and a rubber band? (The correct answer is.. no.)

Bizzaro.