Tapestry of Deception Part 1"The Tapestry of Deception" by Michael Vincent. VHS - filmed at The Magic Circle, London.
Review by Graham Nichols
Question: What makes a great magician, and what have performers like Ricky Jay, Larry Jennings, Eugene Burger, Darwin Ortiz and Michael Vincent in common?
For me, it is the fact that their magic has meaning, causing the audience to actually care about what is being done, and so producing very strong reactions to the effect being shown. Also they have a deep love and respect for the art, which they are proud to share with their audience. They touch their audiences with magic, creating feelings of pure astonishment. They don't do tricks. They are not the "wise-guy muppet" going for cheap laughs at the expense of the effect, which we, sadly, all too often see. They care about their audience, causing their audience to care about them.
In his latest lecture video "The Tapestry of Deception", filmed at The Magic Circle, Michael Vincent examines the process of astonishment creation by asking "What is misdirection?" or "audience attention control" as he calls it. In the same way that Vernon was able to step back from the mechanics, and challenge what is actually occurring, so Michael invites his viewers to examine what a magical experience actually is and how to create it consistently. He poses a very basic, yet crucial, question: "How can you misdirect an audience's attention, if you don't have it in the first place?" Now read that last sentence again, and think about it.
Drawing upon his experiences of personal tuition from the likes of Slydini and Larry Jennings, he then goes on to lead by example and performs Al Baker's "Coin through the table" using many Slydini subtleties and personal touches of his own. The result is a beautiful, visually stunning, portion of astonishment, with which he demonstrates the points of tension and relaxation. I imagine that few can cause genuine gasps from the seasoned professionals at The Magic Circle, but the soundtrack showed that he hit the nail firmly on the head every single time. If you think you already know the routine, watch him fool you badly, even after he has explained his methods. Now that is true magic!
Respected for his expert card technique, no Michael Vincent lecture would be complete without the every-present deck emerging from his pocket. Francis Carlyle's "Homing Card" from "The Stars of Magic" is then demonstrated, and later explained, in relation to misdirection. We then discover that this control has caused us to miss some, almost blatant, sleights right under our noses! By controlling the spectators assisting him, he has also led the entire audience along the path of his choice. Very powerful stuff. Don't think that watching his performance from the safety of your lounge TV will render you immune - it doesn't.
Finally, Larry Jenning's "Ambidextrous Travellers" received the "Vincent polish", demonstrating that even a classic of card magic can be improved in the right hands, and given the correct attitude. This really made me think. By applying this philosophy to the effects which are already on our own bookshelves, true wonders have been within our grasp all along we just didn't realise it. Ignoring this fact is what has given us that "drawer full of stuff" which, we'd rather not mention, but all have.
Body positioning, eye contact and verbal control are all covered. All the subtleties that are designed to go unquestioned, and yet raise a mere trick into a magical masterpiece. The 65 minutes seemed like ten to me, such is the absorption factor. Michael hinted that another, future, lecture would address the many other aspects of this fascinating, and very deep, subject, and personally I can't wait to experience it. From the reaction of those at his lecture, it was easy to tell that they were happy to sit and learn from him for many hours more
This is not a DVD from which to learn new material, and it is not designed as such. The two effects presented are merely vehicles with which Michael takes us on an, all too brief, journey of self-examination. If you are serious about amplifying the power of your own magic, and can appreciate what is being conveyed in Darwin Ortiz's "Strong Magic", Tommy Wonder's "Books of Wonder", Derren Brown's "Absolute Magic" or any of Eugene Burger's work, you will cherish this DVD. I highly recommend that you invest in your audience's future happiness by purchasing this gem for yourself. Hobbyist of pro, there is definitely something here for everyone. As one member of the audience is quoted as saying on the video sleeve "I wish had seen that lecture 25 years ago."
I now have to go away and totally re-construct everything I thought I knew. Damn you Michael Vincent. Thank you for showing me the way.
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 An Evening with Michael Vincent The Tapestry of Deception
Reviewed by Will Wood
A lecture theatre at the University of Durham Queens Campus played host to about twenty eager magicians from all over the country who had come together to share in a very special event on 1st June 2006. Michael Vincent, introduced by the current President of the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians, Richard Cuthbert, stepped up at the front of the stage to applause from those gathered, and introduced himself. From this moment on, we were lucky enough to be present for one of the most fresh and inspirational experiences that can be found within the magic community at the moment. It was a date on the calendar which had been widely anticipated, and we were not disappointed. Michaels lecture deviates from the normal format of a magicians lecture, in the sense that rather than demonstrating a string of effects and then explaining their working, he uses a few set pieces to illustrate some very profound strategies on Audience Attention Control (you might know it as Misdirection).
The evening began with a routine of cards and coins which was received with generous amounts of applause, a feat rarely accomplished at a magic club! The sheer grace and skill used within these routines demanded admiration, no matter where your interests lie. The subtleties that were employed, and later explained, were ingeniously clever, and once Michael began to perform (even though the effects that he performed were nothing new) he created a truly magical atmosphere. With so much saturation of the same magic being performed over and over again on Television, it was truly refreshing to see a performer whose skill was measured by the amount of thought and work that had gone into his performance, rather than how different they could be. Michaels technical brilliance was shown by the way he manipulated his props and the way he manipulated his audience's attention. Although subconsciously recognising the skill and effort involved within these routines, it was not until Michael explained them and you began to really understand what made them work and why, that you fully appreciated the value of Michaels philosophies.
After a short break, Michael began the theoretical side of the lecture using the routines he had shown us to demonstrate how to use Audience Attention Control to its full potential. Michael explained how theories from Tamariz, Slydini, Alan Alan, and Tommy Wonder (to name but a few!) had had a profound on the way that he viewed magic, and from this process he had arrived at his own personal philosophies regarding Audience Attention Control and its proper applications. Michael emphasised the importance of taking advantage of the rhythm of Tension and Relaxation, and by doing so you can make your dirty work invisible, despite the fact that it happens directly in front of the audience. We all understand the importance of technical skill and presentation, but Michaels thinking highlights the importance of how these two aspects of performance should be inter-locked and not tackled separately.
Michael had obviously spent a great deal of time putting this lecture together as it was well structured, thorough, and held everybody's interest throughout. The use of the power point presentation meant Michael could visualise his philosophies, making them a lot easier to explain and teach to his audience. I had the distinct impression that Michael could have spoken on the topic for several more hours than we had that evening, but even so, he covered everything that need to be covered and even provided us with further reading on some of the topics or ideas that he hadn't had time to go into fully.
Despite tackling this topic from a close up perspective, Michael's theories could be applied to any discipline found within magic and overall, I would say that this lecture was the most valuable that I have ever witnessed. The lecture is available in DVD format from Michaels website at www.magicofmagic.com under the Magicians Only section but if you ever get the chance to see him in person, don't pass it up; The Tapestry of Deception will change the way you think about magic, and if you apply what Michael teaches you will become a better magician, it is that simple. Personally, I have come away from the lecture with a new passion. Not to learn new tricks, but to make the effects I already know more effective, by applying what I learnt and using Audience Attention Control to its full potential.
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