For My Teacher, Slydini ...The Master of Misdirection

I have created this blog to supplement my website: www.magicincorporated.com
You'll find my e-books there.

One of my dreams was to have an online magic studio of my own one day, dedicated to Slydini's  Close Up Magic. 

This blog is my way of introducing myself and begin my search for Close Up Magicians that want to preserve the Magic of Slydini. 

Misconceptions

I have heard it said, many times, that one must ‘become Slydini’ to do his magic. This misconception comes from those who completely imitated him when they performed one of his routines. This imitation included the performer suddenly speaking with an ‘Italian accent’ when he began his performance. And so, in this respect, I can understand where this misconception comes from. I am Italian / American. My first language was Neapolitan, and so for me, there was a natural comfort with the ‘body language’, facial expressions, gestures, and attitudes of Slydini, because I, like Slydini, was raised ‘in the Italian way’. Slydini’s misdirection is based upon the things people have in common, the natural mechanics of the body, inclinations of the mind, universal forms of non verbal expression. The principle objective of the serious student is to learn the basic fundamentals of Slydini’s System of Misdirection, both physical and psychological, and then incorporate those fundamentals into his own unique personality. I’ve heard it said that Slydini challenged his audience and this ‘style’ is no longer acceptable. Slydini controlled the presentation in every aspect. Each word was carefully chosen. Slydini asked questions. Questions force the impromptu assistant to listen, consider, and then respond. Therefore, by asking a question instead of making a statement, Slydini was controlling the thought process of his impromptu assistant. When he did make statements to his impromptu assistant or to the audience at large, those statements were typically provocative or accusatory. Observations about the impromptu assistant were addressed to the audience at large. This was intentional, purposeful, and powerful. It is Mental Misdirection. He controlled every aspect of spectator perception, what they saw, what thought they saw, what they were caused to think; by his provocative statements and actions. However, and this is paramount, those statements were never derogatory or offensive.

D's Bio

When I was a kid my Uncle Willie was always showing me these little tricks of his. He’d rub a quarter on his elbow and it would disappear. He’d pull a piece of thread from his shirt and the thread would keep coming, yards of it. My father would take me into little novelty shops they used to have in Times Square in the ‘50’s and buy me a trick once in a while; Cups and Balls, the Dime and Penny, things like that. My mother watched me do the same tricks over and over again for years.

Years later, after a hitch in the service, I went to college and started tending bar at night. I did magic tricks to entertain the customers. It was classic Bar Magic. After Junior College I decide to go out west and I enrolled at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. I ended up selling magic tricks at a small shop ‘The Magic Mansion’ in Circus Circus Casino.

One day an older gentlemen walked in and asked me about a book: Slydini Encores. I took it out of the case and handed it to him. At that point I had no idea of who Slydini was. I asked the man about him. “Oh … he’s a pistol!” Those were his exact words. He didn’t buy the book and I really didn’t look at it either.

I decided to go back to New York. One day I was in Tannen’s, when it was still on Broadway. A man, standing behind the counter on the right as you walked in, asked me if I’d like to see a trick. He show me a very nice version of Slydini’s Coin’s through the Table although I did not know that at the time. When I asked him about it, he told me it was created by Slydini. That was the second time I’d heard the name. I bought the book

The Magic of Slydini by Ganson and started studying. I focused on the coins, the Paper Balls in the Box, and the Newspaper Tear.

At that time Bill Bixby was having a great success with his television show The Magician. Slydini appeared on television special hosted by Mr. Bixby. This was the first time I’d ever seen Slydini perform. He did the Paper Balls in the Box and the Production Silks. I was amazed. His magic was so different from anything I ever seen. He was graceful, elegant, calm, precise.

I practiced his magic ,on my own for one year. (I was working in midtown Manhattan at time and as it happened my office on 44th and 6th was not too far from his studio on 341 West 45th.) I called Directory Assistance and asked for his phone number. The only name I knew to ask for was ‘Slydini’. I was really surprised when the operator gave it to me. I called him, told him a little bit about myself and asked if was taking any new students. He invited me over the following week for my first lesson.

He lived in a studio apartment on the west side of Manhattan. You would sit at his close up table, directly across from him. The wall behind him was covered with plaques and pictures of famous magicians. He asked me to do a trick for him so I showed him his ,One Coin Routine’ as best I could. Little did I know this routine embodied the way he did Close Up Magic. He let me go on for a while and then he told me to stop. “OK, lets begin.” That’s exactly what he said to me.

At first I paid for lessons but after a few years he stopped charging me. I am also Italian. We had many things in common. It was like having a Magic Grandfather. I cleaned his studio, painted it, took him on trips out of town. He cooked, told me stories about his life and we studied together for years. I learned all of his major Close Up and his Stage Act. About ten years ago I started to write my own books on Slydini’s Magic, the books that are available here. Currently I am in the process of translating those books in Italian.

I also write short stores about an Italian American Detective, Dominic Di Carini, living in 1930’s San Francisco. Please see: www.dicarini.com .

In a few years I plan to retire to Italy. Slydini was very kind and generous to me, as he was to many Magicians. This site is the best way I can think of to do my part to see that he is remembered and more importantly discovered by those Magicians who have never had the privilege of seeing him perform.

Here is what he would tell me, in every lesson. “You must believe in what you are doing. If you believe it, they will believe it.

Buona Fortuna!

D

Additional Opportunities To Learn

The great Close Up Magician Don Alan once said; “Young people don’t care who came before them. They want the trick and they want it now. They think they are entitled to it.”

 Slydini said: “You have to pay to appreciate.”

 I have had portions of my writing taken and used without my knowledge or permission. I’ve had people who bought one of my books assume that automatically entitled them to what amounts to private lessons by asking me to review video clips and offer observations via email. I have had people simply tell me to teach them as if it were my obligation to do so. Perhaps the internet leads to this type of thinking. So much information, although not all of it accurate, is available at the push of a button. Perhaps; but there was no internet when Don Alan and Slydini’s made their observations.

If you are interested in having me review your practice performance video’s, offer observations and answer specific questions, I offer this as a fee based service. For additional information about this please contact me at:

d.angeloferri@gmail.com

I mention this now because I want you to consider carefully before you purchase one of my   e-books. I don’t want you to be mislead or disappointed. My e-books represent years of study. I have tried my very best to teach as I was taught. You are buying the time I have invested in the creation of those books.

Slydini’s Magic is not something that can be done in a few hours. If you are looking for quick, simple tricks (which can be great) my e-books are not for you.

Slydini was extremely kind and generous to me. He held nothing back. I’m not going to just ‘give’ my teachers Magic away. Yes, I know he wanted it to continue but to continue in the hands of dedicated practioners. Everything I have, I worked for. I value my teachers’ magic and I am not going to just give it away as if it were nothing special.

All sales are final. There are no refunds. Reproduction and or distribution of my e-books, in part or whole is strictly prohibited. I will pursue violators of my copyrights. If you have any problem accessing your e-book please contact me at

 d.angeloferri@gmail.com

If my attitude runs counter to yours, it is better you know that and we part ‘friends’ now.

Sincerely

D

D’s E - Books

My books are written from the perspective of the student. I understand the struggle because I lived it. I would also recommend you consider the Magic of Slydini and The Magical World of Slydini written by Karl Fulves and published by Tannens.

I can not recommend The Magic of Slydini by Ganson or Slydini Encores. Those two books, in my opinion, will ultimately discourage the student, for as well intentioned as they were, it is extremely to difficult to recreate the necessary movements especially when you consider the lack of photographic examples for the student to study and reflect upon.

Slydini’s system of movement is base upon a 72 beats per minute tempo. The Magic of Slydini by Ganson and Slydini Encores lack enough visual examples for the student to consider. You are taken ‘from here to there’ but the ‘middle’ of the journey is not available to you. Thanks to digital photography; I have been able to include hundreds of photographs on a beat by beat basis in my books and this is essential in helping the student learn how to move.

Your movements must be robotic when you begin, beat by beat, and then slowly, as you understand the proper mechanics, you can begin you ‘cover them’ with your unique style. Think of two houses, on the outside they appear to be different but if you were to strip away the ‘siding’ you’d see that the frames were exactly the same.

In every case I have tired to teach you as I was taught. I want my teachers’ Magic to endure in the best possible way. My e-books are my promise to him.

Your Learning Path

What are your objectives? Are you interested in Stage Magic, Close Up Magic, both? If for example; your only interest is the Slydini’s Linking Rings then the information in that e-book will enable you to perform that routine (assuming you practice) and there is no point in your purchasing any other e-books from me.

If your interest is in the Paper Balls in the Box, then as with the Linking Ring Routine, there is no point in acquiring any of my other e-books.

If your goal is to perform Slydini’s Close Up Magic as he did then I recommend: The Master of Misdirection. The fundamentals are covered and the goal is to enable you to perform all of Slydini’s Close Up Routines, as you learn how to apply those fundamentals.

Further, within that e-book, The Master of Misdirection I suggest you begin with The Coins Through The Table because that routine embodies the way Slydini performs Close Up Magic, more over, given that all you need to perform the routine is seven coins, a table and chair, you will have the opportunity to perform for people.

It is one thing to perform before a mirror in your bedroom or play to a camera. It is quite another thing to perform for people. Yes; you must begin with technique, and yes you should check your mechanics with a mirror or a camera if possible but at some point, if you are truly going to become a Close Up Magician you must perform for people. Moreover you must manage the interaction; between yourself, your impromptu assistant, and your audience at large.

When you perform things will go wrong at times. These mistakes are valuable lessons you can benefit from, learn from, in real time, if you are performing for people. As part of my training, I’d do a routine Slydini and I were working on. I had to tell him what happened, what I felt, what people said, what they saw, what I thought they saw, their reactions. This is a vital part of your training. You begin with ‘bite size’ pieces of a routine, and gradually as you gain experience and confidence, build it into the complete presentation. This is a marathon not a sprit. If speed is your objective there are many quick, simple, easy to acquire magic tricks available to you. This Magic is not for you. If you are fascinated about the relationship between the Close Up Magician and his Impromptu Assistant, if you are interested in learning a unique system of accomplishing Classic Close Up Magic, in the ‘Slydini Manner’ then you should consider my e-books

Begin by asking yourself what your ultimate goal is prior to making a purchase. Please note all sales are final and there are no refunds for any reason. I want to make friends not enemies so consider carefully before committing to a purchase.

Magic Based Upon Physical and Mental Fundamentals That Remain Constant

Slydini’s Magic is based upon fundamental principles that do not change from one trick to the other, therefore when you are learning one routine, you are actually paving the way to another. This Magic is very easy to perform poorly and difficult to perform properly, not because of difficult sleights; the sleights are almost primitive compared to what some magicians do. You will be asked, at first, to move ‘mindfully’ in a way that you have long ago surrendered to your subconscious. Once you understand how these natural movements came be exploited to accomplish necessary mechanics you must learn how to use them and then surrender them to your unconscious again. You must understand how you move and then employ those movements and while so doing, not concern yourself with them. If you focus on what is natural then it is no longer natural and so it , the thing you are thinking about, will draw attention to it self.

This is a system of integrated thought and movement. Nothing exists in isolation. You will be asked to move in a way that while perfectly natural, will seem un-natural in the beginning. You will have to practice until your mechanics are performed on a subconscious level and your only thought is on ‘the moment’, moment by moment, one beat at time.

You will begin my learning how to sit at the table. This includes the angle at which your body is in relationship to the edge of the table, how far you are from the edge of the table, and the height of the chair and the table. All of these factors will contribute to your being comfortable or uncomfortable. If you are uncomfortable because you have not ‘situated’ yourself properly before you begin your routine, that discomfort will be transmitted to your audience. This is not abstract thought. A baseball player must assume the proper stance when he goes up to bat. If his stance is ‘off’ it will affect the mechanics of his swing. The same thing is true here.

You must understand timing. Timing, in this case, is not a matter of knowing what to say and when to say it, it is knowing when to move, be it forward and back, left to right or right to left. Timing is knowing when to create tension in your body and when to relax. Timing is knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.

This Timing System does not change form one routine to the next; it is a constant. You must condition yourself to move within this very specific 72 beats per minute discipline.

You will have to learn and employ the grand concept: The Body Takes The Hand. A study of this principle will enable you to perform ‘invisible sleights’, so named because given the same set of physical circumstances, your audience would move in the same way. You will gain an unconscious acceptance, of your movements, from your audience , because you have done nothing to arouse their ‘concern’.

Watch a ‘typical’ Close Up performance. As you do ask yourself how much interaction is there between the magician and the person seated at his table. Is that person a ‘passive observer’ or is that person actively engaged in the presentation; so involved that he is part of it.

This relationship, between the magician and his impromptu assistant is what originally attracted Slydini to Magic.

The guiding principles are covered in The Master of Misdirection. I have chosen routines that embody those principles so the student can focus his attention. Not all guiding principles are present at every moment but one never exists in isolation.

The Physical and Psychological Relationships of the Seated Close Up Magician

Slydini was forceful yet gentle. Directive but polite. Accusatory and forgiving. Ultimately people enjoyed him and his performances because he was an artist of rare ability. At the end of the performance they understood they had seen an extraordinary magician. Further; they understood he was a gentlemen whose sole objective was to entertain them.

For you to earn this level of respect and appreciation from your audience you must begin with impeccable mechanics. You must master the necessary mechanics of a routine before you can move on to the presentation of that routine and within that presentation you must incorporate all the required elements of Slydini’s System of Misdirection and these elements must be incorporated within your own unique personality.

 In general; two relationships exist, one between you and your impromptu assistant, and the second, between you and your audience at large. Within these two general relationships there are specific relationships. The first is physical. You must understand where you are (at the Close Up Table) in physical relation to your impromptu assistant and to your audience at large. Simply put, your must understand angles and lines of sight. What goes unseen at one angle is visible at another.

You must know what to perform and what not to perform given your physical relationship to your impromptu assistant and the audience in general. You must know how to position and/or reposition yourself to create the required lines of sight, on a routine by routine basis.

The second relationship is attitudinal. When you invite someone to sit at your Close Up Table, you must manage the interaction in every aspect. How you manage that interaction, how you treat your impromptu assistant, will be a major factor of your audience at large; enjoying your show or not. Slydini ‘kidded’ his assistant’s with statements like: “Oh … now I know why you didn’t see the coins go through the table. Yes … I know. Would you like to know? Because you don’t watch!” This statement was delivered with the proper tone of voice and at its conclusion, a gentle smile appeared on Slydini’s face. People laughed, they enjoyed themselves, the statement and more importantly the ‘presentation’ of the statement enhanced the routine. Slydini would never say any derogatory to or about his impromptu assistant. This is a critical point.

The statements you make, the questions you ask, your responses, be they verbal or non verbal, are carefully, thoughtfully placed within the presentation. You can not allow your impromptu assistant to dictate pace or the timing of your presentation; therefore you must be directive, forceful, and purposeful. You must not be rude, condescending, or employ humor at the expense of the impromptu assistant.

Yes, you do place him in a ‘public predicament’ within the context of your presentation and a great deal of the enjoyment, for the audience at large, is watching your impromptu assistants’ reactions to that predicament. Further, given that all of your attention and focus is directed towards your impromptu assistant, your audience at large is able to relax and enjoy the performance because they know they are not going to be called upon. They are not the ones caught in your ‘web’. They are witnesses to your ‘spinning’ of that web.

This is also the ‘secret reason’ that enables you to relax while performing before a group of people. You do not have to concern yourself with the audience. They will be misdirected. Your entire focus is on your impromptu assistant.

Life is difficult. Provide your audience with a brief escape from those difficulties, take your audience on a voyage from reality to fantasy. Believe so strongly in what you are saying and doing that your audience believes it too. You must see what is not there to see, hear what can’t be heard. You must compel your audience to surrender and simply enjoy the moment. People loved Slydini and his magic because Slydini loved people and his magic.

For My Teacher ... Slydini

The mission of this blog is to introduce myself to those magicians who might be interested in studying with me.

Slydini had many wonderful students, a few of whom I am honored to know, great Magicians like Bill Wisch of New Jersey, and Michael Vincent of London.

One of my life’s ambitions is to pass my teachers magic along to a few dedicated Magicians who want to preserve Slydini’s Magic for the next generation of Close Up Magicians.

The posts in this blog are from my website. www.tonyslydini.com

My e-books on Slydini are available there as well as:  www.lybrary.com  the great e-book website created by my friend: Chris Wasshuber.

I am in the process of creating an on-line Studio of Magic dedicated to the Close Up Magic of Slydini. I am also translating my book ‘The Master of Misdirection’ into Italian.

I am still working on the technical details of my on line studio, so for now I am posting this blog to give you some idea of who I am and how I feel about things.

Thanks very much,

D

I have heard it said, many times, that one must ‘become Slydini’ to do his magic. This misconception comes from those who completely imitated him when they performed one of his routines. This imitation included the performer suddenly speaking with an ‘Italian accent’ when he began his performance. And so, in this respect, I can understand where this misconception comes from. I am Italian / American.

My first language was Neopoltian, and so for me, there was a natural comfort with the ‘body language’, facial expressions, gestures, and attitudes of Slydini, because I, like Slydini, was raised ‘in the Italian way’. Slydini’s misdirection is based upon the things people have in common, the natural mechanics of the body, inclinations of the mind, and universal forms of non verbal expression. The principale objective of the serious student is to learn the basic fundamentals of Slydini’s System of Misdirection, both physical and psychosocial, and then incorporate those fundamentals into his own unique personality.

I’ve heard it said that Slydini challenged his audience and this ‘style’ is no longer acceptable. Slydini controlled the presentation in every aspect. Each word was carefully chosen. Slydini asked questions. Questions force the impromptu assistant to listen, consider, and then respond. Therefore, by asking a question instead of making a statement, Slydini was controlling the thought process of his impromptu assistant. When he did make statements to his impromptu assistant or to the audience at large, those statements were typically provocative or accusatory. Observations about the impromptu assistant were addressed to the audience at large. This was intentional, purposeful, and powerful. It is Mental Misdirection. He controlled every aspect of spectator perception, what they saw, what thought they saw, what they were caused to think; by his provocative statements and actions. However, and this is paramount, those statements were never derogatory or offensive.

Slydini always told me: “Fool the mind first and the eye second.” Using the Coins Through The Table, as the supreme example, a mental struggle is created within the mind of the observer. Certain actions, behaviors, and attitudes, are employed to stimulate desired responses, such as suspicion. If you have already shown your impromptu assistant you hold four coins in one hand and three in the other, why would you show him again? Further, how can you compel him to want to see those coins again? You must provoke and stimulate suspicion in the mind of your impromptu assistant. This creates the reason for showing him that his suspicion is unfounded and all is as it should be.

In the act of demonstrating his suspicion to be unfounded, the necessary mechanics are accomplished. Therefore, at the very moment the spectator is agreeing, verbally and mentally (as is the audience at large) that all is at is should be, the very thing he was worried about in the first place, has occurred. When the coins pass through the table a moment later, without any suspicious movement, the observer, and the audience are amazed, and their response to the magic is ‘amplified’ because a moment ago their minds were ‘calm’. They had granted Slydini ‘acceptance’. He, the impromptu assistant, (and the audience at large) agreed with Slydini, that the suspicion of his impromptu assistant was unfounded. The assistant and the audience were ‘provoked’ into this agreement.

If you are going to become a serious student of Slydini’s System of Misdirection you have to develop a heightened understanding of the natural mechanics of the body, universal forms of non verbal expression, psychology, and of human nature. Slydini’s sleights are, for the most part, ‘of the body’. If you move in a way your observer would move, given the same set of physical circumstances, then there is an unconscious acceptance of your movement simply because you have not moved in a way that would ‘arouse’ the mind of your observer. Further if you provide justification for your movements, if they are logical and are congruent given what is occurring at the moment; your movements will gain the unconscious mental acceptance of your impromptu assistant and your audience at large.

Once an impromptu assistant is chosen and seated at the table, the entire performance is directed to him. When remarks are made to the audience at large, they are calculated statements, authored to enhance the presentation. Any remarks made to the audience are either about what the magician is thinking or his thoughts about the reactions or perceptions of the impromptu assistant. The psychology is this; the audience understands they are completely free to enjoy the performance, which includes the interaction between the Magician and his impromptu assistant.

This is a system of integrated thought and movement. On my first visit to Slydini’s Studio he told me “the coins are the gateway to my magic”. Those were his exact words. I cover the coins in The Master of Misdirection so, for those who want to learn Slydini’s way of doing Close Up Magic, this should be your first book from me.