Naquada

So this week’s just been so busy, a lot of running around, early starts and late finishes.

It probably was a bad sign on Tuesday when I was served at 6 in the morning by a girl in the coffee shop called Angela. Her name badge proudly announced not only her name, but in felt tip pen under it ‘I’m Leaving..’

Maybe it was the dry lifeless sandwich she served me.. maybe it was the way she threw my change at me.. maybe it was just because it was six in the morning, and I was the only idiot in the place trying to get a coffee and a sandwich.. I just knew she wanted me to know it wasn’t her vocation in life..

It’s important to understand the way little things affect more than you think… the dry, listless object, described on the packaging in detail as a delicious bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich, with tasty cheese, in all honesty wasn’t, and as a bigger effect put be off other such bacon, cheese and tomato combo’s in the future.

So how does a BLT (with cheese) dry British rail sandwich and a rather cute looking hedgehog appear on the same blog? Its the cause and bigger effect thing.. The same type of thing as a tree falls over in some part of the world, and somewhere else a butterfly flaps it’s wings..

Not that this little chap was anywhere near the tree, or the butterfly, and doesn’t have any wings to flap (although it may have got some benefit out of them). There are some people in the world that haven’t grasped the simple idea that poison and small animals don’t mix. Possibly because of the fact that small animals really haven’t grasped the ability to read, and hence are unaware of the warnings on the boxes about poison and small animals. Again not really this chaps fault, it’s more the long term argument about it’s the parents, as it seems this guys parents decided (against the unreadable warnings) stuff on a plate in the garden = food.. The world then ends up two hedgehogs down, and one lonely confused baby hedgehog, minus hedgehog parents.

Confused baby hedgehog then ends up wandering into the road, against the advice of his parents who aren’t around to enforce this idea. Gets struck by car and ends up with a broken leg.

The end effect being me rescuing the hedgehog from the garden, and taking it back to mine for a trip to the vet. I should know in a few days if its going to be fine, or if the effect of someone putting down rat poison will have depleted the world of three hedgehogs in total.

Derren Brown has been described as everything from the worlds best con artist to the nearest thing to a Jedi master there is.. I personally have a great deal of respect for how he presents what effectively is a mix of magic, misdirection, showmanship and suggestion.

I did hold back on my urge to rummage through his shopping bag at FISM to see what he actually was buying.. but however you look at his material. Its all great entertainment. Derrens amazing television and stage performances have entranced and amazed millions, baffling audiences with tricks and stunning mental illusions that really have set new standards of what’s possible within the almost dying world of public UK magic.

Derren Brown has also caused much controversy over some of the performances, much to his own credit and publicity. Now, for the first time, he apparently reveals the secrets behind his craft. In his new book - Tricks of the Mind.

The book delves into the structure and psychology of magic. He tells you how to read clues in people’s behaviour and spot liars. He discusses the whys and wherefores of hypnosis (which he says doesn’t exist) and shows how to use the powers of suggestion and massively improve the power of your memory.

He also investigates the paranormal industry, exposes a few charlatans and looks at why some of us feel the need to believe in it in the first place…Woven into this are autobiographical stories about Derren’s own experiences and beliefs, told with characteristic humour and engaging honesty.

This extraordinary book lifts the lid on the deepest darkest secrets of magic and explores the limits of what can be achieved by the human mind, it will amaze you, entertain you and expand your mind at the same time…

However you look at it, and whatever it will tip to the public (which I would imagine would not be anything majorly damaging to his material) it should be an interesting read

I’m not sure if the two little devil horns in his hair is purposely added touch, or a happy accident…

The book is due for publication in October and it is available for pre-order from Amazon with a 34% discount..

UPDATE: It seems the devil horns were a happy accident, as the cover on amazon has changed; removing the pocket watch that covered Derren’s mouth, and his devil horn hair has been airbrushed out… maybe I’m being watched…

Seems FISM is a while ago now, and I’ve been hard at work playing with all the stuff I brought out there, Coin through Glass, ‘Bruised’ and some other bits and pieces. Bruised I think might make an outing this weekend for a wedding reception, but Melting Point (coin through glass table) needs some more work..

I’ve also been working on some other web projects the last week which has kept me away from here.. but yesterday was a bit weird..

Everyone has bad days, and worse days, bad days normally start off bad, and get progressively worse, probably something like the feeling a hamster gets in one of those clear plastic balls at it teeters at the top the stairs; its bad.. and its going to get worse as I go down…

Bad days could also be described as the type of days when you drop your keys down the drain as your unlocking your car, worse days, would be when you running late as well..

My day wasn’t bad, it wasn’t worse, it was weird.. weird in the same that things happen that really defy explanation, defy the underlying principals that make normal.. well.. normal.

Weird can be described as the sort of thing you don’t hear someone say very often, weird can be the one line you hear from someone else’s conversation in a crowded coffee shop.. the ‘..and then he said he was pregnant..’ line, when everyone looks round and immediately becomes interested in the rest of the quite probably totally uninteresting conversation.

So.. Weird.. was, probably for me, the thing that questioned the whole reality of my day happened at the Heathrow roundabout under the M4, and could serve as a warning to anyone else in that area about the whole essence of normal..

When heading round a round about, its not considered normal to be almost run off the road by a VW Beetle, its also not really normal for that VW Beetle to be driven by Elvis, and not just someone that looks like Elvis, we’re talking glasses, hair, full white ‘getting slightly podgy’ suite and rings Elvis look alike.. Now its acceptable that this Elvis didn’t see me.. possibly due to the cherry on the cake weirdness of the fact that the back of the VW was stuffed full of luggage, including what looked like a I’m been to Spain and couldn’t find anything to buy straw donkey (with sombrero)..

So possibly the definition of weird is being almost run off the road by a Elvis running late in his VW Beetle, with a stuffed donkey on the way to the airport..

So its home time now.. FISM 2006 - The World Championships of Magic, was just great, I got some amazing stuff, watched days worth of excellent stage arts, gala shows and late night close up. Another good thing is that this years FISM was being filmed by a London based TV production crew, anchored by Steven Mulhern and produced by John Fisher. The show will be going out worldwide, but as yet there isn’t a UK deal set up, although the BBC looks like a likely candidate.

On the prize side, Pilou from France won the Stage Grand Prix, an amazing manipulation art, based round a French beggar boy, he did some sharp and clean productions of cards and apples, newspapers and shoe steals, leaving the stage covered in almost half a hundred weight of apples and cards..

Rick Merrill from the United States picked up the Grand Prix for Close Up, his act, based round talking about his home schooling at a child, his crush on this third grade teacher (which had me in a crying laughing fit for about 10 minutes), and some unbelievable vanishes, productions and magic with Sharpie pens, was just about as funny and as polished as your could ask for. It was again one of those acts where I just didn’t see the moves.. it was just pure magic..

On the purchase front, I picked up some great material to last me for a while, including a coin through glass table that really blew me every time I saw it.. if there’s ever real magic.. that was it.. coin visibly through a glass table…

We’re just sat here now with drinks in the BA lounge at Arlanda airport, iPods and Cards waiting for the flight back..

The next FISM, 2009 is being held in Beijing, China.. and it looks like they will be hosting the biggest and best FISM yet.. I’m really looking forward to it…

Tonight’s banquet dinner and show proved a little too much excitement for some people..

Well today was pretty good, again the stage competition was outstanding, an amazing level of quality on almost every act (except a few!!).

Probably magic wise the highlight was Paul Daniels Mallini lecture.. He did a great run through of Mallini’s act, the name, the history, and generally was very entertaining throughout..

He also tipped that coin con that Mallini used to do in his act, the one with the hand tied up in a handkerchief…

I’ll be on a break from FISM until Friday morning now as I’m doing some sightseeing with Michelle…

So today was a very very slow start… I got in from last nights bar magic about, 3 maybe later, it was a little blurry to be honest.. So to fill in a bit on yesterday.. We watched the afternoon show, a Nordic based set of acts, including the almighty Finn Jon; who’s ability to blow smoke with no cigar, cigarette or other means still confuses me completely… I mean its not natural for a man to suck on the end of his thumb and then blow a large smoke ring…

After the Nordic show we were herded like cattle onto trains to head back into the centre of Stockholm to the Civic Hall, this incidentally being the same place that they hold the Noble prize dinner, after the pleasantries from the mayor of Stockholm and the FISM Organisers, we started on a rather tasty buffet, and most importantly wine.. Given Stockholm seems to be the only place its actually cheaper to drink through your mini-bar in, we made good use of the flowing free wine, which on reflection probably wasn’t the most intelligent thing we did.. However, we left after an hour or two and headed over to the bar magic sessions..

In a small room under the hotel we watched Celleni perform cups and balls, it was a sight to watch, a packed room, everyone struggling to get a glimpse of him performing his faultless routine, words can’t really do it justice in just how good it was..

Upstairs amongst others (including passing Derren Brown again still feeling it wasn’t the right time to say Hi!) I spotted head lemming.. Simon Lovell, and we shared a few drinks as the night passed on.. He showed me a great trick called Bruised by Daniel Martin, simple but a great effect, and I managed to remember at least one rubber band trick someone showed me..

It’s great, I’m loving every minute out here.. and I’ll have great company on Wednesday and Thursday and a break from the magic to spend some quality time, and do some exploring of Stockholm..

And now… its back to the magic bar for another late night session..