Nov_Dec_1998
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<strong>Nov</strong>ember/<strong>Dec</strong>ember, <strong>1998</strong><br />
~totyline magic<br />
By Steven Bender<br />
Alias Mr.Plckle of lckle Plckle Products<br />
About 15 years ago, I was given a Magic Spiral. It was<br />
given to me by a couple who had been to Japan. It was an<br />
interesting optical illusion. For those of you who are<br />
unfamiliar with the Magic Spiral, let me first tell you what it<br />
looks like. If you removed the wire binding from two spiral<br />
notebooks and put them together, it would look like a Magic<br />
Spiral. However, the bindings wouldn't work like the Spiral.<br />
The Magic Spiral is two pieces of coiled wire, but<br />
one piece is made clockwise and the other counterclockwise.<br />
Hence.when they are put together, they will<br />
move without hardly being touched and it looks as if the<br />
Spiral is getting longer. It looks like it's doing something, but<br />
in reality it's doing nothing.<br />
For years, I had this gift and from time to time I would<br />
show it to whomever came over to the house. When people<br />
asked if they could buy one, I had to respond that I had no<br />
idea where to get one, since this one came from Japan and<br />
was given to me as a gift. Finally, and I don't know why I<br />
didn't decide to do it sooner, I asked my Aluminum Spinner<br />
if he could make the Spiral. The initial ones we made were<br />
from dull wire. It wasn't until a few years ago that we began<br />
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making it out of bright aluminum wire. It now looks like it<br />
should. Once we discovered the bright wire, I even made it<br />
in a JUMBO size.<br />
Perhaps my reason for not making it sooner was that I<br />
had no Storyline to go with it. It seemed like the more I<br />
showed it, the more my patter developed. In fact, after all<br />
these years it's in my current lecture Tableside Magic. I bring<br />
it out and refer to it as a Do Nothing. This is my Storyline that<br />
goes with it.<br />
"A year or so ago I was given this by my daughter as a<br />
present. I know you're looking at it and wondering what is it.<br />
I did the same thing. Then she informed me that it was a Do<br />
Nothing. Now, I tell you that up front. It does absolutely<br />
nothing." While I'm saying this, I'm working the Spiral. "She<br />
gave it to me because she said I was quite good at doing<br />
nothing. I thanked her. For with the Spiral I can do nothing<br />
for hours, days, even weeks. Of course, you have to ask<br />
yourself as you're watching me do nothing whether it is<br />
better to be doing nothing or simply watching someone<br />
who does nothing, even though he does it quite well. Here,<br />
I am doing it. Here you are simply watching me do it. Yes, I<br />
do it well, but that's because I've been doing nothing for<br />
years.<br />
"Bear in mind that nothing can be done standing or one<br />
can do it sitting in a comfortable chair. I prefer to do it<br />
standing when I'm doing it for a group. I can do it slowly, or I<br />
could do it more rapidly. But when you're doing nothing,<br />
why rush? The beauty of the Do Nothing is that when you<br />
get tired, you can put it back where it was when you<br />
started." (At this point I begin to push it in toward itself,<br />
rather than making it appear as if I'm pulling it out, but keep<br />
in mind that either way, nothing is happening. It simply<br />
appears that something is happening.) "So that if you pick it<br />
up again later you can begin where you left off. Of course,<br />
when you're doing nothing, does it really matter where you<br />
start or finish? I throw out these philosophical questions<br />
only to give you something to think about while you're<br />
sitting there watching me do nothing. In actuality, the<br />
questions are about as meaningful as what's just been<br />
done. Think about that!"<br />
There you have it: my Do Nothing routine . As small a<br />
prop as it is, it can be done for 30 to 40 people without any<br />
problem ·· or for one or two. It's fun for me to do because it<br />
gets a reaction and people ask about it afterwards. As I've<br />
said before, Storyline Magic is taking an effect or a prop and<br />
instead of merely doing the trick, the effect serves as an<br />
enhancement to the story. Just the patter without the Spiral<br />
wouldn't be much. But the Spiral enhances the patter , just<br />
as the patter enhances the presentation of the Spiral. The<br />
success of one's presentation, as I've said before (but that<br />
isn't going to keep me from saying it again) is based on how<br />
entertaining one's performance ultimately is. Entertain yoU1<br />
audience with Storyline and they will want to see you<br />
again and again. ·<br />
44 The New Calliope
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