Desert Island Tricks
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Desert Island Tricks
Adam Dadswell
Ever wondered what it's like to witness magic that leaves even the best performers in awe? Join us for a mesmerising episode where we recount an extraordinary night orchestrated by Andy Frost from Derren Brown's team at the Oracle Bar. Our special guest, Adam Dadswell, takes us on his magical journey from a young performer to a mentalism maestro. Adam shares his transition from card magic to the art of mentalism, and his excitement to present his craft to the magic community.
Prepare to be captivated as we discuss the top magic routines that consistently leave audiences spellbound. From the classic "Card Under Box" trick to James Brown's "Box Clever," we highlight why these routines are essential for any table-hopping magician. Dive into the world of binary choices with engaging 50-50 routines, and discover the allure of effects like Ben Earl's "Probably Impossible" and the versatile "Sneak Thief." Whether it's the simplicity of a folded business card or the complexity of mentalism, these tricks demonstrate the power of creating memorable magical moments.
In the final segment, embark on a journey through modern mentalism with a deep dive into personal routines like the "witch hand" trick. Drawing inspiration from Scott Creasy and Jamie Daws' "The Tracker," we explore how to read body language and extract hidden information. Relive a heartwarming magical evening in Liverpool with Darren Brown and his team, and reflect on how magic can influence personal relationships and family connections. This episode is packed with magical insights, personal stories, and enchanting performances that will leave you feeling inspired and amazed.
A podcast about being an artist from a practical perspective. The series will...
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Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
Andy Frost at the time was working on Darren's team and said, oh, we'd looked at the Oracle and we were going to bob in. So we basically met them one night, andy and Brad and Tom was the guy working on the show as well with a couple of the magicians from the Oracle. We just met up and hung out for a bit and then Andy dropped the bombshell on Ben and was like Darren wants to come in to the Oracle and we were like, okay, that's cool, like after playing it cool. So essentially, without going all to you know all through the logistics of it, one night after they performed the show, andy, brad, tom, darren and his partner came into the Oracle and Ben, who owns the Oracle, asked me Lewis, lewis, laval and Terry to perform. So we had to do private performances at the table for Darren's table. It was honestly one of the most weird but fulfilling and fun experiences I've ever had in magic.
Speaker 3:Hello and welcome to another episode of Desert Island Tricks. Another guest joins me today from his virtual island discussing his favourite tricks of all time. Now, this particular performer I've actually known again quite a long time now I wouldn't actually be able to say how long and he has some very, very cool material, as of late he sort of resurfaced. He went under under the radar for a few years. He's resurfaced and at blackpool 2024, which was earlier on this year we're recording this in may. At the moment this will likely go out later on the year, but back in February his trick was probably my favourite trick of the convention. It was excellent. He came up to me and showed it to me at the Alakazam stand and I immediately asked him to show Harry and Pete because I thought it was phenomenal. And what's great with this particular performer is he is as good with his finger flicking moves as he is with his more systematic thinking when it comes to magic. He's got a great mix of both of those different things. Today's guest is Mr Adam Dadswell.
Speaker 1:Hello Adam, Hello Jamie, and thank you for that intro. That was lovely.
Speaker 3:I'm not sure how much of it is true, but we go uh, all of it is true, of course, all of it is true, um, of course. I knew you all the way back from when you were playing with things like shootout, which is, um, I'm not sure what you call it now.
Speaker 3:You might have a different name for it now no, I still, I still refer to, I still refer to it as shootout, so yeah, which is a great move where the deck is laying on the table and after a selection has been taken and lost in the deck, you cut the cards and one card shoots from the middle actually from the middle of the deck outwards. It looks like something that should have something built into the deck, but it just uses a normal deck of cards.
Speaker 1:It's just a cool animation trick yeah, it's fun and it's um, I mean, I think it was back in, I want to say 2010, something like that. Now, um, where it was, it was kind of first put out there on pdf. That was uh, with your help, of course, but um, yeah, I think that was one of the biggest comments, which was it looks like it should have a gimmick involved and of course it didn't, which you know well. Down went down fairly well with people, so yeah, all good but now you seem to be.
Speaker 3:Now you've resurfaced, so to speak. You seem to be focusing a lot more on mentalism style effects at the moment yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 1:I I kind of I went off the radar a little bit. I I performed a lot in my uh kind of late teens, early 20s I would probably say um, and then just just one, one or two things kind of happened. I kind of went into another career, things like that um. So I kind of stopped performing, uh, at gigs and things like I. I stopped doing gigs as much. I never really put the cards down, as it were. I always continued to kind of read and study and you know I would perform socially if you will.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I think I always had an interest in mentalism. I think it would be fair to say I was introduced to the idea of that through seeing Darren's work and Darren's shows. I think that's probably how a lot of people kind of got into it, into the kind of whole mentalism side of things. But I think it was probably over. I'd probably say the last five years or so really has been kind of where I've found a lot more joy in that side of magic, if you will, and thinking about things in that way and studying a lot more in those areas and I've had ideas over time. But it's probably only now where I've started to do something about it really and start to kind of pull some of this stuff together and start to put it out there for the magic community. So yeah, I think kind of you know, my background really was card magic, as you all know, card magic through and through, and I still enjoy card magic today. I just feel as though mentalism is where my focus is right now.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm very excited to hear your list Again. Normally I have a little guest, but a little guest rather, but I don't know where yours is going to go. I think it's going to be quite a diverse mix of different things. Actually, I think it'll be probably a mix of a bit of mentalism cards, maybe a coin trick or a curveball in there.
Speaker 1:That we're not expecting we will see, then we will see we will see.
Speaker 3:And, with that being said, if this is your first time listening to desert island tricks, the idea is that adam is going to be whisked away to his own tropical island somewhere. When he's on the island, he's only allowed to take eight tricks, one book and one non-magic item that he uses for magic when he's there the size of the island. What's on the island if he's got an audience? No audience, all that sort of stuff we don't really mind. It's basically the ultimate tricks that he would have to perform forever and ever. If that's all he could perform. And, with that being said, we are going to jump on our jet, fly over to Adam's desert island and find out what's in his first position.
Speaker 1:OK. So yeah, I guess, I guess it's probably worth mentioning A lot of what I've put together in this list here has featured or does still feature in my working set, if you will. So if I'm performing, whether it be Mix and Mingle, Close Up, or whether I'm doing a Parlour show, I mean you'll see which ones fit into which category as we go through. But that's kind of how I've looked at this, which is what have I either performed which has added a lot of value in terms of for myself, or what is still in my working repertoire. So I'll kick off and they're in no particular order with Dr Daly's Last Trick by Mr Jacob Daly and I know there are a million and one variations of this trick and there are a lot of gimmicked versions of this trick as well, where it's more visual and things like that. But for the longest time, I'd say for the last 10 to 15 years now, it's been something that I will go back to and perform.
Speaker 1:I frame it as a bit of an observation test. I say, out of the group, who's got the best observation skills, and then I go into the trick. Now, for anyone who's not seen it, it's a transposition effect essentially with, let's say the two red aces and the two black aces. Obviously other cards will work, but yeah, so it's a very simple transition effect. I would even say the version I performed today is probably a variation, because there's that many and I just introduced four playing cards and I just say we're just going to try an observation test. And you know, for all the really clever routines or methods that I think I employ in other areas of my work, this always gets great reactions. Just two cards transposing for the other two cards.
Speaker 1:I've always had fun with it. I've played around with different presentational angles and, of course, playing it as an observation test. I then turn around and say, of course misdirection only works or it works best when you're focusing on something that doesn't really matter. For example, this thing was never going to happen. That was just the moment that allowed me to sneak in there and switch the cards around, or whatever it might be. So that is the first item on my list. Dr Daly's last trick, or the last trick of Dr Daly. I've heard it referred to in both ways.
Speaker 3:Great choice. I'm curious to know do you still use the original method or have you changed for a different method?
Speaker 1:So the original version I saw and again I'd have to go back into the books and have a look but was using the deck, so it was on top of the deck and that's where the moves happened, let's just say, before they were placed into people's hands. But for now I just use four cards, I just bring four cards out and the handling I use is just a series of can I say I'm going to say it it like lifts, right, um, I don't know how much I'm supposed to say on here, jamie, um, it just uses a series of lifts, um, but it's all. It's all done fairly, like openly and transparently. So I think it probably is is a variant of, but, but I've not really changed the like I. I probably switched to doing it that way probably 10 years ago and I've done it ever since in that way.
Speaker 3:Great, really really good choice, and in with a car trick first.
Speaker 1:Yeah. When you said, oh, it's probably car tricks and mental, I was thinking, oh God.
Speaker 3:If it's your list, it's your list. It's always perfect that way. But what's in your second position?
Speaker 1:In my second position is another card trick. Jamie, I should probably mix this list up a bit in terms of the order. I reveal them to you. But my second spot is card under box, and I know you're going to push me because I have listened to a couple of these and they are very good. I know you're going to push me on which version do you want, Adam? And it would have to be Box Clever by James Brown. This I know. People sometimes refer to an effect as their thousand timer. This is probably my thousand timer, More so when I was performing a lot of table hopping and more close-up magic than anything else, more card magic than the mentalism. If someone said to me, oh, can you show us something, I'd just go into Card Underbox every time and my kind of handling of it is pretty much what James did, Like on the. Was it professional? I'm going to say the name of his DVD set wrong.
Speaker 3:The Professional Opportunist. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it was.
Speaker 1:RSVP. Yeah, yeah, I mean I mean great like great set, and I would. I would actually argue that the kind of james's dvd set lee smith had some dvds out at the time as well um, gary jones, obviously, I mean those, those kind of, uh types of dvd sets were quite influential in kind of me and card magic and kind of getting me involved. But, yeah, card in the box, it's just a brilliant effect. And when the entire I mean for those who haven't seen James's routine there's a series of moments, a series of phases, but ultimately a signed card is jumping under the card box that's on the table or in somebody's hand, and then the entire deck goes under the box and things. So there's these really big moments and then the entire deck goes inside the box.
Speaker 1:If you want to do a final phase and things, I must shout out, though, daniel Chard. I've been meaning to learn Daniel's card under box because he claims it's worth looking at. So I am going to look at it, um, but I think, I think a lot of of that came from, potentially, james's effect as well. So, um, yeah, I mean that for me, um, it's just one that I've performed again and again and again and again. And if, if someone threw me straight into the deep end somewhere and all I had was a pack of cards, I just know I can go in that routine and it's a good few minutes of entertainment for people it's a great one for audience as well, because it's a genuine exploration of the way our brains work, in our attention work.
Speaker 3:So it's almost like a well, it's not really a pseudo explanation for something, because you're actually showing how people can be distracted in that moment and these things can happen in front of them. But what I really love about the structure of that routine is, um, not only does it build, but it builds because the audience know it's going to happen, but it still happens regardless of them being aware of it.
Speaker 1:You see, I mean, obviously you know, perform with people yourself, you'll know you get different types of people. That how do I say? This experience magic in different kind of ways. Some people like to look it in and kind of try and figure out what's going on. And then you've got other people who are just going to scream. Other people are sat there silent, just dumbfounded, but I think it's one of those routines that those people are sat there silence, just dumbfounded, um, but I think it's one of those routines that those people are sat there trying to figure this out. They get to a point and go I've no idea what's going on. It's just. It's just because, again, like you say, they know it's going to happen and it still happens you know, yep, great choice, uh.
Speaker 3:It's one that I recommend people check out as well. It's really really good, uh. But what's in your third position, adam?
Speaker 1:so I'm gonna shake things up and change the order to which I've got written down, because I'm not throwing another card trick in there jamie, um. So my next item, um, and I'm gonna put a broad uh theme around this item for now, but then I will zoom in, I promise. So any kind of 50-50 choice routine. I'm obsessed with this idea of a one in two. I mean, there are tons of different examples out there of these types of effects. I think you know you've got like a mine and yours type presentation that I've seen. I think somebody's spoken about that on the podcast already. I know that people have done some stuff on stage with just two big envelopes. However, for close-up and this is where my honorable mentions are going to start coming in I have a routine with two folded business cards where, um, I place one on the participant's hand and one on my hand and I say, um, at the end of. There's an outcome in mind that I'm trying to get to. Um, at the end of this, the business card that's in your hand, that will be yours to open and that will be yours to keep. You only have one decision to make, really, which is do you want to switch or do you want to stay where we are? And that's kind of the kind of setup for that, and it's just a nice little checking exercise with a group or with one person, and, again, it's a 50-50, right, and there are a number of things that I have toyed around with being written on those cards, and, of course, that kind of changes the theme of it. But I must mention Rich Relish, because Rich Relish for those who haven't seen Rich go and check out his work and I don't even think this is released, so I can't say what it is but Rich has got a brilliant idea using that 50-50, and it's a bit kind of tongue-in-cheek, quite playful using that 50-50, and it's a bit kind of tongue-in-cheek, quite playful. And what I can say, though, is that that routine utilizes Louis Laval's OTT move, for those who have seen it, so it's a 50-50 using that.
Speaker 1:However, I've not opted for that. What I've opted for is Lucky Envelopes by Luca Volpe. So, in my part, my kind of R-lessla set or, if I'm doing a private party, where there's kind of 30 to 40 people, um, time and time again, lucky envelopes has found its way into my set list, um, and over time, I have changed it. So I have. I have a variation now where I have a third envelope, um, and somebody else must have done this, so I'm not doing anything with it, but third envelope, and I introduced the idea of the Monty Hall problem. Now I know Darren's done some stuff on stage, kind of wears Darren's shoe, using the Monty Hall problem as well.
Speaker 1:But I introduced so for those who haven't seen Lucky Envelopes. You've got two envelopes with a one and a two on and it's a green and a red envelope and there's a load of fun you can have with your audience. But essentially they are going to choose one of the envelopes, they get the contents of that envelope and you open the other envelope to show what they could have won essentially, and you can imagine what that plays out like. But I didn't choose a third envelope which is a mysterious envelope with no number on, which is a black, sleek, sexy envelope, and it's just that kind of temptation to bring them over to this third envelope which gets introduced after the first two.
Speaker 1:So I've had a lot of fun with variations of it, but even in its kind of, I don't want to call it a basic form because it's a brilliant effect, but for lack of better words. In its basic form I still think it plays really well. It's a great way to check in with your audience or you can have it as an effect that runs throughout your show. Right, it's a thread that can run throughout. It can be a bit of a skeleton that you keep coming back to playing with your audience member. Again, I've seen that Darren that with on one of his stage shows where he had the 5000, the 500, didn't he, where he kind of kept coming back and say you sure you don't want to switch, um, so you have a lot of fun. So that is in my third position lucky envelopes very, very good choice, I agree.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of magicians might overlook a 50 50 but certainly earlier on in your routine. But case in point andy nyman's chair swindle, which is a 50 50 choice with two chairs where an audience member comes down. It just takes what could be a really dull moment in your show just someone coming down, it's great and turns it into a piece of theater. Um, I know colin mcleod has a really great one with Feathers in a Brick, I think it was. Or Feathers in a Glass where he has two gifts and he invites them onto stage and then when he puts his hand on the table, I think, and when he drops it, a brick comes out.
Speaker 1:Yes, I have seen this.
Speaker 3:Which is great, and the idea of that danger element being put into it really does give validity to a 50 50 plot, because you know that could have gone really wrong and actually 50 50 makes it a lot scarier, whereas if you had one in five that outcome probably isn't as impressive.
Speaker 1:so yeah, I do think that there are certain 50 50 plots that are really clever in how they deal with making a 50 50 choice more substantial for an audience and more interesting yeah, and I also think with just just in terms of that kind of, some people may look at a 50 50 and go, oh, it's only one, two, and again back to that kind of close-up version that I mentioned earlier on. I kind of want people going away from that thinking would he have been so confident? He's not going to be that confident if he's. You know what I mean. It's only a one in two. So yeah, I think there are presentational things you can do to kind of make that stronger. But I mean, I've spoken to steve cook recently and steve cook was like do not underplay a one in two, it is so powerful. Um, but I mean we could get very distracted. But yeah, that is my uh third position.
Speaker 3:There you go well, that brings us on onto your halfway point. What's in at number four?
Speaker 1:number four question is do I put wait a minute? One, two, three, three. I'm just making sure. I thought I had nine then for it. Well, I did, it's fine. It's fine, I'm gonna have to be strict, um. So the next item is another card trick. Um, however, I think after this is only one more card trick. So, um, this card trick is out of.
Speaker 1:What's here is probably something that is a little bit more recent, and this is how this is a, an effect called probably impossible, and it's out of a ben earl book called inside out, which I think is only probably what, maybe three years old. Um, so for those who and again I'll very quickly mention what it is, so for those who aren aren't familiar, essentially you show the deck, you show all the cards that are different. One of the cards is remembered in one area of the deck and another card is remembered from another area of the deck, so there's two different positions in the deck. You close everything up, you give the deck to the participant who cuts the deck a few times. You talk about. It's a really interesting hook around uh, probability, so something being highly improbable versus being impossible, and that's kind of why I like this effect. It's just really playful with this idea that a lot of the time people use the word impossible to describe what I do. But, but actually that's maybe inaccurate. A lot of what I do is just highly improbable, and it just it's an interesting talking point and something for them to focus on. So, um, essentially what happens is, you know, regardless of this very hands-off effect, they're cutting the deck a few times and when they spread through, the two cards that were remembered are now next to each other in the deck. Um, which you know, in itself as a phase one is fairly impressive and it does kind of knock people because they don't think that's going to happen.
Speaker 1:But I say to them look, I say you're mixing the cards, you are mixing the cards and still you were cutting the cards. You were mixing the cards and those cards. You know they could come together in theory. So then you move on to the second phase in which you say, in fact, somebody else is just going to remember a card. Um, so they do.
Speaker 1:And then, uh, the two cards from the first phase are then slid into the deck together, face up. Um, you know, they're clearly together in the face in the deck, they're face up. So obviously it's contrasting from the remainder of the deck. Uh, the deck is closed up. You pass them to a participant. Uh, they take them in their hands and you say now, in theory, if we were to continue mixing and cutting the cards, then the cards could move around again and the card that you're merely thinking of could land near those two cards and in some extreme cases, it could land in between the two cards.
Speaker 1:But again, I wanted to show you the difference between impossible and highly improbable. And then, of course, we do nothing. Whenever they're ready, they spread the deck and the card they're thinking of. Well, one card has materialized between the two face-up cards. They take it out and it is, of course, the card that they were thinking of. So, honestly, it's a brilliant effect. I really enjoy performing this and this is 100% in my working set now. I perform this all the time with people and, yeah, it was one of them that nearly didn't make the list because it's not really stood the test of time in my working set yet, but I can tell that it will. It's just such a strong effect and I think the most standout feature of this for me is that it all feels very hands-off. Everything happens in their hands, which, as a rule of thumb, automatically makes it a better experience for them. So that is my number four there you go Great choice them.
Speaker 3:So that is my number four. There we go, great choice. Yeah, I think that multi-phase uh thing where you almost tell them where it's going but they they can't work out how that's going to be achieved in the circumstances that you've given them the fact that the cards are in their hands, that you know they're in control of everything, they they're cutting the cards and yet it still happens. It does sort of remind me of the card under box. It's that same. You know, you know what's going to happen, but it's still going to happen and you're not going to know how it was achieved.
Speaker 1:I just think for me it's the all right. I mean, obviously I said probably the major thing there is that it's hands off, but also, probably in a close second, is just this interesting hook that it has about it. Um, you know, impossible versus improbable I'm kind of just playing around with that kind of line a bit. So, yeah, that is uh number four and I, if you want, I can move on to number five.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, that takes us over your halfway point. So what's in your?
Speaker 1:fifth position. So my next item is Sneak Thief by well, so obviously Larry Becker in its origins, but I think the version that I perform is probably closer to andy nyman's magician's graphology, um, but I have also in parlor played around with um, mark spellman's, or thief in the I want to say night dark, one of them, thief in the dark maybe, um, so I've played around with with that as well. But, um, my, um, my kind of go to is just, you know, a number of business cards. A number of people were at an event or something, um, and I'll often get them to draw something or think of something that they could associate Um, I'll kind of theme it towards whatever event. I'm at Right, um, I'm going to it event and that right um, and go into it. There's not too much more to say around. That, like for people who haven't seen sneak thief or magician's graphology or something like that. Um, essentially you have a number of people uh, draw something or write something down, um, and uh, they're collected in and mixed up into an order, that, so that nobody knows whose is whose, and progressively you reveal which item belongs to which person and essentially, well, in a number of handlings the final item will never be seen. But then you are able to do some kind of drawing duplication for the final business card that you've not seen. Now, that tends to be how I end it. I end up doing a little bit of a drawing duplication, or I just do a verbal reveal. I get them to imagine drawing it again and then I do a verbal reveal. What I also not justification, but a motivation that I have later on is I say so.
Speaker 1:For example, if I'm at a wedding, I will often say now, usually, if you're at a wedding as a guest, you will either know the bride or the groom, or the groom and the groom, whoever it is right, one of the couple better right, it might be Tom, it might be Sarah, we don't know, or maybe it's both of them. But either way, I want you to think of a memory with that person that you could summarize in an image that if you were to show everybody, people would understand what the image is. So I just try and attach it some way to the event that we're at. So I do that, and then what I say is um? Afterwards I say, oh, would you mind if I kept these, because I'd love to give them to the couple as a souvenir, and I do that and I just say, look, we've had some fun today.
Speaker 1:We were drawing some images, we were kind of doing some mind reading, but this is what your friends and family have drawn. You might not understand the context, but it might be fun to look at and I just give them to the groom, the bride and groom or the groom, groom, bride and bride at the end of the event, just so they've got something extra to kind of look through. It's kind of fun, especially when the guests have had a few wines, because they draw terrible things, jamie. But yeah, I mean, for me it's quite a versatile effect in that you can kind of put your own presentational layer on top of what is a fairly sound method, essentially, um, so yeah, that is, uh, I don't know what spot we're on.
Speaker 3:That is my next item that's one of those ones that, uh, it's, it's popping up in a few of these sneak thief um, okay, typically the same versions, um, and I mean there are sort of modern versions. I know deron brown did a version of sneak thief where he actually extended the method even more in his most recent stage show last last year or the year before, which was his opening gambit. So it was the opening routine, which I don't actually think made the tv version. So if you've seen the tv version, I'm afraid you wouldn't have seen this routine. But it uses um, used couples who came up onto the stage, um, but he managed to get more out of that method than in previous versions, which was super, super clever.
Speaker 3:Uh, and I know that andy nyman, in his recent lecture notes, has a wonderful version with phones in a bag, which is just excellent. So yeah, there are some really, really good versions of Sneak Thief. It's a really sound method, it's great. It's one of those tricks that if you have it in your knowledge bank as opposed to like a physical prop bank, it's not something that you have to have in a close-up case. You're right in that you need a couple of business cards and you've got a killer piece of mentalism. Without the need of envelopes or a certain kind of wallet, or there's just nothing that's needed, it's just a couple of cards. Um, and you can do it with more you can. You can upscale it to five people if you already want to do five people, or you know.
Speaker 3:It's just perfect. It's really really, really cool um a great choice hello guys.
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Speaker 3:and that brings us on to your sixth position. So what do you have in your sixth place?
Speaker 1:feel like I need another card trick, jamie. So, uh, but this is with a twist, this is a twist, right? So um, and there's. There's been two effects in my mind since you asked me about coming on that have been kind of neck and neck a little bit around. Who was going to take this spot? So no hard feelings to the one that didn't take the spot. I will mention it, of course.
Speaker 1:But what I've always found plays well is a blank deck finish, and I mean it can be overdone. We've seen that. But I think for me there's two routines or effects. I should say that I have performed with blank deck finishes that have always landed particularly well. Now, I mean, many people probably won't know, but I've spent a number of well, probably three years now probably coming up performing at the Oracle Bar in Liverpool. Now I've not I must admit I don't perform there as frequently as I did do. I've just got lots of other stuff going on and I've also got a full-time job alongside of all of this. So that's fun to try and balance. But these two routines have both been kind of go-tos in that kind of environment where you kind of sat down at a table with guests. It's very relaxed. You know it's kind of a speakeasy vibe, but for me, sat down at a table, these two effects have been kind of perfect for that. So I'll go into the one that I chose and then I'll mention the other one. So the one that I've chosen is actually I believe it's Liam Montier's Big Kick, which is playing on the idea of Gemini Twins, but it's you're getting more out of it because you've got an additional pairing as well going on, and it allows me to get multiple people involved.
Speaker 1:I choose some cards for people and I say, in fact, you get to choose where they go. As we go through the deck, they say where they want those cards to go and they go back into the deck and all three participants are doing this and obviously we spread the deck later to find out how they did. Not only have they found one pair, they found two pairs and they found one pair, they've found two pairs and they've found all three pairs. And I've just got this thing around and usually if we can get one in three, that's considered lucky, and then I kind of go into it, but I kind of blank deck finish at the end when you turn it over and I kind of dribble all the cards on the table and they kind of go everywhere and they're all blank. It just knocks people Because what they've just achieved as a collective is is mind-blowing anyway.
Speaker 1:From a deck of cards they were able to find the partner of the card that they had without looking essentially in what they would consider to be a shuffled deck. But then when you kind of you know, and don't rush that kind of blank deck, finish right, make sure everything stays in view, or people think there's a deck switch potentially, but you know the deck's on the table still, so you know they turn those over. And it's these kind of big moments where they've found the matching cards, letting that play out and then at the end kind of saying you know what. It's even more impressive, considering there were no other cards and you can just dribble them and let them all kind of spread on the table and it's just everyone immediately grabs the cards, like it's just this moment. So for me that kind of goes in there, uh, the the other effect that I mentioned, uh, was an effect called Insta can by Joel Dickinson.
Speaker 1:Um, and don't get me wrong, wrong, it's not the same. In fact it's a very different effect in that it's not a matching effect, it's not where they're trying to find the partner card, um, but it essentially I mean, as the name suggests, it's an, a can, but what you do have at the end is this same feeling, which is, I mean, that's even more impressive that you've. That's the number you chose, given that there are no other cards, and again you get this moment where you can kind of dribble the cards down onto the table. Everything's blank and again everyone tries to grab the card. So those are the two that were head and head, but I'll give it to Liam.
Speaker 3:Yeah well, liam's also got another trick called Casino Kick which is similar in that it uses that same structure of trick but at the end all of the cards are one card, which still works incredibly well. But the first blank trick I remember ever seeing was dean deal's blizzard, and I remember that feeling. It was in davenport's when I was like 16 and that feeling of that seeing the whole deck was blank and that was the only choice was absolutely mind-blowing. But what's really interesting about a blank deck ending is there's two ways that it could go right. So it's either did the deck, was the deck there but it turned blank, or were the cards always blank.
Speaker 1:So that was your only option and decision yeah, and I think that's I think on that point, I mean that kind of summarizes my entire approach to magic. Mine would always be the second one, so I want the participant to go away from that feeling like they achieved the impossible which. I'm not claiming the deck has turned blank. I am showing them that that was even more impressive than you just thought. It was because there were no other cards, so yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a really really good trick. And again, adam's right If you don't do a blank deck ending or a same card ending, then you're really, really missing out because they are phenomenal effects. But that takes us into the tail end of your eight tricks. So we're on number seven. What's in your seventh position?
Speaker 1:adam. Seventh position is the which hand effect. Uh, so again I would say, by now, that's a very broad um bucket, let's say for effects. There are a lot of different approaches to which hand um and I what I will say is, for a long period of time I used flux, so I used um. I think you can say this, an electronic solution. Can I say that it's not.
Speaker 1:You're was fine, it was great, it was fun, and I became a little bit obsessed with it at one point when I was kind of digging into lots of effects and I was trying to develop my own version that I could just do on the fly. If someone said to me can you show me something? And I always loved the idea of saying, yeah, let's play a game and I'm dressing it up as a bit of a game. So you know a game you used to play as a kid you hide something in one of your hands. Someone has to guess where it is, just leaning into it around, this idea of a game. So I actually have my own witch hand routine now, which you? You don't know this, but it's based on. Well, it's based on two things. One thing of yours it's based on, uh, well, it's based on two things. One, one thing of yours it's based on, um, which I'll tell you about in a sec, I'm sure you'll know it, uh. And I think the other thing is based on is scott, uh, something in scott creasy's work. So by by letting you know what of scott creasy's it's based on, you'll probably kind of put two and two together. But scott creasy has got this wonderful idea called structured imagery and it's based on the idea, by knowing one piece of information, we can build these other thoughts or images in somebody's head by leading them down a bit of a track, right. And the thing for you it's based on is your book, the Tracker, which is a wonderful book. So if you've not seen that by Jamie, go and check it out.
Speaker 1:But it's this idea, roughly, that we know some information, right, and as a result, therefore, we can take advantage of that. So just kind of bringing it back to the witch hand routine for me. I don't really want to go too much into the full in and outs of it, but essentially I'm using a thought of number, so people are thinking of a number. In fact, I usually get quite a few people in a group to think of a number. And then I say, okay, I think this will work well with you, and I single somebody out and they essentially have a secret number in mind and they have a folded up business card in their hand and they go behind their back because they've written their number down and essentially, uh, I say, uh, now you're going to hide it in one of two hands.
Speaker 1:But here's the thing I'm going to assign, uh, one of your hands, kind of a kind of feature. So if it's less than 100, less than 50, it's going to go here. More than 50, you'll put it here. If I can read your body language correctly, then I learn a bit of information about your number. So I essentially do this to kind of hone in on the number and I have a few other kind of rounds within there. But yeah, that wouldn't be in existence really without your work on the tracker and Scott Creasy's work, although he's building images off of something. I'm kind of again similar to the tracker, that I'm kind of giving them instructions to do something based on, um, some information that I, in theory, don't know right. So, um, it's kind of a witch hand on its head a little bit, um, and I know that you've got some work on the witch hand within the tracker as well, using things, so um, but yeah, that is uh in. At number I want to say seven, that is I'm sure you've got some stuff to touch, yeah, well, that's.
Speaker 3:It's one of those things that there are lots of witch hand solutions. I know timone kraus has got an excellent book with his thoughts on it, which is a very clean version. Earlier on, you mentioned joel dickinson, who went about it in a different approach with his version, with um, business cards essentially, which is a really clever way around it, and then, yeah, my, so my approach was just to use information, you know, which is. There is other work with, like train tracking and stuff like that, where you have information that you allow people to grow on and you know, all the way back to grey elephants in Denmark. Really, what's the object that you use? Do you use a coin or do you use business cards?
Speaker 1:So I use the business card. They write their number on.
Speaker 3:Nice, perfect.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I say look, you're say, look, you're gonna, uh, well, there's a yeah, there's a few things going on there and I mean I'll probably I'll teach it somewhere at some point.
Speaker 1:Uh, but it's um, yeah, it's something that I I do perform again and again, and if I was um, I also and I'm sure people listening this, listening to this um, if, if I'm working with a two-digit number, you don't have to think too far based on other things that exist in the magic world, which allows you to build more of a routine with this, let's just say so. I don't end by there's another kind of kicker at the end, not with that number, actually, but with somebody else's number who gave an example at the start. So you have this moment where you say part of what I do is about pulling information from people, just like we've done with you, but another part of what I do is pushing information to people without them really knowing. And then I've got this other ending where something else happens, but you have to utilize other things. I'm speaking very cryptically, but I'm sure people will be able to get onto that yeah, no, that sounds great.
Speaker 3:it sounds like you've really squeezed the most that you can out of that, as well as a concept which you know is excellent, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'll just give a shout out, actually, because it was only when I shared this routine with a guy called Luke Morgan, who works at the Oracle, who was the one saying oh, by the way, I've been doing your routine, I've been doing your routine and I've been doing this at the end and I was like why have I not been doing that? So yeah, that's a shout out to Luke.
Speaker 3:Amazing. So that brings us to your last item. Now you said that you had nine, so is there going to be an honorable mention, or are you just going to complete the scrapbook?
Speaker 1:No, funnily enough, I actually nearly had Volition on there by Joel Dickinson, and I know you just briefly mentioned a bit earlier on.
Speaker 1:There are probably a couple of other bits in there, like before I mentioned this last one. So, like Bold Business by Patrick Cuffs, for a long time was my kind of go-to drawing duplication or something. But again, I was combining bold business with other things to make it into more of a routine. But that was up there. But yeah, volition was like. I've performed that for quite a while again and, like you said, he took that kind of idea and kind of spun it on its head. So if anyone's not kind of checked that out, you should. But yeah, on to my final one then. So my final one and this will be no surprise to you, jamie basically is anything using the diabolical principle by Steve Cook. So I'm not sure how openly I can talk about it.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of examples out there of people who have kind of took, took inspiration from steve's thinking around uh, this principle, um, I probably, I can probably name a few of the effects. So I first saw this with, uh, psycho dice, which, um, which was one of the earliest versions. I know that uh came our magic alsoble, which was a four-item version, let's just say that, expanding the Diabolical Principle. But I know in more recent times Andy Nyman's Skulls on a Spike has kind of borrowed. Well, he's utilised the Principle essentially and I know I think Alakazam have also got. Is it just Diabolical? That is with the six.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I think it's Diabolical, v5 or something like that. Yeah, yeah, Diabolical.
Speaker 1:V5. So many versions. But it's because it's such a great principle though, it's fantastic and it's well-layered, it's well thought, I think, for me, and again you already mentioned at the start, for me, and again you already mentioned at the start, but my effect Loki is heavily, heavily in existence because of Steve's work. It just wouldn't be a thing without Steve's work. And I played around with the diabolical principle for a long time, with using the diabolical principle but in invisible ways. And then I had versions with, like poker chips, but I knew gamble had already been done, um, I played around with lego bricks and I knew apparently that's already been done.
Speaker 1:And then I was playing around with like multiple locks and multiple keys, um, and then obviously, um, what we have today is is kind of a more minimal offering, loki, but it's um, it's definitely something that I go out and perform. And what's been really nice is people reaching out to me saying like I'm performing it like all the time now in their gigs and things or their events or just with friends and family. So, yeah, it's lovely having people kind of reach out and say, oh, I've done this, adam, have you tried this? And sharing ideas back to me now, which is lovely. So, yeah, that's in my last spot, but I would probably just, you know, I'd like to expand that to kind of the diabolical principle, if I could. If that's all right, jamie, I know that's kind of bending the rules a little bit.
Speaker 3:No, I think you've mentioned enough there. I mean, for me personally, I've you know, there's lots of, like you just said, there are lots of versions of this and I know that you would never say this, but I do think that your version is the best version that I've seen using the method.
Speaker 1:Thank you, man. That means a lot I think there was I mean, that was what I was battling with for a long time was kind of. I suppose what I was battling with for a long time was kind of I suppose the construction of the effect and how to ensure that the participant has that same feeling pretty much every time, regardless of what happens. Um, yeah, it's really hard to talk about this without not giving things away, isn't it?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah, it's really difficult yeah, no, thank you.
Speaker 1:um yeah, that means though Thank you.
Speaker 3:So it's a great list, nice and diverse, and there's a couple of things there that people can go and check out as well. Certainly, I'll be checking out the Scott Creasy effect myself, but that does bring us on to the two curveball items, because you're only allowed one each of them. So what did you go for? Your book?
Speaker 1:Mate. This was the one where I had the most honourable mentions Because there were so many, so I do need to mention a couple of books here before I mention the one that I would take with me. So two books I want to mention. One is Dear Mr Fantasy by John Bannon, because that was very. It was just.
Speaker 1:I was at an age where it was just very for me that felt like the step up from maybe like beginner and intermediate. It was when I was starting to take card magic a bit more seriously, study card magic more and there's some brilliant effects in there and I remember there's an effect called Dead Reckoning. I just had no idea how it worked until I'd seen like a video of it and I was just like how is that even possible? It was one of the moments again where I just got so giddy and excited when I finally got the book open and read it. But there's some amazing effects in there, still from John Bannon. So Dear Mr fantasy was was I mean I read it in about. I remember my parents got at me one christmas and I read it in about two days, just sat with a deck of cards and just went through cover to cover and then went back through again. Things like um, you know, the origami poker and things like that are in there and there's some amazing things in there. So, believe it or not, that's an honorable mention.
Speaker 1:Um, and then uh, the other book that I want to mention is and this is because it starts to think, gets you to think more on um, how you think about your magic, um, well, and other areas. I would say uh, which is one degree by John Gustafaro. Now, and I was actually surprised when I got to the end of my list that I've not included any John Bannon, any John Gustav Harrow in my list, because I love both of their work. But again, the second book there One Degree, really makes you think about how do you make those marginal gains, how do you make those micro changes to what you're doing to make marginal gains so that over time you can kind of get these, you know, big, big results without the trauma of like big bang change. So if anyone's not checked out either of those books, please do so. But the book I'm going to have to choose and it's not typically a magic book, jamie, so I am breaking your rules. I'm sorry, but it's magic related A Little Happier by Derren Brown, and it is the notes for reassurance. And the reason for this is so. You mentioned Derren's last stage show earlier on and I mentioned the Oracle Bar earlier on. So just before Derren's show came to Liverpool I want to say it was in June 22, maybe something like that Andy Frost at the time was working on Darren's team and he put something out on Instagram, I think.
Speaker 1:I chatted to him a little bit anyway, and he said oh, hey, we're in Liverpool. If any magicians are out, let us know. So me little bit anyway, and he said oh, hey, we're in Liverpool. Have any magicians about, let us know? So me and Andy got chatting and he said oh, like I think, brad, what's his face? Oh, I'm going to get his name wrong now, brad Hodges, I'm butchering his name. Brad is a superb Cardician, though, so if you ever get a chance to see him, he won't perform for you for the longest time, but when he does, your head will fall off.
Speaker 1:Anyway, brad was working on the team as well and Andy said oh, we'd looked at the Oracle and we were going to bob in. So we basically met them one night, andy and Brad, and Tom was the guy working on the show as well with a couple of the magicians from the Oracle. We just met up and like hung out for a bit and then Andy dropped the bombshell on Ben and was like Darren wants to come in to the Oracle. And we were like, okay, that's cool, like playing it cool after his show one night, like playing it cool after his show one night. And so essentially without going all to you know all through the logistics of it, one night after they performed the show, kind of later on in the evening, probably half eleven onwards, andy, brad, tom Darren and his partner came into the Oracle in the and we had like a private room at the back and Ben, who owns the Oracle, asked me, lewis Laval and Terry to perform.
Speaker 1:So we had to do private performances at the table for Darren's table. Sorry, that sounds so weird. They didn't demand us to do private performances, it's just that's what we were doing. It was honestly one of the most weird but fulfilling and fun experiences I've ever had in Magic.
Speaker 1:It's so weird thinking how much I'll be honest, how much Darren and Darren's team and Andy and people like the writers and things like that around Darren, how much I'll be honest probably to say how much Darren and Darren's team and Andy and people like the writers and things like that around Darren how much they've impacted, how a lot of people in the Oracle bar and all the performers in there now think, and probably why half of them do magic.
Speaker 1:So, you know, we just kind of, uh, darren, they were lovely, it was the best audience, because they were like we never got to see magic like this. This is amazing, um, you know, cause we're always busy doing, doing all the other stuff. But, um, at the end, you know, darren was very kind and he offered to kind of do pictures and sign things and the book I had in my bag and he was like, yeah, let got a personalized signed book from deron, which you know it's just it's very special and uh, that that's why that's there, but it's um, if not, you can take, uh, one degree or dear mr fantasy.
Speaker 3:So there you go no, I think it's a great, great choice. I've actually read um happier and a little bit happier as well, um, and both of them are great. So the? For those that don't know, it's basically Darren's self-help book, I guess is the best way to do it to say. And what's really interesting is the book goes about it from a Stoic philosophy, which is what Darren follows. But several years ago there was a release of Darren's deck through Theory 11. And with that there were a limited edition amount that were set out and it was basically a virtual treasure hunt is the only way that I could say. And part of that was like it took you to a virtual bookshop that they had set up. It was very, very elaborate and that was like a Stoic bookshop.
Speaker 3:So all of the titles were from Stoics and stuff like that. So then, reading his book, there are like little influences dotted about here, there and everywhere. So I'm not sure if anyone ever found the answer to it. I certainly didn't. I didn't have a clue what was going on for most of it, but it was very interesting.
Speaker 1:Maybe there never was an answer, Jamie.
Speaker 3:Maybe there never was and maybe that was the answer. The answer was that there was no answer. It's all getting very inception, but yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean kind of story aside, obviously, there's like a personal meaning to that book to me, but like, even just the contents of the book and some of the lessons are in there, I've definitely um learned, I mean not, I mean I'm kind of I've kind of been exposed to some of that way of thinking previously, but but, darren, there was a lot of stuff in there that kind of um solidified my approaches, if you will. So, just to life in general. Um, so, yeah, like that is uh, the book. And now, moving on to the final item, this is such a cop-out, but like, generally. So I don't know what I'm allowed, but, um, I would say, um a picture of my family, because, um, and I don't know if I would, I use it in magic to be, to be fair, my, my wife would probably be happy if she never saw a magic trick again. However, um, uh, my wife and my little boy, um, you know they mean everything to me. So I would say, if I wasn't allowed to have them with me, um, probably a picture of them, that's allowed.
Speaker 1:Um, my little boy's funny now, because he, he has this concept of magic work or computer work. That's what daddy does. He does one of those two things. So I say I'll go to work. He goes. Which one are you doing? Magic work or computer work? Um, yeah, I mean, I think he just keeps picking decks of cards up and throwing them around. So that's his version of magic. Um, maybe he'll learn a thing or two. But yeah, I mean, that's for me, that'd be it. That'd be it. Family through and through, because I mean, as much fun as all of this is, it probably wouldn't be worth doing otherwise.
Speaker 3:So there, you go Nice, I will let you have that. You can take that away with you. I would say you could have probably bent the rules and just taken those with you as the actual people, oh yeah. Those with you as the actual people, oh yeah. But instead you're going to take a picture, so it's fine. But, yeah, that's a great, great choice. Really nice to see your sort of progression through all of these different things as well, and how you got such a nice mix of sort of traditional mentalism, like you know, sneak thief all the way to slightly more modern effects as well. Um, and then, of course, yeah, your your book choice with, with a lovely little story there of you meeting Mr Brown himself. Yes, so what does the future hold for Adam dad's world? Where can we find out more about you, should we want to?
Speaker 1:yeah, uh, so I mean people can. I mean I'm on facebook so people can add me on there. Um, I tend to only have it for magic. That's the only really reason I've got facebook. Um, I am on instagram, but I mean that I tend to put a few shots up of gigs and things like that. I get quite a few inquiries through Instagram. But I've just set up, I took a leap of faith and I've just set up my own independent store as well, so I'll do a very quick plug, if I may, which is deceptive-secretscouk, so I won't say anything else, but it's all in there. I'm starting to put some stuff on there, but, you know, hopefully I'm in chats with a few people about potentially doing other releases and things. I've got stuff upcoming and, yeah, it's an exciting time. I'm happy to be sharing stuff with the community, as long as people want me to share stuff with the community. So, um, yeah, I mean, yeah, drop me a message on facebook if anyone wants to chat through anything.
Speaker 3:um, I'll check that stuff out amazing good job and do do that. Um, do go check out adam's stuff, because there's some really smart stuff. Whether you're into your mentalism or your finger flicking card slights as well, he's got it all well. Thank you so much, adam, for sharing your list. It was a great list, thank you. And, with that being said, thank you all for listening to another episode of desert island tricks, and we will hear from you again next week. Goodbye for now.
Speaker 2:Hi, Peter Nardi here and I really hope you enjoyed that podcast. I just wanted to make you know that Alakazam have their own app. You can download it from the App Store or the Google Play Store. By downloading the app, it will make your shopping experience even slicker. At Alakazam, You'll also get exclusive in-app offers and in-app live streams. So go download it now and we'll see you on the next podcast.