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Jerry Cestkowskifattyonadiet was able to setup an interview with Jerry Cestkowski in our June Newsletter! Jerry is one of the best card flourishers in the world and we are thankful that he took some time to answer our questions.Jerry Cestkowski InterviewPublished June 1, 2006fattyonadiet: 1. How long have you been flourishing? Jerry Cestkowski: I started when I was 14. I got "The Amateur Magician's Handbook" and was drawn to Henry Hay's distinction between hand magic and head magic. I found that I disliked head magic (mentalism mainly, but all magic that involves misdirection is head magic to some extent). I found that I loved sleight of hand, and loved flourishes even more. fattyonadiet: 2. Why flourishing? Jerry Cestkowski: My first memories of cards are of flourishes I saw on TV and in movies. A card trick never had as much impact on me as a fancy stunt. I never believed in magic or the supernatural. But to see someone blatantly showcasing their dexterity always gave me Goosebumps. Whenever I saw something that no one else in the world could do, and in a few rare cases, no one else in the world could ever hope to do, I felt that that was as close to supernatural that I was ever going to see. fattyonadiet: 3. Do you think that XCM has affected flourishing in a positive way or has it been a fad that is dying out? Jerry Cestkowski: XCM will never die. Simply juxtapose "flourish" and "XCM" and the reason is readily apparent. "Flourisher" is not catchy, and does nothing for laymen. "Card shark" is catchy and appeals to laymen, although it does not capture the special nature of XCM. The term XCM does not yet register with laymen, but it will someday. In the meantime, call yourself a card shark and take advantage of all the positive conations it carries. Never fight convention in spite of yourself. XCM as an art form, whatever terminology is used, is here to stay. Non-magical card manipulation is too fun, and the explosion of interest that has taken place in the last five years can not be likened to a passing fad for several reasons. Although flourishes have always been around, it is only recently that enough of them are available to learn and enough people are interested enough to learn them. The internet, my book, De'vo's tireless efforts a few other artists and serendipity have helped get the ball rolling. I think enough people will do XCM because it is so fun that eventually it will reach the critical mass that skateboarding and snowboarding have. Sponsors, specialized gear, competition, conventions; all will be commonplace someday. As far as terminology goes, I prefer to use the word "flourish" when referring to the occasional fancy manoeuvre done as an accent to a magic performance or routine or trick or whatever. Flourish means an embellishment, so it makes less and less sense to refer to an act or routine of nothing but non-magical card manipulation as "all-flourishes." All accents or all embellishment rises to a different level, the level of extreme card manipulation. It is extreme in the quantity, beauty, variety and difficulty of the stunts. fattyonadiet: 4. What is your favourite group of flourishes? (Fans/cuts/shuffles) Jerry Cestkowski: Deck Twirls, because they offer the most in terms of continuous flow. They are also the ideal transition move. They are also the funnest moves to practice. fattyonadiet: 5. What is your favourite single flourish? Jerry Cestkowski: The Overhead Spring is certainly up there, although I'm fond of my Deck Twirls. The Overhead Spring is so eye-catching and impossible-looking to laymen, it is probably the most valuable move I have. Instant reputation maker, and crowd producer. fattyonadiet: 6. What is you favourite flourish you've created? Jerry Cestkowski: If we leave out the Deck Twirls and the Overhead Spring, I'd have to go for the Double Armspread. Houdini could do it, but used a different method. That method was lost and the stunt was said to be impossible by such authorities as Walter B. Gibson. In about 1979, I came up with my method. fattyonadiet: 7. If there was ANY card effect that you could create anything at all, what would it be? Jerry Cestkowski: Well now, I'd want something that would make me instantly rich beyond measure, so "Card Changes into 100 Billion Dollars" would be my first choice. But if you really think about it, even this would seem cheesy if given total omnipotence. "Infinite Procession of Supermodels Wearing Nothing but the Four Aces" would be the only trick I would need. You could make card tattoos appear on people, make them puke up thought-of cards, have a picture of you holding their card on their driver's license where their picture was, and then that picture changes to a grinning supermodel -- the sky's the limit. If you want to be more or less reasonable, cutting to any card called for from any deck would suffice. Or dealing any hand called for. Or dealing 4 perfect bridge hands from a spectator shuffled deck, or making the cards change into giant gold bricks that change into supermodels on command, sorry, I can't be reasonable for very long. fattyonadiet: 8. What flourish or trick took you the longest to perfect? Jerry Cestkowski: I have some things in reserve that take years - I save some of these things for special occasions like a contest. Juggling cards took me a long time because I am not a juggler really. Spinning a card on the finger indefinitely (not just for a couple of seconds but for several minutes if you wish) is grotesquely hard for those without some kind of background spinning larger objects. The body spin and kick over moves are tough as well - anyone up for three rotations? fattyonadiet: 9. Do you do any chips tricks? If not, have you though about starting doing chip tricks? Jerry Cestkowski: I do a few, but nothing compared to what's out there. Chips feel a little small to me, but maybe someday. I love watching chip vids though. fattyonadiet: 10. Who were your inspirations that got you started in magic? Jerry Cestkowski: I honestly never was attracted to things like the linking rings and stage illusions. I thought it was a little disingenuous to claim credit for skill when doing grand illusions and gimmick-aided effects. I have long since gotten over my reticence to employ gimmicks to aid in magic effects, but the beauty of XCM is in its purity. What you see is what you get, no head games, no misdirection. fattyonadiet: 11. How often do you perform live? Does your act consist of magic? If so, how much of it is magic compared to flourishes? In other words, I'd like to know what your live performances are like, including the crowd types and sizes, stuff like that. Jerry Cestkowski: It's been years since I had a steady restaurant gig, but when I have time I will acquire one. No better way to keep in shape. Right now, I do private parties and some charity stuff; I appear at the World Sport stacking Competition every year and do four hours at a booth. I might have a public show in July; I'll let you know if you want to come. I've been doing a two-hour live radio show on Magicbroadcast.com for almost a year now (Wednesdays 3-5 Pacific), so that provides another outlet for my urge to perform. Once all the projects for products are off my plate, I want to get a nice gig downtown doing table to table. As far as ratio of magic to XCM, it depends on the venue. Close-up I am just as likely to do a set of nothing but card tricks or nothing but XCM, sometimes a minute of each. You don't have long at a table. Walk around I have more time, so a four minute set might be two minutes of each. My act consists of one minute units that are interchangeable. So for a stage show of fifteen minutes, I select twelve or thirteen of my pre-packaged minutes and add a location specific intro and ending. I love doing XCM to music, so the above show might have six separate one-minute musical XCM routines. Alternating with five one-minute card tricks and a couple minutes of productions vanishes and changes and you have a well-balanced act with plenty of variety. fattyonadiet: 12. Where and when do you perform....in case one of us wants to come and see your act? Jerry Cestkowski: I will email next public show I confirm. Any one who is in town can email me and we can get together for a private jam session as well. I don't really do lessons though; I'd rather trade material. fattyonadiet: 13. You've worked with other legendary card flourishers. Who have you enjoyed working with the most? Jerry Cestkowski: De'vo is creative in a lot of different media but De'vo is the most creative dude I have ever met as far as brute dexterity and ingenuity are concerned. The moves he has created (many of which haven't been made public) are in a different realm altogether from the way anyone else goes about this. No one I have ever jammed with could hold their own move for move like De'vo. fattyonadiet: 14. Is there anyone you'd like to work with but haven't? Jerry Cestkowski: Although I have met him and jammed with him once, I think Sal Piacente is the most chilling performer with a deck of cards out there. The stuff he does really is impossible. He doesn't need that wish granted about doing any card effect, he granted the wish already to himself. fattyonadiet: 15. Do you buy DVDs from people like Dan & Dave or Tudor to learn their moves? Jerry Cestkowski: Luckily, I get all the latest products and a lot of out of print and hard-to find ones as well from my network of friends. I did buy McBride's Art of Card Manipulation series, but otherwise the stuff just appears in the mail. fattyonadiet: 16. What part of The Encyclopaedia of Playing Card Flourishes did you enjoy writing the most? Jerry Cestkowski: Trying to make dry descriptions funny was the most enjoyable part. I also liked the dry technical writing as well. I can't help being silly when I write, so it was fun trying to strike a balance between clear technical descriptions and my urge to just write drooling gibberish. fattyonadiet: 17. What research did you do to compile EOPCF? Jerry Cestkowski: I have a library. I also have the aforementioned friends sending me stuff. I wrote it pre-internet, or I would have used that as well. I invented a lot of the material as well. fattyonadiet: 18. Any new projects in progress? A new installment to the EOPCF? Jerry Cestkowski: Completing the series of four Companion DVDs to the Encyclopaedia, plus a DVD called "The Flourishman Does Magic," which contains my unique close-up stage manipulation routine and a lot of other original effects and routines. Then, maybe another book. fattyonadiet: 19. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to the 21ace community? Jerry Cestkowski: Awesome site! Really great content and vids! If I had to offer general advice, it would be, do the stuff because you like to do it, not because someone else likes it. It sounds selfish, but those who love doing what they do more for themselves than others end up pleasing others even more. XCM is very special in that it has the potential of being appreciated like a spectator sport, something that is impossible for magic. Athletes are entertaining to watch, but ultimately they play for themselves, not for you. If they weren't concentrating on their game, their art, they would not perform at the level necessary for them to be where they are so you could watch them at all! If you want to perform magic, you are going to learn to be an entertainer, which is also an art, but a different art. XCM offers the opportunity to pursue art for art's sake, and entertain at the same time. Try it and see! We are thankful that Jerry took time from his busy schedule to answer our questions! |
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