The GLOMM - Part Three - A Routine
/Originally I had considered loading up the GLOMM membership card with a bunch of outs and reveals for magic and mentalism tricks, but I looked at other examples of tricks in this style that use fake credit cards or membership cards and they all seemed universally terrible to me so I decided against it. Somehow a card with a whole bunch of extraneous information on it seemed less interesting than a simple, straightforward card that implies some greater, enigmatic organization.
But there is a trick that is fun to do with the membership card. It's a little play-lette with a satisfying dramatic structure and a premise that is at least mildly intriguing. It requires a bit of acting (at least as I do it), but you just have to act like an indignant idiot, which shouldn't be too hard for you. It utilizes a couple very useful tools that should be in your repertoire anyway. And it's pretty much self-working.
During some dead time while hanging out with a friend you are looking for something in your wallet and you pull out your Global League of Magicians & Mentalists membership card. She makes some comment on it or you bring it up yourself.
"Oh this? Yeah, this is just the card that indicates I'm an Elite Member in the Global League of Magicians & Mentalists. It's no big deal. I mean... well... technically I guess it is. It's pretty exclusive. The GLOMM is open to every one, but only a rare few are Elite Members."
"Actually, there's something I wanted to try that I was reading online today. It's a trick that supposedly is guaranteed to work for Elite Members, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Can I get your help? Let me see if I have those instructions I wrote down earlier."
You pull a piece of paper from your pocket and unfold it. "Ah, here it is."
You turn your GLOMM membership card face down on the table. You take out your phone and open it up to the calculator and hand it to your friend. "We're going to create a personalized magic number for you, okay?"
You start going through the process you wrote down or printed out earlier in the day.
"Step 1. Have the spectator enter any two digit number that has a personal meaning to them. Don't let me see it, I think I'm not supposed to know what it is."
"Step 2. Press the multiplication button and then have the spectator enter any three digit number that has some meaning to them. This one you can share with me. What was it? 592? What's that? The numbers on your license plate? Ok, that works."
"Step 3. Press the multiplication button and have the spectator enter a random three digit number."
"Step 4. Press the equals button. Your spectator has created their 'magic number.' Despite the fact this number was arrived at based on the spectator's personal choices and random number selection, you will find the number reflected on the front of your GLOMM membership card."
"What number did you get," you ask. "4,141,079?" You scribble it down on the other side of the instructions you've been reading from.
"Well, this might be hard to believe, but does my membership number look at all familiar to you?"
Without looking, you snap up your membership card and show the front to your spectator, with a big shit-eating grin on your face. She gives you a confused look. Your smile falters as you look at the front of the card yourself.
"Sixteen! What the fuck!?"
You turn on your phone and place a phone call. Your spectator only hears your end.
"Uhm, yes, I would like to talk to someone there. My name is [Your Name] and I... what? Yes... Member no. 16, that's correct.... Actually that's what I'd like to talk to someone about. You posted that trick online today and you said it was guaranteed to work. But I just performed it and it failed miserably. Now, I'm paying good money to be in this society and I demand a certain level of respect, not to be jerked around like some common--... What's that?...Yes.... Yes.... We followed the directions. Well I... No, we did it correctly, but at the point where it said it would match the number on the other side of the card, it was way off. My membership number is 16... What?... Actually, that is what it says, madam. It say, 'you will find the number reflected on the front of your GLOMM membership card.'... 4,141,079... yes... that's right... Well, no, it doesn't say the number on the front of the card... What do you mean?... Turn what upside down?... [You turn the paper in your hand upside down.] Oh... I see... my mistake... I understand. Thank you. Yes. May GLOMM be with you as well. Thank you."
You set your card and the number you wrote down on the table in front of your friend. Without saying anything you turn the number over.
Method:
This uses two things that should be in your repertoire because they're incredibly useful for creating spur of the moment magic effects.
The first is the TOXIC force, as it's commonly known. This is a way to set up your calculator on your phone to force any number. Here's how it works on the iphone. Turn on your calculator and turn it sideways so it's in scientific calculator mode. Enter the number you want to force into the calculator. In this case 4,141,079. Hit + then hit 0 then hit x i.e, multiply then hit 0 then hit ( i.e. left parenthesis.
Again that's:
4,141,079
+
0
x
0
(
Now turn your phone to its normal orientation and the scientific calculator part will go away. You can turn your phone off and/or exit out of the calculator, just don't close the calculator app.
When you're ready to perform you turn on your phone, open up the calculator (in regular, non scientific mode), and give your phone to your friend. She can do any calculations she wants but when she presses the equals sign it will show your force number. Mathematics!
(I assume you can do this, or something similar with an Android or even a regular calculator. I don't know. Honestly, just get an iPhone if you're a magician. It makes things so much easier. iPhone is the phone of magic. Saying, "Can I do it on Android?" is like watching a card trick and saying, "Can I do it with dominoes?")
The second part of the method is just a utilization of the fabulous Cryptext by Haim Goldenberg. This is something every magician and mentalist should have in their brain. I use it all the time. (I built an effect into my phone number, in fact.) It's the best way to have a prediction or revelation in full view the whole time.
The rest plays out as I described above. With the membership card in your wallet you're all set to go. You don't even need the instructions written down, you could just do them from memory, but I like to pretend I'm not overly familiar with them. I like it to seem like I don't quite have a grasp on the whole thing. And that I'm just an overconfident dope. "Does my membership number look at all familiar to you?" I say with all the slimy magician faux-confidence I can muster and a big phony smile on my face. While my spectator thinks, "Did this idiot never notice his number was 16?"
Of course you could play the whole thing straighter. You don't need to play the smug idiot. You don't need to do the fake phone call. You could just guide her through the calculation and then say, "Would you be amazed if your number that you just created was printed on the front of my card?" You turn it over. "Hmm... 16... Would you be amazed if I was within 4,141,063? No, I'm kidding. You see it's not in my membership number where your number is echoed, it's in the acronym for the organization itself..." blah, blah. Or whatever. That would still be good.
But I prefer the presentation above. I like bringing up this secret sub-set of a magic society. I think that's inherently interesting. I like playing stupid. And I love anything that plays out as half of a phone conversation. Like an old Bob Newhart routine. I think there is a lot of opportunity for comedy there. And there's something intrinsically engaging about it because they can't help but fill in the other half of the conversation even though they know you're not really talking to anyone.
Get your membership kit here. (You won't be member 16 (well, one of you will be) so don't be confused if you're, like, 17 or something. "Hey, my card is broke!" No, they're just all uniquely numbered.)