My studies in card magic took place at a point in time when all of my heroes where still alive. My great fortune was to meet them all.
My only disappointment was not meeting Fred Kaps and Edward Marlo – such is life.
I must pay tribute to Alan Alan.
He would be the catylist for me meeting many magicians that would have a big impact on me.
Harry Lorayne proved to be a constant in my life. His friendship with me meant that I would enjoy seeing Harry on his 90th Birthday.
Meeting our heroes is an important part of the process. I would have been a different magician had I not spent time with Slydini.
Slydini taught me how be a deceptive card man, because he was. Magicians don’t know this but he presented some astonishing effects with playing cards. The Ambitious Card, unlike anything you would have seen, his Ambitious Aces, Wild Card, The Helicopter Card, one of the most original concepts ever.
Coaching from a mentor is not about learning tricks, it’s the mentors job to shine a light in the dark areas of our studies.
Alan Alan said to me when I was 14;
I will not teach you any tricks, you can learn them on your own. Once you have learnt your tricks, come and show me and I will turn it into magic.
He was my one and only artistic director.
Coaching of this standard no longer exist.
It is my responsibility to pass on what I have learnt.
I encourage all of you to seek out magicians you admire. Email them, set up a meeting, it could be the start of a beautiful relationship. This happened to me with Darwin Ortiz. I called him up out of the blue. He was very friendly and supportive.
He has had a huge impact on my thinking and development. He is my friend and I value this beyond measure.
Leave a comment, share with us who inspired you.
Thanks for reading.