I know there are several topics on various methods on the T&R newspaper, but none of them really sit down and discusses all of them as a whole.

I understand the term "best" can be different for different people, but as for me I really just want to be able to tear the paper in front of the audience and restore it without any funny moves or trailmarks (like a different page than what you begin with, etc.).

The ones I am looking at are:

Better Newspaper Tear Robert Baxt
Torn And Restored Newspaper by Joel Bauer
Torn and Restored Newspaper (9 Amazing Methods) - DVD
No Tear Torn and Restored Newspaper
Torn And Restored Newspaper (World's Greatest Magic) - DVD
Torn & Restored Newspaper DVD by Gene Anderson Greater Magic,
Harlan's No Tape, No Glue, No Scissors, 20-second Setup Torn & Restored Newspaper Instant Download


Which methods are your favorite? Are there any methods I didn't list that you would suggest for a small stage performance? I really like No Tear but all of the performances I've seen involved torn pieces prior to the show, never torn infront of the audience.

P.S. I already know about Tear Down. It is too obvious for my tastes.

I've seen baxt, bauer, and Anderson.

Anderson is the harder reset but the absolute best.
Bauer's is great if you need immediate reset but certainly has its shortcomings.

Baxt gimmick can be used instead of the Anderson gimmick for the Anderson tear.

Baxt tear also comes with the no-nonsense, disappearing "hilarious routine".
You pop in the DVD and *POOF* the hilarious routine is instantly gone. I cannot stand false advertising. There is no hiliarious routine. There was (almost) no routine at all. I thought the routine was the explanation. Literally.
It's that bad.

The setup for the Baxt, as shown, made the real Anderson tear look all that much more magical and miraculous.

I doubt anyone likes the Baxt routine (since there really isn't one). I doubt that anyone thinks the setup equals the Anderson setup in terms of effect, but many like the gimmick and that it can be used in Anderson's setup. Some will like the setup because it's easier than the Anderson.

If you watch all the thinking that goes into Anderson's every move (on the anderson DVD) it's head and shoulders above what the baxt offers. You almost need both to get the full benefit out of the baxt version.

And Bauer's is the one you'll run down to the garage and start trying immediately. It's easy enough to do that it's kind of fun to try a few times.

The Anderson tear is the real work!

To me the favorite comes about dealing with what act I am performing. If I am producing my dove at the end, Slidini's fit best. If I am going to put more time in the show and let it be examined, Richard Osterlind's is best. If I need to do it multiple times at a fair, Joel Bauer's is best.

The Gene Anderson version, from what I hear, is taught in Ben Salinas' Torn and Restored Newspaper (9 Amazing Methods) - DVD . However, it is sold out everywhere I looked. Does anyone know where I can pick it up?

Yes, I have that DVD too. I like it better than World's Greatest Magic Newspaper DVD. I would advise you to call a magic shop to order it for you.

I found it on ebay. Thanks for your help!

My two favorites are the Gene Anderson T&R Newspaper and the Robert Harbin T&R Newspaper. That said, the only one that I use is the Anderson tear.

What can I say they are all good. But in years I found my own method to do the T&R.

And so far I using my own. Couse setup is simple and fast!

Was Ben authorized to teach this version?

Don't know if was authorized to teach it. Ben also teaches his favorite on the DVD. It is similiar to Anderson's.

I'm not sure if Ben is authorized, as I have yet to receive the DVD. However, I wasn't aware that it was a Magic Makers product until after I bought the product, and I have heard some nasty things about them. This is my first MM product though, so I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Anderson version has my vote. Worth the set-up everytime. A killer visual effect.
Get the "Newspaper Magic" book, if it is still around. Maybe from Magic, Inc.?

Give it it's due. Practice, rehearse and respect it. Otherwise, ya better watch your back (!?!?)

Good Luck with it.

John

The Anderson Newspaper verson on DVD is put out by Stevens Magic at http://www.stevensmagic.com

Everything Magic Makers sells is only a copy and sometimes a poor copy. I dought you will be getting the Anderson version competely, as they do change things a little.

Example, they sell a no tear newspaper on DVD but they paper clip the pieces together. When the paper is restored it is should have been called the vanishing paper clip trick.

Let me put in a plug for the No Tear Torn & Restored Version. You mentioned that you liked it, so I suppose you know how simple the gimmick is. You mentioned that all the presentations of this has had pretorn papers. Actually in the directions Tony Stevens has two routines. Routine one is the No Tear version, which is the routines that you have seen. Routine two, as described in the directions "is the same as effect one, only you tear a newspaper in front of the audience before restoring it." I suppose this would make it the Torn No Tear Version. Anyway - you can do what you want to do, which is tear the newspaper, with the No Tear version.

Most people like the flash appearance. JB's No Tear can be performed that way.

The Gene Anderson version is still the best, IMHO. The time it takes to set up is still worth the effort.

Im pretty fond of Abbotts center tear. It gives you a large area of visible restoration but it isn't the protocol of the Anderson tear which has been done...well, a lot. Its great. Its a favorite. Its a classic. Just saying I like a slight variation on the familiar trick.

That would be the "Neil Foster Center Tear" available from Abbott's. And it is a fantastic effect.

Yes, the Anderson tear has been done alot...because it is a top notch visual effect which really defies explanation-properly presented. Great talking or to music.

As always, the choice is yours.

Alright, I got the DVD and my final thoughts are fairly positive.

While Ben goes through 9 of the different techniques, only half of them are any good. Of those good ones, the Gene Anderson version is included, which is AWSOME! Ben also gives his modified version of the Anderson method, but I still prefer the original.

People said that Magicmakers don't credit sources. While I can't say for the other 7 versions given, Ben made it very well known that Gene Anderson created the shown newspaper tear. Addtionally, I felt the teaching was very well done, and the DVD quality exceptional.

In my opinion, the best newspaper tear method is determined by how it is used.
If you are not concerned with angles and are just presenting it as a stand alone trick, you would be hard pressed to find one better than Gene Anderson’s. When I first saw it I was a small boy (and still a layman) and was completely blown away by Doug Henning’s presentation on Broadway and on TV. The power of the flash restoration should not be overlooked.

That said, for some it might not be the best choice. For instance the Neal Foster center tear is compact and almost angle proof and can be performed very quickly (which can be useful in a silent act). When combined with a follow up effect such as the production of a dove from the newspaper it is terrific. The point here is that in this instance the paper restoration is a minor effect followed with a major effect (the dove production). Incidentally, some magicians associate this center-tear to dove combination with Lance Burton, but I saw it performed in this way years earlier by Mercer Helms on an HBO TV special in the 1970s.

As for me, I love the Anderson Tear and I performed it many times when I was a kid. But when I became a professional comedy magician over 20 years ago, I switched over to the Slydini news tear. I did this because, it was easy to prepare, the angles were great for comedy clubs and I didn’t care about the flash restoration, because I used it as a minor effect as part of a larger routine.

The same comments could be made about Paul Potassy’s Newspaper Tear. In this version Mr. Potassy frames the trick into a very large version of the Sucker Torn and Restored Tissue Paper effect. And as a result, the flash restoration is not so important, because the primary effect is the sucker finale.

Levent