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Simon Lovell: The Methods Behind the Madness

Simon Lovell

(Based on 1 review)
This is a chance to get to learn from one of the most entertaining magicians in the world.

You won't be learning from the back of a lecture hall, you'll be up close and personal. You'll get to know Simon Lovell in live performance, and you'll have the rare pleasure of sitting across the table from him as he explains his most valuable and sought after secrets.

You'll learn the effects, and just as importantly you'll learn the subtleties. Simon will share with you the hundreds of seemingly insignificant distinctions he's made in the thousands of times he's performed these effects for laypeople. It's awareness of these finer points that will set you apart as a magician.

Simon is outrageously funny in real life and in these DVDs, and you'll be laughing throughout. But Simon also has a serious side. As you'll see in the special bonus demo video we've posted below, Simon is deeply philosophical and passionate about his art. This is someone who can teach you how to do magic and why to do magic.

You're about to embark on a journey into the mind of a genius. Simon holds nothing back, and we hope you'll do the same in learning these effects and performing them for the people in your life.

Volume 1

On this volume you'll learn:

* Fingered
* The Namer
* Heartless
* Your Number’s Up
* Star Trick
* Imagination
* Twisted Rose
* Sleight of Tongue
* & More...

Volume 2

On this volume you'll learn:

* The Packet Wallet
* Another Departed Point
* Lemming Ace Exchange
* Whispering Royal
* Kicked: Gaffed Deck
* Derek Dingle’s Collectors
* Radical Aces Explained
* Bonus: The Standing Vanish
* Bonus: The Wobbly Wombat

Volume 3

On this volume you'll learn:

* Lovey Dovey Sandwich
* Jack Catch
* Simon Takes on Le Paul
* Sandwich 2001
* Coin Deck
* Nightmare Deck
* Sploge
* Simon’s Matrix
* Vernon Can Be Explained
* Oily Snobs
* Lily Long Legs Story Deck
* Bonus: Sidney The Hamster
* Bonus: Sebastian The Mind Reading Chicken

Reviews

David Acer

Official Reviewer

Aug 31, 2004

Even on those rare occasions when a magic DVD is released featuring an innovator who actually makes his living performing for real people, one usually doesn't get the full impact of the performer's abilities. Typically, these performances are shot in a studio, a foreign environment for both the magician and his audience, often resulting in either diminished or forced reactions.

There are exceptions of course, such as J.C. Wagner's excellent Commercial Magic DVDs, and the Flicking Fingers' wonderful The Video, but for the most part these are shot on location, not in studio.

Simon Lovell's new 3 DVD set offers a mix of styles -- most segments were shot in studio, but a small few were taped on location at a bar. And thank God for the latter, because they offer us a chance to see Simon play (truly PLAY) in his natural habitat for real, unprompted, slightly inebriated people who have no reason to watch him other than the fact that they find him entertaining.

There are 30 routines on these DVDs, primarily with cards, many from Simon's first two books, Simon Says and Son of Simon Says, and some that have never before been released.

Highlights include "Sleight of Tongue," one of the best (if not THE best) versions of the Card-To-Mouth ever; "Twisted Rose," an elegant method for making a paper-napkin rose as a giveaway; "Packed Wallet," a card-to-wallet with a repeat in which the entire deck EXCEPT for the chosen card vanishes from the magician's hands and appears in his wallet; "Lemming Ace Exchange," one of my favorite of Simon's effects wherein four jumbo Aces reveal the identity of a poker-size chosen card in an extremely magical manner; "Jack Catch" and "Sandwich 2001," two entertaining (yes, ENTERTAINING!) sandwich effects; and "Who Killed Lily Longlegs," a story-deck routine that should encourage fans of the plot to come up with their own personalized versions.

Lowlights? There are none. This collection is essentially a Greatest Hits package from a man whose work spans three decades, and there isn't a bad trick in the bunch.

Regardless of whether or not you've seen Simon perform, these DVDs will give you a new appreciation for his work. The tricks are great, the performances are fun, and the bonuses are bonusy. What more could you ask for?

David Acer
(Top ▲)