Magic Tricks

You are definitely a worse magician for having not seen this yet.

Not only is this the funniest magic video I've ever seen (I'm pretty sure David Williamson swallowed a joke book when he was a baby), but also it's filled to the brim with wisdom.

Just watching David perform these routines--some of which you already may be familiar with--will give you ideas for how to make your magic better.

The intro to this 1 hour and 42 minute video is 12 minutes long. Ordinarily, I fast forward through intros that are even 30 seconds long.

I couldn't fast forward. The 12 minute intro was captivating (maybe I'm weird). I almost think David made it that long because it's funny to have an intro so long.

Years ago I saw David do the salt trick. I've always thought of it as the perfect magic trick.

Ordinary object (salt). Check.
Simple plot. Check.
Visual. Check.

You pour salt into your hand, and it vanishes.
Now it's in the spectator's mug in front of her that she just wiped clean.

With the right persona it might seem like real magic.
To a layperson, vanishing salt seems to rule out sleight of hand.

The trick takes up less pocket space than a deck of cards, but your audience will remember the salt trick after they've forgotten your amazing (though forgettable) card tricks.

Spectators can't tell a story about Inv Deck (I've heard them tell their friends, "He got my card!"), and they even have trouble with Amb Card (seriously... what's the best story that can be told about a card that was placed in the middle of a deck but then went to the top).

The salt trick is a story. Spectators remember it clearly and they can easily tell that story.

This video is a treasure.