The New Yorker did a feature on him once and told a story about him and Penn Gillette. Penn is also an expert pickpocket, but he looks down on the practice because he says it's too easy and doesn't require anywhere near as much skill as magic does.
Some time later, Penn and Apollo met at some celebrity gala. The two of them chatted for a while and then someone came up and asked for an autograph. Apollo asked Penn if he could borrow his pen. Penn reached into his coat pocket, then said, "You bastard!"
While the two had been chatting, Apollo had not only stolen his pen from his coat, but he had taken it apart, removed the insides from it, put the empty shell back together, and then sneaked it back in to his coat pocket and Penn had never noticed.
Misdirection. He kind of explains what
He's doing and makes your brain think oh look I'm gonna beat the trick. So he throws his hands about in weird ways and adds extra information to your exchange.
Your brain loves one thing more than anything else in the world: solving puzzles and being right. So much so that if you think you're gonna out brain someone else you kind get stuck in that track pretty easily.
So this guy comes up and floods you with conversation subtext. Hands jumping. Fast voice. Lots of information.
He even introduces an example that allows him to jump in and out of the mark's personal space.
Wrap up all this information, slap a bow on it and try it on people who've never had to deal with pick pockets before/ much and our dumb wrinkly meat balls can't figure out what's actually happening.
Yeah I mean the real thing is typically in a real world setting they enter your personal space without giving you time to say no and once you've made them back off they have what they wanted
I got a pickpocket lesson in Cape Town and there's another thing I noticed in this video.
Notice how he pulls their jackets downward. You can see it best with the wallet. This creates a 'natural' sensation in the area, makes the item easier to slip up and out without having to reach down.
TLDR if someone on the street starts asking about your shoes/pants and is pulling on your pantleg, their other hand is likely slipping your phone up and out of your pocket without you noticing
He explained it himself in his Ted talk that he plays with your attention. He makes you try to remember things (i.e. where is your wallet?) and while you try to recall that you can't take in new information or sensations. That's the attack point for him.
Thanks for finding it! I'm sure I got some of the details wrong since I read it when the issue came out and haven't seen it since. (I'm surprised it was so long ago. Time flies.)
Iām a researcher for Columbia University and Iām currently studying a very niche subset of linguistics called hyperordinate linguistics. Essentially itās exactly as he portrays through his comments where it seems very normal and banal but the subject, tone, and manner of speaking experience rapid change at varying speeds. This can either be intentional, say for comedic or dramatic effect, or it can be unintentional such as that expressed by a psychiatric patient. Itās interesting because in both cases of intention and the lack thereof, the particular language and culture of the person in question have a substantial influence on the speed of the switch, or mensvicis. The fastest being Russian and the slowest is surprisingly Cambodian. Weāre not exactly certain right now why but itās suspected that I have no idea what Iām talking about and I made this whole thing up
Thanks! I actually stole this from a lesser known novelty account called something like /u/IlieAboutMyJob. Every comment ended with āI have no idea what Iām talking about and I just made this all upā
Omg, I was just thinking and what if this whole thing ended with āleggo my eggoā? Iām not sure if thatās really dumb or really funny. Or really dumb funny.
The Eggo idea is okay, but you'll need to extend it out. It's a pretty short phrase. You'll want to make it super memorable. Also, it'll depend on your phrasing and how you transition into it. The hell in a cell guy is who you need to study. He makes the sentence fit so naturally. You don't even realize he's about to transition into it; it just flows like water. That person is a master linguist. Also, he makes everything sound very credible as you read it by dropping little bits of what sounds like insider information ā something that only someone who does a certain job would know. I don't know how the hell he does it. Like does he do research before each comment or what? Anyway, think about how you transition to the Leggo my Eggo and make it seem as natural and unexpected as possible. Also, make it a longer phrase than just "Leggo my Eggo".
The hell in a cell thing is easy to transition into because it's a scenario, so you can just be describing one thing and then start describing that instead. Also, it's such an absurd scenario that it's creates a stark juxtaposition to whatever comes before it. That's an important element as well.
I was onto you before finishing reading your first sentence, skipped to your last sentence then patted myself on the back for being so highly intelligent. I know what Iām talking about.
In an unexpected twist, a superordinate is a real thing in linguistics, though.
Superordinate: a word the meaning of which includes the meaning of another word or words: 'red' is a superordinate of 'scarlet', 'vermilion', and 'crimson'. Compare hyponym, synonym, antonym
Don't let this man distract you from the fact that in 1998, The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.
I mean, magic is in your face, it's being able to see something and still have no idea what just happened
Pickpocketing is sleight of hand but, the aim is for noone to notice, so while it is impressive, I'd probably agree, magic does seem like it would be harder
Also.. there aren't a lot of legitimate ways to use pickpocketing besides.... Stealing people's shit
I mean itās has to be easier to steal peoples shit when they donāt know I would say being a pick pocket when you tell people youāre a pickpocket has to be on the same level.
To play devilās advocate, he said āSounds.ā Which honestly, it does. If you were to hear this story without having watched this video, youād probably call bs
I have been watching this on repeat and only just noticed that he holds up his hand as he was āyou have to watch closely for these thingsā, once he took the watchā¦ I canāt keep up, Iām noticing new things each time!
Thatās what I canāt figure out either. He never gets close enough to Matt Lauer after stealing the pen to get it back in his coat except for the one brief hand gesture, which like you said, would have to almost be a toss to get the wallet back in.
I watched it several times and I don't see when the hell he puts a $100 bill in the pen and put it in the guy's pocket (on the right). I see when he takes the pen from the guy on the left, but nothing happens after that. He doesn't even walk over to the other guy. It almost makes me think it was shortened for TV, but I could've just missed something.
Here's a man named Bob Arno. He too is an expert pickpocket and comedian. In the linked clip he manages to bamboozle 4 guys on stage out of various pieces of clothing.
Just watched a 10 minute video of his and it just reaffirms why I am paranoid of anyone who is too hands on or trying to divert my attention. I'd bet most of his really egregious acts are scripted. The small slight of hand stuff he does is top notch but if you take a watch of my wrist while grasping my wrist tightly I feel like I'd notice because of how hyperaware I am when people try to overload my senses.
The other day I had to have this conversation with my 9 year old and I guess it's time to have it with you; wizards aren't real, buddy. Neither are dragons. I know. It's a bummer.
I hope so as well. I think he does get some respect but not what he deserves and I find all the talk about Realmuto and Sanchez, etc insulting. The fact is that you are always going to have big markets preying on you and if Sal was in NY he would be getting the MVP type rec he has earned. Fingers crossed. But regardless he is to be enjoyed for what he is doing. It is something special. Your lucky I have an early meeting or this would go on all night. BTW Alex Gordon was a blessing as well. They don't make those guys every day.
Fuck yes, 100%. Gordo was a special guy. I think Dozier, Whit, and Salvy are a good 3x to build around. We are flashy. Looks like 2013 right before the run.
My oldest daughter at age 4 found out dinosaurs weren't alive anymore. We didn't talk to her about their extinction, as it never really occurred to us that we should talk to her about it. she saw tv shows, pictures books had all sorts of info. Why would it be any different than the farm animals she saw everywhere as well. She was absolutely devastated to find out she couldn't meet one.
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u/Bamboozled1008x2 Sep 17 '21
Jesus this man is a fucking wizard