He passed away in 1992 and still, his teachings are present in my work.
As I look at my magic now, I can see the hand and influence of Dai Vernon in all that I do.
Simplicity.
Directness.
Pure Effect.
This is my model for strong magic and effective presentation.
Take a moment please to watch this video.
I am very happy with this presentation because it is full of Vernon’s inspiration, not to mention his magic.
The opening effect is my approach to The Trick that Cannot Be Explained. My version is spelling to any card after the spectator has shuffled the deck. This is my favourite opening effect. It is pure, direct and powerful.
I always follow this with Out of Sight, Out of Mind. This routine comes very close to the ideal of revealing a thought of card. Dai Vernon took an idea from Erdnase and created a mental masterpiece.
Tipsy “T”, is how I now present Triumph. I love this effect and I love this new approach. I start off with A Tipsy Trick – I learnt this from The Royal Road to Card Magic as a young boy.
In this new version, I have added a few components to strengthen the visual picture of a chaotic deck. You will notice the inclusion of Daryl’s beautiful Six-Packet Cut. I feel this fits perfectly in this version and adds an extra layer of conviction before the big revelation.
Now, The Bonus Effect features Dai Vernon’s Triumph handling exactly as described in Stars of Magic. The big difference is the reveal of the matching mates of the selected card. This is a blockbuster finish. I am delighted with this combination, it works and my audience is left in no doubt that they have seen high calibre card magic.
I only met him once and I really liked him as a person❤️. I enjoyed his company. I heard stories about Malini, Leipzig and Stevens. Vernon told me these stories and he sounded fresh and engaging as if his experience happened yesterday.
He inspired me with a feeling that magic is a beautiful and worthwhile pursuit and expression. My magic now embodies an attitude of Vernon’s philosophy with,
THE VINCENT TOUCH.
This last point is critical.
In The Dai Vernon Book of Magic, he gave us his approach The Vernon Touch. This was his way of approaching the design of his magic. This inspired me to cultivate MY approach, “MY TOUCH” – The Vincent Touch.
I encourage all of you in our community to start thinking about your specific “Touch”. Your magical Touch is another way of thinking about your authentic style and expression. This will show up in the way you like to handle your props, how you execute certain sleights. It will also be present in the framing of your script and delivery. This is worth pursuing because this will be the very thing that sets you apart from other magicians.
In discovering my own touch, I have come face to face with an original expression, a new approach to how I like to work. My execution and usage of certain techniques now show up in routines that work well together. This takes time and awareness. This is synergy at work and one of the things I appreciated about Dai Vernon’s work.
I hope this blog post inspires you to think deeper and begin your own journey.
Good luck – for now, enjoy this Video of Dai Vernon at work.