Can you describe your first experience with magic?
I saw a street performer in Barcelona make a bird disappear and reappear out of a balloon. It amazed me so much as a kid. I was transfixed. That’s my earliest magic memory (Now that I think back, as I know how it’s done, he was kind of horrible to that bird).
Do you ever worry about the possibility of your secrets being uncovered on stage?
Nah. I guess as a magician you’re inviting people to try to work things out. So, that’s what keeps it exciting. To stay ahead of the audience in keeping them amazed.
How often do you practice and who serves as your audience?
It depends on what I’m working on. I’m currently in Los Angeles rehearsing for the show. There are many pieces in Band Of Magicians that are brand new and we had a challenge in having four magicians perform them. The fun part was having eight hands instead of two to misdirect the audience, which is something we’ve all been pretty pumped about.
How important is the concept of showmanship for a magician to differentiate him/herself apart from others?
It’s the most important. Less so to differentiate yourself, but more to make the magic believable. It’s a fine line.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing magic as a career?
I write scripts and music (my next show will be a comedy musical about a magician) so I’d most likely be doing more of that. Or, I’d be a chef. Or a baker. Yes. A baker. No, I’d own a donut shop. Yep, that’s it. A donut shop. James’ Delicious Donuts (I’m still working on it).
What are you like when you’re not performing? Do you ever do impromptu performances for strangers?
Never. Though, some of the other guys in the Band are never without a deck in hand.
Do you go to see other illusionists much? What impresses you?
I love watching other magic. I’m a good spectator, I reckon. That’s why I got into magic in the first place, because I love that feeling of experiencing magic.
Do you ever feel like contemporary magicians are living in the shadows of Houdini and more recently, David Copperfield, to a certain extent?
Not really. There’s always going to be famous magicians of yesteryear and that’s what usually inspires you in the first place.It’s great to learn from them and then go on your own journey.
What can audiences expect from Band of Magicians? I get the sense there might be some healthy competitiveness on stage.
You sense correctly, are you a magician too? Yeah, we’re all insanely competitive, which is great for the show. It makes us push each other to keep making our magic better and more incredible than it was when we were on our own. When you finish reading this and go buy tickets from Ticketek or bandofmagicians.com, you can expect that you’ve made a wonderful choice and relax in the knowledge that you are in for an incredible ride with the Band Of Magicians. Too much.
BAND OF MAGICIANS will be appearing at The Palms at Crown from Wednesday January 7 until Saturday January 17. More details and tickets are available through Ticketek.
