From the outset I will state- Jay is a dear friend of mine, and taking this into consideration, I have tried to be as fair and honest as possible.
NULL
Jay Crowe is a very gifted creator and performer of very effective, oft-off beat, and generally very interesting magic.
While NULL is not a debut release, it IS his first full length book. And what a book it is!
The material in these pages exudes a confidence in thinking that is unusual in one so young, and it's a confidence that is not unwarranted.
Jay thinks so far outside of the box that I'd be surprised if it were even visible to him.
His approaches are often very lo-tech, which is a bonus to those of us who like to concentrate more on the presentations involved... you know, the magic.
His approach to the 'spike-monte' (in which he replaces the danger of spikes with the more family friendly suspense of eggs!) is to be applauded not for it's ingenuity, but for the utter simplicity involved in it's workings. The gimmicks used have been explored in magic before, but in completely different area's. This was a standout item for me. While Jay's presentation revolved around the little dairy-bombs, the method could be applied to almost ANY other 'monte-prop'.
Jay's creativity truly shines in his 'lava coin' effect. The effect is a simple one- The performer borrows a coin, and squeezes it in his hand to warm it. he then drops it into a plastic bag, where it visibly, and with no cover melts right through the surface. Sound vanilla? Listen to this- There are NO switches of any kind- The borrowed coin is the one used throughout. Oh, and the coin LITERALLY melts through the bag, it burns right through, leaving a ragged hole!
This is a truly great effect, and although it's fair to say you won't have the bits and pieces needed, the materials are fairly inexpensive.
Jay treats us to a display of his love of special efefcts in film with his very own real life special effect. Imagine being in the street, walking with your significant other in the rain, when you stop at a puddle of fallen rain. Watching the drops fall from the sky into the pool, you make a magical pass whereupon one solitary drop of rain floats up, back out of the puddle and back into the heavens. This effect could be played off the cuff, but I will say, this is quite simply one of the purest, most beautiful visuals I've witnessed in magic.
There are other standout items of course, but I don't want to spoil all the surprises. While the items presented are generally lo-tech, Jay has absolutely no fear of utilising new and interesting technologies in pursuit of a simpler, more pure effect.
Jay is a terrific thinker, deft creator and a stand-up guy to boot.
With artwork by Dee Christopher, the book is beautiful to look at and a pleasure to read.
Keep your eyes peeled for this wonderful new item!
CL
NULL
Jay Crowe is a very gifted creator and performer of very effective, oft-off beat, and generally very interesting magic.
While NULL is not a debut release, it IS his first full length book. And what a book it is!
The material in these pages exudes a confidence in thinking that is unusual in one so young, and it's a confidence that is not unwarranted.
Jay thinks so far outside of the box that I'd be surprised if it were even visible to him.
His approaches are often very lo-tech, which is a bonus to those of us who like to concentrate more on the presentations involved... you know, the magic.
His approach to the 'spike-monte' (in which he replaces the danger of spikes with the more family friendly suspense of eggs!) is to be applauded not for it's ingenuity, but for the utter simplicity involved in it's workings. The gimmicks used have been explored in magic before, but in completely different area's. This was a standout item for me. While Jay's presentation revolved around the little dairy-bombs, the method could be applied to almost ANY other 'monte-prop'.
Jay's creativity truly shines in his 'lava coin' effect. The effect is a simple one- The performer borrows a coin, and squeezes it in his hand to warm it. he then drops it into a plastic bag, where it visibly, and with no cover melts right through the surface. Sound vanilla? Listen to this- There are NO switches of any kind- The borrowed coin is the one used throughout. Oh, and the coin LITERALLY melts through the bag, it burns right through, leaving a ragged hole!
This is a truly great effect, and although it's fair to say you won't have the bits and pieces needed, the materials are fairly inexpensive.
Jay treats us to a display of his love of special efefcts in film with his very own real life special effect. Imagine being in the street, walking with your significant other in the rain, when you stop at a puddle of fallen rain. Watching the drops fall from the sky into the pool, you make a magical pass whereupon one solitary drop of rain floats up, back out of the puddle and back into the heavens. This effect could be played off the cuff, but I will say, this is quite simply one of the purest, most beautiful visuals I've witnessed in magic.
There are other standout items of course, but I don't want to spoil all the surprises. While the items presented are generally lo-tech, Jay has absolutely no fear of utilising new and interesting technologies in pursuit of a simpler, more pure effect.
Jay is a terrific thinker, deft creator and a stand-up guy to boot.
With artwork by Dee Christopher, the book is beautiful to look at and a pleasure to read.
Keep your eyes peeled for this wonderful new item!
CL