Mailbag #103
/Hi Andy. If you haven't seen The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on Netflix, I highly recommend it. I think it's something you would enjoy.
In the film, the title character learns how to see "through" cards so that he can cheat at a casino. There's a timeline in the film which could make for a great presentation for a marked deck. Admittedly, 18 months to 10 years is a LONG time for the payoff, but it might just be the most extreme example of lengthening out a trick that you have often discussed in order to make the experience more wonderful and engaging.
I won't actively use this framework, but if someone ever mentions the film in casual discussion, I will definitely be telling them that I've been working on something similar, but am only in my ________ month. Much later, I could then show them that I have achieved the ability to "see without my eyes". —JR
Yeah, this is a great natural Hook that’s out there at the moment, especially if you have a Wes Anderson fan in your life.
“It’s based on a Roald Dahl story. But that story is actually based on some real techniques that were used by gamblers and psychics and stuff over 100 years ago. I’m looking into them now myself.”
A marked deck is probably too obvious a solution to use for such a routine. But there are plenty of other routines with a normal deck that you could frame as your ability to “see without your eyes,” I’m sure. Shuffle-Bored, for one.
And, in fact, Liam Montier was working on this 20 years ago with his release, Henry Sugar.
Of course… stopping at playing cards would be juuuusssst about the dumbest thing you could do with this premise. That’s where you should begin.
Ideally, you’re showing them various tricks from time to time that fall into this over-arching narrative. Then a few years down the line you hit them with a blindfold drive or some other “big” effect like that.
I'm not even sure if you're the right person to ask about this, but I feel like it's a situation you’re likely to have encountered so I'll give it a shot. I've been visiting a coffee shop near me pretty regularly for a few months now. Every time I go it’s the same barista and we’re friendly but just on a customer level. I know she's open to interacting with customers on a deeper level because I've seen her do it. But I haven't even asked for her name or anything and it's been months now and it feels weird asking for it now. I feel like if I could get past this point this would be a good place to perform for people occasionally. It just has that vibe. Any idea how to cross that boundary and ask for her name without it seeming weird that it's coming out of the blue now? Or how to avoid this in the future? When do you ask for a name usually or try to make a personal connection in these sorts of situations? —BM
If there's a coffee shop or a bar or a place along those lines that I see myself going to frequently, I'll usually ask someone's name the second time I see them. Asking for it the first time you interact with that person feels odd to me (unless you get engaged in a long conversation). But the second time I see them, my thought process is, "Well, if we're going to be bumping into each other, I might as well know your name."
As for as how to ask for it, it would be strange to say, "I'll have a vanilla latte. And what's your name?"
Here's a good template... Ask for their personal opinion on something related to their role there. Then introduce yourself and get their name.
So, at a coffee shop, I might look at the menu and say, "Hmmm... I don't know what I'm in the mood for. What's your favorite drink here?"
The iced mocha.
"Ooh, that sounds good. I'll take that. Thanks... What's your name, by the way? I'm Andy."
Boom. Done. Simple.
But now you're months deep and you're right, it might seem weird to ask for her name at this point.
I'll tell you something I said once in a similar situation that worked well.
It was at a cafe in Brooklyn that I went to frequently. The barista I saw most often was this super cute Mary-Elizabeth-Winstead-looking girl.
I had been going there for maybe half a year, but this was at a time in my life where I wasn't as social, so I hadn't thought to get her name when I started going there. One day, I finally said, "I can't believe I've never asked, but what's your name? I feel I should know it. I see you more often than my girlfriend."
I didn't really plan out that statement, but it worked well. Mentioning "my girlfriend" suggested I wasn’t trying to pick her up (which I kind of was, because I wasn't really dating anyone at that point). And saying "I see you more than my girlfriend" implied a sense of closeness to the relationship—even though it had just been a standard customer/barista interaction prior to that. In the end, it worked. It cracked the seal and our interactions got friendlier going forward. We casually dated for a few months before she left to move across the country for some botany career. I don't really remember.
So perhaps something like that might work. At the same time, you don't need to overthink it. You can just say, "Remind me of your name again?" This suggests you knew it at one point but it slipped your mind. Just don't be an obvious creep and you'll be fine.
What is the meaning of Rich Uncle Millionaire? I'm not getting something about that name. [For the higher level of support at the site.] —RC
You’re not missing anything other than it’s a semi-inside joke based on a misremembered reference by a friend of a friend 12 years ago.
My friend was in an improv group, and they were coming up with a name for the group. And while they were pitching names, one person suggested Rich Uncle Millionaire, which he thought was something he heard on the Simpsons. But he misremembered.
There was a character mentioned once called Rich Uncle Skeleton.
And they had the Monopoloy man on once, Millburn “Rich Uncle” Pennybags.
But he had confabulated the name Rich Uncle Millionaire. They thought the name was funny because of the redundancy. And so they would use it to refer to people who did any unnecessary expenditure of money, big or small. If you ask for the parmesan crust on your steak at the steakhouse, they might say, “Ooh la la, look at Rich Uncle Millionaire over there.” And that became something I picked up from them.
Now, when you’re naming your supporters, there are a couple different avenues you can take. You can choose a name that suggests a closeness and a relationship between everyone: The Family, The Crew, The Posse, The Brotherhood.
Or you can choose a name that suggests “we’re a bunch of badasses,” like: The Outlaws, The Mafia, The Renegades.
Or you can go with a pun name, based on the name of the site. “At the Jerx, our highest supporters are known as our Jerk-Offs.”
But I’m pretty anti-Online magic communities, so I came to the conclusion I didn’t want to use a name that suggested that sort of bond. And I think it’s corny when groups try to choose a badass name for themselves, like, “We’re the Marauders. We get together every Sunday to play role playing games and eat pizza.” And I didn’t want to call supporters Jerk-Offs.
The quality I wanted to emphasize in the naming of that tier was the one thing I know for certain about that group: these are people with $25 a month—the cost of dinner at a chain restaurant—to spend supporting a magic site. They’re able to afford a tiny luxury. Hence: Rich Uncle Millionaire.