Desert Island Tricks
Episodes are uploaded every Friday and are available via all Podcast service providers!
To find out more about the team behind Desert Island Tricks, please visit: www.alakazam.co.uk
Desert Island Tricks
Stranded with a Stranger: Paul Thomey
Welcome this week's stranded stranger, Paul Tomey as he reveals the tools that never fail him, even on a "Desert Island." Including Craig Petty's versatile Nightshade coin set, Paul's insights will transport you into the communal essence of magic. Listen in as Paul shares the secrets behind his favourite openers and closers, such as Axel Hecklau's chop cup and Martin Lewis's Close-Up Cardiographic, each chosen for their powerful impact and personal significance. This episode is a must for anyone eager to learn what makes a magic performance truly unforgettable.
Whether you're a seasoned magician or just curious, this episode promises to enrich your appreciation for the art of illusion.
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
Thank you for watching. Hello and welcome to another episode of Stranded with a Stranger. This is our midweek episode in between, our main episode where you get to send in your list to us, our main episode where you get to send in your list to us. Now, if you want to be a part of one of these, 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. In the subject line please put my desert island list. That way it comes through to me. I can filter through one of these and get one out for you. So we do have another stranded stranger with us this week. This is Paul Tomey.
Speaker 1:He says I got into magic relatively late by most standards. I was in my early 20s and I've been obsessed ever since. I had great mentors early on and realized within a short period of time that magic is meant to be shared with others. I started sharing my magic with others nearly 30 years ago and it's provided so much joy to myself and, hopefully, others. I've been lucky enough to perform from coast to coast in the US. My focus has always been close up. My list will reflect that. All spoiler alert. But I've also got a parlor show that I've worked hard on and gets good responses. One of the great things about Magic is the community and our ability to meet and session with each other. I've been lucky enough to meet most of my Magic heroes, although new ones seem to appear daily. Currently, if I could sit down with one Magic hero, it would be Pit Hartling, as he's one I've never met except through his wonderful books. Great to meet you, paul, so.
Speaker 1:So I think one thing that we should have done with the podcast is got everyone to mention the age that they got into magic, and maybe we'd get a decent understanding of the general age that everyone got into it, since it does seem to be kind of a mixture of different ages. It's either really young or a little bit later in life. So yeah, who knows? But let's get onto paul's list. So he's actually given us a couple of little honorable mentions. So his honorable mentions are sherlock by pitt hartling and the comedy confabulation by cody fisher. So maybe that will give us an insight into the tricks that he's chosen, or maybe it won't. We'll have a look. We'll see what's what's in a position number one.
Speaker 1:So let's see what Paul's list consists of in position number one, he's got the nightshade coin set by Craig Petty. He says this is a great set and it's become part of my everyday carry. I like many of the effects possible, but if I had to narrow it down to just one it would be the coins across the david roth method, but with only three coins. It's been my go to opener since I first learned the effect in the 1990s. I always begin each walk around show with it as the first at the first table, as it calms my nerves and gets a great response. Great choice. The Nightshade coin set is such a wonderful coin set and I guess that's a great opener because it must focus everyone's attention in on what you're doing. So a great choice.
Speaker 1:And it does bring us to number two, which is a deck of cards. Now I wonder if Paul's done it. I wonder if he knows what's about to happen. He says if I do one trick with it, ah, there we go. If I could only do one trick with the deck of cards, it would be a two-person transpo effect. It's always my second effect when I begin a show. This, combined with coins across, is a strong beginning for me and it sets the tone for the rest of the show. The transpo effect I do is based on a routine that paul green published in his nothing up my green sleeves notes. Great choice. Yeah, two card transpo effects are always wonderful and that's one that I've not come across, so I may I may have to try and find some of those notes and add that to my collection and see, uh, what that routine is. So thank you for that, paul.
Speaker 1:At number three, the monocosis by duane tamariz. I perform it with the Aronson stack. This is, hands down, one of the strongest effects I know. The spectator names a card and they find it themselves. Or it just jumps out the deck, or it turns invisible, or it can go in many other directions. It's the ultimate jazzing effect. Great choice.
Speaker 1:I wonder if everyone has a jazzing effect, like an effect where it's one method but you can achieve loads out of it. So maybe you're jumping from table to table. You only need to know that method, but each table will feel like a completely different trick. I wonder if everyone has one of them. But number four a chop cup, just a cup, by axel hecklau. This is my closer at many tables. I love this method above most others because it's so clean and you don't have to bang the cup on the table. You know what I think chop cup and and cups and balls has to be in the top 10 overall at this point, along with the thumbtip, because they're just used so often by so many people. And of course, there are some really clever methods, like Craig Petty's. Chop is a really clever method to achieve a chop cup but using, you know, a standard cup essentially. And Axel Heckler is always so clever. I always remember seeing his cap through bottle and you know being absolutely dumbfounded by it because it's so clever. He's such a clever cookie. So, yeah, great choice.
Speaker 1:And it does bring us to number five, which is Close-Up Cardiographic by Martin Lewis. When their selected card rises out of a drawing you made, it gets a very loud reaction. It's the ultimate animation effect. My presentation is based on my son, so it's a very personal effect for me. Oh, I wonder what that presentation is. That's great. Uh, yeah, it's a great trick. Any animation tricks we've spoken about it on the podcast before they just always catch people off guard. They're always so different, so unique, quite often something that an audience hasn't seen. And we do have slightly more modern versions, I guess, like roddy mcgee's little door, is sort of a picture animation, but the cardiographic now that it comes in so many different versions there's like a business card version, close up parlor stage. It's just an incredible trick and handing that picture back to them as a souvenir really is something they'll keep hold on. So it's a great, great choice.
Speaker 1:And it brings us to number six, which is the color changing knives, based on whip pop hayden's method. But my presentation is completely different. This is a nice piece with great visuals and audience interaction. I generally perform it as an opener and like that. It is modular, great choice. And I'm guessing quite a few of us have a hot rod style effect or a paddle effect, I should say. And color changing knives, you know, is the is the original really. Really it's the one that really popularized this kind of routine and I would say that the majority of the props that we have nowadays that aren't knives still sort of use the original routine with the color changing knives. So it's a great choice and does bring us into the tail end of your eight pull, with number seven being ring on string.
Speaker 1:This is my everyday carry and I think my hook is pretty good. My routine ends with the spectator performing the effect themselves and completely in their hands. It's always great when you can end an effect in the spectator's hands, and especially if you can transfer the magic to them. What a great point. And that's always good with younger folk as well, especially if you're transfer the magic to them. What a great point. And that's always good with younger folk as well. Especially if you're at a wedding or, you know, in a restaurant and there's a young person on the table, it's great to have them stand up and perform the magic to everyone else. It's a really lovely moment. And it does bring us to number eight.
Speaker 1:So if you're playing, what has paul put in his last position, based on what he's already done? So we've got the nightshade coin set, we've got a transpo trick with the deck of cards, we've got the monocosis chop cup, cardiographic color, changing knives and ring on string. So what do you think he's put in there? I think it's going to be a visual one, because all of his tricks so far have been quite visual. So he's put in number eight rubber bands.
Speaker 1:I've been wanting to add a good rubber band routine to my walk around set for a long time. I've worked out a few phases and performed bits of it to spectators in the past, but not a whole routine that I'm yet satisfied with. Maybe now I'm stranded on a desert island, I can finally finish it and have it ready when I get rescued. Yep, great choice. It's one of those props that it's always good to have them on you. They fit around your wrist, they take up really no room. You can do loads with it. They're super visual. You can put them in the hands of the spectator and do you know? Interactive tricks where they are holding the band as it gets penetrated. It's just, they're just such a versatile tool and there's so many different things you can do with them nowadays. So that's a great end to your list.
Speaker 1:Now this takes us onto your two curveball items your book and your non-magic item. Now, paul has given us some honorable mention books, so maybe this can help us work out what his selection is. So his honorable mentions are the Secret Ways of Al Baker by the Miracle Factory and In Order to Amaze by Pitt Hartling. So, based on those, what do you think is in his book position? So he's gone for Fector, the Magic of Eddie Fector by Jerry Mensah. This is one of my all-time favourite books. It is my favourite kind of book that includes both great effects and history. Great. I do not have that one in my collection, so maybe, paul, I'm going to have to get those notes you mentioned earlier and I'm going to have to get this one for my collection as well. Great choice. And it does bring us onto the curveball curveball item. Um, and what's good is we've not had this one yet. I don't think so. I I like it very much.
Speaker 1:He's put mini altoids. This would keep my breath fresh, and when I finish the mints, I could use the tin for Toy Box by Jonathan Cam. A great choice. And I guess that's food. You know, if there's 30 mints in that tin, that's one mint a day. That's keeping you alive for a whole month. You may have to go fishing as well, but we'll go with it.
Speaker 1:A great choice and a really nice list. Lots of visual magic in there. So thank you, paul. Now, of course, paul is no longer a stranger. Lots of visual magic in there. So thank you, paul. Now, of course, paul is no longer a stranger. We know everything we need to know about him. But if you would like to have your list read out again. Please send in your list, plus your book and your non magic item, as well as a little bio, to sales at Alakazamcouk. So we'll see you this week with another episode of the main podcast. We've got some great guests coming up. We've got another video, one that we're actually recording in a few weeks time, so I'll let you speculate who that is. But for now, I hope you're all having a wonderful week and we'll see you this Friday. Goodbye for now.
Speaker 2:When I perform at gigs, I look at effects that tick these three boxes. Is it super strong and powerful? Yes, will it last with your spectators for a lifetime? Absolutely, and does it leave them with a souvenir that perfectly captures the moment of magic? If that all sounds exactly what you're after, look no further than the liquid forks. These forks have been custom designed to be able to bend right in front of your spectator's eyes. It's so easy to perform, it's so visual and, trust me, they will honestly keep this impossible object because they've seen it morph in front of their eyes. It literally does the impossible.
Speaker 2:Not only that liquid forks comes with 50 of these forks in each pack and it comes with the full liquid forks routine taught by the world famous david penn. Not only that, we have a subscription service. If you guys love these forks and you get through them at your gigs, we now offer a monthly subscription where you get sent a box through every single month at a 10% reduced fee. Like I said, you guys are going to be loving these. You're going to be performing them every chance. You can Trust me, the reactions are second to none. So, guys, head over to alakazamcouk, pick up a set of liquid forks. You will not regret it. Easy to do, leaves them with a killer souvenir. And, to be honest with you, it's not cards, it's not coins, it's not mentalism, it's something beyond belief. Check out now, guys, the liquid forks.