Art of Astonishment Project

Like many magicians, I’m a big Paul Harris fan and his Art of Astonishment trilogy was one of the most exciting magic releases of my lifetime. If you also have a nostalgic place in your heart for these books, I want to draw your attention to a project on youtube that Paul Harris fan, and Jerx supporter, Dani Marko has been working on for a couple of years. He’s attempting to film all the effects in the entire trilogy. He’s up to 70 effects as of this point in time.

I like this project for a few reasons. First, because I have a soft spot for any big dumb project. Second because it’s reminding me of a number of tricks that I used to do or thought of doing that I should really put in the rotation. And finally because I’m seeing some tricks in a new light that didn’t quite jump off the page for me originally. For example, here’s Griffin Under Glass, which is an effect I read many times but never really thought of performing. But now seeing it, I think it would probably be quite fooling for someone who doesn’t know what’s coming.

I don’t know if this project will haver a broad appeal to all magicians. But if you bought the books back in the mid-90s I think you’ll be into it. Sure, a lot of of Paul’s stuff had been on video before that, but much of it wasn’t. And youtube was still a decade away. So there was nowhere to see some of it other than doing it yourself. It was a very different time. If the Art of Astonishment books came out today… well, they probably wouldn’t be books. They’d be instant downloads. Paul would have a bad beard and work for Ellusionist and teach his effects while sipping whiskey and talking about how much sloppy poontang he gets when he performs Vacuum Cleaner Cards at the bars. “Yeesh, what a mess.”

Dani tells me he wishes he was a more “competent performer” but for my purposes of seeing some of these effects in action for the first time, he’s more than adequate.

Full warning, he speaks some kind of nonsense language (sounds made up to me). But if you’re familiar with the effects from the books, you won’t be lost. And honestly, regardless of what gobbledygook he’s speaking, it’s definitely going to make more sense than Paul Harris’ original patter.

Here’s Twinkie Bottle, another effect I’ve always wanted to see performed, but haven’t until now. (On GayTube they have a whole section for “Twink’s Butthole” but I learned the hard way that that’s something else entirely. (If you clicked that link and now you’re mad at me… what exactly were you expecting?))

I also like some of the personal touches which Dani brings to the effects. Check out what he does with the sticker in his performance of Paul’s effect, Apple.

What I particularly like about this project more-so than ones where people are doing a trick a day or a new trick a week for a year, or whatever, is that you can complete those projects and only do stuff thats good or stuff you like. If Dani completes this, he will to have to push himself to some tricks he wouldn’t gravitate to otherewise. That makes it a more interesting challenge, in my book. And he’ll have to do some of Paul’s stinkers too. (There’s not too many of them in the Art of Astonishment. The real challenge would be to do all the tricks of Paul’s that he left out of the AoA trilogy. Those are the ones that range from “not great” to “truly dogshit.”)