Today is Sunday the 12th of November, Remembrance Sunday. As a country we pause and reflect on the horrors of war, remember those who have sacrificed so much for all of us, and make a simple pledge; Never Again. I wanted to take just a moment to thank every person who has served so that I can enjoy the freedoms I do. Thank you.
Read MoreMagicians are a fun breed. Whilst thinking about it the other day, I realised that a lot of my friends who perform magic are amazingly creative in ways other than the tricks and illusions they are known for. I thought that this might be an interesting thing to talk about today, letting you know a bit about what they do to express themselves other than messing with the minds of Muggles.
Read MoreI’ve sat down to write this blog and had intended to make it all about the nature of truth and trust (yes, seriously). But two sentences in and on the TV a program called Discovering Groucho Marx has started, and that’s me done.
Read MoreA lot has been said in the past about medium events, and before you roll your eyes at anther soulless, sceptical magician claiming there is nothing more than is dreamed of in his philosophy, I’m not here to say whether or not people can commune with the dead.
Read MoreA little while ago an annoyingly talanted friend of mine, Henri White, put on a wonderful night at the Magic Circle where he interviewed four great magicians and asked them about a magic trick that had made a difference to them, and one they had performed
Read MoreI’m 38. I only really started pursuing magic as a profession recently. I’ve had nothing but support from friends, family and colleagues. It’s exciting for me to be walking this path, creating and performing magic and actually getting paid to do so.
Read MoreI love performing to people. Love it. Like many magicians I actually struggle in social situations, and so magic is my crutch, my machete to help me hack my way through loud, scary crowds.
Read More“You’re the best magician I’ve ever seen!”
I love it when I hear that. It’s a fantastic compliment and quite often a much needed shot of adrenalin to the ego. When someone pays you that kind of compliment it’s hard to know what to do that doesn’t involve you just looking smug. It is, however, very important to remember that when someone says that, there is one very important caveat they are probably leaving out. Really that compliment should be:
Read MoreTurning down gigs is an odd thing to do, but now and then I’ve been known to. It happened to me just the other day. It was a wedding I had been asked to cover. It was short notice but not bad money and so I was tempted as I had no other gigs that day. But I turned it down. Why? Why would I do that? Simply put to me it would have been just another gig, but to the couple getting married it was probably one of the most important days of their life. I didn't think that that would be fair.
Read MoreThis morning I am writing my blog from the luxurious Premier Inn Crew Central. I’m in the area visiting my uncle, who today turns 70. Sadly, I can’t stay for the festivities that will be happening tonight as I have a gig at the d20 Cafe later, and so must be on the 12:37 train to Watford Junction. However, I did get to spend some time yesterday with my family, including my uncle, what was all very lovely.
Read MoreWarning: This blog contains strong language
On Friday night I was lucky enough to see the Doug Anthony Allstars – DAAS as they are abbreviated - live at the Shepherds Bush Empire. When people say they were ‘lucky’ to see an act, they usually mean that they managed to hit the refresh button at just the right moment and sniped some tickets before they all sold out. But when I’m talking about having seen DAAS I’m talking about Tim Ferguson, one of the members, who has multiple sclerosis.
Read MoreWe love Lego. All of us. It’s amazingly popular. There are 400 BILLION Lego blocks in existence. That’s 62 for every person alive. Or rather there were. This impressively large number is ten years old. I have no idea how many blocks there are now, but its going to be a lot.
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