Now You See It

Last night was a relatively painless recording session. We've got all the guitar parts and overdubs done - except the 'wierd drony intro' which hasn't actually been composed yet.

With luck, all the vocals - including backing vocals - can be finished on wednesday. I may even get the mixing, processing and mastering done by next monday. After which, I can concentrate on the musical project I actually care about.

If, that is, I can manage to write any songs. I came up with one this week, but it's pretty awful.
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I've spend the last two nights reading up on the rudiments of stage magic. The prestidigitation is amazingly skillful, but the rest is patter, psychology, optical illusions and trick props.

If you want to bend a spoon on stage , bend it beforehand, or bend it quickly and surrupticiously on stage, then slowly reveal the bend. Or bend and straighten it several times beforehand so it's weak enough to break from a little pressure.

The trick where an assistant is supported by neck and ankles by two chairs, one of which is removed, leaving them impossibly supported, is obviously done with a thin strut from the remaining chair. The reason the audiance discounts this true explanation is they think the assistant's centre of gravity is too far from the neck support for a weak strut to support them. In fact the human centre of gravity is in the upper abdomen, roughly above the chair seat.

The assistant steps into a box, the door closes, then opens and they're gone. The 'Proteus Cabinet' really is done with mirrors, to make the still occupied box appear empty, from in front. I'm still trying to work out exactly how the mirrors must be arranged though.

Joining the rings depends on convincing the audiance that most of the rings aren't already joined.

The cut and restored rope involves palming an extra piece of rope to give the impression the first has been cut in two.

Escapes use containers with secret hatches and knots which look secure but aren't.

Slight levitations are concerned with persuading the audiance that one foot is still in it's shoe, and 'flying' ones...rely on unreasonably intricate systems of pulleys.

It's fascinating to know how bewitched we all are by preconceptions and perceptual limitations. Though faintly disappointing that it's all so simple.