Desert Island Tricks
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Desert Island Tricks
Stranded with a Stranger: Jason Christopher
This week on Stranded with a Stranger, we bring you an extraordinary guest, Jason Christopher, a magician with over 40 years of experience. Known by many illustrious titles such as 'The Purveyor of Prestidigitation' and 'The Lithuanian Illusionist', Jason shares his secrets to mesmerising crowds with his unique blend of magic, mind reading, hypnosis, and comedy. From the classic "Card Under Glass" to timeless effects like "Cups and Balls," Jason unveils his top eight magic tricks, offering valuable insights that both magic enthusiasts and aspiring performers won't want to miss.
Discover the meticulous thought and experience that go into selecting tricks that stand the test of time. Learn why "Crazy Man's Handcuffs" has been a staple in restaurant magic for decades and how "Confabulation" offers a personalised touch that leaves audiences spellbound. Jason also shares his approach to marketing himself with a variety of titles, making him a versatile entertainer for any event. Tune in for a rare and fascinating glimpse into the mind of a seasoned magician, and take away practical tips that can elevate your own performances to new heights.
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
Thank you for watching. Hello and welcome to this week's Stranded with a Stranger. This is our mid-episode episode, so these go out on a Monday and, of course, the normal Desert Island Tricks goes out on a Friday. Now this is your opportunity to send in your list to us, and we really do love hearing your list. It's really interesting to see what magicians are really performing day to day around the world. So if you want to be a part of this, then please send in your list of eight tricks, one book and one non-magic item that you use for magic to sales at alakazamcouk. Now make sure you send in a little bit about you and also why you have chosen those tricks, and then we can get you onto one of these episodes. With that being said, today we have a new stranger who is stranded with us. His name is Jason Christopher. Now Jason has given us a little bit about him to begin with. So Jason says my name is Jason Christopher.
Speaker 1:I've been a magician for the past four decades. I'm a certified hypnotist and motivational speaker specializing in customized presentation for my clients. I'm also known as the purveyor of prestidigitation, the sultan of sleight of hand, the minister of magic, the Lithuanian illusionist and the duke of deception. I have developed one of the most talked about presentations in the country, combining messages with magic, mind reading, hypnosis and comedy to create a unique and memorable experience for my clients. Great, wow, what a huge different ways of introducing yourself. That's really interesting. I guess that's a really interesting way to market yourself to different groups of people, potentially as well by having different titles.
Speaker 1:So let's get into Jason's eight tricks. In number one, he's put card under glass. Come on, their card goes under their glass or card box or cell phone, not once, not twice, but seven times. I have a few alternate endings that also use. That I also use, depending on the circumstance. If I'm handing a deck of cards, this is normally the one trick I'll go to Great. So we've realized the rules at this point. Everyone we know that if that was just a normal deck of cards, I would have put you to a routine, but that's really good that you've put that, because I always thought about maybe, maybe in the future we can do this where we restrict our guests guests to certain items. Uh, so maybe one of the options is that it's all impromptu tricks. So what, what would your eight tricks be if it had to be impromptu or impromptu feeling. Yeah, so card under glass. I think we've had it on the main podcast before, but for good reason. It's one of those really impactful tricks that really does highlight people's perception and where they're looking in misdirection, it almost has a really tangible hook line there, something that people can really invest in. So that's a really really cool trick in your first position. So number two Jason has put cups and balls at Williamson hard to top and can be done totally impromptu with bar shakers and olives, styrofoam cups and paper napkins, etc. Absolutely. Again, it's a classic of magic. It's going to be around for forever and there are so many versions of it now it really can cater to any environment and any situation. So it's a wonderful choice.
Speaker 1:And number three Jason's book Crazy Man's Handcuffs. He says I've performed in restaurants probably 35 out of my 40 years in magic and this is the one trick people will bring their friends back to see Great. It's one that I Don't think we've had as many of as I thought we would, because it does feel like a magician's staple. It's one of the ones that I think a lot of us learn early on, but it's because it's such an impactful trick. It just looks incredible, and to think that you can get so much out of two elastic bands is phenomenal. I know that Crazy Sam's handcuffs came out last year, which is a really interesting take on it as well. Do check that out. But yeah, crazy Man's handcuffs is wonderful.
Speaker 1:And that brings us to Jason's fourth item, which is Confabulation. He says the epitome of predictions. In my opinion, to be able to completely customize it for your client or holiday is unmatched. My prediction is sealed in a completely sealed envelope inside a client or holiday is unmatched. My prediction is sealed in a completely sealed envelope inside a zipped compartment in my wallet. Yeah, again, confabulation is one of those routines that I know a lot of mentalists do. I've certainly done many versions of it over the years because it has such a wonderful impact, jason.
Speaker 1:So let's go to number five, which is linking rings. This really is the only linking ring routine that I've ever done. Hayden's routine is full of comedy and audience participation. It plays big and I need a time killer in my act in my younger days. This fits the bill perfectly. Again, linking rings. What I love about Jason's list is it really is full of the classics of magic. You know we've got card under glass, crazy man's handcuffs, cups and balls, confabulation and now linking rings, which makes me think. Can you guys at this point guess what you think is coming up? If we have this list so far, what do you think Jason's next one's going to be? Well, I'm going to tell you so.
Speaker 1:Number six is the bill switch. A thumbtip and a bill and you're ready for some good comedy. One hundred dollars to $1. Or a moment of amazement when out to dinner and the bill is $80, but you only have a $1. But that's OK. Watch Changes it to $100 and you tell them to keep the change. Boom, great, another wonderful choice. I know that Harry at the shop shop is a really, really big fan of the bill switch. Um, and again for good reason. It's just a wonderful opener. A lot of people use it as um and it's. I know that um. Etienne pradier has a great trick which I think is called bureau, to change um and that's a really wonderful take on the bill switch. And listen back to richard young's episode, where I think we talk about a version of that as well um. So this brings us on to jason seventh.
Speaker 1:So we're in his last two items and he has put the coin bend and he's referenced john t sheets says the look of pure astonishment when their signed coin visibly bends is a showstopper. I feature it on my close-up magic demo reel. Absolutely anyone that's done a coin bend will know the impact of it. Obviously, I would argue that the most popular one out there nowadays is Coinvexed by David Penn penn, but I know that there have been many versions. Some people obviously just have the coin pre-prepared, so to speak, and then ring it in when they need to, which, again, is still a wonderful, wonderful method. It's a great, great choice, and definitely if you've never done coin bending, even though it's becoming more and more difficult to find coins, I know a lot of performers are having to take coins with them now to gigs and to events.
Speaker 1:But with that being said, let's find out what's in Jason's last spot. So have you guys guessed what you think the last one is? It's kind of a classic, but sort of a different version of the classic. It involves sponge but there are animals involved. This is Sponge Rabbits, he says a classic in the hands effect. It's hard to top when the magic happens in the spectator's hand. Excellent choice.
Speaker 1:Now I actually recorded an episode four days ago, which will be coming out over the coming weeks, with a certain mythical creature who resides in Las Vegas, and this may feature on that list. So listen out for that one, without giving too many spoilers. But what a great choice of tricks Jason Card, under glass cups and balls, crazy man's handcuffs, confabulation linking rings, bill switch, coin bend and sponge rabbits. And this leads us onto Jason's curveball items. Of course, he's had eight of everything else, but now he can only have one of each. So let's find out what he's put.
Speaker 1:In his book position. He says the Mark Wilson complete course in magic, the one that started it all for him. Now, that's a great choice, and it's one of those things that when we all grow up. For me, it wasn't a magic book that got me involved in magic, it was magic sets, but those magic sets are so poignant for me now, so having that book must be such a really lovely thing to be able to look back to.
Speaker 1:And this does bring us on to Jason's non-magic item a customized knife with a handle from 1911 that was created by electrifying wood. That makes each knife unique and a showpiece. Wow, that makes each knife unique and a showpiece. Wow, that's a really cool item. Now, I'd be really worried about losing that, though, and that's the only problem, because it's such a unique item. But excellent, excellent choice. Thank you so much, jason, for sending that in. Now, remember, if you want your list read out, please send it in to sales at alakazamcouk With the subject line my desert island list. That means it comes through to me, I can read through them and I can get one of these out for you. With that being said, jason, christopher, you are a stranger, no more. And with that being said, we will see you all this Friday for the main episode of Desert Island Tricks, but for now, goodbye. Have a good week.
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