Bound And Gagged!

It’s April, so we start a new month, hot on the heels of a very exciting escapology-themed month. I’m not one to play any April Fool’s gags this year, so let’s just theme April as the “comedy month”, which I do believe suits our purposes very well.

Without further ado, I’m republishing with a few minor tweaks a piece I wrote about the magician duo that I’ve admired and respected the most over the past couple of years…

.:91/365: Penn And Teller:.

Made for each other.

Who They Are: The Origins

According to Wikipedia, Penn Jillette and Raymond Teller have been at it since the early to mid-80’s as a duo magic and comedy act. They were initially a trio act in the 70’s along with Weir Chrisimer, but it was Penn and Teller as a duo that really made waves in the world of magic.

Known as “the bad boys of magic”, as well as “the tall, loud guy, with the short guy who never talks”, Penn and Teller took the magic world by storm with their cutting edge act. You see, unlike most other magicians, they are unabashedly opinionated (Penn and Teller are libertarians and atheists.), and when they’re on TV, they’re not always doing magic. Penn is a raconteur (A storyteller.), an accomplished juggler, and even knows how to play bass. Teller is a master of sleight of hand, and mime performances. There’s something about Teller’s amazing facial reactions that draw you to his performance despite his never having to say a single word.

Penn and Teller have had numerous TV specials, and lots of guestings. They are headliners in Las Vegas, and have an act comprised of amazing feats like the two-man bullet catch, cups and balls with transparent cups, and a host of other effects they’ve managed to tailor for their show. I’d love to link you to clips of these acts, but I think you should look for them yourself, because they are just splendid things of beauty.

What They Mean To The Industry: Polarizing

As opinionated and as high profile as these two are, they have earned the respect and ire of the magic community, insofar as their acts have garnered a lot of attention for its inherent shock value, and cruel humor, as you will see below. I’m merely reposting a video I put up for your amusement the last time, but I do believe it bears repeating.

This, along with acts where they would actually expose magic secrets for some of their routines, have earned mixed reactions from people, who either think they’re geniuses or think they’re attention-starved hacks who need cheap thrills and shocks to impress people. They’ve taken shots at other magicians like Paul Daniels, and are very opposed to quacks like John Edward, going as far as to exposing certain methods other performers also employ in their performances just to discredit him. The fact that they are very good friends with the Amazing Randi should tip you off that they’re prone to that.

No matter how polarizing the opinions may be when it comes to Penn and Teller, one thing can’t be denied: they have made their mark on the history of magic, and few tandem acts can ever approach the kind of energy and dynamism Penn and Teller inject into their performance, no matter how mundane an effect may seem to be. As a duo act, they are one of those quintessential yardsticks by which other duo acts must peg themselves against, and among comedy performers, they are quite amazing in that department as well.

What They Mean To Me: Tandem Par Excellence

As a performer, I believe that I have a long way to go in the realm of comedy. I may be a member of the Comedy Cartel, but I recognize that my yearlong body of work in standup comedy is just a miniscule drop compared to what the likes of a Mike Unson or a Tim Tayag have accomplished. I can and do inject humor even during some of my magic routines, but it’s never been the other centerpiece of my act (The first, of course, being the routines I do themselves.). I can talk, given my experience in radio and in debate, and I can hold my own for a bit in improv, but I really don’t think of myself as a comedic genius, especially not since mentalism has to have some realism and seriousness attached to it, and I do a lot more of that than magic, since I’m more adept with sleight of mind than sleight of hand, more so now than ever.

As magician comedians, this duo act sets the benchmark, in my opinion. There may be wittier or funnier acts out there, but Penn and Teller broke the mold. Their clash of personalities, their harmony as mouthpiece + performer, and their overall stage presence plainly adds up to one of the most impressive acts I’ve ever witnessed. Watching them, I never fail to laugh at Teller’s physical comedy, and Penn’s ability to just keep rattling off at a hundred miles an hour. They’re a perfect team, and nobody ever outshines the other, by sheer dint of their role division, although of course, being the silent one means Teller didn’t get a radio show when Penn did. Heh.

If I ever had the chance to be a part of a permanent duo act, I wanna be Teller! There’s just something so cool about not having to say a single word and yet holding the audience in the palm of your hands with your riveting performance. These two are among my personal heroes in magic and mentalism, and though this piece was originally written two years ago, my sentiments about Penn and Teller have hardly changed. I still hold them in very high regard, and I believe that they really put magic at a different level that is both low-brow and high-minded at the same time.

Project 365 comedy, heroes of mind and magic, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:90/365: The Crate Escape:.

Let’s cap off Escapology month with a doozy of an escape, known as the Crate Escape, and show a version performed by Cyril Takayama.

Why is this particular escape very appealing? Well, it’s rather simple, really, because escaping from a packing crate after it has been shut down is quite a challenging situation. Now, if you wanted to demonstrate your skill at lockpicking from the inside, it would be interesting if they used some padlocks to slam you inside the box. On the other hand, if you just really wanted to show off how good you are, you can have the whole thing actually nailed shut.

The challenge level is further enhanced the minute you have to escape either while suspended from a burning rope in mid-air, or while you’re tossed into the water. There are many different options when it comes to that, but ultimately, whether you choose to put yourself at risk in this manner, or merely shut yourself behind a curtain and attempt to escape from behind the curtain, this is a particularly powerful and popular escape act that – believe it or not – wouldn’t cost you that much.

It’s rather economical to have a packing crate constructed for your needs, or to simply ask for one from a shipping yard, if needed be. Ultimately, you’re not really restricted from doing such a thing, and that’s definitely going to work to your advantage, to be performing something that plays to a really big crowd for the fraction of the cost of a brand-new full-scale illusion. A simple packing crate that will more likely than not support your full weight is sufficient as a finale, especially when it’s coupled with other challenging items to escape from, such as ropes, handcuffs, or a straightjacket, if needed be.

As the month of April will be welcomed by none other than Penn and Teller, it would probably be good to note this early that they have a particularly humorous albeit sadistic take on the crate escape, and you’ll like that version if I ever manage to find the video online.

March is over and done with, and April Fool’s will be coming tomorrow, but rest assured that the art of escapology will continue to be acknowledged as simply one of the most challenging, at times dangerous, and downright stupefying aspects of magic. That it requires a lot of skill and less of trickery is a great thing, and that there is no need to deal with sceptics and the likes when it comes to the rudiments of escapology is also a plus for the sensitive performer.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:Mafia Wars, Adventure Quest, MMA Pro…:.

I must admit, being occupied with all those games online has managed to kill my social life after work. But whaddaheck? I love it.

So if you happen to be on my Facebook, and you play Mafia Wars, do add me up. If you’re not playing that game, try playing MMA Pro as well. It’s awesome, and I need all the friends I could get to play the game. Heh. Just use the search bar on Facebook, and you’re bound to get it.

.:Getting Back Into The Groove Of Things:.

Had an interesting weekend filled with Magic: The Gathering tournaments. I played out a Legacy and Vintage tourney, and made a decent showing out of it, as I came in 16th in a field of 63 in Legacy, then made it into the top 4 in the Vintage tournament, bowing out to Lance, the eventual champion of the day, who was using Tezzeret.

All in all, it was a pretty good outing, and I hope to write a detailed tournament report if and when I find the time. I may forget some names and which deck I fought on which round, but it should be a pretty insightful look into how my thought processes generally work when playing.

In all honesty, I still feel very rusty and my play level isn’t at the same high level it used to be. Despite that, I’ve been re-learning my way around the tournament circles, and I’m hoping to find opportunities to really make a splash in the local meta once again.

.:89/365: The Bamboo Torture Device:.

As you can tell, a lot of Dixie Dooley’s escapes are mostly classic escape acts he has borrowed mainly from Harry Houdini, although I’m not fully certain that is the case with the Bamboo Torture Device.

The mechanics of the Bamboo Torture Device are a bit more complicated than average, which results in my displeasure with the routine: essentially, the escapologist is restrained via ropes looped through a piece of bamboo, and is held in place by two volunteers who will try to hold onto the ropes with all their might so as to prevent the escapologist from slipping out of the whole apparatus. Then, after a bit of a struggle, he manages to break free from the restraints, and the volunteers have no idea how he managed to get past the ropes and the bamboo.

I still don’t get why it’s called a bamboo “torture” device, in all honesty. There’s no semblance of torture involved even when you describe how the whole thing works, and it just seems patently silly to have to call it so if there is no amount of torture involved in the whole routine whatsoever. Furthermore, even by watching the routine, there seems to be very little room for drama or excitement, and it’s not something I would want to use without making some elaborately funny script about it meant to downplay the fact that out of all the escape acts we’ve shown or described so far this month, this one happens to be the least intimidating or at the very least interesting of them all.

I can’t tell you enough how underwhelming I find the bamboo torture device to be as an escape, although I do recognize that it has its uses, especially in the hands of a good performer, but on its own, the routine cannot get by without a lot of gravy from the escapologist, which I have seen from the likes of Herman Aquino in the past. If he just decided to do it without any flair, it becomes a very rote performance that could be replaced by something far more exciting, but then, this only goes to prove that while effects are important, it’s the performer who can ultimately determine how powerful the impact of a routine really is.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magic the gathering, magikel, project 365 2010, randomicity

.:88/376: Gravity Boots:.

Useful…

Gravity boots are among my favourite items in escapology for suspended challenges because they tend to do a good job of supporting your weight when you’re hoisted upside down to about indoor level or two floors high. Anything higher than that, and I’d strongly recommend you use something else to keep you from falling.

In any case, gravity boots are a very essential tool for escapologists who like suspending themselves upside-down, and an excellent item for exercises and endurance tests that the dedicated escapologist would have to be prepared to undergo. We’ve seen it used by Penn and Teller, Christian Bale in “Batman Begins”, and quite a few other famous people, and it was all the rage in the early 90’s as a fitness fad, the way running happens to be nowadays.

Gravity boots are relatively inexpensive, well-padded, and assure you that you won’t injure your legs when you suspend yourself upside-down. It’s also very cool-looking, and relatively inexpensive for what it does for you. If you’re more comfortable with this than the woven nylon loops, then by all means, go for the gravity boots instead.

Personally, I’m a fan of the item. It’s just unfortunate that they’re not too readily available locally and you’d need to order it online. Nonetheless, it’s a very worthwhile investment, and doubles both as part of an escapologist’s arsenal and as a fitness item.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:87/376: The Houdini Rope Tie:.

Similar to the Siberian Chain Escape, the Houdini Rope Tie is one of those escape routines that’s generally one-shot, although half of this procedure is used in the Gypsy Mystery.

In essence, the thing that makes the Houdini Rope Tie really work and convince people is that you actually ask two volunteers to tie the rope around your wrists as tightly as they conceivably can. After all that effort to secure you into the ropes, with just a simple turn, you demonstrate that you are almost immediately liberated from the ropes with little to no effort.

I doubt you’d want to pair this with the Siberian Chain Escape or the Spirit Rope Tie, but this is a nice opener before you get into the Shanghai Shackles, as it certainly establishes how easy it may be to escape from rope, but prove how “difficult” it is to escape from padlocks instead. The contrast and the absurdity of the actual performance makes for a very synergistic pair of routines, to say the least. It’s pretty entertaining to do a lot of escapes and work your way up in terms of difficulty, while at the same time keeping the laughs going by using various methods, whether sarcasm or genuine frustration while attempting various escapes.

If it weren’t for the fact that I do cut and restored rope routines, I’d have gladly included the Houdini Rope Tie in my performances. But then, since I’m fairly well-known for the cut and restored routines, I figured it makes more sense for me to use ropes for only one purpose than do a whole bunch of things with them. Still, I guess a differently-formatted show could feature a rope escape of epic proportions, and this routine is a nice lead-up to that.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:86/365: The Siberian Chain Escape:.

One of the classics in escapology, the Siberian Chain Escape is like the poor man’s version of the Shanghai Shackles in terms of how menacing and intimidating it looks as an implement of restraint, but functions in much the same way, and lends itself to a whole different variety of gags one can use in performance.

The main difference for the Siberian Chain is that there is a distinct lack of in and out moves one can pull off while performing it simply because of the mechanics involved in this particular escape. I think this is fair enough because this results in a nice variation and break from all the comedy moves that are heavily featured when performing most of the other Spirit escape acts, which of course includes the Shackles as well.

Whether you demonstrate your ability to strike a lock into submission or instantly liberate yourself in full view of the audience, the Siberian Chain has a very exceptional advantage in that it’s very compact to lug along with you, and allows the audience to tighten the chain around you as much as they want, and yet you’d still figure your way out of it in record time.

It’s also a lot cheaper to have made, as just watching the performance, you can almost just take a regular chain leash for a dog, modify it a bit, buy a suitable padlock, and perform it right away, if that’s what you’re so inclined to do.

Ultimately, there are only so many ways to get out of chains and ropes and locks, and it pays to have a wide variety of these items even if the basic mechanics may all be the same in essence. Give this routine another watch, and see if there are any presentation touches you can add that are uniquely your own to make the routine more appropriate for you. As a very inexpensive and fast-paced but one-shot routine, the Siberian chain escape does have its uses, and is perfect in a street setting as well.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:85/365: Knots And Ends:.

Eaaaaggghhh! This is too much pun-ishment!

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:84/365: The Steel Straightjacket:.

While not particularly as dangerous as skydiving and escaping from a straightjacket at the same time, the steel straightjacket visually ups the ante by making it look more and more impossible to break away from. Just looking at the contraption, the normal dexterity skill people can exhibit during regular jacket escapes is thrown away and replaced by a lot of lockpicking skill that is normally never used in such close quarters.

Dixie Dooley’s version of this is particularly engaging because the steel contraption certainly looks very restrictive and intimidating all at the same time. It’s very impressive how he demonstrates his apparent skill in lockpicking, and I like how his eyes tell an intense story without him having to do much else as he goes through his performance. Dixie’s really gifted when it comes to making people take notice of him, and this particular stunt is something that steps up from the standard straightjacket act without having to add any great amount of danger, but certainly adding to the challenge of the escape itself rather safely.

My only gripe with this device is that it needs a lot of custom fitting because it’d be terribly unremarkable if you ordered a steel straightjacket that was simply too big for you. It’d be as clear as day from the get-go if you tried to pass yourself off with that, and if you did the opposite, you might not even be able to fit yourself into the steel straightjacket, to begin with.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:83/365: The Danger Creep Factor:.

You know, escapology is already dangerous enough on its own in a good number of cases. Despite that, when someone manages to do something successfully, there seems to be this insatiable desire to top the previous act, whether by making it more amazing, more fast-paced, or… more dangerous.

First, we had the straightjacket escape. That wasn’t terribly dangerous, but it was certainly a challenging escape, and we’ve seen how someone like Harry Houdini, in order to really escape faster than normal, would actually dislocate his shoulder and the like just to gain enough slack to wriggle his way out of it. Even without any other factors, the straightjacket is already a revered and powerful tool in the escapologist’s arsenal.

Then, they decided to up the ante by making it an upside down escape. It’s still a straightjacket escape, but it’s more dangerous because you can legitimately pass out if it takes you too long to get out of the contraption. There’s also the added danger of the jacket, buckles and all, landing on someone’s face as it plummets down from where you’re hoisted up, not to mention the off-chance that whatever is holding you up malfunctions and you fall to your death.

But no, that wasn’t enough. They decided to put you in a box, submerge you into the cold river, and let you break out of that after you’ve gotten out of your straightjacket. Now, you have to deal with hypothermia or drowning, and plain finding yourself too far out from the shore or the dock by the time you liberate yourself.

And with this particular performance, you now have to escape from a straightjacket, then catch your parachute, then hope to make it to the ground safely, and pray that the jacket doesn’t hit anything valuable, let alone anyone, on its way down at terminal velocity.

Escapology is dangerous. We can’t stress that enough. Unfortunately, the more people see it all, the more performers feel the need to up the ante and make it more and more dangerous than it ever has been. Personally, I find this trend very alarming. Why are we invalidating our insurance policies for a few thousand bucks again?

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010

.:81/365: Criss Angel’s “Daring” Building Escape:.

This much-hyped performance by Criss Angel has got to be one of the most maligned acts in recent memory, to my recollection. I don’t really know if it’s because the escape seemed so contrived, or so needlessly dangerous, or so unbearably reeking of fakeness, or full of logical gaps that appear to be gamed in favour of Angel, but ultimately, this stunt has polarized more people when it comes to Angel, more than any of his other acts.

It’s a simple premise, really. Trap Criss Angel in a condemned building set to be imploded, and see if he can get out in time. Have cameras track as much of this whole stunt as possible, but *conveniently* disappear from covering his escape the moment the building is blown up so as to maintain the suspense.

Yes, you can tell I’m not too big a fan of Criss Angel. Bear with me, though.

Criss Angel manages to safely get away from the whole thing, and lives to fight another day. He takes his applause, and people start talking about how he did it, or if it was even a legitimate escape to begin with. Either way, he has gotten people talking and he has demonstrated a deep appreciation for Harry Houdini in the multiple times he has done escapes or performed magic that Houdini has done during his career, such as making an elephant vanish.

If you watched the video, in reality, there should be no need for Angel to use any trickery, to begin with. Escaping from a building and lockpicking his way out shouldn’t be that difficult for someone supposedly as skilled as he is, because he’s been doing it for years, right? Nonetheless, the choice of shots, the pandering drama, all of it just results in a polarizing outcome where you have half of the people watching genuinely concerned for Angel’s well-being, and the other half morbidly wishing he doesn’t make it out of the building in time because he’s such an insufferable ham.

Still, he has performed a pretty nifty escape act, and for that, I must acknowledge him, whether or not I do like his style. I just wish he’d stop doing these made-for-TV stunts, because it sets back the integrity of TV magic by decades. In an age where special effects are the norm, we’d at least like to prove that what magicians do on TV, they can actually really do live.

Project 365 escapology, magic, magikel, project 365 2010