When I’m out performing at fairs in the summer, I can have a lot of down time in between shows. I try to be productive during those times. Last week I bought a ton of clocks and spent some time between shows gimmicking them!
I ended up being a photo opp for all the other performers as it looked like I had a little sweat shop going!
Using that bonus time I have during the day frees me up later in the day to do other things!
-Louie
Today’s guest on the Moisture fest podcast is hilarious comedian Kermet Apio. We discuss how he got into comedy, what his kids think of his career and how he ended up winning one of the most prestigious, comedy competitions in all of North America.
We also discuss how a comedian might prepare for performing at the Moisture Festival and the differences between it and a comedy club audience. A great conversation with one of the great comedians in the northwest.
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The best version of the princess card trick is Limited Edition by Gordon Bean. Having the thought of card disappear really solved the biggest problem with the trick, that’s that you couldn’t show the card they picked. When their card turns blank, it makes sense!
I just came across Disappeared Thought in magic junk bin purchase and I think it’s a better solution from a method standpoint to the effect in Limited Edition. One of the cool things about Mathieu’s method is that it allows you to show the full front and back of all the cards.
Here’s Mathieu Bich’s Disappeared Thought:
@louiefoxx Mind reading card trick! Think of a card and I'll make it disappear! #mindreading #psychic #readmymind #cardtrick #cardmagic #disappearingcard #mentalism #louiefoxx #iknowwhatyourethinking ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx
That got me thinking, what if I reversed the trick, so all the cards disappeared, and that led me to a strange trick, that would probably only be interesting to magicians.
Here’s the version that I came up with:
The ending with the 52 on 1 card isn’t a strong enough gag for a real audience, however I think it would do well for a group of magicians.
-Louie
This week the Moisture Festival Podcast welcomes in actor, boxer and tap dancer Joe Orrach!
In this episode we talk to Joe about taking ballet classes in between making deliveries when he was younger to his current outreach where his builds self esteem with ex gang members!
This is a fantastic interview with an incredible person!
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The new version of Applause Please is now available at Hocus-Pocus.com! Right now there are only five units available and they have them all, so if you want one, be sure to order one now!
I don’t know when I’ll be able to get more of these made. I probably won’t have time to make any more until after the summer.
Applause Please 2: The Encore Applause Please has been a hit of Louie Foxx’s show for about a decade! After releasing it to the magic community 8 years ago, the prop has gone through many changes based on feedback from magicians who use the trick and Louie’s pleased offer Applause Please 2: The Encore!
Louie has performed it for kids, adults and everything in between at libraries, school assemblies, comedy clubs, theaters, and on cruise ships! The basic effect is you use an applause sign that lights up when you step on the foot switch throughout your show. During your show something disappears and reappears inside the lightbulb inside of the applause sign!
The Applause Sign and base have been redesigned by MagicCrafter and built in high quality wood. The remote control units have been upgrade to be completely battery powered, so you don’t need to plug it into a wall, this makes it much more versatile than the original version!
Warm Up:
You show an applause sign and light it up by stepping on a switch and the audience claps. When you look away the sign lights up on its own and the audience applauds. The applause surprises you and you look back at the sign just as it turns itself off. This comedy “look don’t see” bit is repeated until the audience is warmed up and ready for the show!Routine 1:
An applause sign is utilized throughout your show. During your show, you pour a bottle of juice into a folded up newspaper and the liquid vanishes! You step on the foot switch to turn on the applause sign and it DOESN’T light up. When you open it up the light bulb inside is FULL of the juice that just disappeared! You twist the end off the light bulb and pour the juice out!Routine 2:
An applause sign is utilized throughout your show. You show a handkerchief, and it changes color from Red to Yellow. You then teach the audience how the trick works and reveal that there are two handkerchiefs. You demonstrate the trick again, while “teaching” how the trick works and at the end the red handkerchief has vanished! You step on the foot switch to turn on the applause sign and it DOESN’T light up. When you open it up the light bulb inside is the missing red handkerchief!Bonus effect 1:
An applause sign is utilized throughout your show. At some point during your show, you make a red handkerchief disappear! You step on the foot switch to turn on the applause sign and it DOESN’T light up. When you open it up the light bulb inside is the missing red handkerchief!Bonus effect 2:
You borrow a dollar bill and have it signed, it ends up inside the lightbulb of the applause sign! You get video of a routine that Louie did for a library tour almost a decade ago. The method isn’t taught, but if you own a thumb tip, you can figure it out and is included as another example of a routine you can do where an object reappears in a lightbulb.You get:
– Remote controlled applause sign!
– Plastic lightbulb with 2 bases (one for liquid and one for the silk routines)
– Flash drive with instructional video
– 9v battery
– Evaporation liquid vanishing trick (sports drink style bottle)
– Dye tube
– Yellow and red silksYou get everything you need to put Applause Please 2: The Encore into your show right away!
This is currently only available from Hocus-Pocus.com
-Louie
The other day my wife said I should try wearing vests when I perform. I happened to have one from a suit, so I gave it a try at a show:
I’m not totally sold on the idea of wearing a vest when I perform. I think I need something that’s a bit fancier (?) than this one, or one that visually pops a bit more. I think the outfit I tried makes me look like a waiter. Maybe I should add some piping that’s a different color?
Whether or not I continue down the vest path, the important thing is that I tried something new…
-Louie
On this episode of the Moisture Festival Podcast we welcome in poet Peter Paul Van Camp. Peter tells us about how he got inspired to start writing poetry and how his desire to share it with people led him to move to Canada.
We discuss his love for birds, his short lived tv show and hear some great stories from 50 years in the entertainment industry. A great conversation with one of the more unique acts at the Moisture Festival.
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A couple of days I was doing my morning writing and my brain had stalled out and was really having a hard time, then I noticed a cardboard tube on the table. This is a small tube that is in the center of the bags for our dog’s poop.
I’ve spent a couple of days brainstorming ideas with the tube, here’s my favorite:
I like it, the thing I want to change is instead of a wooden dowel inside, I think I want to use a metal rod. Using a metal rod will help with the switch as I can use a magnet as a hold out.
-Louie
When I was performing at the fair last week and had to deal with a sound system that only had one line in, I managed to make it work. I ended up using the Zoom recorder that I use for podcasts as the mixer. That’s a decent emergency solution, but I’d rather not have that expensive recorder cooking in the sun all day.
I ordered this little audio mixer and it seems to work well so far at home.
It’s not much bigger than two decks of cards and can run off of USB power. It’s got four channels, which is one more than I need. I haven’t tried it in a live show yet, so I don’t know how well it will work in the real world, but I’m hoping it’s a good solution!
-Louie
I was going through my list of ideas to record for Tik Tok and one of them was going to the park and recording my Tennis Ball to Confetti. That trick wasn’t a priority, until I noticed that today is National Play Tennis Day. Obviously that make the trick a perfect fit for the day!
@louiefoxx Tennis anyone? #tennis #nationalplaytennisday #magictrick #magician #louiefoxx #confetti #suprise #tenniscourt #ballmagictrick #bigfootshirt #magic ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx
I really enjoy the trick, it’s fun for me to perform!
-Louie
