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Kieron Johnson on Growing Up and Being a Magician

Right now, pretty much every good magic shop is busy telling its customers about the new magic trick from Kieron Johnson : To The Max. The trick has solved a problem that has confounded magicians for many years. How to make cubes of ice appear on your spectator’s hands, in a way that works to walk-around close up magic conditions. The trick has caused quite a buzz, so we thought we should take a closer look at its inventor: Kieron Johnson.

Dominic Reyes caught up with him for an interview:

How did you get into magic?
My friend took me to a magic shop in Southport called Magic 4. I was 21 years old, unfortunately it’s no longer open.

So you didn’t do magic as a kid?
No. To be honest, when my friend told me about the shop, I didn’t want to go. I thought magic was cheesy, but my friend begged me to go with him. I’m so glad I did. That was the best decision I ever made.

What was your childhood like?
For me childhood was quite tough. I was held back a year at primary school and at high school, I was sent to a special school for kids with severe learning difficulties, in a different county. It made making friends quite hard. I spent most my time inventing stuff from old junk, but the funny thing is, what made me an outcast when I was younger, is now the thing people love when I perform. I’m happy my life has turned out this way.

I think younger magicians have it easier, as magic is much more available online. I think it’s possible to be good technically, within a year. As for being a performer it takes much longer. I do think learning with DVD’s makes it a lot easier though.

So, do you think performing skills are more important? What’s your view on self working tricks Vs Sleight of hand?
I’m not a big fan of putting labels on magic, for me all magic should be treated in the same way. In my experience, if you want to fool a magician, do a self-working card trick, I do a mix of both. Take for example, the Invisible Deck, self-working, but there’s a reason Dynamo Magician Impossible does this too. It’s a powerful trick, and an instant reset. It is the same reason why I perform Cardtoon, It is easy to do, works for all ages, resets fast, and never fails to make your audience smile. I do like flourishing as well, I think a good balance and an open mind is what it take to be a good magician.

What was it about that experience that changed your mind?
Well, the shop was amazing, I think they could tell I was a beginner, because the shop owner Rob Graham absolutely bamboozled me. The one magic trick that really impressed me was Cardtoon 2 by Dan Harlan. I still carry that with me today. I was very lucky, he taught me how to do it in the shop and didn’t let us go until I could perform it, we were there all day. That really taught me about the importance of practice.

What was your first performance like?
Well, funny enough, it was the same day that I visited the magic shop. We had to get a local train back home. We were chatting excitedly about magic shops and playing with our new tricks, when a bunch of lads asked us to do a trick for them. I performed Cardtoon and they went mental! I got asked for my phone number and ended up getting a gig. Those two experiences made me fall in love with magic.

Wow, you discovered a magic shop, were recommended a trick, got taught by the shop, and got a booking at the end of that day. That’s one of the fastest jumps into professional performing I’ve every heard.
Ha-ha, Well, actually I was a hobbyist for three years before I turned pro. I was lucky enough to work at illusions magic bar for two years which I highly recommend. While I was working there, it forced me to think outside the box, and to invent my own magic tricks. Best of all, it taught me how to handle hecklers I highly recommend getting a residency in a bar or restaurant. That helped me get a grip on what works and what doesn’t. The added bonus, is that you will get more work once people start to hear about you.

How about your first paid gig?
For me, that’s a hard one. Because I really count my first ever gig as performing in the Illusions magic bar in Bristol. Even though I had done gigs before, I always think of that day as my first time. It’s amazing to think that three years of performing magic parties, and weddings couldn’t of prepared me for that day, it was a bit of a shock to the system. The music was loud, and the people were there to see good magic. Most of my material didn’t play to the crowd. It was like being a decent swimmer, then all of a sudden, someone had erased my memory of how to do it, so for me, this will always be my first gig, and the place I became a magician.

Who are your influences in magic?
My two heroes of magic are Richard Sanders and Max Malini. Richard was the first magician I saw do a lecture. He was engaging and his magic was so strong. On top of that, he’s a really nice guy and the Richard Sander Show series are the best three DVDs I own. I have watched them a lot.

For me Max was awe inspiring to hear about. He was one of the original close up magicians, and fooled some of the greatest magicians in the world. Houdini, Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, and if you look out, his name is often mentioned in magic films and TV shows. As far as I can tell, he was the first to produce ice, in a world were refrigerators in the home didn’t exist, amazing! I would have loved to be able to see Vernon’s face, when he produced that ice. Check out the Magic of Malini

Where do you get your ideas?
That’s a hard one. Sometimes they come in my dreams. I keep a pen and paper nearby just in case, but mostly I start working on one idea, and develop it by working it in my act. I do this to see how it turns out. Some of the time I end up with something totally different, but that’s the fun of being creative.

What are your favourite tricks to perform?
I am big fan of metal bending. I love Liquid Metal by Morgan Strebler and Metal by Dee Christopher. I also love magic with thread. Tarantula is great!

Magic Books or Magic DVD’s?
Both! I love watching a good magic DVD, you get to see how it plays in the real world, and it’s always nice to see what you are learning.

Books are wonderful too, I love Tarbell and the Apocalypse series . These are all things you don’t get on DVD. You can find some card tricks that are hidden gems, in these books. As a magician, I think that The Royal Road to Card Magic should be banned. I hate it when someone new asks for advice, and they say Royal Road. It has some great material in it, but the English language has changed a bit since then. Why doesn’t anyone ever recommend Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic book? It’s a lot easier, and is full of great ideas for a beginner.

What advice would you give to fellow magicians?
Practice your craft, and have fun. If doesn’t go well the first time, try again because every great magician you see has had to fail to succeed. Another important thing, I would say, is to get some business cards and make sure when you are at a gig you dress smart. It took me four years to learn that, but believe me, it makes a big difference!

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The Merchant of Magic would like to thank Kieron Johnson for taking the time to talk with us. if you have not already done so, check out his new release To The Max

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
Kieron made some very good points in this interview. He used the character that he developed through his experiences as a child to create a performing persona. When you watch the demo trailer of To the Max, you can see the pacing and presentation are very much his own. He hasn’t tried to clone himself into someone else and that authenticity in his performance shines through.

Kieron, doesn’t seem hung up on the issue of sleight of hand. For him the effect is his central concern. He seeks out magic tricks that get stronger reactions, rather than being loyal to the methods alone.

Most valuable from this interview, is his view that his early performances to friends and family, didn’t count in his training. He regards his real schooling to be his work with the public.

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Card Tricks for Beginners – Which Are Best?

by Merchant of Magic 5 Comments

One of the most frequent questions we get from people starting to learn card tricks, is how to begin. They want a first step, and ask us what card tricks for beginners we recommend. This is where the problem comes in:

Do we recommend a book or DVD on card tricks, that are self working and easy to perform, or do we suggest a beginners book that teaches the basic sleights used in card tricks?

Two Choices of card tricks for beginners:

Self working card tricks – There are some awesome books and DVD’s that will get the beginner doing card tricks right away. Our current favorite choices currently are these:

Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks
All the team are very impressed with a magic training DVD for total beginners, and also working pro’s. The whole team were instantly impressed with the guiding principles that started the project. To put together a set of very strong professional tricks, that are self working, and strip away all the complicated plots and abstract nonesense found in most collections of this nature. The project fits perfectly with the teaching principles MoM uses with magicians that come for personal tuition to the shop, and we now recommend this DVD to all our students doing training with us.

Born to Perform Card Magic
An idea stepping stone into card magic and the DVD Ben Williams always recommends to new students. It covers the basics’s but does so, by introducing actual tricks that use those principles.A good mix of card tricks, which progress the student though each stage of development, without simply jumping from new sleight to new sleight

Magic is all about performing. The study of magic is a means to an end, not the end itself. Starting with some very easy card tricks that you can go out and perform right away, builds confidence, and helps you to understand timing and presentation. The goal of magic practice isn’t to spend countless hours in solitary practice, although over time that will also be necessary. The sooner a beginner can start learning through real world performance the better.
We see far too many eager beginners get disheartened after spending hour after hour learning more and more new sleights and moves, with no purpose to them other than the thrill of mastery. After years of practice, it often dawn on them, that they don’t know a full set of interesting card tricks, to create a show, and at this point they often give up.

If you choose to learn card tricks rather than just card moves, you build your skill set over time, only as you need each move. In the end, you will slowly progress your sleight of hand anyway, but will have a group of tricks you can do, right from the start as a base to develop from.

Card Tricks with Sleights – The other route would be to suggest the beginner to study a book or DVD that focuses on the core moves required in most card tricks. We tend to recommend these:

Amazing Book of Cards
One of the clearest, and easy to follow books on card tricks we have found. As well as teaching how to do 52 tricks with a deck of cards, it combines friendly, concise text with full-color photos. It won our backing bu including an excellent full-length DVD that teaches the lessons and most importantly, shows the subtleties of performance. This is often lacking in beginners books.

Encyclopedia Of Card Sleights By Daryl
Stuffed full of juts about every core move a beginner needs, this is an ideal source of material for magicians wanting to perfect a move.
Daryl is a brilliant teacher, and his love for magic shows thoughout the series. Each volume has been carefully chaptered with clear menus to let you jump directly to any sleight or explanation you’re looking for. Unlike many other DVD’s on sleights, Daryl goes well beyond the mechanical process.Focusing your time on perfecting your sleights will really pay off in the long run. As long as you find a useful purpose for the technique, there is a beauty in making something perfect, that can be very addictive. Developing your techniques can also encourage creativity in magic. The move techniques you master, the easier it will be to adapt your existing card tricks and develop new ones. The key to progressing quickly, is to concentrate on just a few moves at a time, and work on them over a long period of time. Remember, that just because they are not routines, you will still need to perfect the timing and flow in exactly the same way you would with a full card trick routine.What do you recommend? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below:

Are Your Magic Tricks Angry With You?

by Merchant of Magic Leave a Comment

Present day…………

You have been practicing your new magic tricks for a good month now, and thoroughly enjoying the practice. You feel you have reached that point where you have cracked it. The trick is now second nature, and you feel confident enough to take it out into the real world. How exciting! They won’t know what hit them! Today is that day to release the beast!

Three months later……….

As you are sitting there watching TV, or reading a book, you hear a tiny pitiful voice from your bottom drawer. “Hey! You! Yes, you! Remember me? Yes, it’s me, the new, amazing act changing effect you invested so many hours and hard earned money on. We were getting on so well. I thought we had a long future together. You promised me so much, and now here I am, forgotten, unused and unwanted. I thought you liked me! You’ve changed. I deserve an explanation!”

Are your magic tricks angry with you?

If you don’t perform, you are just practicing.

I think we have all been there. I know I have. Another example was when I decided to have a good clear out of magic tricks I didn’t need anymore. 9 times out of 10 I found myself revisiting each trick as I rummaged through my magic draw. 3 hours later I had made no progress whatsoever and had just toyed with each trick. I discovered tricks I had never even touched!

If you don’t practice, you are just shopping.

So in either case scenario, no progress has been made and all that resides are disappointment and frustration. Essentially, you have collected a box of magic tricks that will be unlikely to see the light of day. To put it another way, an expensive box jam packed to the brim with lots of nothingness. You had just as well pop down to your local convenience store and spend fifty pounds on all the items you will never eat and leave them in a bag in your cupboard to go stale.

If you only shop, you are just collecting.

So, how do we cross this barrier without the tricks falling by the wayside? Let’s go back to where we began. Essentially the crucial point, which can determine either success or failure, is a choice. And the first thing you need to be aware of is your style. That will directly affect your purchase choices. When you perform, what personality shines through primarily? Do you find yourself more comfortable joking with the audience, or do you feel more comfortable with the serious approach? Do you want your tricks to come across as puzzles or magic?

Your performing persona should essentially be a magnified version of yourself.

If you are struggling to establish your performance style, don’t panic! Your style should be natural. Ask your friends and family what the main qualities of your personality are. Take note of what they say and then when performing magnify these qualities. You will feel more comfortable as this character, and enjoy the performance. Spectators will pick up on this instantly, and then feel better watching you perform.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, it was built stone by stone.

Ok, so you now have an idea of what your style is. But you still have an overflowing box of unused tricks. Grab that box, take out one magic trick that you know fits your persona, and start practicing that one trick. Keep in mind as you practice, you need to emulate what you will be saying as you practice it. This is a huge step towards the actual performance of it, as it will then become a part of you. Practice it for two or three times a day over the course of a week, speaking out loud as you practice. It will begin to feel like a glove (maybe slightly ill fitting at first, but a glove nonetheless). Then, quite simply, go out there and do it! And enjoy it too! This will sound like taboo, but the only thing stopping you now is fear of failure. This fear will always be there so long as you let it. One performance will change this, and remember……….. Enjoy and exaggerate your qualities! Don’t think of it as you performing the trick, think of it as performing for you, and then take full credit for it!