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THE MAGIC MAGAZINE FOR MAGICIANS & MENTALISTS
PAUL ZENONNICE AND SLEAZY DOES IT!
HYPNOSISYOU ARE FEELING DROWSY...(MAGICSEEN HAS THAT EFFECT ON READERS!)
S.A.M.P.A DOES THE TRICKREVIEWS20 MAGIC HEADLINES WE’D LIKE TO SEE
ANDY NYMANSTILL KICKING ASS!
Taster Issue
No.19
BOOK TO CD PLAYER- £295.00At first there is an ordinary book inthe magician’s hand. He shows it tothe audience, so the spectators seethat is a regular book. Then heopens the book and tears cuts out a page and draws a CD playeron it. Then he places it in front of the book and then removing it.
Amazingly a CD player now takes the place of the book, which canbe shown on all sides to be solid. You can perform this item withdifferent methods to suit your own style. Size when open is 40 x 27 x 24 cm Weight: 2 Kg
DOVE PAN REVERSE - NEW MODEL- £85.00This is a new version of anold classic. You start byshowing a large metaldish, which is full of emptysweet wrappers. You placethe lid on, and thenremove it and instantly the pan is now full of sweets. You can start offwith a pan full of real sweets, and change them to real fruit or a cake oranything that can fit in the pan. So with this new model, you can changeone item into another, or change the pan of real sweets into doves.
PANDORA - £22.95This is one of the funniest and most startling waysof producing a selected card that I have everseen. In effect a card is selected and returned tothe pack. The card can be marked if so desired. A small box is shown; it is circular with a hingedlid, rather like a ladies powder compact, butsmaller. It is placed on top of the pack andopened. Out pops a jack in the box type of snakewith the chosen card stuck to its nose.
It is as quick and clean as that: There is no fumbling, palming oranything of that kind. The impact comes because the card is biggerthan the box that it is seen to come out of.
RABBIT IN HAT PUPPET- £24.99This is a lovely item, suitable for kidsand adults alike. You start off byholding a black top hat with bothhands. As you look away, a rabbitpops his head out of the hat. As youstart to look back, it pops back in.
A great comedy item that is loved bychildren and adults alike with endlesspossibilities.
It’s Always Magic at...Merlins15 The Springs, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 1QE Tel: 01924 339933 email: [email protected]
www.Merlinswakefield.com
SEE YOU ALL ATBLACKPOOL!
o help answer this questionMagicseen approached twohypnotists who sit firmly on oneside of the divide or the other. On
the medical side we spoke to TrevorHoskisson. Trevor is an international awardwinning hypnotherapist who advises clientssuch as psychotherapists, coaches, doctorsand professors on the use of hypnotherapyand is part of the prestigious Harley StreetHypnotherapy Clinic. Trevor is an expert onthe development of human potential and seeksto help his individual clients achieve personalhappiness, whether that means helping themto lose weight or perhaps providing pain relief,and he finds that hypnosis is particularlyeffective for chronic conditions.
On the entertainment side we were lookingfor someone with a lot of experience and sowe turned to Kev Bee who has beenpresenting a stage hypnotism show for over20 years and who has a background prior tothat in entertainment generally, particularly themusic industry. Since most of our readers are
HYPNOTISMENTERTAINMENTOR SCIENCE?Mark Leveridge
Mention the word‘hypnotism’ and most peoplewill probably first think offamous entertainers such asPaul McKenna and will havean image of a line of peopleon a stage behaving badly!But given a little more timeto consider it, people willprobably recognise thathypnotism is also used inmedical situations to helpsmokers to give up the habitor to reduce pain or banishphobias, for instance. Giventhe two hugely differentapplications of apparentlythe same discipline, it begsthe question as to which isthe real hypnotism, or areboth equally valid?
T
HYPNOTISM
likely to be interested especially in theentertainment side of the divide, I asked Kevfirst whether he considered stage hypnotismto be all about audience management orwhether there was any real science involved?
“If you’re a good entertainer, it’s about 90%audience management skill and 10% science.Anyone can hypnotise, but not everyone canhold an audience’s attention and I think to makehypnosis interesting you need thatshowmanship. It’s a controversial view but theonly people who have ever asked me about thescience of hypnosis are people who understandhypnosis, NLP or psychology. Everyone else justasks about the content of the show, as that’swhat interests them.”
So this immediately tells you that stagehypnosis is all about the fun, theentertainment, and that the main skillsrequired are presentational not scientific. Iwondered therefore whether the trainingrequired would be radically different if youwere using hypnosis for medical purposes? Here’s Trevor’s view:
“The skills to do stage hypnosis can be learnedvery quickly on a two or three day course. Ittakes a little while to build competence, but
generally a stage hypnotist does the sameshow in lots of different locations, and onlyoccasionally makes modifications to his act.
It doesn’t actually take too long to train to be ahypnotherapist – ten days of classroom basedstudies, and 240 hours of home basedstudying are about the minimum requirementsto call yourself a hypnotherapist. However,there is much more to learn and I probably doat least three weeks of CPD every year as wellas reading for half an hour to an hour in mysubject most days of the week. Also, everyclient is different, and has differing needs. Iquite often need to research the best way todeal with a particular issue.”
These comments immediately raise a pointthat I would not have otherwise considered.Trevor is saying that stage hypnotism is an actthat once learned can be used, just like with amagic act, more or less in the same way andformat at lots of different venues. The peoplemay be different, but the process will remainpretty much the same. When used medically,hypnotherapists come across a wide range ofdifferent conditions which may require awider knowledge and so the way thetreatment is administered could well beslightly different every time.
“If you’re a goodentertainer, it’sabout 90%audience
managementskill and 10%science.
Anyone canhypnotise, butnot everyonecan hold anaudience’sattention...”
Kev Bee
HYPNOTISM
Does this mean then that someone like Trevorcouldn’t use his hypnosis training forentertainment purposes?
“I have mixed views about hypnosis beingused for entertainment. If I was to do hypnosisfor entertainment I would be struck off theprofessional bodies I belong to. I do usehypnosis and hypnotic phenomena todemonstrate the power of hypnosis, andwhilst some people might think this isentertainment, it is actually education, andthere is a difference.”
I wondered what differences Kev perceivedbetween the two types of hypnotism. Here’shis take on it:
“Stage Hypnosis is much more rapid and Idon’t think the induction is as extensive.You’re inducting people very quickly,whereas with hypnotherapy, you can spendtime working on the progressive inductionand relaxation and therefore induce a deeperstate. I think stage hypnosis filters out very
quickly though. Watching the reactions ofthe people on stage you can tell the depth ofhypnotic state almost immediately.”
This seems to me to be the key differentiation.The hypnotherapist may need to induce a fardeeper trance in order to effectively achievethe required outcomes, whereas the stagehypnotist has limited time to get things rolling.I asked Kev what the process is for selectinghelpers on stage and he explained how hegoes about it in his show.
1. He walks out into the audience and tries toidentify the curious but slightly reluctantones. He is looking for those he hopes tobe able to set up a rapport with. Anyonewho shows any firm signs of not wantingto be selected he leaves in the audience.
2. Once he has a selection of people up onstage he goes through a series of ‘tests’in order to weed out those who aresimply looking to hijack the show andattempt to make him look foolish.
3. He needs to try and ensure that none ofthe helpers is likely to suffer any sort ofbad reaction to helping on stage. Hedoesn’t mind people being a bit of achallenge, but he doesn’t want to haveanyone up there who is likely to have apanic attack or some other form ofadverse reaction.
One reason why some people are reluctantto come up on stage is that they have a fearthat they will suffer after effects of being partof the show. I wondered whether Kev everhad potential bookers who expressed anyconcern about the hypnosis used and if sohow he reassured them?
“I think you have to be honest. People willalways ask the “is it dangerous” question ortell you about a horror story, but their mainconcerns when booking are aboutnudity/offensiveness. I always answer theirquestions openly and honestly. I point to thefact I am fully insured, that my show is familyorientated and suggest they look on YouTubeas I think YouTube gives a good measure ofwhat kind of show I do.”
Does Trevor think there are any potentialdangers with stage hypnotism looked at froma more medical standpoint?
“The main issue I see with stage hypnosis isthat it makes hypnosis look like mind control,which it’s not. Mind control is just an illusionin a stage show. The way that all hypnosisworks is that it makes whatever you want todo almost effortless. A good stage hypnotistwill demonstrate hypnotic phenomena, likename amnesia, number amnesia, catalepsyand negative and positive hallucinations aswell as sticking people’s hands to tables or
The main issue I see with stagehypnosis is that itmakes hypnosislook like mindcontrol, which it’s not. Mindcontrol is just anillusion in a stageshow.”Trevor Hoskisson
HYPNOTISM
their feet to the floor. This is all good stuff.The good thing about stage shows is that thewhole world, just about, knows that hypnosisis a powerful tool for facilitating change, thebad thing is that they have the misconceptionthat it is mind control.”
Derren Brown’s TV shows certainly appear toshow him using almost instant tranceinducing effects on volunteers, who he thenproceeds to apparently control to do allmanner of outrageous and out of characterthings. He likes to imply that he is using mindcontrol to achieve these aims, and so it is littlewonder that the lay public thinks thathypnotists are looking to create a situation intheir volunteers which enables them tomanipulate them. But both Kev and Trevorstressed that it is not possible to hypnotisesomeone who genuinely does not wish to beplaced in that state. Even if you couldmomentarily hypnotise them, it would notlast very long. And that is why stagehypnotists use the on-stage sifting process inorder to flush out those who simply are notgoing to enjoy getting involved.
So if someone would like to become a stagehypnotist, what advice would Kev like to passon to them? He offers 3 main tips.
Tip 1: Shop around but avoid, at all costs,training for a couple of hundred pounds. Youhave to ask why someone would sell theirtechniques for that much as the market issaturated anyway, so cheap training andDVD courses I would avoid. I would belooking to be trained for a good fewthousand pounds and not someone whotrains all of the time. My trainer told me theonly reason he agreed to train me wasbecause he knew I would bring something
good to the industry. It shows my trainer ispassionate about protecting his own craft butwilling to share with people who he hasconsidered carefully, not just to line hispockets. Look for the same when shoppingaround.
Tip 2: When doing shows, have an idea ofwhat you’re worth. We have rubbishhypnotists cheapening the art by doingshows for less then 100 pounds. I know ofone who was doing it for expenses only!!!!!
Tip 3: Create your hype, but don’t believeit! The industry is flooded with 2nd ratehypnotists at the moment. They offer no realentertainment value, they can talk the talk,but walk the walk very badly. Take time tocreate a look and feel, but don’t just becomeanother pub hypnotist in jeans and t-shirt.However, don’t let your ego run away withyou. None of us are in McKenna’s shoes etc,and it will be a long time until a UK hypnotisthas that kind of run in the country again.
The key messages here for all wannabehypnotists seem to be - get proper training,learn how to be a good on stage entertainer,treat your volunteers with respect and avoidmaking them do unpleasant things that aredesigned purely for a cheap laugh. Andremember, there are no lasting symptomsfrom being involved in a hypnotist’s show, oras Trevor rather aptly puts it, “There areabsolutely no after effects apart fromoccasionally some slight embarrassment.”For more help, advice and guidance you canlook to join FESH (Federation of EthicalStage Hypnotists), because althoughhypnotism is not currently regulated, FESHis the only organisation which is recognisedby local councils etc.
The best book forlearning the tricks of thetrade is Ormond McGill’sEncyclopaedia of StageHypnosis. If you preferlearning from DVD,Trevor recommends IgorLedochowski’s stagehypnotism course whichis available on DVD,while Kev says that whilehe can’t recommend anyone title specifically,dealers such as Alakazamand Magic Box bothstock some good qualitysuitable titles andtherefore herecommends you contacteither/both of them tosee what is currentlyavailable.
RESOURCESWhen doing shows, have an idea of whatyou’re worth. We have rubbish hypnotistscheapening the art by doing shows forless then 100 pounds.”
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See us in
Blackpool
agicseen recently spoke torecord breaker Richie Magicabout a great projectcurrently being undertaken
by the Society of American Magicians ParentAssembly.
Said Richie, “Sometime in the summer of2009 my wife Barbara and I started visitinggravesites of famous magicians to payrespect to those magic legends of the pastwho have made the art of magic what it istoday, the art we all love so dearly. We lovethe "Art of Magic" so very much we evenlegally changed our surnames to Magic.
“Anyway moving along, the following year inthe summer of 2010 we visited WoodlawnCemetery, the gravesite of Alexander and
Adelaide Herrmann, two of the greatest magiclegends of all time. Although the visit was someaningful it was at the same time sad as thegravesite was in bad condition, we felt wecould do something to improve the finalresting place of Alexander Herrmann akaHerrmann the Great and Adelaide Hermannaka The Queen of Magic. After severalmeetings between myself, Barbara andcemetery staff Susan Olsen (cemeteryhistorian) and Tara Della Donne (senior clientservice associate) the cemetery made thedecision with kindness and a little friendlypersuasion to reset the foot stones and repairthem at no cost. I decided to make it a missionto make this happen at other famous magiciangravesites, but I realised if others weren’t asgenerous and kind as the staff at Woodlawncemetery, then this would be very expensive.
In October 2011 Richie attended a boardmeeting as one of the board members of theSociety of American Magicians ParentAssembly #1 (which he is now proud andprivileged to be the President of) and hemade a motion to start a GravesiteRestoration Committee and do magicfundraiser shows to raise money from ticketsales in order to have professionalmonument companies clean, restore, repairand beautify the magicians’ gravesites thatare in need. “The motion was seconded andpassed unanimously, yayyyyy !!!!” continuedRichie, enthusiastically. “I knew it would bedone as a team effort, so I immediately askedmy dear friend and fellow board member Dr.David Adamovich (the Great Throwdini) ifhe would be willing to co-chair thecommittee with me. I knew if he accepted
M
S.A.M.P.A.DOES THE TRICK!
L to R: David Adamovich (AKA The Great Throwdini), Jordan Linker, Tom Klem, Allan Rubinstein, Richie Magic
MAGIC HEADLINES
the job we could really make things happen.He did and he's AMAZING! Next weselected a committee of about 10 membersand things were so on track !!! On 2/2/12we did our first magic fundraiser show andsince then have done many others in magicshops throughout the New York and NewJersey areas. 100% of money raised fromticket sales goes directly to gravesiterestoration and we have been able to clean,repair and professionally restore severalgravesites so far...”
Magicseen would like to congratulate thewhole team for their brilliant concept!
The Gravesite Restoration Committee: Pat Colby, Tom Klem, Dr. Bruce Lish, JordanLinker, Barbara Magic, Sal Perotta, AllanRubinstein, and ‘Dean’ George Schindler.Co-chairs: David Adamovich & Richie Magic.
20MAGICHEADLINESWE’D LIKE TO SEE IN 2013
he old journalistic attitude that you should never let the truthget in the way of a good story has been applied to the list ofheadlines below that we imagine represent a selection of the
least likely things to actually happen this year, but which would causequite a stir if they did! Have a laugh on us...
1. Stephen Tucker takes brand new kids’show on the road.
2. The Magic Circle surprises a few withits plans to relocate to Skegness.
3. Mel Harvey distraught when KateMiddleton refuses photo shootopportunity with him.
4. FISM confirms that the next event willtake place on Mars.
5. David Blaine accuses Dynamo ofstealing his performing personality.
6. Magicseen makes surprise bid for StanAllen’s Magic Magazine.
7. Troublewit is voted best magic effectof the last century.
8. Five Of Hearts introduce Tenyo rangeinto their catalogue.
9. David Copperfield is proud toannounce the acceptance of theentire Mark Leveridge Magic rangeinto his museum.
10. Shock at discovery that The Twins arein fact only one person.
11. Lance Burton signs for long run onSwanage Pier this summer.
12. Solicitors for the Ed Marlo estate claimthe great man invented D’Lite.
13. The Buck twins announce sponsorshipdeal with Waddingtons.
14. Abra Magazine to make shock come back.
15. John Archer inconsolable ondiscovering he has run out of puns.
16. Christian Schenk’s Card Shark in takeover bid from giant green gecko.
17. Practical Magic add the CremationIllusion and Cheating The Gallows totheir offerings for children’sentertainers.
18. Paul Daniels expresses his surprise atnot being included in this headline list.
19. 4Fs Convention to become 3Fs due tocutbacks.
20. Ian Adair announces the publication ofbook number 1,287,493 in his serieson children’s magic.
TPh
oto:
Bra
d W
eber
ANDYNYMANASS KICKER!It’s been almost eight yearssince Andy Nyman featured onthe front cover of Magicseen.Back then he was enjoying lifeas an actor, and was busywriting and directing –primarily with Derren Brown.So what’s changed over thepast few years? Well, hedoesn’t look much different,really. His trademark retro tashis still prominent for a start.However, this is possibly inplace because when weinterview Andy, he’s starring inthe stage play of the 1970’scult TV play Abigail’s Party atthe Wyndhams Theatre inLondon’s West End. It’s a taleof social angst in middle-classsuburbia. A painful, comedictale involving marital-shennanigans, awkward looks,and shagpile carpets. GrahamHey asks the questions.
e meet about an hourbefore Andy has to go tomake-up. Andy arrives in awhirlwind. As always, he’s
been busy, and his day is far from over.Already today he’s had a productionmeeting with a company who are fans of hisand want to work with him, then he walkedhome – calling in at his publishers to pick upcopies of his latest book, then had a familytrip out to a matinee performance of a play, and he’s now spending time withMagicseen before his nightly performanceof Abigail’s Party.
After a three year break, Andy is backwriting with Derren Brown, and directingthe new show ‘Infamous’ which should beopen for business as you read this. “It’s beendifficult trying to find a window when we areboth available, as we both have such busyschedules - as usual we started with a blankpage and tried to fill it with new excitingideas, always a challenge,” says Andy, whoadds that they had around three weeks towrite a brand new show, and three weeks toget it ready to perform. I ask if he’s ever got
time to really look back on what they’veachieved together. “Well, when Derren and Isaid ‘let’s take a break’ because we didn’thave the time – and we looked back at ourten years, I did think: ‘bloody hell! That’s anamazing amount of work we’ve done together in that amount of time.’”
Andy – perhaps the most successful magichobbyist in history - has continued to focuson his ‘career’, which is acting. “The actinghas continued to go from strength-to-strength,” he continues, “but then, I havebeen doing it for 25 years!”
As I mentioned in the introduction, at thetime of the interview, Andy is starring in theWest End in Abigail’s Party. “It’s like adream. It IS a dream!” he saysenthusiastically. “I have to pinch myselfevery day! The difficulty is not learning thelines, but making it appear like the wordshave never been said before, every night.”He must have done a good job, as he hassince been nominated for the ‘What’s onStage Awards’ Best Supporting ActorAward.
W
ANDYNYMAN
ANDY NYMAN
The critics too have given the production thethumbs up, and I ask him about thepressures involved. “The pressure is part ofthe joy of it! The highs and lows go hand inhand – in fact that’s part of the attraction. It’sjust not a mundane existence!” I ask if heever misses great opportunities when hecommits to a theatre run? “Yes, you can misssome great opportunities, but most of thetime, you don’t actually know it! But, I guessthat we all make choices about what we do –as opposed to thinking ‘what if…’” However,it’s also the case that a theatre production inthe West End is a showcase, which Andyexplains. “I’ve just been offered a project,and the people had seen me before – andthey came to see me in Abigail’s Party, soone thing often leads to another.”
As an experienced director himself, Iwonder if Andy ever has to ‘bite his tongue’when he’s being directed by others? “Yes,”he says thoughtfully, “there are times… but Itry to work with really good people. I am abit of a control freak, but on Abigail’s Partythe director is absolutely brilliant, so I’venever, ever thought ‘why are they doingthat?!’ It’s just been brilliant. It’s an ongoingprocess for me – learning to shut up! I do somany things – writing, directing, the magic –that it’s very hard sometimes to kill thosevoices in your head that are telling you toleap in and solve the problem.”
How much does your agent influence theroles or projects that you do? “Well, this is agood example. Abigail’s Party was offered tome and I didn’t want to do it, even though ithad a brilliant director who had offered mecertain things in the past, but had neverworked out as the timing wasn’t right. I hadcertain feelings about the play which werebased on what I could remember from thetelly version. My agent said: ‘You really needto re-think and read it, and I recommend youdo this!’ And he was right, it’s a brilliantthing to do and I’ve loved it. But that’s what Iwant from my agent because that’s why Ipay them - you don’t pay 12% of yourincome just to do the legal stuff. I wantmanaging, I want advice, and I wantsomeone to say ‘You should really do this!’
because sometimes when you’re arguing itthrough, you find out what you reallybelieve.”
One of the best ways to ensure you get thepart you want, is to write the part yourself ( ifyou have the talent, of course ) – and one ofthe major projects of Andy’s recent past is‘Ghost Stories’ – a play he wrote with JeremyDyson. “We wrote and directed it – and Istarred in it for almost two years,” says Andy.“Jeremy is my oldest pal – and he was thebest man at my wedding!” The play ran forover 500 performances at The Duke ofYork’s theatre in the West End and has sincebeen staged successfully overseas inToronto, and is currently running in Moscow.Back in 1998, Andy invited Jeremy to a mockseance in the old underground prison inLondon’s Clerkenwell. The two spoke about
arranging walks around haunted houses, butit was to be another ten years before theidea for Ghost Stories was born. Each beganreading suitable material and watchingunsuitable films. The show originally openedat the Liverpool Playhouse.
“We had no idea whether there’d be anappetite for it,” Jeremy told the Daily Mail atthe time. “But when we heard the firstscream, we knew we were in business.” Itsounds like a PR stunt, but people reallywere scared - even the St. John’sAmbulance brigade had to attend to‘severely frightened members’ of theaudience!
Hard-to-please Daily Mail theatre criticQuentin Lett’s verdict was: ‘My heart wasdrumming away like Ringo Starr. This pant-
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“It’s an ongoing process for me – learning toshut up! I do so many things – writing,directing, the magic – that it’s very hardsometimes to kill those voices in your headthat are telling you to leap in and solve theproblem.”
A scene from Abigail’s Party.
ANDY NYMAN
wetter of a night is a must for masochists.Anyone with a dicky heart should avoid it!’
Though working in the theatre is a uniqueenvironment, Andy says that it is on a filmset where he feels really at home. “It’s anunbelievably amazing and exciting place tobe”. Since the original interview Andy hasfinished work on a couple of high profileprojects – one being cast in the much-anticipated ‘Kick Ass 2’. Says Andy, “I playone of the new baddies ‘The Tumor’. I filmedin Toronto and at Pinewood Studios, it wasamazing to work on something of that scale.Also working with Jim Carrey for a day was a‘pinch yourself’ moment!” Andy’s otherrecent project is a BBC period drama called‘Peaky Blinders’. “It’s a true story set in 1919about a group of Gypsy gangsters who stealguns from the government. I play WinstonChurchill who brought the police force in to
try and break the gang. It’s quite an honourto play that role.”
We chat about books, and I mention that hislast ‘magic’ book ‘Bulletproof’ was so goodthat it sits on the shelf in the Magicseenoffice, still wrapped in its protective bubble-wrap – like some sort of priceless religiousartifact! “Todd did a great job on that book! Iwant everything I do to be as good aspossible,” says Andy who is frequentlysaying hello to people who enter the busyrestaurant, just a stone’s throw from thetheatre. “I don’t know if I’ll ever do anotherbook – so I thought ‘this has to be unique’and as wonderful as it cold possibly be – astandard that makes me proud.” Bulletproofis the last magic book Andy produced, buthis latest offering has proved to be a massivesuccess both in the UK and USA. ‘TheGolden Rules of Acting (that nobody ever
Andy as Winston Churchill.
ANDY NYMAN
tells you)’ has proved to be the publisher’s(NHB) biggest selling title ever. Says Andy,“It has been a big hit not only with actors,but all types of performers and freelancers.”The book contains wisdom, advice, quotesand much more. “It’s about life, really,” headds.
With movies, writing and directing all takinghis time, I ask if he’ll ever find enough timeto work on any new magic releases? “Well. Ireleased ‘Insane’ with Theory11, and nowI’m working on another effect. I just need toknuckle down and get on with it. I love tocreate something new – it’s very exciting tohave an idea and then see it become areality. I need to make a prototype for myidea, and then I’ll go to one of the dealers Ilike. I generally work with Alakazam, whoare always great, but I worked withTheory11 last time, as I also like to work withdifferent people. I love their website, and it’salways interesting to see how people goabout things differently. I might at somepoint bring out a DVD which features someof the material from Bulletproof so that awider audience can get to see it.” I ask himhow long it is since he actually performedmagic? “Hmm, it has to be 7…8… no, er…9.No – it’s probably 10 years! I still have my‘kids party’, my flea circus – all the stuff Ilove… my mentalism. It’s all there, ready togo. I love it!”
“I love to createsomething new – it’svery exciting to havean idea and then seeit become a reality.”
Andy with Sam Neill on the set of Peaky Blinders.
Sunday 12th May 2013Winter Gardens & Playhouse Theatre Weston-Super-Mare
The largest one day convention in the UK
Starring Joshua Jay (USA) Eric Roumestan (France) Vittorio Belloni (Italy)
Gala show Close-up shows Lectures also featuring
Eric Roumestan, Max Somerset, Arthur Benjamin, Celtic Storm, Jimmy Carlo, Colin McLoud, Oliver Tabor, Scott Wells and The Bellini Girls
massive dealers exhibition
Registration forms downloadable from www.bristoldayofmagic.co.uk or Andy Mac (0117 942 2449) 8 Nottingham Road Bishopston Bristol BS7 9DH
BRISTOL DAY OF53rd
Bristol Society of Magic is proud to present the
Soma (Hungary)
lybrary.com TTHHEE LLEEAADDEERR IINN MMAAGGIICC DDOOWWNNLLOOAADD
The Complete ORACLE By Larry White and David Goodsell. Mental, Bizarre
and Storytelling magic at its best. $35 PDF
The Magic of Matt Schulien By Phil Willmarth. Restaurant magic the way it should
be done. $35 PDF
REVIEWS
★ - poor. �★★ - OK, but could be better.��★★★ - reasonable middle of the road value. ����★★★★ - good product. ��★★★★★ - outstanding/exceptional.
DVSMark CalabreseAvailable from:www.funinc.comPrice: $24.99 (approx.£15.00)DVS (DeViouS - geddit?) is aDVD which features the strongcard magic of Mark Calabrese.To read a description of some ofthe effects offered on the DVDyou might wonder how truthfulthey are...here are someexamples.
“Locate a freely chosen cardfrom a borrowed , shuffleddeck...blindfolded”
“Predict what card a spectatorwill choose from a borrowed,shuffled deck...openly.”
“Cause someone to stopdealing, at their card...from aborrowed, shuffled deck.”
Too good to be true? No, theseare exactly what you can dousing a variation of an old yettried and tested principle whichMark has updated and refinedfor modern day use.
Everything is basically madepossible by the use of a ‘specialsomething’ which Mark hasdesigned and which is suppliedalong with the DVD. This is nota special gimmicked card butsomething else which is why itcan be used with any borroweddeck. The effects that this‘special something’ makepossible are very strong, andwith a lot of the magic themagician hardly appears tohandle the cards at all, which
makes it all seem almostimpossible.
The 6 effects performed andexplained on the DVD allowyou to - openly riffle through adeck for a peeked cardselection, hand the deckimmediately for shuffling andthen instantly take back thedeck and deal down to theselected card. Or to split thedeck into three piles, get aspectator to look at any cardwhile the performer looks awayand to shuffle that pile and evenchange the order of the piles onthe table, yet the magician notonly knows which pile the cardis in but can tell how manycards from the top the selectionis positioned. Or yet again havea spectator name any card atrandom, then take the deckbelow the table and reverse onecard in it sight unseen, and thatreversed card turns out to bethe one he just named. Strongstuff.
This idea is practical for themost part, and experiencedcard workers will I’m sure takethe principle and find otheramazing things to do with it.The methods used in thevarious routines arestraightforward, although a littlespectator management isrequired to make sureeverything turns out properly.Certainly I can envisage somecommercial performingsituations where you mighthave to take extra care, but anyconfident performer should beable to work this almostanywhere. ML
What’s Hot: loads of potentialfor the principle, allows forsome unfathomable magicWhat’s Not:might want to beselective about where andwhen you give some of theeffects a try★★★★
THE EVOLUTIONDECKBob SolariAvailable from:www.bobsolarimagic.comPrice $24.95 (approx. £15.00)A red backed deck is removedfrom a blue case and riffled to
opposite sequence – thelargely regular red deck istransformed into the highlygaffed subset of blue. Anexperienced user couldreverse and re-sequencethings, but that would not bea good use of time. CP
What’s Hot: The cards arewell engineered. Plot hassome logic.What’s Not:Method andeffect weaker than theNudist Deck.★
principle to the corners and omitthe rough and smooth then youare close to the method usedhere. Riffling from the corner istrickier than from the short edgeand the lack of roughing detractsfrom a clean handling.
Arguably a strength of thisversion could be that two thirdsof the pack are normal redbacked playing cards and sowith a little routining you couldfollow on with a small packettrick while the rest of the pack isswitched. Inexplicably the trickis presented in the completely
confirm it is indeed red backed,also that it has been misprintedwith blank faces. It is thenshaken and riffled to show thefaces are now printed and amoment later that the backs arenow blue.If a spectator is familiar with aSvengali deck they are unlikelyto be impressed with this trick,particularly as the pack cannotbe examined.
40 years ago I owned a Nudistdeck which combined roughand smooth and the Trilby deckprinciples. If you move the Trilby
EASTERNMOVESRadek MakarAvailable from:www.lybrary.comPrice: S25.00(approx.£15.00)Radek Makar is a close upperformer who lives inAberdeen and who is creatingquite a reputation for himselfdue to the quality of his coinwork. This E-Book collectstogether a selection of his coinmoves and routines and it isperfect material for anyonewho is into sleight of handmoney magic.
The E-Book runs to just over40 pages and has a lot of clearblack and white photos tohelp with the explanations.This is a good thing becausealthough Radek does areasonable job of trying toexplain in print the subtletiesof his handlings, the task is noteasy and without the photos alot of the finer points would bemissed.
The opening sentence inRadek's Foreword prettymuch sums up what you can
This E-Book is a wonderfulcollection of material for thosewho have the skills to performthe necessary techniques, andas such I would suggest is arelatively niche publication. Ifthe thought of edge grippingcoins, and doing multiplepalms is worrying, leave thisalone. If not, you might findmuch to enjoy and play withhere. ML
What's Hot: beautiful visualcoin magic when in the righthandsWhat's Not: technicallydifficult to master★★★★
expect from this E-Book. Hesays, "Coins are a difficultmaterial to work on" and thetechniques that he explains arenot easy. However, the routinesthat they make possible arevisually stunning and createeffects that are breathtakingmagical, so I would say that theyare definitely worth the effort.
Radek starts with describing halfa dozen moves which you aregoing to need to perform hisroutines. You really need to getto grips with these if you don'tknow them already if you aspireto performing his magic. One ofthese moves (the Roll and SlideVanish) you will find in theMasterclass in this issue, and thiswas probably the simplest of histechniques. However, these arenot the only moves you willneed, so be aware that if you area novice at this, you are going tohave a hugely steep learningcurve, especially since not everymove is described in detail in thebody of the text.
The routines are multi-phasedand complex to execute. Theyare also usually very angly. Forthis reason, most of the effectscan only be used when you havetight control over the viewingangles of your audience,something which commercialperformers do not usually havethe luxury of. The plots are theperhaps expected variations ofappearances, disappearances,transpositions and penetrations,along with Radek's take onclassic plots such as Spellboundand Coins Across.
SALT & SILVERGiovanni LiveraAvailable from your local dealerPrice: £39.99Let me first start by saying that Ihadn’t really seen or heard muchof Giovanni Livera until I poppedthis DVD into the computer. But,after watching just a couple ofminutes of the DVD, I could tellthat he is a fantastic magician.
The effect is quite simple. Coins,appear, disappear and reappearunder and on top of a simple saltshaker. When I first watched theDVD I was reminded of the firsttime I saw Michael Ammar’sCups and Balls routine. Being
fooled by the appearance of oneof the balls back on top of one ofthe cups. Misdirection at its best.
The DVD kicks off with variousperformances of the routine indifferent settings. There’s onstage at the Magic Castle, in arestaurant setting and one justfor the camera.
All that’s needed to perform thisare three coins, a salt shaker(supplied), a small napkin andsomething to use as a wand.Giovanni uses a butter knife.
Everything you need to know toperform the routine is explainedin great detail and as Giovanni isleft handed there is also an optionto flip the screen so it’s easier forright handed people to follow.This is not a routine that you willbe performing straight away, butwith enough practice you willhave something quite special inyour arsenal.
My only negative really is that theshaker supplied is probably notthe kind you would find in mostUK restaurants. However, youcould perform the routine withanother shaker if it was suitable.
If you are looking for a masterclassin timing and misdirection, thenSalt & Silver is for you. Highlyrecommended. PS
What's Hot:Magical timingand misdirection at its best.What's Not: Style of shakermight not be suitable in the UK(?)★★★★
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With countless TV appearances, successful
tours, books and satisfied corporate clients all
over the world, Paul Zenon has nothing to prove.
He prefers not to watch much magic, refuses to
do lectures and doesn’t perform at magic
conventions. "I went to the recent Blackpool
convention but stayed mainly in the bar. I didn’t
see any of the shows because I’m not interested
in anything that involves silk flowers."
Graham Hey sets off to meet him.
40 magicseen Issue No.2 May 2005 www.magicseen.co.uk
Today I am in Brighton, on the South coast ofEngland to interview the wide-boy of Britishmagic Paul Zenon. It’s 10.45 on a lovelySaturday morning, and by the time I get to‘More’, a trendy café & restaurant on Trafalgarstreet in the hippest part of town, I’ve alreadybought three things I didn’t realise I needed. Ican’t wait to get home and un-pack my retrotin robot, my 3D glow-in-the-dark picture ofJesus and my 11/2" inch ornamental plasticpygmy. That’s the sort of place Brighton is -and I think I like it!
The owner of ‘More’ informs me that PaulZenon is a regular and is a "very nice fella." Andas he leans forward to hand me a superbmocha, he also whispers, "Is he any good?"
When Paul arrives, he is still shaking offthe effects of a late night at ‘The Fool &Bladder’, Paul’s very own exclusive clubsituated in his converted garage at the baseof his four-story townhouse.
"Not long ago, I went to a nightclub butthey refused to let me in – because I was tooold!" says Paul, "So I decided to open myown. About once a week I invite my matesround after last orders at the pub." Paulobviously likes a drink or two, and socialisesregularly with several comedian friends. "Onthe road where I live, there are fourcomedians and the guy who plays ‘TinkieWinkie’ in the Teletubbies. It’s a sitcomwaiting to happen!"
Paul’s house has a garage at the base,which is now his private bar, plus three otherlevels. His bedroom is painted black & redwhich he describes as, "like a Victorianknocking shop." He has always had a
fascination with all things carnival, andparticularly likes "pickled objects" ( I presumehe’s not talking about his friends!). The bar hasno mirrors, no clocks and no windows – just likethe casinos in Vegas, and he owns a stuffedstoat, dressed as a waiter. The man’s class!
According to Paul and local gossip, thebest night out to be had in Brighton, is in hisown garage. "Normally, the night involves gunsor animal traps at some stage" he saysmatter-of-factly. The scary thing is, I knowhe’s not kidding. It is just one of a catalogueof happenings and misdemeanours thatregularly take place in the Zenon household.It’s magic, but not as we know it! " I recentlyhad a nasty incident with Sambuka" hecontinues enthusiastically, "It took ages for itto light, all the glasses got really hot andeveryone got burnt. All you could hear wassynchronised shouting and screaming!"
With countless TV appearances andmagic specials under his belt, Paul Zenon isfirmly established at the forefront of Britishmagic, but even though he’s made around 20television appearances in the past year alone,people still think that if he’s not on the boxevery night, he’s not busy. TV viewing figuresare on the wane these days, not just becausepeople are watching less television, butbecause the figures are diluted by the ever-increasing number of channels. Oninspection, the last twelve months haveprobably been the busiest of his career. "90%of my work is actually corporate and I’veracked up around 60 flights over the last yearworking everywhere from Dubai to Hong Kong.It’s amazing, sometimes I find myself sitting inBusiness Class on my way to some exoticdestination where I'ill be staying in a luxuryfive star hotel. I’ll be paid a large amount ofmoney for doing half an hour, and they'llactually say ‘thankyou’! It feels a bit like beinga hired assassin sometimes!" For Paul, magicis a means-to-an-end. It provides him with agood quality of life, enables him to travelwidely and most importantly, "It means that Idon’t have to get up before lunchtime."
TV has given him a high profile in the UKand other English-speaking countries, butfame doesn’t necessarily mean ‘money’, ashe has found when working for several TVproduction companies. Says Paul: "Over thepast fifteen years, I’ve made the most moneywhen I wasn’t actually on TV. I would say thatperformers are not generally well paid withinTV these days. The production companiesmake money, but performers are so eager forexposure that companies know they don’thave to offer fantastic deals to get them."
With constant demands on budgets,production standards are acknowledged tohave suffered within the television industry
The Fool and Bladder.
41magicseen Issue No.2 May 2005
and Paul admits that he has lost some of hisformer enthusiasm. "I’d say that over the pastfive years or so, I’ve definitely become a bitjaded with TV. It's a shame because I found ittruly inspirational as a kid but sadly, once yourealise what is actually happening behind thescenes, you realise why there's so muchmindless crap on screen. I’ve had manyprojects scuppered because of internalpolitics and ineptitude and lost count of thenumber of ideas that have been nicked. It allgets a bit wearing after a while and yourealise that there's better ways to spend yourtime and energy. It's a pity that the public stilllook at TV as a barometer of a performerstalent - in many people's eyes, if you're not onTV then you can't be very good at what youdo."
Mixing both socially and on the ‘circuit’with his comedian friends, it seems a logicalstep for him to move into more comedy-based projects, and he is currently recordingwhat is known as a ‘broadcastable pilot’ forone of the terrestrial channels. This project ismainly comedy and even though he has highhopes for the series, "Until it’s actually on," hesays, "you don't hold your breath!" But thereare more pressing matters than the state andhonesty of the television industry; Paul isabout to fly out to Australia for just over amonth where he will be appearing nightly atthe Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
"I’m in a bit of a dilemma about whichmaterial to use because of new reduced airlineweight allowances." He says, sinking back in tohis leather sofa. "The whole airport situation,security checks in particular make meincreasingly frustrated – I suppose it’s middle-age intolerance; I expected to mellow a bit as Igot older but it's been exactly the opposite."
At least his frustrations have been theinspiration for new material recently, and hehas become addicted to stealing the trays youdeposit your keys and pocket items in beforethey are scanned. "I spend a lot of time inairports, and I find the lack of logic in thesecurity checks annoying. You can take adisposable razor in your hand baggage but nota pair of nail clippers - I'd actually volunteer tobe on the flight that someone tried to hijackusing a pair of nail clippers! And on someflights you're given a metal fork with your mealbut a plastic knife; it's the word 'knife' ratherthan the actual comparitive danger of theobjects that they're addressing. The only wayyou can make any sort of point is by dickingthem around a little!"
Paul has been out to Australia oncebefore, around five years ago and a few of theTV specials have been aired there. I put it tohim that when he arrives in Australia it will bejust like when Abba arrived on their famous
tour, with thousands of screaming fans allchanting his name at the airport. "Yeah, Iimagine it will be just like that!" he says. "I’ll bewearing the white flared jumpsuit just in case!"
His Melbourne stint gives him a lot oftime off, as he is only on stage at 9.45pmeach night to perform a one hour show. "Theshow will be a sort of ‘greatest hits’ show, as
‘I went to the recent Blackpool convention but
stayed mainly in the bar. I didn’t see any of the
shows because I’m not interested in anything
that involves silk flowers.’
Brighton. Cracking!
42 magicseen Issue No.2 May 2005 www.magicseen.co.uk
the audience, if they've seen me at all, willprobably only have seen me doing my streetmagic stuff. It's a good chance to work insome new stuff too though, and because I’mdoing pretty much the same show every night,in the same venue, there's minimal setting-uprequired which leaves even more time forsocialising and having a few drinks."
In Melbourne, his act will feature more‘conman’ type routines with watches,jewellery, cash and other everyday objects.Just over four weeks in one venue is idealfor the man who has no plans to tour againin the near future. "With touring, it's a lot ofeffort for what you get out of it. Obviously it'snot just about the money but I can earn fivetimes more playing a half-hour corporate gigin a five star hotel, - or I can play a tattytheatre in Rhyll! If you’re touring you need aroad manager, a load of equipment and
transportation for it and you spend all daydoing sound and light checks. Doing that fortwo months at a time doesn’t really appeal."
For Paul, the corporate route presentsless pressure as the audience haven't comespecifically to see him and so have no realexpectations. Real pressure, he says, "Is in atheatre where people are paying to seesomeone they already know and like."
As another coffee arrives, Paul says thatlong term he is considering doing a live tourof sorts, but that it will be comedy-based.He is writing a show with his friend GuyVenables, whose claim-to-fame is that heonce went skinny-dipping in the BrightonSea Life Centre as a publicity stunt causinga shark to have a heart attack! As I takeanother sip of my drink, I realise that theyare pretty well matched.
‘because I’m doing the same act every night,there is basically no setting-up required
which will leave even more time for socialising and having a drink!’
‘If you startdoing otherpeople’s gagson that circuit,you soon getflattened!’
43
HIS EARLY DAYSWhen I started out, I worked in a magicshop in Blackpool from when I was about 10years old until I was 18, in the schoolholidays, and I was doing odd shows inhotels and guest houses. When I was 19 Iwent off and became a street performer,doing six months around the Greek Islands.When I came back from that I got a summerseason in Jersey in the Channel Islands.That was weird, because I was basicallydoing shows for pensioners. We used to callit ‘Club 80 to Dead'! It was an interestingperiod because I’d do summer seasons andthen come back and do the Comedy Store inLondon, so it couldn’t really have been morevaried. I also did a lot of military gigs whichtended to be quite hardcore. My work hasalways tended to be a mix of what used tobe called ‘alternative’ and the old-schoolstyle. I've always tried to adapt to the workavailable at any one time - some performerscreate a unique style and let the audiencecome to them – people such as Harry Hill orEddie Izzard - but I’ve almost gone theopposite route and seen what themarketplace is and then adapted to it. Themainstream summer seasons were not mybag, as the audiences tended to be olderand very traditional but on the other side ofthings, the Comedy Clubs didn't and stilldon’t pay very well, plus the audiences canbe quite aggressive; I remember JasperCarrot saying to me ten years ago thatsomeone had said to him when he wasyoung that comedy was a young man'sgame. He said that at thetime he had disagreedbut that he had cometo realise that it wastrue, and I agree. Ifyou’ve been on stageat the Comedy Store at2.30 in the morning, yourealise that it’s only something you want todo a limited number of times, really. Justbecause you can go thirteen rounds withMike Tyson, it doesn't mean that you want todo it every night!
COMEDY CLUBSThe British Comedy Club circuit is veryhealthy, with probably 60 or 70 clubs goingin London alone. Considering that the circuitgot established in the late 70s, the fact that
it’s still stayed fresh and the comedians aredoing their own original material is reallyhealthy. If you start doing other people’sgags on that circuit, you soon get flattened!I’ve spoken to a few ageing magicians, andthey’ve got no respect for that scenebecause they think the material is all aboutswearing and politics. They even seem tothink it's a crime that the perormers wearjeans or T-shirts on stage! From my point ofview, I’ve got a lot more respect for thosecomedians because they're doing their ownoriginal material ratherthan trotting out thesame old stock intrade lines - "Holdyour hand out...nothe clean one", etcetera. And thematerial is not alwaysblue, far from it. Harry Hill is a perfectexample of that – he never swears and hisaudience ranges from grannies to youngkids; the style is rooted in music hall and yetit's fresh and original. A lot of people wholike to knock the Comedy Clubs have,perhaps predictably, never even been to one.
MY LAST GOOD NIGHT OUTA friend did a Clash Tribute night at my localpub, The Prince Albert
MY LAST MEMORABLE GIG!It was a couple ofweeks ago at TheHexagon inReading, it was afundraiser organisedby comedy jugglerSteve Rawlins. He’sa mate of mine and he does this once-a-yearcomedy night. The line-up was fantastic;there was Al Murray, Adam Bloom, SimonEvans, Bill Bailey, Tim Vine, Milton Jones,Eddie Izzard, myself and a couple of others. It was one of those gigs where none of usargued about where we were on the bill,because everyone was scared stiff aboutfollowing anybody else because it was such abrilliant line up. I’d go as far as to say it wasone of the strongest line ups on any comedystage ever, and it was a storming night.Contrast that with the average Royal Varietyshow, and there’s no comparison!
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEENU.S. AND UK MAGICIANSI think that the U.S.magicians are definitelymore career-minded,and very disciplined. Iwas at the MontrealFestival, and all the Britswere standing aroundgetting drunk, while the guysfrom the U.S. were chasing agents andmaking contacts.
HIS EARLY TV CAREERBetween 1990 and 1993 I didtwo series of ‘Tricky Business’,which was a comedy-dramaset in a magic shop, withDavid Wood. The secondseries on BBC1 was withBernie Clifton. There werefour actors, plus me. Thegreat thing was that we shotall the scenes with adults first,then the kids only came in atthe end, so I hardly had to doanything with them!
I also did a series called ‘Tricks andTracks’ with Sally Grey. This was a series withrobots and magic! I also did regular guestspots on ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ a children’sshow on ITV every Saturday morning.
BIG STUNTSMy idea of a big stunt is the ultimate lock in!
THE COOLEST THINGS I OWN1. A jar of pickled snakes.2. A stuffed stoat, dressed as a
waiter (This is probably theonly thing I have in commonwith Derren Brown!)
3. A little porcelain figure ofChan & Eng, the famousSiamese twins.
4. A collection of Giants’ rings. Infairgrounds, they used to haveGiants, and they would sell their finger rings.
5. A bottle of rice wine full of lizards.6. A stuffed mythical Jackalope head.
(Don’t ask!)
ZENON ON...
magicseen Issue No.2 May 2005
How do you think you are viewed in theUK magic world?You could probably answer that better thanme! It’s an interesting one actually, because Idon’t do magic conventions, most people onlyknow me from what they’ve seen on TV andthat sort of stuff is very different to the sort ofthing I do live. You get that inevitablecomparison with David Blaine because peoplehave mainly seen me doing street magic, butthe live act is a lot more stand-up based.What I tried to do with the TV stuff is to moveit away from the Blaine thing style-wise bybringing it down to earth and adding somegrounded British-style humour. So, because Ido shows for the public rather thanmagicians, I don't think that I'm viewed aspart of the 'scene'.
Do you think there needs to be more sex in magic?Absolutely. That’s why I got into it in the firstplace! For whatever reasons, there aren'tmany female magicians, which is a bit sad,and so because it’s male-dominated, youtend to get that geeky aspect associated withit. Over the last few years magic has gotslightly 'cooler', but I still wouldn’t describe itas sexy. Magic has been dragged kicking andscreaming into the 1980s – but not quite into2005! I do think that there a lot moreyounger people working professionally inmagic now as a result of the 'street magic'genre, but unfortunately I think that a lot ofthem are still concentrating on techniquerather than presentation, a hell of a lot ofmagicians seem to want to impressthemselves and their peers rather than thepunters! And, if you were to ask a cartoonistto draw a magician, you’d still get a guy witha bow tie and a top hat pulling a rabbit out ofa hat at a kids party, so I don’t think thatpeople’s preconceptions about magicianshave changed that much. So to answer yourquestion; I think there should be more sexinvolved, definitely. And with me specifically! I once did an interview with The Sunnewspaper, and the journalist Gary Bushellsaid, "Do you ever get magic groupies?" I said, "I wish!" I should have known better -you know how the tabloids twist things - thiscame out as the headline: 'I’m only on TV sothat I can sleep around'!"
I suppose the good thing about myimage, if I have a specific one, is that if atabloid journalist saw me coming out of anightclub drunk with two blondes on my arm,they wouldn't bat an eyelid, whereas if I was afamily man with three kids it could be aproblem. It’s quite good to have a reputation where you’re almost expected tobe a bit naughty.
magicseen Issue No.2 May 2005 www.magicseen.co.uk44
ZENONPAUL
MAGICSEEN EXCLUSIVE
‘...when you’re a kid, the best thing inthe world is probably to be famous. But once I’ve tasted it a little bit, I don’tactually like it that much.’
45magicseen Issue No.2 May 2005
chunky book. It’s a hardback and, although itis aimed at the public, it’s quite an advancedcourse. It starts off with self-working tricksand then works its way up to tricks that I canjust about do!
Did you have to get a stand-in to do thedifficult ones? (ha ha!)Almost! I’ll tell you what I was worried about.The convention is to write for right-handedmagicians, but I’m left-handed, so I playedwith the idea of writing it that way, but thepublishers weren’t keen on that, so I endedup writing it for right-handers anyway whichwas a pain in the arse - just transposingeverything from left to right - but doing thephotos was a nightmare. Initially I thoughtabout just flipping all the shots, but of courseyou can’t do that with playing cards becauseall the numbers end up the wrong way round.So I ended up having to do 350 photographsof right-handed moves which was so weird. Itwas like learning from scratch again.
When is it due out?August or September. It’s quite exciting tofinally get a heavy duty hardback book out.
Do you do any mentalism?Very occasionally. It’s very difficult because it’snot really my style. It’s strange beingcompared to David Blaine and evensometimes with Derren Brown in that sense -I can’t think of three people further apart interms of style. I can’t carry off that kind of‘mystic guru’ persona at all. I do odd mindreading-type things, but it’s more comedy-based - I do a version of 'Confabulation', butit’s based around the fact that I get a womanup from the audience and quiz her about herearly love life. I like the fact that it’s played forlaughs. I’d much rather do that than havepeople walk away thinking I’m some kind ofsecond coming, which seems to be whatsome performers seem to aim at. As I said, Ido a lot of corporate work, and often standingin the bar afterwards, people will refer to meas ‘the comedian’ rather than ‘the magician’,and I take that as a compliment.
Credits:Mocha by‘More’, paidfor by PaulZenon. NiceFella.
Your TV specials featured a lot of scenesin either pubs, nightclubs or with peoplecoming out of pubs or nightclubs. Is theresomething you’re trying to tell us?Originally we pitched the first 'street' showaround three years before it was made; waybefore David Blaine's 'Street Magic'. As isusual with TV, the commissioners didn’t havemuch foresight so what they did was wait untilthe Blaine show appeared and then said, "Oh,is this the sort of thing you were talkingabout?" Rather than end up looking like wewere making a copy, at that point I said I onlywant to do it if I could make it more Britishand more my own. Initially they were talkingabout recording it in London wine bars andhaving celebrity guests but I was very muchagainst that - I wanted to go to places likeGlasgow, Blackpool and Dublin where I knewthat it would be more ‘down and dirty'! I alsoknew that British people tend to react better ifthere's alcohol involved. Also, the furthernorth of Watford you go, the more openpeople tend to be in terms of reactions.
We actually shot some trial material inSoho [London] and it was funny becauseyou’d do a trick and say, "was that your card?"and they’d say: "Yes...hmm, that was quiteclever I suppose, what’s this for? Channel4?Ah yes, I used to work on 4." Everybodyseemed to work in the media, where it’s notdeemed cool to actually be impressed orreact to anything. I did some stuff for an awfulseries with Denise Van Outen, called‘Something for the Weekend’ and they initiallywanted to record in London but still have a‘hen night’ feel to it. I said ‘if you want a hen-night feel, you’ve got to go to Blackpool!’ Wegot a load of people in off the street at aboutfive in the afternoon and gave them a free barfor three hours. In the first hour they didn’treact to anything, then there was a half hourwindow which was fantastic after they’dloosened up a bit, and then there were threehuge punch-ups in the last hour and a half!It's a tried and tested formula: Blackpool +free bar = violence!
Do you have a profile in the US – and Idon’t mean with the police!My profile in the US is minimal. The work I’vedone there has been either for Britishcompanies, or multinationals with apercentage of ex-pats. 90% of my work isdoing corporate shows, which can beanywhere in the world. The only TV I’ve donethat I know of in the States was on ComedyCentral. I quite like going over there thoughbecause people don’t have anypreconceptions about you, so you can messaround with your character. Over here Isuppose I’m known, I think, as a bit of a jack-
the-lad type character or benificent conman!In America, even with a northern, workingclass accent I can get away with playing atypically English James Bond or David Niven type – they don’t realise that I sound common!
I like going to the States because I’mtotally invisible there and so you don't feel atall self-concious. Here, it’s quite nice becauseI get recognised quite a bit, but not enoughthat it’s intrusive. It’s the perfect level butquite hard to sustain.
Do you like the fame aspect of being awell-known magician?The thing is, I don’t actually get-off on beingrecognised. I think that when you’re a kid, youimagine that the best thing in the world wouldbe to be famous. But once I’d had a littletaste of it, I realised that I didn't actually like itthat much. It can be quite intrusive, withmore cons than pros. I’m actually quite aprivate person – I like going to my local puband sitting there on my own in a corner beingmiserably invisible!
When I was a kid my dad often used torecount how, when he was a teenagerworking at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool,he met Jimmy Jewel [ famous comedian &actor]. He asked my dad if he’d take hisgrandson on the Big Dipper for him. So mydad escorted him round, Jimmy Jewel said'thank you' and gave my dad a half-a-crowntip. Not the most exciting anecdote in theworld, but when I started getting recognised, I realised that it was worth being half nice topeople because they're likely to remember itfor a long time. And they’ll remember you for alot longer if you’re a tosser! I think thatpeople do want to think that someone who’son TV is an a@#?hole – I think we all do that. I therefore make a point of trying to be theother way - if you’re nice to someone, they’lltell half a dozen people, but if you’re not,they’ll tell twenty!
You’ve been working on a new book,haven’t you? I’ve just literally finished the new one thisweek. It’s called ‘Paul Zenon's Street Magic’.It’s a ‘teach-yourself magic’ producedhopefully, in a slightly hipper style to thenorm, a bit cooler-looking than the averagemagic book. There are some great magicbooks out there; 'The Royal Road To CardMagic' and so on, but it terms of theillustration and the actual style of it, they lookpretty dated so we've put a lot of effort intothe photos in this one; there are about 350of them which we spent a lot of time doing -we took about 2,000 shots over three days.There are 70,000 words too, so it's quite a
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