Category: News

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Feedback on Automatic Placement Force; Genesis of “The Lucky Coin”; Ottos’ Double Lift & Otto’s Visio Magica (Otto’s Magical Nightmare); PDF of “The Complete The Magic Memories 2024”

These are The Magic Memories 209, gone online Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Did the year fly by for you as well?

You are now reading the final issue of the 2024 volume of The Magic Memories. This is the perfect moment to thank you – for your extraordinary loyalty, your kind letters, your suggestions, and your constructive criticism.

I thought I would use today’s The Magic Memories to wrap up a few issues that have still remained open, and provide some tentative answers – no answers being ever definitive – to questions that might have been left.

Feedback on Automatic Placement Force

In last week’s The Magic Memories (208) I posed a problem to be solved, namely how to avoid using a limited number of cards in the Automatic Placement Force, and instead use the entire deck. If you do not know what I am talking about or forgot, do a quick check-back HERE.

Two gentlemen sent in their solutions, and it is my pleasure to share them here with you.

The first comes from Claudio (with no more information on his person), and I’ll reproduce his two ideas below without editing – I think that both ideas are doable, provided you keep up a swift pacing as you are doing the counting, and, of course, put this into a presentational context that makes sense.

Here is what I believe are two viable solutions to the problem:

1. Say that you’ll need a few cards yourself and reverse count 20 cards. Then, as if changing your mind, say that to avoid suspicion that you are counting the remaining cards in the deck, you will actually use the entire deck (talon). You place the dealt cards on top of the left-hand cards and spread the deck out to make counting easier.

2. My preferred handling is this: memorise the 26th card from the bottom while using a faro check. Have the spectator cut a few cards from the top to count them. Meanwhile overhand shuffle the talon to peel the top 5 cards to the bottom, then say that you’ll need a few cards yourself and count 6 groups of 3 and one group of 2 cards, without reversing them, into right hand. Stop counting using the same pretext as in solution 1. and drop the 20 cards onto the table. Drop the remaining cards on top of it – it’s better to keep dropping packets until the cards are exhausted.

Put the deck near the spectator and spread the cards towards you. Ask them to count to their card starting from their end.

There are of course many other handlings using sleight of hand and Faros in particular.

By the way, if you don’t have to know before hand which card will be forced, you don’t have to peek at it as there are handlings that allow you to control the card to a specific position in the deck after the 21st (or whatever) card got forced.

The next solution comes courtesy of Victor Ruan, from Savas-Mépin in France (not so far from the city of Lyon):

‌Hello Mr Giobbi

I might have come up with a humble solution to the problem of naturalness of the counting of 20 cards you shared with us in your latest (and always appreciated) Magic Memories.
It could fit, I suppose, with a style of magic where the magician is a bit “lost”.

As the person (let’s say on the right) counts the packet of cards they just cut, the performer starts counting two piles of ten cards while saying something like “now we have to make a few piles of cards” and as if the perfomer just thought of it, or maybe a spectator has the time to notice it, “but you might think I could know the number, if I count all the rest”. The performer then takes the two packets of ten, puts them back on top of the deck, then ribbon spreads them all on the table, and then turns to the left while hiding his eyes with the right hand. “Now, look at the card at the position of your number” The position of the body and the spectator being on his right should force him to count from the right of the spread, and that way, counting to the force card.

I don’t know how practical it could be in real performance situation, but it appeared to be giving a reason to the counting. And the possible advantage is that no emphasis has to be made on the number 20.
The counting is still a bit long in my opinion, because you have to count one by one to reverse the cards. Another solution could be to start making a ribbon spread by counting one by one, and after 20 cards, going the same as before, after making the two packets.

I also take advantage of this message to thank you very much for signing Card College 5 you sent me not long ago, as I didn’t already.

I wish you the best, and Happy Holidays !

Victor Ruan

As you will appreciate, Victor’s solution is very similar to Claudio’s first idea… and there is a concept here: Counting off cards for some kind of not so apparent purpose.

Wonder if the counting of the 20 cards could be done as 4 times 5 cards (4 poker hands?), adding an in-between-effect before turning back to the first spectator who counted the cut-off packet, thus making the counting have a purpose?

Genesis of “The Lucky Coin”

In The Magic Memories 206 (CLICK HERE to backlink) I offered a few additional thoughts to “The Lucky Coin”, one of my reader’s favorite tricks from Card College Volume 1.

There I promised to shed some light on the genesis of this simple but most effective performance piece.

The idea of a coin and a miniature card, although as part of another effect, is mentioned in SPHINX, Vol 30, OCT 1931. For a more readable PDF of the photo below CLICK HERE.

Ravelli’s (Ronald Wohl) “A Matchin’ Card” in The Gen (Vol 11, No. 7, NOV 1955) has a card appear under a matchbox, but not yet the location/discovery sucker construction. For a PDF of the article CLICK HERE.

An expanded version of the trick published in The Gen (1955), still using a matchbox and not a coin,  but now with the presentational approach and final sucker effect as used by myself in Card College 1, is by Ravelli in Hokus Pokus (1958, Nr. 1, S. 611 ff). This is in German, but ChatGTP will translate the text in less than 10m seconds into English. The PDF OCRed, so you can do this swiftly. I give you the complete issue of the magazine, as it is of some historical relevance: Initiated by Ron Wohl, it was the first of a series of issues that had the members of a local club of the Swiss Magic Club introduce themselves with a short bio and a trick. You will find Ron’s trick under discussion on p. 611 (p. 40 of the PDF). CLICK HERE for the PDF.

Finally, there is Eddie Fields’s “Dropsy Diddle” (p. 65) from The Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields (1968), which features the coin, the gag and the Top Change. Thanks to Denis Behr for this addition, which brings the subject (almost) full circle. We still do not know who brought together the elements (where did Fields get the idea from?).

Also see The Magic Memories (106) for additional thoughts on this subject.

Ottos’ Double Lift

I just spent another pleasant afternoon with Otto Wessely, who is still performing with his wife Christa at the Palazzo Colombino in Basel.

Otto was determined to finally learn to do a Double Lift, and I agreed that 79 is certainly the right age to do so; furthermore he could do the trick next year, at his 80th birthday, and mystify everyone (provided he can still remember it).

Faced with the situation of seriously teaching the Double Lift to Otto, reminded me of Dai Vernon, who came up with the “Simple Turnover Switch” (Card College Volume 4, p. 813), after being asked for an alternative to the Curry Turnover Change by someone who found the latter too difficult.

Having only a fraction of Vernon’s genius, I still came up with a way of doing the Double Lift in a sort of “sleightless” manner, and I even tried to put this into the context of a little trick.

Maybe you are interested in what I came up with, in case you want to teach a layperson, or a child, or a member of a magic club (hey, just kidding!), a simple trick that involves a Control and a Double Lift, and will even mystify a well-disposed and favorable audience. For lack of a better title, let’s call this…

Otto’s Visio Magica (Otto’s Magical Nightmare)

Before starting, reverse the second card from the bottom of your deck, and you are all set; the two bottom cards are your “Key Card Block”. I told Otto to do this as the first trick, taking the set-up deck from the card case, so as not having to worry about the One-handed Half Pass of a Single Card (see Card College Volume 007), which I would teach him on his next visit…

In the first phase you will have a card selected, replaced, and in the process position the “Key Card Block” on top. A simple way of doing this is to deal cards face down in a heap on the table – singly or in small groups – and ask the spectator to call stop. When he does, have him look at the top card of the tabled packet, show it to everyone, and then replace it where he took it from. (If you are familiar with the “This-This-or-Any-Other-Card Strategy” from Confidences, this is the place to use it.)

To control the selection, simply use the “Whoops!” Control from Card College Volume 1 (p. 67), to wit: Spread the deck face down between your hands until you reach the face up card (“Whoops, that’s from the last trick…”), which you then righten, in the process cutting the deck at this point. The selection ends up second from the top of the deck. The following little shenanigan is a sleightless way of obtaining a break under two cards, in preparation for the upcoming Double Lift.

Deal the first two cards face down on the table, one on top of the other, thus reversing their order, as you explain, “What you are about to see is not one of those boring dealing tricks… but a miracle.” As you end this short sentence, you have already picked up the two cards and replaced them on top of the deck, however, you have retained a break underneath them. The top card is now the selection, and the second from the top an indifferent card.

“I take the card that happens to be on top…” With your right hand seize the two cards as one from above, holding them at their ends (End Grip), and show the face of the double, e.g., the Eight of Hearts.

Continue, “Please stretch out your hand.” Say, “Oh, put the hand 7.35 inches over the table, please…” In an In-transit Action replace the double on top of the deck, thus freeing your right hand, with which you adjust the spectator’s hand to the “correct height”…

Immediately take the top card of the deck in exactly the same grip as before, and then place it face down on the spectator’s palm, which you ask him to cover with his other hand.

Riffle the cards in your hands toward to spectator’s hand, and then ask him to turn it over – the Eight of Hearts will have magically transformed into the previously selected card… that’s the effect.

Some of you will recognize in this a simplified version of “A Double Lift” and “A Card in Hand” from Card College Volume 1 (p. 129 and p. 133).

You may (or you may not) want to add a “kicker”: Just after riffling the deck, and as the audience reacts, you still have your right hand over the deck and can thus easily push its top card into the right hand that grabs it, and then pulls it out of the pocket, saying, “And the Eight of Hearts is obviously in my pocket… obvious, Watson, obvious…” Maybe. Or leisurely place it under your posterior, and a little later reveal that you have been sitting on it all the time…

PDF of “The Complete The Magic Memories 2024”

The past few days I have been working on putting together all of this year’s The Magic Memories in one single document (ca. 250 pages!!!), and am waiting to add this last one, as soon as it has gone online.

You will then have all of the contributions together and can search for the subject(s) you are most interested in, or peruse the whole thing again to extract what interests you most, thus creating your very own “Best of…”

So, check back on Sunday, 5th January 2025, as always at 00:07 o’clock sharp, to read The Magic Memories 210 and find out how to obtain the PDF!

Meanwhile… I wish you all a successful start into 2025!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Thank-You Letter; Automatic Placement Force; Happy Holidays!

These are The Magic Memories 208, gone online Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Thank-You Letter

A few Memories back, I mentioned thank-you-letters and that I would briefly discuss the topic if anyone was interested.

Meanwhile, a few wrote in, so, here are a few thoughts on the subject of writing a thank-you note after a booking.

Before, During, and After

The impression of professionalism isn’t confined to the performance itself. While the “show” is undeniably the essence of it all, your interaction with the client before and after the event is equally important.

I’ve previously discussed how vital the “pre-show” phase is—not the mentalist’s pre-show, but the time spent contacting and discussing the event’s execution with your client, from start to finish.

Based on what the client shares, you can recommend the type of performance that would best suit their function.

As I explained earlier, I manage this process with the help of a single call and a contact sheet. If you’re new to The Magic Memories, you can download the one-page PDF by CLICKING HERE.

After the Event

Today, let’s focus on closing the circle of interaction with your client after the (hopefully) successful event has concluded.

Over five decades of performing, my approach to this has evolved, but the essence has remained consistent: I write a thank-you letter (or, more recently, an email).

In the early years, I always wrote handwritten letters, which aligned with my style of living, performing, and the expectations of my generation. (For context, I began performing at around 15, became semi-professional at 18, turned professional at 28, and am now 65.)

When the internet arrived, email became the standard communication method. However, over the past decade or so, I’ve returned to sending handwritten cards featuring designs related to magic—most often playing card motifs.

In Hidden Agenda, entry for July 13th, I have briefly mentioned this subject. (For better readability CLICK HERE.)

When performing for private parties, I would always send a hand-written card, but for corporate events that require an invoice, I still resort to email and attach the invoice as a PDF.

Below you can see an example of such a letter. The [numbers in square brackets] refer to my comments below the letter, if you are interested.

Dear Mrs. xy

Thank you very much for kindly booking me on the occasion of your event. [1]

I am delighted that you and the guests in attendance enjoyed my magic so much, and I hope that some will occasionally remember it when reflecting on the event.[2]

As agreed, I am attaching the invoice as a PDF file and kindly request payment within 10 days.  [3]

Please send me a brief confirmation that you have received this email (email can unfortunately be unreliable at times).  [4]

I would be happy to hear from you again on another occasion and, until then, I wish you all the best.  [5]

With my warmest regards to you and the entire team!  [6]

Roberto Giobbi

Comments on Thank-You Letter

[1] I always address the email to the person who booked me, repeating the name of the event and its location. I usually add a comment about the beauty or originality of the venue. While this detail isn’t included in the example email, I mention it here because it adds a personal touch. Over the years, I’ve performed in some truly strange and unusual locations. Before GPS, part of the adventure was simply finding the place!

[2] I include a positive statement about my performance, subtly reminding the client how well the show was received and emphasizing its memorability. More often than not, my clients are repeat customers. During our conversations, they often mention seeing me at a past event—perhaps five years ago. I’ll jokingly respond that I sell memories, and that my fee isn’t just for the 40-minute show but for the years they’ll remember it. Of course, that’s not entirely a joke—it’s the truth! Feel free to use this approach if it resonates with you.

[3] I tactfully address the “necessary evil” of payment, weaving it into compliments and kind words. For many years—and still occasionally today—I’ve preferred being paid in cash after the show, providing a legal receipt or a pre-prepared invoice. In some parts of Europe, there has been a tradition (perhaps still alive) of paying theater actors and opera singers in cash during intermissions. I often mention this custom, even if it’s no longer prevalent, as most clients are unaware and usually accept the suggestion. Of course, if they prefer another payment method, I have a “no-hassle guarantee.” As I state during negotiations, I’ll accommodate their requests—within reason.

[4] A key subtext of my email is a request for an endorsement. Clients rarely reply without also mentioning how well the event went, how much they enjoyed the performance, and how happy they were to have me. In the days of snail mail, I used to include a “PS” asking for a short endorsement if they were pleased with my work. To encourage a response, I enclosed a self-addressed, elegant envelope featuring a rare stamp—making it hard to ignore or discard. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a binder full of glowing endorsements, many of which I featured in my brochures.

[5] Asking for repeat business is essential. For years, I included a second “PS”—a “PPS”—highlighting my additional offerings. I mentioned my talks on the psychology of deception, creativity, and communication, as well as my ability to create tailored presentations for kick-off meetings, product launches, and trade shows. This is a subject we can explore further if you’re interested.

[6] This final step is vital and must align with your personality and the relationship you’ve built with the client. I believe I’m a good communicator because I genuinely enjoy people and love what I do. When I sign off with “warm regards,” it’s a sincere and authentic sentiment. As in magic, the same principle applies to personal and business relationships: Be natural and be yourself, as Dai Vernon famously advised. A little exaggeration is permissible, but don’t overdo it.

There’s much more to be said on this subject and its related topics, but if even one idea from this discourse resonates with you, I trust your time reading it has been well spent.

Automatic Placement Force

Here is a technical concept with which you can play around during the holidays (among other things, I hope…), and if you manage to meet the challenge at the end of its description, let me know, so we can share your insight with the rest of the readership.

The “Automatic Placement Force” is a very old mathematical Force. I will first describe the “standard” handling of the principle, then comment on a few ideas of mine that could be used to make the proceedings more natural and interesting, and finally formulate  problem you might be able to solve.

Here is, first, the standard handling:

Place the card to be forced at position twenty-one from the top of the face-down deck. One way of achieving this result, is to glimpse the top card (force card), bring five x-cards on top with an Overhand Shuffle or a Riffle Shuffle, and then perform two Slough-off Faros, shuttling the force card to position twenty-one. Or gain knowledge of the twenty-first card in the course of a previous trick (see “The Circus Card Trick” in Card College Light, p. ).

Explain that you need a number, but in order not to take advantage that people keep saying the same number, like seven or three, ask a spectator to cut off a small packet from the top of the deck and to count it under the table to herself, e.g., nine.

Meanwhile deal twenty cards face down from left to right in a ribbon-spread configuration on the table.

Count from right to left, i.e., from the top of the ribbon-spread, to the ninth card: This will be the force card.

Now let me raise a few issues.

The forcing procedure just described has three problems:

First, a technical problem, i.e., how do you bring a known card to be forced to the twenty-first position from the top of the deck. In the explanation above I already gave you two solutions (there are more, of course).

Second, a dramatic problem, i.e., how do you motivate the procedural part of having to cut off a packet, counting the cards, etc., and make this interesting. I gave you one solution.

Third, a dramatic and psychological problem, i.e., why are you counting off a reduced number of cards (twenty). I did not give you a solution for this problem…

One solution is to find a presentational way of staging the twenty cards so that it makes sense, e.g., “Today is the 20th of the month, so I’ll count off twenty cards…”, or, “Since it is your twentieth birthday, I’ll count off twenty cards…”, or, “It is right now twenty past seven, so I’ll count off twenty cards…”.

Possible, but not that good…

Maybe, “According to a little-known theory, twenty is a magic number. The theory, by the way, is my own, and I have not yet been able to scientifically prove it…” Acceptable; at least that would work for my performance style.

However, would it not make more sense to use the complete balance of the deck, rather than counting off a specific amount of cards? However, the mathematical principle requires that the top twenty cards (general formula: x-1, x=21) be reverse counted, in which case you could indeed use the complete balance. But how do you reverse the order of the top twenty cards (running twenty cards during an Overhand Shuffle is lengthy… and risky)?

If you can come up with a solution, you will have contributed something original to this age-old force.

An excellent application of this force, by the way, is Paul Harris’ “Overkill” from his  Art of Astonishment 2 (p. 183), originally published in Close-up Fantasies 1.

Happy Holidays!

For all of you who celebrate Christmas I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas, and for all others Happy Holidays!

PS: Regardless of what you do believe or do not believe, it is simply nice and useful to take a little break, to get together with family and friends, and to have a special lunch and dinner, which you don’t have everyday, and to spend time together with uplifting conversations. (By all means try the “Sicilian-Blood-Orange Salad” described on December 24th in the Unexpected Agenda, p. 371, as this will please virtually every palate.)

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Otto Wessely and Christa (& Hans-Peter Wodarz); Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West; Irv Weiner Video (P. G. Varola); The Buzz

These are The Magic Memories 207, gone online Sunday, December 15, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

This week has seen quite a bit of activities, with visits from magic friends from different countries.

Otto Wessely and Christa

Otto Wessely and Christa, both originally from Vienna, but now from Paris – they have been living there for at least the last two decades – are currently appearing within the Palazzo Colombino dinner show in Basel, Switzerland. To see the artists of this year’s program CLICK HERE.

To get an idea of how the gorgeous setting looks, in which the dinner-show takes place, CLICK HERE.

As far as I know, the idea of bringing in a Michelin-star-level cuisine into a luxury show-tent was by Hans-Peter Wodarz who started out as a chef in Die Ente vom Lehel in Wiesbaden, Germany. This has now become a franchising thing with tents and dinner-shows in several European cities.

Speaking of Wodarz: Many years ago, in my beginnings as a professional (ca. 1989), the managementI I then had in Germany booked me to do close-up for a whole evening at the Ente vom Lehel, which celebrated a special event and was full of “special guests” (I performed until two o’clock in the morning).

I was paid a handsome fee, and the reason I remember this is that at the cocktail time preceding the evening dinner, they had also booked Harald Juhnke (1929–2005), a famous actor and TV-personality, who had a reputation to be able to hold his drink…

Herbert Löw, who was then my manager, took me aside at some point during the cocktail and said to me, “You see that man, Harald Juhnke, he’s booked for about one hour just to be here at the cocktail, shake hands with people and have a drink  (or two..) with the guests. For this he gets 10’000 Deutschmark.” A lesson in showbiz for Young Giobbi…

Back to Otto: Otto and Christa, along with André Hieronymus from Berlin – André is working in a similar event location as Otto in the east of Switzerland – came to our house for an extended brunch, and we spent a formidable afternoon with lots of stories and anecdotes.

A highlight was trying to teach Otto a Double Lift… we didn’t even get as far as how to obtain a break, let alone turning over two cards. This was partly my fault, as I tried to explain to Otto the difference between a Double Lift and a Double Turnover, and then got lost in a historical mini-lecture…

Otto certainly deserves a book, and there actually is one, an auto-biography, which he originally wrote in French, and that also appeared in German. They are planning an English edition, and I suggested as a sub-title: “… An Otto-biography”.

If you are reading this and belong to the young generation who has never heard of Otto Wessely (nor of Fred Kaps, Dai Vernon or Slydini… incredible but true), let alone seen his show, you can get an idea of why his comedy magic act is so innovative, brilliant and simply world-class – to watch CLICK HERE.

PS: Otto just wrote in sharing a link to his full-evening show at the Avignon Festival.

Warning: Otto does the vanishing cigarette naked (I remember seeing him do this live in a Swiss night club years ago), and Christa a (black light) striptease.

So, if you don’t mind nudity, this is something to behold 🙂 CLICK HERE.

Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West

In The Magic Memories 205, in the sub-chapter “Gastronomy and Magic”, I discussed gastronomy as a means of interdisciplinary study, i.e., looking at the structure and problems in other disciplines, and to then try to apply their solutions to our magic.

I’ve done this before, of course, and here is another short comment concerning construction in movie-making and magic.

The other night I was watching Once Upon a Time in the West for the n-th time – I think I have seen it about once a year in the past thirty years.

If the definition of a classic book is that you discover something new or something you have forgotten each time you read it, well, the same applies to a classic movie.

This is one reason why I don’t get tired of watching this particular movie, so many details… details being by far the most important thing (says Holmes to Watson).

Another reason is that it manages to catch my attention from the very beginning and retain it until the very end, where the conflicts(s) that were built up over a period of over two hours, are resolve within the last few minutes, so that everyone can understand it (unfortunately not the case with many modern films).

How does he – Sergio Leone – do it?

Mike Skinner used to say (correct me if I’m wrong), “Every move a picture.” He meant it as a comedic line, but in the context of this short discussion it receives a new connotation.

Focusing on the “pictorial construction” (not sure this is the technical term…), I am impressed by the fact that every single take is meaningful in some way: it provides us with a new piece of information, it reminds us of something we should not forget, it shows the same thing but from a different angle, it adds emotion creating suspense, etc.

Looking at the movie from this point of view, I realized that every scene – actually every take in every scene – is a “picture” in itself that speaks in words, music and image to our logos and pathos: it challenges our intelligence, evokes our emotions, and does this in a beautiful way.

Being a person sensible to explicit violence, I particularly appreciate that there is not one single moment/image (as far as I can remember!), that displays obvious violence, something modern films are full of.

One of the possibly most delicate moments is when Frank (Henry Fonda) shoots Patrick (Stefano Imparato), Brett McBain’s (Frank Wolff) son… shooting a child is sort of a tabu in film-making. Leone solves it in pure Hitchcock manner: nothing to see, all to imagine.

Now, in magic, in my opinion, the strongest and most memorable magic is the one that plays to the imagination, not just to the eye. As an example, most mental magic, for my taste, is too much abstraction, too verbose and too procedural.

On the other hand, flourish-type magic – especially as practiced by the young generation and on Internet – is too much “candy for the eye”.

To me, a mix is ideal, in various proportions, depending on the trick.

Take “Coins Through Table”: All props (instruments!) and procedures are visible to the eye, but the magic – the actual penetration – is left to the imagination. Intelligent, visual magic at its best.

Same thing with a color change: If you use a mechanical card with visibly moving pips it is certainly surprising and amusing, causing a reaction, but if you briefly cover a card with the hand, and it then changes, it is more mysterious, magical and memorable (come to think of it: these are “The Three Ms”…). Needless to say that all of this needs to be done technically impeccably… si capisce.

Anyway, you might want to watch the movie (again) under this aspect, and if you don’t agree, you have at least watched a great movie 🙂

Irv Weiner Video

Last week my friend P. G. Varola from Italy shared a rare private video with me.

P. G. might not be known to the majority in the magic world. As a matter of fact, you could say that he is famous for being unknown, as in the “underground”he is a respected scholar and performer.

The short private film he sent is available on YouTube, however, like other such pearls, you have to know where and how to find it…

The video shows Irv Weiner doing some pretty amazing things, possibly best of all his one-card vanish, perfect to make the last card travel in an “Cards up the Sleeve” routine (at ca. 04:00), which caused P.G. to quote Max Maven, who used to say of such things, “A thing of terrible beauty”.

To watch the video CLICK HERE.

PS: I’ve discussed Irv Weiner and some of his magic in The Magic Memories 158, in the sub-chapter titled “Irv Weiner aka Mr. Fingers”, with a link to another video showcasing this man’s talent, and you might want to take a look at that by CLICKING HERE.

The Buzz

Cannot remember if I ever mentioned this, but there are a few young chaps in the Netherlands who do some excellent magic (remember that Fred Kaps, Tonny van Dommelen, Di Sato, Richard Ross, Ger Copper, Scott the Magician and Muriel, all from the Dutch school of magic, were FISM Grand Prix winners…) – and they publish an e-magazine called The Buzz.

In their editorial they write: “Our magazine is meant to be read by everybody, so feel free to share.”

So, here it is – to download an issue of the The Buzz, CLICK HERE.

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Update & Comment on Unexpected Agenda; Advent Calendars; On “The Lucky Coin” from Card College Volume 1

These are The Magic Memories 206, gone online Sunday, December 8, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Update & Comment on Unexpected Agenda

All of you who are in Europe should have received Unexpected Agenda by now. I hope you like it 🙂

Most of you will start reading through it, but I encourage you to focus on the current day at the end of each reading to fully take advantage of the “trigger function” Unexpected Agenda and the other agendas have.

And don’t forget to flag your favorite days, in order to make a personal PDF at the end of the year (call it: My Personal Unexpected Agenda).

Those with an address in USA, Canada, or other countries outside of Europe, should receive it by the end of the next week.

If you do not receive the book by then, please send me a short email, and I’ll check the tracking (all books outside of Europe are tracked and insured, although I really hope not to have to use this feature, as it is time-consuming and laborious to go through all the forms necessary for the complaint process…).

One last thing: Several wrote in complimenting me on the production (Thank you!), saying that they look forward to start reading the book on January 1st.

Sure, you may do that, but who says you cannot start the very day you receive the agenda?

After all the term “agenda” has to be understood in a metaphorical sense: It is not a paper day planner”, or “calendar” as its virtual counterpart in form of apps are called, it is just what I hope is an attractive “dressing” for many good ideas.

So, if you have the book, by all means start reading it NOW!

…and make sure not to miss the item on December 24th, a recipe for a delicious starter at Xmas, and easy to do – even easier than the tricks in the Card College Light books 🙂

Talking of recipes: I’ll remind those of my readers who are new to the Magic Memories, that you can find two more tasty recipes on my YouTube channel, one is a watermelon gazpacho, the other a graved lax. As for the latter, I positively know that for some readers it has become a go-to recipe for the Holidays (thank you, JR, for reminding me of my own recipe!).

Advent Calendars

You will have noticed that there is no Advent Calendar this year. It is by no means that I’m out of ideas, quite the contrary is true, but believe me that writing, publishing and now signing and shipping Unexpected Agenda has taken an unproportional amount of my time, so…

BUT – and especially if you are new to the Magic Memories or have a bad memory (what of the two things is worse?) – you can go back to past Advent Calendars, of which there are at least two.

First, the Magic Calendar 2020, created in the First Pandemic Year, with a copious amount of material, ranging from free PDFs, audios, video clips, etc. To savor those, CLICK HERE.

Second, last year I created what I called The Advent Calendar of Good Ideas, which was sent out on every day of the Advent.

To get the complete PDF CLICK HERE. (Disclaimer: Similar to the Unexpected Agenda, it will not be the same thing to read the entries one after the other in one reading session, rather than receiving one every day, but you may still find two or three ideas that could influence your life – nothing less…).

On “The Lucky Coin” from Card College Volume 1

“The Lucky Coin” from Card College Volume 1 (p. 241), along with “The Homing Card Plus” from Volume 2, are possibly the two tricks from the Card College books that are most performed by those who work in front of real audiences.

“The Lucky Coin” has been extensively discussed and varied since it was first published in 1992 (first edition in German language!), and I know of at least three commercial versions that have been inspired by it, not all of them giving the proper credit…

Recently my friend by correspondence Kevin Shepherd from Washington DC wrote in – in the middle of the night as he usually does (he’s obviously six hours behind my time) – saying how much he liked the trick, and how effective it is at each performance.

However, he also remarked, “Let’s figure out the absolute BEST working for that jaw dropping trick. The spread cull HAS to go.”

I agree 🙂

Let me repeat something I have said several times before, but warrants repetition: The Card College books are conceived as a didactical work, call it even a “course” in card magic. Although some also use it as a reference work, it is not comprehensive, since it is not an encyclopedia (obvious, Watson, obvious).

Only very few card books in the history of magic have been conceived with that purpose of a course in mind, i.e., one that organizes the existing knowledge there is about a specific topic – in our case the infinite universe of Card Magic (capitalized on purpose) –  by identifying and naming the basic concepts (techniques, tricks, presentations and theories) and ordering them with the intention of taking someone, who has never done card magic before, by the hand, and walking him or her along the royal road to card magic (I write this with a tip of the hat to that great classic, which inspired me, but which is now mostly outdated, but not obsolete, of course, remaining a Classic).

With that philosophy in  mind, the tricks I chose to put in the books had to illustrate the use of the techniques described in the chapter itself, and had to use techniques taught in previous chapters, items that were taught later were not allowed. This did of course limit the methods described.

With “The Lucky Coin” the operational problem is that the same card must be forced and then controlled to the top of the deck.

To do so, in the book, I suggest the Classic Force to force the card, as this is described in a previous chapter (Chapter 15) and is a way of practicing the sleigt here, and then the Cull – also described in a previous chapter – to control it to the top of the deck, in readiness for the Top Change later on in the trick (the Top Change is the actual technical subject of that Chapter 16).

Obviously, once you know and master advanced methods, you may change the way of forcing and controlling the “selection”. One way of doing it, that comes to my mind as I’m writing this, is the Hindu Shuffle Force, as it will allow the card to be immediately controlled to the bottom, which can then be shuffled to the top with an Overhand Shuffle, and then retained there with a final Riffle Shuffle; you have thus used three different shuffles, which is not only quite convincing and will fool even the initiated, but could also be implemented into the presentation.

And there are so many more ways of achieving the same goal in a deceptive and elegant manner. In my video Card College 1&2 – Personal Instruction, “Lesson 20 – Top Change” I use two different techniques.

For the benefit of those who do not have the video course Card College 1&2 – Personal Instruction, and as a little gift, below is the clip I extracted from the eight-hour download (you can still purchase the complete Card College 1&2 – Personal Instruction legally and honestly at a very fait price, thus supporting and thanking the author, me, by CLICKING HERE – Thank you for not going to the pirated versions).

Comment on the video clip: As you can see, in the video performance I use two completely different methods: The Crisscross Force from Card College Volume 1 (p. 85) to force the target card – here the Five of Diamonds (take an easily recognizable card!) – and then the “Double Undercut Control” from Secret Agenda (p. 95).

As a further little gift to you in this Advent time, you can access for free the one-page explanation of the “Double Undercut Control” by CLICKING HERE.

All this said, it is clear that there are many ways of doing the same trick, from a technical and presentational point of view, which is why you always have to use your head, as Dai Vernon kept reminding us.

However, before “using your head” and “improving” a good trick, do it the original way, understand it, think about it, and only then change it, if necessary.

For this you must ask the correct questions, and this is what Kevin Shepherd did. I hope I have been abel to give a satisfactory answer, which is not the last word, not at all.

Speaking about “last words”: Here is a different presentational solution that you could use for “The Lucky Coin”. It simply used to be an old gag, but fits our problem like a glove.

Instead of using a coin, cut out the index of an old card, e.g., the Two of Diamonds, as depicted in the photo below. Apply some sticky substance to the backside of the cut-out piece and carry it in a convenient place, so that when ready to perform “The Lucky Coin” you surreptitiously stick it to the middle phalanx of your forefinger.

Now, instead of moving the coin over the card spread, you move your finger over it, back of the hand upward, si capisce, eh.

Eventually you ask, “Do you believe that your card is under my finger?” Show the cut-out index on your fingers, and as they react top change the x-card for the selection on top of the deck, all exactly as in the original description.

The effect might even be stronger than if you used a coin – you’ll have to do it at least once in order to know…

If you give this a try, you might be surprised to notice that you can execute the Top Change and most other handlings without difficulties and fear of being detected.

This means that you can “load” your finger even during a previous trick, and can then go “clean” into “The Lucky Coin”, which is now, of course a “Lucky Finger” (make up your own presentation).

Next week I plan to give you the genesis of “The Lucky Coin”, and I hope you’ll find that interesting, because if you don’t, there is hardly something I can do about it… (with apologies to Victor Borge, and thanks to Pit Hartling).

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: How to Read Unexpected Agenda; Last Minute Order; The Magic Memories Versus Newsletter; Update on “The Giobbi Collection”; The Magic of Flick Books; Gastronomy & Magic; After-dinner PS: Dribble Lateral Insertion Control

These are The Magic Memories 205, gone online Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

How to Read Unexpected Agenda

First and foremost: Thank you for all who wrote in to let me know that Unexpected Agenda had already reached them, and how much they like it.

You cannot imagine how much it pleases me to know that even some of the top stars in our business ordered Unexpected Agenda, and now start reading it.

Below is a selfie my dear and much admired friend Pit Hartling sent in. I asked permission to show the photo in these The Magic Memories 205, which he kindly consented,

Your comments are much appreciated, as they also tell me two things: First, the post office seems to work (most of the time…), second, most seem to ignore my advice of reading one entry per day and have already started to read through the book 🙂

It reminds me of a young chap at a German magic convention, after the first agenda had come out, Secret Agenda (Seattle, 2010), who approached me and apologetically exclaimed, “Mr. Giobbi, Mr. Giobbi, please forgive me!”

This in turn reminded me that some dealer in his exuberant advertisement had called me the “Card Pope” when Card College 1&2 came out in 1992, so I jokingly answered, “What are your sins, my son.”

The young man was serious, as he admitted, “I have to confess that I did not follow your advice of reading one entry a day when I received your Secret Agenda, but started to read through it.” However, he added, “To still profit from the potential of your work, after each reading I focus on the very day.”

This, frankly, seems to me to be the best solution for all those who cannot help reading the agenda as if they were reading another magic book: Keep reading until you get tired, but before you put the book aside, go back to the date of the day you do the reading, reread that entry, and then try to occasionally think of it during that  day.

Doing it this way will satisfy your natural curiosity of wanting to know the content of the book, but at the same time fulfills its primary purpose, namely that of serving as a trigger for your own thoughts.

As you read through the book, day by day, and/or in stages, remember to place a post-it flag on each day you like, or any type of bookmark. Below are my own bookmarks of Secret Agenda, after re-reading it to prepare for a lecture of “Best of Secret Agenda”(I had forgotten many of the entries!):

At the end of the year, and only then, use a scanning app (I use ScannerPro by Readdle) to scan (actually photograph) each page, one after the other.

You will end up with one single PDF that contains all the scans.

This method is vastly superior to taking a jpg of each day of your choice.

The obvious advantage is not only that the PDF-file is much lighter than the sum of the jpgs, you also have all pages in one single file.

Now, thanks to the features of a PDF app you can underline, highlight, annotate, etc., your PDF (I use PDF Expert, again from Readdle, not the version you have to subscribe to, but the one you pay only once).

If you have any comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. on Unexpected Agenda, I am interested to know them, and if I think that they are of interest to others too, I shall be happy to reproduce them in one of the future The Magic Memories, your consent provided, of course.

Last Minute Order

If you are reading this on Sunday, December 1st (2024), and if you want Unexpected Agenda, you are still in time to take advantage of the pre-publication offer (20% off the regular price).

Although the offer ends at midnight on November 30th, I am honoring the place on earth that is farthest behind in the time zone, which is Baker Island Time (BIT; UTC-12), the time on Baker and Howland Islands.

I checked Wiki that tells me those islands are officially uninhabited, however, if just one person had stranded there from a maritime accident, à la Robinson Crusoe, you will agree that it is only fair to give this person a chance to get Unexpected Agenda, as it seems to me to be the perfect companion for the proverbial desert island – yes, I know, nobody else would have thought of that, but this is why people buy my books 🙂

The Magic Memories Versus Newsletter

On my own account: There seems to be a bit of confusion in regard to “receiving” these The Magic Memories, and a bit of confusion between The Newsletter and The Magic Memories.

Please do not doubt your own intelligence quotient, as this is entirely my fault, and I promise to redesign the site for more clarity (hopefully during the Holidays).

But until then I remind you that you cannot receive these The Magic Memories automatically (I do this in order not to spam you), but you have to pro-actively go to my webshop www.robertogiobbi.com, where you will land on the “home screen”, and where you will have two options of accessing The Magic Memories:

First, click “News”, second click “The Magic Memories” on the left of the screen.

In-between is another field “Subscribe to the Newsletter”, where you can enter your email to receive an occasional “Newsletter” (which is NOT The Magic Memories, but for instance the announcement of a new book, such as Unexpected Agenda). That’s the only thing which will happen automatically.

Since a picture says more than a thousand words, see below for a pictorial explanation:

Update on “The Giobbi Collection”

Talking about feedbacks, a few days ago Ian Kent, from Portland, Oregon, wrote in and sent a photo of his updated “Giobbi Collection”. He gave me a detailed account of how he had obtained some of the more obscure objects – of course his collection is still missing the Italian, French, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French versions of some of my works 🙂

Still: I’m impressed, and had to check if I had really produced all that… and indeed, I did.

And yet I have never ever had the intention of “producing” things magical “to sell”, as I might be many things, but certainly not a “magic dealer”.

It all came as a consequence of documenting the decades of studies I had done, and am still doing (more than ever!), of various subjects in magic: I simply did not want all this work to be lost, and also I wanted others with a similar interest and taste as I have, to be able to access, use and enjoy the result of my academic work (which I hope you will find practical, too). There is a difference that is more than subtle…

The Magic of Flick Books

My friend Thomas Stauss, who lives here in Basel, Switzerland, is putting the finishing touches on a magnificent work about flick books. The title is Magic Metamorphosis – The Secrets of a Rare Italian Picture Album Revealed.

The book is scheduled to appear in spring 2025.

The PDF announcing the book is in German, as it will be printed and sold by a specialized publisher in Switzerland, but the book itselft will be in English, so thought that this might interest some of you. To “read” the German text in the brochure simply use Google Translate or one of the AI-tools.

To read the PDF and take advance of the pre-publication offer CLICK HERE.

Gastronomy & Magic

In my writings I have often alluded to the similarities between gastronomy and magic (I even promised an essay on the matter… some day).  Here is another one that might as well have gone in the Unexpected Agenda, but did not, as it could generate some interesting magic-related ideas.

The following text is an AI-translation of a restaurant review that appeared in a German gourmet journal:

The magnifying glass that accompanies the sea urchin with smoked butter is also designed to enhance the experience, allowing the guest to observe the tiny bubbles the chef has created through the frothing process.

Next, something from the sea is served in a box filled with smoke. The guest cannot see it; they are meant to feel it. It is… a simple shrimp.

The seafood is the best I have ever tasted in my life.

Equally brilliant is the concept behind the cheese course: Normally, when dining, a guest’s attention is focused on the person across from them—whether in love, bored, or nervously anticipating the bill. Here, that dynamic is reversed: The four exquisite cheese morsels are served with a mirror, allowing the guest to gaze at themselves. The evening is a celebration of ideas—and a guarantee of happiness, as the guest leaves the restaurant after five hours, filled with contentment.

Now, if that is not interesting, I don’t know what is.

To use a magnifying glass and a mirror in a context this would never be expected is a double concept that should make us think.

An idea that immediately came to mind, is a prediction written in micrographic, first as an apparent joke, then revealed as a correct prediction with the help of a magnifying glass. Once the magnifying glass has been brought into play, the “Fingerprint Trick” seems a natural piece to do. I have an unpublished version Ascanio showed me many years ago, and if someone reminds me of it, I shall try to share it in one of the future The Magic Memories.

Back to the text above: In spite of the eccentric, original “presentational idea”, though, I found this sentence by the critic to be the most important:

“The seafood is the best I have ever tasted in my life.”

This is very much like magic, and it reminds me of Tamariz, who in his book The Magic Rainbow writes: “Presentation in magic is the least very important thing.” (p. 381) To me, and in several of his lecture he has actually provocatively said, “Presentation in magic is not important.”

It doesn’t matter how good the presentation is, how much the audience gets “entertained”, the most important thing is the magical quality, the “effect”, the “wonder factor” – if the effect (the magic part!) is no good, the essence of the art of magic has not been brought to life. Big subject to discuss at your next meeting with colleagues…

All of this recalls another great idea, which can be immediately applied to magic:

Speaking of gastronomy, I am reminded of a visit to “Steirereck”, one of Vienna’s top restaurants, where I had the pleasure of being invited by Bill Kalush on the occasion of a history conference several years back.

We had the gourmet menu that consisted of several courses (what else?).

The “magical” idea was that a few minutes before a course was served, the waiter (or was it a waitress?), placed a card the size of a business card on an easel that was resting on the table. The card had the title of the course on it, listed its ingredients, and then finished with a succulent short description of the dish.

What a magnificent idea for those among us who do private shows from table to table (if you call this “table hopping” you lessen its worth to you – thank you HL), isn’t it?

That’s all for today, folks, as Barbara just called to say dinner is ready… what a better way to end this week’s chatter 🙂

After-dinner PS: Dribble Lateral Insertion Control

I found this among my notes: A little technical idea – a control – you might want to try and see if you can use it.

The spectator shuffles the deck.

Take deck back, dribble cards onto the table until spectator calls stop.

Transfer undribbled cards to your left hand, as your right hand takes top card of tabled packet and shows to all.

Lateral insert this card into packet held in your left hand, and then shuffle to bottom. Place this packet on top of tabled packet. As the packet leaves the left hand to be slapped on the table packet, the left fingers push the bottom cards to the right – this is completely protected by the right hand holding the packet in a Closed End Grip.

As soon as the packets coalesce, the right hand – without changing its position – picks up the completed deck, and then sets it in left-hand Dealing Position, where the left little finger can obtain a break under the jogged cards. Shuffle the card to the bottom, optionally using the Weave Shuffle Ruse with a final cut to the table (see Unexpected Agenda, “February 7 – The Weave Shuffle Ruse” and the “May 30 – The Burned Card Ruse”).

You can do this in a still more direct way, and without asking the spectator to take the card (ideal for standup situations where you do not want to leave the platform): Dribble the cards to the table (a small tripod-type table suffices) until ‘stop’ is called. Show the bottom card of the packet still held in your right hand. Now shuffle the packet, apparently losing the selection, in reality keeping the bottom card on the bottom, or bringing it back to the bottom in a second shuffle, if you prefer. Again, you can add the Weave Shuffle Ruse here. Then proceed as described above.

Yet another alternative: Set up the card for the Transfer Move. The right hand picks up the top half of the table packet, thereby transferring the selection on top as the left hand drops its packet on top of the tabled packet, and then the right hand drops packet on top of all. The selection is now on top.

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Update on Unexpected Agenda; Italian Tour 2024 (Castellamonte, Torino, Cherasco, Florence)

These are The Magic Memories 204, gone online Sunday, November 24, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

They say that stealing your material is the sincerest form of flattery. Last week, as you will have noticed, The Magic Memories were not published because the site was down.

Finally, I thought, my webshop and I have become important enough to be hacked…

I assume this is the sincerest form of flattery in the world of IT.

However, my webmaster, Andrea Pancotti (expert in magic and IT), who was able to help within 24 hours, found out that not my webshop but the provider that hosts my webshop had been hacked!

Anyway, now all seems to work as usual, and there are many things to tell 🙂

Update on Unexpected Agenda

After I had already seen and touched the physical copies on my Italian tour (see report below), the bulk of the books have finally arrived yesterday to my home. The shipper could not have picked a worse day in the year, as it was the very first day we got tons of snow!

I spare you the video of us (that’s Barbara and me!) shoveling snow to free the garage for the palets with the books – 1’000 go directly via container ship to my distributor, Penguin Magic – the remaining 800 will join my other books in our “warehouse” (a special room in the cellar of our house), to be sent out to those who prefer to order directly from the author (me…).

I must say that the book is truly beautifully produced by my friend and Italian publisher Francesco Mugnai. Although the other two Agendas – Secret Agenda and Hidden Agenda – are also nicely produced, you will find this one tops them all… and you can see why the Italians – with Ferrari, Armani, etc. – are considered world-wide tops when it comes to design.

If you have ordered the book, please be patient: Contrary to what some people think, and in spite of being a “bestseller” author (forgive the immodesty), we are one-man & one-woman operation.

This means that we schlepp, unpack, sign, repack, schlepp again and ship all and everything ourselves.

This will take several days, but by the end of next week all books will be on the way to you.

If you live in Switzerland and Germany, you can expect them next week, if in Europe ca. the first week of December, and if you live in the USA/Canada/Rest of the World, the book should still reach you before Xmas.

If you have not yet ordered your copy, but would like to do so, the pre-publication offer – 20% off the regular price – is still on until the 30th November, and you can order it HERE.

Please remember that if you want me to sign your copy and dedicate it to your name, you have to mention this in the comment field of the order form – some people do not want inscriptions, or give the book away as a gift to others, so I sign only upon request, but I do so with great pleasure 🙂

Official release: The book will also be available from December 1st in Europe from your favorite dealer, and in the rest of the world ca. end January 2025 from Penguin Magic, or your favorite dealer.

Italian Tour 2024

As every year in November I tour Italy for a week or two (just part of it, of course).

This year’s purpose was to present my latest publication Unexpected Agenda in Torino and Florence (actually a two-and-a-half hour lecture!), visit with (magic) friends, and study in Don Silvio’s library in Cherasco.

Here is a brief report:

Tre Re – Castellamonte

On the 5th November I crossed the Alps to get to Castellamonte’s hotel and restaurant “Tre Re” (Three Kings), where I met up with friends for our yearly magic & gastronomy meeting.

This year I took the route through the Great St. Bernard tunnel. Opened in 1964, it was the first road tunnel, and one of the highest in the world (at ca. 1’900 meters, i.e., ca. 6’300 feet). If you ever come to Switzerland, I recommend you take that route from Berne, Montreux, Martigny, Aosta, Torino, as you will pass next to Vevey, which hosts one of the best museums in the world, the Charlie Chaplin Museum (Chaplin’s World). The museum is worth traveling to, period. Give yourself ca. three hours, and before visiting stop at Châtel-Saint-Denis (next to the highway to Montreux) and go to Café Tivoli, where you will be served one of the best cheese Fondues in Switzeralnd, take my word for it.

The “lunch”, which lasted almost five hours, was filled with lots of magic talk and, obviously, delicious Piemontese specialties…

The company and their magic tales were as exquisite as the meal: Fabio Rossello (coach of the Italian FISM team, vice-president of CADM – Club Amici Della Magia, Torino – and a successful entrepreneur), Aurelio Paviato (FISM winner 1982 and TV personality), Marco Aimone (professional performer and president of CADM), Andrea Pancotti (head of prestigiazione.it), Gianfranco Preverino (professional Performer, gambling expert, and author of several books and DVDs). We were all so busy conversing and enjoying the meal, that we even forgot to take a photo!

Torino – Book Presentation at CADM

I left my car at Marco Aimone’s house, outside of Torino, and Marco then drove me to Torino, where I stayed for two nights at a hotel near the city’s historical center and the magic club (CADM).

Torino is one of my favorite cities, and if you ever go to Italy, it is worth visiting as much as Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome, or Naples (and other cities…).

Also, it is just about one hour’s car drive from the “le Langhe” (between Asti and Alba), the home of some of Italy’s best wines (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera – the “3Bs”), and truffles, si capisce…

On the evening of November 7th I presented Unexpected Agenda, which had just reached us in Torino directly from the press in Florence (when I touched it, it was still warm…), at the premises of CADM, Italy’s largest magic club (with close to 300 members).

The event was supposed to be a simple book launch, but it turned into a lecture of over two hours (without pause!), where I performed a dozen of the items from Unexpected Agenda, and of course discussed many of its implications (magic is definitely like a fractal, with an infinite structure).

I will not delve into the details of the Unexpected Agenda here, but just say that there are a 365 entries that can be classed in a dozen categories (tricks, techniques, professional advice, anecdotes, presentational ideas, theories, etc.). I picked what I think was a good mix; at least everyone stayed awake, and most of the ca. forty members present even bought a copy of the book. So I can say that the presentation as well as the book was well-received.

Cherasco – Museo della Magia and Don Silvio Mantelli

On Friday, 8th November, Marco Aimone and I drove down to Cherasco, to see Don Silvio Mantelli, his Museo della Magic (Magic Museum), and of course to study in his library with over 22’000 tomes of magic in many languages. I feel really privileged to be able to easily read five languages, plus another three or four with an occasional help from a dictionary; this really helps getting a better overview of the very complex world and history of magic.

While Don Silvio was busy with the hundreds of visitors who came to see the wonders of the museum, Marco did at least a dozen shows in the small theater of the museum on Saturday and Sunday, the two days of the week the museum is open to the public (or by request for larger groups during the week). Meanwhile, I had lots of time to peruse many of the books in the library.

I asked Don Silvio for a private tour on Friday, and was amazed how many exhibits he had added since my last visit: Lots of items from the private collection of Silvan, who this year turned 87 and is a brilliant as ever, with many of the previously reproduced posters now being replaced by originals. The museum has always been interesting, in my opinion, but now it is really worth traveling to.

Add to this the immense and incredible library, plus the fact that Cherasco is a gastronomical center of Piedmont with some outstanding restaurants, well, then you have the practical implementation of what Confucius said, “Live like it was the last day, learn as if it was the first day.”

There might be other places with a great magic library, but the food and wines are not so good, and there are places where the food and wine is very good, but the there is no magic library. Cherasco, as small and insignificant it may seem to some, to me, it is the (close to) perfect place… I’m considering moving there – maybe 🙂

Florence – Florence Art Edizioni & Presentation at Magic Club

From Cherasco Marco and I drove back to Torino, where I stayed one night (and relax!), then took the fast train to Florence: In just three hours it takes you in the most comfortable way from one delightful city to the other.

If you are ever considering traveling through Italy by train, take the Freccia Rossa, as it has the least probability of being late, or not running at all…

November is an ideal month to visit Florence, which is a small city compared to Milan or Rome. This has the disadvantage that it gets flooded by tourist from March to October.

The temperature at 15° C was still such that I could have my favorite gelato (ice cream) at my favorite place (Perché no, Via dei Tavolini, 19r): I always take pistacchio, fior di latte, and bacio (similar to gianduia: dark chocolate and hazelnuts). That, with one espresso (the best in the world is in Italy!) was my meal for the day, as in the evening I met up with my friend and Italian publisher Francesco Mugnai and Francesco Di Luciano.

Francesco, Mugnai that is, owns the publishing company Florence Art Edizioni (FAE), and as such has published over a dozen of my books in Italian… and he consults and prints my books in German, as well Sharing Secrets and Unexpected Agenda.

Besides, he is also an excellent performer, and I am not just saying this because he might read this 🙂

The other Francesco – Di Luciano – is a busy attorney, as well as a passionate and very skilled cardician (he translated Erdnase into Italian…).

The three of us, plus Alessandro Daloiso, not only an inspired amateur, but also a truffle expert, met at Papere e Papaveri in San Miniato, which to Tuscany is the same as Alba to Piedmont, namely the center of the white truffle.

Needless to say that the evening was characterized by lots of magic talk, and occasional card trick between courses, and a magnificent meal with equally outstanding wines, mostly from Tuscany.

Clearly, a good table, in good company, generates excellent conversations, the total being more than the proverbial sum of its parts.

Next day, for lunch, I invited my friend Francesco Mugnai to the yearly bistecca alla fiorentina, at Trattoria Baldini (take note: Via Il Prato, 96/r, 50123 Firenze), and it was sublime. This is a place just at the city fringe, with almost no tourists, where you get the real food the locals eat.

After a short walk through the incredible historical center of Florence and a well-deserved siesta (the Italians invented that, not the Spanish…), Francesco picked me up and took me to a place where the members of the magic club of Florence meet, and where I gave another presentation of Unexpected Agenda, similar to the one I had given a few days before in Torino.

Again, I went on for over two hours, with everyone staying awake, and we sold all the books we had brought. I take it as a sign that Unexpected Agenda will be well-received by the rest of the world, too 🙂

End of Tour And Back Home

As always I have left out too many things, people I’ve met, things I’ve seen, but hope that you had a pleasant time reading through my ramblings.

Back home, my club in Basel, the Zauberring Basel, under the aegis of Kevin, Dominik and Fabian, organized yet another book presentation for me in Nico Studer’s small theatre, were we usually meet.

Some thirty people from various parts of Switzerland had come, enjoyed an apéro riche, and another two hours of me performing and discussing some of the best items from Unexpected Agenda.

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are/have: Vanished…

These are The Magic Memories 203, gone online Sunday, November 17, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Sorry to report that the server, which hosts my website, has been attacked by hackers, thus making my site inoperabel for several days.

As you are reading this, though, everything should work again fine. Deep mysteries of IT…

Please check back next week in The Magic Memories 204, going online Sunday, 24th November, at 0.07 sharp.

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Roberto on Italian tour; Vernon on Correspondence

These are The Magic Memories 202, gone online Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Preview to the Italian Tour

As you are reading this I am in the middle of my yearly Italian tour, with stops in Castellamonte (truffle lunch with magic friends), Torino (talk & presentation of Unexpected Agenda for the Club Amici Della Magia, Italy’s biggest magic club with close to 300 members), Cherasco (studies in Italy’s largest magic library of Don Silvio Mantelli, “bollito misto” lunch), Florence (visiting my publisher Francesco Mugnai, presentation of Unexpected Agenda for the club of the Florentine magicians, a truffle dinner in San Miniato, and the traditional “bistecca alla Fiorentina” lunch at Baldini’s), then return to Torino by fast train and drive back home to Switzerland.

I will report about this magical and gastronomical tour de force in the upcoming The Magic Memories 203.

Vernon on Correspondence

Several handwritten letters from Dai Vernon spread among the collectors of magical epistolary correspondence start something like this: “Dear friend, forgive me for being such a bad correspondent…”

In regard to today’s scarce “Memories” I thought the letter below would be very much apropos:

Here is the transcription of the text in the letter:

ADDRESS – HARRISON APTS

SENECA. ST. APT 302

Wichita, Kansas

MARCH 2, 1932

DEAR SAM

FORGIVE ME …. BUT YOU KNOW HOW I AM ABOUT WRITING LETTERS. MANY MANY TIMES WHILE IN COLORADO SPRINGS LAST SUMMER I INTENDED TO WRITE YOU A LONG LETTER. PAUL FUCHS HAD THE SAME INTENTION BUT WE KEPT PUTTING IT OFF, SO TRY AND MAKE ALLOWANCES SAM. AS I REALIZE I AM HOPELESS IN THIS RESPECT.

Hope to welcome back next week at The Magic Memories 203!

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Las jornadas cartomágicas de San Lorenzo de El Escorial 2024

These are The Magic Memories 201, gone online Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

As you are reading this I’m back from what many call the “Escorial Card Conference”, but the correct title of which is…

Las jornadas cartomágicas de San Lorenzo de El Escorial 2024

I have reported about this recurring event several times in The Magic Memories, and those who are new to these posts, may want to check last year’s report by CLICKING HERE. There are more…

Generalities & Short History

This meeting, which brings together some of the world’s leading card experts for three days of full-immersive studies (actually TWO loooong nights), talks and performances, used to be part of the famous Escuela Mágica de Madrid (EMM), the Spanish school of thought founded in Madrid by Juan Antón, Arturo de Ascanio, Ricardo Marré, José Puchol, Juan Tamariz, Ramón Varela and Camilo Vázquez in June 1971.

(Those interested may CLICK HERE to read the English version of the manifest setup by Juan Tamariz, and signed by all founding members.)

The first “Jornadas” took place exactly fifty years ago in San Lorenzo de El Escorial (more info about the village with less than 20’000 inhabitants HERE), enabling the members of the EMM, who did not live in Madrid, to meet, share and study magic for three days.

This was the time Spain was still under the dictatorship of Franco, and it affected the way the first meetings were organized and conducted. I hope that one day someone will tell us more about the historical details.

For years the meetings took place in the same hotel, the Hotel Victoria Palace, then and now considered the hotel #1 in Escorial, with the little difference that before the ownership changed in 2010, the hotel was very affordable (I remember paying ca. $ 60 for a night with breakfast, and we got the conference room for free, or for very little money). Now the room rates have doubled, and the fee for the conference room blows our budget.

As a consequence, for the past ten years or so the meeting has been taking place in the Hotel Lanceros, the hotel just next door to the Victoria Palace.

For nostalgic reasons, however, this year I decided to book my room at the Victoria Palace, which although 30% dearer than the Lanceros, had 100% nicer rooms and overall feeling. This math makes sense to me…

When Juan Tamariz first invited me to attend, in 1980, at age twenty-one, we were less than twenty attendants: I remember Ascanio, Tamariz, Camilo, Pepe Carroll, Toni Cachadina, Alfonso Moliné, Reinhard Müller, Dieter Ebel, Joan Font, Vanni Bossi, plus occasional visitors, such as Bilis, Zarrow, Elmsley, etc.

A few years later the number of attendants increased to sixty plus, too many, and now the peak is at about fifty… still, too many people just sitting there without contributing. Obviously, this is just my friendly opinion.

The Topics

The idea of the meeting is that the year before, we define four topics, which will then be studied throughout the year by various groups, who will then present their findings at the conference.

That’s the theory.

In practice many start their work only shortly before the meeting, and the various people contributing to a specific topic do not talk to each other, or only insufficiently, which shows in the presentations.

However, I should add, that because of the incredible talent most of the attendants and presenters have, the result is still far above average. It reminds me of having read somewhere that in India only about 30% of the water in the water supply system reaches its destination…

If the presenters were able to organize their contributions as this is done in academia, and then present their findings professionally (unfortunately another shortcoming…), then the result would be a magical atomic bomb (forgive the bellicose simile, but I couldn’t find a better one).

Instead, it is simply a very interesting meeting, which is still better than most magic gatherings I have witnessed in my magic life of now over fifty years.

Here are the 2024 topics:

1. Jumbo Cards
2. Jean Hugard – Life & Work
3. Three Card Monte
4. Card Cases

Before commenting on some of the presentations, let me state that one of the unspoken laws of the meeting is that we do not publish the individual ideas, unless the creator himself (there were only men at the meeting, not a single woman…) says the word. Therefore, more often than not I will not be too specific in my statements, but I assure you that you will still find enough information to make it worthwhile.

Jean Hugard

The first session went from 7pm to 9:20pm, and the subject was Jean Hugard.

Aitor Marcilla was the first presenter who did a “Magician vs. Gambler” (similar to Vernon’s “Matching the Cards”) routine from Hugard’s Magic Annual for 1937, and which can be found there on p. 43. It requires great clarity of exposition, but brings in an original twist that stages the prediction card and its final transformation in a very interesting way.

Tamariz made a very useful remark – what else? – concerning the revelation of the three cards at the end of the routine, where the magician “corrects” the apparent mistake: Do not make too long a pause before revealing the triplet to have changed to the prediction card, just a beat is enough. This is very good advice, not just for this one trick. I have seen so many inexperienced performers – and also some experienced ones – who go on far too long before revealing the climax. Don’t.

Sometimes the topics lead us to discussing lateral thoughts that come up as we move on.

In this respect Aitor, who has a great collection of magic books and is historically well-versed, made us a great gift, which I will forward to you with his blessings: He discovered and managed to get an old instructional video by John Scarne. This alone made this first session outstanding. CLICK HERE to watch.

Among several other presenters was Paul Wilson, who has an excellent delivery when he lectures. He talked about a cheap reprinted work of Jean Hugard’s with which he started learning card magic in his young years.

The book is called 165 Card Tricks & Stunts and should still be available as a paperback, however, do not buy it, as it is simply haphazard, uninspired and ignorant extraction of tricks and techniques from Hugard’s Card Manipulation series (get that one, though!).

Paul took the book as a point of departure to run us through some of the interesting entries of Hugard’s original booklets (still available in a Dover paperback edition for very little money). The reason his presentation was so good, was not only because of the excellent choice of material and its impeccable execution, but because the book that made the infant and expert was a great emotional hook.

When the first session ended, the beginning of the second session was announced at 11pm, after dinner.

It started at 00.30… (and went on until ca. 5am…)

This is of course a typical case where the difference between practice and theory is even bigger in practice than it is in theory.

I am sometimes asked by first-time attendants – there are always some – what the schedule is. My answer is that you have to simply follow the sun. And when they answer, “But at night there is no sun…”, my reply is, “Exactly!”

Of course the big secret to not missing any official action – the “unofficial” action is a different kettle of fish – is to dine with the Maestro, without whose presence the presentations do no start (don’t tell anyone).

The photo below shows a practical implementation of the concept:

If you are interested to learn more about Jean Hugard’s life, I recommend getting James B. Alfredson’s monograph Jean Hugard (David Meyer Magic Books, USA 1997).

In all brevity: It can be said that Jean Hugard (1871-1959), albeit having made a living as a professional performer for a large part of his life, was not that influential as a performer. But later in life, when he moved to New York and started to be a teacher (Orson Wells and Dr. Jacob Daley took lessons from him), and then a writer, he became one of the most influential authors of things magical.

Besides publishing twenty-seven books, chief among them, together with Fred Braue, whom he never met personally, but with whom he just corresponded, Royal Road to Card Magic and Expert Card Technique (one of my favorite ten magic books), he co-edited and ghost-wrote several important works that have become classics, such as Keith Clark’s Encyclopedia of Cigarette Tricks, the Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, Kaplan’s The Fine Art of Magic, Bill Simon’s Effective Card Magic, and, of course, the big Greater Magic.

Plus he translated one of France’s most important works, Camille Gaultier’s La Prestidigitation sans Appareils.

Not to forget is his magazine, Hugard’s Magic Monthly, which is fortunately still available as a multi-volume bound reprint, and certainly would qualify as the proverbial “book(s) for the desert island”.

Three Card Monte

Besides the contributions on the topic of “Card Cases”, this one about Three Card Monte had the most interesting and original presentations, in my opinion.

The photo below shows my dear friend Toni Cachadiña from Barcelona, who together with Juan Tamariz and Camilo Vazquez (also present) – all three born within the timespan of a year – has been attending each and every Escorial Card Conference from the very beginning!

Of the many contributions, I would like to mention Miguel Ajo’s monte routine, where as a finale the back of each of the three cards changes color. Miguel is one of the most talented students of Ascanio who found his own style, and his magic is original, and his skill a joy to watch.

The other gentleman I need to mention in this context is my dear friend Christian Engblom, whose creativity and virtuosity leaves me speechless every time he shows me something. This is usually so good, that I don’t even think, “Why did I not think of that?” No chance to come even close.

Time limitations won’t allow me to go into more details of other presentations, but I’ll say that in my opinion – and also in the opinion of many others – Juan Tamariz’s version of Three Card Monte is by far the best of them all.

If you had the fortune of seeing Tamariz perform this live, I’m almost sure that he fooled you badly, as he did fool me when I first saw him in 1978, as a nineteen-year-old at a German convention.

You can find several recordings online, but perhaps the best is the one he did on The Magic Comedy Strip (a TV series directed by John Fisher 1991–1992) – CLICK HERE to watch.

After its performance, Tamariz dissected the technique and presentation, and it became evident why this is one of the great works of art in the world of magic.

As Antoine Lavoisier used to say: “Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme”. In this sense it is interesting to note that Tamariz’s routine, as he revealed in his discussion,  was inspired by Frank Lane’s Grandfather’s Card Trick, published in 1952 as a three-page manuscript (you may still be able to find it).

Apparently Juan changed only a few things… maybe, but he certainly added something nobody else will ever be able to add… that’s JT himself!

Jumbo Cards

Various attendants presented their personal version of classic tricks, that are usually done with giant cards, such as the Three Card Monte with the fake indices, the only three card trick using four cards, sidewalk shuffle, etc. All these tricks go by different names, depending who claims to have invented it (…), but it was certainly enlightening to see talented full-time professionals do their version.

Woody Aragon did his version of Elmsley’s “Ghost Card Trick”, and it was interesting to see how some of the tricks that were thought up to be used with normal cards can be adapted to jumbo cards.

Robert Jägerhorn from Sweden had learned the patter for Shigeo Takagi’s Monte Routine in Spanish and ran us through this exceptional routine. However, due to the nature of the gimmicked cards, he admitted not having performed it professionally, as it is very sensible to angles. Still, it can be interesting and rewarding to study certain tricks, even though you will never use them. A subject for some other time…

Juan Tamariz then did the “classic” four ace trick, Hofzinser/McDonald style, with jumbo cards and lots of subtleties. I hope he will discuss this in one of his upcoming Letters to Juan, or in a video project (maybe it is on one of his older videos?).

The photo below shows Magic Christian from Vienna, Austria, who is a regular attendant, with his presentation on historical jumbo cards.

It is remarkable to note, that Christian has something to contribute to virtually any subject, due to his extensive experience and studies as a historian (he wrote the huge Hofzinser books, after all…). Also, I’m always impressed that he is the only person among the ca. fifty attendants who is invariably impeccably dressed and wears a tie. This is certainly very practical as a magician. I especially envy him for his tie with the diagonal pattern; Fred Kaps used to make a mini-topit out of it…

Magic With Card Cases

This was by far the topic with the most contributions, and very original ones at that.

Juan Luis Rubiales is one of our great creators (and performers!) who every year comes up with some excellent ideas.

This year he took the plastic box that holds some brands of the Fournier cards and fooled us several times with the innate characteristics of the box: penetrations, additions, subtractions, color changes, controls, etc.  He made a real study out of it, and I hope that he will share his ideas in one of his upcoming projects.

There were so many contributions on this subject, that it would justify an entire edition of The Magic Memories, but I’ll have to keep this short.

Lionel Gallardo, another creative professional, did an entire routine, where the selection travels to the cards case, and at the end the whole deck.

Michael Close, who came all the way from the USA, as did Richard Green and habitué Steve Beam, performed several bits where the card case came into play as a method or as part of the effect.

Once again it was Juan Tamariz who took the cake with his “cardoscope”. First he did a few short tricks, which fooled us badly, then he revealed the modus operandi, which was hilarious, and which he called a “cardoscope”.

All I can say is that he had this sitting between his legs on the chair, not visible from where we were sitting, and he used its mirror to secretly glimpse selections, a half-case to switch individual cards and packets, etc.

And this seems to be a fitting end to an incomplete report, but I still hope you found something to amuse and to inspire you… you’re welcome 🙂

The New Topics for 2025

Below is a photo of what the Maestro wrote on the board for next year – I leave it as a Koan… to be commented upon sometime in the future:

Transcription & brief comment:

1. Jimmy Grippo – Work & Life
2. Memorizing Cards (with focus on memorizing colors and set-ups, especially on the spot)
3. Gags With Cards (anything funny using or related to playing cards)
4. Flat Palm and Tenkai Palm (techniques & tricks)

Although most of you, who are reading this, will not be part of the event, you could still challenge yourself, pick one (or all!) of the subjects, and try to make up a little study, which you could then present in front of a group.

Yes, why not do this for a group of kindred spirits, live or online, or for your magic club? That would be an honorable and worthy contribution.

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: #200 to Celebrate?; Preview to Jornadas Cartomágicas, San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Pat Perry’s Magicalendar

These are The Magic Memories 200, gone online Sunday, October 27, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

#200 to Celebrate?

As we reach the milestone of #200 in The Magic Memories, it seems only fitting to celebrate this occasion in some manner.

This naturally raises the classic debate: should we celebrate #200 or rather #201? This question reached a peak at the dawn of the new millennium: does it begin in 2000 or 2001?

Another perspective on this topic is how we count the floors of a building. In Europe, the floor that aligns with the street is designated as “0,” a fact you quickly discover when you enter an elevator and look for the correct button. In contrast, in the Americas, the same floor is labeled “1.”

So, who is right?

I would argue that the one who understands the distinction, accepts it, and presses the appropriate button to reach their desired floor is correct.

In our case, with #200 of The Magic Memories, my current travels make it more practical to celebrate #201, as #200 will be a brief installment.

Furthermore, why should #200 be deemed more special than #164? I found #164 to contain a wealth of intriguing content—perhaps even more than #201 will offer. We shall see!

Preview to Jornadas Cartomágicas, San Lorenzo de El Escorial

As you are reading this – ideally after midnight on Sunday, October 27th – we are just returning from dinner (possibly at Charoles…), and will soon start the second formal session of the day that will go on until at least 3am… the “informal” part to continue open end.

I will give you a full report in The Magic Memories 201, but as a little teaser, the photo below shows the subjects treated this year, in Juan Tamariz’s hand-writing, por supuesto:

If that reads Spanish to you – rather than Double-Dutch or Chinese – read next week’s installment of The Magic Memories to get a full explanation of everything 🙂

Pat Perry’s Magicalendar

I am often asked by fellow magicians who visit Switzerland what events magical they should see (as if I was a magic tourist guide…). I invariably steer them to Pat Perry’s Magicalendar, a monthly newsletter that lists all types of magic activities, such as shows, lectures, exhibitions, etc.

To view and store Pat Perry’s Magicalendar, for all events in Switzerland, CLICK HERE.

Pat Perry, by the way, runs his own private magic theatre – the CLOSE theatre – and if you only remotely master the German language, there is nothing I could recommend more than visiting one of his shows.

Wish you all a successful and happy week,

Roberto Giobbi