Dynamo

[Rob Rand]

Today my brother and sister visited us, to see our new lovely cat. After having a drink and something sweet to eat, I performed John Mazza's Bird Watcher Too. My sister was really surprised and had absolutly no clue how that was done.

But than they began to speak about Dynamo. 'Do you know Dynamo and his great effects?'
Yes yes, I know Dynamo and he's great etc etc. But every time I perform a trick the spectators begin talking about Dynamo, and how great he is, and I find that kinda boring, because it is as if my trick means nothing to them, compared to what Dynamo does.
I find this very annoying and am wondering if others experience this Dynamo-effect too.

[JohnM]

In the states we have Criss Angel who is really big too. I would say they are similar and equal. No one ever mentioned Criss or David Blaine or any magician when I have done magic. Sometimes they will say a friend of relative of theirs is into magic.

Speaking of BWT, I have a brand new stand alone effect that I can sell openly. It is BWB.




My latest creation is called Bird Watcher Brochure. I have been working on it for many, many, many hours and finished it a week ago. What you see in the picture is one side, the other side has the "Park", "Sanctuary", "Forest" The brochure folds twice to making what is called a slim jim brochure. The idea is you leave it around on your desk or coffee table and let the spec discovery it, then you perform the trick. It is better than BWT because the birds are much bigger so people can see them better. I have been noticing that with people over 40, they have problems seeing writing or images with magic tricks. Also when you show cards, it is a trick when you read their mind using a brochure it is something even better.

Rob, this would have been perfect to leave around for you sister to discover. She still would have asked about Dynamo, but you would have felt great when she picked it up and you killed it with a flawless presentation. That is part of the thrill of performing, those magic moments that happen sometime that as so perfect. It ls like when you hit that great golf shot.

I have a very cool presentation idea for this but I have not been able to test the trick yet on anyone.

But we can test it here. Whoever would like to participate, please pick a bird from the middle panel and write here what your chosen bird was.

[VictorS]

Rob...we have similar famous magician too....i believe in every countries. Dynamo is not so familiar in indonesia. John your BWB project is so awesome.....yellow canary (4) please.

[JohnM]

That's for helping Victor.

Change on the test, please email jmazza1@comcast.net me your chosen bird and I will share the results here.

[SimonC]

Dynamo is eeeeevrywhere in england. hes a good magician but I agree with Rob, a lot of laymen see something to do with magic and its like tourettes "ooh ooh dynamo!". he is pretty cool tho, anyone that brings magic back on tv for me to enjoy is alright in my book.

I definitely like BWB, the idea of making it a "stealth trick" that you leave lying around like a spiders web is great. plus making the birds bigger is a good move too.

[Rob Rand]

This is a great idea John! And you're right, probably every packet trick screams I am a magic prop, which is not the case with your map!

Oh yes and about Dynamo: the spectator always asks, You're a magician, do you know how he does this or that trick?

[kellebotond]

John, this looks great!

About Dynamo: his series is the most watched magic themed tv programme here in Hungary. And many times people who I do have conversation about magic ask about him. I think tv magicians age good for magic in general (even if they use camera tricks and stooges many times). I never say anything bad about any tv magician to laypersons. I think it would just look like envy in there eyes and they probably would not understand my point. When they see magic (especially close-up magic) live my experience is that they are surprised that this can be done with examinable props, in their hands. I have never taken their asking about famous magicians as an offence: I consider this the way they are trying to make conversation about magic.

[JohnM]

Guys I did not get enough responses for the test. I only got four, thanks Victor, David, Elliot and Rob. If I am able to work it out on my own I will let you know what I was going for.

[SimonC]

Sorry John I thought you were only after one, my guess would have been the olive warbler.

[FredA]

I'll choose Pink Finch

[kellebotond]

I would go for number 4 or maybe number 10 would be my second choice because of the vivid colors. But I will stay with number 4.

[Jaime C.]

I find this very annoying and am wondering if others experience this Dynamo-effect too.

I feel disappointed every time i perform some tricks with my costumers at the restaurant. I got the big reactions (sometimes) baffled them but at the end they speak about Dynamo...insulting so enough for dynamo for me.

Bird Watcher Brochure time and my chosen bird is...

[kellebotond]

Yesterday Dynamo was in Hungary and I was able to wach him perform up close and speak with him for a while. He made much better impression personally than he did on tv.

[Rob Rand]

Wow what a great experience Botond!

[JohnM]

Very Cool. That must have been a great experience.

[kellebotond]

Yes is was. I have also made a video when he was answering questions at a press conference. I will have to edit the video, so it will be ready probably by the end of next week but I will definitely share it with you. He was surprisingly honest about why he is quitting his tv show and he also gave some very good advices to magicians. So stay tuned.

[VictorS]

What a nice experience botond....thanks in advance for sharing the vid. By the way....you are much bigger than dynamo or he is just too small

[Brett H]

That is awesome. I can't wait to see the video. I thought Dynamo was at least a 7 on the Sakkaku Scale.

How tall are you?

[kellebotond]

I'm 197 cm tall (about 6 ft 5")

[SimonC]

that's brilliant botond he's busy at the moment, my sister is a professional dancer and she was performing with him on Saturday. it was a very rich Russians birthday party and they had hired Dynamo to do the table magic. she didn't talk much to him but she did see him getting changed and said she was amazed at how much stuff he was loading and arranging in what looked like ordinary clothes. she text me and said 'do you like Dynamo?' and by the time I'd read it and sent her a pic of my magic cupboard to show him he'd already gone to perform. serves me right for being a lazy texter.
biting am I right in thinking he's quitting die to his health, I know he's not a well man

[VictorS]

I'm 197 cm tall (about 6 ft 5")

Wow..you are tall botond so more or less I am as tall as dynamo.

[kellebotond]

I have finished editing the Dynamo episode of my videoblog.

You can skip my Hungarian introduction and start at 0:38. From that point it is in English.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEj1gN7EcDY

[JohnM]

Cool stuff, thanks for sharing. It must have been great to meet him. He seems down to earth.

[JohnM]

I have a very cool presentation idea for this but I have not been able to test the trick yet on anyone.

But we can test it here. Whoever would like to participate, please pick a bird from the middle panel and write here what your chosen bird was.

So my idea totally did not pan out.

I performed the new brochure once for my wife and she choose the Green Parakeet. When I was looking at the brochure, I was thinking that maybe a lot of people would choose the Green Parakeet since it is center and eye level, really bright green, and the beak is really different than the others. But pretty much all of you helpers choose a different bird and only one bird was chosen twice. The Green Parakeet was not even chosen.

I decided to scrap the Bird Watcher Borchure project. I think it is not as strong as the cards because the magician is seeing what the spectator is looking at where with the cards, the spec can mix them up and look at them without every showing the faces and the magician can come up with the answer. I think this is much stronger.

[SimonC]

It's still a great idea, I'd have a few lying around your house just in case. im really getting into packet tricks of late, thanks to rob and vice for my new addiction, so I'd have to say I'd opt for the card version but the brochure still has potential as an off the cuff trick. I walked past a pub (you read that right, I walked PAST a pub) with a friend of mine and totally forgot that I'd set up the bottom card in the stack of taxi cards by the door to do card warp. On the way home we popped in and I was able to do seemingly unprepared magic with random business cards in a random pub, the second we walked in. That was cool. I'd prepared the cards weeks ago and totally forgotten. It would be cool to leave a few brochures in your favourite restaurants and forget about them John, you never know when you'll be able to spring it out