Ricky Jay Hits The Wall


That's a photo that Teller posted on Twitter of a portrait of Ricky Jay, the magician/actor/author known for this card-throwing abilities. I don't know where it was taken, but the portrait consists entirely of thrown playing cards.

If you're not familiar with Jay, he has appeared in many TV shows and movies, including at least a half-dozen David Mamet productions, written several books, and done two solo shows on Broadway. In his first, "Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants," he showed off his card-throwing talent, as well as his sleight-of-hand skill and his knowledge of the history of magic and con games. That stage show was filmed for a 1996 HBO special which has yet to be released on DVD, but here's a clip in which Jay demostrates how to use cards as weapons to defend yourself from threats like plastic ducks and watermelons -- accompanied by brilliant patter in his unique style (no one else would ever use the word "pachydermatous" but Jay)...

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