I was chatting to magician Lewis Le Val late at night after the Blackpool magic convention.

Lewis complained many beginners don't try to introduce additions into the magic they learn from magic books or DVD's. We decided to record this short video on the subject:

Lewis Le Val raises an important point. Magicians need to learn from other magicians, but in copying their style they suffer the same fate as all other reproductions in art, they lack authenticity.

Magic tricks are more than simply 'tricks' they are a collection of concepts fused together to entertain people. They are as much about a relationship as a mechanical technique. A copy will fail to communicate a relationship, because it's formed by the character of the the original source. That part of the magic trick needs to come from YOU.

Levis Le Val recommends that you choose magic tricks that you like nd that suit your style, then destroy them. Break them down and rebuild them so that they also contain aspects of your own personality. By doing this, you will find that your audience relates to the maic tricks you present to them. Your spectators see that your presentations are consistant and authentic. That's much more powerful that any stock patter lines could ever be.

About Lewis Le Val

Lewis Le Val, is a psychological magician based in the UK. His magic combines hypnosis, sleight of hand, psychology and showmanship to present a surreal experience of magic.

How to Start a Career in Escapology – Roslyn Walker Interview

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

By Bryn Young-Roberts

ROSLYN WALKER GIVES ADVICE ON A CAREER IN ESCAPOLOGY

One of the most spectacular, and frequently glamorous, types of magic act is escapology, the art of freeing oneself from restrains under often dangerous circumstances. Escapology is a breed of magic that has been with us since the mid-1800s, the art originating as a by-product of disappearance and transmutation acts, and later developing into a spectacle in its own right. While there have been many great escape artists over the last 150 years, if you’re looking to get into escapology then there is one name you simply can’t avoid: Harry Houdini.

‘He took a very old art form and transformed it into a massively successful performance piece,’ explains Roslyn Walker, a globally acknowledged escape artist, ‘before him magicians would use the ability to escape from cuffs and other restraints in order to perform pseudo psychic demonstrations. He was the first to see the potential of using the escape itself to entertain’.

Following in the footsteps of the greatest escape artist of all time seems to be the primary piece of advice for those interested in developing a career in the business 'Houdini obviously influenced me' says Walker, 'it's difficult for him not to have… history has always been massively important to me and my work. If you don't know and understand what's come before it's impossible to move forward'.

Although Houdini may be the top inspiration for escape artists the world over, Walker argues that it’s important to not be limited by his influence. ‘The time in which he worked was vastly different to now,’ admits Walker, who himself has been voted the 6^th greatest escape artist in history, ‘he could get away with escaping a single pair of handcuffs out of sight inside a cabinet and take an hour or more to do it. His audience wouldn’t get bored – try and do the same thing today and you’ll emerge to an empty theatre’.

While Houdini might take over an hour to escape shackles, modern audiences need to be rest assured their attention will be kept for much less time, but with just as much intensity. In a recent major outdoor event in front of a crowd of no less than 3000 spectators, Walker ‘took just over four minutes to free myself’ in a duplication of a famous Houdini stunt.

‘The same rules applied to me as they did to Houdini’ says Walker proudly, ‘I was challenged with the cuffs… I wasn’t allowed to see them until they were snapped on my wrists and I wasn’t allowed to have them taken off unless I admitted defeat, or I escaped on my own’. Furthermore, not only did he gain one-upmanship on Houdini by escaping quicker, but unlike his Victorian counterpart, Walker did it in plain sight of his audience and not behind a concealed, private environment.

The benefits of the job are obvious, freeing oneself to the awe and cheers of a crowd is a wonderful feeling, but on the downside doesn't escapology also have a reputation for being dangerous? While a genuinely good artist is never in any real trouble – after all, it is only supposed to be a show – the act is perhaps still better suited to those who love to flirt with, sometimes literally, breakneck situations.

'My background in circus has really helped me,' explains Walker, who is also a stuntman, 'most escape artists get into the art through magic. They train as magicians first then find escapology'. While this seems to be one of the most popular avenues into escaping for a living, Walker feels that having a more varied background can be beneficial. 'Personally, I think it's an advantage to also have knowledge and experience in other performance arts'.

For further advice on entering a life of escapology from Roslyn Walker, and other famous escape artists, check out the full Escapology interview.

Advice for beginning to learn magic tricks – David Regal Interview

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

One of the most recommended books on learning how magic works and how to perform it with impact is Approaching Magic by David Regal. It's been a best selling magic book consistantly since it's first publication, and finds a home on most successful magicians bookcases.

If you are very new to learning magic, I should give you some background on David Regal. David is a television writer and one of the worlds most respected creators of magic tricks for magicians. He served as head writer for Nickelodeon’s Rugrats, and has written for many sitcoms, including multiple episodes for Everybody Loves Raymond. David Regal magic tricks are performed worldwide.

Dominic Reyes caught up with David Regal to ask him for some quick tips for magicians beginning to learn magic tricks.

If you were at the start of your magic career again, what three things would you do differently?

1) I’d have studied more about all types of fabrication. Woodworking, metalworking, plastic, etc.

2) I should have kept a list of magic that I’ve seen and loved, so I could better try and understand the qualities I admire, both in performance and the principles involved.

3) I’d have learned false transfers earlier in my development. Why? I feel a false transfer is the ultimate lie in a craft built on lies, and the least armor a performer can wear. Getting into magic, we often try to cover ourselves with armor via method; but a false transfer, well performed, teaches us and corrects us – it opens a door.

Have you found that being a writer for shows such as Rugrats has helped with your creativity?

I see the problems one faces when writing episodic television, and the problems one faces when structuring a magic routine or seeking a method, as identical. Both involve what I see as multiple knots, tied one upon the other. Issues that lack solutions. There are many ways one can reach the end – the best are the most elegant, and generally seem simple in retrospect.

Are there any amazing creative tips you learned from them that you would like to share?!!?

The best creative tip I can offer is:

Begin.

Most people never do that out of fear of the immensity of the task. Most important, when you begin, have intent. Without intent, it is difficult to evaluate one’s movement. Don’t expect to succeed every time – you will and you won’t. Simply have intent, see where you arrive, and compare it to that intent.

What came first for Clarity Box, the method for the trick or the idea for the trick?

Most things start with a problem I’d like to solve, or an image I’d like to create. I wanted to have a clear box that exact size of The Clarity Box, that would do what The Clarity Box does. I drew it while on an airplane, on the barf bag, and took it home with me. I made the first one out of come pieces of clear plastic I’d purchased for another magic trick I was working on, one that never worked right. I taped it all together and tried it out in front of the bathroom mirror.

If you could give a complete beginner one piece of advice what would it be?

A great thing about magic is no matter what age you are when you start, there is always something wonderful that you can do. Find a trick you love performing that fits your skill level, and do it well. Simultaneously challenge yourself. Work on something that you find more difficult. Work on it for weeks, months, maybe a year. Show your magic tricks to a friend who will be honest with you about the good and the bad. There is great satisfaction to be found when one both enjoys the pleasures that come with performing magic for others, and privately works on that “next thing.”

The Merchant of Magic offers a full range of magic books, tricks and DVD's by David Regal. You can visit the David Regal section here.