The notes were sent out in my newsletter today. If you have comments, I'm all ears.

Frank,

Got the notes...it was ok.

Thanks for sending them.

George

Frank

Thanks for taking the time to expand on your thoughts for the egg bag, which encourage others to research & discover, not just be a carbon copy.

You make a good point about inspection of the bag. Like with many effects, good routining will make it seem like the bag was fully checked, without the (long) process of inspection.

Charlie

Frank:

Did not receive the notes, but am signed up at website.

LeoH

I subscribed the site as well. No notes at the moment.

WingChun;

Mine just arrived in inbox. Great tips and ideas!

LeoH

Thanks Frank... Good advice and tips. Maybe we could use this space to spring board others thoughs on the egg bag. I know the Café has lots on the egg bag but for busking I feel we could go deeper.

Busking requires you create immediate attention and interest and then maintain focus and interest with no dead air.

I make some outrageous claims in my routine to create the interest.
None of which sound possible but all of which actually come true (in one form or another).

As far as keeping the audience, they stay because they want to see what outrageous claim will come true next.

After that, they stay because a spectator has been chosen to participate. Everyone likes to watch a fellow spectator participate on stage or even from the audience.

Focusing on different parts of the audience helps keeps interest and focus throughout the trick.

If I were doing this in a busking situation (which I really don't these days) I would probably add a "soft" hat line
in there somewhere about the bag and whether or not it will be used later in the show to collect the money.

I'm a big fan of soft hat lines to help train the audience that you expect them to pay and that it is completely normal and natural
and expected that they will do so.

As far as using spectators, a big mistake beginners makes is to put someone on the spot too soon.
I watched a kid magician at a farmer's market, who was actually quite skilled, do a few great card tricks and
then far too soon ask... "ok, who has a dollar bill I can borrow".... the entire audience left except me.
THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE WALKED! The lesson learned (hopefully) was that he asked too much of the audience, too soon.

With the eggbag, you don't need to bring someone up "on stage" right away. You can just walk out, ask someone their name,
and ask them to reach in the bag and feel around. Far less intimidating.

You've essentially moved the stage out into the audience temporarily without the spectator knowing it or being intimidated.

Thanks for the newsletter and the insight.

I would like one please! I'm working on an egg bag routine right now!

magicofjeff@yahoo.com

Frank you gave some great insight on the news letter, Thanks Greatly

I didn't see this thread until tonight. I signed up for the news letter but is there a chance I could get the notes?

I'll send a link in my next newsletter where you can read the notes.

I'm glad to see people are understanding what I was getting at in my notes.


Frank, I have to applaud your egg bag routining! As much as I love the effect, almost everyone does it without meaning. Magic without meaning holds NO interest for me or most people and kids for whom I've performed. Magic, on the average, has lost its luster because it is not presented as being useful. Even the great Lance Burton, when I saw him, died with his egg bag routine. The routine had no purpose, and thus no heart.

Here you tackle both the usefulness of the effect (actually, you bluff it magnificently, causing the audience to believe they're seeing something with purpose) and add inherent, unforced comedy -- all by making it into a "mini-Vegas."

Pure inspiration!

Even Johnny Thompson could improve his (admittedly classic and HILARIOUS) egg bag routine by studying your post.

I like the way you think about the egg bag, Frank. It is indeed a multi dimensional trick with many questions to ask yourself and many ways to go. Putting it in an street setting adds another dimension with more questions to ask yourself. You have highlighted this.

Do you have any thoughts about using the fake under arm move on the streets?

Hi Frank!
Thee and me have had a few differences of opinion, but "I ain't mad at nobody"! (I sincerely hope that the "feelings" are mutual!) Gentlemen can have disagreements without becoming disagreeable!

I'm always interested in sharing information about presentations of effects. --especially if it's an effect that I do~

I've been doing the egg bag since 1952. In 1947, Charlie MARDO showed me how use a hand dye tub when I met him in Bob Stull's shop in San Francisco. I was 16.

Five years later, I was able to return the favor, when he needed some help. As a part of our "reunion", he did a lecture for the IBM ring. He did the egg bag. I bought one the next day! (Harold Sterling mfg.) I have used the egg bag ever since. It's integral to my program.

It took me awhile, when I first started using it, to realize that the egg bag is one of those very few "near perfect" effects.

When you are through learning--you're through! Thus, I am requesting that you add my name to your "mailing list" (especially, I'm interested in your opus on the egg bag.)

Thank you!

Dick

d.oslund77@gmail.com

Dick,
here's the link to sign up for the newseltter.
http://www.theambitiouscard.com/signup.cfm

after you sign up, you'll have to "opt in" which helps prevent spam.

Yes, the eggbag is a great trick. It takes guts to do because it's basically YOU and a little black bag.
It can be frightening to try to start entertaining with such minimalist props.
Those willing to take the leap will be well rewarded.

I think the fake under the arm move is great for any venue but it has to be handled differently depending on your audience.
Kids will fall for the bluff every time and let you know you're awful.
Adults will sit quiet because they don't have the guts the kids do to call your bluff.

You have to be prepared with material for all situations.

If you want to use much of the same material for an adult audience you can pretend someone gestured it was under your arm and proceed from there.

"what? under my arm? .. no"

I'm looking forward to seeing the Egg Bag notes.

I like the 'under the arm' business. I do it like it is really a secret move - in other words - less obvious.

Love the idea of using the egg bag. Putting this in my show now. As a endding I want to produce a full shot glass. Then go into the cup and balls with the finle loads using shot glasses.

I like that idea of having ideas/props/lines flow from one trick to the next or re-appear later in the act.
I hinted at that in my notes as well with respect to communicating with an audience member.
That's something that professional acts do and we should all do in some way or another.
After you learn how to do the tricks, after you've done them 2000 times, there's still room to improve and this is one of those ways.
How to tie your act together.

Someone just bought Scott Alexander's "sure shot" gimmick/glass from me last week for this.
I checked out the prop and I think I like it a lot. Of the several on the market, it looks to be the smallest, lightest, and easiest to disengage from the glass. You might check it out.

Regarding this kind of surprise load...
People don't "believe" in magic as much as they used to. One of the ways I try to bring that feeling back is with "surprises"
that no-one would anticipate. This is what I love when I watch shows, DVDs, etc. Being fooled and surprised.

People laugh and react strongly when they are fooled badly and/or are surprised.

Consider: Nobody in your audience may believe you can make an egg appear out of thin air. But you may recall that Tommy Wonder certainly surprised his audiences with an egg appearance.

The eggbag is one of the ultimate tricks for allowing creativity and connecting with your audience.