Since I normally favor technique over props, I have long relied on a classic technique to divulge the necessary information, a variation of the center tear by Allan Zingg from his excellent “Master Billet Course.” Zingg’s technique uncovers the information as you perform the tear. When you immediately throw the torn pieces of the business card down onto the table or toss them away, you are done. And best of all, the intact information is destroyed.
On a “Tear”
I love the Zingg technique and it has served me well. However, I have encountered problems in some of my performance situations:
1. One of my restaurants features low lighting and is rather dark. As a result, there have been several instances where I couldn’t adequately see to perform the dirty work.
2. At times, when spectators have to write in the limited space required of the technique, the writing can be indecipherable.
And there’s the issue of the business cards. My cards are printed on stock that is too heavy to easily tear. As a result, I have to print cards on lightweight stock and carry these around for the effect.
The Wallet
With these drawbacks, I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to look into a prop to assist with the dirty work. In this case, a gimmicked wallet. For the past two weeks, I’ve been using Wayne Dobson’s “Glimpse” wallet and it’s been working great. While I’m not ready to give up the center tear for many situations, I now believe in the wallet.
Here’s what I’ve discovered after working with the wallet:
1. Spectators can write on almost the entire back surface of the business card so the writing is easy to read. I ask spectators to write in large letters so others at the table can see what they’ve written down so this is completely justified. This has solved the problem of the small writing.
2. The momentary “glimpse,” the dirty work, is well justified and with the larger writing space, I have not encountered a situation where I could not make things out.
3. Since I don’t tear-up my business card, at the end of the trick, I can give away my card with the spectator’s writing on it as a souvenir. A nice bit of marketing.
4. The wallet can conveniently hold all of my business cards for the effect and everything is in a single place. With the wallet already holding my business cards, it makes sense to use the wallet in the effect.
5. The wallet allows me to use my regular business cards that are printed on heavy stock. These look far more professional than the versions that I printed from my computer to perform the tear.
I know that I will always favor technique over a prop, However, the prop, in this case a gimmicked wallet, looks to be the better choice for most of my performance situations. I’m planning to thoroughly make use of the wallet and this analysis just goes to show that it’s always the performance situation and the audience that should drive the method.
”Thought Transmitter”
By the way, this discussion probably merits a brief look at the well known “Thought Transmitter” device that can accomplish a similar objective. Based on my experience with the device, I see the following considerable negatives:
1. The device is too clunky and cumbersome for me to want to carry around in my strolling sets.
2. Many of the ads don’t tell you about the need for special battery packs that become depleted and can only be ordered from the manufacturer. I don’t want to rely on a battery-driven device that can fail at any time.
3. In the low-light situations at my restaurants, the “Thought Transmitter” is just not practical as its use would expose the method.
I think that the “Thought Transmitter” is a clever, well designed device, however, it’s not practical for my close-up situations. And furthermore, I think that other approaches are just as effective.
