Review: Switch - Unfolding the $100 Bill Change

Switch, Unfolding the $100 Bill Change, by John Lovick

Format: Book
Genre: Paper money
Price: 45$ on magicwarehouse.com

What you get: A bible on paper money transformations and a great source for transpositions and restorations as well
Who this is for: See below
Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Rating: 5 stars (a classic) or 2 stars (acceptable) -- once more, see below

Introduction:

One of the basic theories that abound behind the popularity of coin magic is that all audiences, even those who might be resistant to magic in general, hold some fascination for money. In general, it's hard to find somebody who doesn't have some well-formed philosophy about money -- whether it be love of money, a desire to hoard, share or give it away, or a pure disdain of it, or something somewhere in between, nobody has a truly neutral attitude towards it. Perhaps that alone accounts for the deepness and richness of the history of coin magic, I don't know, but one interesting paradox that arises from this idea is the fact that, while coin magic goes back a long way, the paper money transformation really only came into its own three decades ago. It was at that time that Mike Kozlowski published The Hundred Dollar Bill Switch, a refined version of a money transformation effect learned from Milton Nichols (who in turn learned it from a circus performer called Vladimir "Vlado" Vladimirov, almost universally considered the originator of the effect), in which a $1 bill openly changes into a $100 bill before reverting back to a $1 in the magician's hands, under full scrutiny of the audience.

If you think about it, if everybody cares about money, surely it'd be much more impressive to manipulate large denominations rather than quarters and half-dollars. However, while all the technical innovations in magic needed to pull off Vladimirov's effect were present in the first half of the 20th Century, it wasn't until 1977 when Kozlowski's publication came out. But, when it did, its simple premise caught the magic world by storm. Magicians everywhere, perhaps motivated by the sheepishness of not having thought of such an obviously great method themselves, started adding their takes on the techniques involved as well as all-new routines, and the variations and innovations continue to this day -- so much so, that, a 300-plus page book could be written about it.

Before we get going, let's get something out of the way -- I totally apologize for the ambiguity in the rating and the "Who this is for" above. Usually I can take a look at a product and give it a level of endorsement that I think applies to the average magician, or perhaps envision what type of magician can get the most of it. This book, on the other hand, is a puzzle. There aren't many products out there that seek to provide a complete history and analysis of a single trick. Even if it is a complete success, its intended goal complicates its utility for a general audience.

Now, personally, I've got two fetishes when it comes to magic right now -- first, resources that dedicate themselves to a single effect and all the variations that might arise from it, and second, anything that doesn't have to do with cards. Since this book appeared to promise satisfaction for both, I figured I might as well get my hands on it. Now, I can say with confidence that this book really does represent, from my view, the most thorough and unified examination of a class of magic I have ever seen, and this alone makes the purchase more than worth it... in my eyes. But different magicians value different things, and that which makes this book a treasure in my eyes might make it a doorstop in someone else's.

The Good:

But first, let's give credit where credit is due -- this book is the richest exploration of an effect that I've ever had the pleasure to take in. After giving a thorough history of the origins of the effect and the various evolutions it's gone through, it begins with a quick primer on the proper use of thumptips, before starting with the original switching effect from Vladimirov followed immediately by Kozlowski's version, and then five others. If gimmicks aren't your thing, then there are four methods presented for performing the switch without thumbtips. Both of these chapters offer in-depth examinations of utility moves such as gimmick loads and ditches, and finesses to act as convincers for the effect, and there are plenty to choose from.

Not content to stay with simple bill switches, eight methods for multiple switches are offered, as well as palm-up handlings that are more open than the traditional handlings, and five changes that are more stylized visually. That's almost 200 pages of methodology, with the next 100 dedicated to over 80 routines, with the included categories covering the classic $1 to $100, the mismade bill, bill to impossible location, various transposition and torn-and-restored routines, miscellaneous productions and vanishes, and others, including 10 routines that use the techniques for effects that don't even involve paper money. The variety of routines is outstanding -- despite the large number, there is no feeling of overlap. Each method and routine is explained well, complete with additional commentary and pointers unique to that given method or routine.

And the variety... besides the basic switches, you've got: transpositions to a lemon or cigar; changes involving blank pieces of paper, playing cards or Keno sheets; productions from a purse frame, a cigarette pack or thin air; good ideas for trade shows; various bill mutilations and bizarre restorations; solid routines involving different countries' currencies; routines involving coins; a couple of ideas involving origami; a couple of ideas for moving or altering text; and so on... If you've got a personal thirst for variety and have built multiple acts to quench it, this book would enable you to add a solid Bill Switch variant to each one.

The range of magicians represented in this book is impressive. Besides Vladimirov and Kozlowski, contributors include John Lovick, Michael Ammar, David Regal, Jay Sankey, Gregory Wilson, Bill Malone, Max Maven, and dozens more -- even up-and-comer Daniel Garcia managed to get in there. There is even a round-table from notable magicians (including Kozlowski, Ammar, Sankey, and more) about the effect, taking in their attitudes on aspects of performance such as execution speed, rationalizing the fold, whether or not to use thumbtips, the best way to learn it, etc. It's also refreshing to see that some of the opinions conflict.

Handling for a $100 bill switch can be intricate, and to his credit the author ensured a consistently high quality of descriptions, and the supportive illustrations provided are both clear and numerous, so readers are seldom left having to imagine intermediate stages of handling as is often the case in books. In general, the writing is excellent throughout and the format is consistent, not a negligible feat considering the wide variety of authors sampled. I can imagine such a compendium being a nightmare task for the author and editor, and they've done a fantastic job in eliminating the idiosynchrasies that must have arisen in dealing with so many different magicians.

And it's not just a question of quantity either. This is great stuff that you can fit into just about every sort of act -- there are some routines that involve mentalism and even cards. What's more, the technique for the thumbtip use is so solid that you could likely incorporate a $100 Bill Switch routine into an act that already has some other thumbtip-based vanish/production routine and not have to worry about creating audience suspicion through the re-use of moves. I think the nature of the props limits its effectiveness for stage magic, and perhaps you might need to add a certain something to turn one of these effects into a proper closer, but with so many ideas and tools at your disposal in this book, you have pretty much every opportunity to come up with some solid magic to add to your performances. I think the term "reputation-maker" is used a little too liberally these days when talking about some marketed effects, but it's hard to imagine how any of the tricks in this book couldn't make a solid contribution to your prestige as a magician.

Finally, I can't imagine a bona fide magic inventor not wanting this book. There's just too much inspiration to be found within from other magicians and their ideas, and enough handling methodology to create a fully-polished routine. This book represents a rare combination of both theory and practical appliction that is a godsend to innovators in the industry. It's positively encyclopedic. Plus, if you're only a trick-collector -- in my opinion, an unfairly maligned demographic in our circle -- this book is nirvana.

The Not-So-Good:

To be blunt, if you're a trick collector, a magic historian, an inventor, or just someone who likes the idea of having 80 different effects to choose from, there is little not to like about this book. I could basically come up with only one minor criticism -- the bill to impossible location effect is such a perfect use for the techniques taught in Switch, that it's unfortunate that only six are given. That said, this isn't a bill to lemon book, and with the wealth of information elsewhere, and the fact that you have to be pretty spoiled to complain of having ONLY six such effects, this isn't enough to knock Switch off five-star status. One might as well criticize Expert at the Card Table for not having a section on the linking rings.

So, five stars it is, if you're a trick collector, a magic historian, an inventor, or just someone who likes having all these effects to choose from. You might as well just skip this section.

If you're not, on the other hand...

Let's look at it another way. On its own, the $100 Bill Switch is difficult to categorize. Is it a trick? Is it an effect? Is it a method? While this book makes the case that it is a method first and foremost, the presentational aspect to it is such that it isn't a method in the same way that a pass with cards is a method -- the visibility in particular, in my opinion, doesn't lend itself to multiple uses within a magician's act. As such, the practicality of this book comes into question. If you don't have multiple acts, do you really want to spend so much money and invest so much time into researching just one single effect? For less money, you could pick up a very strong bill change effect from any number of other sources, along with several other unrelated effects that could be of more practical value for you as a performer. For instance, for two-thirds the cost of this book, you could get Garcia's contribution to this particular book, along with five other tricks, or you could get Ammar's Bill to Peanut effect from Easy to Master Money Miracles #3 -- including an even more thorough examination of the bill to impossible location than is included in Switch -- along with seven other money-related effects.

As such, I can't with clear conscience give Switch an unequivocal five stars without at least acknowleging that there is potentially a disproportionate number of magicians who won't get as much value out of this book. I can't help but think that an unqualified endorsement of this book without taking practical matters into account smacks of Ivory Tower elitism -- hence, the double rating. For those who have no time to explore each and every avenue of the bill switch, this book embodies overkill. Perhaps that's akin to downrating James Joyce for not being more populist, but magical texts are contributions to an industry just as much as they are to a culture, and as such certain extra standards apply.

That said, there are far worse ways to spend your money. If you are compelled to part with the funds required to get this book, you should get at least one really solid magic routine from it -- you just might have to filter through more material than usual. In my opinion, the only people who will get little or nothing from this book are some specialists (more on that in a second) and people who already have this effect in their repertoire. What's more, if you're in a position to read this book without parting with the money -- such as borrowing it from a friend, or sneaking in passages at the local magic store -- then I don't think the two-star rating applies. If you've got the time, this book has something to offer.

Other Thoughts:

Switch will also present a problem towards some specialists. As previously mentioned, there are routines that could be used involving mentalism or cards, but they probably aren't meant for mentalists or card technicians. Instead, they're probably best-suited towards generalists who want to inject some variety into the act, or somebody who's curious about how much mileage they can get from their thumbtips. Also, while I think there is some potential in the sections of vanishes and productions, I don't know how easily they'd work their way in naturally into pure sleight-of-hand presentations, if at all. Given the theme, however, this reservation does not apply to coin specialists, for whom this body of work should represent a valued addition.

I'm personally undecided about how appropriately the book is priced for somebody just looking to add a bill switch routine to their act. How much is it worth to learn a single effect? How much more is it worth to have the effect taught well? While I personally think it's fair, it might be a bit of a stretch for others, and you really can get good solid magic routines for less money. There are so many intricacies to learning the bill switch -- how to fold, unfold, display, load, ditch, etc. -- that the tutelage involved in mastering this particular effect is going to be somewhat higher than average in some ways. As an aside, it's also worth noting that, while none of the moves are particularly difficult, the dedication required to precise handling is the major reason that I don't think this book is meant for complete beginners. However, the learning process is facilitated by the fact that many of the routines reset, something which ought to be welcome news to walk-around performers as well.

Conclusion:

There's little doubt in my mind that this book will be considered a classic in magic for a long, long time. If there is to be an accepted canon of magical literature, then this book deserves its place amongst the best there is. With this depth and richness of material, with the wide array of magicians contributing their routines and general advice, with all these great routines and the endless possibilities for creating new effects using the techniques within these covers... why wouldn't Switch be there amongst the best?

My personal praise aside, a five-star book or DVD arguably should be reserved for only those sources that offer what few or no other options offer. While I do believe that it would be impossible for me to find this value elsewhere, I am not all magicians, and it's just going to make more sense for some to invest time and money into other resources. In the end, many magicians are likely going to get only one routine that will be of immediate use -- perhaps two, if you can find other ways to use these techniques that don't involve paper money.

However, for those magicians for whom the cost isn't an issue and who would like possibly the best treatise there is on a great magic effect, I can imagine no reason not to acquire this book. Switch represents both a testament to one of the great pieces of magic of modern times, and the ingenuity of the magicians of those times in the evolution of this wonderful effect.