elManuscrito EDITOR Dani DaOrtiz/Grupo Kaps
COLLABORATORS & COLUMNISTS Dani DaOrtiz Juan Tamariz Katja Engblom Luis Otero Ramón Rioboo Roberto Giobbi Woody Aragón David Williamson Rafael Benatar
FRONT PAGE Javier de Agustín
PHOTOGRAPHS Grupo Kaps Ana Tamariz Tamariz Katja Engblom
TRANSLATORS Martin Kaplan Raahul Srinivasan
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his is a special issue. With it, we begin a new phase with the publication. A phase phase which opens us up to the world, translating the magazine in to English, adding new and veteran collaborators. And we start BIG! With an issue dedicated to a maestro, a friend, a great person: pers on: Juan Tamariz. Tamariz. And it is accompanied by, as you can always count on, great collaborators, tricks, ideas, techniques and much more! I only hope to live up to all of your expectations! Welcome friends. Dani DaOrtiz Blogdaortiz.com
PROOFREADING Christian Engblom SPECIAL EDITION 2013
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CONTENTS Habemus Tamariz!, Roberto Giobbi El Escorial, Tamariz and Cards, Ramón Rioboo Magic Queimada, Katja Engblom David Williamson on Juan Tamariz A Chat in San Fernando, Dani DaOrtiz Better than Tamariz, Rafael Benatar Mnemonica Tamariz, Woody Aragón The imaginary, Juan Tamariz The Toledan Carbuquillo, Woody Aragón Subtracting is better than adding, Luis Otero
Juan Tamariz Photo: Juan Tamariz
Photo by Roberto Giobbi Juan Tamariz Tamariz and Roberto Giobbi
Phot o by Ana Tamariz
¡Habemus Tamariz!1 Roberto Giobbi
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very age has had its talented magicians. However, there has always been one magician in an era who was head and shoulders above the rest. He was always ahead of his time and was a star around which other magicians revolved. In the 18th Century it was Pinetti, Hofzinser and Robert Houdin in the 19th, and Vernon in the 20th. What 21st Century magician holds that title today? Metaphorically speaking, the person that I am about to name is the most valuable and powerful card in a deck of playing cards, the Ace of Spades. The metaphor is all the more appropriate since a deck of cards is his weapon of choice. For many of us there is no doubt as to who is the Master of Masters in this century. For us the most important, the best and the most influential is none other than Juan Tamariz. Lucky for us we can say our Juan Tamariz because he is our contemporary. Rereading my first paragraph I think I need to make a correction. Juan is not a star, but rather he is the sun around which today’s world of magic revolves. r evolves. AstrophysiAstrophysicists tell us that the reason that there is life on earth, but on no other place in the universe, is because thousands of diverse factors came together at the same time creating the habitable planet on which we live. In our magic universe Juan Tamariz Tamariz embodies qualities that do not exist in any other magician of the past, present or future. Juan has succeeded in giving birth to astral, atmospheric and magical creations using his thoughts, his writings, his teachings, his lectures, his get-togethers and, of course, his performances. It is difficult to understand how he is able to do all this, but fortunately for us, he has given magic, artistic and human life to everything and everyone that comes in contact with him. You may ask why and I would have to answer your question with other questions. Why does the wind blow? Why does night follow day? Why is love stronger than hate? Goethe said that art is the intermedia intermediary ry of that which cannot be put into words and, with all due modesty, I believe that the essence of Tamariz cannot be expressed by words alone. How fortunate we are to be able to see him, to hear
him and to magically live with and through him. Is it possible for genius to marry with passionate dedication, inspired obsession, superhuman patience, encyclopedic knowledge, virtuoso-like manual dexterity, inimitable perfectionism, the desire to learn and know everything important in magic, an open mind and an unending capacity for lateral thinking, an extraordinary memory, memory, charisma that attracts you from afar and an incredible depth in both thought and deed? In the case of Juan Tamariz, it is indeed possible. As a friend of mine remarked, “We are talking about the phenomenon that is Juan Tamariz”. One of these days we are going to write a great book about him and in it we mere mortals will try and explain everything about this magic treasure, but this is neither the time nor the place. I know that there are many other friends, admirers and students who would like to say something about the masterful Juan Tamariz. Therefore, I will end my tribute with a poem of Jorge Luis Borges. Hofzinser said that card magic is the poetry of magic and poetry always reaches the heart. Juan Tamariz always targets our heart successfully with his fascinating and beautiful magic. Vague chance or the precise laws That govern this dream, the universe, Granted me to share a smooth Stretch of the course with Alfonso Reyes. Meticulous providence That governs the prodigal and the thrifty Gave some of us the sector or the arc, But to you the whole circumference.2
Let me end by saying what I imagine all who know him wish to say, too. Juan, a million thanks for everything you have given us and may you continue to share your gifts gi fts and your friendship with us. Habemus Tamariz is, in its way, a play on words. When the College of Cardinals elects a new Pope the news that goes out to the world is “Habemus Papa”. 1
From Dreamtigers, by Jorge Luis Borges, translated by Harold Morland.
2
Photo of Las Jornadas del Escorial, by R. Giobbi
Ramón Rioboo
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ovember 2012 marked the 39th edition of Las Jornadas de El Escorial, acknowledged worldwide as on of the most important events for card magic and card magicians. The heart and soul of this event is none other than Juan Tamariz who organizes and coordinates the event every year. I first attended the event in 1987 when I was just starting out in magic and I was hooked. I have attended every year since then with the exception of 2009 when I was laid low by a severe cold, which I chose to keep to myself rather than share it with the attendees who had come from every corner of the world. The attendees, who are truly “cardaholics”, come from all parts of the globe to be present at this prestigious event. Some come from as far away as Japan and the Americas, others from nearby European countries and a fortunate few who make the hour trip from Madrid. Our common goal is to spend a couple of joyful and passionate days sharing ideas and experiences. It is also a weekend when we make new friends and catch up with old ones. We have been known to raise a glass or two while sampling the local loc al gastronomy and the word “sleep” seems to disappear from our vocabulary.
Throughout the years the high standards of ideas, perforThroughout mance and scholarship have not diminished one iota. A variety of topics have been addressed; there is abundant written documentation of our get-togethers that is available to both scholars and curiosity seekers; and there is always a mix of veteran attendees and newbies. I won’t mention names lest I commit a sin of omission. Suffice to say that some of the most important card magicians in the world are present at this event. The list of topics that have been addressed throughout the years is too extensive to list here. The schedule appears to be very anarchical and yet events magically seem to happen at the announced time thanks to a bulletin board that reminds us when a specific event begins. Let me try and give you a word picture pictur e of the event. It is a serious and passionate gathering that addresses an ever changing list of topics that are announced at the end of each gathering to allow attendees to research and prepare their presentations; sessions that go on until four or five in the morning; people who fall asleep during the daytime dayt ime sessions; linguistic problems solved by spur of the moment translators; spontaneous get-togethers to solve a problem of technique or presentation; suggested topics for future gatherings; a show put together on the fly where ten out of the forty attendees put on a show for the enjoyment of everyone present. This annual miracle happens thanks to the collaboration of everyone present, but most especially thanks to the efforts of Juan Tamariz.
Katja Engblom
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hristian and I had an excellent opportunity to see Juan Tamariz’s magic show called Queimadas Mágicas. The first one we saw, was held in hotel Princesa, in Madrid. The second was at Ana Tamariz’s School. Both had about 25 spectators present. The evening started in a lounge, where Juan was chatted with us, and taught us a few simple tricks, the two wine bottle corks that separate and the disappearing troll. Following that we moved to the assembly room (conference room) to watch the first part of his close-up show which lasted 1,5 hours. Juan showed us, among other things, a version of Slydini’s Coins, using Han Ping Chien, mindreading, The Centaur and mermaid routine, Tamariz bunnies and Triple coincidence routines. My favorite rutine was, and still is, Juan’s version of the Slydini Coins, it’s pure magic. After the first part of the show, we had a little break and we enjoyed drinks and snacks. The audience had an opportunity to browse several magic books and look through an exhibition of Tamariz’s distinguished and interesting career. Next we saw the t he second part of the show. On the whole, we were allowed to enjoy 2,5 hours of Juan’s magic. In the end we moved again to the lounge, where we were offered La Queimada (hence the name of the evening).
La Queimada is a traditional enchantment ceremony from Galicia. It came ca me from the Pag Pagan an festival, which is celebrated in Galicia and elsewhere in the North of Spain. Tradition Traditionally ally,, when when the drink is prepared, an invocation (a spell) is pronounced which makes the drink into “hellbroth”. It is said that this drink also gives you special powers. This potion really ”fizzles” and a blue flame was seen to rise from the cettle. Juan red to us the primeval invocation (spell) and after that we were invited to taste this special drink. I liked the atmosphere of the show, which was very intimate. Juan, like always, was easygoing and funny. We all really felt that something magical had happened!
Photo left (by Ana Tamariz), Tamariz), Juan mixing up the potion. Photo right (by Katja Engblom), Juan is reading the invocation.
A Chat in Dani DaOrtiz Transcriber Transc riber Antonio Iturra
DAVID W ILLIAMSON DAVID on Juan Tamariz
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y first encounter with Juan Tamariz was in 1982 in Las Vegas. He was traveling with Arturo de Ascanio and several other friends. I really did not know what to make of him. He was very v ery funny, friendly, impressive and strange, but in the good sense of the word. I like strange and that is why we got along so well. Thanks to him I was able to rethink my previous ideas of what magic was, to challenge myself to expand my magic horizons, and to redefine my concept of what constituted a close-up performance. I like to think that this brief encounter with the Spanish School in my formative years helped me find the correct path to my future. Thank you, Juan! Through the years I have been able to spend quality time with this great master and I have laughed and learned a great deal along the way. Once he invited me to appear on his TV show. Ricky Jay and Michael Weber were also invited guests. It was a memorable experience experience for me, as well as my then nine-year-old son, Ben, who ended up with a tattoo on his arm. But, that’s another story. Juan and I had an inspired idea for a gag with which I would end my segment. I was doing my Rocky Raccoon routine on a close-up table. At the end of my act I “accidentally” dropped Rocky on the floor behind my table. When I bent down to grab his tail and to pull him back up, there was a problem. The tail was stuck. I kept on pulling on what I thought was Rocky’s tail, but it was Tamariz’s ponytail. Instead of Rocky reappearing from under the table, Tamariz appeared and his unexpected appearance broke everyone up. I had managed to transform Rocky Raccoon into Juan Tamariz.
The incredible part of the story is that since it was a live show, Juan had to hide under the table before they let the audience into the studio. He took his position a full hour before the broadcast began. There were a number of delays and I was concerned that Juan would grow impatient or just be uncomfortable. My act lasted an additional thirty minutes before the final production of the great Tamariz. He was under that table for a full ninety minutes suffering for his art. I really felt bad that he had to be there for so long. When I returned after the show to gather up Rocky, I discovered that Juan was still under the table and in good spirits. He probably would have been happy to stay under that table for an additional ninety minutes. Believe it or not, he used the time to practice card tricks and when I looked again I saw that directly in front of him, there were four packets of cards each with an Ace on top of it. No wonder that Tamariz is my hero.
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he town of San Fernando in the province of Cádiz is where wher e Juan Tamariz spends the t he summer. It is there,, at his summer there summer home, where where what he calls c alls the world’s longest magic convention takes place. Magicians from all over visit Juan throughout the summer and it is an opportunity for everyone to share their magic and their experience experiences. s. I am a frequent visitor and every summer I pack my bag and head for Juan’s to learn and to share. Sessions begin when we wake up at five in the afternoon and what follows is a never-ending parade parade of food, drink and magic. This is friendship at its best! On one of those summer nights at around four in the morning Juan Luis Rubiales, Christian Engblom and I sat down with Juan to conduct the following interview. Christian: Why are you a magician? Juan: My first response would be that I don’t know
and I don’t care. I have been passionate about magic since I was a boy and that passion has continued until now. There certainly have been times when I stopped to ponder whether I was going to dedicate my life to just one thing and if it was worthwhile to do so. There also have been times when I thought that maybe I should dedicate my efforts to something else and let magic be a hobby that I continued to pursue. And as I have seen, as I have believed to see or as I firmly believe that magic is a most powerful and beautiful art, I have devoted all my efforts to it. However, I pursue magic because I like it and because I enjoy doing it, and because art has always been a passion of mine and the branch of art that I have chosen to pursue is magic. Christian: Truth is that if they asked me I would not
know what to reply. But, there must be some aspects or branches of magic that you enjoy more than others. To be more specific I am talking about performances, studies, trips, essentially everything associated with our art. What gives you the greatest pleasure? Juan: There are two aspects of magic that bring me
the most pleasure. The first is performing close-up magic in front of a live audience surrounded by spectators who are almost on top of me. I don’t care if my audience consists of lay people or magicians, but that percentage should not be 50/50. There needs to be a predominance of one group or the other. The best mix for me is either 80/20 or 90/10. The second is when I am completely alone and I get an idea or
Juan Tamariz Tamariz (left), Christian Engblom (middle) and Dani DaOrtiz (right).
when I am working on an idea or I am trying to make an effect even better. In other words it’s a time when you are playing with your art and the difficulties that are inherent in it.
Dani: I think I remember that you already did something like
that with Spanish magic for the Entidad Mágica Argentina 1.
Juan: Yes, yes. I have written quite a bit about both Spanish Those solitary moments usually occur at night and they and world magic, but I have yet to publish anything on the seem to follow a pattern. Nothing occurs to me during the subject. However, I have given many talks about it and it is first hour or the second and if something does cross my very interesting, at least for me! I enjoy it a lot. mind I discard it because it usually isn’t very interesting. However, if on one particular day of a particular month – And, of course, when, as a spectator, I see a marvelous Bam! – something occurs to you that takes a long process magician, I enjoy it just like a little kid would and that is, or to sort out… now it has a special value not only for me, but probably was, what made me become a magician in the also for other magicians who will be able to do it. At those first place. Finally when I read and I learn a trick of Vernon’s Vernon’s moments, which usually tend to be at five or six in the mor- or Hofzinser’s or others of their ilk, it makes me want to ning, in order to crown my satisfaction, I have no other jump for joy. joy. recourse than to throw open the doors of my balcony and Christian: Was it true when you said that when you sit shout at the top of my lungs, “Look how beautiful this is!” down to think, nothing comes to you in the first few hours? Dani and Christian: (Laughter) Juan: What I mean is that normally an idea comes to you Juan: And those polar opposite moments – one very public when you have spent hours, maybe even days focused on and one very private – are the two I enjoy the most. The the same theme. I’m very patient and I am a true believer other thing that I enjoy is this type of get together with you in destiny. For example, there was a time when I wanted to guys where we do effects for each other and then analyze do an impromptu version of De Kolta’s Card Fountain them or explain them and, in general have a good old time. without having to use any apparatus. I finally found a way That is very beautiful! to do it. I found a system that I shared with Pepe Carroll. The cards shot out of the card box just like they would from Christian: Personally speaking, at this stage of my life I a card fountain. Pepe did not believe it. Your patience enjoy these type of get-togethers more than I do performing. needs to be such that you say to yourself: “It may take a year or two or even three… I’ll keep thinking, looking at it Juan: Then there is another area that is also very attractive from all possible angles, discarding what doesn’t work to me and when you first get into magic you do not pay knowing that one day I will find the solution.” It’s not that I much attention to it. I think it must be a function of age. am very clever or creative. It’s just that I believe that if I am talking about the history of magic. Reading about I devote enough time and passion to a solution, one day I magicians who have done this or that or studying how they am going to find it. have developed over the years generates both pleasure and passion in me. That leads me to analyze, and classify Dani: And if I were to ask you directly about the creation of the schools and tendencies of different magicians of our an effect. How does the idea come to you when you are magic world. Because I think that this is something that thinking about it and when do you know that you have does exist, but nobody has formalized this type of study yet. found what you have been looking for?
Dani: In the end your spectators are the ones who
help you create the idea. You see their reactions and you know what to take out or what’s missing. They help you give shape to the effect. Juan: Indeed, but their contribution is not as great
as you might think. I try to show an effect, especially to laypeople when I think it is just about finished. In truth, it’s never finished. There are moments when I say that I am not going to add or change anything. But, it’s not that it can’t be done, but rather because I am unwilling to spend any more energy on that t hat one effect. Juan: Every one has his own system. I do not have a
method. Besides, I think that creativity is not born from an inflexible way of approaching things. An idea can come to you in many different ways. In the morning, after I wake up, I like to spend another hour in bed letting my imagination run free because I believe that it is the best time of the day to do that. I either invent absurd things or they just occur to me. For example, I have invented the window. I discovered the window. Dani and Christian: (Laughter) Juan: I’ll tell you about that later if you want. I have even
conceived of more absurd things! During those moments when I am not quite awake and not quite asleep I conceive an effect that’s very attractive, very beautiful that calls out to me and then I set the maximum allowable conditions. For example, the other day we were talking about an effect we were calling “Pure Olive Oil and Water”. It was as if I were on a nude beach and a friend comes along with eight cards alternating red and black and the cards have strange backs and I take them at my fingertips and I show them on both sides and then I cover them for an instant with the other hand so that you can see them until the very last moment and then, magically, the colors have separated. Now, it may take me ten or fifteen years before I come up with the method. I don’t spend all those years focused only on that effect because I have a ton of effects and ideas going round and round in my head and I take elements from one and use them for another. However, I believe and I am convinced that one day I will find the method to do the trick.
For example, when I began to do the effect where you cut and restore a silk I was shown how it was really done using a change bag. I first modified the change, and then I changed it in a different way. Then I used manipulation to cause the change. Now I put a sticker on it, later I eliminate the confederate who gives you the handkerchief. Then you continue to add things and I know I will always continue to add things. But with some effects, as I have already mentioned you just say to yourself: “ I have spent as much time on this effect as I am going to.” Christian: Often when I invent or think about an effect I
choose one that already exists like the invisible palm or Triumph. In my opinion, it is very difficult to invent something totally new. Juan: No doubt about it. The most difficult thing is inventing
something from scratch.
Christian: However, when I come up with other methods
it’s because I am not happy with what’s out there. Dani: Or because they don’t fit your style.
Yes, yes, like when you (Juan) said to me: ”It’s a good method, but magicians will know what you y ou are doing.” doing.” That’s how how we came up with effects effects like The Tamariz Tamariz Challenge. Christian:
Dani: Our versions of Triumph! Juan: That’s true. The one that both of you do was a
challenge that originated or iginated here. Today, Today, for example, talking with Juan Luis (Rubiales) he told me that he had an effect with which he closed his act. I said to him: “Okay, but what if you do it under these conditions?” Of course, little by little he will begin to hate me …but I still continue with my “what ifs”. If he accepts the challenge, that’s great because one day he may end up with a better effect or maybe not. Improvemen Improvements ts are not always guaranteed.
Within certain specialties or countries or geographical areas maybe there are less good magicians than before.
Dani and Christian: (Laughter)
Juan: I don’t know if I agree that there is more homoge-
Dani: Well, we accepted the challenge and it helped
us create our version of Triumph. We ended up with two very nice versions. Christian: Yes, that’s right. Dani: Juan, let’s change the subject by my asking you
what you think is lacking in today’s magic as compared to the magic of previous generations? In other words, what are the differences you see between today’s magic and that of yesteryear? Juan: I think that art never progresses, but rather it evolves
or adapts. It evolves with time or it adapts to a given time. We could change the question to the following: Is the art of magic more adapted to the present time and to the sensibilities of the first decade of the 20th century than the magic of twenty, thirty or fifty years ago? You would have to direct that question to a sociologist who is not involved with magic. I truly believe that there are more good magicians today than there were in the past.
Dani: I have noticed that before, when you traveled you
found that magicians, in general, were influenced by a prominent magician in their area. Now, however, wherever I go I see that everyone is doing the same thing. I imagine that it has to do with the Internet and other rapid means of communication. neity among today’s artists and whether it is a question of how easy it is to get information. Then again, maybe it is happening because you tend to move in the same circles. I am most familiar with the magic of Madrid and there are certain things that are evident there. If you go to Madrid and you meet up with certain types of magicians you discover that they are the same as magicians from other provinces. However, if you meet up with a group of magicians, each of whom has his own particular style, you will see that they are totally different. What happens is that one has a tendency to associate with the same friends and the same groups and so it’s not that homogeneity exists and you find it, but rather the fact that one searches out and finds those of a like mind. Christian: So then would it be better to work alone and see
other magicians occasionally?
Juan: I don’t know what’s best for others, but I do know
what’s best for me. I like to try and meet up with people who think differently than I do about a variety of things – politics, sociology, religion or even daily life. I like to be with different age groups and not just be part of a group where
like I do and they reaffirm what I already know and believe. I don’t like that. I want more. I want to be with people of different ages, of different backgrounds, of a different artistic or creative bent. I believe that enriches me. Christian: That’s what Gea 2 does, right? He is always on
the lookout for different styles of magicians. Some of them fat, some of them thin. Dani and Juan: (Laughter) Dani: Juan, I have heard you say many times that it would
be wonderful if people -the public- had a greater awareness of magic. That there would come a day when you could say: “I am going to interpret a creation of Hofzinser and that people would know that they were going to see something good. Juan: I would like it, but it’s not something that I see as
absolutely necessary. I think that magic is a very direct, popular and marvelous art. The advantage that it enjoys is that there are very few critics, theoreticians, or historians. The spectator sees what he sees with his eyes wide open and without rose-colored glasses. People can attend a magic performance without having to fear that they are attending a cultural event and I mean Cultural with a capital “C”. Let me give you an example. If tomorrow we go to any city and we plunk down a good magician on a street corner and he does good magic, people will stop and watch him. If he is the type of magician who passes the hat, people will make a donation. If he is the type who hands out tickets, people will go to see him. However, people will comment spiritedly on what they have seen and won’t have any problem doing so. They may say things like, “How good!” or “Such beauty!” or even “How rotten! Their comments will be expressed without any prejudice. On the other hand, if I put on an exhibition of a different art,
let’s say painting, and I don’t charge admission, it’s quite possible that no one will come judging by the number of empty galleries I see these days. If you go with a friend you will probably be afraid to make a comment out loud lest there be someone knowledgeable present. So, on the one hand, magic enjoys an advantage, but on the other it has the disadvantage of there not being any historical or cultural references. As a result, what’s missing is a foundation that would allow us to feel better and enjoy more. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I would be pleased if there existed such a thing as magic universities, but on the other it would horrify me. Dani: Another thing that I have often heard you say is that
if people have more access to magic information there will be more fans in the future and, in the end, they are the ones who will go to see magic shows. Juan: True, although I always reserve the right to forget
what I said and the right to champion the opposite of what I said. I evolve and I am a human being and I retain the right not to believe that I said it unless you prove it to me with a tape recording and if you did I would believe that you had altered it somehow. (This is said jokingly.) Dani: (Laughin (Laughing) g) Well, Well, I’ll remind remind you of your exact exact words:
“When you see a magic video on the Internet and you see it once, you always have the option to see it again and again. If you have watched it a number of times that means that there is a growing interest in the subject and that you are becoming a fan of magic.” So let me ask you if the speed with which information travels is dangerous. Juan: One needs to distinguish between speed and quan-
tity. Speed, as you said before, creates a certain amount of sameness. Dani: And quantity too because every day there is more
and more available. You You come up with an effect today and tomorrow the whole world knows about it.
Christian: This chat could be on YouTube in a half
an hour.
Dani and Juan: (Laughter). Dani: Today, anyone starting out in magic has
access to just about everything. He has a multitude of resources available – videos and trick descriptions on the Internet, books, DVD’s and commercial effects. And this is someone who the day before had no idea that magic existed.
RAFAEL BENATAR
Juan: But, I don’t see that as a bad thing. I un-
derstand what you’re saying and I agree with you, but the problem that I see is that t hat there is too much to choose from. When I started in magic, there was no such thing as the Internet and there were very few books available – Padre Ciuró’s, of course, and they were fantastic – but, aside from those, very few. However, I did have access, but it was neither easy nor immediate. The problem today is that the access one has is really fictitious. It’s as if you wanted to study a specific subject and you visit the National Library where you may have five thousand books on the topic at your disposal. The truth is that with so many choices you have less freedom to learn in comparison with my giving you one book. So, the serious problem is the opposite of your statement. In the past when I saw or met up with someone who knew a great deal about magic, I would say to him: “Congratulations! But tell me, how were you able to gather all this knowledge working on your own and with limited fluency in other languages?” Nowadays, when you meet up with someone who knows a lot about magic – and, in general the quality of that knowledge has diminished – you say to him: “You deserve praise for all the information you have, given the fact that you are bombarded with information daily, and you need to constantly upload and download from the Internet, and you must watch videos on YouTube. I don’t know how you have had the time to learn anything or do anything with all your knowledge. I believe that today we have the opposite situation. I think people are making a basic error when they believe that having all this information at their fingertips means that they actually have something because, in truth, they have nothing. They are confusing reading with understand understanding; ing; or reading with assimilating; or assimilating with having practiced an effect. Worst of all, they confuse having practiced an effect with having performed it and experienced it and having brought it alive for an audience. 1
One of South America’s oldest magic societies.
Miguel Ángel Gea, one of The Fat Brothers is known for his excellent work with coins. 2
W
hen a magician performs in Spain before a lay audience and hits all the right notes, sooner or later, someone will say to him: “You’re better than Tamariz.” It may well be that Juan Tamariz is the only magician to whom this has not been said. I have known him for more than twenty years. There have been many sleepless nights, many hours of magic and shared trips. And he keeps fooling me at every encounter. I admire his capacity to focus on a single theme for an extended period of time and, in this way, become an expert on many subjects. Thus, all of his specialties are brought together by the depth of his work, and this is perfectly reflected in the essence of the Jornadas Cartomágicas Cartomágicas del Escorial.1 One day I mentioned something about thimbles and it turned out that he was a thimble expert like you wouldn't believe. I also recall a time when we spent a night at the home of our friend, the late Bob Elliot who lived on Long Island. The family had gone off to bed and we stayed up talking, and I brought up the subject of boomerangs. We spent another night talking about boomerang cards. The same would happen if you got him started on mentalism, card manipulation, performing for television, or countless other subjects. And then, as Ascanio frequently said, there is his wickedness and his ability to resort to the tricks of the trade. There is his love for the history of magic and magicians of the past. But there are other elements that contribute to his deep knowledge - theatrical techniques, television, film, art, math, music, and magic for laymen, magic for magicians, impromptu magic, and seemingly impromptu magic. There is also his way to get an edge out of any incident or circumstance, his delight on finding practical applications for the magic he likes to do, and his ability to rock a theater with fiftytwo pasteboard pasteboards. s. All of these traits are well known and nowhere are they more appreciated than during those weekends in San Lorenzo del Escorial. As I read over all that I have written I say: “Very impressive, Juan! You are better than Tamariz!” Tamariz!” For the past thirty-nine years Juan Tamariz has invited a select group of card magicians to spend a weekend in the town of San Lorenzo del Escorial so that they all can share information and learn from one another. 1
A Chat in
SECOND PART Dani DaOrtiz Transcriberr Antonio Iturra Transcribe
Juan: Quantity does not matter when it comes to videos or to books. In that famous book of Aldous Huxley, Huxley, Brave Brav e New World, there was a savage who had only one book, the collected works of Shakespeare and he was wiser than all of those who lived in the civilized world who had easy access to all that had ever been written. The savage had immersed himself in that one book and he was a thousand times wiser than the rest.
Dani: There is an incongruence because a good effect will
cease to be a good effect if the emotional content of your effects do not vary. Christian: You’ve spoken about different emotions, emoti ons, but the rhythm of a set also should be different. Rhythm and pace are important. Juan: You’re talking about external variety. I am more and
Dani: Let’s talk about the construction of an effect and a
magic session. What are the basic or most important elements? Juan: Great! You have me about a topic that I could ex-
pound on for four hours. (Laughter) Dani: What is the danger of boredom setting in in a magic
session that lasts an hour? Juan: It has nothing to do with external elements. It makes
no difference if there are repetitive elements like the same tone of voice, or that effects are being done exclusively with wit h cards or coins, what’s lacking is a change of emotion. For example, no one in his right mind would go to a concert featuring a trumpet player and say to him: “Man, you are boring! Why don’t you play play the sax?” [Laughter]. [Laughter]. Now, if a pianist takes the stage and plays a romantic piece by Chopin, followed by an oboist who plays another romantic piece, followed by other musicians who play pieces that are in a romantic or melodious vein and that concert is scheduled to last an hour, after about thirty minutes you will grow tired and bored because the emotion is the same. Now let’s say our pianist takes the stage and plays a series of pieces where the emotions alternate between drama, anger, pathos, happiness and sadness. You will not be bored. The same applies to magic. It can be a set with cards that lasts for two or ten hours and all the effects can end with the appearance of a selected card, but the emotions surrounding the appearance are different. The first has the element of surprise. The next features an apparent failure on the part of the magician. While doing the third effect the magician supposedly flashes. There are revelar evelations where the spectators do the work, or the magician mentally divines the chosen card. We are talking about a mix of different emotions that provide variety. Dani: A set that starts out strong, continues strong and
ends strong produces a monotonous result in both deed and attitude. Juan: However if in one instance it is strong dramatically
and magically in another and personally in yet another and in the fourth I dance and strip, it’s very strong and nobody will be bored. (Laughter)
more convinced that among the emotions that are produced in a spectator there is one common one that is a sort of a baseline and it’s a combination of the impossible being wed to the fascinating. If you layer on top of that a variety of emotions such as happiness, fear, danger, failure now you have variety and externals are not important. It doesn’t matter if you work fast, if you do cards, if you jump, if you add music, if you wear costumes or add other theatrical elements. The latter is helpful, but what matters most is the variety of those emotions that are intrinsic to magic. Telling jokes or dramatic or or lyrical stories stories is no substitute for emotional variety. Christian: Vernon talked about this. The most important
things for the spectator are those that are emotionally important. There has to be an emotional hook. It was on one of those videos that he made with Michael Ammar Steve Freeman and Gary Oulette for Videonics Videonics (“Revelations”). Juan: Vernon talked about emotions, but not a whole lot.
So did Fu Manchu. Vernon understood it very clearly, he insisted on its necessity but he never expanded on his ideas. Magic today does not appeal to women because it does not generate any emotion in them. I have published an article about emotions in the newsletters of the Escuela Mágica de Madrid and it will appear in my book, Arco Iris Mágico (The Magic Rainbow). It deals with the variety of emotions intrinsic in magic. Dani: Talking about magic for laypeople and magicians,
what is the main difference? Can you fool a magician? Juan: It depends on your goal. I always try to fool magi-
cians as much as I do laymen. Obviously there’s a difference because the magician knows about effects, techniques and methods. But both magician and layman are after the same thing. They want to be amazed. Magicians know the feeling and enjoy it. it . We magicians also look for and appreciate other things like technique and originality, but if you show any magician something impossible, fascinating, beautiful and desirable he will love it. I do not want people to appreciate me for my originality, or my desire or my ability. ability. Far from it! If a magician succeeds succeeds in creating the amazement I have felt when I see a trick, then I am satisfied. All magicians fool me every day. Dani: What effect has moved you the most. What have you
read that has moved you the most? Juan: When I was young it was the Linking Rings,
Coins Through the Table, the Zig-Zag illusion or any levitation. Many card tricks have moved me, too. Many of Hofzinser’s writings have moved me, especially his “Omnipotence of the Ladies”. Dani: What is there in Hofzinser’s books that many
people are unaware of or that they miss when they read his writings. Besides, we know that you have conversations with Robert-Houdin and Hofzinser. Juan: I cannot talk about that because I see smiles
on your face that tell me that you do not think that it is true. (Dani and Christian laugh.) But it’s true that I do chat with Hofzinser and Robert-Houdin. It’s not a joke. Reading a book is like having a conversation. When I take notes I ask questions. I don’t get any answers, but it is like a conversation. Books have that advantage over videos that continue to play unless you pause them. Dani: Continuing with Hofzinser, I’d like to talk about
how he constructed his effects. Juan: One of his constructs that I find very marvelous
and diabolical is when he says: “I am going to do an effect with a deck of cards and, as you can see, they are ordinary cards.” He does the effect and then insists in a subtle way that you take a look at the cards and see there is nothing unusual about the cards. In the meantime he retrieves some special cards and adds them to the deck. He does the effect again, but now with greater clarity because in addition to his incredible ability he has something extra to work with. He then palms off the extra cards and hands the deck back to the spectator. So, at the beginning of the sequence, at its mid-point and at its end the spectator gets to handle the objects and in that space between the mid-point and the end, he convinces you that there is a complete absence of trickery. He uses this concept in several of his effects. Dani: What do you think has been his masterpiece,
his greatest creation? Juan: There are his coin effects and his invention of
the shell. A number of his card effects are true gems. I can cite “Pre-Determination of Thought”, “Domination of Thought”, “The Omnipotence of the Ladies”, “Everywhere and Nowhere”, “Remember and Forget”, and the list goes on. There are many of them and I am not very good at ranking them. The last effect in his book, “The Three Powers” is to die for. It’s a routine that includes rising cards, appearances and disappearances of the deck and a card in a frame. Dani: Turning our attention to Robert-Houdin again, I
have heard you say on a number of occasions that all the principles of modern day psychology are to be found in the books of Robert-Houdin.
289 28 9
Juan: All the theoretical concepts are in Robert-Houdin’s
books. They are hidden, of course, and you need to dig them out. If you gather all five of his books, especially Memoirs and The Secrets of Conjuring as you go through them you note concepts that are very similar to the theories of Ramsay and Slydini about the gaze. He uses the sport of fencing as an example to teach us where to look. A fencer must control with his eyes the eyes of his opponent and direct his gaze elsewhere so that he can deliver the fatal blow. His theory and explanation are quite complex. In a previous issue of this magazine Hernán Macagno talks about the need to read between the lines li nes when studying the works of Robert-Houdin. Everything is there. For example, in a few brief sentences he talks about false clues. Dani: It’s a shame that he never wrote a book about theory
since that is more intuitive. Juan: I believe that he compiled everything that French
magicians knew about magic at that time, both in France and worldwide. He knew how to explain and apply that knowledge in his effects and added his own touches since as the great psychologist that he was. It’s not intuitive. It has to do with developing one’s way of thinking. Dani: What do you think Robert-Houdin’s greatest contri-
bution was?
even made me tremble. I had even thought that he had made a pact with the Devil. (Laughter) Dani: Fred Kaps Juan: The magic seducer—the comedian, but not the
comic of magic— elegance personified.
Christian: Tommy Wonder said that Kaps and Albert
Goshman were the angels of magic for him because they convinced him that there was such a thing as misdirection.
Dani: Hofzinser. Juan: Hands down and without any doubt the absolute and
complete genius of card magic, especially as a designer of effects.
Dani: Robert-Houdin . Juan: The one who completely and absolutely revolutioni-
zed the style of magic and the way in which connect with our audience. Dani: Juan Tamariz . Juan: My fondest desire for him is that he continue enjo-
ying magic.
Dani: Wrapping things up, what’s left for you to accom-
plish? Juan: Everything! Several years ago I asked myself the
personified.
same question and I wrote down a list of things that needed to be done: learn this trick, write this and that, have a conversation with that person I had yet to meet, spend a month with Patrick Page learning magic. magic. I think that that if there is a living master of magic, and I think there t here are three or four, he is one of them. Writing everything down I realized that I would need three or four years to do all that and not three or four months. I thought a bit more. When I checked my list li st I realized that I would need three or four reincarnations. (Laughter) It’s a good thing that I know that my next reincarnation will be as a magician and sometime later I’ll be a pianist. Do you know who I was in a previous life? Malini. I was also a magician in a previous incarnation, but I don’t want to tell the full story because we would have problems. In another incarnation I was Donald Duck, but that was a long time ago. (More laughter)
Dani: Arturo de Ascanio
Dani: Do you have any thought about future publications.
Juan: The great guru of magic. He enchants you with his
You said you wanted to publish some new material on The Tamariz Perpendicular Control.
Juan: Robert-Houdin Robert-Houdin was multi-faceted. When it came to
stage illusions he was the master. His Antonio Diavolo has elements of indescribable beauty. The Pastry Cook is a work of art. It is pure magic. The original Ethereal SuspenSuspension is much better than today’s version. It used only one cane and his gimmick was much more complex than today’s gimmick. Using ether as a theme t heme back then was a stroke of genius. He also created a number of amazing effects with cards. Dani: Let’s play a game of free association. association. I’ll name name a
famous magician of the past and you tell me the first thing that pops into your mind. Dai Vernon . Juan: A passion for magic. Living, breathing magic. Magic
words. He creates marvelous devotees and students. The depth of his ideas reached as far as his very marrow.
Dani: Frakson . Juan: The angel of magic—magic transformed into perfect
art—fascinating beyond belief!
Dani: Marlo. Juan: I never met him in person, but he wrote me a letter.
I am familiar with all the techniques in his books. Dani: Slydini.
Juan: Magic so powerful that it almost frightens you! He
Juan: Finish Arco Iris since I have been working on it for
more than thirty years. I have several effects that I would include in Flamenco, Tango and Fugue. One of the sections would be A Concert for Two Gamblers that would explain the sketches I did with Pepe Carroll, plus an additional one. Another book would be called Compositions that would deal with how to compose magic. Another book would deal with surprise and laughter and would contain material from all my lectures on magic and humor. Another would be Magical Travels. I have already published that material in the newsletters of the Escuela Mágica de Madrid, so it would be a question of just gathering that material together. Redo the history of card magic that I
published in installments and bring it up to date. There are hundreds of effects that have occurred to me and I have spent a number of years improving them, but I don’t have enough time to try them out. I would also like to give lectures, visit with magicians, study history. This conversation has made me realize that I don’t need four reincarnations. I need forty. Dani: Do you have a new lecture in mind? In
Cádiz I heard you talking about magic veils. Juan: Instead of lectures I do seminars that begin
at six in the afternoon and end at six in the morning. I discuss elements of magic that are common to all artists and interpreters and that work perfectly to guarantee that the art gets transmitted, reaches its intended audience and generates emotions, but I am not quite sure how the audience receives those transmissions. It’s almost as if they innately sensed s ensed it. They just seem to feel it. It’s a mysterious process and I think it’s as if the elements of the process were covered by a veil and reach their target. Dani: I know it’s off topic, but a few years ago at Las
Jornadas del Escorial the subject was visual and nonvisual magic. Where do you stand on that issue? Which of the two is more effective? Juan: I have no fixed opinion so I tend to vacillate between
the two. There are mental magic effects that have blown my mind and visual effects that have completely enchanted me. I think the strongest effects are the ones that affect the mind and that visual effects are the most surprising and unexpected. I think if we compare it to a meal, mental effects would be the appetizers, the soup, the fish and the dessert. The visual effects would be those elements that accompany the meal like the salad, the salt, the pepper, the flavors and the glass of wine. Whether I am watching them or performing them I have to say that mental effects are more magical for me. Those effects may have a mental structure that favors them over the visual. Hofzinser has many mental mental effects. He presents the traveling traveling cards as a mental effect. The spectator deals eleven cards onto his
ist ian t iz and Chr rt O r a D i n a D , z mar i t iz . Juan T a rt aO r D i n a D y b agic . P hot os ng about m i k k l a t m o l b E ng
hand, another calls a number and when the cards are counted again that number of cards have traveled. All his patter is structured in such a way that the value of a card is not changed by rubbing it, but rather by having a woman cast her gaze on the card. For me the issue is still a bit murky and I don’t think there is a definitive answer. There are many different factors involved. For example, there are some people who are extremely visual. Dani: I would love to interview you about emotions and memory. Juan: In Arco Iris Mágico there are many in-depth chapters about emotions and memory and they are both very complex and very boring. Dani: What question do you wish that I had asked you? Juan: I think it would be which sexual techniques are my strong point. However, I wouldn’t answer your question. (Laughter)
Mnemonica
Tamariz
J
ust over 20 years ago, the vast majority of magicians of the world considered the mnemonic deck to be a memorized learned (costly) order which only served to divine cards. Over the last slightly less than 10 years, I believe that there isn’t a country where the magicians don’t know, use, study or work with a mnemonic deck and believe that it is one of the most potent “magical tools” that exist for the card magician or mentalist. Moreover, practically everyone considers the mnemonic deck synonymous with just one standard order, used worldwide, that starts with the four of clubs and ends with the nine of diamonds… This is a tiny article about what has happened over those 10 years. GENESIS:
The Conference of the Escorial (mee( meetings organized by the Magic School of Madrid, under the baton of Juan Tamariz, where some lucky card magicians join yearly to work on and present related themes) was started in 1974. In 1979, in a still sti ll unexplored era, when there were many themes to analyze and study, a work about the “memorized deck” was proposed. Juan Tamariz, probably influenced by the first mnemonic properties (Simon Aronson in the lead), created a pair of arrangements in this style: The deck was arranged such that apart from being memorized, also served to do certain tricks which left the deck in the prepared order. In 1980, in the circular of the same Magic School of Madrid, Luis Garcia, published his, now mythical, “Rite of Initiation.” Such was the enthusiasm it caused in Juan that it lead him to
study for a couple of months the trick, publishing an article in which with each letter of the alphabet, he presented 26 new ideas about the “Rite of Initiation.” One of those was to memorize the entire deck in a moment that seems messy to use as a mnemonic deck. So the months passed and more ideas and articles came to “The Circular.” From the study of that trick, Juan had developed a whole system of making faros with deals on the table (the antifaros), and an order, among many others that were discarded, which emerged as an ideal mnemonic deck. So was born the super-mnemonica and Juan Tamariz, with the spark of “Rite of Initiation” had created a whole routine around it, they promised happily, announcing a book about this mnemonic deck that would be published shortly (and we are talking about 1982). THE BOOK:
However, as if it were a fine wine, the However, bottle of Mnemonica wasn’t uncorked too early, but was subjected to a “breeding” of nearly 20 years. Juan made constant use of it, polishing it, tuning it but also making it known slowly and sparingly. There came a time when some of the magicians from Spain knew and used the stack without knowing exactly how to make it nor how many properties it had. Finally, the “Symphony in Mnemonica Major” was published in castillian Spanish in 2000 uncovering all the secrets it had. The impact it had on some magicians (among whom I include myself) almost defined our new style when it came to magic. It was something new, distinct, amazing. I remember that every time I read and reread the book, that I tackled a new trick or property, this nuan-
ced and refined work of Juan on this invaded me with a profound sentiment of gratitude that I don’t know if I’ve ever expressed personally, but I’ll take the opportunity to do so here. Juan not only gave us his tricks with this book, but his life over 20 years, and he did it with overwhelming honesty and generosity. In 2004 the book was published in English, and it was the final blow which triggered the stack, that Tamariz had created in one night of study at his house, to spread like wildfire and become the world standard of stacked decks. Today it is habitual that in any country of the world, you can ask a magician for a deck and receive it in Tamariz’ stack, Mnemonica. WHY TAMARIZ?:
Sometimes I have wondered about other mnemonic decks, alternatives to Juans’. The Nicola, Ireland… Aronson Aronson in the 70’s developed a stack that became extremely popular amongst users of ordered decks in the US. How did Juan convince half the world to use his? I too created my own stack, however I still recommend to magicians that they begin with Juan’s Mnemonica, precisely because it is the standard. What has Tamariz done with Mnemonica that has made it a reference, eclipsing all the others? I believe there are various factors, both in the management of the stack as from Juan himself who contributed to make this happen. In my view: - Properties. Juan’s Mnemonica has incredible internal properties, you can form it from a new deck, use it as a stay-stack/mirror deck, you can return
Woody Aragón to new deck order… These far exceed the characteristics of their “competitors.” - Passion. Forming a routine with this deck because of Rite of Initiation was an authentic obsession (holy obsession) for Juan during the development. His articles in “The Circular” show a passionate, excited Tamariz, and this spirit has passed into his stack, his tricks and his routines. It is difficult to study Mnemonica without being caught up in his passion. - Exploitation. One of the many qualities of Juan is enjoying when they’ve explored his topics to the maximum study. Using his genius and great knowledge, he has squeezed the possibilities of his stack to the last drop placing in the hands of Mnemonica magicians hundreds of tricks with just one stack. - Practicality. Juan is also an excellent professional magician and the routines are all triumphant in front of the public, deceptive for magicians, practical, often terminating with the deck reordered once again, etc...
- Tamariz as the maestro. I feel fortunate to have shared many years meeting almost weekly and have lived many nights in Madrid, with others (Ricardo Rodriguez, Gea, Alejandro Furdnajiev, Manuel Vera…), enjoying him as a maestro, communicating his experience, it is contagious and transmits his own personal legacy. Today, Juan is a Maestro and whether directly or indirectly, he is that to almost all magicians. His value as such, is added to his enormous ability as a writer, and
him with total admiration and most of them say they consider him the best magician in the world. It isn’t difficult then to understand, that when Mnemonica was published in English, the international magic world went crazy with respect. The fact that the first edition of Mnemonica, published by the Hermetic Press, sold out within 24 hours, attests to the interest there was for Juan’s stack.
Juan Tamariz Tamariz doing trick with mnemonica.
- Tamariz as interpreter. He is a reference, and he greatly encourages the presentation of tricks he has created, imitated, watched grow and he communicates that. If someone has seen Juan do his “diviniation by telephone” and isn’t dying to study Mnemonica, tell me.
those things help to make his books and videos a constant source of knowledge and inspiration. Let's also highlight the work done by Rafael Benetar with the translation of the book into English. International Figure. It doesn’t matter which country he travels to. If you say “Juan Tamariz,” Tamariz,” all magicians magic ians speak of
ENDING:
A few years ago, a friend asked me “do you believe that Juan will be remembered for the mnemonic magic?” Sincerely, I believe not, because Mnemonica represents only a small part of what there is to Juan, but, as Conan says, that is another history.
CARD MAGIC
Mnemonica Tamar amariz iz THREE TRICKS WITH THE TAMARIZ STACK (Mnemonica) The imaginary (Brainwa (Brainwave) ve) Juan Tamariz
T
his trick was published for the first time in “the Circular” of the Magic School of Madrid, as an idea explained with the imagination and mnemonica, on page 237, August 1993. We will use a deck with a blue back. Second from the top, we have a red backed card, face up. The deck is set this way, inside the box. As we begin this trick, we ask that a spectator names a card. Imagine that they name the two of spades, which in Mnemonica corresponds to the 10th position. Take the deck out of the box, face up. Cut approximately 15 cards more than the position number of the named card. In our example 10 (2 of spades) + 15 = 25 (5 of diamonds) cards.
Continue turning cards one by one, face down, onto the table, apparently searching searching for the 2S. As you arrive at the Queen of hearts (Position 11), do a double deal and deal two as one, on top of the packet formed on the table. At this moment, stop. Spread the rest of the cards between the hands, and find in the center a red backed card, face down. Surprise! Take Take it out and leave it on the packet on the table (on top of the 2S). Spread the packet in the hands, on top of the table, face up, searching for the two t wo of spade, which you cannot find. Take Take then the packet on the table, turn two as one, showing that the red backed card is (appears to be) the two of spades (the named card). NOTE: If the red card were in reality a double backed card (with a red and blue side), the final turnover, could be even cleaner.
The Toledan Carbuquillo Woody Aragón
I
n “Cosas Mias (My things)” I published a property of the riffle shuffle which I named, half jokingly, half seriously, “the new Gilbreath principle,” for having come upon it while studying the Gilbreath concept, but detached from the idea of various series. The final result was a utilitarian principle that I use habitually in a few divination routines (The Lemon Pear), or poker. This is an application of this trick by Juan “The Carbuquillo” that I thought of as homage to him. I maintain the same presentation, but it provides a few interesting things and I think you’ll like it because, even though it loses the free cut by the spectator, it avoids calculations, you don’t have to have a full deck stack and it isn’t necessary to look at any card in the deck. Additionally, the spectator deals in a very free way. EFFECT
The original trick. If you don’t know it, I point you to “Carbuquillo,” page 119 of Juan's book “Symphony in Mnemonic Major. PREPARATION
For this trick, we only need to have the first 20 cards of Mnemonica. DEVELOPMENT
After a trick with half of Mnemonica or the like, in which the audience has seen clearly that you really shuffled the bot-
tom 32 cards, we speak to them of the “Toledan Carbuquillo” outraged that they don’t know him. While we speak, we do the following shuffle control. Starting in a dealing position, with the deck in the left hand, as usual, the right hand cuts a packet between 30-40 cards car ds (from the bottom) and takes it in the position to overhand shuffle. Now, peel 10 cards singly onto the packet which we left in the left hand. Throw the remainder of the right hand packet on top, while obtaining a break with the left pinky between the two packets. We ask a spectator who knows how to “casino shuffle” (which is to say say,, a riffle shuffle, without saying it explicitly) to help us. We separate both packets at the break and place them in front of one another so that they can perform a shuffle. At this moment, on top of one packet are the cards from 11-20 and the other has the cards 10 to 1 (that is the first 10 cards, but in reverse order). Once they have mixed (except if we’re doing it for magicians, in which case it’s better to deal directly from the top) we ask that they cut freely and we “mark the point of the cut” performing the classic criss-cross cut force. Ask them to, from the point of the cut, to form “two hands of 5 cards in each one.” That is to say, take 5 cards and 5 cards, but making sure that they don’t deal one by one, or all five together. The spectator has the liberty of placing the first three cards in one hand, 2 in the other, then one more in the first, then two, etc… The only thing we must be aware
off, is into which hand will the last card (10th) be dealt, since it is our key card. It is important to not to tell the spectator which hand will be whose, but simply to form two fivecard hands. Now, with the magicians force (“point to one of the two hands…”) we are going to force the hand which doesn’t have our key card. We take the other hand, look at it and see the key card. This card tells us which 10 cards are in play. play. If the card is < 10 in stack, it’ll be the ten cards from the card we glimpse. If it is > 10 in stack, it’ll be the ten cards leading up to that card. That is to say, if the key card (remember this is the last card dealt) is the Ace of Spades
(7) the cards are in the range from 7 – 16. If the key card is the Queen of Clubs (13), we say that the cards are from 13-4. This way, we can follow the original presentation of Juan’s trick, but without the need to calculate anything. anything. We simply go about naming cards in the normal or reverse order from the key card point and keeping in mind that, obviously, the cards we have, the spectators don’t have and vice versa .
Subtracting is better than adding Luis Otero
I
t’s been a few years that I’ve used and studied Juan’s Mnemonica and each time I enjoy it more, that which can be achieved using it is fascinating. One of the reasons I chose Juan’s stack is the particularity of doing four faros, which is to say, halfway to new order. But the system to get into stack never convinced me and it didn’t adapt to my manner of doing magic. I searched a long time for a way to achieve it through an effect and without the necessity to peel 26 cards (ie reverse their order) after doing an antifaro which wasn’t justifiable. What I will describe now is the solution I found, which isn’t just a great effect, but also simplifies and justifies all actions. EFFECT
Two cards are chosen and lost in the deck, without touching the deck anymore the magician gives instructions to the spectator to deal into two piles according to the sum of the two chosen cards and that they turn the top two cards of the piles face up, which are two indifferent cards, the sum of these two are dealt again and the two new cards are turned face up which also indicate nothing, but now you subtract the value of these and the product is dealt into two piles, which upon turning over the top cards of the two piles are the chosen values, BUT WITH INVERTED COLORS, subtracting one more time the cards and dealing the product as before, results in each pile having the two chosen cards, demonstrating that in magic, subtraction is much better than addition!! PREPARATION
A full deck, stacked in Mnemonica. METHOD
We need to force the King of Diamonds, and the 2 of Clubs (26 and 27) I use a timing force, allowing cards to fall until I reach the break. However, whichever force which retains the cards in position will work perfectly well, the important thing is that the two spectators now have in mind a card. The next step is to cut the 9C to the top and the AC to the bottom. I simply glance at the cards and cut, though you could estimate (we know they’re at the 43rd and 44th positions) or sometimes I simply do it before starting, force the two cards, and everything is prepared. At this moment, you may do false shuffles, however I particularly prefer the feeling that having chosen the cards, the deck is closed and not touched, but this I leave to your judgment. judgm ent. We hand the deck to a specta spectator tor and expla explain in that that “in Art, less is more, therefore subtraction is better than addition” and we’re going to demonstrate it. it . Ask the two spec-
tators who chose cards, to sum the value of both and tell you it (the J, Q and K are all worth 10 to not confuse anyone), the sum will naturally give you 12 (k=10 + 2 = 12) Now ask the spectator who has the deck to deal 12 cards, but into two piles, beginning on the left and afterwards the right, which is to say we now have two piles of 6 cards side by side on the table. Ask them to turn over the top card of each pile, the 2H and the 7D. We ask if these are the chosen cards, of course, they aren’t, and we mention that this is why we added. One more demonstration, we add now the two cards that were just turned over (7+2 ( 7+2 = 9) and place them on top of their corresponding piles face down and deal the nine cards onto the existing piles, starting on the left pile as before and alternating the deal in the same way. When we turn over the new top cards (3D and the QH) we ask again, and of course they aren’t remotely related to the chosen cards. Now we will wil l fix this, we will SUBTRACT, SUBTRACT, subtract now the 2 cards (Q=10 – 3 = 7) and ask they deal the 7 cards just as before, but this time, starting on the right pile (because last time was an odd number and we ended on the left side), As they finish, ask for the first time what were their chosen cards, as they name them, turn over the top cards, which are the KC and the 2D, the values are perfect matches but the suits are inverted, here the effect begins to take shape! Now to end, we subtract the two cards again (K=10 – 2 = 8) and we deal the 8 cards, this time again starting on the right and turning over the top two cards, which are exactly the chosen ones, demonstrating the theory of the title of this effect. To return to the 4-Faro position: Now, it is very sensible to do so, we only have to take the pile on the right (the one with the 2C on top) and place it on top of the left pile, from this new pile we only have to peel 10 cards from top to the left hand and the rest are placed on top, afterwards place everything on top of the rest of the cards the spectator is holding. At this moment, the deck is in “mirror stack” and moreover, ready to return to new order after 4 faros. It is worth mentioning that in this effect after forcing the cards, the magician doesn’t touch the deck, on the other hand there is no need to change a single cards’ place to make the trick work, it just works. I suppose what is the most interesting to me is the simplified way to arrive at the t he 4-faro’d deck. In attempting the effect, you can clearly visualize how simple and effective it is. If you use Mnemonica, I am sure that you will find it very useful as it has served me well."
