Magic Tricks

I used to be a regular Penguin LIVE subscriber but this is actually the first LIVE lecture I bought in about a year (not including the Scott Alexander one that penguin generously gave away free). At some point I decided I had so many lectures I hadn't gotten around to watching and the At The Table series was almost as good for way cheaper and the Tarbell series was giving me tons of great material regularly also for really cheap, so it just didn't make sense to stay subscribed.

However, when I saw that Wayne was going to teach Thread and A Single Needle, both of which were on my shopping list for a while, I realized I had no choice but to buy this one, and wow am I glad I did.

Wayne has a very unique style. I love it. Its not my style at all, but maybe it should be. I will try toning down my energy a little and talking to the audience more and seeing how that works out. Also, his magic is so squeaky clean. There's nothing funny, no awkward movements, nothing to hide. Every little movement, every sentence, every everything has been clearly thought out. I think Luke Jermay is the only other lecturer I have ever seen give so much thought and attention to every single aspect of every trick. It really makes the trick so much more performance ready. I'd like to not have to learn from my mistakes when I can learn from mistakes of someone else who already made those mistakes. It hurts to mess up, why would anyone want to?

That dollar bill trick is awesome. It will definitely go into my show at some point. I need to make it fit my style and I need to get the material he uses. The two more common items he used to use don't work that well, I see why he stopped using them. But wow, that's a great trick.

The post it note trick is a good trick but there's something about it that bothers me. I have to put my finger on it and then I may use it in a different form. For now I'm keeping the brilliance behind it in the back of my mind as its a clever idea that may be useful in creating something totally different.

The thread out of the eye trick, wow, just wow. Perfect. As soon as I make it fit my style it will be in my show.

The helium balloon trick, interesting. Not my thing, and seems too short. May be useful as part of a longer trick.

The coin in soda can is so well thought out. Every little motion has been worked out so it looks perfect. It will take a long time to make it look so good. I would've liked to also get notes detailing every step as its hard to practice it along with him in the video.

A single needle is perfect. Every little bit has been thought through and perfected. However, it only uses one needle. At the same time the Tarbell lesson that came out that Friday taught needle swallowing with much more needles. Its a tough call. I'm really torn. There's also a bonus method for doing the trick with toothpicks if you pay attention. I may end up learning both and performing both until I learn which one gets better reactions.

All in all, phenomenal lecture!