So I am looking for super quick, visual, shocking, attention getting effects, "magic teasers" if you will, designed to show complete strangers that don't know you or know that you are a magician, that you are a magician/entertainer without saying so & invoking there curiosity, fx that can be done anywhere at anytime in any situation,- out & about, walkaround, restaurants, etc.

The criteria would be, it can't be obvious that you are trying to "show" them something, such as "Look, I have a coin here, I will take it &.....", but rather something that LOOKS random, off beat & unplanned, without having to say more than a couple of sentences to set it up, or something along the lines of "Today I just learned a fascinating fact about (whatever the object is, then do quick effect with said object), & preferrably it would be an effect that just happens, & happens in 5 seconds or less, so any effect where something appears or disappears instantly, or floats/levitates, or something like dropping an object on the floor & it instantly flies back to your hand, etc. A perfect example would be the fire wallet, where you would DEF get there attention without having to say a word, it just "happens". Or another example is sniffing a rubberband. Then once you have there attention & have them asking YOU questions- "How'd you do that? Do that again!! What just happened?" Then you can go into whatever routine you want.

So any suggestions for more of these type of effects?

Welcome to the Café, Michael!

The best thing I have ever seen is this:

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Click on the video, and watch him do this IN PUBLIC! This is worth every cent!

Doug

Thanks for the warm welcome Doug!!!

What a great piece!! Wouldnt fit what I'm looking for in this instance, but I am DEFINETLY going to get this & come up with some stage presentations for this!!!

I haven't done this in public yet. But I did do it for a small group. The women screamed! In HARMONY no less! LOL!

Doug

When someone gives me a business card (car dealer, small shops, etc.) I've had a lot of fun with the turn-over move to show the same side twice.

I'll thank them for the card as I (apparently) flip it between the back and front sides twice and comment, "Oh, printed on both sides. Cool."

The look of confusion is wonderful. Sometimes, there's an immediate apology that it must be a bad batch and sometimes they'll snatch it out of my hand for a closer look. That's the best.

While not as exciting as a fire wallet, it's no less shocking in the moment for them to see the blank back after just seeing it printed on both sides.

It's up to you if you then show *both* sides are now blank and then "print" the face again with the pass-through move. At that point, they've caught on that you're a magician and you can go from there.

Good times.

THANKS JERRY!! Great suggestion, see, totally forgetting about instances of someone handing you something, so getting back a receipt at a restaurant or store & doing something with that, or doing something with your bank card before swiping your card. I have especially been thinking of things to do at fast food drive thru windows, such as doing a quick change of a bill to a debit card or visa versa, or changing a one to a twenty- in fact thought of making some various flap gimmicks type tricks & keeping them in my sun visor so they are there & ready to go just for such occasions. Of course, in those instances, they are expecting some kind of interaction, so it will be easier to come up with stuff. But having read & watched just about every impromptu magic book or DVD out there & sifting through hundreds & hundreds of effects, havent really seen any that could be used for what I wanna use them for.

& I don't want to use obvious magician props, so no coins, cards, sponge balls, silks etc. Sorry, I know, picky picky!!! doesn't exactly leave a whole lot of options, hence my dilema, but surely there must be more out there. I would imagine someone like Greg Wilson would have a whole list of things, but nothing from his published stuff- Off The Cuff, On The Spot, his various lecture DVDs, etc. Yes, there's lots of quick visual magic, but again, they almost all require the "Hey, you wanna see a trick?" before you can get into it, or "Let me show you something with your pen/coins/business card, ect." So, looking for those type of effects that arent necessarily performed "at" someone, but rather, NEAR someone who just happens to notice this weird thing that happened that makes them turn there heads to ask you about what just happened/do it again/how'd you do that?, kind of similar to the Carbanaro effect. The closest thing would be hWilson's smoke from mouth routine, but I don't want to do any trick that requires you having to inhale anything as I don't smoke.

& I'm sure there are lots of other magician's, especially restaurant magicians, who would love to add to there aresenal of attention getters for doing a table cold who have never seen you or even knew that there is a magician there that can get them instantly interested in seeing you & what you have to offer without having to say "I'm the magician, Wanna see a trick?" where they can say no, & than you have no where to go after that.

Again, sorry if I'm being a pain, but I appreciate all the help. & most of the time, after asking a question to other people, more often than that, I wind up eventually answering my own question, lots of "Duh, I totally forgot about that!" So sometimes just asking helps to jog the old noggin, so thanks for bearing with me folks! LOVE YALL!!

I was privileged to go out to dinner with Arnold Furst in 1959. I explained that many time he was recognized and asked to perform,
so I should follow him in several feet back and observe. He always requested a table to the rear so that he had to pass many other tables.
He found interesting ways to interact with folks along the way; picking up a dropped napkin, asking what an appealing disk or wine was, etc.
At one table he said he had found a dollar bill on the floor and asked if someone had lost it. Several guests said they had so it became joke.

At the table he explained what he had learned/found in preparation for a possible performance.
1) three people who would make great volunteer assistants, and four who he would reject,
2) tidbits of overheard information for possible mind reading,
3) an idea of what he wanted to order,
4) a waiter who wanted to be a magician who might be a stooge.
plus ..
he had 'borrowed' the reservation list of those already seated and knew the names of people at most tables.

so, when a young girl came up and said she had heard he had found a dollar bill, he asked which table and said he would come over.
He met the parents and other guests and asked her if she could identify her dollar as he showed it on all sides.
She said "no" of course, but he asked her to touch the bill. Suddenly, it had her name written on it! She giggled and tucked it away.
He stayed to perform a couple of other effects with items from the table.

Wow.. !! This is just amazing.!!

L**ps Just without saying anything go to their table and just pick the napkin and just levitate it for a second or two just so they notice that something is going on and then do it again for a few more and after that they will be surprised and would ask you how you did that and from there you can go anywhere you want.

Shadow Stick by Andrew Gerard is something I use in coffee shops a lot. I think it’s on one of the conscious magic cd’s

Check out "Single Stone" and other eBooks of the "Found & F.U.N. Series" as they come out.

All of the carefully described Effects use Found objects in true Impromptu settings - often as a Prelude or introduction to magic.

More than just Effects, these include note for audience engagement, planning, routine design, etc.

The first volume has 15 Effect using only a single piece of candy, nut, pebble, coffee creamer, etc. - 101 pages of exciting magic and insights.

and so much more to come, "Pair of Stones," "Fistfull of Stones" and several more.

Ahhhh, I have come to do this best by my new playing with card magic. In working on card moves all during the quarantine, I also began practicing flourishes. I have one I came up with that has formed more from habit in manipulating the deck than anything else. Just stringing a few pet moves together here & there until I was doing something pretty neat…much neater than a decent-at-best coin guy should ever be able to do, that’s for sure.😁

The flourish looks pretty cool all by itself, especially if someone just happens to see you do it, but once they’re hooked, I have taken to asking a spec to shuffle the cards and after they give it a try the best they can, I then give it a go as I go into this flourish. Their eyes bug-out watching me flip the cards all sorts of ways. 😂 It all leads me into my first effect rather neatly. 😉

When I do this a few times while shuffling, it’s like one of those big old flashing neon signs to “Eat at Joes” or in my case, come watch my magic. ☺️