Desert Island Tricks

Stranded with a Stranger: Ray Eden

• Alakazam Magic • Season 1 • Episode 22

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Today’s Stranded Stranger is Ray Eden, the charismatic magician whose career has traversed continents and captivated audiences of all ages. From being inspired by a fair magician in his youth to performing daring acts like Russian roulette with a snake, Ray's story is as enchanting as his craft. Discover how Ray's foundational training with legendary magicians in New York City led to electrifying performances on Finnish television and a fulfilling role bringing joy to senior communities in Florida. As he co-chairs the Florida Magic History and Collectors Conference, Ray continues to inspire and contribute to the vibrant magic community. 

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on some of the most innovative magic routines and effects that have shaped Ray's illustrious career. We explore his creative takes on classics like Three Card Monty. From modern technology breathing new life into traditional routines to the meditative art of the Dancing Cane, every discussion is infused with Ray's contagious passion for magic. Whether you're a seasoned magician or just beginning to explore the art, this episode promises to inspire.

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Speaker 1:

Thank you, hello, and welcome to another episode of Stranded with a Stranger. Now, we haven't had one of these in a little while. That's purely because we haven't had many lists sent in, but because of Blackpool we've had a huge insurge and we did keep a couple behind just so that we can have a little flurry of them. So we should have some of these in the coming weeks. Now, if you've sent yours in, thank you so much, and if you haven't yet sent yours in, then get them in. The more lists we have, the more episodes we can record. So today's Stranger with a Stranger is Ray Edom. Now Ray sent us in a little bio about him.

Speaker 1:

He says I'm an American currently living in the sunshine state of Florida, but I spent 22 years living in Finland, where I appeared on several TV shows as well as producing my own shows, including a dinner theatre illusion show that ran over a two-year period in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki. I'd been making magic since I was 14, and it all started with a visit to Wayne County Library in Worcester, ohio. Not sure if I should be ashamed or not, but I never returned those books to the library as I found the secrets were too important and needed to be protected from the common man. I'm afraid I'm still a bit of a magic elitist, as I believe that people wanting to enter the art need to be given new information sparingly and according to their level of interest and dedication to the art. This has become an even bigger debate with the prolification of magic secrets being uploaded to the internet on a daily basis. Unlike most magicians, I don't have a vivid memory of being gifted a magic kit as a child. My earliest magical memory is from the Ashland Ohio County Fair where I saw a magician transform a girl into a tiger. I was around four years old at the time and it's the only memory from that age I still have. I've tried to track down who the magician was, but so far no luck.

Speaker 1:

My training took a huge step forward when I moved to New York City in 1990. My mentor was Wesley James and I got advice from people like Harry Lorraine, david Regal, david Roth, among many others. I started doing street magic in Central Park by the zoo entrance. I really developed my style and ability to hold a crowd and make money during that period From the street. I started doing table-to-table magic at the celebrity-frequented restaurant Le Beurre Bat on 54th Street, as well as a restaurant in New Jersey called Old Mill Inn. It was also during this time that I started working at New York City comedy clubs. Those New York days were the real formation for my magic and who I am today.

Speaker 1:

In 1998, I moved to Scandinavia, more precisely Finland. Within a year of arriving, I started appearing on Finnish television. I was eventually given a weekly segment on a program that ran for two seasons. My TV appearances included everything from close up to playing Russian roulette with a venomous snake oh my word.

Speaker 1:

I moved back to the United States in January of 2020, just in time for the big flu. Once things opened again, I started focusing on performing for senior communities, which are numerous in Florida. I love doing senior communities because they are quite like ticketed shows. The people who come to the show want to be at the show and they are always appreciative. Senior communities seem to bring in mostly musicians and singers, so a magic show is always welcome because it's different from the normal entertainment fair that the residents are offered. I won't become a millionaire performing for senior communities, but it does allow me to share my magic while giving back something to those who have come before us.

Speaker 1:

Since returning to the States, I have become involved with the local magic clubs and befriended many Floridian magicians. I'm currently writing my lecture that I'll be doing for a few of the local clubs and beyond once finished. I'm particularly excited to be co-chairing the Florida Magic History and Collectors Conference with Dan Sheppleton. The conference is held in Orlando, florida. October 2025 will be the fifth year for the conference and my first year as co-chair, although I have attended all but the first conference, as I was still living in Scandinavia at the time of the first one. Wow, there's a lot to go through there.

Speaker 1:

It sounds like you've had an absolutely incredible career and being on Finnish TV sounds amazing. And just going back to your first memory, you said that that was the first memory you can remember of being four years old, which just shows an impact that that must have had on you. But let's see if we can use this podcast to try and track down that magician. So if you know someone who was at the ashland ohio county fair goodness knows how many years ago, but a certain number of years ago, if you ever performed there, or know someone who did perform there, maybe you can get in contact and we can finally find out who it is. And you also mentioned some of the people that you learned from Harry Lorraine, david Regal, david Ruff, amazing groups of people and developing your style as a street magician. Wow, it just sounds like you've had an incredible career, one that I'm sure many people wish they could have. So let's see what Ray's effects are. Do we think there's going to be some street style tricks on there? Do we think it's going to be sort of organic? Where do we think it's going to go? Let's have a look.

Speaker 1:

So in Ray's first position he's put Keymaster by Craig Petty. He says Keymaster is the perfect everyday carry. I've had Jay Senkis Holy Moly for a long time, but it stayed in my junk drawer because washers are a strange thing to carry around in my pocket. Craig's innovation in moving from washers to keys is the perfect organic solution to an already great premise. Keys belong in your pocket and have a hole. This effect has an enormous impact on spectators as it happens in their own hands, and has a similar effect to sponge balls, without the stigma of little red clown noses. Yep, great. So we've gone in with a nice organic prop there. And you're absolutely right. Holy moly by jay sankey is a superb piece of magic that does happen in the hands of the spectators. But I totally understand that maybe carrying around washers is not quite as organic as a key. So absolutely great choice. It's a great, great trick and leads us to number two. Ray has put Rubik's Cube routine in number two. He says my cube routine is my show closer right before the finale. The routine is a mix of matching the cube in the bottle and the solution.

Speaker 1:

The piece is more about the story than anything else. As someone who learned to solve the cube as a kid in the 70s, the cube is a natural piece of magic for me. My script entails the story of when I left for college at the age of 17. Before leaving, I asked my mother to mix the cube one last time and the cube has remained in that condition since that day. In fact, I had the cube placed into a bottle to prevent anyone from being able to change the cube in any way. Another cube is given to a few members of the audience who are invited to mix the cube, which is eventually shown to match the cube mixed by my mother several decades ago. I then move into a philosophical idea of the mixed cube being representative of a life, every twist and turn creating the person that we are today. As a closer to the piece, I talk about the idea that some people believe that when we pass from this life, we will enter a realm of perfection. As this idea is being expressed, I use the solution to restore the cube. The routine has served me well for a couple of years now and it invokes more emotion than I'd ever think I could get from a cube.

Speaker 1:

On a side note, a few months ago I did a show that happened to coincide with my mother's birthday. I stopped the show and called my mother and the audience sang happy birthday to her. I then asked her if she remembered mixing the cube for me before I left for college. She confirmed the mixing and gave the routine even more impact. I'm thinking that maybe my mother's birthday should happen every show. Wow, that's great. It sounds like an absolutely wonderful piece of performance and I use that as a very specific representation of what that sounds like. That sounds like, again, a mini piece of theatre. It sounds like a mini story that the audience can get lost in. And the fact that you called your mum up on her birthday yeah, that's a great moment. It does feel like something that you know. Manufacture is probably the wrong word, but if you could make that happen every time, I bet it would just be a lovely moment for every audience who comes in. And this brings us to number three and Ray's, put Mapped by Michael Lea.

Speaker 1:

This is my opening. I tend to like a soft opener over a big flashy quickie. Before my show I spend time chatting with the people and ask where they're from. In Florida, very few people are actually native Floridians, so there are people from all over the states in the communities, many coming from states in which I've lived over the years, which creates a connection with the audience even before the show begins. This pre-show allows me to get to know the spectators a little bit, but leads naturally into my opening effect Mapped. The effect is a torn and restored premise, except the pieces are already how should I say it? In pieces, since I've lived in quite a few of these places, both in the States and abroad. I give a brief history of my magic life from birth to present, as I slowly add piece after piece of the map. The routine concludes with the line which brings us to today, where I'm together with you, upon the word together, the map is restored to one piece. The ending never fails to bring gasps and applause, as the moment of magic is completely unexpected and the effect sets the mood for my show.

Speaker 1:

That sounds like such a wonderful routine. It's one that I've not heard of, so I will research this because it sounds like a wonderful piece of magic and I'm learning so far through the tricks that you're talking about specifically the Rubik's Cube one and this one that you like to put a little bit of yourself in the routines and represent your personality and your history and your past into your magic, which is great. I think it sounds absolutely wonderful and it does bring us to number four, which is the linking rings. He says I'm old school so I'm of the mind that every magician should have a working knowledge of the cups and balls and the linking rings. Being a stage performer, the linking Rings is my classic of choice.

Speaker 1:

I've worked several routines over the years, most based on Di Vernon's Symphony of the Rings. I'm currently using my version of Pop Hayden's Four Ring routine. Nearly all the magic I perform gives the power of the magician over to the participants, with me only being the facilitator for the magic. Pop's routine fits perfectly for my character as the participant is seen by the magician to have the power wow. So we've gone from relatively modern pieces of magic you know, key master only released within the past few years rubik's cube routine. Rubik's cube magic has had sort of the the big birth over the past 10 years and mapped, and now we've gone to linking rings. So that's a really interesting choice in there and I know that you mentioned that's your classic of choice.

Speaker 1:

I wonder if we've all got a classic of choice. I wonder if each of us just has that one routine that throughout magic it just gripped us and took us. Well, that brings us to number five, which is LSD Aces by Wesley James. Wesley James was my mentor during my New York City years during the 90s. He taught me his Ace Collect's routine called LSD Aces, and it's been my go-to collector's routine for over 30 years, partially because I wanted to help keep the routine alive, along with the fact that it is sincerely my favorite version of this particular card plot. I've added my own touches to the routine that also make it my favorite version. I've added my own touches to the routine that also make it my favorite version.

Speaker 1:

The thing I like about this routine is that each ace changes places with a known card. The twist is that instead of all the aces arriving in the leader ace packet, like most routines of this type, all of the aces arrive unexpectedly in the packet of the last ace to travel, and the leader ace packet contains four indifferent cards. Wow, again, it sounds like a wonderful routine. It's not one that I think I've come across. I love that you're sort of passing that down as well from your mentor. I think that's really a lovely thing to be able to do, and it does bring us to number six.

Speaker 1:

So in the six spots we've got Three by Steve Valentine. Three is Steve Valentine's handling of Three Card Monty. The routine is full of surprises along the way and very cleverly choreographed and routined. It takes the con game and turns it into a full-length routine that can be broken up into segments, which makes it perfect for table hopping or walk-around situations. The presentation is that of an initiation into the three-card club. That explains why no one should play the game, because wherever you choose, you lose. Although blue-backed cards are used throughout the routine, the finale is that the money card transform into a red backed card with a huge x drawn across the back of it. Great. It sounds like another great version of three card monty and I really like the idea of that finale. The finale sounds like it would really catch people off guard and anyone that's performed a three card Monty routine knows how engaging and how much audiences enjoy them. So this does bring us to the tail end of your eight with number seven, which is balls in the net.

Speaker 1:

In my early twenties I purchased David Roth's three ball routine. I was never quite able to pick the knack for the sleight of hand required. Nearly 25 years later I revisited the routine and this time everything was suddenly easy and the routine went directly into my act. With the advent of cameras and screens for presenting close-up magic for larger venues, the balls in the Net is a natural fit for me. I explained to the audience that before the advent of cameras and screens, a magician named Silent Mora came up with an idea to present close up magic for large groups without the modern conveniencies that we have today. I like the effect because not a lot of people do it and it's loaded with magic with a huge surprise finish. Another little bit of trivia regarding Balls in the Net is that Silent Mora's mentor, john Lawrence McKissock was one of the founding members of the city that I currently live in, and the West Palm Beach IBM ring is named in his honour.

Speaker 1:

Everything's a three-dimensional circle or a ball. Everything's a three-dimensional circle or a ball. Sounds like another wonderful routine, another one that I haven't come across before, but it sounds like a really wonderful piece of magic, and I love that you've got these little nuggets of information in there as well. So if anyone wants to go and research these, of course go and look them up with all of this information. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find. And it does lead us to number eight, which is the dancing cane.

Speaker 1:

On a recent episode of Stranded, your guest expressed his hatred of the dancing cane. I can almost agree with him, almost. In my opinion, too many cane workers spend far too long with the cane. If a routine is over 20-30 seconds long, it's too long. When it comes right down to it, 15 seconds is plenty. I've only performed the dancing cane a couple of times over my career, but it's something that I completely enjoy doing. I don't necessarily believe that the dancing cane fools an audience, especially when people are trying to pull two to three minutes out of it, but I find it calming and meditative to practice. So if stranded on an island, I hope to find myself on the island where your guest had buried every cane in existence. I hope to find myself on the island where your guest had buried every cane in existence. And if I do end up on the island, I would put an appearing shovel as my number eight instead of the cane, so I'll be able to dig up all of those buried canes. Wow, great. Yeah, I think we had someone on the last season, chris Harding, say that he finds it quite meditative to learn the dancing cane and whilst he might never perform it, he just really enjoys practicing it. So that's a great list.

Speaker 1:

Let's go back through it. So we've got key master, we've got rubik's cube routine mapped, linking rings, lsd aces, three by steve, valentine balls in the Net and we're ending with the Dancing Cane. A really nice mix of close-up pieces, sort of more conversational pieces, and parlour and stage pieces there as well, and it does bring us to your two curveball items. Now, this list was sent in before we had the Banishment, so we've only got two things here. So in his book position he's put Paul Gordon's Gold Dust, my go-to card routine features my handling of two of Paul Gordon's effects, namely Diminishing Not Likely and Killer Mystery Card. Lsd Aces is sandwiched in between these two effects, so I would have my deck of cards with me.

Speaker 1:

I have five of Paul's books Cold Dust, gold Dust, companion, gold Dust Finale, quid Nunc and Article 52 but I haven't set aside the time to read them cover to cover, so I'd start with Gold Dust. There's plenty to keep me busy in the book, and Corner of Piccadilly is in there too, isn't it? Yeah, paul has created some really wonderful tricks over the years. Corner of Piccadilly, of course, he's really well known for, but equally, head to Head Poker is one of my favourites Muldoon Match, easy Ace Estimation. He's got some really wonderful tricks, so I can understand why one of his books made your list. I can understand why one of his books made your list.

Speaker 1:

Now, ray's non-magic item is a guitar. I've been threatening to learn to play the guitar for years. Between making magic and meditation with my dancing cane, I would start learning those chords and maybe, after another decade, be able to bang out a tune or two. Maybe in two decades I'll become another John Guastafaro and write some accompanying music for my magic, a great choice.

Speaker 1:

We do have lots of people that say music or an instrument, and I think it's just such a fundamental part of not just our culture and our lives, but also our art form. Lots of people use music. So thank you so much, so much, ray, for writing that, and it really does sound like you've had an amazing career, and it sounds like your list is really diverse. So thank you again. Now, if you want to send in your list, make sure you send it to sales at alakazamcouk. Include a bio as well as your atrix, and don't forget, you can put in a banishment now as well. So, ray eden, you are a stranger, no more. We'll be back next week with a stranded, with a stranger and, of course, desert island tricks. We'll see you then.

Speaker 2:

Bye-bye 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 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.

Speaker 1:

Check out now, guys, the liquid forks.