Spinning Marc Paul
Making Emotions a better fit for me
When the 1914 had their Black Friday sale, I ignored most things because I’m trying not to buy as much magic stuff as I have in the past (losing battle, I know), but I did buy Marc Paul’s Anywhere Act. I’d wanted it since it came out because I am a Marc Paul fanboy — his stuff is always solid and fun — but had decided I had “enough” of his stuff.
HAHAHAHA!
That lasted until the sale and then I grabbed it, because the words “enough” and “Marc Paul” just don’t go together that well. And then I discovered it would have been worth the full price, no doubt.
Due to the kind of performing I choose to do, the chances of me arriving without my props is almost nil, so I knew the reason for that act wasn’t of concern to me, but I like the idea of a full act you can carry in your pockets so I wanted to see what kind of stuff he’d be showing.
I’m NOT one of those mentalists who goes to perform with a portfolio under his arm and does an hour. I may not have as much stuff to roadie in and out as when I was doing magic, but some days it feels like I do! While I could create a pocket-sized show, some of the effects I enjoy doing just requires some “stuff.”
I was not disappointed in the Anywhere Act. There were some tips on markers and index cards (for billets) that I’ll use forever, and while not all the actual routines looked like they’d be just right for me, there were a couple that really attracted me.
Not An Emotional Guy
One of the routines is called Emotions where 20 different characteristics (Broad-Minded, Youthful, Honest, etc.) were shown and four spectators each think of one. Then you read their mind and tell them which one they’re thinking of. It was nice, but I didn’t “care” about the theme.
Until about a minute later when some synapse in my brain made the right connection and I realized the method would work very well for a routine I was putting together called Carnivoracious, about the stuff we ate when I was a kid and we were dirt poor.
I had the script written for the routine, but no method. All I had to do was basically a search and replace on those characteristics and put in a list of 20 animals my family had eaten over the years. Armadillo, fox, lynx, wolverine, porcupine, etc.
Ta-da! I had a new trick!
One of the coolest things about Emotions (original or my presentation) is the prop list —- you have four cards with your emotions (or animals, or muscle cars, or beaches, etc.) on them and you’re set. It’s not propless, but it’s close. I have a PDF version of what I need on my phone, which means if I have access to a printer I can be ready to go with a 6-minute routine very quickly.
If I don’t have access to a printer, I could recreate that by hand with a Sharpie and some index cards.
Note: Besides the emotions/animals cards you need a crib or an awesome memory. I have one of the latter, but don’t like relying on it when I’m on stage, so take a look at a recent article about Cribs and you’ll see a picture of a Magnum Sharpie that I use for the Carnivoracious crib. That crib is also on the PDF I carry on my phone.
At this time I’ve only performed the effect a few times in front of real audiences, but it’s been really well received and I plan on keeping it in my set for a long time.
The Moral Of The Story (Besides Buy Marc Paul Stuff)
I think I’ve made this moral a few times before and will probably do it umpteen times in the future — the more you know, the easier it is to come up with stuff that’s custom made for YOU! Carnivoracious is my presentation, built on top of a Marc Paul routine, that uses a mathematical technique that probably someone like Pythagoras discovered. (Pythagoras doesn’t have any books or videos coming out, otherwise I’d recommend you get those, too.)
You are probably like 99.7% of magicians out there who buy stuff and then toss it in a drawer because it sucks, doesn’t fit, etc.
But remember the method, because that may help you in the future when you’re looking for a way to accomplish an effect that looks really cool in your imagination.
