TAM2 Pictures

[Brown]

I was under that impression too, cosmic. He dropped the torch purposefully because he had to have a chance to use the fire extinguisher, a very important act of the show.

Aha! You are correct that some of the torch drops were indeed intentional. They gave Penn an opportunity to show that (1) a juggler can catch the torch by the flaming end and not get hurt and (2) you can yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater.

But these are not the drops I was talking about. The drop I was referring to occurred during a move that jugglers call "chops," which is a flashy move that requires a very solid grip on the clubs/torches. When Penn dropped, he apparently did so because he did not have a solid grip. He picked up the flaming torch with no comment other than a mild expletive, and continued the act.

 

[CFLarsen]

I was under that impression too, cosmic. He dropped the torch purposefully because he had to have a chance to use the fire extinguisher, a very important act of the show.

Also, notice how magicians do that all the time. They might say "let me see if I get it this time" because that builds much more tension than when the audience just expectst things to go right. I think the audience likes to see someone completely baffled. Ian Rowland resorted to that too when cutting out that PPO. He said something like "oh, let me see if I don't screw up"... Jamie Ian Swiss used that line too, always emphasizing that he "might" get things right. But it's as Randi says... what are the chances of getting it right? 100%. Because it's a trick!

We also see this technique from psychics: "Oh, the spirits might not be here today".....

 

[shanek]

I will say this: During the P&T show, I enjoyed Penn Jillette's juggling from a perspective that is different from everyone else. First, I noticed that Penn dropped a torch inadvertently while doing "chops." This was actually an ego boost for me, as I thought "Hey, if PENN JILLETTE can drop during his LAS VEGAS show, then there is nothing for me to be ashamed about!"

Hate to break this to you, but I've seen the act about four times, and he's dropped it every time. He also makes a big deal of the third bottle every time, even though he says it's unusual every time.

 

[shanek]

BTW, for the people who are relying on my site to host their pictures, sorry, but it's gonna be down for awhile. All the lines from our office are down. T1, fiber, phones, everything. As near as we can figure, someone had to have dug through them, but we can't get a straight answer from BellSouth as to when it'll all be back up.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

 

[shanek]

But these are not the drops I was talking about. The drop I was referring to occurred during a move that jugglers call "chops," which is a flashy move that requires a very solid grip on the clubs/torches. When Penn dropped, he apparently did so because he did not have a solid grip. He picked up the flaming torch with no comment other than a mild expletive, and continued the act.

Yes, I know the one you're talking about, and he's done that one ever single time I see the act. I think he's just putting it into your head that he CAN drop it and CAN make a mistake, and he's just doing so in a realistic manner.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Hate to break this to you, but I've seen the act about four times, and he's dropped it every time. He also makes a big deal of the third bottle every time, even though he says it's unusual every time.

To add further ammo to what you say, I saw them in Reno about four or five years ago, they did the same juggling routine complete with dropped torch and the "unusual" third bottle.

 

[SkepticScott]

I've seen the "unusual" third bottle done in each of four or so times I saw them here in New England. What's funny is that it's a two-level gag. He's saying that he's supposed to say it's a bottle-from-hell and pretend, but he says that it really is a bottle-from-hell and he's not pretending. He says his lie has turned into the truth. But that's part of the act too.

There was one time that Penn went to smash a bottle and instead of just the bottom breaking, the whole bottle shattered. He dropped the little bit of neck he was holding and broke another bottle. That bottle disintegrated too! I forget what he said at that point, but he very carefully broke the next bottles and managed to get three to juggle.

 

[Brown]

Hate to break this to you, but I've seen the act about four times, and he's dropped it every time. He also makes a big deal of the third bottle every time, even though he says it's unusual every time.

I'm aware that Penn wants to build up the danger of the bottle juggling, and it doesn't surprise me that he makes a big deal about the third bottle. My guess is that the bottles that we saw are not much different than the bottles Penn uses on other nights.

My point is that Penn is NOT kidding when he suggests that this stunt is dangerous. It is. He could get suffer some nasty cuts. Kids should not try this stunt at home. (They should wait until they are at school before trying it. That's a joke, stolen from Amazing Johnathan, I believe.) Also, Penn is not kidding when he says that the bottles may follow some rather unusual paths. (Penn did not say so, but I will: two bottles hitting each other in mid-air can have EXTREMELY nasty consequences.)

Penn's remark about non-linear equations was funny to me because most phenomena are described by non-linear equations (linear equations being the exception rather than the rule), so there was nothing really special about the bottles from a mathematical point of view.

As for the dropped torch (not to be confused with the intentionally dropped "Fire! Fire!" bit), perhaps he does drop intentionally. I will say, then, that he didn't use this much to his advantage. When he did the clearly intentional three-torch drop, he screamed "Fire!" and when he "accidentally" intentionally dropped the knife, he screamed "Dammit to Hell!" But when the torch fell during "chops," nothing really noteworthy was said, and Penn did not use it to his advantage. (For example, one juggler used to say "I did that intentionally to prove how difficult this really is" and another would say "Oops, I'd better go to my back-up plan: Everybody, you better BACK UP!")

 

[shanek]

There was one time that Penn went to smash a bottle and instead of just the bottom breaking, the whole bottle shattered. He dropped the little bit of neck he was holding and broke another bottle. That bottle disintegrated too! I forget what he said at that point, but he very carefully broke the next bottles and managed to get three to juggle.

That happened to him in Myrtle Beach. I noticed last week he's a lot more careful about breaking the bottles now.

 

[MoeFaux]

Okay, I hate to reveal my friends mistake, but here goes.
I've seen the show about 200 times. Hell, maybe more. I lost count long ago. Anyhow, that bit was recently put back into the show, about 3 months ago.
The drop Brown is refering to was a real drop. That was an embarassing mistake.
The faked drop happens when he says, "I'm going to have the WORST POSSIBLE ACCIDENT while juggling torches. I'm going to catch the torch - on the wrong end. Watch for it, it's going to happen right...NOW." The he drops it, throws the other two down, grabs the extinguisher, and yells "FIRE, FIRE" until he puts out the torches.

Another interesting thing to notice was how far the torches rolled on the stage that night. One came very close to the edge of the stage, and people with sharp eyes probably noticed Robbie, head stage hand, run out "just in case".

As for the bottles, yes, that's "dangerous". Penn is a great juggler, he's a juggler first and then a magician, it's what he's best at. He can do that trick and it's "easy" for him. But, he gets hurt every night. Little shards of glass get into his hands, and I'd often see him after with cuts. But, it's a beautiful piece. I love the patter and I think it's a lovely trick.

Now, don't tell anyone I told about his mistake!

 

[Mercutio]

Thanks, Moe!

I feel special now...

 

[thatguywhojuggles]

Aha! You are correct that some of the torch drops were indeed intentional. They gave Penn an opportunity to show that (1) a juggler can catch the torch by the flaming end and not get hurt and (2) you can yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater.

But these are not the drops I was talking about. The drop I was referring to occurred during a move that jugglers call "chops," which is a flashy move that requires a very solid grip on the clubs/torches. When Penn dropped, he apparently did so because he did not have a solid grip. He picked up the flaming torch with no comment other than a mild expletive, and continued the act.

I wish I could have been there and done some club passing!

 

[thatguywhojuggles]

... (For example, one juggler used to say "I did that intentionally to prove how difficult this really is" and another would say "Oops, I'd better go to my back-up plan: Everybody, you better BACK UP!")

Ahh... drop lines!

"Sudden gust of gravity!"

"This act is really picking up!"

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

The drop Brown is refering to was a real drop. That was an embarassing mistake.

Perhaps for him and for those who juggle but as someone who has a hard time keeping a steady grasp on his cigarette watching Penn juggle torches was pretty damn impressive. The drop was one rotation out of dozens and I personally didn't notice it enough to remember it.

My only comment on the bottles... he does recycle them after use right?

 

[LazarusLong]

Oh my…. So many things to say about last weekend that I won't even try to sum it up. Candace and I only discovered JREF recently, and we were lucky enough to find out about TAMII and the Slammer tour in time, and that led to one of the best vacations we’ve ever had. I only wish we’d been forum members before now so we would have known more of you before we got there. Now that we’ve joined (she’s Topaz - say “Hi” sometime) I hope we’ll get acquainted during the year so we can enjoy more of the festivities at TAMIII!

A million thanks to Linda and all of the volunteers for putting on a phenomenal show! Thanks also to all of the talented presenters that donated their time and energy, especially Julia Sweeney (I can’t shake the image of that blue-footed booby baby saying “What’re you gonna do?”), Dino (though, frankly, it’s funnier to read it than watch it; if you haven’t, find his website and read it now!), and most especially P&T. Not only did they give their best at the Meeting, and a truly memorable tour of the Slammer and lunch (I regret to inform all of you who could not attend that, yes, it WAS, in fact, worth every penny, and more! So much so that if it’s offered next year you will probably be bidding against me again!), but then Penn added a treat for the tour folks that was totally above and beyond what we expected to receive, and very much appreciated. And thanks to Moe just for being Moe. Ahhh, if only I were 20 years younger and better looking and not already blissfully in love with Topaz….

So, anyway, without further delay, here are some selected pics. (I also took a handful of short (30-60 sec) lo-res video clips, but I don’t have the space to post them to the web as they’re a bit large. If you’re interested in seeing them, email me and I can send them to you.)

Perusing the merchandise on Day 1.

Starting the Slammer Tour (with my damn foot in the way!)

Penn & Dave (LazarusLong)

The souvenir signing after the Slammer Tour was a bit rushed, so Candace just snuck in next to Teller for this one.

The panel discussions were one of my favorite parts of the Meeting.

Slick told us all about Red Rocks.

Candace and me.

Nice crack.

And this one’s just for the “snap” of it.

What a trip – thanks again everyone, and hopefully we’ll see you next year!

-Laz

 

[Mr. Skinny]

Welcome to the forum Dave. Thanks for posting the pics for those of us who couldn't make it.

You and Candace are a good looking couple. Are you related to Richard Gere?

Seems like every single person has at least one picture of Moe in their collection. Why is that?

 

[MacGuffin]

Another interesting thing to notice was how far the torches rolled on the stage that night. One came very close to the edge of the stage, and people with sharp eyes probably noticed Robbie, head stage hand, run out "just in case".

I have seen this bit 4 times also and that was the thing I did really notice. Guess the accidental dropped torch didn't stand out for me. But I was really worried about the folks in the front row as that lit torch nearly fell on them and the said stagehand did look quite stressed as he ran up the aisle right next to me.

It seems to me that the first time I saw the bottle juggling act at least ten years ago Penn called attention to the third bottle being a real killer but then did not then go on to say the next bit of patter about how he always mentioned that the third bottle was a killer at every show but on this night it really was honesty dangerous. The last few times I have seen it, it has pretty much been the exact same though.

Maybe I am not remembering it right however and it was always the same even going back ten years. But in that case doesn't it drive Penn nuts to say the exact same dishonest patter every night going on ten years now? Sure deceit is his business but I would think it would get old and he would throw in some new bit of deceitful patter here and there.

Share and Enjoy - Aaron

 

[Luciana]

Btw, anyone who has taken pictures of me/with me, please send them through PMs. Thanks!



edited to add: send them TO ME in PMs. Well, it's always better to make it clear right away.

 

[Mercutio]

Btw, anyone who has taken pictures of me/with me, please send them through PMs. Thanks!

edited to add: send them TO ME in PMs. Well, it's always better to make it clear right away.

What Luciana said. Only with regard to my photos. Well, come to think of it.....nah, too easy.

 

[shanek]

Yeah, same here. I'd love to have a copy of any photos with me in them that anyone has. PM me if you do.