theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards
Human Blockhead
- Thread starter magicianofseer
- Start date
Well it is in many books, but Brian Brushwood teaches it for free on a internet show called scam school.
AKA: http://revision3.com/scamschool/humanblockhead
If, somehow, this is exposure, then please delete my post.
but I give you a hint, the method I learned it, was, I rolled first out of papaer a papert tube, and did it with this, because it is less dangerous, and when I perfected this, i tookk a nail and slided it into my nose, and after that I took a hame and tried to nail a nail in my nose
I think I remember reading how to do it in Andrew Mayne's Shock Magic book. It also has some great geek magic in it.
Notice how it says "First off, let's be clear: shoving anything up your nose is a bad idea. Nobody should do it except under the supervision of an expert. All of this is for your informational edification only."
I highly recommend this. Just find someone who knows it and can go over it with you.
-_-"
I believe the book title which escapes you is Swami Mantra, a collection of Sam Dalal's magazines Swami and Mantra, and which happens to be out of print, and for good reason. Based on what I'm heard from my Bizarrist friend, it's not a beginner's book.
To the OP magicianofseer, send a PM to Brad Henderson - he'll be able to fix you up and give you the answers you need.
i learnt the human block head by getting a cotton bud and taking the end off then poking around. now that i think about it, that was a bad idea. and legaly you cant buy Swami Mantra till you are over 21. intense
Why was it a bad idea, the person who invented the trick might have done the same thing. You can reinvent magic like Slydini.
I use Human Blockhead in every show... it's one of my favourite pieces and I always carry a large 4 inch nail on me... if I do not have access to a hammer, I use my card case (which more often than not has a card guard on it.
Is it dangerous? Ohhhh yes. I do not recommend doing it, as I myself have hurt myself doing this before. The slightest wrong angle on the nail will hurt a lot, and if you go too far back with the nail... ouch.
Is it dangerous? Ohhhh yes. I do not recommend doing it, as I myself have hurt myself doing this before. The slightest wrong angle on the nail will hurt a lot, and if you go too far back with the nail... ouch.
For those of you considering buying Swami Mantra there is something important you should know. A good friend of mine who owns the book and does the Human Blockhead did a lecture recently on Geek and Sideshow Magic.
In the course of the lecture he mentioned that quite a few routines in Swami Mantra, including the Blockhead, are described INCORRECTLY. The angle of the nail described in Swami Mantra is completely wrong.
The only safe way to learn most of the Geek or Sideshow magic is to find someone who already has a great deal of experience and learn it from them.
If you want to learn Geek or Sideshow magic do yourself a favour and get a mentor. Trying to learn an effect like the Human Blockhead from a book, DVD or online is just dumb.
In the course of the lecture he mentioned that quite a few routines in Swami Mantra, including the Blockhead, are described INCORRECTLY. The angle of the nail described in Swami Mantra is completely wrong.
The only safe way to learn most of the Geek or Sideshow magic is to find someone who already has a great deal of experience and learn it from them.
If you want to learn Geek or Sideshow magic do yourself a favour and get a mentor. Trying to learn an effect like the Human Blockhead from a book, DVD or online is just dumb.
I tried it with a cotton bud a number of times works fine and it does not hurt that much, it hurted more when I did Thread without any lubricant ( my eye was red ) and I also gave a performance just with Cotton bud got satisfactory reaction of raising the eyebrow.
To be honest, I just did it.
I had a book by Derek Lever on Geek Magic, but as I didn't and still don't know where the hell it is, I just filed down the point and shoved it in.
I have never hurt myself doing this, as you know when it is going the wrong way.
I use a hammer to put it in, and I use a wrench to pull it out again. Just seeing the equipment I use makes many people cringe!
Simon_Magic
I had a book by Derek Lever on Geek Magic, but as I didn't and still don't know where the hell it is, I just filed down the point and shoved it in.
I have never hurt myself doing this, as you know when it is going the wrong way.
I use a hammer to put it in, and I use a wrench to pull it out again. Just seeing the equipment I use makes many people cringe!
Simon_Magic
It's been said before on this thread, and the only reason why I'm here is to back them up as someone who has first hand experience.
"Do not learn these sideshow stunts from a DVD or book. Many if not all of the stunts performed in a classic sideshow setting are dangerous, if not out right deadly. The human blockhead alone could cause severe hemorrhaging and infection if not done correctly. More than half of the presentation of these style effects are not in the actual performance but the care of the props and attention to hygiene both prior, during, and after the show.
Many sideshow stunts are very much, what you see is what you get. These are not traditional magic tricks where there's a safe and secret method. Many of the times the "secret" is just as dangerous as the actual doing of the stunt. The secret only makes the otherwise insane, barely tolerable, but no less stupid.
I have met people who are lucky to be alive after failing to execute sideshow style stunts correctly, and there are more stories of those who have been horribly disfigured, scared, or killed.
If this is something that you desire to pursue, then do yourself a favor, find a mentor and go from there."
"Do not learn these sideshow stunts from a DVD or book. Many if not all of the stunts performed in a classic sideshow setting are dangerous, if not out right deadly. The human blockhead alone could cause severe hemorrhaging and infection if not done correctly. More than half of the presentation of these style effects are not in the actual performance but the care of the props and attention to hygiene both prior, during, and after the show.
Many sideshow stunts are very much, what you see is what you get. These are not traditional magic tricks where there's a safe and secret method. Many of the times the "secret" is just as dangerous as the actual doing of the stunt. The secret only makes the otherwise insane, barely tolerable, but no less stupid.
I have met people who are lucky to be alive after failing to execute sideshow style stunts correctly, and there are more stories of those who have been horribly disfigured, scared, or killed.
If this is something that you desire to pursue, then do yourself a favor, find a mentor and go from there."
the swami mantra is dangerous........all of my sideshow effects i do i learn them from people with experience....videos don't work....i like 1 on 1 intereaction......what i have done before is used those sideshow effects to create my own effects...they will be just setup for other effects i may do...i have eaten glass only to do a broken and restored glass effect of mine....be careful with the human block head.....
i would listen to everything Draven has said....he's a person u can really learn from....especially in that genre....
i would listen to everything Draven has said....he's a person u can really learn from....especially in that genre....
I respect both William and Cedric, as they have been performing this type magic for longer than me, so I would have to give in and say it is dangerous.
I personally have never had a bad experience with this effect, and with so many geek magic effects, if you practice and in this case do it slowly, then there is no chance you can hurt yourself.
I think, even if it is dangerous, telling people that it is dangerous is psychologically stopping them from doing the effect in case it does go wrong. I have never thought of this trick as either magic or dangerous, just something cool I can do that I have mangaged to get an 11 day gig out of.
If you want to do it then do it, and don't let people warn you off, but please at least consider what both William and Cedric have said, as even though telling you its dangerous is putting you off, they are at least letting you know that something CAN and WILL go wrong if performed without practise, practise and going slowly.
Simon_Magic
I personally have never had a bad experience with this effect, and with so many geek magic effects, if you practice and in this case do it slowly, then there is no chance you can hurt yourself.
I think, even if it is dangerous, telling people that it is dangerous is psychologically stopping them from doing the effect in case it does go wrong. I have never thought of this trick as either magic or dangerous, just something cool I can do that I have mangaged to get an 11 day gig out of.
If you want to do it then do it, and don't let people warn you off, but please at least consider what both William and Cedric have said, as even though telling you its dangerous is putting you off, they are at least letting you know that something CAN and WILL go wrong if performed without practise, practise and going slowly.
Simon_Magic