Announcement

Friday’s post was supposed to be the final post for this month, with the new schedule being daily posts from the 1st-20th of each month.

But with all that’s going on I figured I’d continue to stop in daily through the end of this month. Just to say hello. Hello!

It’s a weird time to be alive. And I know a lot of you look to me as a friend. Your best friend. Your only friend. A leader. A guru. A god. These are the labels you give me… and yes, I suppose I’ve earned them. It wasn’t my intention to be the sole shining beacon of joy in your life, but these things happen.

If you want my honest opinion on this, I think the coronavirus will be devastating to the individuals who are directly affected (obviously). But societally, I just don’t buy the most dire predictions. In fact, I never buy the most dire predictions about anything. They’re never right.

That’s about the extent of my analysis on the situation.

I’ll continue to pop in daily for the rest of the month to share a quick note or some sexy selfies with you.

Sweet Dreams

I had a dream last night about a coronovirus inspired trick. It’s a stupid one. And therefore I’ll be shocked if this idea isn’t already out there somewhere.

The trick is this… you do a Hundy 500 style bill change where you’re changing money to toilet paper.

“Hey, these days… it’s worth much more! Am I right?!!!” You say, and laugh heartily.

Please let me know if someone has already done this.

Please let me know if someone ends up doing this.

I’m trying to see what performers my subconscious mind has the most in common with.

And actually, now that I’ve dreamt of it, I’d really sort of like to see it. Especially if you could make it so the bills are somehow changing to full size TP. Could you fold the toilet paper so it unfurls or something? And should you draw George Washington’s face on the toilet paper? Why am I bothering thinking so much about this?

Free Advertising at The Jerx

A couple years ago I wrote:

“I get a lot of people offering to send me stuff in exchange for me writing about it here. I understand the inclination. There is probably no more captive audience in magic than the people who read this site. But if I just started doing posts on the stuff that was sent to me, then that's all this site would become. And as nice as it is to receive a free ebook or get something in the mail, that would ultimately devalue this site to the readership if that's what I focused on.”

This paragraph was buried in a post so a lot of people who are new to the site missed it. So I still frequently get people offering to send me stuff. And when I say, “Sure, that would be great. But just know that I’m probably not going to end up writing about it,” they’re usually like…

Well, I now have a couple of ways you can advertise your product/service to my readers for free.

Advertising for Supporters

If you are a paid supporter of this site, you can advertise for free in the monthly newsletters. That’s not as big an audience as the audience that reads this site. But these people are pre-selected as people who are willing to spend money on magic, and many would be curious to see what other people who like this site are creating. And hey, it’s free. Even if you just sell a few copies of whatever you have to offer, that could conceivably get you back your whole support payment so you would essentially be getting the 2020 rewards package for free.

Here’s how it works. You just email me the ad you want to put in the newsletter and I’ll add it onto the end of the issue. It doesn’t have to be anything that looks that great. We’re all friends here. Think of the ads in the back of Genii in the 80s (which looked like the ads in the back of a normal magazine from the 30s). But you do have to make it yourself, I’m not writing your goddamn ad. And I would suggest doing something original for it. You could just copy and paste an ad you’re using elsewhere. But you’ll probably have better luck if you write something up from yourself as a person rather than just an advertising entity.

And the free ad is once per year. If you have more to sell we can work something out. But I’m not going to put the same thing in month after month. If you want to do something like have a special discount code for readers or provide an excerpt (if you’re offering a book) we can do that too. Or, hell, if you want to write a vicious anti-Irish screed about how they’re infesting our country and taking all our trench-digging, rail-line-laying, and textile-mill-operating jobs… that’s fine too. Your support payment entitles you to some real estate in one of the monthly newsletters. You can do with it whatever you want.

Advertising for Everybody

Advertise a Product or Single Trick Download

And here is a free way for anybody to get the word out about their new product on the site itself. Not with some banner ad on the side, but in a way people will actually read about your product because I will be the one writing about it. This isn’t like the Magic Cafe where people are blindly scrolling past your ad or deleting it from their PM box without reading it. No… anyone who comes to this site is doing so because they want to read what I’m writing about. And what I’ll be writing about is your product. And yes, it’s 100% free other than the cost of sending me a copy of what you’re selling.

What’s the catch?

Why does there have to be a catch? Why can’t I just offer this kind service to people?

Okay, I guess there’s a catch. This new review feature will be one where I tell everyone the worst aspects of the thing you’re selling.

Here’s the deal. I’ve spent five years creating a relationship with the people who read this site where I try to be as open and honest about things as possible. While I have no problem badmouthing shitty products (and do so in the review newsletter from time to time), I would have that problem if someone had sent me something for free. If someone sent me something—especially if was a particularly expensive book or piece of magic— and I didn’t really care for it, that would be a big bummer for me. I’d take no joy in entertainingly trashing something that I was given for free, but I’d take less joy in trying to find something positive to say about something I wasn’t really into and lying to the people who read this site to spare the feelings of one person.

So this removes all of that from the equation. You would be sending me your product for the purpose of me finding its flaws and weaknesses.

Why would I send you my product just so you can trash it?

Well, there are a few reasons why.

• First, if your product is very good, then the worst thing I have to say about it may not be very consequential. I might say, “The worst thing about this levitation is that it can’t be performed outside under bright sunlight.” And people reading that will say, “Shit… is that all? I never perform outside. Maybe I should pick this up.”

• Second, my critique may bring up issues you hadn’t thought of. Perhaps something you can address and therefore improve the product.

• Third, you’ll get the word out about your product.

• Fourth, I may have plenty of good things to say about what you’re selling as well. I won’t hold those back when writing about your offering. So I may identify a couple flaws but also note a few things I like about it. And for some people the flaws may not be dealbreakers. So even a write-up designed to look at something with an incredibly critical eye could end up as a positive review for some people.

My goal is not to shit on what people are selling. I’m not going to make up flaws or find faults where they don’t exist. So if you have faith in your product, i don’t think you have much to lose. If you already know it’s kind of a turd, then it’s probably a bad idea.

Advertise a Book/E-book/Multi-trick DVD or Download

Updated from the September 6th, 2022 Post

Since I put out the offer for people to advertise their magic products for free on this site, I’ve received some interest from people who want to advertise their book or ebook. Unfortunately, to do that in the manner described in this post (where I tell everyone the worst thing about your product), I would have to read an entire book and carefully consider everything in it. That’s not a fun blog post. That’s homework. And I have no interest in that.

So here’s how the advertising will work for books and ebooks and multi-trick videos if you want to advertise them here.

You send me the chapter or trick that you consider to be the most average thing in your book. That will be posted here and any comments I have will be based on that excerpt.

This will give people an idea for what you have to offer with this release and it suggests that you think half the material is better than what you’re offering.

If you’re interested on taking me up on any of these advertising opportunities (or you just want to send me your product for the hell of it), send me an email at thejerx@gmail.com. Put “Ad” in the subject somewhere to help keep things organized in my email box.

Also, you can just tell me about something you have for sale and—if it’s something that interests me—I’m more than happy to pay for it (and while not likely, it’s possible I’ll write about it). While I certainly appreciate when people send me the things they’ve created, I don’t need free stuff and this is not a request for free stuff. The purpose of this post is solely to let people know how they can get their product in front of the readers/supporters of this site in a way that will hopefully be a win-win situation. A win for them because they get more eyes on what they’re offering and a win for the readers because it will hopefully lead to some interesting content. (I don’t need a win for myself. I’ve got enough wins.)

Magic in the Time of Coronavirus: Part 3

If you haven’t done it before, now is the perfect time to connect with someone over video chat and show them a trick.

There’s never going to be a better excuse. “I have this trick I’m working on but I’ve run out of people to perform it on in person. Can you hop on Skype for a few minutes?”

This reasoning will actually make the trick stronger because of a subtle implication. The implication that you could do this in person, but it’s just this darn coronavirus that’s preventing you from doing so.

You should take advantage of this and not do something you could actually do in person. The window of the Skype frame makes switching and ditching and that sort of thing incredibly easy. You don’t need a pocket index, you can have stuff just sitting on your computer desk off frame. And it’s a good time to break out all your tricks that end up unexaminable.

Something I do pretty regularly over Skype—pandemic or not—is I have one of those small clear prediction boxes that were popular a few years ago (Clarity Box, Vision Box, Paragon 3d) sitting on a shelf behind me. I bring their attention to the box and the fact that there’s something inside. Then I can ask them to name anything, any word, shape, number, or whatever. I then cleanly grab the box and remove the prediction and it matches perfectly. This is very easy to do, of course, because as they’re naming their word, number, or picture, I’m just writing it on a card out of frame. As long as I’m looking at them and not in my lap or to the side, then they’re not going to suspect anything.

From their perspective, they see a clear box with a piece of folded paper in it sitting somewhere in the frame. I don’t go near it the entire time. At the end I remove the paper and unfold it revealing my prediction matches. I usually tell them to record the screen because they’re going to think I went near the box and did something funny and they’ll want to check again later. The truth is, the switch with these boxes can stand up to that sort of scrutiny. The only real sketchy part is what’s taking place out of frame.

This is a great trick to have your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/kid or whoever help you out with. They can just sit down to the side of you without the person on the other end of the Skype call ever knowing they were there. Have that person think of any dream they’ve ever had that they can remember and have them describe it to you. As they do, your accomplice draws a simple image depicting the dream, then folds the card getting it ready to be switched in. Because you’re not doing the drawing yourself, whatever is drawn or written can be more complicated without you looking distracted in the least. And your hands can be in frame and seen empty until the point that your accomplice hands you the prediction off screen.

I find this to be a trick people particularly enjoy helping out with. This sort of sneakiness (hiding off screen, secretly drawing the picture, slipping it to you without being seen) is more fun than many of the other things we ask secret assistants to do (e.g., “Scratch your nose when I get to the object people decided on.). So with this trick you get to do something fun for someone over Skype, but you also get to bond with your quarantine partner.

Look, you go on Instagram and you see—in a lot of places—people sitting at home doing puzzles and shit. Despite the fact we have tv and internet, people are still starving for some entertainment and interaction. Reaching out and showing someone a trick is, in itself, a nice gesture. And if you know someone who might be holed up without having many family members or friends to engage with—someone who might be feeling isolated or lonely—it can be a good excuse to reach out to them and check in on them. You might not have the type of relationship where you’d say, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about you and I’m a little concerned and I want to see how you’re doing.” But you may feel comfortable saying, “Hey, I’ve got this thing I’ve been working on, can I try it out on you?” And the latter may serve the same purpose, and produce the same results, as the former.

Magic in the Time of Coronavirus: Part 2

I was talking to a guy I see frequently at one of my local coffee shops. He has seen me showing people tricks there in the past, but I’ve only ever done something specifically for him like once or twice.

We were mentioning the virus and the different ways it was affecting things, big and small.

“it’s funny,” I said, “because I had been working on this trick for like… forever… and just when I sort of had it figured out this thing hits and it has completely prevented me from being able to do the trick.”

I reached into my bag and pulled out a cased deck of cards.

“There’s a trick called the Inverted Card trick. It’s sort of famous in magic. It’s famously difficult, actually. It looks like this… I shuffle the cards. Then I’d spread them and have you select one. Then I’d have you hold it between your palms like this and concentrate on the card.” [During all this, I’m miming all the actions of the trick.] “Then, I’d take the card back and put it in the deck. Have you shuffle it. Then I’d take the pack back. Spread the cards briefly, then close the deck and hold it between my hands. You’d name the card and when I spread the deck you’d see your card was the only one facing the other way.

“There are two things that make it difficult. The first is the way I find your card. Since you held it between your palms it’s going to be warmer than the other cards in the deck. And with practice you can develop the sensitivity to feel that warmth as you spread through the deck. The second thing that makes it difficult is the misdirection and the sleights required to then flip that card over without anyone noticing.

“But anyways, I’ve worked on that trick for a long time and just really got it down about a week ago, and now i can’t even really do it. It requires too much passing of the deck back and forth. And holding the cards tight and all that. I think people would be a little weirded out by it

“So what I’ve been trying to do is come up with a way to do all that but without both people handling the physical deck. I think I’ve hit on something… can I try it with you? Okay… we’ll just imagine I’m holding a deck here.”

We go through the whole process of selecting and shuffling and holding the card… all while just miming it. At the end I ask him what card he chose. He names it. I pause, pull the real deck out of the case, and spread it to show that it’s the only “inverted card.”

It’s just a handling for the Invisible Deck, of course.

I’ve only done this twice now, but the reaction both times has been really, really good. Here’s why I think that is. Usually with the ID there’s a chance the audience will get ahead of you. That may lessen the punch of the climax. With this presentation, your spectator will definitely be ahead of you. You told them what’s going to happen. But you also told them how it normally happens: It happens with physical cards and sleights and misdirection. So when you then do it without those things you are reinforcing how clean the ID trick is. They will see just how straightforward and unsuspicious the handling is in a way they wouldn’t know to appreciate if you hadn’t established how the trick is “usually done.”

And there’s a very sound logic to the presentation. It feels like a trick that’s borne out of the genuine circumstances we’re in. Not just like a normal trick with some jokes about hoarding toilet paper thrown in.

I will continue using some sort of variation on this presentation—i.e., “Here’s how it’s usually done… and here’s this new version I’m working on.”—long after the virus situation has passed. It’s really strong.

Magic in the Time of Coronavirus: Part 1

I mentioned on Sunday that I would use a few posts this week to tell you ways I’ve built off the virus situation to get into a trick.

Before I give my first example, let me suggest a bad way to do this sort of thing: Patter.

“These [sponge balls] are actually coronavirus microbes. Watch as they go from my hand… to yours.”

This sort of thing—the sort of thing that smacks of “Look at me! I’m making my magic relevant!”—always sucks.

I don’t want to use patter (presentation), I want to use Context.

Here’s a very simple idea you could use with someone you’ve just met (assuming you’re in the position where you’re still coming in contact with new people).

This weekend I was in a waiting room at an automotive repair shop. There was one other person in the same room, waiting for the work to finish on her car.

We talked about all the weirdness that was going on. I asked her how her life was being affected by all this and what she was doing with her time now. After answering, she returned the question. “Well, a lot of my work obligations have been cancelled for a little while,” I said. “I’m trying to keep myself entertained, but you can only watch so much Netflix. Oh… you know what I’ve been doing? When I was a kid I was into magic and I started delving into that again as a way to pass the time. Want to see something?”

This is a pretty straightforward transition, but you can see how it feels very natural.

If I just sat down next to her and said, “Want to see a magic trick?” That would be weird.

If I sat down and talked to her about the coronavirus situation and then said, “Hey, want to see a magic trick?” That would still be weird.

Here I’m creating a natural transition in a way that would appeal to me. If someone said—“I used to draw in high school and then I stopped for some reason. It’s weird though because since the whole ‘self-quarantining’ thing started, I’ve found myself getting back into. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it feels productive? Or maybe it feels calming when things are uncertain. Maybe both.”— I’d think, That’s kind of interesting. And it would bring up questions: “What kind of stuff do you draw?” “Do you feel like your skills greatly diminished or is it something you held onto in the intervening years?” Things like that.

You might say, But Andy, you’re lying to her. You didn’t just get back into magic.

Okay, sweetie, thanks. I get it. This is an older woman at an auto-mechanics shop who I will likely not see again. My lie is just to lubricate the social interaction by allowing it to flow from a potentially unsettling subject to something fun, but in a way that makes sense. This is very much a white lie. And I have no problem with those when done for the greater good.

The nice thing about this particular transition is that it lowers expectations. I’ve “just gotten back into magi.,” She’s not expecting much. In fact, after I showed her the trick she literally said, “What?! I was not expecting that.” And this transition allows it to be “just a trick.” I don’t have to come up with some immersive story to go along with the effect. The story is already included in the broader presentation of how I’ve found myself drawn back to this old interest of mine due to the circumstance that are affecting everyone.

Tomorrow, a context for a trick you all own that fits perfectly in with our germy, gross, no-touching world.

Last 2019 Support Packages Available

In these uncertain times, you want to get your money out of the stock market and into something more stable. I recommend putting all your money in magic books.

I held onto a few 2019 support packages in case any got lost in the mail and replacements were needed. It looks like everything is accounted for so these final three packages are now being made available.

At noon Eastern Time today, a code phrase will appear in the blank below. [12:04 PM Update - These are all gone.] The first three people to send me an email with that code phrase in the subject line can claim one of the remaining packages.

The packages include the same rewards that people got for supporting at the $5/week level (book, pin, deck of cards, 2019 newsletters), so it’s not cheap, but it’s like you’re retroactively supporting that year at the same cost.

I will make a note here as soon as I can after the three copies are claimed.