Straight Jacket Revisited

In my very first blog (now defunct) I wrote quite a bit about the Straight Jacket Escape. Specifically, my hatred for it and yet love of it. I felt it had been overdone and often ruined by performers who didn't understand what they had. In addition, though I've laughed at many of the comedic routines presented with a straight jacket escape, I also dislike in the strongest terms the idea of using such a grand device in comedy.

And to add fuel to the fire, I dislike the hanging upside down straight jacket escapes also. In truth, I wouldn't mind them if the performer gave the audience a real show, a real struggle to escape. But when a performer gets out of a straight jacket in 10-30 seconds then why even bother. Honestly, why bother even putting it on if you are going to get out that fast. Where is the challenge? There is none.

I myself do not do a traditional straight jacket escape. I opted instead for the rather unusual Steel Straight Jacket Escape. But my current wide girth doesn't allow for that escape, at least at the moment. So that is not in my show either.

However, yesterday while thinking about how to turn the Straight Jacket Escape on it's head, basically do something with it that has never been done, I came up with an idea that frankly contains more drama than hanging upside down, and more danger than if the rope were on fire. And NO ONE has done it. There is only one problem.....it actually IS dangerous. And as Penn Jillette says "actually putting yourself in harms way in magic is morally wrong" (or something to that effect).

So while I'm figuring out how to at least lesson the danger factor, I'll hold onto.

GHOST in the Machine

This began last weekend on October 14th. I was visiting my ancestral home and staying at a very nice B&B. Turns out the building was once the local Mortuary. This didn't set well with me at first, but I soon forgot about it.

I habitually use my phone as an alarm clock and put it next to the bed, just as I always do. I set the phone next to the bed, with a full charge, 100% battery life. Off to sleep I went. In the morning I checked to see what time it was and my phone would not turn on. The phone was totally dead. This has never ever happened to me before. Very strange.

The next night I kept it plugged in and had no repeat of the problem. However, on the way home I noticed the 'Voice Control' on my phone kept coming on. And occasionally music would begin playing (the itunes feature). It was driving me nuts, as I had not dropped the phone or every had this problem. Even the first day back the problem continued.

Now, as if it had never happened, the phone is fine and the voice control does not come on by itself and the music won't play unless I go to itunes and turn it on. Very strange stuff!

New Updated Video

A few years ago I decided to take some of the footage from the numerous tapes of the Underground Magic Theatre shows and create a DVD. It would be called 'The Best of The Underground Magic Theatre' and it turned out quite well. I sold a lot of the videos and was getting ready to make a new batch when I discovered something shocking. The video files were gone.

Apparently, in my rush to save data from my old computer to an external drive, before the computer totally died on me, I must have not done something correctly. I had the footage, but it was not in the timeline, so basically all I had was the raw unedited footage but not the finished project.

At first I thought this was going to be a nightmare. But as it turns out it was a bit of a blessing. I chose to change some of the content from the original show and insert things I had not featured before. Many of the original content stayed the same, but somethings ended up on the cutting room floor this time around.

Something that I had wanted in the original DVD was a video I shot of me walking through the entire theatre, showing the Museum Walls and so forth. But I lost it and was not able to add it to the original DVD. Well, since that time I have located it and now it's part of the this DVD. I also chose to add a 'Teach-a-Trick' routine to the DVD and have included a trick inside the DVD package.

The stinker is, I've only got about 50 DVD covers available and once they are gone, I'm not sure I'm going to print them again, which means, these last 50 will be a special edition and there will be no more.