In case you didn’t know, I am a singer.
It’s kind of my thing!
So I decided to teach my friends to write songs of their own!
You...uh...knew I was a singer, right?
Now, remember, students - to let the emotion come from your heart.
That’s the best place for emotion to come from.
I’ve composed a few verses in tetramic pentameter about the joy of patterns.
Well, if that’s the music in your heart, then it’s right... probably.
I imagined what it would sound like if the award-winning cop drama
“Bongo and McGillicuddy” had a theme song with lyrics.
Bongo, Bongo, and McGillicuddy - Gillicuddy! Bongo, and McGillicuddy!
Two cops on the beat taking it to the street
going straight to the top when ape means cop!
I like it, Hank... Tom, your paper is blank.
Are you writing a song with no lyrics?
It’s kinda looking like it. I just have no idea what to say.
Do I have to make things rhyme?
Oh, I do it all the time! See what I did right there?
So... yes?
Writing a song isn’t just about rhyming. It’s about finding
something important to you and expressing it with your voice.
Right.
What’s something - or someone - that you think about every day?
Yeah.
Something or somebody that makes you happy,
Uh-huh.
you know -- just lights up a room?
Okay.
And you want to say how you feel...
Yeah.
But you’ve never been able to figure out how?
Until now.
I looooovve... Ang...
...Bongo... Bongo... and McGillicuddy...
Yeah, baby, now you’re getting it!
I listened to what Angela said, and I wrote a song about something
I really care about. And that something is Angela.
I think the song is actually pretty good.
Only problem is, I’m pretty sure I can never show it to her.
Ever.
It’s catchy. She’d like that. But is it weird?
Because she would not like that.
But is it more catchy than weird? Hmm...
Who are you talking to? Did Ben make an invisibility machine?
If he did I get to go in it first!
Ginger, leave me alone. I’m in the middle of a crisis.
Me too! My parents got me the most awesome and coolest present!
- You wanna see what it is? - No...
A magic kit! Created by famous TV magician, Illusion Jack -
the guy who says... Illuuuuuusion!
Did I just hear the word “illuuuuuusion”?
Or was that an “illuuuuuusion”?
I’ll tell you what’s going on - my show!
For my first trick, I need a piece of paper. Ah...
What? No, no, no, no, no don’t use that.
Why? Is it something embarrassing?
No! It’s just a list. Of boring things.
You can use it, I don’t even care.
Use it for your tricks. It’s not embarrassing.
Look! An ordinary, boring piece of paper that doesn’t really matter to anyone!
Now, I will make it...
Disappear! Nice one!
Neat trick... Um... but, uh, where did it go? Just out of curiosity.
Maybe you should try asking... your butt!
Huh? What? Oh, oh - okay
Illuuuuuuusion!
I don’t know what I was thinking.
Having these song lyrics around is dangerous. I have to destroy them.
No one can ever see what I wrote.
Hey, Tom! What are you doing?
Oh! Nothing! What are you doing?
That’s what we really should be asking here.
Well, Angela’s helping me craft the songs I wrote
into a musical comedy extravaganza!
So far I’ve got eight music numbers about eight number numbers.
Of course, it really would be something if I could get all the way to nine.
My big idea is that you add a lot of lasers.
Ooh, and a fog machine! I’ll go rig up the garage!
Tom, I’m sorry I couldn’t inspire you to write a song.
Oh, you were great. I guess I just don’t get music. Oh well.
Well, music is really important to me. If you don’t get music...
that’s sad.
Actually, you know what? Forget what I just said, because I did write a song!
Now, I was trying to get it right before I showed you,
but who cares about getting it right?
Maybe read it to yourself. And if you don’t like it, just never tell me.
Uh, yeah. This is just a receipt for an Illusion Jack magic kit.
What? How is that--
Gingerrrr!
Huh? Oh. Okay.
Five bucks off some magic pranks!
Yeah. That was good.
Ginger. What did you do with my paper?!
I can’t tell you. The kit says a magician never reveals his secrets.
I can make it worth your while.
Alright, Hank has a secret stash of candy corn left over from Halloween.
It could be yours.
Are we talking about the good ones, or the ones with the chocolatey bottoms?
Sorry, magician’s code says no.
Besides, if I want candy, I can just presto-digitate it with my sleight-of-hand.
Well, see you around, Tom!
Rats.
Did you just offer to give away my secret candy corn?
Uh, no! I mean, yes. Ginger took the lyrics to the song
I was writing and won’t give them back.
You didn’t even back them up digitally?
I have to get it back. Ginger can not see what I wrote.
Wow, he really got you with that prop swap, didn’t he?
I know! He... wait. What’s a prop swap?
You know, how he put the fake paper under your butt
before the trick even started.
What?
I was the two-time winner of the Teen Regional Magic Meet.
But I swore to never talk about that part of my life.
Okay, I’ll talk about it! I was the great “Illusion Hank,”
and I was ready to take over the local TV magic scene.
I had the world up my sleeve, until my apprentice Jack stole my act.
Wait. You mean Illusion Jack?!
Of course I mean Illusion Jack. But there’s no point dwelling on it.
We can’t change the past...
If that guy stole your act, then you know all of his tricks.
So you can teach me all the magic Ginger just learned!
And I can magic my song right back to me!
I don’t know, Tom. My last apprentice became an international
superstar and forced me out of the world of magic that I loved so much.
Yeah, but Hank, this time it’s Tom.
You’re right.
Woah.
I’ll do it!
Nope. I stink at magic. I’m never gonna get my song back.
Snap out of it, apprentice! There’s one more thing you can try.
Here, read this. It’s the directions that come with the magic kit.
In it, you will find the secrets you need.
It all makes sense now.
Hello, Tom. You wanted to meet with me about a certain prop I swapped?
We’ll do a trade. You put the paper under one bowl, I put the candy
under the other, then we switch.
Ooh, like a magic trick. I like it.
Ha! Sleight of hand wins again! Thanks for the candy, sucker!
Aha!
Oh.
Illuuuuusion.
You didn’t tell me you could do magic! That’s cheating, Tom!
Well, I thought that you said that a magician never reveals his secrets.
You’re twisting my words around...
Prop swap!
Oh!
What’s so special about this note anyway?
Is must be really embarrassing! Bye!
Freeze-o in place-o.
Hey! How are you doing that?
Hand it over. And admit you’ve been beat by a superior magician!
Agh! Okay! Time out!
You never told me you could do real magic!
Thank you.
Oh, come on, Ginger. Of course I can’t.
But I can do real technology! And technology, sufficiently advanced,
is indistinguishable from magic.
Oh, no fair!
You see, at first I tried to do better magic than you. But then
Hank showed me the last piece of advice in the kit’s magic book.
And it reads, if I may: “All the best magicians have an assistant.”
Am I Tom’s assistant? Of course not.
But I needed to test the lasers out for my big math musical. So, why not?
How do you think those lasers look, Angela?
Angela?
Pretty futuristic!
Hey, Tom, is that the song you’re working on? Let me see!
Wait! Maybe you shouldn’t read that in front of everyone.
Why? The best part of doing music is having everyone look at you.
Oh, Tom. This is nice. You wrote a song about your friends.
I know it’s a little surprising, but - wait, what?
You think it’s about my friends?
Sure. I like how you say...
“You’re my friend, when we’re together,
you make me smile, like friends that are together.”
I mean, you did rhyme “together” with “together”, but it’s a good first try.
From reading this, I really sense how you and Ben are good buddies.
Yeah. Sure. I guess that’s what the song is about, then.
This whole thing was because of a song about Ben?
Why didn’t you tell me that? I would have given it back.
But I thought... I tried to...
Tom. I am really touched. No one has ever written a song about me.
Come here, buddy, let me apply a friendly hug to you.
Awww...
No, that’s okay. It’s really - It’s not necessary.
I don’t want this any more than you do, but you’ve earned it, buddy.
Friend hug.
Uh... Freeze-o in place-o!