Ring NO. 46, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Seymour Davis Ring
Meets 7:00 pm, 1st Monday of the month at the New Beginning Fellowship Church, 15601 S. Pennsylvania in OKC
LEE WOODSIDE, Secretary. Email: WoodsideLee@hotmail.com.
www.okcmagic.club
President Cassidy Smith introduced John Shack (AKA John Shackleford) as our lecturer for the evening. This was John’s first magic lecture and was free for all paid-up members of Ring 46. John quit his job a couple of years ago and has been earning his living as a full-time magician and magic developer.
John began by having Derrick Beeson sign both sides of a coin with a Sharpie. He then tossed the coin into a sealed bottle of drinking water. He uncapped the bottle, poured out the water, and showed that the signed coin was indeed inside the bottle. He said that this is sold through Penguin Magic as “Splash.”
John next showed a no-frame zig-zag card that he had developed. He openly slid the top and bottom halves of a playing card about halfway and then handed the card out for examination. John then gave us a brief explanation of card splitting.
He showed us a very pretty color changing effect where the face card of a deck visibly changed to another card not once, but twice. He ended clean. John spread a deck of cards to show that all the cards faced the same way. After two cards were selected and reversed in the deck, he showed that all the cards were now reversed.
John folded a dollar bill and placed a chopstick into the fold. After piercing the bill with the chopstick, he unfolded the bill to show that the chopstick was definitely penetrating the bill. He removed the chopstick and showed that the bill was none the worse for having been pierced. After showing his hands empty and picking up and tearing open a sugar packet, he proceeded to extract a long drinking straw from the packet.
John demonstrated a new product he created that will be released for sale to magicians in the near future. I can best describe it as being a playing card version of a mismade bill, except that it happens right in front of the spectators eyes when the card is merely tossed into the air.
You can see some of John’s magic by searching for “John Shack Magic” on YouTube. He is using social media to make a name for himself. He also performs regularly at a venue in downtown Oklahoma City.
Lee Woodside read an email he had received from Joseph “Shyster Joe” Diggle saying that Joe had received his certificate of Lifetime Membership in IBM Ring 46 and was honored by it. Although “retired” in the California desert, Joe is still performing magic at schools and other venues.
Our theme for February was “Romantic Magic.” Lee Woodside led off by telling a tragic love story involving a young Japanese couple during World War II. The climax of the routine was when haunting music emanated from a music box from which the music box movement had been removed.
Jim Green blew up a 360 balloon. However, instead of making a dog with it, he proceeded to “eat” it. He offered to teach this to anyone who was interested.
Brian Frank talked about whether finding a mate is controlled by fate or free will. He offered to test whether Brian Tabor and his wife, Michelle, were fated to be together. He had Brian choose whether to use the cards designated as “Fate” or “Free Will” as he spelled the words Kiss, Hug, Lover and Heart using two sets of cards. (Will the cards match?) Sure enough, the pairs of cards matched, with the final two cards bearing the names “Brian” and “Michelle.”
Shaun Clark borrowed an iPhone from Brian Tabor and said that he would create an alternate reality. He handed the phone back to Brian with the calculator app opened. He asked Brian to add 2 + 2. The answer was 5! Shaun then broke the spell and had him re-add the numbers. Sure enough, the answer was 4.
David Teeman gave a review of the S.A.M. Convention that he recently attended in Las Vegas. He then showed several items that he had picked up at the convention and at the ABC Store. He demonstrated amazing skill with card flourishes and then admitted that he was using the new “Electric Deck” by Wladimir. He said that he highly recommends that anyone visiting Vegas be sure to take in Jeff McBride’s Wonderground show. He also said that the Gold Medal Magic of China with Juliana Chen was fantastic.
Cassidy Smith showed us a “chop cup” routine using a small Hershey’s Chocolate can and candy kisses. The kicker ending, after producing two jumbo kisses, was that the can is actually sealed at both ends. Justin Teeman performed a routine where he was able to divine playing cards selected by Brian Tabor and Jay Relkin under “test conditions.”
Michael King said that he had attended the “Miss Saigon” stage show twice and was very impressed with the illusion of a helicopter flying in during the final scene. He said that he got to see it from two different angles and found it to be a great illusion both times.
The names of the performers were placed into a hat and two names were drawn. Shaun Clark won the book HOUSE OF CARDS – LIFE AND MAGIC OF PAUL ROSINI and Jim Green won a DVD of card magic.
Lee Woodside