Session by Joshua Jay
The Official Spam-
The Story-
Well, I woke up Christmas morning, and opened my presents until I only had one left. Earlier I had opened up Generation Extreme by Brian Tudor, which was one of the bonuses, so I knew that this last one had to be magic. Inside the box was Gazzo's Tossed Out Deck (expect a review later or tomorrow) and the book I'm reviewing... Session by Joshua Jay. I was really excited about both, and dove right into my new material.
The Overlay-
This book, the best book I've read in a while magic or otherwise, is very, very fun to read. Yes, it's a magic book, but it's not nearly as dry and boring as others. It is set up as a story, as Josh meets his friend Joel Givens at a pub in South Carolina, who shows Josh his awesome, original magic, then explains it. The book is filled with great effects, and even better stories as the pair perform for different people at the pub.
The Quality-
I think this is a very high quality book, and more than worth the price of $30. It is on that glossy paper, so it's very durable and hard to ruin, with black and white photos throughout walking you through each step of the effect. The book comes with a book sleeve to keep around it, which has the standard tiny biography of both Joel and Josh on the front and back sleeves.
Length-
This book is about 275 pages long, including the index, notes, photos, and all that. However, because it is such an entertaining read, you will probably read through it all in one sitting like I did. Honestly, the time flew by while I was reading it. I read it twice over the past week, and I'll probably end up reading it again within the next two weeks or so.
Written Quality-
By the term "written quality", I mean how well the book was written. I think Josh did a fantastic job with this book, because not only did he describe the effects and their methods really well, but he included detailed stories of the performances, what the people and surroundings were like, and pretty much all of the dialogue that went on.
The Effects-
Sweet Straw-
The magician, preferably sitting in a restaurant or coffee shop, reaches forward and pulls out a packet of Sweet 'n Low. He explains that, as a promotion, every tenth packet they sell will include a free stirrer for the customer's convenience. He tears open the packet, reaches inside with two fingers, and pulls out a 4-5 inch long coffee stirrer. Then, to make things even more interesting, he patters about how they also made them collapsible. Upon these words, he reaches onto the table, picks it up, and shrinks it down to about an inch.
I really, really like this effect, and I think it's absolutely perfect for when you're in a coffee shop or restaurant that sells coffee. Obviously, it won't work for a show, but for certain situations, I think it can be absolutely devastating. It requires a little bit of setup, which can be done under the table you're sitting at in less than a minute, and everything is fairly examinable at the end of the effect. There are no gimmicks you have to make or carry around with you, either.
Cup O' Joel-
Joel picks up a little thing of coffee creamer, pops open the lid, and pours about half of it into his fist. He then tells Josh that it he has turned the creamer invisible, and as saying so, he opens his hand above his cup of coffee as if pouring something out... nothing comes out... the creamer has indeed turns invisible. Then, to the both mine and Josh's amazement, as Joel stirs the coffee, creamer starts to appear and mix in with the coffee! However, it was all just an illusion, and as the creamer "cup" is examined, it is found to be perfectly sealed.
Upon first reading the description of this effect, the first thing that came to my mind is TT... I was dead wrong. This is one of those effects where the method, nearly self working, is almost as cool as the trick. It uses a little bit of science, but in a very good way. Spectators will never guess it's basically self working, though. It does, obviously require a bit of setup, but can easily be done while your spectator is using the restroom... Joel set it up while Josh was going to the bathroom! I like this one, but rarely ever drink coffee, so I don't know if I'll ever use it or not.
Laser Aces-
Speaking about always being asked if he can cheat or not, Joel produces the four Aces in a pretty straight-forward way... cutting right to them. Then, each Ace is inserted into the pack, no crimps, breathers, short cards... just inserted fairly, then cut again. Then, holding the Aces in his hand, he waves them over the pack and shows that the pile consists only of the Ace of Spades, and the other three Aces are back on their piles. "So," Joel explains, "whenever I think I think I'm being cheated, I have a way to stop it." As he is saying this, he pulls out a little laser pointer from his pocket and points at the pile, inviting Josh to try and cheat. Josh picks up the piles, and is very surprised to find that they are solid blocks... they can't be separated.
My feelings toward this effect are mixed. I think it can be a very strong effect, when played out right, and it is pretty simple, but I'm just not "attracted" to it as I thought I would be. It obviously takes a bunch of preparation to make the blocks of cards, but once made, they will last you forever. It does use one switch, but that's it, and it's not as difficult as you might think. The effect, overall, I think is a great one, but I can't see myself using it on a regular basis.
Silly Psychic-
A woman, who has been sitting behind Joel and Josh the whole time, reading a book, is invited to the table by Joel, who takes out his business card and asks the woman to stick the card inside her book anywhere she would like. She then sticks it in, decides she wants to change, and puts it in a different spot. The book is then opened up, and she is instructed to look at the first word on the page. She does, commits it to memory, and the book is closed. This is all done while Joel has is head turned. Joel takes the business cards, and writes something down on it. It is revealed to be what appears to be a bunch of scratchings, which don't look anything like a word. However, Joel is prepared and he pulls out a mirror, which is used to reflect the business card, and reveal the chosen word.
This is another one of those effects that doesn't really require much effort on your part, especially since you use the mirror... it takes a lot of thinking out of the effect (owners of the book will know what I'm talking about). The actual effect requires no skill or sleights at all... all you have to be able to do is write down a word. You need something that you won't normally have on you, and you may have to buy (it's only about $1.50), but once you buy it, it should last you a long time, if not forever.
Matches All Gone-
At about 7 o'clock, Joel decides to show the waitress an effect, pulling out a matchbook, and showing around the matches. The matchbook is placed inside the waitresses' hand, and Joel hands her a straw from the table. The waitress, who we'll call Emily for ease of explanation, waves the straw over her hand, and the matches from the matchbook disappear, only to reappear inside the sealed straw!
Obviously, this effect will probably get really strong reactions, as things normally do when you do the magic in the spectator's hands. I also think the fact that the spectator is holding the props with with the magic is done pretty much the entire time, it just makes the effect that much stronger. This effect requires a little bit of preparation, and a little bit of a "gimmick" to make the matches disappear, but, like most gimmicked effects in this book, once it is done it will last you a long time, and won't take very long to setup from then on out.
The Official Spam-
The Story-
Well, I woke up Christmas morning, and opened my presents until I only had one left. Earlier I had opened up Generation Extreme by Brian Tudor, which was one of the bonuses, so I knew that this last one had to be magic. Inside the box was Gazzo's Tossed Out Deck (expect a review later or tomorrow) and the book I'm reviewing... Session by Joshua Jay. I was really excited about both, and dove right into my new material.
The Overlay-
This book, the best book I've read in a while magic or otherwise, is very, very fun to read. Yes, it's a magic book, but it's not nearly as dry and boring as others. It is set up as a story, as Josh meets his friend Joel Givens at a pub in South Carolina, who shows Josh his awesome, original magic, then explains it. The book is filled with great effects, and even better stories as the pair perform for different people at the pub.
The Quality-
I think this is a very high quality book, and more than worth the price of $30. It is on that glossy paper, so it's very durable and hard to ruin, with black and white photos throughout walking you through each step of the effect. The book comes with a book sleeve to keep around it, which has the standard tiny biography of both Joel and Josh on the front and back sleeves.
Length-
This book is about 275 pages long, including the index, notes, photos, and all that. However, because it is such an entertaining read, you will probably read through it all in one sitting like I did. Honestly, the time flew by while I was reading it. I read it twice over the past week, and I'll probably end up reading it again within the next two weeks or so.
Written Quality-
By the term "written quality", I mean how well the book was written. I think Josh did a fantastic job with this book, because not only did he describe the effects and their methods really well, but he included detailed stories of the performances, what the people and surroundings were like, and pretty much all of the dialogue that went on.
The Effects-
Sweet Straw-
The magician, preferably sitting in a restaurant or coffee shop, reaches forward and pulls out a packet of Sweet 'n Low. He explains that, as a promotion, every tenth packet they sell will include a free stirrer for the customer's convenience. He tears open the packet, reaches inside with two fingers, and pulls out a 4-5 inch long coffee stirrer. Then, to make things even more interesting, he patters about how they also made them collapsible. Upon these words, he reaches onto the table, picks it up, and shrinks it down to about an inch.
I really, really like this effect, and I think it's absolutely perfect for when you're in a coffee shop or restaurant that sells coffee. Obviously, it won't work for a show, but for certain situations, I think it can be absolutely devastating. It requires a little bit of setup, which can be done under the table you're sitting at in less than a minute, and everything is fairly examinable at the end of the effect. There are no gimmicks you have to make or carry around with you, either.
Cup O' Joel-
Joel picks up a little thing of coffee creamer, pops open the lid, and pours about half of it into his fist. He then tells Josh that it he has turned the creamer invisible, and as saying so, he opens his hand above his cup of coffee as if pouring something out... nothing comes out... the creamer has indeed turns invisible. Then, to the both mine and Josh's amazement, as Joel stirs the coffee, creamer starts to appear and mix in with the coffee! However, it was all just an illusion, and as the creamer "cup" is examined, it is found to be perfectly sealed.
Upon first reading the description of this effect, the first thing that came to my mind is TT... I was dead wrong. This is one of those effects where the method, nearly self working, is almost as cool as the trick. It uses a little bit of science, but in a very good way. Spectators will never guess it's basically self working, though. It does, obviously require a bit of setup, but can easily be done while your spectator is using the restroom... Joel set it up while Josh was going to the bathroom! I like this one, but rarely ever drink coffee, so I don't know if I'll ever use it or not.
Laser Aces-
Speaking about always being asked if he can cheat or not, Joel produces the four Aces in a pretty straight-forward way... cutting right to them. Then, each Ace is inserted into the pack, no crimps, breathers, short cards... just inserted fairly, then cut again. Then, holding the Aces in his hand, he waves them over the pack and shows that the pile consists only of the Ace of Spades, and the other three Aces are back on their piles. "So," Joel explains, "whenever I think I think I'm being cheated, I have a way to stop it." As he is saying this, he pulls out a little laser pointer from his pocket and points at the pile, inviting Josh to try and cheat. Josh picks up the piles, and is very surprised to find that they are solid blocks... they can't be separated.
My feelings toward this effect are mixed. I think it can be a very strong effect, when played out right, and it is pretty simple, but I'm just not "attracted" to it as I thought I would be. It obviously takes a bunch of preparation to make the blocks of cards, but once made, they will last you forever. It does use one switch, but that's it, and it's not as difficult as you might think. The effect, overall, I think is a great one, but I can't see myself using it on a regular basis.
Silly Psychic-
A woman, who has been sitting behind Joel and Josh the whole time, reading a book, is invited to the table by Joel, who takes out his business card and asks the woman to stick the card inside her book anywhere she would like. She then sticks it in, decides she wants to change, and puts it in a different spot. The book is then opened up, and she is instructed to look at the first word on the page. She does, commits it to memory, and the book is closed. This is all done while Joel has is head turned. Joel takes the business cards, and writes something down on it. It is revealed to be what appears to be a bunch of scratchings, which don't look anything like a word. However, Joel is prepared and he pulls out a mirror, which is used to reflect the business card, and reveal the chosen word.
This is another one of those effects that doesn't really require much effort on your part, especially since you use the mirror... it takes a lot of thinking out of the effect (owners of the book will know what I'm talking about). The actual effect requires no skill or sleights at all... all you have to be able to do is write down a word. You need something that you won't normally have on you, and you may have to buy (it's only about $1.50), but once you buy it, it should last you a long time, if not forever.
Matches All Gone-
At about 7 o'clock, Joel decides to show the waitress an effect, pulling out a matchbook, and showing around the matches. The matchbook is placed inside the waitresses' hand, and Joel hands her a straw from the table. The waitress, who we'll call Emily for ease of explanation, waves the straw over her hand, and the matches from the matchbook disappear, only to reappear inside the sealed straw!
Obviously, this effect will probably get really strong reactions, as things normally do when you do the magic in the spectator's hands. I also think the fact that the spectator is holding the props with with the magic is done pretty much the entire time, it just makes the effect that much stronger. This effect requires a little bit of preparation, and a little bit of a "gimmick" to make the matches disappear, but, like most gimmicked effects in this book, once it is done it will last you a long time, and won't take very long to setup from then on out.
