On the Spot with Gregory Wilson

Okay...before I start reviewing the individual tricks on this DVD, I must first say that it is quite a releif from the average magic DVD. Mainly because it contains no card tricks. Cards are good, but I feel as magicians, we really must spread broaden our horizens and get into the roots of magic a little more. This DVD is the pure definition of impromptu magic.....and they don't lie when the call it "On the Spot"

Quick Silver- LOL, this is quite a funny routine. But unlike Ring Fright, this one isn't only a great comedy act, but a very good and convincing effect with a quarter as well. The effect of this one is a quarter that keeps disappearing and reappearing in the most odd of places. The only problem that I find with this effect is that in order to accomplish it, you have to be a touchy-feely kinda person (which I am not) You really have to get in there with the spectator and milk the moment for everything it's worth. But besides that, the overall perfomance aspect of it is great, and a certain crowd pleaser!(be sure that you work on you misdirection skills greatly, before attempting this routine)

Sponge Napkins- For those of you that are familiar with common sponge ball routines, basically just transpose napkins in place of the sponge and TA DA!! You have the Sponge Napkins effect. Funny little routine with ordinary napkins....sorry, not much more I could say about this one. It basically speaks for itself.

Open Palm Coins Across- Now this trick is an effect of Sankey's that some of you may recognize. It is where 3 coins jump from hand to hand one at a time. The impact of this effect is mindblowing, but as for pretty much any impromptu effect, it takes a little practice of that certain "move." Now in my opinion, this 'move' isn't exactly an easy one to accomplish (I don't have it down 100% myself) but the bright side to the whole situation is that once you practice this move enough, there is virtually no way to be caught in the act of the move.

Head Trip- More comedy from the comedian/magician Gregory Wilson. Many of you may have seen this one performed on stage, or some of you may know it as "Over Their Head." What I like about this one is that you don't feel so alone while you are performing it. Basically you are letting everyone but the 1 spectator in on the trick. The only thing is, the spectator might be completely humiliated once the method of the trick is revealed to them. You can even do like Greg did and have somewhat of an impromtu accomplice and add to the effect and the comedy even more. The good thing about this effect is that you can do it over and over, because the point to the trick is to pretty much have the person find out how it is done, and it is a Hallmark moment once the finally do figure it out!

Glossy Finish- If any of you have seen the extra footage from David Blaine's Street Magic, then you should have seen him perform this one with ashes rather than lipstick. Well, this is one of those effects that you really want your patter to take over. In this effect, you really don't want to stop speaking at any moment, because they notice a little something. Luckily Greg involves some appropriate patter for the moment to help lighten the suspiciousness of the effect. But the patter does work by the way.

Toll Free- This is a funny way to really mess with the minds of your spectators. It is a very quick moving trick where basically, a seemingly gone coin keeps reappearing in the performer's hand. This trick is very repetitive.....but it is to set them up for the big finish! One that will knock them off their feet because they are expecting the same thing to happen that has happened the last 5 or 6 times. But man are they sorely mistaking.

99 cents Trick- A so-so routine thought up by Gregory Wilson himself. The effect of this trick is basically where he disappears 4 quarters leaving only a penny (hence the name 99 cents trick). A nice little routine, but a little bit too fast paced for my liking. I know this sounds kind of harsh, but I give this one the 'worst trick on the DVD'

Florida Keys- Ah, a trick that Gregory Wilson himself invented while visiting my home state of Florida. Anyways, this trick is basically a series of a house key linking and unlinking from a key ring seemingly at will. This trick gets great reaction from the crowd....especially when you can cleanly hand the ring and key ring out for examination in the end. In all the trick consists of great visual melt-throughs, precise catching of the key after being tossed up into the air, and a disconnect and connect really quickly. One of my favorites on the DVD even though it will take quite some practice.

Ring Fright- Now I must say, this effect isn't really as much of a trick as it is a comedy act. (but it is pretty funny actually) But if there was one thing that I don't exactly agree with about this effect, is the patter that he suggested to use which contained in it, reveals the secret to a trick. (a kinda corny trick, but he is revealing it nonetheless) I have not yet tried this effect on anybody, mainly because I haven't really gotten down the sequence of events yet, but from watching Gregory Wilson perform this on the streets, I can tell it is going to get a laugh or two, and maybe a heart failure by some unsuspecting spectator.
Trick Question,

Questionable Trick- As the name states, it involves a trick question (as a kind of thing to get their mind off of whats going on) This effect earns the title of 'best trick on the DVD' for multiple reasons. for one thing, you make a penny switch places with a dime that was in their hand the entire time, and for another reason, it is so easy it's not even funny. This trick involves no more than basic knowledge of coin handling. Like I said in an essay of mine "Don't let the simplicity of the trick scare you into not performing it." If this one is not in your routine, then you are missing something really big that the crowd is almost certain to love!

Playful Pickpocketing- Well the name says it all. It is basically just a crash coarse in the art of pickpocketing. Since there are entire DVD's dedicated to pickpocketing, Greg doesn't go into great detail on it. He basically just threw it in there as a little something extra for purchasing the DVD.

Ticker Tacker- This is basically just a routine with the pickpocketing sleights that he teaches right before. Pretty funny watch stealing routine all in all.

Recap Revisited- Recap Revisted is Gregory Wilson at his finest. Alot of you know this one from seeing it in the old On the Spot demo video here. This one DEFINES impromptu. I mean...IT'S A PEN!!!! And you can perform these 'miracles' with a borrowed pen even. Which I suggest, just to emphasize the fact that the pen is indeed normal. This is a fast paced routine with a few lightning quick vanishes, and the ULTIMATE bang of an ending when the pen is seemingly pulled out from inside of the cap. Pure genious!

All in all, this is a very impressive DVD, especially because it is cardless street magic at it's best! If there were one thing I could complain about, it would be WHY DOES GREGORY WILSON BLINK SO MUCH?!?!?!? j/k

pros: awesome street magic without cards, it is truly "On the Spot"
cons: as you know, gregory Wilson is quite the talker, and I feel as if he sped through some key parts, when he should have taken the time to slow it down a little and show the sleight multiple times from different angles.
Thanks for taking the time to read.

Smileys out of 5:


Magic4ever
-Scott

sweet review. im on the very edge of Add To Cart.

I wish I had the money right now to get this DVD. I have heard so much good about it. Oh well, need the money for Lacrosse items at the time. Thanx for the great review though Cowboy.

I agree with you on Quick Silver--it's great! And, yes, it requires being touchy feely, which is also great! I came to find out that making the quarter appear under someone's watch is EASY AS CRAP! They never notice a thing! I about died when I realized this!

I disagree, though, about the 99 cent trick, especially calling it the worst trick on the DVD!!! Oh well. I love doing this one, and the spectator seems to enjoy it.

Less than a week ago, it suddenly dawned on me to do Glossy Finish. I asked my girlfriend if I could borrow her lipstick & did the trick. It's the 1st time in a while that she was like "How...!?" I did it again & she still was lost.

What I really liked about the watch aspect of quick silver & glossy finish is that you can't really practice them--you just know how it's done & pretty much practice it the first time you perform it. Well, you could practice on someone who you don't mind possibly knowing the secret. I just chose to give them a shot without practicing, & it went well. I realize I probably shouldn't have done that, but... it turned out OK.

Also, I agree with your labeling A Questionable Trick as the best one on the DVD. That's all I have to say about that...

Hey Dan, this needs to go into your already extensive video collection. I can't add anything else to Cowboy's review, except that this was my first penguin purchase, my first video on magic, and the reason why I am totally addicted to magic, especially close-up. The DVD shot was at various locations w/ unsuspecting spectators - at a busy restaurant, on the sidewalks, in parking lots which highlights the effects first in a real-life setting, then cuts to the studio where he performs the effect again on a studio spectator without the distractions, and then goes into the method and explanation. Greg's explanations are very easy to follow (but some moves required rewinding, pause, & slo-mo) and the production quality is excellent. Menu navigation is simple, and simple is good (where have I heard that before?). I can see how this earned Penguin's award of Best Video. One last thing I'd like to add is that the DVD is ENTERTAINING! Man, the reactions of the spectators are priceless . There were many times I laughed so hard because of the expressions and sentiments of the crowd (classic ones are Ticker-Taker, Playful Pickpocketing, Sponge Napkins, Recapped, and every scene w/ the girl in the white tank-top & black leather pants - buy the DVD to find out!). I still laugh out loud after watching the video for the hundredth time.

My Favorite trick? Hands down, it has to be Recapped! In my profession (sales & marketing) these pens are all over the place, and has gotten me past so many gatekeepers ("Hi Gladys. Oh, you're having a bad day? Now's not a good time? And Dr. Smith won't be able to see me? Well, before I leave, allow me to attempt to brighten your day a little. Can I borrow this pen over here?). This has become a reputation maker for me w/ my clients, and breaks the ice w/ potential clients. Alone, it's more than worth the price of the DVD (for me, that is).

So Dan (and the rest of you), hit that button with the three little words NOW!

Great review on a great product. I will also agree with cowboy, Questionable Trick is awesome! The girls love it .

Greg is absolutely one of the best!What a personality and a pretty humble
performer.I liked that he left his only couple of mistakes in the footage.
Out of all the routines I get the best reactions for glossy finish and quick
silver.These were the last couple I tried out on spectators,just goes to
show.What we like and specs like are often two different things.

Awesome review...the "move" in the Open Palm Coins across is incredibly difficult....I've had this tape for quite some time and I am still not 100% coinfident in performing it (I'm not a coin guy)

thanks for all the feedback guys!

this is one of my absolute favs

Does he teach the classic force on this DVD?
- Brian

Neither was I, but this routine was so awesome that I HAD to learn it. Just start w/ one coin and keep practicing getting in & out of the move in one hand, and then the other hand. Once you get this move down w/ no silver "flash", then you've conquered the hardest part. This video is the reason I got into coins in the first place (although I jumped in the deep end ).

Nope, nothing card-related on this video (Cowboy stated this about three times in his review ). It's all pure, unadulterated, hard-hitting impromptu magic w/ everyday, borrowed objects or just stuff laying around. If you've left your cards at home or are ever caught off guard, you need not worry because you can perform these tricks "On The Spot". Greg said something on the video to the extent of "With this material, I could show up at my next show w/ out anything and still put together a great show".

The G pinch is one of the most useful coin slieghts. When you get it down, you'll use it all the time. Dont give up on it even if your not a coin guy.