Cyril, Street Performer

[thaiboxerken]

I saw this guy on a Japanese television show last night. I thought to myself that he is simply doing the Blair thing, but he was much, much better and more entertaining. First of all, he didn't try to freak people out by acting like a nutball. He was very polite and humorous. He also has some really neat tricks that I've never seen before.

1. He filled a non-trick bottle with water.
2. He cooked a cup of noodles while a volunteer was holding it.

Those are really good tricks, I have no clue as to how he could've done it. Of course, I still understand that it's a trick.

He did some comedy act as well. He had professional make-up artists make him up to look like a very old man. Then he went on a train ride, he acted as if he was nodding off to sleep while standing... then he proceeded to lean over at a greater than 45-degree angle. It was freaking the other passengers out and was hilarious! Then the old guy wanted something to drink, took an advertisement poster of a bottle of tea and proceeded to shake the bottle out of the poster. It was really amazing, and hilarious.

I think the best trick was when he proceed to sneeze and his head fell into his hands.

Wow, this guy really is creative.

[Voob]

Yeah, he's good. They got some great crowd reactions on the street, too.
That was the second Cyril special. In the first one he performed "Bisection", a cool trick created by Andrew Mayne, a.k.a. Andrew Harter of the JREF.

I sent him the clip and it's on his site here.

He also did Paul Harris' Improv Nightshades, from Art of Astonishment (the sunglasses on the dollar/thousand-yen bill), an Ambitious card routine, Biting Through Quarter (100 yen coin) and a bunch of stuff I'd never seen before.

Did you notice how the host, Mino Monta (possibly the most pompous tv personality in Japan) kept trying to give the impression that it was all "real"? Everyone holding hands and shouting "believe!" after each trick.
At the end, he went to each of the other studio hosts, saying "Did you believe it!? Did you believe it!?"
I was glad when one of them said something to the effect of " 'Believe?' Let's say, I was surprised !"
Then Mino Monta went on to say, "Usually when you see magicians, you know there's some kind of trick, but with the stuff Cyril does, there's no way it could just be a trick!!"

I wonder how many million people were nodding their heads in agreement...

[thaiboxerken]

At the end, he went to each of the other studio hosts, saying "Did you believe it!? Did you believe it!?"

Yea, it did get annoying.. the whole "seto... believe" thing. I mean, come on, he even showed them how to do one of his tricks.

I wish I knew how to do the cup-noodle trick, I'm hungry. I guess I'll just have to go to a restaurant.

Cyril is a much better magician and entertainer than that Blair guy.