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James Brown Hide and Seek Review

One DVD, one concept, seven-ish effects and $30 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect/Method

What you're learning for $30 bucks is a no palm method to load anything into your inside your wallet in your inside coat pocket. That is, anything that can fit in your wallet. This allows you to do several effects that just seem impossible. For example, the spectator thinks of a poker hand (yes . . . thinks). Your hands very clearly are empty as they reach in and pull out your wallet. Inside the wallet is the thought of poker hand.

There's also an effect where you borrow the spectator's iPhone. While the phone is still in full view, you hand her your wallet. The phone is still in view. Then it vanishes instantly. Someone calls her number and the wallet she's holding (your wallet) vibrates and rings. She reaches inside and finds her wallet in the zippered compartment.

There are several different effects that are just as impossible that are taught on the DVD. It's also the kind of thing that will inspire you to create more ideas of your own. The method is extremely simple both in concept and execution. It's very much within the grasp of any skill level. It will definitely take some practice to get the timing and rhythm down, but it's very doable.

The only consideration for the method is that you must be wearing a suit jacket with two buttons buttoned up. Also, it cannot be a double breasted suit, and if the suit coat is a loose fit, it will not work. Also, you'll need a load wallet if you're going to be doing the item-to-wallet effects. However, James Brown mentions that many of the effects can be done just simply to your inner pocket rather than to your wallet. Of course, the above mentioned iPhone effect must use a load wallet . . . one that can fit an iPhone. He recommends the ATW Wallet from RSVP. That's $127 bucks. Any Kaps/Checkbook style load wallet should suffice, however.

If you wear a buttoned suit coat that fits snugly and you have a load wallet, you can do an entire shift of strolling magic with no other props. Add a deck of cards and some cash and your business cards, and you'll have tons of material to perform.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is accurate and totally legitimate. The only thing that, I think, is worth mentioning is the claim that "No gimmick or device is used to accomplish any of the routines." This is true. However, you do need a load wallet which is, technically, a device and/or gimmick. However, the reason I'm being a bit lenient here is because, based on the context, I think that they're talking about the fact that you don't have/need some weird gimmick that gets the card/phone/whatever into the wallet. In that sense, there truly are no gimmicks or devices. As I mentioned earlier, if you have your load wallet and a buttoned up suit coat, you're all set.

Product Quality

The DVD is well produced, well lit, well shot, etc. For the most part, it's easy to navigate. However, the main menu several pages (i.e., clicks) deep, and there is no main menu or back button on the sub pages. That's a bit frustrating. There is an included PDF file that is one page long listing a few credits. However, they forgot to put the .pdf extension on it. So when you download it off of the DVD, rename it and add the extension .pdf to it.

The teaching was very good. He covered the concepts and the effects extremely well in great depth, but not too much depth . . . Goldilocks was very happy. There were, however, a few things that he missed in teaching segment.

First, on one of the effects, based on the technique and structure, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that the effect will go a certain way. However, he mentions that if it doesn't, "don't worry; there is an out that we'll be going over in a minute." However, he never covers the out. Also on that same effect, he covers an alternate method for doing it which requires a peek. He performed the peek, but did not show us how it was done. I can kind of let that slide, however, because he covered it in a later effect.

The second thing is a bit more minor in nature. The method for the iPhone ending up in the wallet that the spectator is holding is done with no gimmicks whatsoever (other than the wallet itself). However, he mentions an alternative method which uses "fake iPhones." However, he does not tell use what a fake iPhone is or where to get it/them.

The last one was during the explanation of the book test. During the explanation, he was showing/teaching to his in-studio friend. He was showing us how to get the peek. However, he had a situation where the in-studio person said "stop" on a page that had an image on it. Rather than showing us how he would handle that in a real performance, he stopped the explanation and started the trick over. I felt that this was, obviously, a real thing that might happen in a real performance that warranted at least a brief discussion.

Everything else is solid.

Final Thoughts

This product/technique/etc. is excellent and very clever, and can be a huge and powerful addition to your arsenal. It actually has some similarities to my S.S. Vanish taught on my Gemstones DVD, so if you're familiar with that, you'll possibly see a bit how this works. The big advantage to James Brown's method is that you can easily retrieve the objects for reuse, whereas the S.S. Vanish is meant only for complete vanishes or secret switches.

As always, performance "problems" are not counted against the final star rating. However, as usual, I do mention them for two reasons: 1) a warning to you not to pick up any bad habits, and 2) in the hopes that James Brown will see this and realize that he's doing some things that he may not be aware of. These two problems I'm about to mention are very common amongst the magi. In fact, yesterday's review of Tom Wright's Stand Up Magic mentions these exact same problems.

Meaningless Ramblings

The following is a list of quotes from the performance segments:

"Do me a favor . . . What's your name?"

"Do me a favor . . . do me a favor . . ." Followed by nothing. He says it twice then does not ask the spectator to do anything.

"Excellent Stuff . . ." A phrase that is said when a card is signed, or selected or whatever, for no reason.

"Tellyawu." A rushed, slurred together version of "Tell you what." He didn't say this as often as many performers I've heard, however, once is too much.

Spectator Abuse

I know that "abuse" is a strong word, but I really believe that these things to follow fit in that category. Here are more quotes:

"Do you have a bank card?" The spectator says, "Yes." He repeats, "Do you have a bank card?" Where's the abuse? He's, obviously, not paying attention to them or what they say.

After a card was selected, "Are you happy?" Before they answer, he's cut them off and moved on to the next part of the routine. Abuse: Not listening. Talking over them.

Last, but worst, was the abuse of treating spectator's like prop managers: "Here take this, hold that, put the lid back on the pen, give me that, let me have this, put this over here." Abuse: Bossing the spectator's around. Not connecting with your spectators. Being pushy.

Wrap Up

As mentioned, these points don't impact the star rating whatsoever, but please (a word James Brown should have used when he told the spectator to recap the pen) do not pick up these bad habits. And James, my brother, if you're watching, please (there's that word again), don't take this as an insult, but rather as a bit of feedback on your performance that hopefully will further improve and polish the performance side of your amazing magic.

Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.