"Pride goeth before the fall," says the Bible.
We would give
up our pride if it wasn't so well-rooted in our insecurities and
paranoia. And given the axiom that "one cannot fall further than the
floor," we really don't fear the fall that much.
Our pride may be without merit but at least it is delusional.
John Luka performs an outstanding effect — a sort of Card to Wallet
but different. The wallet is shown empty at the outset, placed in full
view of the close-up audience, and yet the spectator's signed card will
vanish from a deck of cards to be found within the wallet.
Our
pride stopped us from asking Mr. Luka how this could be
accomplished. We donned the mask of the knowledgeable magician when
friends, family, and strangers asked how Mr. Luka could accomplish what
we all just witnessed.
"Well,
a magician is not permitted to reveal his or her secrets," we'd say. We
usually intended the personal pronoun to refer to a male magician but
on "special days" we include the alternative "her" just to feel —
well, special.
We've
watched Mr. Luka's performance of this effect several times but have
never been able to figure it. Recently, we thought about asking Mr.
Luka how he performs the effect so we could include it in our five-hour
close-up routine.
We would put it in the Card to Wallet section (Hour II) but give it a prominent position in that category. We perform the 17 versions of the Card to Wallet in the second hour of our five hours of close-up magic for health reasons.
We found our sciatica flared-up when we sat too long on the 17 wallets needed for all of the variations of the effect.
Still
we couldn't bring ourselves to swallowing our pride, brushing our
teeth, and asking Mr. Luka. Part of our current "therapy" is to stop
idolizing others just because they have more talent or charm.
The
team of counselors has suggested we realize our idols are merely men
and women – no more, no less. We respect what this esteemed dream team
of doctors and therapists say because they are simply the best in the
business. They are deserving of our worship and obsessive submission
but we couldn't take the step they urged.
There
is a point to all of this psycho-babble. We want to explain why our May
2006 edition of the outstanding magic journal is water-damaged and
wrinkled.
Why
do we feel the need to explain the condition of a quarterly magic
journal to people who may never visit "the home"? Even if you visited,
chances are you would not the water-logged condition of our most recent
copy.
But the best part about being insecure and paranoid is you can always expect guests to show up and nose about in your business.
Mr. Luka shares the secret for his version of Card to Wallet in the latest edition of Antinomy.
When
we get excited, we over-heat and become flush. Just a few years ago, we
would become excited whenever we flushed — so this is progress.
We find relief from the physical manifestation of our excitement in a bath tub filled with cool water and a few essential toys.
The bath gel we use comes from the Government along with our monthly allotment of cheese and powdered milk.
Like
the block cheese and powdered milk, the Government purchases the bath
gel from American manufacturers to stabilize the bath gel market.
No one wishes to return to the hectic days of violently fluctuating bath gel prices where Vita Bath, Calgon, or Mr. Bubble could see price swings of up to 47 percent in one day. We are on record supporting the bath gel subsidies.
(See, "Mr. Bubble in Trouble: Market Variations and Price Instability in North American Bath Gel Industry," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago, Vol 36: 12 (1985); But See, "Bath Gel Price Bubble: No Evidence to Support Price Supports," New York Times, July 2, 1986).
We digress.
We
were excited to read Mr. Luka's description and method for his
effect. In fact, we started running the bath before finishing the first
paragraph.
We
continued reading whilst: the tub filled; we climbed into the tub; we
stepped back out to remove our wet shoes and clothes; stepped back into
the tub; and, as we poured in the Government bulk bath gel.
Mr. Luka's method is more than ingenious, it's real good too.
He
is a genius and we are nothing. His handling is so simple and
direct. Our false-shuffle looks like an arthritic man squishing bugs
with playing cards.
When Dorothy looked behind the curtain, she learned the Wizard was nothing more than a man.
"You're a very bad man," she said.
"No, my dear, I am a good man. I am just a bad wizard."
Unlike
the semi-conscious evaluation rendered by a fictional character in a
1930's MGM musical, our estimation of Mr. Luka was not diminished when
we learned the method.
If
anything, our awe surged from "healthy obsession and idol worship" to a
new, unhealthy level of fixation. Our estimation of Mr. Luka is
sufficient to defend our subsequent, so-called "stalking" under Michigan's Insanity Plea.
We look forward to receiving Antinomy
every quarter. The publication itself is top-notch. The images are
plentiful and helpful to those of us who need more than written
instruction to learn new magic.
The new magic is more than just new to us; it is new to the Magic community.
Many of the effects taught in Antimony are of the type kept by people who would never talk to us; much less share their methods.
We enjoy the regular columns offered by Jon Racherbaumer, "The Artful Ledger"; and, Jamy Ian Swiss, "The Honest Liar."
You can read both of these gentlemen in other magazines or on-line but they apparently save their best for Antinomy. The
writing is crisp, honest, and professional. The columnists offer
real-world suggestions to elevate the style, ability, and, class of
those who perform.
You
will not find pie-eyed spouting of philosophy or the poorly edited
nattering excused by many magic readers as "deep" or
"thought-provoking."
But you will find your thoughts provoked, and you will experience your life in Magic more deeply.
But this is no accident. It is not a conspiracy theory on our part. We think Antinomy's editors intentionally offer quality material by talented magicians written in a manner is accessible to people like us.
The
scheme cannot be explained by mere coincidence. Each of the last five
issues have been consistent in quality, tone, and substance. The
editors and writers appear are apparently determined to upset the long
tradition of magic journalism.
While
we enjoy the random typo or lack of noun-verb agreement as much as the
next magic reader, we've found it nice to read articles edited and
properly sourced.
But even if you don't read, Antinomy is one of the prettiest magic periodicals we've seen.
Until Popular Science merges with Vogue, we doubt we'll ever find a magazine so attractive or as useful.
Mr. Luka's contribution to the May Edition of Antinomy typifies the journal's value. You are not going to find his explanation in another book, magazine, pamphlet, or lecture.
He chose to release the method in Antimony and given our worship of him, that makes Antimony our choice as well.
A subscription to Antimony
is not inexpensive. Currently you can receive four issues (one-year)
for $90.00 USD. But this price weighed against the value of just one
issue is cheap.
The back issues of Antinomy are available on the publication's web site, www.antinomymagic.com.
But as more evidence of our theory the editors' hidden agenda is to
elevate the style and substance of Magic journalism, you can also order
the first year's editions on a searchable CD-ROM.
We have past issues of ZipCode Monthly going back to the first edition (Cover Story: "Can Mr. Zip and Ethel Merman's Rendition of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Sell the Zip Code to America?" ZipCode Monthly, 1:1 (January 1964).
But we never re-read the old magazines. ZipCode Monthly
does not offer a searchable CD-ROM of past issues and even if it did,
past issues containing pages of zip codes and zip code changes aren't
interesting after you've read it the first time.
You will however find a reason to refer to the past issues of Antinomy. We
thought we would keep ours in pristine condition as an investment, a
collector's item. We gave up that plan shortly after receiving the
first issue. This is a working-person's journal and not a museum-piece.
Within
the pages of each issue, we've found real magic that can be used by
real magicians in front of real audiences where they really want to get
paid.
Antimony
has paid for itself many times over. This accolade comes from a man who
still drinks free powdered milk, eats blocks of free cheese and is
currently relaxing in a bath of Bulk Bubble Bath Gel.
It
is not that we are cheap. Nay, we are just consistently without funds
or friends with funds. We get our rice from the sidewalks of churches
and our distinguished hair color from freshly paved roads. But we do
not know a better investment of $90.00 in Magic today.
The journal's informal mission statement is:
Antinomy
is interested in ideas. We want to promote obscure thought, advanced
thinking, and meaningful dialog. Realistically, that can't happen
without a sense of community.
In combination with our readership, we hope to advance the art of magic. With Antinomy, you can count on the pot being stirred. Along the way, you'll find thoughts that are made to move, and minds freed to wonder.
That is a big claim but one supported by the quality and quantity of magic provided in each issue.
Visit the Antimony web site and subscribe right now. It is that good.
Quinlan's Inside Magic Rating: Five out of Five – Our Highest!
Magic Reviews Antimony
"Pride goeth before the fall," says the Bible.
We would give
up our pride if it wasn't so well-rooted in our insecurities and
paranoia. And given the axiom that "one cannot fall further than the
floor," we really don't fear the fall that much.
Our pride may be without merit but at least it is delusional.
John Luka performs an outstanding effect — a sort of Card to Wallet
but different. The wallet is shown empty at the outset, placed in full
view of the close-up audience, and yet the spectator's signed card will
vanish from a deck of cards to be found within the wallet.
Our
pride stopped us from asking Mr. Luka how this could be
accomplished. We donned the mask of the knowledgeable magician when
friends, family, and strangers asked how Mr. Luka could accomplish what
we all just witnessed.
"Well,
a magician is not permitted to reveal his or her secrets," we'd say. We
usually intended the personal pronoun to refer to a male magician but
on "special days" we include the alternative "her" just to feel —
well, special.
We've
watched Mr. Luka's performance of this effect several times but have
never been able to figure it. Recently, we thought about asking Mr.
Luka how he performs the effect so we could include it in our five-hour
close-up routine.
We would put it in the Card to Wallet section (Hour II) but give it a prominent position in that category. We perform the 17 versions of the Card to Wallet in the second hour of our five hours of close-up magic for health reasons.
We found our sciatica flared-up when we sat too long on the 17 wallets needed for all of the variations of the effect.
Still
we couldn't bring ourselves to swallowing our pride, brushing our
teeth, and asking Mr. Luka. Part of our current "therapy" is to stop
idolizing others just because they have more talent or charm.
The
team of counselors has suggested we realize our idols are merely men
and women – no more, no less. We respect what this esteemed dream team
of doctors and therapists say because they are simply the best in the
business. They are deserving of our worship and obsessive submission
but we couldn't take the step they urged.
There
is a point to all of this psycho-babble. We want to explain why our May
2006 edition of the outstanding magic journal is water-damaged and
wrinkled.
Why
do we feel the need to explain the condition of a quarterly magic
journal to people who may never visit "the home"? Even if you visited,
chances are you would not the water-logged condition of our most recent
copy.
But the best part about being insecure and paranoid is you can always expect guests to show up and nose about in your business.
Mr. Luka shares the secret for his version of Card to Wallet in the latest edition of Antinomy.
When
we get excited, we over-heat and become flush. Just a few years ago, we
would become excited whenever we flushed — so this is progress.
We find relief from the physical manifestation of our excitement in a bath tub filled with cool water and a few essential toys.
The bath gel we use comes from the Government along with our monthly allotment of cheese and powdered milk.
Like
the block cheese and powdered milk, the Government purchases the bath
gel from American manufacturers to stabilize the bath gel market.
No one wishes to return to the hectic days of violently fluctuating bath gel prices where Vita Bath, Calgon, or Mr. Bubble could see price swings of up to 47 percent in one day. We are on record supporting the bath gel subsidies.
(See, "Mr. Bubble in Trouble: Market Variations and Price Instability in North American Bath Gel Industry," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago, Vol 36: 12 (1985); But See, "Bath Gel Price Bubble: No Evidence to Support Price Supports," New York Times, July 2, 1986).
We digress.
We
were excited to read Mr. Luka's description and method for his
effect. In fact, we started running the bath before finishing the first
paragraph.
We
continued reading whilst: the tub filled; we climbed into the tub; we
stepped back out to remove our wet shoes and clothes; stepped back into
the tub; and, as we poured in the Government bulk bath gel.
Mr. Luka's method is more than ingenious, it's real good too.
He
is a genius and we are nothing. His handling is so simple and
direct. Our false-shuffle looks like an arthritic man squishing bugs
with playing cards.
When Dorothy looked behind the curtain, she learned the Wizard was nothing more than a man.
"You're a very bad man," she said.
"No, my dear, I am a good man. I am just a bad wizard."
Unlike
the semi-conscious evaluation rendered by a fictional character in a
1930's MGM musical, our estimation of Mr. Luka was not diminished when
we learned the method.
If
anything, our awe surged from "healthy obsession and idol worship" to a
new, unhealthy level of fixation. Our estimation of Mr. Luka is
sufficient to defend our subsequent, so-called "stalking" under Michigan's Insanity Plea.
We look forward to receiving Antinomy
every quarter. The publication itself is top-notch. The images are
plentiful and helpful to those of us who need more than written
instruction to learn new magic.
The new magic is more than just new to us; it is new to the Magic community.
Many of the effects taught in Antimony are of the type kept by people who would never talk to us; much less share their methods.
We enjoy the regular columns offered by Jon Racherbaumer, "The Artful Ledger"; and, Jamy Ian Swiss, "The Honest Liar."
You can read both of these gentlemen in other magazines or on-line but they apparently save their best for Antinomy. The
writing is crisp, honest, and professional. The columnists offer
real-world suggestions to elevate the style, ability, and, class of
those who perform.
You
will not find pie-eyed spouting of philosophy or the poorly edited
nattering excused by many magic readers as "deep" or
"thought-provoking."
But you will find your thoughts provoked, and you will experience your life in Magic more deeply.
But this is no accident. It is not a conspiracy theory on our part. We think Antinomy's editors intentionally offer quality material by talented magicians written in a manner is accessible to people like us.
The
scheme cannot be explained by mere coincidence. Each of the last five
issues have been consistent in quality, tone, and substance. The
editors and writers appear are apparently determined to upset the long
tradition of magic journalism.
While
we enjoy the random typo or lack of noun-verb agreement as much as the
next magic reader, we've found it nice to read articles edited and
properly sourced.
But even if you don't read, Antinomy is one of the prettiest magic periodicals we've seen.
Until Popular Science merges with Vogue, we doubt we'll ever find a magazine so attractive or as useful.
Mr. Luka's contribution to the May Edition of Antinomy typifies the journal's value. You are not going to find his explanation in another book, magazine, pamphlet, or lecture.
He chose to release the method in Antimony and given our worship of him, that makes Antimony our choice as well.
A subscription to Antimony
is not inexpensive. Currently you can receive four issues (one-year)
for $90.00 USD. But this price weighed against the value of just one
issue is cheap.
The back issues of Antinomy are available on the publication's web site, www.antinomymagic.com.
But as more evidence of our theory the editors' hidden agenda is to
elevate the style and substance of Magic journalism, you can also order
the first year's editions on a searchable CD-ROM.
We have past issues of ZipCode Monthly going back to the first edition (Cover Story: "Can Mr. Zip and Ethel Merman's Rendition of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Sell the Zip Code to America?" ZipCode Monthly, 1:1 (January 1964).
But we never re-read the old magazines. ZipCode Monthly
does not offer a searchable CD-ROM of past issues and even if it did,
past issues containing pages of zip codes and zip code changes aren't
interesting after you've read it the first time.
You will however find a reason to refer to the past issues of Antinomy. We
thought we would keep ours in pristine condition as an investment, a
collector's item. We gave up that plan shortly after receiving the
first issue. This is a working-person's journal and not a museum-piece.
Within
the pages of each issue, we've found real magic that can be used by
real magicians in front of real audiences where they really want to get
paid.
Antimony
has paid for itself many times over. This accolade comes from a man who
still drinks free powdered milk, eats blocks of free cheese and is
currently relaxing in a bath of Bulk Bubble Bath Gel.
It
is not that we are cheap. Nay, we are just consistently without funds
or friends with funds. We get our rice from the sidewalks of churches
and our distinguished hair color from freshly paved roads. But we do
not know a better investment of $90.00 in Magic today.
The journal's informal mission statement is:
Antinomy
is interested in ideas. We want to promote obscure thought, advanced
thinking, and meaningful dialog. Realistically, that can't happen
without a sense of community.
In combination with our readership, we hope to advance the art of magic. With Antinomy, you can count on the pot being stirred. Along the way, you'll find thoughts that are made to move, and minds freed to wonder.
That is a big claim but one supported by the quality and quantity of magic provided in each issue.
Visit the Antimony web site and subscribe right now. It is that good.
Quinlan's Inside Magic Rating: Five out of Five – Our Highest!
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