NO. 101 DECEMBER 2022
E N I Z A G A
M C I G A
MAX MAVEN 1950 2022
M H S I N A V
Paul Romhany
VANISH
R
MAGAZINE PUBLISHER Paul Romhany & Joomag
M OM FR O E H T TH
OR TO EDI T
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & DESIGN LAYOUT
Paul Romhany
FARE AREWEL WELLL TO TO MAX MAVEN MAVEN
COVER PHOTO Desgin Paul Romhany
T
BACK COVER PHOTO
Thanks to Xavier Xavier Mortimer THANK YOU TO
Chipper Lowell SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nick Lewin ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Hal Meyers, Meyers, Ben Robinson CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Romhany, Louie Fox, Nick Lewin, Connie Boyd, Pierre Hamon & Gus, Dave Attwood, Patrick Kuffs Kuffs,, Nigel Harrison plus all 47 contributors for the Max Maven tribute ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Jennifer Holden CREATIVE DESIGNER & LAYOUT Paul Romhany VANISH CONVENTION DIRECTOR Steve Hocevar CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION CIRCULATION Joomag ADDRESS PLEASE NOTE: New address address so email prior to posting any product reviews to VANISH. editor@ vanishmagazine.com
his issue is a very special tribute to Max Maven. I was fortunate enough to meet Max many years ago and was a huge fan of his work prior to that meeting. What What struck me was how giving he was of his time. He was fascinated in the cat book I had written and was very complimentary. I never forget seeing him flick through the pages and a little smile and raised eyebrow appear on his face. That's when I knew he 'got it.'
The cover is an original piece of aartwork rtwork I created where where I combined combined his last written words that were shared over social media after his passing, with the strong image of his face. It took me over 40 hours of intricate work and is available as a commemorative poster measuring 16.5” x 20.5” from Nielsen Magic. Lupe produces the best quality posters and this one is a fine giclee printed with UV Inks on CANVAS. See the advert for more details. The number of tributes tributes that came in fr from om all over the world was overwhelming overwhelming and I decided to take out regular articles so we could feature all of them. This would not have been possible without the hard work of Nick and Susan Lewin. They went above above and bey beyond ond to help me get tthis his ready in time and they they deserve a huge thank you. We have over 45 contribut contributors, ors, and we would like to thank them all for sharing their stories and memories of Max. This shows just how much he was loved and respected by magicians all over the world. We also continue the Illusion design series by Nigel Harrison. These are proving extremely popular with some great feedback. If you are looking for original illusions check out this series. I wish everybody a happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2023 be your year and bring you all that you deserve and wish for. In the words of Max Maven, M aven, “I learned we should be kind to one another and forgive people for being flawed and prideful.””
I will be moving back to Canada in January and will be traveling more and getting to conventions. I hope to meet many readers at the events I plan on attending.
Paul Romhany The Great Pokkus
BY PIERRE HAMON AND GUS
TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIAL PAGE 05 MAX MAVEN TRIBUTE PAGE 06 product highlight - illuminate sribe & second sight PAGE 60 celbrating four years of wonder - charles bach PAGE 66 breaking the magicians code part two - gustav kuhn PAGE 76 helen coghlan - five time fooler PAGE 82 illusion design - nigel harrison PAGE 90 POKETUS SUBTERFUGE PAGE 112 REIVEWS PAGE 120
MAX MAVEN 21 DECEMBER 1950- 1 NOVEMBER 2022
"Teller and I first saw Max in the 70s, at some magic convention or something. Maybe NYC, maybe Philly. I don’t remember. I don’t remember the tricks he did. But I remember the feeling. Teller Teller and I had seen Springsteen a few times before and I remember feeling, “I have seen the future of magic and its name used to be Phil Goldstein.” Goldstein.” He was amazing. I had never seen tricks like that, totally fooled on every single one, and a stage style that killed me dead. He wasn’t playing the bland nice guy that everyone else was doing then. He was something else. Something wonderful. Wow. And after that he just got smarter and better. When there were magical problems that t hat we couldn’t figure out, we called Max, and he had a solution for us. Max will be missed. Magic in general, and Penn & Tellerr specifically, will be a little Telle li ttle less good." Penn Jillette
PHOTO BY ARTO AIRAKSINEN
Unifi Illuminati Magic PRICE: $USD1,250
Scribe is ideal for printing revelations such as lottery tickets, boarding passes, movie tickets, and receipts - in fact, with advanced image processing capabilities, you can create any ticket you would like.
MANUFACTURER: Illuminati
Magic AVAILABLE: www.illuminati-magic.com
I
n 1962, Arthur C. Clarke formulated his famous three laws, of which the third law is the best-known and most widely cited: “Any sufficiently advanced a dvanced technolog t echnologyy is
indistinguishable from magic”. I am not sure exactly when this occurred, but after reviewing Second Sight and Scribe from Illuminati Magic, I am pretty confident that it was sometime in August 2022 at FISM!
if you don’t want to create your “An Anyy suffi ci cien entl tlyy Ofowncourse, printed prediction, you can choose from a library of over 200 professionally designed advanced covering virtually every lotto ticket and boarding pass imaginable. technology is tickets, in a professionally designed enclosure, indistinguishable Housed Scribe supports an “easy-load” “easy-load” feature to pre-printed thermal tickets in the print from magic”. feed chamber.
Scribe is a miniature Thermal Printer that enables you to perform a multitude of printed predictions. Measuring a mere 96x38x23 mm, Scribe can be discreetly hidden in a myriad of locations.
Some of Scribe’s features include; Ultra-fast print times. Typically, a lotto ticket can be printed in less than two seconds. A massive online library of effects, including lotto tickets, boarding passes & movie tickets. The ability to sort lotto numbers from lowest to highe highest, st, with powerball support. Standby time of 12 hours, printing up to 100 tickets from a single charge.
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Easily switch between predictions using the App.
Unifi PRICE: $USD470 MANUFACTURER: Illuminati Magic AVAILABLE: www.illuminati-magic.com
S
econd Sight is a miniature NFC Reader that can detect NFC tags at a range of 125mm.
What exactly is NFC? NFC is an acronym for Near Field Communications. This technology allows miniature tags to be hidden inside everyday objects, and when Second Sight gets within range, it instantly notifies you.
is ready for even the most demanding schedule.
You can program each NFC Tag with a unique audio message and vibration sequence and customize the graphics.
Second Sight measures only 61x38x7mm, allowing the unit to be disguised virtually anywhere.
The NFC tags may be hidden hidden virtually anywhere, from playing cards and
The instant Second Sight scans an N NFC FC tag; the App can generate photorealistic
boarding passes to postcards and business cards!
image predictions, prediction devices, control or eventime send an SMS to a confederate! confederate! Additionally, Second Sight can print predictions, such as lotto or movie tickets, when coupled with Scribe.
Illuminati Magic manufactures a broad range of NFC accessories, including Phoenix-branded playing cards, Tarot Cards, ESP Cards, Lotto balls, Zodiac playing cards, and wooden tags. Second Sight has ultrafast scanning speeds - less than 1/10th of a second and can read multiple tags simultaneously with a six-hour battery time; Second Sight
The NFC deck deck is designed specifically for magicians, with the NFC chips and antenna incorporated into the cards during manufacturing, ensuring that each card is perfectly flat.
Notification can be received in a myriad of methods: Integrated vibrate motor with built-in reminders. Vibrations felt by the external Thumper.. With the Unifi App Thumper (iOS & Android), you can edit the number length, and strengthof ofrepeats, the vibrator. Visually by the Notifier, with custom text and graphics. Verbally via text-to-speech, identifying which NFC has been chosen (using a Bluetooth earpiece). The text-to-speech is available in multiple languages with customizable settings.
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V id e o r e v ie w
o f S c rib e &
S e c o n d S i g h t
would eventually come. We had planned a longer season and even expanded the number of shows offered, but after holding off for months, we had to cancel 2020. In 2021, a successful nightclub located at Broadway at the Beach closed for good due to Covid and we were able to secure this space to make the perfect venue for the variety entertainment we had planned. Once again, I turned turned the space into a theater with a new stage, lighting, sound, seating, curtains, new signage, and more to create a 209 seat performance space. This was the perfect size to present our three shows at 4pm, 7pm, and
9pm slots during the season running 3 shows per day, 7 days a week. World-Record juggler, Niels Duinker, performed in the 4pm slot daily. I did the 7pm slot with my 90-minute “Wonders” magic & illusion show and Steve Falcon performed a late-night comedy hypnosis show for adults only. We were able to work together to promote the shows and the theater and we continued this format into the 2022 year and brought in some new shows. Wacky Chad stunt stunt comedy show and Spheres Bubble Show were popular with guests this summer and the Wonders show and Comedy Hypnosis Hour stayed as resident shows from March through December in our expanded season.
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I’ve never worked harder, worn as many hats, learned so many new things, or had such a rewarding experience experience as this. I thought it would be easier to simply perform in my own space, but it’s an all-encompassing daily job to keep the theater theater running smoothly. smoothly. Performing has become my moment of Zen and the time to not worry about all the business side of things and have a chance to enjoy my time with the audience. Working together with my family is also rewarding in so many ways and we challenge each other to make our theater the best it can be. Our goal is to create a 5-star experience experience for each and every guest that comes to see us. These efforts have paid off in having our shows reach two spots for TripAdvisor’s top 5 things to do in a very busy tourist town with lots of shows and attractions competing for attention. We continue to change our shows each year, and have just begun our Wonders of Christmas shows with brand new holiday themed illusions and even a Bad Santa inspired comedy hypnosis show. Come see our shows if you’re ever in the Myrtle Beach area.
SHOW DESCRIPTIONS WONDERS! A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE Experience a world-class show of magic, dance, comedy & grand illusion in the heart of Broadway at the Beach. Witness some of the world’s most impressive Las Vegas style grand illusions LIVE. Charles Bach Wonders Wonders Magic Show is a family-friendly show for all ages. It’s more than a magic show, it’s a Magical Experience. Beautiful costumes, incredible incredible dancers, giant puppets, colorful lighting and of course great MAGIC! MAGIC! When you finish sunning at the beach, it gets too hot outside or it rains and you are looking for things to do in Myrtle Beach come join us in our big cool air-conditioned theater for an incredible magic show!
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Comedy Hypnosis Hour is a 75 minute party for adults 18+ only! It’s more than a hypnosis show, it’s a Rapid Fire Mind Boggling Comedy Experience. Stunning feats of mentalism and influence, i nfluence, incredible demonstrations of hypnosis, sidesplitting fun, incredible production lighting, sound, and effects allow the entire audience to become lost in the excitement of the show! When you're done sunning at the beach, finish your day with a ton of laughs or start up your night of partying with a bang with an incredibly hilarious adult hypnosis show! Come see the only show in Myrtle Beach that finishes with a rousing climax! International Hypnotist Steve Falcon Falcon has appeared on the hit Discovery+ show 90 Day Fiancé Happily Ever After, 90 Day the Single Life and History Channel’s Pawn Stars. He has also performed for years at The Paris Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas.
STEVE FALCON’S BAD SANTA COMEDY HYPNOSIS HOUR So you've been good this year? Let's fix that! Whether you've been naughty or nice, comedy hypnotist Steve Falcon has reached deep inside Santa’s sack to bring you a hilarious comedy hypnosis show reloaded for the Christmas Season. It’s It ’s time to get your stocking stuffed by the Master of Hypnosis as he jokes and hypnotizes his way to the North Pole. Discover what Bad Santa has been up to this holiday season and enjoy this adults-only X-mas show. Come
YOU'LL YOU'LL EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE INCREDIBLE MAGIC. HOLIDAY MUSIC, FABULOUS DANCERS, IT TAKES TWO OR THREE MONTHS TO
PRODUCE A VIDEO. NOVEMBER | 2022
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see nice people being naughty while hypnotized! This This is the holiday holiday comedy show you didn't know you had to see. Live on stage in Myrtle Beach. Come one, come all (over 18, of course) International Hypnotist Steve Falcon has appeared on the hit Discovery+ show 90 Day Fiancé Happily Ever After, 90 Day the Single Life and History Channel’s Pawn Stars. He has also performed for years at The Paris Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas.
WE HEAD INTO 2023 AS WE HEAD THE WONDERS THEATRE WILL BE ENTERTING ITS 5TH YEAR.
ABOUT THE WONDERS THEATR THEATREE Charles Bach Wonders Theatre at Broadway at the Beach is located next to Dave & Buster’s in the former Oz Nightclub. Nightclub. We are an intimat intimate e 200 seat theatre and present incredible Las Vegas style shows and entertainment that cannot be seen anywhere else. Our resident shows are the Charles Bach Wonders! Magic Show and the Steve Falcon Comedy Hypnosis Hour and we bring in other variety shows during the season. 2023 will be 5 years since opening the theatre in Myrtle Beach and the season expanded from a short summer season to now run from March through the end of December.
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I N T ER N AT I ON AL M A G I C S Y M P OS I U M
WE WANT YOU! Do you have an effect you want to launch? Release it with Class!
Please contact our Product Development Ambassador:
[email protected]
Does my work as a scientist to unlock the secrets of the human mind put me in conflict with responsibility as a magician to guard the secrets of magic?
Gustav Kuhn
PART TWO
'breaking' the problem with exposure rules
the magician s code
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AR AND CAD
This work workshop shop plan has been been made made aavail vailable able for person personal al colle collectio ction n and/or professional use only. Fabrication of this illusion for commercial resale purposes is strictly prohibited unless previously authorized by Nigel Harrison The autho authorr does does not not assume assume any any liliabil ability ity ffor or iinjur njuries ies stemmi stemming ng fr from om tthe he construction constructi on or use of this effect. Use at own risk. All content is © Copyright 2022 by Nigel Harrison Productions Productions
MODELS Scan the QR Codes below to view an interactive 3D model of the illusion as well as an AR video of the Cut-less Cutlass prop as it would appear, to scale, in real-life. Files are viewable on desktop and mobile devices
scan the codes to view 3D models
09 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022
ILLUSIONPLANS.CA
Half-Dyed Silk
Billy McComb's latest version Authorized by Billy McComb Silver Odyssey Coins Thru GlassThe most elegant version ever.
Horizontal Card Rise Selected cards magically move horizontally through the deck.
Synchronicity-Jeff Sheridan A unique discovery under impossible conditions.
Imperial Chop Bowl With detailed instructions by Jon Racherbaumer
Hourglass Stop the sands of time solely with your mind!
Burmese Bells
Can O'Chips
An unusual telekinetic experiment. Four models to choose from.
Discover a borrowed ring inside a sealed can of Pringles!
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KNOT UNEXPECTED BYJIM BY JIM STEINMEYE STE INMEYER R & VORTEX VORT EX MAGIC REVIEWED BY NICK LEWIN PRICE: $79.95 Jim Steinmeyer is considered one of the most creative thinkers in magic, and Knot Unexpected shows why this is. After Doug Henning's performance of the 'moving knot' on his television special he reached out to Jim to come up with a method that was more practical for his touring show. Jim created Knot Unexpected. One of the most practical and deceiving versions of the cut and restored rope.
In the past other versions were sold but they never matched the ideal knife Jim had designed. They were either too small and couldn't hope the rope or were cheaply made and wouldn't cut the rope. Vortex Magic has spent over two years designing and having
knife and will easily cut the rope. You can now perform the moving knot and cut and restored rope with confidence and ease using any piece of rope. The Effect: Two audience members hold a length of rope, a spot is selected somewhere near the center of the rope, the slack is taken up, and the rope is OPENL OPENLY Y cut in the center. center. The magician then takes the newly cut cut ends and ties them into a knot. S/he then slides the knot along the rope freely. Sliding the knot near one end, the magician unties the knot, leaving the bewildered spectators holding two uneven lengths of rope. No trick ropes, very visual, no magnets to worry about. Pure Jim Steinmeyer genius! Comes complete with the special knife and a download tutorial.
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/VJF2636AHS8
prototypes made to get the perfect knife for this illusion. This looks and feels like a real
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PHOTO BY ARTO AIRAKSINEN
