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BULLET CATCH

To be performed by Jack Bowman and Carrie Osborne during the Summer or Fall of 2001.

1. The bullet catch will be basically traditional with audience member marking the bullet.

2. Use old gun 1800’s. I say, “This is the type of gun used in the original bullet catch performances. This bullet is real. It is loaded with black powder. The original 19^th century powder. It is not loaded the modern smokeless powder. So any audience member do not do like one did and 1880 and killed the magician Raoul Curran and pull out his own gun, fire and say, “catch this”. However, this gun is real. It is deadly. It was banned from the Cleveland Performance Art Festival in 1994. This is not a blank gun. Blank guns have their barrel plugged. RUN A PENCIL THROUGH THE BARREL TO SHOW IT IS NOT PLUGGED

3. This bullet catch performance is dedicated to Karl Marx. He was a philosopher in the late 1800’s that attempted to both inform the people and right the evil of capitalism.

4. This performance, The Bullet catch, is the most deadly ever performed. At least 15 people have died attempting it.

5. As the trigger is pulled I have to have total faith in this beautiful Anne Oakley here. Do you think I should trust her? In 1922 “The Black Wizard of the West” was killed by his wife while doing this performance.

6. I give the gun to Anne and take my position ten or so yards away.

7. Anne says, “We need an audience member that the audience can trust. To mark the bullet. Remember these bullets are loaded with old fashion black powder.

8. Anne picks the audience member, “How about you. Have I or any of my assistance ever seen or talked to you before?

NEED A “NO”

Anne continues, “You use one of these three colored markers to mark the bullet. Either black, red, or blue.

You are to choose the color and make one mark on this bullet. Anne makes a fake stroke to show how to mark the bullet but does not make a mark on the bullet, “Mark both the tip and the shell like this.”

The audience participant marks one bullet with a color

TAKE THE MARKED BULLET AND PUT IT IN THE NEXT CHAMBER OF THE GUN (the one to the left of the hammer) CHAMBERS ROTATE CLOCKWISE.

I AT MY POSITION, AND PULL OUT THE BLINDFOLD SAYING, “This is to scary to watch so I have to have a blindfold”

WHILE THE AUDIENCE IS WATCHING ME PUT ON THE BLINDFOLD ANNE IS PUTTING THE PROPER COLORED BULLET IN HER MOUTH.

I say, “Wait how about a good luck kiss from Anne?’

Anne puts the gun in the holster and walks up to me, I say, “Any opportunity for a kiss”

As she walks away I say, “I hope that wasn’t the kiss of death”

Anne walks back to her position and says, “On the count of three I am going to fire.”

I open my mouth.

“1 – 2 – 3 –" BANG

I jerk my head back and stumble backwards but do not fall down.

I seem dazed for 3 to 5 seconds and take off the blindfold.

I take the metal cup that is attached to my belt and hold the bullet between my teeth and show it to the audience.

I then drop it into the cup.

I pick it up and look at the color and say, “Is the color bullet the one you marked?”

Anne takes out the shell and ask the audience participant “Is this the shell you marked?”

I say, “Thank you Karl Marx and Thank you audience” and Anne and I both bow.

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