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Solyl Kundu – An Inside Magic Profile

Solyl and a Friend – Doing Great Stuff

Regular readers of Inside Magic know that I rarely cover any magician or effect that I don’t think the world of. Solyl is no different. He is someone who loves our art and cares about promoting it as well as encouraging young magicians. He didn’t ask to have his story told here. I asked him, based only on my knowledge of Solyl from his writings and his contributions to magic e-sources, to allow me to profile him. He kindly agreed.

I can tell you a lot about Solyl thanks to his correspondence and contributions to various magic periodicals and books. Born in a Bengali family as Salil Kumar Kundu, his parents were originally from East Pakistan now known as Bangladesh. Although Hindu by religion Solyl has respect for every religion in the world.As he progressed through life, he decided to take the big leap into the world of magic. He gave up his job as a Medical Representative — a great job for someone with degrees in Science and Commerce — to become a full-time magician.

For those of us that work in the real world to support our lives as semi-pro magicians, that is a thought that passes through our minds (or at least mine) every day. Most of us let it pass and get to our day jobs. Thankfully, Solyl hung tight to the dream and magic has benefited greatly because of that decision.

How dedicated is Solyl to his career in magic? He hopes to die on stage while performing. That’s dedicated; or something. I personally have died on stage many times but Solyl means it literally. He is not married but has dedicated all of his time to pursuing his magic career. In fact, he is presently serving the IBM as its TVP for India-N (4 terms).

His writing credits include articles in Magigram, Magic Info, New Zealand’s Magicana, as well as the Indian publications Jadu, Maya Mancha, Ian Adair’s British publication,Dove Encyclopedia (Volume 5)and Mayajaal. He has published his own quarterly journal, Gimmick, which is still going after 18 years. He also haslecture notes ?Should I use Doves? Yes, you should!? on doves magic; “EntertainingChildren with magic, – My way? on kids magic; ?Sixer,? ?Magical M?lange,? and ?Simple, but Stunning? on assorted magic.

So when does this guy eat? When does he sleep? I don’t know. I know that when I am on-line, he is as well. When I send of a note, he responds almost immediately and when there is a request on one of the many bulletin boards or listserves, he provides substantive information immediately.

Solyl has done some globetrotting. He visited Canadaand the UK in 1997 and performed in several places in…
Continue reading Solyl Kundu – An Inside Magic Profile

March 8th, 2003 | Category: Magic Stories | Leave a comment

Bob Cassidy’s Moldavian Switch – A Review

Bob Cassidy

< !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> I received the email from Bob announcing he would be selling the secret of the Moldavian Switch to only fifty magicians. I read the description and thought, “hmm, that would be a good thing to learn.” I am currently trying to master the Name/Place Routine featured on Bob’s DVD. On the DVD, he explains a perfect billet switch using a lighter as cover. The move is natural and as he says, “it is not a move at all.”

Well, if Bob doesn’t consider the Lighter Switch to be a move, the Moldavian Switch would have to be even less than not a move. It looks so natural and actually feels kind of neat to do.

I won’t tell you the move or even the set-up for fear of tipping the secret but the following is a true statement: If you can use your fingers to hold a billet, you can do the move. Bob claims that “the ‘Moldavian Switch’ is a technique that effectively removes the ‘difficulty factor’ from billet work.” His claim is accurate.

The cost is considerable. The only other time I’ve paid for a move rather than a whole lecture or routine, was in Vegas. I just re-read that and it sounds bad. I meant, the only time I wasn’t buying a trick and just a move was in Vegas. Still doesn’t sound better. When I was in Vegas, I paid $25.00 to learn how to do Pulp Friction from Lee Asher. I considered that money well spent.

The same applies here. You will pay $35.00 for the move and detailed descriptions of how to accomplish it; tips on using it; variations on the move and Bob’s usual very entertaining writing. You will not receive a routine you can do but if you do any billet work at all, this monograph is a must.

The document comes as a PDF file and according to Bob, has been encoded to ensure that it is not duplicated. The layout is professional, the photographs of the front and back views of the move are clear and very helpful. One of my favorite parts of the monograph is the picture of a tipsy Ted Annemann flashing a billet during a show. I have never seen the picture before but it made me feel good that even the greats in mentalism could have flaws in their presentation.

It could be that all 50 copies are gone by now. This is not for everyone. In fact, it is probably not for every one that performs psychic entertainment, but if you are hard core and need a bullet-proof billet switch, this is for you. $35.00 is a great price for this great concept.

The Moldavian Switch is only offered to magicians and psychic entertainers. If you are interested in the monograph, you can email Bob Cassidy at: bobcassidy@mastermindreader.com


Continue reading Bob Cassidy’s Moldavian Switch – A Review

March 8th, 2003 | Category: Magic Stories | Leave a comment