Another Joke…

Yesterday at the fair a friend of mine watched me show and said he felt like the fishing pole breaking needed more than me just reacting. It needed a joke with a couple of tags. I think he’s right. Currently it breaks, I react and we move on. A verbal joke will get a little … Continue reading “Another Joke…”

Yesterday at the fair a friend of mine watched me show and said he felt like the fishing pole breaking needed more than me just reacting. It needed a joke with a couple of tags. I think he’s right. Currently it breaks, I react and we move on. A verbal joke will get a little more time out of it and make it more worthwhile to carry around.


Here’s what I started saying after I react to the broken pole:
“That’s the last time I buy a fishing pole on Tinder”

Not the best joke, but maybe I could tag it with:
“I should have gotten the one on Plenty of Fish”


The fishing pole doesn’t really serve a purpose other than it breaking right now. I need to remake the reel so that it has a bigger center, so that the few turns that actually happen move in a few feet of yarn. Luckily it’s a prop that doesn’t take up a lot of space in my case.

Advice From Everywhere…

Across from my stage at this fair is a firefighter booth. I know the people that are there pretty well, and they know me and my show pretty well. Yesterday they made a suggestion to my show, and it turned out great. In the show I tell a kid joke. It’s not something I’m proud … Continue reading “Advice From Everywhere…”

Across from my stage at this fair is a firefighter booth. I know the people that are there pretty well, and they know me and my show pretty well. Yesterday they made a suggestion to my show, and it turned out great.


In the show I tell a kid joke. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it fits in the spot in the show. The firefighters suggested that I put in a rim shot after the joke. I downloaded a rim shot and play it after the joke. It got a good response.

I think the rim shot acknowledges that I understand it’s not a good joke. I’ve only done it a couple of times, but I think it’s going to be a keeper. My only worry is that it makes the street joke feel cheesier…

Small Bits Help!

One of the things that’s driving me nuts about this trick with crackers is it makes a mess in my table top box. There’s crackers crumbs everywhere inside it. Then they get stuck to thinks like the rubber balls I use for the three ball routine. It’s not the idea situation. While brainstorming with a … Continue reading “Small Bits Help!”

One of the things that’s driving me nuts about this trick with crackers is it makes a mess in my table top box. There’s crackers crumbs everywhere inside it. Then they get stuck to thinks like the rubber balls I use for the three ball routine. It’s not the idea situation.


While brainstorming with a friend yesterday, he suggested that I put the crackers into a card box. I like the idea, and I can get about seven crackers into a card box, and that’s enough to do the trick. With seven crackers there’s enough to do the trick.


Seven crackers are wedged in there pretty good. I pull out one cracker, then dump out the remaining six crackers. It makes more sense than just pulling out the crackers and illustrates the idea of what’s going to happen more than just bringing out a handfull of crackers.

Seal It Up!!!!

One of the two new routines I’m working on this week is my cracker routine. It’s a card trick with a cracker and it’s got a long way to go, but made some huge strides. Basically it’s card trick with saltine crackers. One of the things that it’s lacked is an ending. The other day … Continue reading “Seal It Up!!!!”

One of the two new routines I’m working on this week is my cracker routine. It’s a card trick with a cracker and it’s got a long way to go, but made some huge strides. Basically it’s card trick with saltine crackers. One of the things that it’s lacked is an ending.


The other day I was having breakfast with some other performers at the fair and we were brainstorming and one of them suggested that at the end the signed cracker reappear inside a sealed cracker packet. I liked the idea, but didn’t think I’d be able to come up with a loading system that would work using the limited tools and materials I have with me.


Luckily I kept my eyes open and saw a pie lid that worked perfectly for what I wanted to do. I built a cracker packet loading device and I’m happy to report that the loader is working great!!!

Keep on Tweakin’

One of the new bits that I added to the show this week was a fishing pole that the reel popped off when someone tried to turn it. It began as an accident when a kid broke my fishing pole, and I decided to turn it into a bit. What I did was epoxy magnets … Continue reading “Keep on Tweakin’”

One of the new bits that I added to the show this week was a fishing pole that the reel popped off when someone tried to turn it. It began as an accident when a kid broke my fishing pole, and I decided to turn it into a bit.


What I did was epoxy magnets to the reel and pole, so when the kid cranked them, they came apart. It was a quick and dirty fix and lasted several days, but last night a kid dropped the reel when it came apart and the magnet popped off. I liked the simplicity of a magnet to make it work, but I didn’t like that the reel didn’t turn at all.


Right now I’ve got the glue drying on the second version of the reel. This one is going to be attached by a snap. I went to the local Walmart and picked up a the biggest snap I could find and epoxy’d it in place. Hopefully the snap will allow the reel to turn a couple times before it pops off . We’ll see how this turns out…

Results of the Tax…

This one new thing a day for the show is a lot of work. Yesterday’s bit where after I give the kid a dollar bill and then give them a tax form to fill out played great and is a keeper. It also makes the trick more magically sound. It gives me a reason to … Continue reading “Results of the Tax…”

This one new thing a day for the show is a lot of work. Yesterday’s bit where after I give the kid a dollar bill and then give them a tax form to fill out played great and is a keeper. It also makes the trick more magically sound. It gives me a reason to reach into my case, where before I was just fiddling in my case.


Today’s bit is a joke. I have a kid draw a picture of me. A joke from the other day was that I show a picture of the last one that was drawn, and it’s a stick figure wearing a dress. That gets a laugh. Today’s addition to that bit is a verbal joke. I’m going to say, “this is like in that movie titanic. Jack, I want you to draw me like one of your french girls”. I’m thinking that will get a laugh.


All in all the routine is making progress, and I’m happy with how it’s grown in 6 days. It’s amazing when you put in the work how much a show can grow, and how quickly it can happen. It just takes a little bit of focus…and a lot shows!

Taxing Them…

I’m not even halfway through the run here at this two week fair and my challenge of getting a new joke or bit each day is already getting pretty hard. Today is the fifth day, and I’ve got an idea for today, but pretty much dried up with ideas as of right now for the … Continue reading “Taxing Them…”

I’m not even halfway through the run here at this two week fair and my challenge of getting a new joke or bit each day is already getting pretty hard. Today is the fifth day, and I’ve got an idea for today, but pretty much dried up with ideas as of right now for the rest of the run.


Today’s idea is going to be with my Object in Ball of Yarn magic trick. I’m going to ask the kid to sign a W-9 tax form to get the dollar bill. I’m also going to try doing a torn and restored bill, instead of just folding to get to the mismade bill. What I’m planning to do is that in lieu of the kid signing the W-9, I have to do some tax withholding. I’ll then tear the bill, and eventually restore it.

Ideally if I end up doing a torn and restored bill in the Object in Ball of Yarn trick, that frees up my mismade bill routine to be used in a different show. That will help me build up my second show.

Another Day, Another New Bit!

Today is the start of the fourth day of coming up with a new bit each day for the show. This is an ambitious goal, coming up with 13 new bits over the next two weeks. The value of doing a ton of shows in a short amount of time is creating material. Yesterday’s bit … Continue reading “Another Day, Another New Bit!”

Today is the start of the fourth day of coming up with a new bit each day for the show. This is an ambitious goal, coming up with 13 new bits over the next two weeks. The value of doing a ton of shows in a short amount of time is creating material.


Yesterday’s bit was my break apart fishing pole. It worked great, it’s a small moment in the longer bit, but a good moment. Right now the two parts are just held together with magnets. I think I’m going to switch the magnets out for large snaps. Snaps will hold better and the person can’t just stick it back on.


Today’s new bit is something simple, but I think it will help out with a struggle I’m having with part of a trick. In the trick I have someone draw a picture of me. The speed bump I’m hitting is people are worried the drawing has to be good. I’m going to have drawing in my case that’s a bad stick drawing. When the person is worried about being able to draw, I’ll show them the “drawing from the last show“. I could tag it with, “and the person that drew it was only four…ty years old“.


Hopefully the that will get a laugh and speed up that moment of the show.

Finding the Silver Lining…

While working on the Object in Ball of Yarn, recently I 3D printed a fishing reel to reel in the yarn. Every time I used it for the first few shows I worked the reel. Yesterday I decided to let a kid reel in the reel. Guess what happened? Within two cranks, the kid snapped … Continue reading “Finding the Silver Lining…”

While working on the Object in Ball of Yarn, recently I 3D printed a fishing reel to reel in the yarn. Every time I used it for the first few shows I worked the reel. Yesterday I decided to let a kid reel in the reel. Guess what happened? Within two cranks, the kid snapped the reel off the fishing pole!


When that happened, I was bummed out, however I’m also smart enough to see the “silver lining” in the situation. When the kid broke the reel, it was funny. My thinking then shifted to, how can I make that happen every time?


This solution was pretty simple. I just epoxy’d a magnet on the pole and the reel. When someone goes to crank it, they come apart. It’s a simple , and effective solution. The bonus is that’s today’s new bit I’m working on for Day 3 of a new bit in the show every day.

New Bits Day One

Well, I’m one day into 14 days of hopefully getting one new joke or bit per day from my show. I gained one, but lost one. First of all, I had a thing I said, that’s not really a joke, but wanted to turn it into a joke. It’s about gluten allergies being imaginary. It’s … Continue reading “New Bits Day One”

Well, I’m one day into 14 days of hopefully getting one new joke or bit per day from my show. I gained one, but lost one. First of all, I had a thing I said, that’s not really a joke, but wanted to turn it into a joke. It’s about gluten allergies being imaginary. It’s really not me, and wasn’t funny (at this point). I’m all for poking fun at the government, education, or big business, but not someone’s health. Cutting it was the right thing.


The new bit I added yesterday worked great. It’s for my cracker card trick. I say, “I’m going catch your cracker like a seagull at the pier“, then I make my best attempt at a seagull noise. I’m tagging it with a the old kids joke, “Do you know why they call a seagull a seagull? If they flew over the bay, they’d be baygulls (bagels).” I’m then following that with another kid joke that I wrote. “I read that on a Laffy Taffy when I was a kid. The highlight of my life when I was 16 years old is that I wrote a joke that Laffy Taffy used. You want to hear it? How does a pilot take their bagel? Plain (plane)“.


While not exactly high brow comedy, it all fits, I’m not just telling a stupid joke for no reason. It fits the theme, tells them a little bit about me and allows me to get out of my comfort zone making the seagull noise. Standing in front of an audience and sqauking isn’t something I’m comfortable doing. I’m going to call yesterday WIN as I got three new laughs yesterday!