Price$25.00
Media TypeBook
CategoryGeneral
Date AddedMar 16, 2003
Brain Food
Parr, David
Hermetic Press
(Based on 1 review)
Reviews
(Top ▲)
I read David Parr's Brain Food some years ago (it was published in 1998), but when I heard he would be lecturing here in Montreal shortly, I decided to read it again. It wasn't exactly a painful choice to make -- I enjoyed the book the first time I read it, and, as it turns out, I liked it even more the second time through.
That's the kind of book this is. Every page contains simple truths, honest facts, practical realities that performers rarely voice, but often apply. It's the kind of information that makes sense intuitively, without necessarily being obvious. Moreover, it is presented modestly, humbly, in the context of effects and routines, integrated here and there almost as if David were discovering the lessons as we are.
The effects themselves are also excellent, serving both to illustrate the points David makes AND as fully realized, fully scripted performance pieces. My personal favorites are "D.P. Card In Wallet," a rock-solid handling of the classic effect that offers a nice touch with a Post-It Note (indeed, this is one of the more clever additions to the Card-in-Wallet I've seen, providing an extra convincer without adding a lick of handling), and "Werewolf," a theatrical routine that, if properly executed, should elicit varying degrees of fear, surprise and laughter, a rare combination in any artistic piece, let alone a magic trick.
David also provides the complete script for his wonderful stand-up effect, "Dinner With The Borgias," a highly stylized Bank-Night type routine that was originally presented on stage in the context of a larger collection of short scenes dealing with politics. While few among us would have the opportunity to perform such a piece (it's extremely theatrical, and demands a particular context), the effect and presentation are engaging as hell.
Regardless of whether or not you decide to make use of any of the routines herein, this is the kind of book that will inspire you to examine (and re-examine) the material you already do. It deserves a place among the best contemporary books on magic theory.
David Acer
That's the kind of book this is. Every page contains simple truths, honest facts, practical realities that performers rarely voice, but often apply. It's the kind of information that makes sense intuitively, without necessarily being obvious. Moreover, it is presented modestly, humbly, in the context of effects and routines, integrated here and there almost as if David were discovering the lessons as we are.
The effects themselves are also excellent, serving both to illustrate the points David makes AND as fully realized, fully scripted performance pieces. My personal favorites are "D.P. Card In Wallet," a rock-solid handling of the classic effect that offers a nice touch with a Post-It Note (indeed, this is one of the more clever additions to the Card-in-Wallet I've seen, providing an extra convincer without adding a lick of handling), and "Werewolf," a theatrical routine that, if properly executed, should elicit varying degrees of fear, surprise and laughter, a rare combination in any artistic piece, let alone a magic trick.
David also provides the complete script for his wonderful stand-up effect, "Dinner With The Borgias," a highly stylized Bank-Night type routine that was originally presented on stage in the context of a larger collection of short scenes dealing with politics. While few among us would have the opportunity to perform such a piece (it's extremely theatrical, and demands a particular context), the effect and presentation are engaging as hell.
Regardless of whether or not you decide to make use of any of the routines herein, this is the kind of book that will inspire you to examine (and re-examine) the material you already do. It deserves a place among the best contemporary books on magic theory.
David Acer