Las Vegas Weekly

July 20, 2010 · 1:27 PM

The good ol’ Psychic Chernobyl Bowling Pin trick

By Rick Lax

Magic show...or low-budget Leap of Faith remake?

Performing stage magic is like riding a bike in that 1) once you learn how to do it, you never forget, and 2) if you’re doing it in front of a big group of people and you mess up, it’s really embarrassing.

I haven’t performed stage magic in a very long time, but when Jeff McBride invited me to do a 5-minute set at this July’s Wonderground, I said yes.

What’d I perform? Why, the ol’ “Psychic Chernobyl Bowling Pin” routine, of course.

Yeah, it’s a trick I invented 30 hours prior to the show.

Surprisingly, the illusion went off without a hitch; the bowling pin correctly guessed that the spectator who caught the shuttlecock would select the color orange. (Complex trick; you had to be there.)

Last month’s Wonderground didn’t go so smoothly for me. On the way out, in the parking lot, I had to help a drunk, legless guy, who was waving a gun around, back into his wheelchair.

I’m pretty sure this guy wasn’t part of the event, but, it does goes to show you, you truly never know what to expect at Jeff McBride’s Wonderground!

Props to Jeremy Pie, Jordan Wright, and all the talented Wonderground Players. Seeya next month.

Share This