John Zander Lecture – Inside Magic ReviewInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

The John Zander Lecture: Direct and to the Point ? but with Courtesy.

John Zander

John Zander ventured east from his home in California to teach a full-house at Carlos Blades’ Incredible Garden City Magic Shop. Assuming the adage, “you can get more flies with honey than with vinegar” is true ? and I don’t know that it is because I have never had a need to get flies ? Mr. Zander’s approach fits with the maxim.

Throughout his lecture, he provided insight into the world of true stand-up and strolling magic. Although the effects selected are used for audiences ranging from children to adults and even corporate events, each is presented with a focused interest in: 1) entertaining the audience at their level; and 2) treat the audience with respect.

Read On . . .

Many lecturers urge courtesy and entertainment but Mr. Zander’s presentation made it clear that this was part and parcel of his persona. You and I have been to lectures where we are taught to teach the audience with respect, and yet in presenting this very message, the lecturer demonstrates that he or she doesn’t really believe it. Once you learn to fake sincerity, you can pretty much get anything. Mr. Zander, on the other hand, not only believes in being a gentleman but he is one.

But hey, I wouldn’t pay the big bucks they charge for a lecture just to see a gentleman. I want to learn tricks!

Mr. Zander did not disappoint.

I’ll give you the bottom-line up front: If you have a chance to see Mr. Zander perform or lecture, grab it. Be polite about it but if it comes down to one…

The John Zander Lecture: Direct and to the Point ? but with Courtesy.

John Zander

Read On . . .

But hey, I wouldn’t pay the big bucks they charge for a lecture just to see a gentleman. I want to learn tricks!

Mr. Zander did not disappoint.

I’ll give you the bottom-line up front: If you have a chance to see Mr. Zander perform or lecture, grab it. Be polite about it but if it comes down to one last ticket, push and shove the other idiots out of the way to see this lecture. This is the kind of lecture that comes around very seldom.

Here is the challenge Mr. Zander set before the house. How can you fashion a show that works for little kids and trade show audiences? You want to be able to use the same suitcase full of magic at each venue and you want to give each audience the type of show they’ll tell their friends to see.

The following are the effects Mr. Zander offered to meet this need. Before we turn to the effects, though, I have to be honest about a few things: 1) I think I am so clever; 2) I am convinced I know everything and therefore cannot be fooled by any other magician; 3) I hate to admit number one or number two. Those things said, I have to tell you also that I was fooled, I am not so clever and I am willing to admit that to you, my Internet Magic Friends.

Loose Ends

Right off the bat, Mr. Zander kicked my intellectual pride down the cellar stairs of reality. When you are as clever and smart as I am, it is horrible to admit that you fell for a rope trick. Well, I fell for it like my 401K stock performance.

The effect is pretty straight forward. You show a piece of rope with two ends and a middle. So far, so boring. But while holding the middle visibly in your right hand and the two ends in your left, they instantly change places. It was at this moment that I realized I was out of my league. It was instantaneous and fast too.

The effect came with great patter and fantastic timing points. It was clear Mr. Zander has performed this once or twice before and his misdirection is actually non-existent. He allows the audience to look where they are compelled to look while he performs the needed actions within 18 inches of their focus.

With each surprise change of the separate ends into the middle, he sets up the audience for the next transition. The audience looks where the trick happened last and so by the second instantaneous transformation, he can turn in a Jack Benny dead-pan and ask, “why are you looking here?”

The effect on the audience at the moment of transition is often surprised silence. Even with an all magician audience, the effect brought surprise accompanied not by silence but applause.

His explanation was slow – not too slow – and methodical. He explained the theory behind each move or non-move very well. There were no hard sleights to be taught ? in fact, you probably already know the ones he used. The routine was the secret.

Say Stop

Mr. Zander throughout a neat use for the Electric Deck you have stashed in your bureau drawer. He asked a volunteer to say stop as he was performing a waterfall flourish. When the spectator asked him to stop, he did and the cards seemed to be stopped in mid-air. It was funny and clever. I wish I had thought of it. In fact, assuming you haven’t read this already, I did think of it.

Your Card

This is a very good routine for kids and adults. How good is it, Tim? Well, I bought it immediately after the lecture. For me to part with money ? absent some court order ? is pretty rare. That’s how good an effect this is.

Again, this trick isn’t special because of the complicated moves you need to learn or the expensive props. It is special because it is a fully routined effect. It reminded me of Duane Laflin’s routines that feature a start, middle and finish.

The effect involves a jumbo deck of cards and novelty goggle glasses. The spectator selects a card, it is returned and shuffled. The magician says the cards are marked with special laser engraved on each back. Unfortunately, the magician says, you need to have special glasses (goofy goggles) to see the markings. He wears the goofy goggles and when the cards are dealt through, one back is seen with the words ‘Your Card’ in very large print. The card is turned over and shown to be the selected card. A variation on the effect is to put the glasses on the spectator and let her think that they aid in seeing the card’s secret markings. In either scenario, when the glasses are removed the marking on the back is gone and the card can be examined.

Balloon Injury

This was another funny bit; not a trick, just a bit. When stretching the balloon, it snaps into magician’s nose. He covers his nose and removes his hand, he has a clown nose. With perfect timing, he asks “did that leave a mark?”

Visual Drop Vanish

Mr. Zander told us he sought to develop a sleight that would allow him to drop a ball into his hand, allow the audiences to see a flash of the ball as it falls into his hand, and yet have it vanish. What he developed is not a trick so much as a great sleight. The visual is very strong. A ball is dropped cleanly into his left hand from his right. His left hand is turned over and when it is opened, the ball is gone.

I have practiced the move since he taught us last night and it is coming along well. This is startling, natural-looking magic.

Soup Ladle

Mr. Zander showed what appeared to be a Zombie floating before him. He waved his hands around the mysterious floating, shining object. I was impressed. Then he revealed that not only is the Zombie beautiful and mysterious, but it is also ‘good for soup too.’ He pulled the ball forward to show we had been looking at the bottom of a soup ladle with the handle tucked under his arm.

Underwear

(20th Century Underwear)

I hate the 20^th Century Underwear or Bra Trick. I think it is usually inappropriately played and kind of demeaning. Mr. Zander, however, found a way to make it work for kids or adults. It even works for magicians because there is no indication there will be underwear between the two tied silks ? I thought we were watching his version of the straight 20^th Century Silk effect.

His is a very nice routine with a very clever ending. The rainbow silk vanishes and is supposed to reappear between the two other silks. The silk vanishes from the Change Bag and when the performer turns around and the spectator sees that he has the Rainbow Silk sticking out of the back of his pants. It looks like the trick has failed. When the silks held by the volunteer are pulled apart, the magician’s underwear is tied between.

He had a couple of key pointers for this routine as performed for kids: 1) say that the silk is ‘on your pants’ not “in your pants”; and, 2) “boxers are funny, briefs are not’ and for kids, briefs are really not funny, but weird.”

Precious Metal

This was an original and fun twist on spoon bending. A large spoon visibly seems to change shape. It is shown to the audience and it has changed ? into a fork. This was a nice, quick routine and fun to watch.

Second Half

The buying frenzy of the intermission calmed down in time for some pretty startling strolling and close-up effects.

I Don’t Know the Name of This Trick

This is not to be confused with Dai Vernon’s “The Trick that Cannot Be Taught” or Seamus O’Brian’s “The Trick What Has No Name.” This trick has a name, I just didn’t hear it. The effect should distinguish it sufficiently, though.

Any five cards are taken from the deck by spectator. The spectator looks at the five cards and mentally selects one of the five and memorizes its position in the five card deck. The five cards are dealt on the table face down. The spectator is asked to move his finger over the cards one at a time as he pushes against the magician’s hand. When the spectator chooses to stop, the card is revealed to be his selection. Incredible impromptu effect and the mentalism touch at the end is very nice. It is worth the price of the lecture to learn the secret to have a spectator move his hand over a line of cards and stop ? by his own free-will ? over the card you would like him to choose. It doesn’t seem possible but he did it.

Psuedo Selections

Mr. Zander asked two members of the audience to each select one card. He promised to locate “at least one of the two cards.'” He did exactly that by executing one cut of the deck and showing one of the two selected cards. The first found card was laid face down on the table and Mr. Zander’s attention turned to finding the second selection. After another cut, he showed what he believed to be the second card but, strangely, it was the first card he located again. When the tabled card is turned over, it is the second selection.

I really liked the way this routine worked and thought it would be a wonderful way to entertain couples.

Observation Test – Way Off Base

This was a nice routine for a Chop Cup with the Mike Rogers’ baseballs as a final load. He makes an apparent bad sleight where the spectators think they have caught him and their incorrect belief allows an easy set-up of the first load. The ending fit so well with the routine that it was far beyond the typical Chop Cup effect.

Reprint

This is a very smooth four card packet trick where four blank cards seem to be magically imprinted and erased simply by being shown. This was so nice to watch and, having come off the cash again, so nice to practice. The moves are simple and the printed card can be any card including one that was previously used; perhaps even a signed card retrieved from Card to Wallet. All of the cards can be inspected at the end.

I am very happy with my purchase. I bought it for the routine and it really is magical to see ? even if you’re the one doing it.

Conclusion

Mr. Zander wanted to teach magic we could do for any audience; and to do without insulting. What he taught, however, was some incredible effects that require very little in the way of difficult sleights but pack so much power. If I could critique Mr. Zander, I would suggest he revise his pricing. Normally, I would say the prices are too high. In his case, he is charging too little.

I am not trying to be contrarian. I think magicians attending lectures expect there to be a direct correlation between the cost of an effect and the trick’s worth. I was able to purchase effects for about half of what I thought I would pay as I ran towards the sales table. If I could offer you, the reader, advice; you must make plans to see Mr. Zander’s lecture. It is a refreshing change. He cares deeply about magic and entertainment.

If you would like to see some of his products and a very well-designed webpage, check out www.zandermagic.com.