Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women

July 29, 2010 5:32 AM

Ricky Jay had a TV special in 1989 - Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women - based on the book of the same name, which featured magic, juggling, amazing feats, stunts, and performances, including a musical performance on wine glasses, a human calculator who could determine cube-routes of numbers in her head, and an antique acrobatic clockwork doll. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). (Previously and previously and previouslier)
posted by twoleftfeet (18 comments total)

OMG, I've been looking for this for ages. THANK YOU!
posted by Optamystic at 5:45 AM on July 29, 2010

I love Ricky Jay so much. I regret I have but one life to devote to a passion, or I would devote another to somehow apprenticing under Ricky.
posted by gilrain at 6:16 AM on July 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

Ricky Jay: Secrets of the Magus. A little long, but you should read it. Today.
posted by ColdChef at 6:20 AM on July 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

thank you for this.
posted by The Whelk at 6:25 AM on July 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I can do cube roots in my head.

Well, it takes me a while, but I can do them.
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:28 AM on July 29, 2010

thanks, it also got that spandex dude who is doing these mime-ish juggling tricks with the glass balls. I am SO going to annoy my children with crappy imitations of this.
posted by ouke at 6:55 AM on July 29, 2010

Hey, I have that book! Never knew there was a tv special. Thanks!
posted by inigo2 at 7:07 AM on July 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

that spandex dude who is doing these mime-ish juggling tricks

That's Michael Moschen, the inventor of contact juggling.

The beginning of Part 2 has what I believe to be the longest online video of anyone doing the now defunct art of the quick-change.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:08 AM on July 29, 2010

Sorry, quick-change.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:09 AM on July 29, 2010

Moschen is on tour this fall, I believe, so if you're into that ...
posted by adipocere at 7:22 AM on July 29, 2010

Thank God this is about Ricky Jay's body of work and not about Ricky Jay's body. I was worried for a moment; long may he run!

Like inigo2, I have the book, never knew there was a TV special. Looking forward to viewing this later when i have the time. Thanks!
posted by mosk at 7:54 AM on July 29, 2010

Teh awesome! (dissapears, with wry grin, and bon mot!)
posted by lalochezia at 8:18 AM on July 29, 2010

Ahhhhhhhh twoleftfeet all your sins against MetaFilter have been forgiven for this find.
posted by cavalier at 9:18 AM on July 29, 2010

all your sins against MetaFilter have been forgiven for this find.

Well then, I must commit new sins soon.
posted by twoleftfeet at 9:59 AM on July 29, 2010

As I knew you would. <3
posted by cavalier at 10:21 AM on July 29, 2010

This is the third Ricky Jay reference I've seen in the past two weeks. And I happened to have a patient in my office yesterday who is a professional magician and I asked him about Jay and he said he'd worked with him years ago. Now I gotta dig out my VHS of House of Games.
posted by neuron at 11:17 AM on July 29, 2010

I love Ricky Jay so much. I regret I have but one life to devote to a passion, or I would devote another to somehow apprenticing under Ricky.
THIS. SO MUCH.

I paid (what seemed like) a ridiculous amount of money to a ticket broker to see 'Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants' at the Geffen Theatre a couple of years ago. WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.
posted by ApathyGirl at 11:48 AM on July 29, 2010

When he had performed several daz- zling illusions and seemed ready to retire, a guest named Mort said, "Come on, Ricky. Why don't you do something truly amazing?"

Baron recalls that at that moment "the look in Ricky's eyes was, like, `Mort- you have just fucked with the wrong person.' "

Jay told Mort to name a card, any card. Mort said, "The three of hearts." After shuffling, Jay gripped the deck in the palm of his right hand and sprung it, cascading all fifty-two cards so that they travelled the length of the table and pelted an open wine bottle.

"O.K., Mort, what was your card again?"

"The three of hearts."

"Look inside the bottle."

As badass as that anecdote is, I've always been slightly disappointed that it didn't end with Ricky doing the card cascade thing towards the guy, who would then need surgery to have the three of clubs removed from his body. It just could have been so much more badass.
posted by anazgnos at 11:18 AM on July 30, 2010