(Kansas City, Missouri: 1st November 1957 - )
Inspired in 1965 by a Svengali pitch at county fair. Industrial salesman in Joliet, Illinois. Semi-pro close-up with cards and coins since 1971. See J. Mendoza, Formula One Close-up: The Magic of Randy Wakeman (1985, 84pp), Randy Wakeman's Special Effects (1987, 112pp), and Mike Maxwell, Randy Wakeman Presents (1989, 153pp). Many tricks in Apocalypse and Genii. Two videos (1988, 1989).
From the introduction:
Effort has been made in this work to include material that will appeal to close-up workers of all experience levels. Even those individuals who are just getting their feet wet in card magic should not have great difficulty learning routines such as "The Odds Against Me," "Forefiguration," "The Force is With You," "Six Card Trick," "Nick's Trick," and several others.
Effort has also been made to make this book as complete an entity as possible as you will notice by the rather generous appendix of Marlo ideas that I have included. Hopefully this will motivate serious...
From the Foreword by Ed Marlo:
The effects have been constructed with the audience's conditions in mind. By this I mean that practically every close-up, at-the-table worker in a restaurant has to work under the audience's conditions and not the performer's. Thus, angly moves, risky sleights, lapping, etc. have been eliminated from Randy's lay audience routines. Therefore, you can be assured of the practicality of his magic.
As for my section of effects, it is obvious that much of it will not be used if one works under the spectator's conditions. Which also means that I work under my conditions....
Some sixty complete routines are performed and explained! As far from a "one trick wonder" type offering as can be imagined, when you get the series you are just paying one dollar and thirty-five cents per routine.
This is the complete set of all four vintage Randy Wakeman instructional videos. now available by download for the very first time. It includes performances and thorough explanations of most of the pieces from Randy's first trilogy of books (Formula One Close-up, Randy Wakeman's Special Effects, Randy Wakeman Presents), Randy's Linking Ring Parade, Randy's Genii issue, Randy's...
Visual sleight-of-hand card magic.
1st edition 1990, length 1h 20min
A variety of close-up magic: cards, coins, cups and balls, sponge balls, and dice stacking.
1st edition 1990, length 1h 30min
All card routines except one, which is a torn and restored paper money effect.
1st edition 1989, length 2h
A selection of Randy Wakeman's favorite card routines.
1st edition 1988, length 1h 24 min
In this vintage and somewhat wacky video, Randy Wakeman demonstrates and explains in great detail his work with "Small Packet Ambitious," "The Visitor," the Rainbow Deck, Tom Gagnon's Impromptu Haunted Deck, Gagnon's "LBD Aces," and much, much more.
Miscellaneous mayhem by Simon Lovell is also included. And yes, although this isn't exactly "Team America" . . . puppets are involved.
length 1 hour
A historical, extremely rare video: the only video ever released of one of Chicago's most beloved bartender/magicians, the "Great Heba Haba Al."
"How wonderful that this footage has been preserved for the charm, the methods, and the trick selection of the man Jay Marshall described as "the grandfather of bar magic in Chicago" are there to be studied and learned from. Even when you know what he is doing, and if you know card magic you will, he will still amaze you with the ease and the confidence with which he does it. Remembering that he may have had three tricks going on at once will only...
Performed by Randy Wakeman before random, live audiences . . . then explained and taught in full detail.
Over the 1950s, 1960's, and through the 1970's a brand of bold and direct close-up magic was developed in Chicago, Illinois. These effects were known for simplicity, clarity, and strength of effect, and the powerful response they elicited. Chicago magical legends Don Alan, "Heba Haba Al" Andrucci, "Senator" Clarke Crandall, Frank Everhart, Jack Murray, Johnny Paul, James Patrick Ryan, and Matt Schulien forged their reputations with these effects, and now you can too.
While these quick, direct, simple, baffling effects...