Out Of This World

Let's talk about card magic and also about why "Out of this World" is a bad influence on magicians. Card magic is not a serious issue. It's playing cards, you know for actually playing. Naturally it is hard to be serious with cards. But I often see magicians who try do to the intricate mysteries, who desperately strive to create some sort of wondrous magic atmosphere, which is of so hard to accomplish with PLAYING cards.-

Card magic should not be treated other then lightly. In my humble opinion that is. The majority of laypeople I met know one or two card tricks. To them it is not a complicated, difficult serious matter, to them it is just a freaking trick. And that is were most magicians who do card tricks seem to fail. They try to make it more than it is. And it feels like a comedian who tries do do stock jokes that are old as hell and not funny.

And this is were Paul Curry comes in. The creator of a marvelous self working card miracle simply called "Out of This World." For the very few who don't know about the effect. The spectator deals down cards from the deck on the table into two piles. When the face down cards are turned around they are separated into red and black.

Why is this trick cool? Well it is self working. It is a "in the spectators hands"-effect. It really has an impossibility build in that is hard to top.

Why is it bad? Because it takes too much fucking time to deal out those cards.

And to cover that dead time (dead time defined as the time in a show where no magic effect happens) the magician needs to make it interesting. And this is where almost all fail. You need one hell of a good "cover" to get past this part without boredom. Yet "Out of this World" is performed really often. Simply because it is self working. Naturally is often performed badly. Thank you Paul Curry.

So here is my little thing: Treat card magic playfully! If you need to, use Tarot cards!