Magic Trick Secrets Revealed

Melting rubber bands trick revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:34:00 +0000

Also called the Crazy Man's Handcuffs trick. Learn how two interlocking rubber bands can be separated 'magically'. Simple and easy to do.

Firstly, take a look at how Cyril did it and then the solution to the technique. Enjoy :)

Cyril Takayama's magic - rubber bands - separating the unseparable & linking the unlinkable

Closer look at Cyril's separating 2 rubber-bands trick:

Solution to the Separating 2 rubber-bands technique:

A number of cool rubber band tricks revealed:

Coin piercing cigarette trick revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:46:00 +0000

This is cool. Shows you how a cigarette pierces through a British coin.

You will need a real coin and a specially made one :)

Cyril Takayama's cool cigarette trick

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:37:00 +0000

I am always impressed with Cyril's tricks. Here's one cool trick he performed up close with cigarettes.

The clip below shows Cyril in action. He shows how a broken cigarette can be pieced back together and even have the marks erased under a lid match stick. And then he shows how an empty cigarette pack turns into a full unopen pack.

Sorry no revelations here. If you know how it was done, please share it via comments below. Thanx and enjoy!

Cool magic tricks with cigarettes revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:57:00 +0000

Here's some cool and simple magic tricks you can perform in bars with cigarettes. Check them out!

Cigarette vanish trick - 1 (using double-sided tape)

Cigarette vanish trick - 2

Cigarette vanish trick - 3 (using saliva)

Cigarette vanish trick - 4 (not so impressive, though)

Cigarette bend trick (Apart from this video trick, you can also use a dollar bill. Take a new cigarette, roll it up tightly with the dollar bill, and then bend it in half all the way. Unroll the bill and you will find the cigarette still intact without breaking)

Card through window magic trick revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:52:00 +0000

I bet you must have seen the 'card through window' trick before. Believed to have started from John Kennedy, most of the well-known magicians like Chris Angel, David Blaine and Cyril Takayama have performed it.

The trick itself has become complicated and varied. To make the trick more real, magicians have used different ways such as asking the spectator to sign on the card, performing in front of the window and even putting the hand across the window to retrieve the card and etc.

Here's 4 video clips on this trick. Clip 1 shows David Blaine in action. Clip 2 and 3 provides explanation of how its done. And Clip 4 shows what will happen when the trick goes wrong :)

Clip 1:

Clip 2:

Clip 3:

Clip 4:

T.H.E.M - Totally Hidden Extreme Magic (Eps. 2)

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Thu, 01 May 2008 07:36:00 +0000

Continuing with three more clips of the exciting TV series - T.H.E.M episode 2. Just like Just for Laughs tv program, its fun to see the natural reactions of those in confusion caught on camera :) Enjoy...

Episode 2 (Part 1)

Episode 2 (Part 2)

Episode 2 (Part 3)

T.H.E.M - Totally Hidden Extreme Magic (Eps. 1)

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:00:00 +0000

"What if magic was real? Would you believe your eyes?" - This was the opening statement of a short-lived TV series called T.H.E.M or Totally Hidden Extreme Magic, consisting of a gang of street magicians: Rico, Chris, Justin, Cyril, Lisa, Michael, Jason, Dan, Thomas.

As I have blogged about Cyril Takayama here, here and here before, he actually used to be a member of T.H.E.M. Its actually an interesting program that shows magic as 'real' to those unaware before revealing the truth rather than showing magic in the usual way that magicians do.

There are no tricks revealed here but the natural reactions of those caught unaware are fun to watch. Enjoy!

Episode 1 (Part 1)

Episode 1 (Part 2)

Episode 1 (Part 3)

Classic magic trick revealed - body cut-up

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:34:00 +0000

This trick by today's standard is classic. Most of you should know by now how a person's head, hand and leg can move even when the human box that contains the person gets separated into 3 boxes.

The first part of the video shows you how the presentation is done and the second part reveals the trick.

Barry and Stuart: Funny Magic Trick

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:59:00 +0000

Since we are on a string of comedy magic strips, here's a series of funny magic tricks by Barry and Stuart. Kick back and enjoy some laughs.

Follow up: Daniel Chesterfield's easy to do magic

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:38:00 +0000

Back in July, I posted an interesting video on how to learn some COOL magic super duper fast. Here's a few more from the same magician. Check them out!

And before you know it, some are following in his footsteps.

Wanted: instant magician, no skills needed!

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:12:00 +0000

Okay, maybe Cyril Takayama is not for you. There's just too much trouble trying to learn the art of magic or simply too lazy to practice 24/7. Here's one way you can be an instant magician without any skills at all.

Easy, isn't it?! :))

Cyril Takayama's cool magic tricks

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:50:00 +0000

Following up to the previous post on Cyril Takayama, here is a selection of really cool street magic tricks performed and appeared on Japanese TV recently. Truly exceptional!

Taking out a card from inside an aquarium

Taking out a real hamburger from a poster

Putting a coin through a glass table

Bringing a fish back to life

Cell phone on ice

Featured article － Cyril Takayama

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:11:00 +0000

This is a featured article that appeared in Metropolis issue #648 (Aug 25, 2006) on the Wonder Boy - Cyril Takayama

Wonder boy

From a troubled youth in Los Angeles to sold-out arenas in Japan, Cyril is enjoying a magical ride.

It seems entirely fitting that Japan’s most popular magician shows up for our interview in disguise. Just moments earlier, Cyril’s manager had assured us he was on his way, but as we look up and down the busy Harajuku street corner, the performer is nowhere in sight. And then, suddenly, he’s right there in front of us, wearing a black cap and sunglasses and offering his hand in greeting. Cyril has appeared just as he should—as if by magic.

During the next hour, over coffee and cigarettes in a trendy neighborhood café, the man who single-handedly sparked Japan’s love affair with magic talks about his rise to fame and his upcoming shows in Tokyo. Poised, articulate and almost painfully courteous, Cyril discusses his craft the way a 6-year-old talks about dessert—as if it’s the only important thing in the world. And listening to him describe magic’s ability to inspire people and bring them together, we get the feeling that he may be right.

Cyril has captured the imagination of audiences—and the hearts of female admirers—with TV specials and live shows both here and in the US. Fluent in Japanese and blessed with an idol’s good looks, the magician combines a stylish demeanor with a hint of the exotic. But it’s his jaw-dropping illusions, performed everywhere from street corners to auditoriums to bowling alleys, that have caused audiences around the world to slap their foreheads in amazement. Some of his notable acts include:

The card in the window
Cyril performs his signature piece of magic in a variety of settings, even on glass-bottomed boats: a spectator selects a playing card and signs it, and after Cyril flicks the entire deck at a window, the chosen card is left by itself stuck on the glass—the outside of the glass.

Hamburger-menu grab
Cyril stands before a fast-food menu trying to figure out what to order, and then decides to sample the wares. He does this by reaching into the menu… and pulling out an actual burger. The trick is completed when he restores the sandwich—missing the bite he’s just taken—to its 2-dimensional backdrop.

Samurai bungee jump
Perhaps Cyril’s most dramatic act took place high above the Las Vegas skyline. From a perch 52m above a hotel pool, Cyril bungee jumps with a sword in hand and spears his co-host's chosen card from a full deck floating in the water.

Sero-jisan
As Cyril’s fame grew, he noticed that bashful Japanese were becoming intimidated when he passed them on the street. His solution? To go undercover. Disguised as the character Sero-jisan (or “Old Man Sero,” a pun on the performer’s Japanese name), Cyril blends into the crowd, only to astound them with bizarre physical tricks. In one memorable episode, Sero-jisan sneezes—and, much to the horror of passersby, his head falls off his shoulders.

With a repertoire that includes sleight of hand, acrobatics and disguises, and with his ability to work street corners, arenas—even, as in a recent TV special, rural Nepal—Cyril is one of magic’s more versatile acts. Yet he strives for a common touch. “I like to stimulate people’s minds using the things they’re already knowledgeable about,” he says of his preference for tricks that involve gum, food and money. To emphasize the point, Cyril takes a coin from his pocket and makes it disappear with the nonchalance of someone turning on a light switch.

Recently, though, he’s turned away from the “gotcha” aspect of manipulation tricks in favor of more theatrical work. This is partly due to the fatigue of creating dozens of pieces of street magic to fill nine lengthy TV specials over the past three years. Arena shows mesh well with Cyril’s preference for illusions that have a narrative arc, a recognizable beginning, middle and end. “I no longer want to trick people,” he says. “I want to make them wonder.”

As Cyril’s magic has matured, so, too, has the magician himself. Born in 1973 in Los Angeles to an Okinawan father and a French-Moroccan mother—both of whom were beauticians—Cyril Takayama had an eventful yet troubled upbringing. A recent profile in Magic (“The Magazine for Magicians”) describes him being expelled from school at 15 and then, on a visit to relatives in Okinawa the following year, how he got off the plane during a stopover in Tokyo and never got back on. Cyril wound up busking on the streets of Shinjuku, and at times had so little money that he could afford just one meal a day.

Luckily, he was able to fall back on one constant in his young life: magic. Cyril first became hooked on illusionism at age 6, when friends of his parents brought him to a live performance in Las Vegas. He then largely taught himself, honing his skills through constant practice and by watching famous performers on videotape. At 12, he entered the junior program at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood, and his enthusiasm persisted even after his parents, concerned about behavioral problems, took away his props. “I was shattered and stopped for about six months,” he told Metropolis in a 2004 interview. “But the magic in me was so strong that I came back to it.”

After lean times as a Tokyo street performer, Cyril's dedication began to pay off. In 1991, he was awarded a top prize by magic's international governing body, the International Federation of Magic Societies, and in 2001, he and a partner won the Golden Lion Award at Siegfried and Roy’s World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas.

Cyril’s career has been helped by a surge of interest in magic during the past decade, especially in the US. The boom can be traced, perhaps, to the avant-garde stunts of David Blaine, to whom Cyril is sometimes compared, and the TV show Magic’s Secrets Revealed, in which a hooded performer demonstrates the tricks behind well-known illusions. Though the program was widely derided by magicians, Cyril has a more nuanced take. “It did two things,” he says. “One, it hurt magicians—or I should say, it hurt average magicians. Two, it raised magic’s profile.” Secrets became so popular that other networks scrambled to produce their own versions, and Cyril looked on in dismay as magicians rushed to cash in. “Magic was a well-protected art form for centuries,” he says, “but now it’s all about the money. It pisses me off.”

Overall, though, Cyril is heartened by magic’s newfound openness. “When I was a child, I couldn’t find info about magic, and the info that was out there was boring. There were no sources, and magic wasn’t accessible.” Now, he says, DIY magic kits abound in department stores, there are performances all over TV, and anyone with an internet connection has access to virtually unlimited resources about the topic.

Cyril, for one, has embraced the new media, and has even been dubbed “Magic’s First Cyber-Celebrity.” When asked to provide some clips of his performances, he refers us to YouTube, where a search turns up hundreds of videos of the magician in action. Cyril’s Wikipedia entry provides a link to his MySpace page, and readers can keep up with his comings and goings via his blog. And then there’s his look. Sporting a spiky hairdo and multiple body piercings, Cyril is definitely not your father’s magician.

The same could be said of his friends in Magic X Live, a US-based group of 10 “modern-day Merlins” who practice a guerilla brand of illusionism. “The ‘X’ stands for generation X. We’re a bunch of sorcerers and magicians,” Cyril says of the group, which includes good friend Enrico de la Vega, who helped Cyril develop acts for his Japanese TV shows. “We’re all busy performing around the world, but when we get together, we jam, just like musicians.”

Considering Cyril’s success in Japan, it comes as a surprise to learn that his upcoming shows at the spacious Tokyo International Forum (see sidebar) will be the first in front of a ticket-buying audience here. Following a previous tour that included stops in Aichi and Nagoya, “Magic Revolution: The Xperience” promises to reprise Cyril’s well-loved TV acts while offering considerable new material, including pieces set to music. “There will be a side of me that no one’s seen before,” he says.

One thing that fans may not be able to enjoy is Cyril’s post-performance tradition of accepting gifts from the audience; the ritual is becoming too popular and has created logistical problems for the venues. “There was one woman recently who gave me a hug—and wouldn’t let go. We had to pry her off of me,” he says with a laugh. Yet as he reminisces about presents he’s received from fans, which have included everything from flowers to cup ramen to a single piece of umeboshi candy from a little boy, it’s clear that he relishes close contact with his audiences. The talon-like silver charm he’s wearing around his neck, in fact, is a gift from an admirer.

When asked what causes such an outpouring of affection from his fans, Cyril has a ready answer. “Magic creates an energy, a bond and a relationship between people,” he says. “You don’t even need to speak the same language. Some people approach me and ask, ‘Can I do magic?’ I always tell them, ‘Of course you can—magic is in all of us.’”

Twenty-one card trick revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:30:00 +0000

This is yet another simple and interesting card trick for you to learn, practice and master.

All you need is a deck of 21 cards. The magic is to deal your friend's card right out of the deck.

Look at the first image that explains what you need to do and then check out the second image that explains how it works. Click on the images to expand.

Source: California Science Center

Cyril Takayama - the magician

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:11:00 +0000

While most of us interested in magic are greatly aware of magicians like the great Houdini, David Copperfield, David Blaine, and etc., most of us do not know who Cyril Takayama is.

I first came to know about him through local programs on Japanese TV. His magics are extremely down to earth and simply awesome, which quickly made me see the difference between his brand of magic and the more conventional ones that we grew up into.

Instead of using special props on stage to entice us, what is called 'stage magic', Cyril does 'street magic'. Hardly the type that bring your own props and head down to the main street to perform, he goes around empty handed, using items that he finds along the streets. It makes the magic more real not only by reducing our suspicions of the props used but the close-up under-our-nose performance that will surely leave anyone mesmerized and gasping away.

Just imagine as you watch him only a few inches apart, he 'takes out' a REAL burger with all the mustard from a poster on a street and eat it right in front of you. Or makes what appears to be only a picture of a pet bottle of water on a poster hanging inside a moving train drops down as real and then drinks the water. Amazing!

Here are some facts about Cyril:

Cyril Takayama (born 1973) is a Japanese American illusionist, born and raised in Hollywood, California. He is perhaps best known for his street magic performances in Japan. His father is of Okinawan descent, while his mother is French-Moroccan.

He was a member of T.H.E.M., which was a short-lived TV series. On the show, they were a gang of street magicians that set up various scenarios to lure unsuspecting targets. After the team bewildered their victims, they would reveal themselves to the target as one of T.H.E.M. The members of were: Cyril Takayama, Danny Cole, Enrico de la Vega, Lisa de la Vega, Chris Gongora, Michael Grasso, Thomas Meier, Jason Neistadt, Justin "Kredible" Willman

With performances in Japan & Korea, Cyril has been very active particularly in Japan. In 2005 and 2006, Cyril appeared in three "Super Street Magic Magazine" episodes, and four "Magic Revolution" episodes, which is broadcast on Fuji TV. The four episodes were broadcast on June 30, 2005, January 10, 2006, June 20, 2006 and January 23, 2007. In October 2006 he appeared in a 90 minute Korean magic special.

His street magics are not only awesome but highly valued and appreciated by his fans. They are of high quality and are way much difficult to perform than the once we get entertained on stage. As far as I know, none of his magics have ever been revealed. Apart from his skills, he has a character appealing to people and coupled with his well disposition makes him a fantastic personality in Japan specifically and in the world of magic generally.

Some external links:
Official site
Cyril Takayama at MySpace
Magic X
Magic Revolution website

Two cool card tricks - jumping gemini & nemesis

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 15:38:00 +0000

This is pretty interesting. With some practice, you should be able to pull it off and awe your friends :) There are two card tricks here. Check Clip 1 to watch the two tricks. If you like it and want to know how its done, view the clips after that. Enjoy!

Clip 1 - jumping gemini & nemesis

Jumping Gemini trick revealed

You can skip this clip if the above clip explanation is clear enough

The Hole - video powered by Metacafe

Nemesis trick revealed

Rubber band magic tricks revealed - few types

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:56:00 +0000

If you are bored with cards and coins, here's something for a change - few different types of rubber band tricks that you can try. Enjoy!

Blank paper to real dollar bill magic revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:28:00 +0000

Earlier, I have posted a video clip on two dollar bill magic. Here's a rather interesting clip that reveals how blank paper notes become real dollar bills.

Coin-card matrix trick revealed - an easy one

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:58:00 +0000

This is not a sophisticated trick but should be fun to try it on your family and friends. The cards are used to cover the coins and the trick is to gather all 4 coins in one place. Put the coins on a soft platform/cushion to make it easier to pick up the coins.

Mambo #5 card trick revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:11:00 +0000

Here's a few cool card tricks explained using 5 playing cards. Very well shown but will need some practice.

Tips on taking care of your deck of cards

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 14:27:00 +0000

Here's an article on some useful tips on how to take care of your playing cards.

Card Care

As magicians, XCMer's, and flourish people, we all know how a new deck of cards feels. We all also know what it's like to invest large amounts of money into new decks of cards. Whether it be normal Bicycles to Tally-Ho Playing Cards to the new Black Tiger and Viper decks. But the cards still need to be taken care of. Hopefully, this will answer all questions about taking care of a deck of cards.

XCM vs. Magic

This is not a battle or anything like that. For XCM, I recommend using the Tally-Ho cards and Bicycles for Magic.

Tally-Ho cards are not typical cards that people see everyday, so the trick card suspicion is in play for the laymen (not by much, but it is). Tally-Ho cards have a different finish on them that allow them to last longer than Bicycles, and all you XCMer's know that you can go through cards pretty quickly, so a higher quality card is well worth it.

Bicycles are common to the layman. There are many trick decks out there for Bicycle. They are inexpensive, and last for long enough for magician.

Breaking in a New Deck

We all love the feeling of a new deck, but they are so stiff. Here is my method of breaking in a deck:

1. Riffle shuffling the cards face up, then face down about four or five times.

2a. Springing the cards on the short side from hand to hand face up, then face down twice.

2b. Springing the cards on the long side from hand to hand face up, then face down twice.

If you can do a one-handed shuffle, then the second half of the routine is really good for breaking in cards. If not able to do the one-handed shuffle, then repeat steps one and two multiple times.

3a. Performing the one-handed shuffle face down in the right hand.

3b. Performing the one-handed shuffle face down after rotating the deck 180 degrees with the right hand.

3c. Repeat 3a and 3b face up in the right hand.

4. Repeat step three with the left hand.

Repeat entire routine a couple of more times. Once you are done, you can put the deck underneath something heavy to flatten it out, but the deck should be flat after this work out.

I highly recommend Steps 3 and 4 for XCMer's, I've broken in a deck of Tally-Ho Fan-Backs this way about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I'm still using the deck.

How to Conserve a Deck of Cards

When a new deck is received, the deck of cards before it can still be put to use. One way is to use the deck as a practice deck.

Wash your hands before you begin to practice. Wash in cold, soapy water; then fully dry your hands afterwards with a towel. This prevents the cards from absorbing moisture on your hands from sweat.

When practicing, if you feel your hands becoming sweaty; stop and wash your hands again.

When practicing, don't leave the top card and the bottom the card the same. Cut the cards numerous times during practice.

Keep the old deck of cards in a dark, cool corner; leave it there, and forget about it. A couple of weeks later, you will eventually find it again. This deck will be better than it was before, all the moisture is now out of the cards and they are great again.

When to Call it Quits for a Deck of Cards

Eventually there comes a time when you need to call it quits for a deck of cards. There are many phases of calling it quits:

- When a deck has about half of the cards left.
- When there is a line in the middle of the long side going down the entire deck from where you've bent the deck so many times (this does happen, trust me)
- When they don't fan well any more and the clumps are in at least 6 to 10 cards.

There are reasons that once the cards get to this point that they aren't even good for practice, except for tearing up, folding, burning, stuffing in your mouth, etc.

First of all, it doesn't help with new decks. New decks have a slippery feeling to them. If you are used to the cards sticking together, you will have less control over them (fans may jump out of your hand, cards may slide during a one handed cut, etc...)

Secondly, if the deck has less than a full deck, your hands are not using the usual amount of cards, which will mean that a normal deck will feel big for your hands which can effect the magic greatly.

Black Deck Care

This is covered in the black deck book. Here is a little something though for those who don't own the book (I highly recommend buying the book, it has miracle ideas within its pages, and sparks many more ideas to your mind)

Treat the deck with a little more respect than the normal white cards, even though it will last longer, this doesn't mean that it won't last forever.

Don't add fanning power, it becomes a gray deck of cards.

I recommend a Card Clip for it. This can make the case last for a long time, works well.

Practice black deck tricks with a white deck so that the black deck cards don't go through unnecessary wear and tear.

Whenever you get a new deck of cards, if it is from the United States Playing Card Company, it usually (should) come with a seal on the box.

Removing the seal

How do you open the box? You usually have to either rip the seal with your fingers/knife as if opening a letter, or carefully peel the seal off.

It looks a lot better with the seal completely peeled off, but a lot of times the sticky stuff remains on the box. So if you keep the deck in your pocket, a lot of fabric fluff, dirt, etc. will stick on the adhesive from the seal and looks quite unpleasing.

So how do you exactly get all the stick stuff off? Follow these simple steps:

1. Carefully peel off the seal. If it rips or some part still stays on, don't worry. Try to remove as much of the seal as you can.

2. Taking the removed seal, re-attach the seal wherever there's a sticky spot. Quickly take the seal off, and repeat until all of the adhesive is taken off.

3. If the seal loses its stickyness, you can do step 2 with a piece of scotch tape.

I guarantee this will work for you and will leave the deck box looking as though it never had a seal on it in the first place.

Article source: Magic Hat

Street magic secrets revealed - FIVE part compilation

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:30:00 +0000

You probably have checked out the Ace to queen switch trick. More from the same person.
This IS really cool! 5 part compilation of various street magic tricks revealed. Lots of tricks to learn here, so take your time and enjoy :)

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

Two dollar bill magic trick revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:19:00 +0000

Okay, if you have had enough with card and coin tricks, how about a dollar bill trick for a change. You will need two 1 dollar bills and one 2 dollar bill. The trick is to make two 1-dollar bills become one 2-dollar bill. Not bad :)

Coin disappearing trick revealed - various versions

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:46:00 +0000

4 video clips to satisfy your appetite for tricks on how to make a coin disappear.

Clip 1 - coin disappearing from a glass of water

Clip 2 - coin disappearing from hand.

Clip 3 - coin disappearing from hand.

The Hole - video powered by Metacafe

Clip 4 - the embedded code has been disabled. So click on the link below to check this out. It shows how to make a clean coin vanish trick using double-sided tape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9H5dnJO20s

David Copperfield's stage magic revealed - 3 tricks

noreply@blogger.com (ben) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:17:00 +0000

Here are 3 video clips revealing David Copperfield's stage magic tricks. Explanations are in Russian but the visual is enough to reveal to you how it was done. Enjoy!

Trick 1

Trick 2

Trick 3