- although I didn’t come to magic until I was about 22 (about 10 years ago) I can look back at my childhood and see that there were many thinks being put in place. For example: I grew up on a holiday park surrounded by entertainers. They used to get the brass of the day as well, so it wasn’t the red coat brigade!
As well as that general influence, I was also a devious little gig! Nothing insidious you understand, just mischievous. At the age of 5 I used to wait in the on site supermarket for a large harrassed family, drop an ice cream into their basket, and pick it up when they had paid! I also used to stand and shiver next to the hotdog stand till someone took pity on me and bought me one!
After school (I got into loads of trouble but that’s another story) I followed in my mums footsteps and studied nursing.
At about 22 I saw David Blaines first TV special and was hooked. I bought a pack of cards and started to work out what he was doing. I think what made it different for me was that I had a good understanding of psychology and coimmunication. I understood WHY magic worked! The HOW could wait a bit. I joined the local magic society for a short time (Wessex Magical Society) but felt their direction wasn’t right for me. My big learning curve came when I got a residency in a fairly rough bar. I did Thurs Fri & Sat nights and really cut my teeth.
The awards were won because I was the right person at the right time. I don’t think magic ability can be judged by comp acts!

What books and videos (besides your own excellent ones which you can plug at this point if you want) would you recommend?

Doc Eason was a great inspiration during my time at the bar. Tommy Wonder for his incredible understanding of performance. Gary Kurtz for leading me with his head! And Greg Wilson for his naturalness in performance.

My dvd & lecture notes will give you an understanding of my attitude towards misdirection (not always conformist). Please buy them. This way I will have enough money to maybe do some more!

Recently you seem to be leaning heavily towards blending magic with hypnosis, can you tell us more about this?

I have always been interested in Psychology, NLP and hypnosis. I have used aspects in all my work but specifically the misdirection and state management. Recently I began to experiment with full inductions and the impact they have with magic and found I can blend hypnosis, magic and pick pocketing to enormous effect.

Do you not feel that some effects such as reverse mind reading or a hypnotic card force are almost too damn powerful?

Like any magic, it is up to you to pace the audience and then ‘tell’ them how to repond. This is done ideally on an unconscious level without them being aware. Saying that though, everyone responds differently to different things so it is as much about feeling the moment as it is about anything else.

Now you’re entirely self taught in hypnosis, what books and/or DVD’s would you recommend?

Reality is Plastic by Anthony Jacquin and Deeper and Deeper by Jon Chase.

It is also worth looking at youtube but not until you know enough to sift through the crap!

Rumour has it that you actually got punched at Blackpool over some hypnosis.

Not strictly true. After a good hypnosis session this young lad went back to his ‘friends’ who convinced him I had mistreated him in some way. Add lots of alcohol. He came over shouting and hit me on the back of the neck. Once he calmed down we had a quick chat and by the end of the evening he was buying me drinks and all was fine. No hard feels. I did learn from the experience though!

Would you mind giving us your side of the story and what, if anything, you learnt from it?

Be in control. Think about the effect the hypnosis COULD have and build in safety features! All experience is there to be learnt from!

Right we’ll bring it back towards magic more. You seem to really favour some sleights, the side steal and cull mainly. Do you deliberately focus on them or is it just an accident that they feature so much in your work?

Just the most efficient tools for the job I found, that’s all!

In your Lecture DVD you talk about just not caring if a spectator catches a move, how long did it take you to get to this point?

As I said earlier, my life experience lead me to this. It is just a state of mind born from an understanding that, quite frankly, its not that important! If you get caught, so what. Brush it away as irrelevent and get on to something good. The less you focus on it the less they will. If its important to you its important to them!

Who has influenced you most in your work?

Everyone I meet is an influence. I model people. Its a really good way to develope.

How do you feel exposure and file sharing is affecting the art as a whole?

I realise why many magicians are passioonate about all this, but the truth is it makes no difference to a working pro. So what if they know what a thumb tip is! Fool them with it anyway. The more magicians go on about it the more interest they create. I bet the masked magician is watched by more magicians than anyone else!

Is there a question you’d like to have been asked? What is it and what’s the answer?

Are you available for lectures and conventions?

Yes!

Jack Wise is a top notch Corporate Magician based in Dublin, Ireland who specialises in blending sophisticated humour with jaw dropping magic. Jack’s unrivalled experience and sure fire delivery allows him to offer you something unheard of in the entertainment business. Jack’s website can be found at www.jack.ie and he has also kindly provided us with his showreel

Jack, can you give us a bit of a Magic bio – tell us how you got started in magic, and how you ended up going from hobbyist to pro.

I just bored of the getting up early nine to five crap so one day I just decided not to bother going into work and started telling everyone I was a professional magician…and they believed me.
I learnt my first magic trick from my Granddad. He taught me the 3 shell game. He knew the coolest stuff and he didn’t give a damn how dangerous it was, he’d show it to me. For example he taught me how to make gunpowder. He also used to also distill poitin in his shed. I remember falling in the door locked after he’d dilute a shot in ribena. His justification was I helped make it so I should get my share!!
I was ten at ten at the time.

He used to say it was important to know how to do all this stuff in case the Nazis ever came back. He was mad in the most wonderful way. My happiest memories as a child were spent in his company.

“Never let your schooling interfere with your education”
Mark Twain once said “Never let your schooling interfere with your education” which summed up my approach to school .I had my own magic curriculum and school was in the way. I’d been suspended numerous times but the best of all was for blowing up Hugh Kelly’s school bag (you guessed it …with the gunpowder).The cops were called and everything!

Entering the work force
So when I finally finished my sentence in school I decided to enter the work force by pitching svengali’s in a toy shop called “It’s Magic “while working for a P.I. Company by night installing pinhole cameras and bugs on phone lines .Having Private Investigator business cards with was great knicker dropping material but it was hard work.

Customers high and how to all almost die!

My first paid performance lasted three years. It was in the VIP suite of The PoD and Spy nightclub. I’d perform every Saturday night from 12 – 2am .Loads of Celebs rolled in – Robbie Williams, Kylie, spice girls to name a few .It was great but very tough -a true baptism of fire cause the punters were stoned, drunk or high – E was rampant at the time!

I’ve always be interested in the carnie stuff so during that time I learnt sword swallowing which I performed at the launch of the Subaru Impreza .I also used to perform it behind the bar occasionally in POD until 1 night this guy who was off his head tried to push me. It would have been very messy if he’d succeeded. That was the last time I sword swallowed .I had learnt a valuable lesson – you can trust yourself but never trust Joe public!
While working in “Its Magic” I was fortunate enough to have met Quentin Reynolds. He’s taught me a lot about Magic including my kids show . The great thing about kid’s shows is they teach you something that I think most Magicians never master and that’s timing. Thank you Quentin for being such a generous friend!

Comedy – it’s almost all uphill!

About four years ago I started working comedy clubs. They’re probably the toughest audiences of all because if you’re not funny the audience will tell you. A lot of comedians don’t like Magicians so it’s an uphill battle but I’ve got to say I get a real kick out of the challenge especially when you win them over in a 400 – 500 seater like the Laughter Lounge.

If you could provide one piece of advice to a magician who was just starting off, what would it be?

Put the little plastic things back in the box, tape back up the wrapping paper and give the crappy magic set back to you Auntie.

But if you insist on keeping it –
Decide where you want to perform and pick your material accordingly.

If it’s in the pub for your mates (and if you’re fifteen performing in a pub you’re pretty cool) then NFW is a great trick but if you want to perform at corporate functions then doing elmsleys in front of your nut sack for tables of ten just isn’t acceptable. They can’t see your face and they can’t see the cards.

So choose your material carefully – in the real world it’s got to be visible and simple to follow -
Chop cup is good, reverse matrix (unfortunately) is not!

Make sure there’s absolutely no dead time.

Know what you’re going to say at every point in the trick. Fully script all your routines. If you’ve got to get the four aces out of the pack know what you’re going to say while you’re doing it. Make it funny or at least interesting rather taking the retarded Magician’s approach of trying to learn to cull faster!

Maybe don’t be yourself.
The old adage “be yourself on stage” is bullshit! And when your Mum told you “you’re perfect the way you are” that was bullshit too and she knows it!
I could sugar coat it but the truth is when you step in front of the audience they’ve decided whether they like you or not in about twenty seconds, particularly in Close up because they haven’t paid to see you which means that, until proven otherwise you are an interruption!

So if you’re trying to figure out what your character/style should be than it might be helpful to give the following some thought -
You can break down how the world perceives you into the following categories:
The things you know about yourself and everybody else does.
The things you know about yourself and nobody else does.
And the things you DON’T know about yourself and everybody else does.
The last one is the one to focus on if you’re trying to figure out a performing persona for yourself.

There are things about you and me that other people probably don’t like. The big question is, are you going to look at your personality as Eugene Burger says, “with a ruthless honesty” to figure out what they are.
I’m not necessarily suggesting changing these negative traits (being anything that turns an audience off you) but you should be aware of them as they may be “invisibly tripping you up” while you’re performing.
You could also take a lateral approach to the whole thing and try and use what the harsh eyes of the audience see as a “flaw “to your advantage. For example, if you’re a big fat guy of 6’7” trying to perform an elegant Channing Pollock dove act the chances are the audience will struggle to hold back the laughter at the incongruous “Walter Mitty” scenario.
If, on the other hand you were to acknowledge the situation and use it to your advantage you could have really strong comedy act where the audience would laugh with you and give you the applause you deserve for what is very fine magic.

The message is you’ve got to be aware of what your audience really thinks.

These are just a couple of thoughts to consider. They are my thoughts so if they are too hard hitting and I have offended anyone my apologies. If on the other hand you have found them interesting let Ian know and I’ll gladly put up put up a few more ideas /concepts which may be of some use.

Who are your biggest influences in the magic community?

Well, if I was having some sort of big crazy magic party…

Bill Malone would entertain during the champagne & truffle reception.
Billy McComb would MC and I’d bring him a bowl of rice pudding on stage just in case he was thinking about heading back to the home early (I miss Billy!).
Opening act -Jeff Hobson 10 mins max (and not too much of the faggy stuff either – it offends some people!)
Finney would be up next with his rope routine but none of his life story/pep talk trying to make everybody cry and mashing the buzz.
Followed by Wayne Dobson to do his vent improv with Frank Bruno like on his DVD. Frank’s a riot!!
Then Tom Mullica to do his cigarette act. I know he’s given it up but I don’t give a damn- I like it and I’d make him do it with cigars or maybe pipes.
Then I’d let Billy vanish the cage to close the show.

Daryl and Jeff McBride would be collecting the glasses and cleaning the ashtrays (please don’t tip them).

Man, that would be some party. After that, everybody in the SIM would like me. I’d rock!

Do you find that exposure today, be it the likes of the Masked Magician, or more recently, youtube, file sharing etc is having an adverse effect on the art?

I’ve had a few muggles tell me they Youtubed some of my heavy hitters I’m well known for – like the dynamic coins and the pencil through Perspex . I don’t let it bother me, I just nail em with my killer gemstick routine and that shuts them up real quick!

And asking people not to file share is the equivalent to putting Mary Harney behind the counter in Butler’s Chocolates… the inevitable is going to happen. It’s as ridiculous as demanding that no one lend each other magic books in the 80’s. Please some serious questions..

How important do you feel membership of an organization (IBM, Magic Circle etc) is to the career of a magician?

I said please, some serious questions!!
Magic societies can be either negative or positive experience depending on your mind set.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way –
As in all performing arts there is a natural competiveness which will lead to bitching and occasional unpleasantness .From my experience Magicians who are negative towards another member usually fall into one of the following categories – Envy, jealousy or resentment.

Here’s the difference as I see it :
Envy – you see your neighbour has a new car and wish you had it( a natural enough reaction).
Jealousy – you see you neighour’s new car and illogically think you should have it and are angry at him for having it (not a good place to be).
Resentment – You climb over the wall and scratch the car knowing you’ll never have it because you haven’t their skills, charm or talent (bad – get help).
On the other hand…if everybody is bitching about you then maybe there’s some truth in it. It’s time for some of Eugene’s ruthless honesty.

And the positives
But despite all of this societies are a great place to learn. They are also a great place to make friendships that will probably last you a lifetime.
One of the best things you can do is chat with the old farts. Introduce yourself, find out about the magic they like and perform. They have a depth of knowledge and wealth of experience that if you’re lucky, they may share with you .I’ve been fortunate enough to make friends with some of the most knowledgeable minds in magic and the amazing thing is they are in my society.

Have you ever had someone call you on your guarantee?

Yea.. They call me on it all the time but I’m usually in the car and gone by then.

But seriously,
When you offer a guarantee you better be able to deliver .One complaint or unhappy table and the client are fully (and fairly) entitled not to pay.
I started offering my money back guarantee about 18 months ago.Since then I’ve had a three people try and call me on it. One was legitimately testing the guarantee, one was my fault and the other was just trying to rip me off…

The Rip off…
I was booked to do a 25 minute Stand up spot for a Christmas party of 250 roofing contractors. They were serious drinkers so I was nervous going on stage.
I remember half way through looking off stage to the guy who had booked me who was standing behind a kind of partition. He was (what I thought was) putting my pay into an envelope as it turned out he was taking it out!!
Fortunately the show went really well and I finished on a strong round of applause so I went straight to the booker to thank him and collect my money because I had another gig to go to.
Well the guy sneered at me as he said “Yea Jack it was good and everything but I didn’t like it that much”. I knew what was coming and I was raging so I turned around and walked right back on stage. I grabbed the mike and asked the crowd if they enjoyed the show, they gave me another good strong round of applause. I looked off stage, the guy wasn’t sneering anymore. He was panicking trying to put my money back into the envelope. He knew I was about to explain the situation to the audience and ask their opinion. He literally ran on stage and thanked me as he handed me the opened envelope.
I later found that he’d been stealing from the social committee. I was one of his attempts to rip them off. It was an awful situation to be in.

An expensive lesson
The other occasion was when I was booked to do 25 minutes of stand up at a fortieth birthday. After a long drive I turned up only to discover that my amp wasn’t working. It was my fault because I hadn’t tested it before leaving. I did close up for about 1 ½ hours which the guests really enjoyed but the guy was so disappointed about the Stand Up that I didn’t ask him for anything. An expensive lesson!
The Audience was forced to be a jury!

The last was when a head bridesmaid had booked me to perform close up over the meal for her friend’s wedding. It was her wedding gift to the Bride.
They were a fun group and it went down really well. They were very drunk by the end of the meal .When I approached the bridesmaid to be paid she said she just had to check something first. She then picked up the wireless mike which was still on the table from the speeches and proceeded to walk/stumble around the twenty or so tables and asked them over the PA did they enjoy Magician. It was both hilarious and really unnerving!! All of the reviews were very positive except for 1 table that was really pissed because I didn’t do anything for them!!
I’d missed their table (gulp) by complete accident. The bridesmaid shouted over the mike “you’d better get down here fast if you want your bleedin money”. Twenty minutes later I got paid and the Bride tipped me a fifty cause because as she said herself, she was “scarlet” over the whole thing.
In the end of the day they were very happy but you know what, even though it was very unusual I thought it was fair enough .She was paying, it was for her best friend and she was making sure she got her money’s worth. But believe me if I hadn’t delivered there was no way I was going to get a penny.

Do you have an agent ? How important do you think having an agent is to a professional magician? (For someone who is starting out and wants more paying gigs).

I think every professional Magician should have an Asian. They can be expensive but if you get a good Asian they’re great!

(Editors note – since receiving this we’ve actually discovered that all of the above is true !!!)

David Knight is a 33 year old Bristol Born professional magician who has been based in Dublin for the last three years. He is a psychological illusionist and specializes in very natural feeling mental entertainment. He has just launched an international tour and will leave for the UK and beyond at the start of May. David will be premiering the new show “Mind Man” in Dublin before he leaves, this will be happening at Sin nightclub in Dublin on the 25th of April at 7.30pm, tickets are €10 and will be available at the door, or in advance from the venue.

David, if you could provide any piece of advice to an aspiring magician, what would it be?

Try and be original, don’t try and be Keith or Derren. Take from them but deliver in your own style. It is far more important to have an original persona that clever tricks. Magicians forget that they are entertainers first and foremost and I hate to say it but, NO ONE BELIEVES IN MAGIC so you have to offer something more than a well rehearsed trick. The presentation and you yourself are everything.

When you were first getting into magic, and as your own career was developing, what magicians influenced you?

David Copperfield above all, then later Derren Brown who introduced me to the field I now work in and the like of Theo Annemann

Is there any commercially available effects, be it a book, a DVD or a single effect that you rate very highly? Why?

The last one I purchased was a doozy – so I’m not promoting it! Overall I think Menny Lindenfeld’s ‘Hollow’ card effect is wonderful and dreadful businessman though he is, theres much to be said for Jay Sankey. my friend Owen Lean – whom is represented on the site has some great tips and effects in his e-books too and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Do you find that exposure today, be it the likes of the Masked Magician, or more recently, youtube, file sharing etc is having an adverse effect on the art?

I think the behind the scenes clips of Copperfield’s big end effects on youtube have hammered home the final nails into the coffin of stage illusion. It is dying out and on the whole thats a good thing as everyone is doing the same stuff. Unless you have Copperfield’s budget and time, leave it alone. There are too many acts built around second rate box effects – I should know, I was one of them! On the whole I think the masked magician did a great job in not revealing anything of practical stage use and exposing those who were performing poor standards of predictable rubbish.

How important do you feel membership of an orginization (IBM, Magic Circle etc) is to the career of a magician?

To their career – not at all. To the starting magician, they’re a great resource. remember that they are predominantly social clubs and you should seek many avenues of research to further you art. Areas outside of magic are great for providing original ideas and presentation techniques as other magician’s won’t have stumbled onto them in such vast numbers. Hard to be different if we all learn from the same magic shop or club.

What ‘type’ of magic do you feel most drawn to? What do you
associate yourself with the most? (Mentalism, Grand Illusion, Close-up etc)

I am in the mentalist category but I work regularly in bars and functions as a close up magician. Close up mentalism is the new budding area I am into and with my almost prop-less approach, it is really starting people getting excited about seeing magic again. They’ll never accept it as real and I am going against the grain by offering real world explanations including science and psychology which, although they still don’t understand and are thrilled by, at least they don’t feel that I’m insulting their intelligence.

Tony Black (real name Anthony Galvin) is a hypnotist and mind-reader based in Munster, but who performs throughout the country. His hypnosis show is a good deal wilder, and less structured, than most, with a heavy emphasis on comedy. Often he opens the show with one of his mind-reading routines, such as Russian Roulette with exploding toilets.
Tony has been performing magic for twenty five years, and hypnosis for fifteen. His show has brought him all over Ireland, as well as three tours of the middle-east, and a summer as the only hypnotist on the Greek isle of Kos.
As a magician he has spent twelve winter seasons in Lapland, three summers on the high seas, and been arrested twice for driving while blindfolded. His book Teach Yourself Magic has sold extensively in Britain and America. He also briefly held the world record for the longest public lecture (62 hours 15 minutes).

Tony, thanks for taking the time to talk to us a bit. Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about Hypnosis. What is it to you?

There’s a lot of academic debate about what hypnosis is. The truth is that it doesn’t matter. For practical purposes it is a state of hyper-suggestability, in which a person will lose their inhibitations and follow the directions of the hypnotist while they are on the stage. Personally I believe it is a state of social compliance rather than trance – they know what they are doing and go along for the craic. But I could be wrong. I base my induction on this. Rather than trying to put my volunteers into a trance I work on getting them to do what I tell them. I want my induction to be as fast as possible, so it doesn’t slow the show down.
I have come up with what I think is a unique approach for difficult groups – small gatherings, or stuffy businessmen, or awkward weddings, etc. I don’t bother with an induction, and don’t mention hypnosis. The show is presented as a gameshow on the theme of suggestibility. Yet without any induction the volunteers do everything I ask, right down to the Full Monte at the end.

What books or videos would you recommend to somebody who wanted to start preforming as a hypnotist or mind reader?

As a neophyte hypnotist the most useful book I found was Eddie Burke’s Professional Secrets of Stage and Cabaret Hypnotism, available through his website, www.mreenterprises.co.uk. Eddie is a veteran British performer who released many of his cherished routines when he retired. His book on the Question and Answer act contains all you will ever need to know about the strongest routine in mentalism. His People Sticker Routine is also pure gold.
Mastering Hypnosis from Trickshop.com is quite good, and David Knight also has a very good book out on the subject. But I would avoid Ormond McGill’s Complete Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism, which is full of waffle, hopelessly out of date, and over-rated.
On mentalism anything by Larry Becker or Lee Earle will be practical and useful. Lee Earle has a great DVD on the Question and Answer act, and another on the Centre Tear, both of which are essential viewing. Richard Osterland’s DVDs are very good on technique, but I would not copy his presentation. Corrinda’s 13 Steps to Mentalism is a cornucopia of great ideas. Max Maven and Banachek are also worth studying. Banachek’s Psychological Subtlieties is brilliant, as is his Psychokenetic Touches.
I believe every mentalist should be a good cold reader. To begin with, try the works of Joe Riding, Then move on to The Full Facts on Cold Reading by Ian Rowlands. That’s all you will ever need.

Can you tell us a bit more about your mind reading act?

My mind-reading act is completely propless. There are no zenner cards, no sealed boxes with predictions, no bend cutlery. A real mind-reader would not bother with such buffonery, and neither do I. You should be able to do a complete mind-reading act with nothing more than a whiteboard and marker, and some slips of paper.
I open with a Bank Night routine, which shows the audience (or so they believe) that I can use my words to influence their thoughts. Tests become progressively more difficult and impressive. The idea is not to strain credibility. I get them to accept that I can influence their thoughts, and pick up on some of their thoughts. Then, step by step, I up the ante. During the hour I will pick three people at random and tell them their star signs, teach everyone how to recite the alphabet backwards, etc. I love Andrew Mayne’s Social Distortion – a powerful routine. I end with a Question and Answer segment, in which they put their questions on slips of paper, which are left in a bowl on the stage. Without touching the bowl I scan their minds and reveal several of their questions. It’s a very powerful closer. Quentin Reynolds used to end his psychic game show with this, and he did it brilliantly. Derren Browne featured it on his show Night of Wonders (as The Oracle Act). It is pure dynamite.
Occasionally I will end the show with a hypnosis segment instead.

The likes of Derren brown has attracted an awful lot of people into the field of mentalism, with a seemingly large quantity of younger performers. Something that I have often heard bandied about is the fact that a younger (as in younger than 25-30) will almost always be less successful as the audience may not be able to take them seriously. Do you put weight to this theory? Why?

You need a certain something to be a successful mentalist, but that something does not come with age; it comes with stage craft. Young performers can be very successful, as long as they are themselves, rather than trying to ape older performers. The most important thing is to be completely sincere. I believe that we should be looking at the television psychics – people like Derek Ackorah, Jon Edwards, etc. They are charletons and unscrupelous scumbags, but they manage to convince the public that they can read minds and tap into unknown gifts. Imagine having that effect on an audience, but doing it in an ethical manner. My ultimate aim is to walk on a stage with absolutely nothing and be as convincing as those television guys.
Interestingly Max Maven has just released a set of DVDs called Nothing, and that is what he uses. He does an hour of very strong (and entertaining) mentalism with nothing more than what you would find in the average hotel room. Brilliant, and highly recommended.

How do you feel about people mixing mentalism with other magic or hypnosis?

I think that if you mix mentalism with magic you might as well put a big sign on your back saying Fake. Your mentalism will be put down to trickery, and will lose all it’s emotional impact. I am aware that many performers will disagree with me on this, but they are wrong. If you are billing yourself as a magician you can throw in a mental effect. It’s just another trick, and a change of pace. But if you are billing yourself as a mentalist, then the magic cannot be part of that performance.
I often perform for groups who know I am a magician (I get around a bit). I get over the awkwardness by doing a magic trick at the very beginning – I either swallow a balloon or do the torn and restored newspaper. Then I pause, stare at the audience, and tell them that what they saw was a magic trick. It’s the last magic trick you’ll see tonight, I tell them. By acknowledging the problem and pushing it to one side I can get on with the mentalism show. I have openly told them that I am putting aside my magic for the hour, and they accept that. I am no longer a magician in their eyes.

Have you got any parting words for any budding mentalists or hypnotists?

The most important thing to remember as a mentalist or a hypnotist is that you are selling yourself. It is your personality and people skills that will make or break your show. These are the skills you need to work on. Paul McKenna was the most successful (in terms of income and exposure) stage hypnotist of all time. He began as a radio DJ, so his presentation skills and delivery were smooth, sophisticated and professional. That gave his show an edge.
At a masterclass a number of years ago Jeff McBride told us that the most important thing he would recommend to all magicians was to join Toastmasters International, and learn how to speak properly in front of an audience. I have been in that organisation twenty years, and the benefits are enormous.
Don’t copy other performers. Study their techniques and learn from them, but make your presentations your own.
Read as much as you can, and not just about mentalism and hypnosis. A DVD is easier, but a book contains so much more information, so make the effort.
Finally, focus on your goal, the show you dream of putting on. But don’t forget the little steps that bring you to that goal. A lot of performers think they are ready for the big time, but they don’t want to do the small soulless shows that get them there. They forget the paperwork, the boring and expensive advertising work, the mail shots that get no response.
That said, it’s a great life. You meet interesting people and see a bit of the world. You are your own boss. And in a recession entertainers make serious money. So to anyone thinking of embarking on this life, I would just like to wish them the best of luck. Do it right and success will follow.

If you want to book Tony, you can contact him through his Website or on 087 7504321

I think that the subject of this interview requires no introduction. Keith Barry, probably the most well known performer of magic in Ireland today has kindly agreed to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us. Keith has been a major inspiration for so many young Irish magicians, including myself.

Hi Keith, first off, thanks for taking the time to answer these for us. What have you got coming up? Any new TV specials or new tours?

I’m currently on tour at the moment – having great fun. it’s called ‘Keith Barry, Direct from Vegas’ and is the same show which I performed there in Nov last year. This Fri and Sat I’m in Tipperary, all other dates can be found on Keithbarry.com

What advice would you give to any aspiring young magician?

Read as many books as you can and perform for as many people as possible. Also perform as many different varieties of magic as you can – stage, kids, close-up, platform, etc – it will help you become a more rounded performer. Too many young magicians concentrate just on close-up these days – by doing other styles of magic they will become better entertainers.

What magicians have inspired your career the most? Why?

In the beginning Paul Daniels, David Copperfield and Lance Burton were the ones who really inspired me. I watched all of their specials religiously over and over again. In later years it would have to be the great Doc Shiels and Billy McComb. Doc for his insight into mentalism and all things bizarre, and Billy for his insight into being a professional entertainer.

What commercially available effects (books dvds or single effects) do you rate most highly?

I’m a big fan of Sankeys material – especially paperclipped – it never fails to fry an audience. Branded by Tim Trono is also excellent.

How do you think the level of exposure in magic today (youtube, files sharing etc) is affecting magic?

Magic is more accessible now than ever before. I don’t think it will hurt magic at all because it’s really only budding magicians who bother to search youtube for the methodology to a trick. Most humans will never go to the bother of trying to find out how a trick is done. Blatant exposure however is not good for magic.

How important do you feel membership of an orginization (IBM, Magic Circle etc) is to the career of a magician?

It really depends on what your expectations are. I can only speak from personal experience. I remember fondly the days when I was a member of the Munster Society – I would travel from Galway with Pat Meaney to many of the meetings and lectures. John Bowden and Pat Meaney were very helpful and took me under their wing. I was also a member of the SIM – Pat Fallon was very helpful to me in those days. I enjoyed being a member of the SIM for quite a few years but then I started travelling abroad for 6-8 months a year so I wasn’t really an active member any more. I did go the odd time when i was back but I found the dynamics had changed and to be quite honest found the whole thing very negative. Even just 3 days ago a member told me of some of the ‘Keith barry bitching’ that goes on – this is one of many occasions i have heard of this. It’s unfortunate but I no longer have any interest in any of the societies – too much negativity and back biting by people who I thought were friends and should know better. I’d rather be at home working or spending time with my family than get involved in that stuff. Enough said.

You recently launched your €10,000 psychic challenge. Has anyone been stupid enough to respond? Do you feel that Irish ‘Psychics’ are in general shut-eye (deluded enough to actually think they are psychic) or open-eye (deliberately lying about it for fun and profit).

No-one has taken up the challenge. I believe we have a mixture of both open and shut eye ‘psychics’ here in Ireland. I think it’s very dangerous for vulnerable people to live their lives by what these so-called psychic advisors tell them. Look at the following Popoff had until Randi exposed him – it really was frightening. I will do my best to educate people on the art of the psychic but at the end of the day most believers will still believe no matter how much information you give them!!!!

Joe Daly is the mastermind behind the recent show, Magick Macabre, that ran in the Olympia, Dublin in October and November last year. Joe has kindly agreed to answer some questions…

Hey Joe, let’s kick this shit off! How long have you been involved in magic as a hobby and as a professional?
I have been interested in magic from the age of 6 and turned professional when I left college at 21 so professional now for 11 years.

How did you get started in magic?
I’m afraid to say it was Paul Daniels’ fault! I was on a family holiday in England and he brought me up on stage – I was bitten by the bug ever since.

Now for anyone who hasn’t seen the show can you briefly describe the premise?
The character I play Daemon Cordell was once a very accomplished and successful illusionist. However it was later found out that in order to achieve the perfect illusion he used to kill his assistants. He was sent to an asylum…the show takes over from there.

Are you mad?
Joe Daly is perfectly sane! Daemon eh… not so much…

The show is currently undergoing a rewrite, can you tell us what sort of changes we can expect?
Yes, we will be telling the back story on stage as opposed to in the programme and it will be a lot clearer with tons more magic in it

There’s some seriously heavy names involved in this project, can you tell us a bit more about that and how they were brought on board? (Wes Craven, A Big Magic Name Who Is Currently Secret, John McColgan, etc.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Anyone we approached just really loved the premise and the possibilities it afforded. It’s a fun project and very different and that just really attracted them

Magick Macabre’s a bit of a step away from Riverdance, what attracted Riverdream to the show?
I approached John McColgan, the producer of Riverdance. At that stage I had staged my own version of the show and toured it to venues around the country. He saw the video and the presentation pack I sent him. He was just taken by the mixture of horror, magic and comedy that existed in the show and knew it had huge potential. Also I think he was attracted to the fact that I did the whole thing myself and took a considerable financial gamble at 25 years of age.

What was your favorite illusion in the show?
The Death Drill!!!

And of all time?
Haha the Death Drill!!! (be careful what you wish for eh!)

What advice would you give to any aspiring young magicians?
Develop your own style. There is so much magic out there now on the internet and dvd’s that im am often amazed when I see young guys doing some really cool stuff…the problem is that there are loads of guys doing it…you have to be different. Then ask yourself what do you want out of magic and whatever that is follow it with a vengeance and literally let nothing deter you from it.

Anyone who’s seen your show would agree you have massive charisma and stage prescence when you perform, is this something you’re born with or can it be learned and if so how?
Why thanks you! To be honest it’s a bit of both. Either you have it or you don’t. if you do, no matter how small it might be you can develop it. I was lucky enough to have acting classes, movement classes and even fencing classes to develop to my full potential.

Who would you consider your heroes, both magical and non-magical?
It has to be David Copperfield. 500 shows a year and a living legend. In the non magical world it has to be Michael J Fox. Only after reading his autobiography will you understand.

What commercially available material do you rate most highly?
Love Lossander’s stuff. A gentleman to deal with too.

Any horror stories of gigs?
Of course! I was a kids magician for 15 years! I once arrived at a kids Christmas party, went in to meet the organiser to see where they wanted me and what the set up was…went back to mar car to get my props from the boot…guess what it was empty!!! But I could tell you exactly where in my house they were!!! I had them all set up ready to be loaded in the car from the previous night…went out to the gig the next day and walked right by them!! It was for Statoil who were then in the IFSC. Unbelievably I was able to drive home, get the gear and do the show an hour later. Oh dear!.

How do you feel exposure on youtube and TV is affecting magic today?
Of course I think its terrible. You can find out how anything is done on youtube, it’s so sad. Wanna see how Copperfield made the statue of liberty vanish…look it up. However, this awareness has caused me never to show any newly developed stuff on TV for fear it will be on youtube and some nerd will try and explain how its done and end up being copied badly by some teenager in his garage in Utah!

If you weren’t a magician what would you be doing?
Hmm, I honestly haven’t a clue. I have NEVER had a ‘real’ job.

Can I have a job?
hmmmmmmmmm…

Please?
I’ll have my people call your people!!!

He has performed for Westlife and U2, has worked in film and TV, performed in Las Vegas and has been practicing his art for well over 10 years.

Satisfied customers include global clients such as Coca Cola, O2, Meteor, Dell, Microsoft, Symantec, Vodafone, entertainment groups such as Essential Management Ltd, Renard’s Members Club, Time Theatre, Spirit Dublin and more. Whether it’s the Meteor Awards after-show party, helping launch Magners in Munich, Microsoft’s annual summer bash, a private party or stage show, walkabout or mind reading, Ruairi consistently shocks and amazes each and every one of his audiences.

Ruairi has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us.

Hi Ruairi, firstly could you please tell us how long you have been involved in magic (as a hobby and as a job).

I remember visiting a magic shop in Leeds when I was thirteen and buying a book called “165 Card Tricks and Stunts by Master Magician Jean Hugard” and being completely facinated. The book was not for beginners and I struggled to understand many of the terms and sleights described but I persevered and started to put my first magical routine together (:-).

In college I ran a magic club and at weekends I used to perform magic behind the bar where I worked. That was a great learning experience and I remember performing mindreading effects using the centre tear and getting amazing reactions from the farmers in the bar each friday evening. The workers from the construction company nearby heard about this and came to see me perform each Friday evening and while there would cash their cheques and buy a few extra drinks, so my boss at the time used to serve drinks and I would get paid to perform magic..wow, I thought this was simply amazing.

My first contact with the magic societies came through meeting Dave Young who at the time was working in “Its Magic” in the Stephens Green Shopping centre. He was demming the usual svengali products but when I approached him and showed him some of my coin magic he brought me aside and blew me away with a coin effect where you tapped a penny and it instantly changed to a 5p. Through Dave I made contact with Paul Mahon and the Mystic circle who made me feel so welcome.

Through the years I struggled like so many magicians to find my own performing style especially with the amount of magic available and the tendency to keep looking for that knockout effect which would make me a magician. After a few disasters “trying” to perform a decent manipulation act I stopped trying to copy other magicians, put together a punchy mentalism act, got some work, recorded my act and started the long and continuing process of evaluating and streamlining my act.

So many people have helped me along the way that it would be impossible to name and thank them all. The stalwarts of the Mystics who have been there every month in the North Star for the last 13 years, Tony Thursby who has been more than a mentor but a great friend, Pat Fallon who has unselfishly given his time and knowledge regarding the business of magic and more recently Joe Hoey with his extensive knowledge of mentalism has been invaluable in helping streamline my professional routines.

Is magic your sole source of income?

Yes. I performed magic part time for ten years before turning pro just last year.

What genre of magic (Close up / Stage / Mentalism etc) do you identify yourself with most?

I love Mentalism and have been studying it intensely for the past number of years. I tailor all my effects for the corporate market which means the presentation need to be snappy, the effect easy to understand and it really needs to fool the heck out of the audience. No other magical genre has allowed me to gain the reactions I now get from audiences.

What advice would you give to any aspiring young magician?

If you have an experienced magician that you are friends with then ask them if you can meet them, not at the magic meeting if possible but individually and run through your act. Stick with one mentor and have them record your act and then sit with you and discuss it as you both watch it together. Once you have put the work in and the mechanics of the act are second nature, work on reducing the amount of words you use in your patter and make the act as strong and as punchy as possible. Then get out there and perform; your audience reactions and feedback will tell you straight away if you are entertaining them.

What magicians have inspired your career the most? Why?

The first magician I met was Patsy Murphy who made a balloon animal in Blackrock when I was very young and I never forgot it. Watching Paul Daniels and his amazing magic on TV as a child. Tony Thursby my mentor and friend. David Blaine, not his style but the way he brought Magic back into the public’s conciousness. In later years I have studied and performed with Steve Dacri who taught me so much with regard to entertaining audiences. I’m a book nut and value the works of David Berglas, Max Maven, Chuck Hickok and so many others.

What commercially available effects (books dvds or single effects) do you rate most highly?

Close up wise its hard to beat Nick Einhorn’s version of the haunted deck called “Spooked” which is my strongest closer especially if you are surrounded and have people leaning in all around you to see the cards move on their own on the floor a good metre away from you. The bill switch is very strong but I only use it if people ask me if I can change money for them, I always have a 50 euro ready in a TT and in this situation its a killer. To end I never change it back but have notes ready in my back pocket and give them back whatever they originally gave me then thank them sincerely and just walk off (and really fight the temptation to look back to look at the expression on their face).
Two years ago I qualified as a master practitioner of NLP with Owen Fitzpatrick from www.nlp.ie This past year I have been meeting and training with NLP experts from all over the world and have put together some unique mindreading routines that can be done close up and are all linguistic in nature backed up by some guaranteed method if the suggestions etc are not taken.

How do you think the level of exposure in magic today (youtube, files sharing etc) is affecting magic?

I’m not overly worried about exposure. A few years ago at every show I would be asked about the masked magician and all I said was that it has meant more work for me because magic is more in peoples subconcious not than its ever been, in my lifetime at least.I am never asked about exposure at my shows anymore.
I never repeat an effect and don’t believe in revealing secrets to laypeople. It never helps, I repeat it never helps and always detracts from the performance whether the exposure was deliberate or as a result of a mistake.

I am aware that you are a member of a number of groups (IBM), how highly do you rate involvement in groups like this? Do you find that they have helped your career in any way? Do you take part in any of the online magic communities? Which ones?

I’m a member of IBM Ring 85, the Mystic circle and enjoy visiting the S.I.M. when they have lecturers.

I would personally like to thank Ruairi for taking the time to answer these questions. More information on Ruairi can be found on his website. If you want to see him in action take a look at his performance in Thailand.