Peter Turner Killer Smoke

Killer Smokes
Peter Turner

I know it’s not equivoque, but watching the performance of Kenton and his lighter equivoque
inspired the following.

Effect
The performer takes a cigarette from a packet of cigarettes. The performer asks if anyone at the
table smokes. He hands the cigarette to the participant and displays a tray with 4 lighters: a white
lighter, a green lighter, a red lighter, and a blue lighter.

He asks the participant to place the cigarette next to any lighter on the table.

The participant in this case places the cigarette next to the red lighter.The performer says:


“Don’t you know smoking is bad for you? I couldn’t possibly advocate it. That’s why I ensured in
   advance I knew which lighter you would choose. If you’d have chosen the white one…”


The performer picks up the white lighter, clicking the lighter, and a flame comes from the lighter.

This is repeated with the green and the blue lighter each proudly displaying a flame.


             “Put the cigarette in your mouth,” says the performer to the participant.
                          “Please light it up with your chosen lighter.”


The participant puts the cigarette in their mouth and tries to light it the cigarette with the red
lighter. The red lighter doesn’t work! The red lighter will not light.


                                    “As I said it’s bad for you.”




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Method
The method for this is a multiple out.

If the participant chooses the white lighter, the out is on the back of the cigarette box. It’s under
the health warning and aids the performer with his mantra about not advocating smoking.

If the blue lighter is chosen, the out is inside the cigarette rolled up. The participant has to
destroy the cigarette to access the prediction. Inside the prediction says, “Hopefully you went for
the blue lighter, I did say I don’t advocate smoking... But it’s OK because you can’t smoke a
broken cigarette.”

If the participant chooses green the prediction is printed on the reverse side of lighter and says ,
“If I’m right that you chose this lighter, you know I’m right about the fact smoking kills!”

If the participant chooses red, it’s the only lighter that doesn’t work (as in the effect description).

If a performer is feeling guilty about the green lighter having an out on it they could paddle move
the lighter before lightning it, but I feel that is overkill. It’s acting guilty when there is no reason
to be.

You could come up with your own outs of course, but the main idea is make a statement about
the harm of smoking using the choice of lighters. This could also work as a follow-up to
Kenton’s demonstration with Pablo as shown in the Masterclass video.



 Thank you Peter. I am proud to call you one of my students, and this is a fine example of why that is so.

                                                 - Kenton




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