John Carney

08/12/2023

Holiday Sale! 25% off all Carney books and videos.
At check out, type code: nepomuk
https://carneymagic.com/shop/ Expires Dec. 24!

19/11/2023

How to turn your craft into art.

19/07/2023

Carney's Sleights and Insights
Sleights and Insights is full of original material for Close Up and Stage, John's first major work in 10 years. More than a just book of tricks, Sleights and Insights is about the process of creating, refining, and contributing to our own magic. More than a book of academic “theory,” it provides concrete examples of how we can design our routines more thoughtfully, improve our technique, and make our magic more natural looking and deceptive.

Herein lay startling visual magic with cards for close up as well as stage, elegantly designed coin magic, impromptu cups and balls, torn and restored innovations, puppets and photographs that catch selected cards from mid air, variations with a vanishing birdcage, and a haunted doll house where objects come to life, concluding with the appearance of a ghostly apparition ... and much more.
Sleights and Insights offers a fresh perspective, that will make you look at all your magic with new eyes.
$80 postpaid in USA
Other Regions require additional postage
Available from
CarneyMagic.com/shop
•••••••••••
LEGERDEMAIN: Suite for Coins & Handkerchief
Here is a commercial coin routine, with a variety of visual effects, and a deceptive mix of methods. In one routine, you have productions, vanishes, penetrations, and transportations, practically every effect possible with coins. Each piece compliments the others, with a sum greater than the individual parts. Carney presents a cohesive routine with a beginning, middle, and a satisfying finish, combining streamlined elements of Vernon’s Silk and Silver, Jennings’ Coins and Handkerchief, and John Ramsay’s coin work, along with John’s own expert routining, twists and touches.
$25 US, Canada, Mexico postpaid
(Overseas Orders impractical, due to high postal rates)
carneymagic.com/shop

Checks and Money Orders on US Banks to
CarneyMagic
13134 Valleyheart Dr. #3
Studio City, CA 91604

Sleight of Hand performer, Comic-Actor, writer.

21/01/2023

"... nothing makes a person feel quite so old as to talk of one's influences and of things that he feels are important and to have several hundred blank faces look at you with bewilderment. I don't want to annotate everything, and I think there is a serious lack of investment or intention toward this thing, this art, this craft to which you aspire. I think you have to know more than what is current and 'hot,' to use a loathsome word. I think you have to be familiar with the foundation of the work and understand it's what you're standing on."
~ Mike Nichols

08/09/2022

One of my all time favorite magiicans and a great inspiration. This is Fred Kaps as a teenager. He had great skill, personality, and superb taste in material. Close up, stage, comedy, mentalism, manipulation......he did them all beautifully.

26/08/2022

Another great is gone. Vernon used to say to me, the worst part of growing old, is seeing your friends go before you. Martin was very prolific and creative. The saddest part is that he didn't live to see the response to his last book, Making Magic, for which he would have surely been gratified. A practical, real-world entertainer, and a friend. Long live the memory of Martin Lewis. RIP

05/08/2022

So sad to hear of the passing of my friend Chuck Smith. He was 92, so he had a full life. Chuck was an "underground" guy, very influential in magic, but not well known outside of his home state of Texas. He never did magic professionally, but performed casually his whole life. He had great skill, and was creative, charming, and funny. He could tell the corniest joke, and with that smile of his, he could still make you laugh. So many offbeat, original ideas. His Cards to Pocket is ingenious, and I still use it regularly. A great guy. Gonna miss not being able to chat with him...... thanks for everything Chuck!

30/07/2022

Back in the 90's..... Friday lunch at the Castle, showing my new impromptu acrobatic matchbox routine that went in Carneycopia.
With Alfonso and Larry Jennings. I lived at the Castle in those days!

30/07/2022

Great tricks, new ways of thinking, and inspiration. Order today!
CarneyMagic.com/shop
Jeff McBride "… love it … what a wonderful book!" • Charles Schneider "… One of the top shelf classics of magic, no doubt." • Richard Kaufman "… One of my favorite books of the year!" • Jim Piper "… Loaded with great material!" • David Harbour "… Great book!" • Kenton Knepper "… You can never go wrong with anything this man teaches or writes". • Scott R. Smith "… chocked full of great magic!" • Shiv Duggal "… Great book." • Ann Cavera "… Made an incredible gift for a friend". • Scot Grassette "… Currently my favorite magic book". • Eamonn Doohan "… Brilliant … great material and advice from a modern master!" • Chris Deleo … "Incredible book! Highly recommended". • Nick Diffatte "…Great stuff!" • Ridgely Hunt "… This is a WONDERFUL book!" • Nikolaas Martens "… great book!" • Richard Tremblay "… Amazing book!" • Bill Wells "… outstanding book. Without question, Highly Recommended !"

13/02/2022

I only discovered Buka 15 years ago, but I think he is now one of my favorite, all around acts.......Skill, character, and a complete original. He gets so much out of so little. Creative...... Silly..... Super fun..... Amazing.......and the most practical traveling act I have ever seen! Pure entertainment. something from nothing. Bravo Buca!

The sound is a little out of sync on this clip...... don't let it bother you....... it's still awesome.
https://youtu.be/_iqahjU7SVc

Card Manipulation

11/02/2022

So lucky to have spent time with Faucett Ross, and to meet these legends when I was 16 years old at the Midwest Magic Jubilees. They all loved Faucett, so would meet in St. Joeseph, MO a couple days before the convention, and just visit and show magic for two days. Danny Dew was a chef. They would go to the park and Danny would cook steaks. This photos was taken by Ross Bertram, in front of Faucett's home. The evening after this, Ross Bertram showed his home movies of him doing the greatest sleight of hand. This was the beginning of lots of friendships. Left to right, Danny Dew, Joe Scott, Roger Klause, Scotty York, Cal Emmet, Allen Okawa, Ross Bertram, Faucett, Dai Vernon, Mike Skinner, Steve Freeman, Tom Blue...... later at the convention, I met David Roth, Bro John Hamman, Eddie Fechter, Derek Di**le, and Larry Jennings...... I've never been at a more star studded convention.

29/01/2022

The Best in Sleight of Hand Instruction.
Details and order at CarneyMagic.com/shop

26/01/2022

MR. MYSTO writes a book! 'Wizard Academy' contains simple tricks, gags, and flourishes for beginners of any age. You'll find great stuff to show your friends at parties, over dinner, or to lighten up a buiness meeting. Even kids will find amazing and fun things they can do, things still regularly used by Mysto, and his handler, John Carney. Along the way, Mysto gives great advice for learning and presenting magic. Beautifully illustrated by Stephanie Gladden, this book makes a proud addition to any magic library.
ORDER HERE: https://carneymagic.com/product/mr-mystos-wizard-academy/

17/11/2021

“... go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
~Kurt Vonnegut

28/10/2021

Great tricks, new ways of thinking, and inspiration. Order today!
CarneyMagic.com/shop

12/08/2021

If you are looking for intimate showpieces, with lots of great visual magic, that pack small and play big, look no further than John Carney’s LEGERDEMAIN series.

Issue One: 
Suite for Handkerchief and Coins

Here is a commercial routine, with a variety of visual effects, and a deceptive mix of methods. In one routine, you have productions, vanishes, penetrations, and transportations, practically every effect possible with coins. Each piece compliments the others, with a sum greater than the individual parts.

Carney presents a cohesive routine with a beginning, middle, and a satisfying finish, combining streamlined elements of Vernon’s Silk and Silver, Jennings’ Coins and Handkerchief, and Ramsay’s coin work, along with John’s expert routining, twists and touches.

In Stock and ready for shipping. 

$25 US, Canada and Mexico

$35 Overseas
ORDER HERE: https://carneymagic.com/shop/

More Issues to Come!
In the works for the Legerdemain Series in the coming year; Downs’ Coin Masterpiece, Parlor Ace Routine, Ultimate 3 Card Monte, and a baffling Card Stab using the four Aces.
Stay informed of new releases in the series by following CarneyMagic on Instagram and Facebook, or adding your name to the CarneyMagic Mailing List HERE eepurl.com/gBUXPL

07/07/2021

In Stock, Ready for Delivery!
John Carney’s Sleights and Insights is full of original material for Close Up and Stage. More than a just book of tricks, Sleights and Insights is about the process of creating, refining, and contributing to our own magic. More than a book of academic “theory,” it provides concrete examples of how we can design our routines more thoughtfully, improve our technique, and make our magic more natural looking and deceptive. �
Herein lay startling visual magic with cards for close up as well as stage, elegantly designed coin magic, impromptu cups and balls, torn and restored innovations, puppets and photographs that catch selected cards from mid air, variations with a vanishing birdcage, and a haunted doll house where objects come to life, concluding with the appearance of a ghostly apparition … and much more. �
Sleight and Insights offers a fresh perspective, that will make you look at all your magic with new eyes.
Not Available through Dealers,
only from CarneyMagic.com

04/02/2021

Saddened and shocked to hear of the passing of David Roth. It was even more shocking as I had just talked to him a few days before he passed. He was a sweet guy.

As a teenager, I loved magic with coins, and poured over Bobo’s Coin Magic, devouring everything between its covers. But this didn’t prepare me for my first taste of David’s coin magic, when I got to see him perform at one of my very first magic conventions. These were not just “coin tricks,” but groundbreaking routines, with unconventional plots and techniques. His thinking was fresh and original, layered with nuance and creative brilliance. David was an original.

Not long after, I took one of my first trips out of the midwest, and landed in New York. I was unknown, but David invited me back to his home, and proceeded to show me many of those showpiece routines, and many new ones. Each one was unique in their construction, an unlike any other magic I had seen, with coins or otherwise.

For several years after, I became a David Roth imitator. I adopted his techniques, his style, and inspired by his creativity, I attempted to come up with my own ideas, which never quite managed to measure up to his. Coin magic can be catalogued as before David Roth, and after. His thinking inspired everyone who watched him, or read his techniques.

I’m going to miss his enthusiasm for magic, his gentle manner, and his generosity. I’m proud to have known the magician and the man. I’m really going to miss those dinners and sessions when I visit New York. Aloha David. Thanks for the inspiration, the fun, and the magic.

02/01/2021

Jerry Andrus.... what a brilliant, creative guy. He has me revisiting all these tricks again. Unconventional methods and effects. His Zone Zero has been my opening effect for 30 years. Jerry raves on, in clips on YouTube.... bravo!

Take a minute and see into his mind.jerry adrus

21/11/2020

Much Ado About Me!... Thank you to Kari Hendler for her wonderful photos inside this issue... and to Richard Kaufman for featuring me, and helping me get the word out about
my new book, Sleights and Insights.

Let the shameless self promotion begin!
Pre-Order the book here. Delivery at the end of January 2021
https://carneymagic.com/product/sleights-and-insights/

07/11/2020

Eternally grateful to Mike Close for proofreading my new book. A huge job! All the changes have been made, and now a second proofing, and tweaking design elements. Hoping for a finished book in my hands, and yours, by the end of January.
No ordering information yet, but check back here and on Instagram for updates.

21/10/2020

John's first major work in ten years. Ready for pre-order in December, shipping in January. Watch here, and on Instagram for updates and more details.

19/10/2020

Remembering my friend John Cornelius today.
Just a few examples of his brilliant, simple thinking.
And what a wonderful guy to boot..... Rest easy my friend.

John Cornelius' Creative Magic video trailer. ©Meir Yedid Magic. Available at: www.MyMagic.com.

03/10/2020

A great shot of my dear friend, Faucett Ross on stage at a testimonial convention in the late 80's. I portray Faucett on stage, and this is how I remember him, telling stories from his chair, with a pipe in his mouth, and a cat on his lap.

23/05/2020

Between two heroes. Faucett Ross and Dai Vernon,
at a Midwest Magic Jubilee about 1980.

21/05/2020

The first, and only time I really saw Marlo's work in person. He was really good! Taken at the Santa Barbara PCAM in the late 80's..... Left to right, my dear friend Bill Bowers, Ed Marlo, Dai Vernon, and my buddy Dean Sterne. I also met Jack McMillan at this convention, who was one of the "Card Stars of the USA" in Greater Magic.... so naturally, I assumed he was long gone.... but he was just a kid then, and here he was at PCAM..... a brilliant magician, a charming performer, and a wonderful gentleman.

04/01/2020

10/10/2019

I tried my best to help, but once the Rex bit off Bill's arms, all bets were off, and everyman for himself ... With my good friend Bill Bowers, at Jurassic Park, Universal Studios.

09/10/2019

All my videos are now available on VIMEO !
Go to CarneyMagic.com/shop to order.

11/07/2019

70's Witchita convention, with (right to left), Paul Gertner, Kuda Bux, looks like Mike Skinner (but probably not)... Sitting, Dai Vernon, and me, about 19, doing the Ramsay Cylinder and Coins.

07/07/2019

Mysto Abides

17/06/2019

I was very lucky to have known these folks. I was about 20 when this was taken, at some midwestern convention. From L to R, my good friend and real pro, Faucett Ross; Dai Vernon, my greatest sleight of hand influence; Danny Dew and Melba, two of the sweetest people ever; and Mildred Petrie, Faucett's girlfriend of 45 years!

23/04/2019

So saddened to hear of the passing of John Cornelius. John was just ten years older than me. But when I was growing up, and going to magic conventions, John was always there. His ideas were low tech, totally original, and brilliant. When some of the methods were revealed to me, I would have to laugh, that I had been so badly fooled with such simple and elegant solutions for methods.
The Magic of John Cornelius has some of his best stuff, and will give you some idea of his way of thinking. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
In addition, John was the sweetest guy. Always smiling, laughing, and joking, and you'd be hard pressed to find a more thoroughly nice and generous person. I'll miss seeing him, and marveling at his brilliant thinking. Goodbye dear friend. So many people loved you...... by my measure, a great success.

02/03/2019

A wonderful article on creativity.
Also check out the John Cleese link in the article. It’s an informative, and entertaining talk on creativity.
The challenge is to have the discipline, and the courage to do the work.

Making creative work is often misunderstood. In popular culture, it’s often viewed as a floaty, magical process, in which an idealistic weirdo waits around their house all day for “inspiration” to strike.

31/07/2018

When I started magic, around 12 years old, I read about the Miser's Dream, and knew the basic idea, the "secret," but had no idea of how to make it look like magic. Years later, I worked up a routine, performed it, with modest responses, and thought that I now understood it pretty well.
Then, I saw Charlie Miller do it, and it completely fooled me. I learned from Charlie's routine, and thought, now, for sure, I know all there is to know.
Then I saw Al Flosso do his routine on an old TV video, and I was completely baffled again. What a fantastic character! And every detail worked out.
He did a dozen shows a day in Coney Island back in the day..... and learned a lot!..... I stole a few bits, took note of some great principles ... so now, surely I must have all "the work"
Well, one look at Jeff McBride, or Teller's beautiful routines, and you see what can be done if you don't just practice, but really think things through; details of technique; presentation; multiple methods; little bits of business that make it more than just "a trick", or one secret. Limitless potential for development, technical innovation, and variations.
I'm starting to look again at routines that I have done for years, ones that already work, and thinking, "what could I do to get more out of this?; how can I make this more deceptive?"
To me, the fun is in the challenge of working things out. But once it's finished, and working, I need a new fix. That's the only way I can keep the magic alive for me. I don't just do it for the checks. I love this stuff.
Humility is not just more attractive than arrogance, it is necessary to grow.
When you think you know it all, you're dead.

Fantasma's Tribute to Al Flosso. Fantasma has updated versions of many of the tricks that Al Flossor performs here available at www.fanstasmamagic.com

23/06/2018

Writing a new book.
Mostly written (needs re-writing and editing).
Working on the illustrations now. Then the layout.
Lots of work!
Hope to finish by the end of the year.
Close up and stage magic with various objects.
No title yet.
If you want to know when the book is ready, make sure you and your friends LIKE this page for announcements.
Thanks!
John

08/06/2018

Two of the best....
I was lucky to know them, when I was just a pup.
Larry Jennings and Michael Skinner.

01/03/2018

Terrific article.
A minimum of 10,000 hours of practice, to become and expert at anything. But it's not just repetition. We also need exploration, research, analysis, and to actively work on weaknesses, and things we can't already do. To step outside of our comfort zone.
We need to try, and fail. And try again, until we can.
We have to risk looking foolish.
The great magicians, musicians, writers, painters, scientists ... they have made many more mistakes than the rest of us. But they learn and grow from their mistakes. They grow by stretching and having the humility to be open to learning.

Practice makes perfect — sort of.

17/11/2017

John Carney's
Torn and Restored
$12
Long out of print, this manuscript is now available as a PDF Download.
Nine visual, innovative, and deceptive methods for the Torn and Restored Card effect. Pieces of card visibly fuse together to become whole again.
Even more than the torn and restored card, these are lessons in problem solving, and classic sleight of hand management.
Buy it here: https://carneymagic.com/shop/