Obviously nobody else is going to step up here and tell you the emporor is naked so I will be your vindictive force in this crazy magical world. Be warned all of you unscrupulous hack bastards... Bizzaro is watching you. (like Santa Claus but without the gifts.. or the coal.. or any reason to look forward to me watching you while you sleep.)

Video editing tools are available to every jackenape with a torrent program or even a copy of Windows XP. What does that mean for you the consumer? Easy. Doctored footage and tricky E-llusionist editing. All in the name to get you to buy a crappy lacluster demo video. Can't see it live? We'll cornhole you with flashy lights and annoying music. Why Here's One Now!! First off, if watching this you can't figure it out, get out of magic. Seriously. Second, whoever made this SERIOUSLY needs to learn how to do a crossfade.

So hear me now color changing rose guy... YOU HAVE MADE THE LIST!! You are an asshat and will be called forth on it here along with ever plastic bag, green bottle, rose spinning kokbite that follows you. Fear the list. Also let that be a warning to anyone else who decides to make mis-leading demos online. I'll find yer ass and tell the whole world about your deceptions...

Or at least the 5 people who still read this anyway.

Bizzaro.

Magic has lost something special this week... a man willing to still wear an ascot in public.



We have lost the biggest fashion statement in magic...

and he was not a bad sleight o' hand guy either I hear.

Bizzaro.

"I love noise and this life that it makes..."

So I was at the bus stop after picking up some of our Helter Shelter books to send out. (So if you're waiting you won't have to wait much longer.) Ran into a friend of mine and a friend of hers. I started doing magic for an innocent by-stander. The person who I had just met decided it was fun to explain how I was doing some coin manipulation.

I merely laughed and said "Don't lie to them like that." They were of course convinced that I was holding the coin behind my fingers or some such.. which is totally wrong. It was a Ramsey Subtlety. They also cited my sleeves at some point. So I decided to screw with em'.

I wear a trenchcoat... mostly all of the time. I'm a dork. Anyway, I can sleeve buicks and the pockets are great for ditching things into. SO I rolled up my sleeves, did a crappy sleight to throw them off, then in the moment or relaxation, I ditched the coin in my pocket but kept going like I was holding. I pretended to pass it from hand to hand a few times and then opened both hands slowly. The look on the skeptics face was, as always, priceless.

I told this story because I wanted to make a point. Don't let them win. If they think they know what's going on, throw them a curve ball. Some people can follow sleight of hand. They just can. It's a thing. However, if you sneak in a ringer,a gaff, or something else, they will have to stop and think. At that point, STOP! Be happy with your accomplishment.

I could have just as easily used a thumb tip or whatnot, but if your conviction is strong enuff, people will believe anything you tell them. What saves me in situations like that is knowing my wardrobe. Your costume/ outfit/ way you dress should always be taken into account. A true ninja is a master of himself and his environment.

Magic magic ninja's whut?

Bizzaro.

Magicians are sly.. really. I mean who else would have YOU pay to be a product tester? Oh the huge manatee. I think these guys don't know hos this works. You either hand out free products or PAY people to test your stuff.

By thinking you are involved in some big deal, you too will feel vindicated to spend your hard earned money, better spent on a book or video, to buy a shirt you could make yourself that works on basic mathematics. Do I sound a bit jaded? Maybe I am. Who knows.

Regardless, in other news: Helter Shelter: The Movie, despite small set backs, is moving right along. The movie itself is done and some of the special features are being tweaked/finished right now. It should be out, with luck, late June. If you wanna see some screen shots and get better updates on the DVD release go Here.

Nothing else to talk about today. Jog off.

Bizzaro.

So I decided to hop by ellusionist's website to see if anything amusing was going on there. Seems they have been reduced to novelty playing card peddlers as of late. The only thing they are pushing really on their main page, aside from those aforementioned decks, are Dan Harlan's Hover Card.

I actually liked this trick... especially when it came out A LONG FREEKING TIME AGO!! I never understood ellusionists deal with repackaging effects from so long ago like it was a big deal. Mind you, that happens in magic a alot... but not usually with a full page ad in a magic magazine. I digress.

Hover card is indeed what they say. Very impactful. Downside? he handling. (Unless they hand changed it a bit since it first came out.) I had to find an alternate that made me feel better about doing it.. and I did. I even showed it to Harlan back in Austin at a TAOM. This was back when he resembled Joey Lawrence (WHOA!) The only drawback initially (Unless they fixed this too) was the gimmick was brittle and once it broke, there was no real repairing it.

So my suggestion to you is to buy the gimmick, sans instructions and stuff, and just play with it. Most magic doesn't grow or evolve without play. (Neither do most relationships for that matter) Do yourself a favor and jump in feet first.

I promise you, it's deep enuff.

Bizzaro.

So in the first Street Magic Magazine article, there was a big deal made about how magicians should NEVER wear leather ever. Now while I believe there should be a weight limit posted on a lot of clothing made of leather, vinyl, and latex that is neither here nor there.

How magicians dress has become a sorry state of affairs in the past many years. Take for example these guys. If you took away the text, would you know what they were selling or even what they do for a living? Hell no it would look like an ad for some target clothing.

In some vain attempt to make magic look normal and mundane on the street, we have lost something all gay men and metrosexuals already know.. DRESS TO IMPRESS!! Either be the best dressed or most noticeably dressed in the room. You go to a fancy party to do magic or a corporate function and show up in a T-shirt and pants your ass will NEVER be hired again.

Magicians have always been the ones who stand out. Back when all magicians were wearing robes and chinese garb, Houdin put on the evening wear of the time.. a tuxedo. (Which, much to my disdain, seems to have stuck.) Penn and Teller wear matching grey suits. It's not flashy or gaudy but it fits perfectly into what they want to accomplish. By wearing something that subdued, what they do creates more of an impact and does not give anything away. If they came out dressed like freaky sideshow carnies, the impact of their magic would be lessened.

Stage manipulators and dove workers have great attire (Some of them) and it makes them recognizable and usually fits into their theme somehow.

So next time you decide to dress like a homeless man, remember you are an entertainer and should stand out as such. Blending in to the crowd hurts you and your magic. Just say NO to Wal-mart clothes!

Besides, you don't want to look like an Asshat do you?

Bizzaro.