Jinx Navigator Podcast: Jay Jennings reviews issue number three of The Jinx, a roughly 90-year-old newsletter for magicians and mentalists, to see which ideas still hold up and how they might be tweaked for modern use.
Aside from the editorial, Jay covers four items from the issue: Les Gilbert’s “A Card in Transit,” where a spectator-initialed card vanishes from the deck and appears in the performer’s pocket using sleight of hand and a gimmick card; Annemann’s “A Real Psychic Card Test,” a simple thought-transmission drawing match using chalkboards (or business cards) and misdirection through distance/time; Annemann’s “Dead or Alive,” a living/dead name test using five cards and a prepared envelope, which Jay finds workable but dislikes as a presentation outside séance contexts and discusses envelope sizing/handling considerations; and Annemann’s “The Bending Swizzle Stick,” a gag based on the rubber pencil illusion involving glass stirring sticks and a final apparent permanent bend. The episode ends with mention of a poem Annemann received from the Great Lester at an IBM convention and a brief note about Lester as a ventriloquist and mentor to Edgar Bergen.
Jay invites listeners to read full instructions and articles on jinxnavigator.com, share feedback, and return for issue #4 featuring “Cigarette Perception.” 00:00 Welcome to Jinx Navigator:
What this podcast is about
- 00:39 Issue #3 overview + editorial setup (and name-pronunciation warning)
- 01:30 Editorial highlights: circulation, rival newsletters, and working pros
- 03:20 Who’s working where: venues, acts, and close-up advice
- 04:00 Effect 1 — ‘A Card in Transit’ (Les Gilbert): signed card to pocket
- 05:40 Effect 2 — ‘A Real Psychic Card Test’ (Ted Annemann): chalkboard mind-reading
- 06:44 Routine — ‘Dead or Alive’ test: envelope handling + presentation rant
- 10:11 Gag/bit — ‘The Bending Swizzle Stick’: rubber-pencil illusion with glass
- 12:00 Closing poem from The Great Lester + wrap-up and next issue teaser