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.
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