Whit ‘Pop’ Haydn is a fantastic thinker and performer, but the problem is that he is so much of a character, that means some Pop Haydn routines can really only be done by the man himself. That isn’t the case here, but frankly even if it was, I would still recommend getting it, if only for the dealing with hecklers section.
Who is Pop Haydn?
Whitney Wesley Hadden, better known as ‘Pop Haydn’ has been in and around magic since the late 60’s. He was a regular at the Magic Castle since the early days, and (with Chef Anton) set up “School for Scoundrels” in the mid 90’s. He presents himself as a blend of loveable rogue, steamboat gambler, and snake oil salesman. Although he doesn’t limit himself to street cons and magic related to that type of thing, that is the area where he really comes into his own.
What is The Mongolian Pop Knot?
This is Haydn’s handling of the classic ‘pop knot’ effect, where two (or more, three in this case) pieces of rope are tied together, then the knot ‘pops’ off leaving one single long piece of rope rather than the separate lengths that were started with. This specific routine was originally developed for busking on the street, but it works great on stage as part of a full act or as a ‘bit’ if you are the emcee at an event and need to cover for a little while when the stage is being reset, this is where I mainly perform it myself.
What’s on the disk/download?
I got mine when it was a DVD release, I think it’s just download only now, but from what I can see the contents are exactly the same. It opens with a full performance on stage at Magicopolis, then goes through the kit needed, the knot itself, some counts and displays, The Contingency Plan, working with three ropes, the final restore, and has some closing thoughts to round everything off.
How difficult is it?
I have heard some people struggle to get the hang of the knots to begin with, but I would assume if that is the case they are completely new to rope magic and it’s more the new medium in general that is causing the issues rather than anything inherently difficult about the moves needed. You’ll get it with practice.
As with so much of Haydn’s magic, it’s the presentation that really makes or breaks it. If you are a comfortable, confident performer you’ll be fine here, but it may be a little nerve wracking if you are not used to working on stage or in front of groups.
Cost?
Each time you perform this, you will use up rope. About 14-15 feet per performance. As long as it’s a paid gig, this shouldn’t be an issue at all as magicians rope is relatively cheap, but if you are just performing for free as a hobbyist, you may want to consider this. But for the pennies it costs for the reaction it always gets, I’d say just go for it anyway.
Other bits of business.
As well as the actual routine, he also goes into a little bit about pre-planned adlibs, and how to deal with hecklers. This stuff is absolute gold and even if it was just that on its own without the pop knot routine, I would still recommend people get this, but all together, it’s a no-brainer buy.
There is also a time-killer ‘bit’ he does with a latex ice-lolly, it’s great fun and I will sometimes include the prop in my EDC when just out and about for a bit of fun.
Clean up.
The routine is designed to focus everybody’s attention onto what can be inspected and away from what can’t, so there is little to worry about. But if you follow this up with Linking Chinese Rings, as Haydn says he normally does, there is also a fantastic idea to end completely and totally clean, without seeming to even be trying to do that. As I said earlier, Whit really is a great thinker.
Is it worth getting?
Yes, it’s great magic that is taught very well, and also a great insight into his thinking, I can heartily recommend this to any magician or compère looking for a fun routine to fill eight to ten minutes.