[Guest post] A magical childhood memory of summer

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.

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A Magical Childhood Memory of Summer
by "The Magic Demon"

Whenever I drop by The Browser's Den of Magic in Toronto these days I always spend a few minutes looking through their well-stocked collection of joke or gag items before moving on to the more serious magic in the rest of the shop. Joke buyers usually tend to be a very different breed of customer than magic fans, Jeff Pinsky (the shop's owner) once told me, although some of us started buying gags when we were very young and eventually moved into more serious magic.

Perhaps the most famous, classic gag item is the old "snake in a jar" or "snake in a can". It has been around forever and never fails to get a laugh. I haven't bought one in decades, however, since I was a kid. But in my home, high atop a bookshelf I rarely visit, lies a dusty unused mini-jar of what appears to be Colman's French mustard. Whenever I look at it I always feel a combination of great affection and nostalgia.

I should explain, although most of you have already figured it out, that this is not just any jar of Colman's French mustard. It is, in fact, a jar from Davenports Magic in London, England bought during a childhood-era visit overseas. Whenever you open it, a coiled yellow and orange snake will still jump up and obligingly scream out "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK!"

Like I said. Classic.

And still inexplicably funny (provided the target - I mean subject - doesn't suffer from a weak heart.)

But this is not just any snake in a jar - it is an exact duplicate of a snake in a jar over in England that is memorably bound up in my family's personal history over there. Let me explain.

Imagine it is summer - perhaps very much like this one but many, many years ago. I am visiting my then equally young cousins in the UK. We have just come home from London to one of its sprawling suburbs and have placed a seemingly innocent jar casually near the dinner table. A special jar we had longingly coveted, extensively planned around and eventually bought with the remains of our hard-earned allowances. My aunt, my mother, my sister and of course my cousins and I are all painfully aware of its contents. My uncle, the chosen target - I mean subject - of this evening's scheduled entertainment, is not.

We (who know) are already bursting with anticipation. But we are doing everything young kids can do to contain themselves and appear normal - assuming kids can ever do that in the eyes of any adult. My uncle continues to be blissfully unaware of our emotional straight-jacketedness. (Or was he?)

My uncle was always very keen on his mustard. And so the jar was eventually set down centre-stage on the dining room table. But during the subsequent dinner he made not a single motion towards it. Had he gone off mustard? Was it somehow invisible to his eyes? Would our elaborate gag never be sprung? It was then my ever-resourceful aunt had the brilliant idea to ask him to pass her the mustard. Feigning inability to open it worthy of an Academy Award, she passed it back to him with the casual request to loosen it.

The rest of us held our collective breaths ready to explode, our little bodies literally quivering with barely concealed excitement...

My uncle calmly took the jar, twisted the top a little more open and... immediately returned it to the table.

... It had completely failed to open!

... ... The snake was still nestled inside the jar!!

... ... ... We were all ready to bust a gut!!!

Whether my uncle knew something was up and was merely playing with us by now - no fool, he - or whether his actions were entirely genuine - we shall never know.

All we do know for sure is that agonizing decades and decades seemed to pass until at long last he absent-mindedly picked up the mustard and - SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK! - the snake satisfyingly jumped out of its jar and we all screamed appreciatively.

No audience for any professional performance has ever laughed so much nor felt such intense relief. My uncle happily laughed along too but with what was a possibly mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Today that original jar sits undisturbed in a glass cabinet in my aunt's kitchen, largely untouched since that special family dinner. Like my duplicate of it back here in Canada, it is a poignant reminder of the innocent pleasures of childhood. That long ago and far away dinner remains one of the most joyous of my childhood memories of summer - thanks to a classic gag - and a very magical uncle.


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There's nothing quite like the combination of a young soul and a snake in a can!  I know I've gotten good value from the one in my home.  (It helps to have an obliging audience.)


Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!


What are your childhood memories of magic?

James Alan’s front page challenge

Updated at 13:54 to add this from the Hamilton Spectator:

He did it.

Magician James Alan successfully and quite accurately predicted the contents of The Hamilton Spectator’s front page for Thursday, July 19, 2012. How did he do it? That’s for you to decide.

When I tore open the signed and sealed envelope that I received from magician James Alan on Tuesday (July 17) and withdrew from it the sheet of 8X11 letter stock paper contained therein, I did not know what to expect.
 

Read more.

From the Hamilton Spectator:

There’s a mysterious envelope on my desk, which arrived on Tuesday. There’s a big question mark written on the front of it and in the return address corner is James Alan’s letterhead logo.

It says James Alan, Magician.

At 10:30 Thursday morning, if all goes according to plan, I’m going to open it, in the presence of James Alan and several others.

It contains a prediction about the front page of today’s newspaper.


Read more.

James is in Hamilton for his Fringe run of "Lies, Damn Lies and Magic Tricks."

Shows, shows, shows now at Magic Information Canada!

Magic Information Canada, an up to date repository of Canadian magic links has added a new feature to its shops, clubs, tutors, and events crunchy goodness.


The site is now offering, on a trial basis, a listing of performances and shows. The shows are listed in chronological order and you can filter by hosting city.  (This section has its own tab just to the right of the "about" tab.)

Contact Doug Cuff, the owner and operator of Magic Information Canada, to have your show included in his listing of performances.  During the trial, your listing must have an associated URL, which will usually be the page on the venue's website that lists your show.

Thank you Doug, for your continued contributions to Canada's magic community!

On the cover of Northern Peeks

Congratulations to Trevor and Lorena Watters who are gracing the cover of, and are featured in, the most recent issue of Northern Peeks, the publication of the Canadian Association of Magicians!

Magic for healing

From Sharing Wonder:

We currently have two specially focused sessions with Holland Bloorview called, Helping Hands and Hand 2 Hand.

These summer programs focus on strengthening the client’s less dominant hand by restraining the dominant hand, on and off throughout the camp. Naturally in this conditions, magic becomes increasingly difficult to perform – especially when clients naturally want to use their dominant hand for fine motor tasks, such as shuffling a deck of cards.

Read more.

Teller to debut "Play Dead" in Montréal

From Fear Net:

That funny silent magic man Teller (of Penn & Teller) has just announced he'll debuts his horror Film Play Dead, based on the hit stage play, at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Check out the press release below.

Teller, the smaller, quieter half of Penn & Teller, will have the world premiere of his performance film of PLAY DEAD, the Off-Broadway horror hit starring Todd Robbins, on Friday, July 27th at Montreal’s 2012 Fantasia International Festival. Teller and Robbins will both attend.

Read more.

[h/t: iTricks]

Winners and awards of FISM 2012

The results of the FISM 2012 competitions are posted at the Magic Convention Guide.  Please note the following addendum by Shawn Farquhar:

Canada's entrant at FISM is awarded third in manipulation but announced as Korea ... 3rd place – Manipulation – Kim hyun joon
— Shawn Farquhar (@magiChampion) July 15, 2012