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tary write the name of the object next to number one. You, mean-
while, are making your memory association for that object and num-
ber one (gun). Ask a different person for a second object and have
that recorded on the list next to number two. Continue along creating
the list and making your associations. Make sure you use a number of
different people to call out the objects. After you have gotten about
five, start to ask the spectators for particulars about the objects. If some-
one names a tie, ask what color and what designs are on it. If they
name a watch, ask them what make and what time the watch is set
on. You will find that these details will automatically be stored in your
memory along with the object. You will not believe it until you try it,
but even if the particulars are quite complicated, they will come right
back into your mind!
There is another advantage in working this way. It will take your
secretary longer to write down all this information, giving you more
time to make your association and create a good picture! You don t
have to expand on all the items, but do so fairly often. You will also
find that the audience will start to come up with funny, additional
information that will get laughs. This not only makes the routine more
entertaining, but also makes it even easier for you to do. (The general
rule in memory work is the more outlandish a picture is, the easier it is
to remember) Continue until you have all 20 numbers covered.
Now you announce that you have been trying to memorize the
information. Tell your audience that if they name any number, you
will try to remember the object at that number. If you played your part
correctly, they will think you are kidding, as you seemed to be too
busy laughing at the details and joking around to have been really
paying attention. Have them say a number and you instantly call out
the object They will be stunned! Tell the secretary to put a mark next
to that number and call another. Again you name the object instantly.
If there were additional details about the object, name all those. You
will find that you will have full recall of all those details. But there is
still more!
You will also find that most of the time, you will be able to recall
who called out what objects! That is something else you can draw
attention to as you work. If anyone changed their mind, said some-
thing stupid, anything at all, it will all come back to you! It is absolutely
wonderful. But, believe it or not, there is still more and this is what I
am most proud of!
After you have gone through about half the objects, announce
that to save time, you will name the entire list  backwards! Addition-
ally, you will tell what objects have already been called out and which
ones haven t! You start with number 20 and begin to work backwards
through the list. You will find that in addition to knowing all the ob-
jects, you will simply know what numbers and objects have already
been called! I know it seems uncanny, but it just happens! By the time
you get to number one, there won t be a person in the room who
won t believe you are a mental genius.
And now, after giving you all that, would you believe I have one
last idea? I hope you have seen how this routine follows so many of
the thoughts I have outlined in Making Real Magic. Here is one more
final idea that really puts the capper on everything.
As you work backward from 20, when you get to a number near
the beginning, pretend to forget it! Make sure you pick a number that
hasn t been called out. Continue until you have named all the remain-
ing numbers. After your applause, mention the number you missed
and ask your spectator to look at it. Give them a stare, as though you
were seeing into their mind, and name it! It seems to imply you were
able to get the object you missed by reading his mind! It s as if you
said,  Well since I forgot the word, I better use one of my other pow-
ers! This is the perfect ending to the routine.
I have used this for some of the most intelligent people from around
the world. This is one of the most valuable items you will ever learn.
Once you see the potential, I hope you will read some of Harry
Lorayne s books and use these memory aids in other areas of your
(and your family s) life.
xii.
Making Magic Your Own
The following essay was written and posted on the L&L Publishing
discussion board in 2003. Because I firmly believe in these concepts
and since it seems to fit the character of Making Real Magic, it is of-
fered here as a bonus chapter.
There is a big secret in the successful performance of magic. You
have to make the magic you do your own. The successful magician
makes every move, gesture and mannerism so natural that his act shines.
The speech or (perish the word)  patter of his performance must
reflect the way he really talks and expresses himself. The magic has to
look like he created it.
The problem is that most magicians get their effects from books
and (in today s modern world) videos. In the former, the reader would
have to imagine how the effect should look and work it up for himself.
In the latter, even that aspect of self-input is missing. Is it any wonder
then that we see so many magicians who act, speak and perform
exactly like the originator of the effect? And yet, they never shine like
he does.
To be fair, it is difficult to divorce oneself from the original perfor-
mance of a trick, especially if it was impressive. Perhaps it is the fear
that something may be changed that is vital to the working and will
lower its impact or entertainment value. That is a real concern. So
then, how do we take these two diametrically opposed ideas and
blend them together?
For years I have been expounding the greatness of The Tarbell
Course in Magic and why it s study is so important to the developing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]