Eugene Burger - Audience Involvement Lecture

.•. a lecture by

EUGENE

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BURGER

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PRESENTATION

The great danger in 1i steni ng to 1ectures is that we are only listening to words, only listening to the other fellow talk and show his magic, and not making any real progress of our own -- and that, after all, is what is important; making my own progress toward ... what? What are my goals? What am I seeking to accomplish? What results do I wish to attain? If the goal of performing (whether on the trapeze, the guitar, or with a pack of trained seals) is to entertain people, the goal of magical performers ought to be to entertain them through deception. Notice that the word "entertain" comes before the word "deception. II This isn1t simply a trick of sentence construction or a play on words; it points to a primary fact recognized by almost all magicians who earn their entire "living" (meaning "moneyll ... hnmn ••• ) performing magic. Close-up magic as performed by many amateurs is deceptive but not very entertaining. Energy has been put into constructing the deception, but not enough energy and thought and work has been put into constructing an entertaining eresentation within which they might, as we say, cloak the hoax. 1I And, hoaxes, I submit, really ought to be cloaked with something. - 3 " .. ',

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It I S more fun that way! Not only for your audiences but, hopefully, for you. Persentation is that poi nt where you put .YQii'rse 1f into your magi c.

script). Expecting to be "inspired :''' the spot" regarding your script shows very little ~espect for your audences!

Even if your presentations tend toward the "Now I'm going to do this; now I am going to do that" format, your lines must be rehearsed and spoken as if you were saying something important -- something worth the spectator's time and attention.

Much lik: a dance or a dramatic play, the close-up mag' cal performer's movements and act ions are choreographed to the words he wi11 use in performance. And it is this which needs to be rehearsed. This interaction of the performer's actions and handling of his prODS on the one hand and his words on the other ~- and the surprises which are thereby generated -- is the show. Agai n, the show must be rehearsed':""

Consequently, the style of close-up presentation which I personally least enjoy is one which we see all too often -- and which might be called: "1 1 m doing this as a throw-away so that if you catch me it won't be such a big deal. 1I I enjoy thi s least because (among other reasons) when one seesit, it does not appea r to ha ve been so much consciously chosen by the performer but, rather, to be the inevitable result of too little rehearsal. According to IIBurger's First Law: II Too many performers practice the moves but forget to rehearse the show! -

Of course, the close-up performer's script needs to be flexible and open rather than rigid and closed. This is required because of the intimacy of the performing situation wherein spectators often will talk to each other and to you. In t he context of such i nt i macy, I ha ve found the following to be a helpful rule of thumb: If you expect spectators to be attentive to you, you must, in turn, be attentive to them. Close-up performers need to listen to what their spectators are saying -- so they can respond to them.

You must practice the parts and rehearse the whole. You must practice the moves, the sleights, the various physical maneuvers until your fingers can do them smoothly and without awkwa rdne s s, work

One eveni og I went on a tour of a few of Chi cago' s many magic spots with my fri end and former partner in the Spirit Theatre Company, Denni s Rook. Afterward, Denni s remarked: Quite a few of the magicians we saw tonight related to audiences as if they were only technical necessities -- needed to select cards, remember them and say I Great job!' to the performer at th~ finish.

Now you've learned the trick -- and the (and, hopefully, the fun) is about to

beQTn. If one is a generally must now one is a speaking be choreographed

silent performer, the trick be choreographed to musiC; if performer, the trick must now to what you wi 11 ~ (your

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How true. Yet much of the fun of close-up mag;c for spectators is that ; t ; s close-up __

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and that they may, therefore, participate all the more fully in what is happening. People enjoy getting involved. They want thi s to be fun. They mi ght even talk and 1augh and joke with you. Don vt give them dirty looks. And, please don It treat them as if they were "hecklers!" (How aWful!} Play with them. Have fun yourself. Allowing the spotlight to drift occasionally to a spectator (when this is not done for purposes of humiliation and/or embarrassment) is not only gracious, it is theatrically wise. We ar~ creating a magical context of mystery and fun and surpri se and play and, in thi s context, audience involvement can enhance your presentation and deepen the impact you have as a performer. But lest you think 1 1 m preaching, let me say that I'm only telling you how I approach my own work. I agree with leo Buscagl i a when he said: "Beware of giving advice. Wise men don't need it and fools won't heed it."

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TOP CHANGE

I was taught this effect, step-by-step. when I was sixteen or seventeen years old by Alex Berecz , a magician-bartender at Dix and Norb's Magic Inn. a Chicago magic bar popular in the 1950's. Because the effect is little more than theatrical dressing around a top change -a sleight which I assumed was terribly difficult to execute -- I consequently made hard work of the lessons. Alex, however, was a patient teacher and slowly got me to see that what is important here -- and what makes it all decepti ve -- is not primari Iy what your hands and fingers are doing, but the situation you are creat i ng through your words. your eyes, your gestures. and your interactions with your audience. Once thi sis rea 1i zed, the top change rather does itself -- and you just help it a long. I confess thi sis one of the cornerstone effects in my card work for laymen. I perform it all the time. It allows me to get people ts names and talk with them. I perform the effect sitting at a table, standing behind a bar, or standi ng in the mi ddl e of a cocktai 1 party or hospitality suite with spectators completely surrounding me. People simply will not see the exchange of the cards if their attention is on the two spectators who are in the spotlight. Yet the exchange is done boldly -- right under their noses. Perhaps this is why I like it. Routine "Do you ever do card tricks?" I ask a spectator on my ri ght. Go with the answer. "We11 ,

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this is a card trick that you will do. ask your name?" ---

May I

Spectator replies his name is John. Jobn, I hope you're lucky tonight."

"Well,

Turning to a spectator on my left, I ask her name. She replies it is Mary. UMary, I want you to select one of these cards. Show it to everyone except John and me. Now, John, don't peek! We're all watching you!" (Indeed! If everyone continues watching John and Mary, if you continue to keep them in the spotlight, no one wi 11 ~ see the exchange!) Mary shows her card and replaces it 1n the

I maintain a break above the card with left fourth finger.

deck.

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"John, tell us the truth: Did you see Mary's card?" As everyone looks at John for his reply, I execute a pass which brings the selected card to the top. Alternatively, if one of the spectators is staring unmercifully at the deck, I will "absent mindedly" double undercut the card to the top. This needs to be done as if it has no bearing whatever on the proceedings -- and without shame or guilt. I turn toward John and slowly riffle the cards. "I'll do that again and you say 'Stop!' wherever you 1ike. " If I feel playful, I might riffle the deck so rapidly that it is finished before he says anythi ng at all. "Thi sis a motor skill: You must coordinate with me!" The point t s that I play with the spectators here and keep it light. John finally succeeds in stopping me and I take the card in my right hand -- keeping the deck in my left.

I hold the card so that it faces John and look at Mary and say somewhat triumphantly, "Wouldn't l't""be amazing if John did find your card?" Mary usually admits thatlt would be amazing. I tip the card back so that I can see its face. fl\y right hand continues moving -- and crosses over to show the card to Mary. Before Mary can say anything, I say: "You picked the four of Hearts (or whatever) ••• " My right hand immediately (but not quickly) moves back so that it is held about seven or eight inches in front of my body -- and about waist high. At this point, I am looking Mary directly in the eyes -as I continue the last sentence, "... and that's exactly the card at which John stopped!" It is during these final words that the top change is executed. As I say these last words, my left hand crosses in front of my right, continues its movement and finishes pointing directly at John -- as if for emphasis. Duringthe crossover, the exchange is done. The left thumb pushes the top selected card about one-half inch to the right. The card in the ri ght hand is held between the thumb and fi rst finger. The first and second fingers of the right hand separate so that the selected card can be fed between them by the left thumb. The left thumb immediately lifts slightly upward so that the card in the right hand can be taken onto the top of the deck. AND THE HAND KEEPS MOVING until it comes to a stop -- pointing at John for emphasis. Once the exchange is One other point: made, the left hand, in continuing its movement toward John, moves more sharply upward until it stops, pointing at John. - 9 -

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Mary may get a bit confused and look to others for support as she tells me that this was not her card.

The whole routine needs to be rehearsed -from beg; nni ng to end. The words which you are us; ng for the exchange must fit into the framework of the rest of the script you a~e us inq, During rehearsal t talk out loud to lmaglnary spectators.

I tell John that I am a little disappointed with his card trick -- and then ask him to blow on the card. I turn it over and show that it has changed to Mary's card.

During per-f'ormance , I am seeking to have fun with John and Mary and the other spectators -- and I wi 11 allow the situation to develop as it wi 11 -- knowing that I can always get back "on track" with my script. Remember, the reactions and responses which you are able to elicit from John and Mary greatly enhance the show. The magical change of the cards is but the "topper" to the situation -- John's. atte~t­ ing to find Mary's card -- a sttuat ton WhlCh should be fun and entertaining in and of itself.

Once the surprise has begun to subside, I repeat the exchange as follows. I look at Mary, smile, and say, You didn't think that John could do it, did you?1t As these words are begun, the right hand (with the card) gestures for emphasis toward Mary. When I get to the name "John- in the script, the left hand is moving to point to John -- and the card is exchanged in the process. It

-Here, John, blow on it again. 1t I look at Mary and turn the card over -- showing it has now changed back to the first card -- and say, -You see, itls never what you think!" I give the card to Mary so that she can touch it -and, in the process, see that it is not prepared (Which, interestingly, is often suspected by spectators).

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Notes I want to discuss this effect not only because it has a very hi gh impact upon laymen but also because it shows us what we need to practice and what we need to rehearse. The physi ca 1 act i on of the exchange of the two cards needs to be practiced -- repeated over and over and over unti 1 it can be done smoothly and effortlessly, without strain.

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what the "e ndi ng" is supposed to be and so any one of a set of endi ngs can be introduced as IIthe ll endi ng. Second ~ when descri bi ng effects afterward, spectators notoriously misremember details. I have very often heard this effect described by spectators to their friends as: "I named a card and it was reversed in the deck I was holding!" -- which, as you will see, is not what happens. But it IS the effect which the spectator believes he saW-me perform.

BRAIN-WAVED

Why another version of the Brainwave Deck? Certainly any self-respecting magician ought to be satisfied with the original Vernon version or, shou 1d he for some reason prefer a facedown card appearing in a face-up pack, Joe Berg's Ultra Mental Deck. Performing as I do in public places where both local and visiting magicians often drop in to see a little magic, it appealed to me to develop a version wherein both sides of the deck coul d be di sp 1ayed at tfl'eTi ni she Thi s has caused quite a few magical mouths to drop open -- as magicians suddenly realized they were not seeing one of these now-standard packs. And, that is exact ly what I wanted (perverse soul that I can sometimes be!). It is great fun to have a few effects in your repertoi re that are "maqi ca 1 traps for magici ans" because magicians, generally, deeply enjoy being fooled. It is unwise, of course , to gear your entire repertoire toward magicians because, according to "Burger I s Second Law:" Laymen tend to remember what they 1i"fe about your show while magicians tend to remember what they donlt like. Gearing your work to magicians, then, is a losing battle. (And we hevent even begun to talk about magicians as "tippers" in a restaurant or lounge!)

Third, if asked to name onels favorite card suit, the overwhelming choice will be "Hearts." A fairly strong second plaae choice is "Spades." Women, to a much 1esser degree, wi 11 somet i mes smil e and say "0; amonds II - - perhaps rememberi ng that "Diamonds are a girlls best friend." "C'lubs " is named very rarely. If you ask where I have di scovered such curi ous secrets about the human psyche, my answer is that I have simply asked this question of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of persons over the past few years and this is what I have discovered. Consequently, this deck is designed to exhibit three suits: Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds. If C1 ubs is named at the begi nning, I immediately fan the deck, ask that a Club be selected, and go into another effect -- most often my version-of Matt Schulien's Card in the Matchbook. At the conclusion of this effect, I ask that another suit be named and the choice is now between the suits which the deck can display. This is, to be sure, a detour -- and one which may disappoint magicians because of its apparent 1ad of di rectness. It does not trouble me, however, because I equally enjoy performing the Card in the Matchbook and because

The routine I am about to describe is based upon three points which, I think, are independently interesting. Ff r st , audiences do not kt10w what you intend to do until the ending is revealed. This is why multiple-out effects have the impact they do: The spectator does not know II

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this lack of directness is perceivable only by the performer. The spectator has no sense of what is going to happen. He does not perceive a detour at all -- or. more precisely. he will not perceive a detour unless the magician is unable to hide his own disappointment over the spectator's choice! --The pack consists of 24 double-back cards and 24 double-face cards. (The application of double-face and double-back cards to the Brainwav~ Deck. though in another form, was something I f t rst read about in Sam Dalal's excellent but short-lived magazine. Swami.) The double-face cards are as follows (read across the columns for order of double-face cards in the deck): 20 - JC 50 - 9C. 90 - 2C

3S - 7C 6S - AD IDS - QD

3D - AC 60 - KD 100 - 6C

40 - 4C

4S - QH

S:;(5 - 7H

8S - QC 2H - 3C

9S 3H 6H 10H

4H - JD

5H - 5C

8H - AH

9H - KH

8D - JS

2S - JH -

7S

QD AS 70.

Since no standard double-face cards are so backed, you will either have to spend some time splitting cards or engage someone to do it for you. Neil lester (of Cards by Martin) made my deck for me. ~he card are roughed together in pa irs: One s tde of a double-back card is roughed along with the Diamond, Spade and Heart sides of the double-face cards. The four unused cards (8C KS, Ke, and 10C) are placed on the top and bot: tom of the deck respectively. Thus from the

top of the deck down we have: 8C, KS, DB~ OF (20 up), DB, OF (3D up), et c; , ending with the unprepared KC and 10C on the face of the pack. Using a razor blade, scratch the backs of the double-back cards which are roughed to the 20. 25, and 2H on the upper 1eft and lower ri ght hand corners. These wi 11 be your gui des as you run through the deck, faces toward the audi ence. The gui de ca rds wi 11 tell you where each suit begins (and so each suit should be marked differently). You then count from the guide card to the number selected -- remembering to omit the number "seven" which is not used. I confess my deck has marks on the 6's as well since I prefer to do even less counting! Using transparent tape, put a small tab on the bottom of the 65 - AD -- about one-fourth inch in length. This will be used as a guide for cutting the deck should the final choice be either the 2, 3. 4, or 5 of Diamonds or the 6, 8, 9, or 10 of Hearts. The cards are simply cut at the tab once the deck is removed from its case. The reason for the cutting is to bring the chosen card more near the center of the pack for its final display. Routine The pack in its case is given to a spectator several effects before I intend to use it -with the instructions that it is something we'll use later and to put it into his pocket. "Do you have a favorite card suit?" I ask. Assuming the spectator replies "Hearts" (or "Spades" or "Diamonds"), I continue: "let's look at this idea we call luck. Lives have been

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changed and, at least in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, vacations have been ruined because of it. In a moment, I want you to callout a number between one and ten -- but so that later people won't think you made it too easy for me, don't call out the number "seven" as this is most always called. So... call out a number." The spectator replies, ItFive." To the spectator with the deck, "Sone time ago I gave you a pack of playing cards which I asked you to place in your pocket. Would you take them out and hand them to thi s gentleman (who made the selections). Sir, please hold the deck up. This deck of cards was gi ven to me by a man I once met, an old gambler. He had spent several hours using this deck to deal the most wonderful poker hands -- royal flushes and all of it -- and at the end of his demonstration he gave the deck to me, no doubt to prove to me that what I had been witnessing was the result of real skill on his part. He said that he hoped the cards would bring me luck. It To the first spectator: "Do you believe in 1uck1" If the answer is "Yes," I say, IIWonderfu1!" If the reply is "No,1I I say, IIWell ... I certainly hope that you're lucky tonight!" It You see, when I fi rst looked through the deck after the gambler gave it to me, I was surprised to discover one card was reversed -- upside down -- in the pack. An accident ••• perhaps ... or one of the gambler's secrets. I simply left the card reversed ••• where it is right now ••• to see how lucky people really can be. I wonder ... do you thi nk that you are lucky?1t

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Aga in, go wi th the spectator's response. Then continue: ItLet us see. You named the suit 'Hearts' and the number 'five'." The cards are taken from the spectator, removed from the case, not cut at the tab because of the card chosen, and slowly spread with their faces toward the audience. Watch for the Heart guide card and then count to the five and spread the roughed-together cards apart. A facedown card appears to the spectators. In fact, it is the double-backed card. Right next to it, faci ng you, is the fi ve of Hearts. The fanned deck is turned around and the five is displayed and removed. Finish! Notes If you are worried about an Ace (the number "one") being selected (this will not happen, since you asked for a number between one and ten), you can place four Aces in your breast pocket in CHaSeD order from the front of the pocket to the back. Thus you are able to produce any of the Aces from your pocket as if this were the effect. Another spectator can then be asked to name another number between one and ten and you can proceed into the effect. This perhaps seems complicated in print but, in practice, it is really quite simple and appears to be direct. On the very rare occasions when I present a stand-up performance before a large group of (seated) persons, I generally present this effect but I use a different way of gett i ng into it which eliminates the possibility of the first detour (necessitated by a selection of "Cl ubs"}, - 17 -

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I 'begi n by handi ng out the deck. Then I. show four jumbo Aces -- one of each of the SUltS :and propose an experiment in telepathy where tn I will mentally attempt to send the name of one of the card suits to the audience as a whole. If you don't play this as comedy and if you keep the pace moving, audiences seem thoroughly to enjoy such excursions into parapsycholog~cal WooWoo. People enjoy guessing and being rlght ~nd raising their hands and showing off. (Just llke ~!)

I ask someone to mi x the Aces and then return them to me. I fan them so that neither the audience nor I can see any of their faces -and then select one, apparently at random. Ac~­ ually, the backs of the cards are marked and f t is an easy matter to select the Ace of Clubs. I look at it and attempt mentally to send it to the audience. I ask how many persons thought of "Spades?" I ask them to raise their hands. Then "Hearts" and then "Diamonds" are called out. When I name "Clubs," I turn the card around so everyone can see it -- and, at the same time, scan those who now have thei r hands raised. Picking a likely person near the :ront (for better audi ence vi sibil ity), I ask hl m ~r her to stand up and cont i nue with the exper-tmente I discard the "a1ready used" Ace of ~lubs (Why not?!) and hand the spectator the remalning three Aces and ask him to mix them thoroughly and then to select one -- stressing the fairness of the choi ce, I am now ready to begi n the effect proper without the possibility of a detour.

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BRAIN-WAVED AGAIN

Thi sis such a strong effect -- a named card found reversed in the pack -- and, here, the effect is the same but the method is different. No double-face or double-back cards are required. The "miracle- has its price, however, especially if you are squeaonsb about multipleouts and thinking on your feet. Just remember, "thinking on your feet" is made easy by thinking i n rehearsal. The pack can show one suit only: Hearts. The entire suit of Hearts has been roughed on both sides and then sandwiched between two other cards -- one of which has been roughed on its face and the other roughed on its back. Thus we have groups of threes with the reversed card in the center. . On the backs of the cards which sandwich the Ace, three, six, nine and Queen, make a small scratch on the upper left and lower right corners -- which will make counting so much easier. I use two decks. One shows Hearts and the other shows Spades -- the two most frequently named suits. I have used these decks in several ways. First, I have placed a deck in each of my vest pockets (the Heart pack over the heart -where else?). I ask a person to name his favorite card suit. Again, if either Clubs or Diamonds is named I go into another effect -- without flinching! If Hearts or Spades is named (Which will happen in the vast majority of cases), I remove the appropriate deck from my - 19 -

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pocket as I say, II In a deck of cards there are thi rteen cards of each suit. Name anyone of them." It's a matter of timing and eye contact. I ask the spectator if he would like to change his mind and name another Heart. I make a game of thi s, When the spectator is solid on one named Heart, I remove the deck and spread it faces toward the audience. The cards are separated at the appropriate point. I say: IIOne card is reversed ••• and ~ one card ••• the three of Hearts (or whatever). As I say this, I remove the reversed card (without showing its face) and slowly turn the pack ar?und so the other side can be seen -- as I am saYlng, "and only one card. II The card itself is then turned around to reveal it is the very card named!

can be the first and only Ace which you attempt to send to the audience. It is slilply picked out of the face-down fan by its secret marking. The advantage of thi s pack over the previous one is that it can be made up using a regular deck of cards -- thus making up new decks is an easy matter. Again, with this deck the reversed card can be removed from the pack, back toward the audience, the pack itself turned around, and then the reversed card turned around so it can be seen by the audience -- a far more interest i ng di sp1ay vi sua l ly,

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Second, if I am perfomi ng at a tab 1e , I might place the Heart pack on the table but off to the side. If Hearts is named, I pi ck it up. If Spades is named, I switch the deck for the Spade deck in a way shown to me by Bruce ~ern­ stein, a very clever Chicago performer, WhlCh I am not free to explain. Since the spectators do not know what you are going to do, the switching of the decks is not ab1g production -- and can occur on a natural off-beat. Thi rd, standi ng before a group, I use the jumbo (marked) Aces. Fi rst, I hand out. the Heart (or Spade) deck. Then I show the JU'!">o Aces and propose the telepathy experiment wlth the audience. I attempt to transmit one Ace and then another (neither being the Heart). The two remaining cards are g1 yen to the spectato~ and the Ace of Hearts is selected throu-gh a Slmple process of equivoque ( IIWould you hand one of them to me. ") Alternately, the Ace of Hearts - 20 -

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WATER SUSPENSION

Laymen often believe, erroneously, that if they are seated close to a magician, they will have a better opportunity to di scover hi s secrets. Whi 1e thi s i s often true, it is by no Thi s effect, for exmeans a1ways the case. ample, is effective precisely because it ~ performed right under the spectator's nose. Further, it is percei ved by the spectators as being completely impromptu -- the only properties used are a dollar bill, a rubber band, some water or other liquid, and the performer's business card. (You mi ght thi nk thi sis a clever way to pass out your business cards -- and, perhaps, it is. Personally, I never give my card to anyone unless they ask for it. Should I be asked -- and should there be some 1iquid handy I very often perform this effect.) The basic effect first came to my attention in Mi 1bourne Chri stopher's book on the thumb tip. If you wrap even a newish bill around a thumb tip and slip a rubber band around it, you might think the whole thing looks wrong: The tube thus fonned seems too large -- obvi ously suggesting to the discerning specta~or th~t something is inside it. I felt a flnger !.'!E. formed a thinner and more believable tube -- and that is what I use. If you put a small rubber band around the finger tip and put it in your pocket, the effect is wonderfully impromptu. Routine Ask to borrow a bi 11 -- "the 1arger the denomi nat i on the better." Ask that the bill be newish (a worn bill would crush under the rubber

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band). The finger tip is alread, on the first finger of your right hand. Whi e the bill is being produced by a willing spectator, slip the rubber band off the finger tip and hold it in your left hand. The bi 11 is received in your ri ght hand, palm up, and rests on the palm -- thus covering the tip. The left hand turns the bill over once or twi ce and then holds up the rubber band as you say, "Would you trade the bill for this rubber band?" This question usually takes folks off guard and you should get many interresting responses with which you can work. Whatever the answer, hand the rubber band to the spectator with the request that he pull on it (fantasy being what it is, this usually gets a laugh from the other spectators). While the attention is thus on the spectator and the rubber band, form the bill into a tube around the finger tip -- which 15 illll1ediately removed before the tube is finally fonned. This takes a second. 00 it casually -- as if you were just doing it, just forming a bi 11 into a tube -withou~getting flushed in the face and generating your sense of guilt to the audience. Take the rubber band and slip it around the tube thus formed: The tip should be near the top of the tube. (Thi sis the poi nt where you tell all of your "rolling the dollar bill into a tube" jokes.) A card is taken and placed on the third and fourth fi ngers of the 1eft hand. The tube is placed on top of it and held in place by the thumb and first finger of the left hand.

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Notes Water is slowly poured into the bill. Just before I do this I usually say "This is the reason I didn't want to use ~y own money! II Stop, let it sink in.

Don't be in a hurry.

Slowly ... as if you were doi ng somethi ng tremendous ••• slowly sl i de the card from under the bil~ unti~ it is free of contact. If I am p~rforml.ng thi s behind a bar or near a table, I wll1 sprn the card onto the surface toward the spectator. . If you do thi s as if you were doi ng somethlng utterly. unbelievable, you will find that many people wl1l gasp when you remove the card.

. Taking the glass in the right hand, slowly rat se the tube in the left, pause, and then slowly pour the water back into the glass. This very often generates laughter. Put the glass down -- or hand it to someone: Look the spectator right in the eye as you de l tver the following line: -1'i\r1d-uie most amazi ng thi ng is that bi 11 is not even wet! It This line covers a multitude of sins -- not the least of which is the steal of the tip from the tube. But don't even think of it as a "steal: -- ~tisn't. What I do is simply insert the thlrd flnger of mY right hand into the tube (and the tip) as my left hand slips off the rubber band. I allow the bi 11 to unroll by i~s~lf.as my hand moves toward the spectator -flnlshlng about a foot from his face. The left hand iRlTlediately turns the bi 11 over several times and hands it back to the spectator -- as both hands are shown empty (fingers pointing toward the spect~tor's eyes).

Don't be in a hurry -- particularly when you unroll the tube. I have fooled many magicians with this simply because they were looking for somethi ng on my thumb or fi rst fi nger. The movement of the right hand toward the spectator, as the left removes the rubber band, is smooth It's all over before you know and unhurried. it. The best kind of glass to use -- since you don't want the bill to get wet(!) -- is a cordial glass. Pour slowly but steadily-until the water is about one-fourth inch from the top. With his Liquid Pull, Vernet supplies small plastic glasses which are designed to pour perfectly and which hold an ideal amount to use with a finger tip. Again, a paper cup is also fi ne since it can be squeezed togethe r at the top before pouri ng -- and the water wi11 pour straight down (which is what you want). One 1ast word concerni ng the presentat ion of this -- and other -- close-up effects. The greatest failure, it seems to me, is a failure of the imagination on the part of the performer to i magine that he is rea lly doi ng thi ngs that are absolutely fantastic and amazing. If the performer can imagine this to be the case, he is al ready on hi s way toward communi cating that energy and wonder to his audience. This little trick, for instance, really can be played into something quite marvelous in the perception of laymen -- and, if you do it smoothly, even magicians might wonder where the thumb tip went ••••

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ABOUT GENE BURGER ••• Eugene is a professional close-up magician. Magi c has been his sole means of support for several years -. and Eugene lives very well, indeed. A lover of magic since he was ten years old, Eugene is a native Chicagoan and had the great good fortune to watch and know and learn from the many famous Chicago close-up workers of the 1950's and '60's. Throughout high school in Chicago and college in Wisconsin, he was utterly absorbed in magic. Then his interest dropped away, his subscrtpt tons lapsed, his apparatus and books were sold. During the years "away," he studied at Luther Theological Seminary in Minnesota, at Yale and at the University of Illinois where he a 1so taught phil osophy and compa rat i ve re 1i gions. He left the university in the '70's and moved to Evanston, Illinois, where he eventually became Director of General Assistance (welfare), a job which he could only take some four years.

.[ugene believes that the challenge of perfO"'lng is to make "that puzzle" into a funfilled and entertaining romp OR a stunning, eIIIOtional experience. His aim is to have ·only strong effects· in his repertoire. How well he has succeeded was attested to by England's Bob Read after I had taken him to see Eugene work at a local bistro: "He's marvelous • Bob said. ·[very item's a closer! II

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As an enthusiastic, even unabashed, admirer of Eugene's performing ability and persona, I am pleased to be able to help bring his notes to you. If you have attended this lecture, no words of mine are needed to tell you about his ability. If you have not, I am pleased to introduce you to a good fri end and wonderful magician through these notes. Excelsior!! Productions has also published his book Secrets and Mysteries of Close-Up Entertaining: I commend that to your attention also. I am confident that you will enjoy and benefit from reading it just as I am sure you will benefit from , his lecture.

In 1976, Eugene and Erik Counce formed the Spirit Theatre Company and twenty months later "Hauntings" debuted. This powerful and intimate "psuedo-spt ri t seance played co11 eges and the Chicago area Playboy circuit, and is the subject of a book to be published by Magic Inc. in 1982. I have seen the show and read the manuscript and can highly recommend both.

-- Phil

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While developing "Hauntings, Eugene took stock of his life and decided to become a fu11time professional magi ci an. Thi s normally difficult IIIetamorphosh was aided by a benignly benevolent appearance, a sincere love of people, and a highly developed sense of what he was about. II

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EXCELSIOR!! PRODUCTIONS 3 Banbury Cross Asheville, N.C. 28801

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