A Pickpocket’s Tale

Big Don

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[h=1]A Pickpocket’s Tale[/h] [h=2]The spectacular thefts of Apollo Robbins.[/h] [h=4]by Adam Green January 7, 2013[/h]

The New Yorker EXCERPT (WARNING!! LANGUAGE )

A few years ago, at a Las Vegas convention for magicians, Penn Jillette, of the act Penn and Teller, was introduced to a soft-spoken young man named Apollo Robbins, who has a reputation as a pickpocket of almost supernatural ability. Jillette, who ranks pickpockets, he says, “a few notches below hypnotists on the show-biz totem pole,” was holding court at a table of colleagues, and he asked Robbins for a demonstration, ready to be unimpressed. Robbins demurred, claiming that he felt uncomfortable working in front of other magicians. He pointed out that, since Jillette was wearing only shorts and a sports shirt, he wouldn’t have much to work with.

“Come on,” Jillette said. “Steal something from me.”

Again, Robbins begged off, but he offered to do a trick instead. He instructed Jillette to place a ring that he was wearing on a piece of paper and trace its outline with a pen. By now, a small crowd had gathered. Jillette removed his ring, put it down on the paper, unclipped a pen from his shirt, and leaned forward, preparing to draw. After a moment, he froze and looked up. His face was pale.

“****. You,” he said, and slumped into a chair.

Robbins held up a thin, cylindrical object: the cartridge from Jillette’s pen.

END EXCERPT
Fascinating article. (Warning, it is NINE pages long)
I'd love to be able to do that...
 

Carol

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That was a hella good read :asian: Thanks for posting it.
 
OP
Big Don

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I would love to do that, but, I was built for comfort, not flash...
 

Carol

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But you got everything a good girl needs, says Willie Dixon :)

I'd probably make a good victim, unfortunately. What they said about a confusing question throwing the brain off track? That sounded a bit too familiar.
 
OP
Big Don

Big Don

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Yeah, that made me wonder what I was missing...
 

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