The World-Famous Bowl Routine by Lance Pierce

Lance Pierce’s The World Famous Bowl Routine is an outstanding book that you really ought to own.

The first hint of greatness is the foreword written by none other than Bill Malone. I’m the type of guy who faces toward Boca Raton, Florida three times a day and chants “Bill Ma- Lone,” moving my fist from shoulder to shoulder and pumping it out into the air. (If you’ve never seen Bill Malone on video you have no clue what I’m talking about.) If Bill Malone had written the sort of glowing praise about me that he’s written about Lance, I’d have those words tattooed on my chest, then printed on a flag that would fly from my rooftop. When Bill screams in all caps “THIS ROUTINE KILLS,” I sit up and take note. When he also says, “Lance’s routine for the Bill in Lemon was without a doubt the most requested routine in the history of Malone’s Magic Bar,” that’s your cue to hit the Paypal button.

The World Famous Bowl Routine goes into incredible depth on a Benson bowl routine in which sponge balls vanish and reappear under the bowl, multiply, and then the routine climaxes with the production of a lemon containing a previously signed bill. I don’t know how you could possibly cram any more entertainment into a single routine. Lance also includes a sponge routine as a bonus, which makes sense, since it uses the same props as the bowl routine.

Much has been made of the video vs. book debate, that is, “Which is the better way to learn magic, by book or by video?” This book makes a convincing case for books as the better medium. Every move is covered, as well as the why’s of the routine, particularly why the routine is constructed as it is. Although a lot of people talk about timing in magic, Lance explains it and shows how it applies to the routine. Steve Pellegrino of Magicentric says “I feel that the way Lance has approached this, you are getting far more benefit from printed material than you would have from a DVD,” and I agree.

An example of the detail in the book is the consideration of everything that a spectator may do, and how to prepare for it. This is a sign of a routine that has been performed for real people countless times. As a magician you practice a routine, get it down, and then take it to the restaurant, only to find that when you ask a spectator to examine the bowl, he puts it on his head like a hat. Lance warns you that this might happen and tells you how to handle it. Time and again the reader is prepared for unexpected actions on the spectator’s part, and is given outs to handle them.

Furthermore, you are given funny lines. Too many trick descriptions read like a list of sleights, lacking a presentation and the funny lines that get the audience involved and laughing, but this book is filled with lines. The best lines in a routine are not thought up in advance, but typically occur as an ad-lib in the course of performing the routine, and this is where Lance’s experience performing the routine shows. These lines make all the difference between what is just a trick and what is blockbuster entertainment. Many of these lines anticipate what spectators may do, so you’re never caught off guard and at a loss for words.

At first I had my doubts that a Benson bowl and bill in lemon routine would be practical for restaurant work, but The World Famous Bowl Routine goes into great depth on preparation and set-up. I was surprised by how neatly the mess is wrapped up and disposed of. In fact, Lance performs this routine without a jacket, which makes it practical for just about any situation.

Lastly, the production values of the book do justice to its great content. The illustrations are crystal clear, and the book is very well-written. The book even has a novel layout: the pages have been cut so that the upper pages and lower pages can be turned separately. The upper section of the book contains the illustrations, so you never have to thumb back or ahead several pages to find an illustration depicting what’s described at the spot where you’re reading the text. Coupled with the fact that this is a spiral bound book that lies flat, the book is designed for you to learn the routine with props in hand.

I’m afraid this sounds like a “fluff” review. If there were any deficits in the book, I’d mention them, but this book is just an outstanding value. Having produced comb-bound books, I can tell you that the profit margins aren’t good. When you combine a killer bring-down-the-house-and-get-the-money routine with in-depth instruction, you have a sensational product.