On Wednesday I met up with a few good friends from the world of magic in London. We were in a bar filming sequences for a forthcoming magic instructional DVD starring the excellent magician Ravi Mayar. The weather was perfect, but it's still a lot of hard work to capture the proper magical feel of a routine in an impromptu environment. The whole point of magic is to get that sudden "wow" moment, and it doesn't really work if you have to go for more than one take! Luckily Ravi was on top form and when this DVD is released later in 2010 it will be an essential purchase for all magicians who want to learn some stunning new routines.
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On Saturday I brought some magic to the wedding of Jon and Shuna at Windsor racecourse. The weather was lovely and the day went really well. Jon is a great photographer and has provided some of the pictures on this website, but for his big day he had been banned from taking any photos - and quite right too! However as you would expect at a wedding everyone else was taking plenty of snaps to capture the whole event. Jon has just started to dabble in 3D photography, so in a few weeks we hope to meet up and mix a bit of magic and a bit of 3D, which should be very interesting. But for now he and Shuna can just concentrate on the joys of newly married life - congratulations!
When you mention James Brown most people think of the funky "Godfather of Soul". But magicians think of a different, but equally talented, James Brown. Voted the Magic Circle's "Close-Up Magician of the Year" in 2006 this JB brands himself as the "Professional Opportunist" and is probably the best working magician in the UK. So when I heard that he was lecturing in Farnborough last night I just had to go along and pick up some tips. James discussed the philosophy and psychology of magic, told us some anecdotes about Derren Brown (who he has worked with recently) and demonstrated a number of amazing magical routines. Including a demonstration of how to make a goldfish bowl, full of water and goldfish, appear out of thin air! James is a really great guy and was happy to share his knowledge and enthusiasm - a truely inspirational lecture. Even afterwards he hung around chatting for another hour and showed us some more incredible card magic. I'm looking forward to adding some of these new ideas and techniques into my future performances - so must go and buy some goldfish!
I spent today at a splendid wedding fair (or is it "fayre"?) in Wokingham, organised by Zoe at Prestige Wedding Fairs. It was a first-class event with plenty of interesting stands. I was particularly pleased to see a friendly local hypnotherapy practice there - helping to calm wedding nerves before the big day via hypnosis!
As the day went on I got to chat to lots of couples planning their big day and, via a number of magical demonstrations, show them why a magician is the perfect addition to any wedding. There is always that lull between the marriage ceremony itself and the meal/party/disco later on. Everyone mills around for a couple of hours while the photographer snaps away and the guests have a drink and make conversation. This is the perfect time to keep them properly entertained with some magic, mystery and mind-reading. Every wedding should have a magician! It really does make your wedding especially memorable, exciting and magical for everyone. Thanks to everyone who stopped at my stand - I look forward to bringing magic to your special day. Many magical routines require someone to sign or write on a playing card. You never quite know what to expect when you ask someone to do this, so here are a few examples. And lots of cards also get torn, ripped, folded - thank you cards, you have served me well and now you have been immortalised with a picture on this blog!
Tuesday night is magic night at Old Orleans in Reading. Thanks to everyone who came along to enjoy the fun and food...see you next Tuesday!
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