Wrapping Up Peter Loughran Week

What a week it was. We got to see a whole bunch of products that are flawed from the start. The reason I chose products that Peter Loughran makes and sells should be obvious. But sometimes the obvious needs to be pointed out.

There are several ways to create magic. But before every completion of a creative process there is the "hit or miss" issue. Sometimes a creative idea hits a dead end and would be perfect in a different universe. It fails. It can fail for many reasons. The effect could be difficult to understand. The method could be unreliable. The underlying principle could be not deceptive. The idea could be unoriginal and been thought of before, thereby making any claims of intellectual ownership futile. The intuitive solution has not been taken care of by "cancelling of methods". The intuitive solution is the actual solution.

The products I featured over the week are a mix of all of the above. They simply have not gone through a rigorous filtering system of a "friends and family alpha". Or at least not enough.

I don't know what it is exactly. Maybe everybody is way too nice towards Peter Loughran sugar coating any criticism, if at all.

Everyone who is working in some sort of creative industry needs feedback. Honest feedback. Because eventually we come up with a great idea. A really great idea. And it turns out, that it is shit. But the creator didn't see it as he was too in love with his little creation to see.

I have created my share of magic. But I tend to create routines for other magicians. Thereby having a specific goal. I try to take the essence of their personality and tailor it to the routine, by choosing the right prop, the right premise and the right plot.

I can imagine, that if you are creating a general product and you have to leave out character and premise and all of that, you tend to end up with a very generic product. So it is difficult to stand out.

In that regard Peter's products stand out. They have a unique bulky look with lots of aluminium framing.

But I maybe all wrong. After all my filter could be broken as well. So I'm calling you out. Everyone who has ever bought a product of Peter Loughran. Tell me about it! Tell me, if it is reliable! I suppose they are. Tell me, if it gets you the desired reactions you have hoped for! I really want to know. Use the comment section, shoot me an email or write about it on Facebook.

Peter Loughran Week: Thumb Twister

I was honestly surprised to find an instant download among the products of the master of illusions. Also no video? So this has to be the sort of trick that you can do instantly as soon as you see a demo video!

Let's quote what's happening from the website:

"The Thumb Twister effect is simple, the performer will snap his thumb backwards with it trapped between the knuckles of his other hand's fingers, apparently breaking it from it's joint, and then proceed to twist the thumb 360 degrees in full circle and then back again, gaining you freakish reactions!" 

Wow that sure sounds original.

"Do not confuse these with finger illusions of old, these are completely original illusions designed by Peter Loughran"

Maybe I'm wrong. Well maybe the video quality will be HD and it will be taught by someone who's able to teach.

"The video is far from a Hollywood production, however it will provide you time with Peter himself in a humble, up-close and personal setting, doing what he does best, and that's teaching original new magic."

Damn it I'm wrong again. But at least we get the usual over the top, trying to be charismatic posing of Peter right?

"Filmed in Peter's product warehouse, you'll get to see another side of Peter with his off beat humour and will enjoy the entertainment value of the video as much as the illusions themselves."

This is not my day obviously! I should get this. Or a copy of Magic for Dummies, changing the stretching the thumb routine taught therein to accomplish the outlined magic trick by Peter Loughran. In fact buying the book would get me even more magic. In Peter's Thumb Twister you'll only get one trick!

"In addition Peter will also explain and perform 2 other amazing visual finger illusions that he has created including the hilarious Severed Finger of Death, where the performer will sever his finger in full view!"

Gee what a bargain!

Peter Loughran Week: The Mad Scientist

Look at the promo picture. LOOK AT IT! It says "NEW comedy micro illusion". What a big fucking lie. But maybe I'm too harsh. Everything can be comedy right?

But maybe I should tell you first what this trick is all about.

Two test tubes on a tray. In one you stuff a silk, claim that it will go to the other side. And the rest I better quote directly from the website. It is too glorious not to be quoted:

"The performer places a large playing card in front of both test tubes and explains that the silk will teleport on his queue from one test tube to the other one that is elevated off the tray with a clear view underneath the thin mini stand. The performer makes a magical gesture and says that the silk has indeed teleported and he will prove it by checking the tubes himself. He looks down and says "Yep it has indeed teleported to the other test tube. But the hard part is to make them go back." He makes a magical gesture and this time removes the cards to show that the silk is back in its original place. The audience screams to see it again but this time they want him to remove the card.

The performer does just this, he throws away one of the cards, and places the other one in front of the test tube containing the silk and then says he will make the silk teleport once again. He then picks up the card but also secretly picks up the silk so it is hidden behind the playing card, and places it in front of the other test tube that is resting on the mini stand. He secretly places the silk into this test tube and immediately removes the card. They audience screams that they know how he did it. This time they want to see done with no cover at all.

The performer obliges but tells his audience that they better not blink or they will miss it. He makes a magical gesture and sure enough this time, the silk VISIBLY vanishes from one tube and INSTANTLY re-appears in the other tube which is isolated off the tray on its own stand."

I hope you get the brilliance of this "stock routine" There is nothing new about the structure or the jokes. The only thing new might be the method. But that shouldn't matter to the audience. You cannot hand out or even lift the test tubes. They seem stuck on the suspicious tray. But watch the video. I cannot think of a better way to get you not to buy this.


Now you may wonder what the this micro illusion costs. Well it is "Affordable", that is what the website says. Just 350 dollars. Get rubber string, two pins, a piece of tape,a piece of silk and two tubes. About 2 bucks! And the tubes could be examined. And if you wanna go the sucker route, then you could switch the tubes and even turn around as additional phases.

Peter Loughran Week: Anything Floats

"ANYTHING FLOATS is a new concept created from the inventive mind of Peter Loughran who has created over 50 original effects and illusions for magicians all over the world. ANYTHING FLOATS allows you to end completely clean! It allows you to use random borrowed objects that need no preparation whatsoever, and uses no traditional methods such as threads, strings or magnets, so you never worry about a thread breaking again!"

Interesting a NEW concept. No threads, strings or magnets? What about wires, sticks, tape and a controlled erection?

Does the last one weird you out? It should, because that's what it looks like.

Seriously! (The actual trick starts as usual about 40 seconds in) 

And I love what it says on the website:

"Imagine being able to borrow random objects from a spectator and float it right then and there, on the spot, close up or on stage at any time during your act."

Close up! CLOSE UP! Has Peter Loughran any idea what close up magic means? This item, has a serious angle issue. You can only see it float from the front. From the side it doesn't "float". Performing close up means you have people right and left of you. Sometimes even people watching from behind. There is no way to do that trick in a close up setting.

Now it might be a misunderstanding of what close up means. Maybe the Master of Illusions meant that the viewer can be really close to the front of the performer. In that case the statement would be true, but it is misleading, making this a marketing lie.

This is the sort of thing that Michael Ammar does as a joke (Rising Card), but it is not, I repeat not a thing that should be sold separately.

So could it at least be a stage item? Sure, but there you can work on a much grander scope. Okito's floating ball comes to mind. For less than 50 dollars, which is the price of "Anything Floats". But who am I to rip this apart. Just a close up guy! I know nothing about illusions.

Tommorow: The Mad Scientist

Peter Loughran Week: Stabbed

In case you don't know what an "intuitive solution" is: It's the solution to a trick that a spectator comes to first. A good example would be the vanishing coin. The intuitive solution is that the coin went up the sleeve. That solution can be fought against very easy. Just roll the sleeves up. Now most often the intuitive solution is no the real solution, however sometimes it is the case. Linking Rings comes to mind.

But no matter what, the intuitive solution must be fought against, as it ruins the show, even if it is not the true solution. If people think the coin is up your sleeve, even though it is not true, that you have done something wrong.

Having said all that please watch the trailer of Stabbed from the Master of Illusions. Just remember to skip ONE MINUTES and 40 SECONDS into the video to see the effect:





Great isn't it. 40 dollars. A proud price for a blood soaked sponge!

I should point out that I don't know how this is done. I'm offering my intuitive solution here. In fact not just mine, but I had two none magic friends watch this trailer. And after I got around the usual "I want those minutes of my life back"-comments they told me that they think it is just a bunch of rolled up napkins. "What about showing that there is nothing underneath?" I asked. "Oh he just grabbed it as he was lifting his shirt!"

So do we have a undeceptive mess on our hands? Nope, no one who didn't buy this!

So what should this look like? Well first get rid of the T-shirt. The skin needs to be pierced. And there are many other version out there. Like the Pin Needle through the Hand by Steve Fearson. Or Flesh Wound, which I even perform myself.

So there are options to avoid Stabbed. I suggest ALL of them.

Tomorrow: Anything Floats

Peter Loughran Week: Splattered

Let's start lightly. Splattered is The Master of Illusions's take on the classic Square Circle. I don't get how the Square Circle is still around. Wait cut that. I know why it is still around, but it shouldn't be.

So what makes Peter's version different from any other Square Circle on the market.

NOTHING!

On the website he says:

Some notable improvements over the cheaper existing models on the market:

• Proper material used on the inner tube for maximum decpetiveness
• Themed art to allow proper story telling for today's modern performer
• More deceptive than cheaper models that no window grill is needed, making it much more magical to the audience giving them a clear view inside at all times
• A beautiful felted base that elevates the prop so the audience always has clear view under the prop(an important detail often missed with other models, because without this, the audience often thinks there is just a hole in the magician's table that the items come from.
• Tricked out in polished aluminum, for not only cosmetic reasons, but also to protect the corners and edges of the prop, so it becomes practically indestructable
• Beautifully built and light weight compared to the cheaper models, no detail was missed.
• Each one is numbered for authenticity

I've seen many versions over the years. Even some good looking ones. This is not among them. Take a look at the picture. is my sense of taste really that far off? So the "Themed art to allow proper story telling" part of the ad is really confusing then. The design of the Square Circle really only allows one type of story. And not even a new one per se.

No window grill, so the audience has a clear view of the inside? Really? There is nothing to see except suspicious blackness. I don't think that is an issue.

And having each one numbered for authenticity? As if there will be a giant rip off period of this particular design. And how is having them numbered and improvement over cheaper existing models on the market?

And here we get to the heart of it. "Cheaper existing models"! This little retard baby costs 275 dollars. I'm not kidding. So you pay a quarter of a grand to pull out a bunch of pieces of silk worth about 20 bucks.

Are you familiar with the various tube productions? There are cheaper and more deceptive methods out there. I have to admit that in terms of amount of production items nothing quite beats the square circle, however with every spring flower you also pull out parts of your dignity as a performer.

Tomorrow: Stabbed

Something spooky to come!

If you have never seen a promotional video by the Master of Illusions Peter Loughran, then you should. It tells you all that is wrong about a promotional video.

Here is a quick check list to be as bad as the Master of Illusions

1. Very little contrast!
2. The intro takes about 40 seconds!
3. Bad 90's techno music or any B-material!
4. The font used is Arial!
5. No HD, in fact never go above a 480 resolution.

Ah what the hell, it has been a while. In 2009 I had a great run with the Peter Loughran week. Time for a revival!

Peter Loughran Week: Black Hole

Yesterday's chat with a friend.

Friend: wow you really have a problem with this guy PEter Loughram
Friend: poor guy
Friend: he's filling half of the blog
Roland: lol
Roland: it is peter loughran week
Friend: did he beat you up or something?
Roland: his products are sh*t
Roland: real bad
Roland: and he seems to think he is a creative gift to the world
Roland: well he is not
Friend: yeah I hate those guys
Friend: but here is the way I look at it:
Friend: those guys producing a lot of sh*t on the web..... they have an important function in magic
Roland: to get rich?
Friend: they are making it harder for a layperson to find exposure of good magic
Friend: good magic gets clouded by their presence online
Friend: and so,
Friend: when I do magic,
Friend: layperson see something they have never seen before
Friend: cause all they saw so was was Laughran stuff
Roland: well, OK, than this is how I see it...
Roland: then it is my function to rip on those guys
Friend: yeah you are good
Friend: it's making it even bigger for them in a way
Friend: their online presence gets amplified
Friend: the more sh*t the better
Friend: cause it hides real magic
Friend: real magic becomes like a needle in a haystack
Roland: well, yeah, but have you actually looked at the products that peter Loughran sells?
Friend: looking at one now
Roland: which one?
Friend: he's holding a chain
Friend: tying it around his neck
Roland: oh, that garotte thing
Friend: isn't that the Tenkai rope through neck thing?
Roland: pretty much
Friend: oh that blood is so cheesy
Roland: but without the rather convincing fake wrapping around
Friend: one wonders if this Peter Loughran actually knows he is a bullsh*tter, or if he really believes he is a master of magic
Roland: Hm, if you read is bio, that he has obviously written himself, I think he actually thinks he is good
Friend: he is terrible
Roland: his "ultimate cane is so bad"
Roland: dancing cane combined with the vanishing cane
Roland: the way he does it... horrible
Friend: I'm really surprised he hasn't come up with a torn and restored card yet. or his own 3-fly.... it's the typical trick for that sort of people
Friend: I must say that I also think people like Loughran damage magic. They pollute our reputation.
Friend: they are the cause for people not hiring us
Friend: cause they give magic a bad name.

Now.... to finish this week. Yet another item of the Peter Loughran product line. The Black Hole:

According to the website: "The Black Hole effect allows you to control, produce, vanish, steal, conceal, and change heavy and large objects at your fingertips. Produce a small tray with a bottle of wine and a full wine glass, visibly throw a large object into the air only for it to change into a silk and/or confetti in mid-air, steal and conceal dozens of coins, vanish full cans of soda, produce cutlery for an entire table, manipulate large and heavy objects that seem to come and go from nowhere. So many effects are possible with this deceptively simple gimmick. Requires no pulls, no black art and can be done in short sleeves! Geared for the street performer, this is the perfect utility device for not only the close up worker but also perfect for the stage performer. Your imagination is the only limit you have!"

Ok, how do I start? Oh yeah, have you every played with magnets as some sort of hold out. Usually you put them in your back pocket and use it to get rid of a coin and to get it back. Later one realizes that this is not necessary at all. Well the Black Hole ist pretty much that. Just not your pocket, but your back. Sure it allows for some interesting stuff, but this is not a new concept. So charging 44.99 USD is overpriced.

It says: "Geared for the street performer," I honestly don't know in what world Peter is living, but a street performer works completely surrounded. (that is 360 degrees) So something on the back will be seen. Because the Black Hole is not angle proof.

I only see an application in stage magic, making the whole advertisment a phrasemongering. This is false advertisment, and I don't even know if Peter is aware of that. If he is aware, then he is a sell out, if he is not, he is a poor soul who lives in another world. A world of smoke, cheesy music and low video resolution.



Well this ends the Peter Loughran Week. I was seriously thinking about adding a second week. But I will not. Let's just wait what silly next thing Peter will release. Maybe this time he will get it right. He is due to make a good one.

Oh Peter, one more thing just for you: Name your products less boastful, Entity, Ultimate Cane, Black Hole, Elevator, Rainmaker, Broom through Body, Head Rush, Irone Garotte, Seep.... all of those titles sound like some horrible suppressed sexual experiences. And be less megalomaniac. Claiming to have "created another brilliant masterpiece" is a sign of hubris which often leads to tragedy.

Peter Loughran Week: Iron Garotte

From the website: "The performer introduces an execution device that apparently originated from Spain called a Garrote. The Garrote was intended to execute its victim by means of strangulation or decapitation." Well the garotte was never used to decapitate anyone, but that would be nit-picking.

What the effect is: "The performer passes the Iron Garrote amongst the audience, and they note that it is extremely solid chain! It is then wrapped and tied tightly around the performer's neck (with the help of volunteers if you like). Suddenly the performer pulls the Iron Garrote, ripping it right through his neck!"

What is really is: Just rope through neck, done with a chain of metal. The chain links offer offer the possibility to do this effect surrounded. But in order to get to that display you cannot use the standard looping around the head which is common with the classic presentation of rope through neck.

Basically the handling demands a pretty unconvincing wrapping around the neck spoiling the method to smart people. See:



Anyway, Peter claims that Criss Angel did Peter's Iron Garotte on his special. I looked at the video. It is a totally different chain. Leading me to believe that Peter adorns himself with borrowed plumes.

So it is 69.95 USD for a chain that you can buy in your local DIY market for a fraction of that price. Totally not worth the purchase.

Or, get two chains (still cheaper than the Iron Garotte) and get them around your neck in "Grandmothers Necklace" fashion, that is much better. It seems more dangerous (2 chains) and it eliminates the extra wrapping in front of your neck and it is still angle proof.

Tomorrow: Black Hole

Peter Loughran Weak: The Ultimate Cane

The dancing cane is a pretty old effect. And if done correctly pretty deceptive. Hardly anyone does it correctly. But what does correctly mean. It means that the cane is perfectly balanced, that during the dancing it remains perfectly vertical. Any tilting makes it look ugly and gives away the method. And a perfectly balanced cane is not easy to make.

Though it is possible to make a Fantasio vanishing cane into a dancing cane it is not recommended. The Fantasio canes are ways too heavy to be a good dancing cane.

So Peter Loughrans idea to combine the two is not the brightest idea. Or as he claims on his website: "another brilliant masterpiece".

Another problem: When something burns it gets lighter (most of the time) so the longer the cane burns the lighter it gets, ergo the balance of it will be off. And does adding fire add anything to the effect? (Btw, adding fire has been done before. Dirk Losander sells a dancing candle.)

So nothing is new about the Ultimate Cane: Not the vanishing, not the dancing nor the fire.

Here is the video, again bad quality, Peter obviously hates quality.



You can see, that the can tilts to the right and to the left. This is ugly. This is a bad performance. Simon Drake did a much better version, here it is.



Simon is actually dancing with the cane. It looks good and it feels like the cane has a live of its own. The cane remains vertical, most of the time. This is a good performance.

In conclusion: Peter Loughran's Ultimate Cane is not so ultimate. It is not worth the price of 47.00 USD and Peter will not give you handling tips which will be worth anything, because his own presentation sucks.

Peter calls it: "one of the most beautiful effects in magic of our time" Yeah, right.

Tomorrow: Iron Garrote

Peter Loughran Week: ELEVATOR 1&2

Continuing with the Peter Loughran Week! Today's item: Elevator and Elevator 2. Both are bunched together, because they are basically the same. This is one of many self levitation out there. And pretty much all of them are trash. (save Steve Fearson's Fantastic Floatation) This is no exception. But it was the first self levitation that got major hype after David Blaine did his fake levitation on his first TV special. And it is pretty much what one expects to get. Something you stand on (how else, applying the too perfect theory) and a way to get rid of the gimmick.

Btw: It is kind of cute how the advertisement picture above says that the picture doesn't show the actual height and that it will not create a blue sphere around you.



But what is the actual levitation height? A laughable inch. It claims to do 3-4 inches, which is still laughable but one inch is about right. Of course the gimmick requires you to balance, something that not even Peter is able to do in the demo video.

If you make the claim that you can levitate... why only an inch for about half a second? This is weak magic. Imagine I claim I can make a coin vanish and I do it, for half a second, showing a half open empty fist and then the coin is back. You would say, that this is stupid. Same with levitations. Copperfield did it right, Criss Angel did it right and even Blaine did it right. But all of them used elaborate rigging, impractical for the usual magician.

If you need a good practical self levitation, go with the one by Steve Fearson. It is tongue in cheek yet high and quite deceptive.

Tomorrow: The Ultimate Cane

Peter Loughran Week: ENTITY

Peter Loughran’s Entity only $399.99 USD. What is does: You can move objects across a flat table in a controlled way. No threads. Of course there is a certain weight limit and the condition, that the object is either gimmicked with or naturally contains metal.

We all go through phases in out magic life. There is the gimmick phase, the rough and smooth phase, the purist phase and of course the magnet phase. Peter seems to have come up with the Entity in the later one.

The gimmick is big. Really big. The is no way to palm it.

From the website:
ENTITY 2.1 IS NOW MUCH SMALLER IN SIZE, AND OFFERS MORE PROGRAMMING OPTIONS INCLUDING AN 'ON THE FLY' PAUSE FEATURE.
(It is still too big)

You can have your spectators search the test area for threads, magnets, wires, etc., and they won’t find a thing.
(Yeah, as long a you define the test area as ABOVE the table)

And let's face it. As soon as the objects moves people will look under the table. And what will they find...? The secret of course.

I guess you could darken the room so much, that the underside of the table appears black hiding the gimmick. Well, if it needs to be so dark, you can use thread.

Now the video its intro is still tooooooooooooo long:


This is a promotional video right? Then why is the video quality so low. (all his videos are) He charges 400 bucks for this "illusion" yet cannot afford a decent video camera! The glass in the video moves way too shaky and jerky and what is the point in 1:34 with the waving hand?

Tomorrow: Elevator and Elevator 2

Peter Loughran Week: SEEP

Peter has done it. He took an old principle, usually done with bills, and applied it to cards. So this is not new. ONLY $24.95 USD according to Peter. So rehashing a magic principle is worth ONLY $24.95 USD. And it is not done well. Cards have rounded tips, this is a problem with this routine. Bills do not have rounded tips, ergo they suit the principle much better.

The following is quoted from his website. My comment in the brackets.

-Seep can be performed with 2 normal borrowed playing cards.
(true with a little bit of preparation and a duplicate card)

-There is no force required.
(true, sort of... I go into detail a little later!)

-You can use any deck or brand of cards.
(absolutely true)

-The borrowed cards are normal and can be handed out for examination after the illusion.
(yes, I agree)

-Seep requires virtually no set up and can be instantly repeated even with different cards.
("virtually" means, yes it requires set up. And it can be repeated with different cards, and different gimmicks)

-Seep is easy to do and requires no difficult sleight of hand.
(well it is easy yes, but it can greatly benefit from sleight of hand)

-Seep comes with instructions, special gimmick and multiple handlings and performance variations.
('kay)

I must give Peter credit though. Having the card that is penetrated "face out" does enhance the illusion. Just like a few basil leaves make a fat dish appear healty.

Now for the video, its intro is just way tooooooooooo long:

Talk about false advertisement. At 50 seconds into the video it says. "No Force Required". Well Sort of. The card that is penetrated needs to be a specific one. (Matching the gimmick) Ergo it is either forced or just taken. But "No Force Required" is so misleading it makes one think, that any card will do. And that is just not true. (Btw: At 1:05 you can see the secret.)

And to quote a friend of mine: "He rapes the cards." meaning his handling is stiff and the secret is apparent.

So is it worth ONLY $24.95 USD. No, it isn't! You can make this yourself, if you want to, the video above offers a exellent source of how not to do it and I suggest you use bills instead.

Tommorow: Peter Loughran's Entity

WMF Peter "Master of Illusions" Loughran

This is the official start of the "Peter Loughran week". Each day of this week we will look closely at one of his products, that he sells. This includes a close look at the website he runs. Or as I like to call it: The slowest damn website on the Internet.

Peter Loughran, the man who wants to be more famous than David Copperfield.
Peter Loughran, the man who's name magicians won't forget, but cannot spell properly.
Peter Loughran, the magician who is a man... or something like that.


Here is the thing, Pretty much all, what he puts out into the magic community is weak stuff. I am talking about the tricks and his advise (Magic Café). Or as a friend of min put it so nicely: "Just over priced, over hyped sh*t that only idiots would buy. And there are a lot of f*cking idiots out there."

Tomorrow we will look into his latest creation, aka "Seep" and why it is not worth buying at all.