Stranded with a Stranger: Tom Cerny

If you want to be a part of one of these , and please send your list of eight tricks , one book and one non-magic item that you use for magic to sales at alakazamcouk , please put into the subject matter my desert island tricks . That way it comes through to me . But with that being said , we do have another stranded stranger .

Today's stranded stranger is Tom Cerny . This is what he says . He says I am a pharmacist . I'm not a magic performer . I guess I would be an enthusiast or a hobbyist . My son Morgan showed an interest in magic about six years ago , about age eight he's 14 now and that rekindled my own interest .

I began with some basic effects and some back issues of the Linking Ring from eBay . Over the years I've added a genie subscription , most of Magic Magazine back issues and quite a lot of books . I was already a bibliophile faster than I can read them , but I pick them up on sale or grab one before it goes out of print .

I've also gotten a number of DVDs and online lectures and academies . My son does some performing Lions Club , towns , festivals , birthday parties and family get-togethers etc . I work with him and show him things I have read about or watched to help him script and time it for a show . I really enjoy the thinking behind an effect .

Studying magic has had an impact on the way I think about things . I can't give any specific examples . It just changes perceptions and the way you look at things . I can't give any specific examples . It just changes perceptions and the way you look at things and the order you might do them in .

We live in the very south tip of Illinois in the American Midwest , on a farm near the town of Cobden , population 1,200 . We are pretty much on our own . The closest magic shop is Brent Braun's about four hours away . We haven't gotten there yet .

We got to see Rick Thomas at a local civic centre several years ago and the Illusionists came to our city about an hour away . My son got to go on stage with Paul Debeck for paper balls over the head . We also got to see Abracadabra with Dan Sperry a few years ago also got to see abracadabra with dan sperry a few years ago .

As I said , I don't really perform . I enjoy learning and do a few effects for my son and family and friends . Some I have talked to my son and he has performed them in parlor or small stage . My knowledge and my list are diverse but not necessarily deep yet , but a couple of years on my island could change that . That being said , here is my list .

Wow , so it seems that you've got a little family act going on there as well . Maybe we're going to have a father and son act going on one day . Maybe that's going to be a new America's Got Talent act in a few years time .

But of course , at that point we'll already know what you're going to do , because we're about to read out your list of eight tricks . So here is what Tom has put in his first position Autome by Max Maven . I love books and I love the idea of a natural forcing book . Max had some wonderfully devious ideas .

Also , I get to take three novels along to read crafty and some business cards Excellent choice . Yeah , book tests are always wonderful and Max Maven really was a master at mentalism thinking . So that's a great choice . And yeah , super sneaky , taking three books with you , which is going to be great for you to pass some time .

And that leads us on to Tom's second choice . That's the Invisible Deck . It's a classic , a basic and a powerful effect . My son and I just had a Zoom call with Steve Bedwell and he taught us his shake , shuffle and twist routine for it , which I heard about in your Mark James episode .

Taking this version , lets me take a cocktail shaker to my island , just in case . Honorable mention to Bill Malone for his Standing Ovation Invisible deck from On the Loose , volume 3 . Excellent choice , of course , the invisible deck . It's got to be one of those tricks which I would say surely over 70% of performers have or have done .

It's just a wonderful trick and , yeah , lots of different ways of doing it . Do check out the Mark James episode as well , because it was really , really cool . And that leads us on to number three . He says on this Penguin lecture , mark James did an effect he called his big prediction . It makes use of a size , step-in stack in a cyclical nature .

It's fun to perform and gets great reactions , and also , being stranded would leave me lots of time to play with the size , step-in stack and see what else it holds . Roberto Giobi has a great three card prediction using the stack , but its name escapes me . Maybe in standup card magic . Again , another really great choice .

You mentioned about spending lots of time on there . Yep , I think you'd discover tons with that stack . So it's a great , great choice . And that brings us to a number four Daryl's rope routine . I love watching it , I enjoy trying to follow along . I have only performed the professor's nightmare section in front of an audience .

In addition to his routine I'll have some rope for other tricks . Great Again . Daryl is just a legend . All of his tricks were super clever , always really well thought through , always had sort of a comedy twist to them which sort of made them a bit more quirky and stand out a bit more . But absolutely superb choice .

I'm curious to know why you've only done the Professor Nightmare section . I wonder if that's just something that you're working up to to elaborate on that routine . But it does bring us to your fifth choice , tom , which is the cups and balls . I only know a very basic routine for the cups and balls , probably the same moves everybody starts with .

I don't even remember where I learned it from . I know some of the other moves and slights , just not another routine . Yet Again , there will be lots of time to practice and develop other routines . While I'm on the island , great choice cups and balls is always going to be up there .

I think for magicians it will probably be a classic for as long as time , I would presume , and with great reason . There's always some superb ideas , some superb routines , and it's interesting that all of these years on we're still developing new variations and ideas for it . So it just shows what a versatile routine is . Great choice .

And that does bring us to number six . Here's what Tom says . Darwin Ortiz was a pleasure to watch and listen to . On his Penguin lecture he did a three-phase routine with two spectators . That involved using a breather crimp to cut the same number of cards they cut and to cut to their cards . I don't remember the name associated with the effect .

It taught me that a breather is a great utility to have in your bag , absolutely . I know lots of friends who when you borrow a deck of cards , you can magically cut to a certain card . So I do think a lot of performers have it in there and you're right . It's just one of those things .

It doesn't hurt to have it in your deck ready to go should you need it . And it just ups the likelihood of an eventuality that you maybe can take credit for . So excellent choice , and it does bring us onto the tail end of Tom's selection . So here we have , in seventh position , cody's comedy book test .

So funny , the dual reality aspect is great , like the paper balls over the head which Paul DeBak did with my son . Also , I get to take another book , even if the jokes are corny . My own can be too , so , no worries , it's all in the delivery .

The book also has another built-in gimmick that I can use with the novels I have for the Max Maven book test take two of the same trick before that being a book test . So obviously you took Max Maven's and you're taking Cody's comedy book test as well . But I guess that just gives you the opportunity to have different books selected .

So maybe you're just going to stick them all together and allow the audience to pick one and therefore you know which route you're going to go down . Who knows ? It's a really interesting choice and it does bring us on to your final choice . Here's what Tom has put in his eighth position . Tom says John Carey has a dice routine that is like B-Wave in essence .

You show a coin purse and have the spectator imagine there four dice of different colors . By elimination they end up with one color . You dump out the contents and there is one die of the color they named and the other three are clear and colorless . It's on his Dice Dice Baby DVD . This was my introduction to the use of equivocation .

Get Dan Harlan's masterclass for much more on that . I chose this effect instead of B wave itself so that I would have the dice with me . I just learned about Eugene Berger's gimmickless version on Dan Harland's director's cut lecture from Magifest . I really like that as well . Excellent choice . Yeah , those equivocation routines are always great .

Routines are always great , and Equivogue Equivocay whatever you want to say is just a wonderful , wonderful routine and tool to have in your bag . It can play in so many different ways . So absolutely great choice . And no doubt on your desert island you'll find some more objects that you can use that technique with .

So we've gone from Autome by Max Maven Invisible Deck , we've got the Mark James Big Reaction , daryl's Rope Routine , cups and Balls , darwin Ortiz's Routine , cody's Comedy Book Test , john Carey's Dice Routine , and now we have some honorable mentions . So let's see what you put in your honorable mentions .

We've got Zodiac Code by Rachel Wilde Colombini A great way to force a color . This is a fun and colorful . This is fun and colorful and can be used with lots of reveals . I would also have had some small paper bags in case I needed them on the island . Great choice . Number two in your honorable mentions Ultimate Three Card Monty by Michael Skinner .

I just like doing it . Yeah , three card montes are always amazing . Uh , number three you've got filled as a flyer from daryl's penguin lecture . Number four big reaction by andy nyman an excellent , excellent trick . I have a big reaction . It's superb . Anything by andy is going to be incredible . Um , also , maybe andy should come to the island soon , if only .

Moving on . Number five we've got the Mental Epic Board . Great choice , it's just a classic , but for a good reason . Number six Getting to Know you by David Corsaro , another one that gets great reactions and will provide some blank cards for Eugene Berger's B-Wave .

And finally , in his final honourable mention , he's put to Paparazzi Deck by Caleb Wiles A great use of the Gemini Twins effect and it's a very adaptable in presentational premise . You know , caleb Wiles is a wonderful , wonderful card creator . His tricks are always super quirky and I'm a big fan of his . So let's move on to Tom's book .

So I'm interested to see where he's going to go with this . As I mentioned , I have picked up quite a few books and have read several and dabbled in others . The reason I've settled on this one it's a collection of essays compiled by Joshua J called Magic in Mind essential essays for magicians . Joshua J called Magic in Mind Essential Essays for Magicians .

I've only dipped into this a little so far and my time on the island would allow me to really get into it . There are some wonderful magicians presented in it . Oh , interesting choice . So almost like a theory-ish book going on there , which is great . I guess we had Notes of a Fellow Traveller a couple of times .

We've had maximum entertainment a couple of times . So great choice . That's a nice new one for our island . And it does bring us to your non-magic item , tom . So Tom has said straight sided , tall , stemmed wine glass to display playing cards . For instance , in Mark James's big prediction , two cards are freely chosen and displayed to the audience .

A third card is then created by a free choice of the suit and one of the value of the second , wine glasses are great for holding the cards and , of course , they can be used for their original purpose , for holding wine . Absolutely great choice . Yep , just a wine glass really can elevate a card trick .

It just takes it from a close-up routine all the way to a parlour and even stage . You know , cards across , presented in glasses is a great choice and , again , I don't think we've had that on our island yet , so a great new one . So thank you so much , tom , for your list . That's an excellent , excellent list . Please do get your son to write in as well .

It'd be great to hear his list as well and that means we'll have had a father and son on our island , other than , of course , pete and Harry in the past . So that was a great list . Thank you , tom . Of course you are a stranger , no more . We know everything that we need to know about your desert island and your

list . Now , if you guys want to be a part of this and have one of your lists read out , please send them in to sales at alakazamcouk . In the subject line , please put my desert island tricks , of course . Give us a little bio , like tom did beautifully at the beginning there . Give us your tricks and the reasons for them as well .

With that being said , we're going to see you this friday for another episode of desert island tricks , but for now , have a good week when I perform at gigs , I look at effects that tick these three boxes .

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