52 Friends
52 Friends
The erudite, highly skilled magician and actor Ricky Jay once had a show titled ‘Ricky Jay and his 52 assistants.’ The 52 assistants of course were the 52 cards from a deck. I’ve always liked that show title. The playing cards are the assistants? Surely that implies that the cards themselves are doing work in the show? Isn’t it the Magician that does the work?
Well, yes, the magician is bringing the skill but the cards are the instrument and the instrument can be made to make beautiful sounds. Ricky Jay brought skill in spades (pun fully intended of course. I love a good pun so look out for more in this particular blog.)
In Ricky Jay’s hands a deck of cards did indeed seem to behave like a beautiful instrument. He handled them with an elegance and a lightness of touch that only a master can have. He does not fumble as he shuffles and he does not hold the pack like it’s a brick, the pack rests gently and naturally in the hands and each individual card WANTS to be dealt from the deck by the experienced hands of a master. When a master deals a card and an amateur deals a card from that same deck you know the difference. You may not see the technique but the years of experience vs the lack of experience is telegraphed to even those unfamiliar with playing cards. You just ‘know.’
The feel of a pack of cards, the weight, the sound as they are weaved together in a riffle shuffle, the audible snap of each individual card as it is dealt to a table, knowing how they bend and the unique ways that they can warp…These are just some of the things that a professional magician understands about their instrument, the deck of cards.
Isn’t all this a bit haughty? I mean it’s a deck of cards for crying out loud, not a Stradivarius. Well, think of it this way. If you’re familiar with the glut (pun!) of cooking shows on T.V. you will surely have heard countless chefs talking about ‘respecting the ingredients.’ Whether it’s an expensive turbot or a button mushroom, you must treat them with equal respect. It’s that kind of love, care and attention that they put into the dish that is felt by the customer at the other end. Same with cards. A respect for the cards, love and attention to detail, a passion for those 52 ingredients, that’s what helps produce a tasty magic trick.
I’m going to use another example. This one will strike a chord with musicians (PUN!). If you play a particular instrument day in and day out and over years you are putting your heart and soul into working with it and believe it or not an emotional bond is created between you and your instrument. It becomes something ‘more.’
I feel the same way about a pack of cards. Yes, a pack of cards doesn’t last the same way a guitar will, especially for a performing professional magician such as myself, I go through an incredible number of packs in a month. However, opening up each brand new deck is like getting a new guitar all over again. I have new cards, in great condition, ready for my hands and I’m bringing a level of knowledge and skill and respect to handling this new deck that I learned from the last one and from the literally thousands of decks before that.
So if you book me to perform magic for your event and I bring out a deck of cards, then rest assured, the magic trick you are about to see will be delivered with skill, passion, a respect for the 52 assistants and if you’re very lucky…And I mean VERY lucky…a pun. 😉
Caolan x
