Desert Island Tricks
Each week we invite one of the biggest guests in the world of magic to maroon themselves on a desert island. They are allowed to take with them 8 tricks, 1 book, 1 banishment and 1 non magic item that they use for magic! We discuss their 'can't live without' lists and why those items were chosen.
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
Mark Bennett
Step behind the curtain with Mark Bennett, the brilliantly funny owner of Smoke and Mirrors Comedy and Magic Theatre Pub in Bristol, as he reveals the eight magic effects that would accompany him to a desert island.
Mark's journey through magic is fascinating, from nightclub performer to magic bar pioneer to successful creator of commercial effects used by magicians worldwide. With his signature wit and decades of performing experience, he shares why the humble double-backer has "bought him three pubs," and how his wildly popular "Get Smarty" evolved from noticing Smarties packages had changed shape.
What makes this episode particularly special is Mark's candid discussion about comedy in magic. His "Leave it to Beaver” demonstrates his masterful approach to adult humour, balancing cheeky innuendo with genuine magical moments in a way that has audiences laughing before they realise they perhaps shouldn't have. Similarly, his stories about his mind-reading goose named Dave showcase how character work can elevate a standard routine into something uniquely memorable.
Throughout our conversation, Mark reveals the psychological principles that make his magic so effective. Whether explaining why his three-ball sponge routine still gets reactions from people who've seen sponge ball tricks before, or sharing his philosophy on making spectators the stars of his shows, his insights offer valuable lessons for performers of all types.
Perhaps most refreshing is Mark's commitment to practical, workable magic. Every effect in his list has been battle-tested through thousands of performances at his venue. From his controversial decision to banish four-card routines to his gleeful description of "exposing" how sponge ball magic works (while actually misdirecting his audiences), Mark demonstrates why he's not just a venue owner but a respected creator and performer in his own right.
Discover why Mark's approach to magic has made Smoke and Mirrors a must-visit destination for magic fans and performers alike. Whether you're a magician seeking practical performance advice or simply curious about the mind behind some of magic's most commercial routines, this episode delivers entertainment and insights in equal measure.
Mark’s Desert Island Tricks:
- Double Backer
- Get Smarty
- Que the Magic
- Peek - Blindz / Tele-thought
- Sponge Balls
- Leave it to Beaver
- The Queens Nose
- Mind Reading Goose
Banishment. Four Card Routines
Book. Aspen Bar Magic by Michael Ammar
Item. Smarties
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
Before today's episode, I thought I'd just warn you that today we do get into some naughty territory. That means that we have some slightly more adult themes and some language, so if you're one of our younger listeners, this may not be advisable for you and everyone else who have been warned. It's a great episode and I know you're going to love it. Mark is incredibly, incredibly funny. So let's get into today's episode is incredibly, incredibly funny.
Speaker 2:So let's get into today's episode. No word of a lie. I bought a kid's trick and I don't know who it was. So if anybody's listening and does know and remember a kid's trick with a toy beaver in the back and I don't know why I bought it, I don't know why I bought it and you know, I just got it in and I was like, yeah, I don't know, like this kind of stuff. And then just right in the back of the book it just said this could also be used as an adult bit if you wanted wink, wink, and then left it as that. And I was in Manchester and I got the beaver out. Now you can. Actually it's signed, but before it wasn't signed.
Speaker 2:But all the words and the gags and the bits and bobs just came working with it each night and an audience member saying something in the background and you go thanks so much. Oh, bit far. No, no, we're going to do that and it's all very carry on. You know, matron, kind of like gags all the way through there, and then there's another ones that you would just you get in the the carry on gags and then you'll drop a little heavier one in there and then they go, but they laugh before they go. So you've got that Jimmy Carr moment. In some respects I laughed, but I shouldn't have laughed at that, but it was, I laughed.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to another episode of Desert Island Tricks. Another episode of Desert Island Tricks. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to go to Bristol and that is where today's guest resides Now, specifically in a very, very nice venue made for performers and magicians and comedians and performers in general. Now in the UK we don't actually have a huge amount of performing places that are made specifically for magicians, so it was an absolute breath of fresh air to go to this place. Now, the place that I'm talking about is the Smoke and Mirrors Comedy and Magic Theatre Pub in Bristol comedy and magic theatre pub in Bristol, and if you haven't been there, I'm telling you from personal experience it's such just not a lovely venue, but the people there are lovely as well. I had the chance to visit the Bristol Club and everyone there was so inviting and welcoming, and Mark, who is today's guest, runs that pub.
Speaker 1:Now, if you've not come across Mark and you've listened to this podcast, you have actually come across him before, because one of his tricks, get Smarty, is quite often mentioned in our podcast, and that's because Mark invents some of the most practical and commercial working magic that you are likely to see, and I really do mean that? I mean that there are so many performers around the world using Mark's effects and routines, and for good reason. Now, not only that, he is incredibly funny. I was just telling him that when we were editing the Blackpool 2025 vlogs, we were myself, pete Harry, were absolutely laughing at a bit with a ring and, again, I think it was Get Smarty. So if you want to see it, then check back in the Blackpool vlogs. It was so, so funny.
Speaker 1:He's a very funny man. He's also also a very lovely man. He's always very given with his time, he likes to help magicians and he really has done that um so much over the years. I know that this is going to be such an interesting episode because I know that he is a constant workhorse and he is constantly gigging and performing his tricks and routines, so so I think that's a big enough hype for him, but it's very well deserved and I'm very excited to welcome Mr Mark Bennett. Hello, mark.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you very much, Jamie. You read that perfectly, exactly how I typed it. Honestly, it was natural right, perfect, perfect PayPal money's on the way, don't worry.
Speaker 1:Thanks, pal. It's very true. I absolutely loved visiting your bar. I did love the bar as well, but I love visiting. Everyone was so lovely there. You were so inviting and welcoming. So, any magicians, I urge you, if you lecture, please check out Bristol, because it's so worth your time, but tell us about the bar. So how did that come about?
Speaker 2:um, I think I've probably told this a few times now, but it's when I had illusions magic bar up on the triangle in bristol, um, about a 10 minute walk from smoke and mirrors. People used to phone up and say, well, how much is it to sit at the magic bar? And I was like, well, it doesn't cost anything. You know, it's free, you can watch the magic, just buy a drink. And they were like, no, no, how much does it cost to sit at the front? And I was like, oh, wait a minute, you'll pay to watch magic.
Speaker 2:So a little light bulb moment went up and I just started looking for some venues in Bristol to see if we could find another venue that we could do maybe you know some stand-up magic shows. And, yeah, and then this pub that I originally looked at for illusions, which wasn't available, came up again. And, yeah, I picked that up in 2012. And then, slowly, I'd never done it before, you know, I'd been like a bar magician and done like little bit of cabaret, but never um much parlor, as as I say, and uh, yeah, I mean, got better. And uh, and I think it was the, the person who opened it was John Archer. Um, he opened it for me. Um and um, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then just throughout the years and 13 years on well, we're 13 in October this year for Smoke and Mirrors and, yeah, lots and lots of TV comedians, tv magicians and magicians have passed through the doors and, as you saw on the wall, everybody that all the photographs on the wall was everybody that has performed there, even Colin Cloud or Colin McLeod at that time of the, clam McLeod performed there many, many years ago before he got his Vegas show, etc. But, yeah, a lot, of, a lot of people pass through the doors and it's a yes, it's a nice humbling experience to that. They've graced the stage, which is great.
Speaker 1:Well, what's really interesting is you're one of the creative magicians in terms of uh creators, I should say who I see regularly performing their tricks. You can tell that everything that you create is made for you, and I know a lot of creators say that, but they really are. Every single day you're out there in that bar performing these tricks and getting them down perfect. So when you come to creating one of your tricks, is it always for you? First, and without giving any spoilers, are any of yours in your top eight list?
Speaker 2:yeah, there are. Yeah, there is. There's a few of mine in there. And the reason is because and yes, and no Prime example that's on the list and the one you mentioned earlier it wasn't going to be in my show and now it's because I've worked it for almost three years. It's because I've worked it for almost three years, I it will never be taken out of my show. So, because it is so well honed and so many bits and bobs that I've added to it throughout the years and tweaked it and moved it, and anybody that does buy. I normally put up the new that I've done onto the Facebook page so people can see, you know, go great, oh, there's. Go, oh great, oh, there's a little added bit here or there's a little bit added there. Because I just feel like, you know, maybe that'll help. You know, I don't.
Speaker 2:I know that a lot of people would use it for closeup. I don't really use it for closeup, it's more of a cabaret piece. So I had to learn closeup with it in some respects and get that in and also try and take a stage piece to put it into a closeup piece. I was like, ah, okay, um, right, okay, how am I going to do this. So I had to go back to close up mind and and yeah, I, but I haven't done close up for years now, so I'm trying to get that head back on. But when you start doing, if you've done stage for so long and you start doing close up, you kind of go, oh this is great, you know this is, and then you go a bit tired. Now actually I like a 20 minute cabaret, that'll do me. So yeah, so yeah, I do. Um, I work it.
Speaker 1:I really do want to work it definitely well, I think that comes across, but you've already given us too much information, so no more. No more going forward now. If this is your first time listening. The idea is that we're about to maroon mark on his very own I'm sure very whimsical island. When he's there, he's allowed to take eight tricks. Banish one thing, take one book and one non-magic item that he uses for magic particulars like who's there? What's there? Are there animals? All of that good stuff? We do not mind. It's basically the list of items that mark could not live without. With that being said, let's go to mark's island and find out what he put in spot number one. What did you put in position one?
Speaker 2:if anybody knows me down, they've already about to say this word and they know what I've, what I'm putting in my first arsenal, first trick, and that is a double backer. This has bought me a pub, two pubs, three pubs, and some respects it has. This is my go to trick or bit that will give me. I'll give you a prime example of why this is so important to me. I could not start bar magic set without this, and I remember being in manchester when we had pure magic bar and um, and it was my turn to jump behind the bar and do a magic set and I went behind the bar and I got a pack of cards up and then I went checking my pockets and I was like, and then one of the magicians just came along and, just underneath the bar, just slid the double back underneath the thing and I went. I got 20 minutes. Good, ok, I can go, go, I can do, I can start. And and the reason that this, this came to, well, I, I started to perform this trick back in when I started in the early 90s and there was a trick and I can't remember what the trick is called, but I know the creator was it was, uh, stephen tucker, and he did this trick called cards to anywhere. It was just cards to anywhere, anywhere, routine. And if we all remember stephen tucker and how he used to make his props, they were just like you don't buy props, you don't do this, you don't do that you either, you have to kind of make them. And back in the day in the 90s, bicycles were like nine pounds a deck, like they are nowadays, almost really and so it was waddington's I was using, and obviously waddington's didn't make gimmicks, so you had to make your own and I would take three, well six, waddington's cards and stick them together and they became very thick, but in some ways it was really easy to. You knew where they were for a start, let's put it that way. But he used to do this kind of routine and I can't remember exactly what the routine was easy to. You knew where they were for a start, let's put it that way. But he used to do this kind of routine and I can't remember exactly what the routine was.
Speaker 2:But I ended up amalgamating Calamonte into not the gimmicked cards or the packet trick, but the style of the routine of behind the bar of saying that they've seen the card before and then you'll forget what the card is. And I used to just say that there's a drug in your drink which in theory you shouldn't be putting drugs into a drink in summer sex, but it would make you forget. You became susceptible and all of this kind of stuff. But it was that amalgamation of calamonte and then into this cardster anywhere in the pockets and it would appear in the top pocket and be in this pocket. Or I could ask three people to give me a card beats. They'd all sign it and then they would appear in every single pocket in different areas and I did that for years. I think I kind of almost retired it when I opened up smoke and mirrors and I stopped doing close up so much, but it's still.
Speaker 2:If I go out and I'm, somebody says, oh, can you do a card trick? Wait a minute, yes, I can. Yes, I can, I can do a card trick, but I know I want to end with this. Do want to end with that. So yeah, that's in position number one double backer.
Speaker 1:So that's, that's it so the devil's advocate is out. So I know that you briefly spoke about routines there, but if I was to reduce you down to one effect that you can use that gimmick, for, what is the one routine that you would use?
Speaker 2:it would just be card to pocket. It would be card to pocket, yeah, because I could just keep doing it and it's an. It's an endless loop of like it's going back, it's not, it's going back, it's not, it's going back, it's not. So it would be the the. The full routine would be. I would love. But if I had to only just do it, it would be signed card gone. It's in my pocket or it could be anywhere on my person. So yeah, it would be signed card to pocket, almost.
Speaker 1:So do you use it as an opener?
Speaker 2:I do a very small, ambitious routine very quickly and then once I got all three cards signed, then I go into. One person gets calamonte version, then somebody else gets a different version, then another person gets a different version, and then all those three cards are actually not in the deck anymore one's in my left hand pocket, one's in my right hand pocket and one's in my back pocket or in my top pocket here. And I just do a lovely visual, just when I do, when I put it into this pocket, into my, like my left hand pocket, and I just do as I push it in and they visually see it come in, I flick the card over on where the deck is in my right hand and that card appears there and when they see it go in, it goes oh, and it's there and it's this double take of this, what and you know. And then there you are, there's your card, and you can just stroll off as you go and that's the finale bit for it great.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's a great choice and leads us very nicely into number two. So what is in your second spot?
Speaker 2:well it's, it's going to be Get Smarty Ring to Impossible Location. And the reason this came to my I thought you know as creators, as magicians, you kind of like go right, I'm going to get the Tarbell book out, I'm going to have a little look. What's in there, you know, let's find something. And then you've realised that Stanky and Bill Abbott have already got them all. But there was a trick years ago. I saw and I used to perform it behind the bar quite a lot and it was Mark Leverage's Ring Box and what this was was a cardboard lid, cardboard base and cotton wool and inside this little ring box like a powder puff kind of box. It was about this big, you know, about the size of a large sauce container really, or something like this, but this, but this cardboard like presentation box, and you would vanish the ring and then when you would shake the ring box, they could hear it and they're oh my god, that's kind of stuff. But as you opened it up, the ring was on top of the cotton wool and you could show it empty first of all, and then when you shook it again, it would. It would be on top like it was a presentation box. And I thought to myself and I used to do this all the time and I thought, okay, oh, I wonder if I could do that with smarties I don't know, I can't remember how big smarties are and uh, so I went down to the local shop and I was looking around looking for the sweets well, it's gonna stuff. And I was looking around looking at the suites Well, it's going to staff. And I was like, oh, smarties, when did they become hexagonal? And I was really confused. I was like when did they become hexagonal, what? And I was like, well, I'm not a good Nestle customer, I am now and they've been changed for over 15 years, they've been hexagonal for over 15 years. And I thought, well, I'm going to buy some chocolate, et cetera.
Speaker 2:And I just went back to the office and Get Smarty was born, because I just thought what can I do? And I just thought, wow, wait a minute. And then BillTube came to my mind. You know, what can you do with that? Can we adapt it? And did it that way. And that's the reason Get Smarty was born, and I love it, you know, and where the routine is now, especially in my show for the end of the performance, there's so many ways it's going and the laughter and the gags and all these bits and bobs, to the finale of it's in there. There's no one possibility anybody could backtrack it to where it happened or when you did it or anything. And even if they did want to backtrack, they would go oh, but no, that doesn't make any sense because it was something else. And yeah, so there's so many little journeys for this ring to go and yeah, so it's in my number two. Yeah, get Smarty. Yeah, really happy with it.
Speaker 1:Well, I've got a few things that I can say about this. So obviously this is one that I have in my working set in restaurants as well, which I spoke to you about before, but this often ends up in a top eight list. So we've had it a decent amount of times over the first season and I think the reason that your version stands out is because normally a version of this trick would require either some kind of tomfoolery before you get to your gig, so there is some extensive preparation, or even not extensive preparation but preparation to said packet, or even not extensive preparation but preparation to set packet, and maybe things have to be. Maybe scissors and glues are used, for example, whereas with GetSmarty it's literally a case of I can go to the supermarket next door to my restaurant, buy four tubes if I've forgotten to buy them from the wholesaler, set them up in I don't know seconds, without the need of any cutting or gluing of anything, and I'm ready to go straight away.
Speaker 1:And I have a full five-minute stand-up piece with a kid at the head of the table. They get to stand up, be the magician. It's full of funny moments, it's full of great moments that they make themselves sometimes, if we're entirely honest, by accident, um, and I think that's what makes yours stand out. I think it's so. It's so practical for a working performer and the fact that it's close up and stage is the perfect thing for most performers, because everyone needs all of them tricks that you can have in your bag and if someone says, can you do something for the whole table or for the whole group, you've got a stand-up piece. So I think that's what makes it stand out above most other versions of this trick.
Speaker 2:I think it's the organic part of it as well. Exactly what you said is that you could just go to your local shop next door and pick it up. Although I will say, in Hedge End, just in Southampton, the massive, large Sainsbury's there and I mean it's massive yeah, they don't sell them. So, which is a little bit annoying, because I went to lecture at Southampton, the Associated Wizards of AWS bit annoying, uh, because I went to lecture at southampton uh, the ag, uh, um, the associated wizards aws, and I thought, oh, I haven't got any smarties, oh, bugger, I left them in the you know in the office. So you're all right, I'm gonna got there. And I was like, oh christ, I'm hit a bit of traffic. And, uh, I got there and went, ah, sainsbury's, easy's easy, walked in, I go back out. And I was just like you're kidding me, what? And I was honestly in the lecture, I didn't know how to say it but not that Sainsbury's, but any other shop. You'll be fine, and it is, it is one of those sweets that should be, should be available everywhere.
Speaker 2:But I think it's also with the the organic side of it. I'll grab it and and it's, it's that, that is that sealedness of the cardboard, that it's, it's completely sealed, that you don't have to use scissors and um, glue and reseal. And I think, one of the biggest things, it does make me laugh when I'm, when I'm talking to magicians about it, they're saying, but I can use that again, right, and I'm like, what the tube? And I'm like, no, they're like, oh, have I got to buy another one? And I went, yes, and they're like, oh, that's like 75p a go. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, that's what it is. So you definitely couldn't use it again. I went, no, it's, it's, it's, you've destroyed it, you've destroyed the box. And they're like, oh, right, okay, yeah, I guess, but maybe it's not for you, maybe it's not for you, it's not for you.
Speaker 1:Well, like I said that, like, even in terms of refills, like I said, I use it at my restaurant, I use it walk around and when we think about a stand-up piece, there was a trick that came out a few days ago, funny enough, that I was talking to Harry about, and I think we worked out that the refill is about 79p for that. But for a six-minute stand-up stage piece, 60p or 70p or 80p is nothing really for that amount of entertainment.
Speaker 2:Who really cares?
Speaker 1:Obviously, I'm the same as you.
Speaker 2:I go to the wholesalers and I pick up the. I buy the ones where it says 75p on it because they're cheaper than the unpriced ones, I make a gag out of it, et cetera. But you know, and I get out of the box. I think it was in a box, 24. So, 24 in a box for me I only get 12 shows out of it because I use two Smarties in my performance, two sets of smarties in each performance. Um, but, like for a tenner, I get 12 performances. You know, it's completely fine, you know, and, and also as well, I bought shares in nestle, so I thank you to everyone that has. Hey, well, you never know.
Speaker 1:Smarties has gone up smart business move, very smart business move. I think one of the one of the um interesting things that I've learned from doing it at tables is the amount of packets you have to give out after. Because if they've got two kids and you do this trick to one of the kids and you give those smarties to that one kid, the other kid then wants the smarties and I've had occasions where the other kid starts crying, so then I'm just giving out smarties. At that point really, there's, there's no trick wait a minute, wait a minute.
Speaker 2:I got, uh, I don't know where my wife tidied up. You can buy little, um little mini boxes of them, little snack boxes and um, and I have done that, that the well. I said that's not fair. I didn't get a pack and I said here you are, I'll have that, and I just give her this little box. There you go, there's yours. And because you can get like a big bag of like little mini ones, so that might be an idea instead of having to do the tubes, well, you have your one.
Speaker 1:There you go, that's it done, but I love organic magic.
Speaker 2:You know, when you're performing and you have a niggle and you think, well, if I've got the niggle, will the spectator have that niggle? And it kind of puts me off sometimes magic tricks, when I have those things. But this one with Get Smarty, I've got no niggle. And the magicians who question it are the ones who have a niggle. And you you're trying to say to them say, well, I've done this thousands of times and yes, maybe, but with anything something may go wrong anyway, but you've got to move past it and just take it out, take it away and, um, yeah, yeah, so, yeah, so that's it. Number two Get Smarty, thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, it's a great choice and I'm glad it's in your top eight. I would have been disappointed if it wasn't in absolute honesty. But it takes us to number three. So what is in your third spot?
Speaker 2:So third spot is something that's only just come out of my show and it probably will go back in, but it's been of my show and it probably will go back in, but it's been in my show since, I'm gonna say, nine years or maybe eight years. Um may have, I don't know, but it's been in my show all the time and that is cue the magic by angelo cabone and it's brilliant. It is one of my favourite bits. When I do it, I make them the magician but I use like a wizard's hat tear. So if nobody ever gets it, if people can't buy wizard hat tears, it's because I've got them, because I buy a lot of wizard hactares and so I have this whole full performance of that. They get they. We do the wizard hat tear, we have a little bit of a gag etc. And then they start to wear it and then they, then they perform um cue the magic.
Speaker 2:And when I started doing this and I've had a lot of guest magicians that have come to smoke and mirrors and and a lot of them have never seen it or it's not there, they've never performed it and I remember I can't remember who it was Matt Daniel Baker. That was it twice and then the second time he went. I don't know, honestly, it's so clean. I'm watching it and I'm like I don't know. Honestly, it's so clean. I'm watching it and I'm like I don't know how, just like he goes. I want to know, but I don't want to know. But it's brilliant, he goes. Uh, it's just, it's just so clean and and it's any card that can be selected through this process of um, using the, the words that I run it. I haven't changed it, I've just added little spins to it throughout the middles of it and the beginning and the endings, but it's perfect as it is. You know, I don't need to change the wording. I think the wording's great, I will say and I've done this a lot is that Angelo put that you could even request the Joker and I was like this is brilliant. Look at that. It's 53 can be picked and it can be done. This is brilliant, fantastic.
Speaker 2:In the nine years I've done it and would probably, on average of a month, do one, two, maybe six shows, seven shows a month in those nine years, only twice as someone said joker, and it the day that somebody said joker to me, I had to break character. I was just like this is. I'm like you have no idea how happy I am right now and I'm just like, yeah, yeah, somebody said Joker. I'm not saying I didn't go that mad, but I was like my whole body was just like, yes, oh, this is going to be brilliant, but it's obviously I'm still going to get the same reaction anyway. But for me it was was like, yes, yes, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it. And but, yeah, I, I love it. I think it's brilliant.
Speaker 2:I know a lot of people say, oh, it's really expensive and everything, but it's worth every single penny. It is so so good, love it. And um, and sometimes when a trick is quite expensive other than technology, as in like it's expensive because it's well worked and it's it's a really good trick, and it's just like, no, I'm not going to give it to you for 50 quid or you know whatever. And it's, it's expensive, the lesser people won't buy it. So less people people perform it, or they buy it because they want it and they put it on their shelf and it will never get, or they'll use it once in a while. It's not part of their key bit, but it is. It is part of my cabaret.
Speaker 2:So cue the magic is a it's a3 boards or a4 boards and you basically get a spectator to read off the cue cards. So they have cue cards saying hi, I'm X, y and Z this is my name and they fill all the gaps in and they go all the way through these cue cards and they're reading them off into the microphone and then the spectator reads the words think of any playing cards to another spectator, a complete stranger in the audience. So that spectator then says a card. You carry on with the script of turning these cue cards over so they can read them and in the finale of it is there's an envelope right at the end of the thing saying look inside the envelope. And when you open up the envelope it's the card that the spectator in the audience selected and it's inside the envelope and the magician or the spectator magician on stage gets the round of applause.
Speaker 2:It's kind of mentalism, but not for the magician. It's the mentalism given to the spectator, and so I'm not brilliant at mentalism, I'm not a mentalism kind of guy, but I have a bit of mentalism in my show. But making the spectator the mentalist is great. You know they are the ones who get the standing ovation. They're the one who did the trick, you know, and yeah. So in some ways it's. It's a play on john allen's uh, silent treatment in some ways. So you've got the cards but the but they're saying the words instead of not saying the word. So it's almost a play on silent treatment, but on bigger cue cards. I think Justin Willman's done it on a version of it on Ellen, a few other people. They've changed the words around and made it a little bit more different, but I haven't changed it. I think it's good as it is. I've added my spin to it, but nothing else really. Yeah, that's my boy.
Speaker 1:Chew the magic I think when you mentioned the price of things, I think when you're thinking about stand-up and you're thinking of stage, so number one stage performances you normally or most performers will charge more for anyway, but a trick like that that gives you what? Six to eight minutes of performance, that is the sort of trick that will take you around the world and it fits in a small piece of luggage yeah, it does.
Speaker 2:Yeah, packs over, it's flat packed already. Um, it can be adapted, you can do it gives you everything that, if you want to adapt it to your own language and all that kind of stuff, you can do that and um, and you can change the wording if you want to and you can change this, um. But yeah, when I first got it, it was just like, oh, cramps, okay, right, okay, you're trying to do it as almost as um I think john allen's the one on the video for it as well who, who's doing it? And um, so you're, you're in that realm of you're holding it like silent treatment and then you're having to, oh, quite no, I can't, no, I've got to change that, it's got to be differently. And you know, and you kind of like, when you get it done, you're just like, oh, wow, you know, I miscall it on the, the last card myself, I miscalled it on the last card myself, I miscalled it.
Speaker 2:And they're like, hey, look at this and I'm like, whoa, I've just stood here. It's his problem, not mine. But when that spectator takes out their card, or takes out the card and they look at it and their face lights up, you kind of look at them going, yeah, less subtle, to be a little bit more subtle. And they're like, oh my, my god, this isn't the look. You know that they've got it right. They're like, yeah, you know, and it just makes them feel really happy that you know, because they've one. They're like, oh no, we've cocked it up, it's not gone right. And then to that point of like, yeah, it has gone right. And they get the round of applause, which is nice, nice. It's all about the spectator, not me.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's a great choice, and so far we've gone from a card trick to a ring, to impossible location to cue the magic, which is like a stand-up parlour piece. So let's see where you go with number four. What's in your fourth spot?
Speaker 2:So number four spot is it's, it's kind of, it's a peak um, but it's the way I generate the peak. Uh, I'll get the word out of the peak. So I use um when I'm on stage. I use my own, which is called Blinds, and, but back in the day I used to mainly use Telethought. Yes, that was the one I mainly used all the time was Telethought. So I'll go off because in theory, the routine that I use with that this peak is came from Telethought, so not from Blind. This peak is came from telethought, so not from blinds. It came from telethought.
Speaker 2:So I'll say but the, what I'm going to take with me is um, because I don't have to worry about this, because I can take a center tear with me, so I can still do it if I. But I'm going to use the method that I use to generate, uh, this person's written down word or movie, et cetera, and it's called my, it's mind map. So the way I do this is off the cuff and it is. There's no other way you can do it. And this is why I love it, because I like to ad lib, I like to have fun with people, and what I do is that spectator writes down. Let's say a movie uh, I see that movie without them knowing I'm seeing that movie. And then I then get them to give me three random words that have got nothing to do with what they've written down. And then I get the audience from those three random words to give me another two random words off those three random words. So then I have three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine words on the sheet of paper, on a big board, and then I link them all to the word that they've written down. And it is so much fun. It is so much fun.
Speaker 2:And when you get to it you already know that some of the people in the audience have already got.
Speaker 2:You've got to be careful to go on getting it too quickly. But when you get to the point of when some people start to like clock it and you know that they've started to get it and you write down what they've done on the back of the board of that, that sheet that you've just written, and then you ask the rest of the audience what do you think he wrote down? And they say this and you turn the board around You've already written it as well. But then you hand out the sheet with all the words and the arrows and the meanings and you hand it to them and when they walk away, the rest of what you got to ascertain what the word was is all on that sheet of paper. And so that would be in my fourth position. So that would be blinds or telethought and mind map my, my reasoning or my way of mind reading, but using a mind map well, you're lucky that devil's advocate didn't have to come out there, because you gave me, you gave me a routine.
Speaker 1:Can I ask though and I apologize, because I know a lot of your products, but I'm unaware of blinds. So what is and I know telethought, but what is so different between blinds and telethought, and why is it those two specific products that you would have gone for?
Speaker 2:so you'll see, you. Only you can see this. So that is the the, the blinds, and, if I should, that is what the spectator sees. And then, when I turn it that way, that's super clever.
Speaker 1:That's really, really clever.
Speaker 2:So that's all that they see, and that's what I see.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's really really clever. So blinds is basically a way that you can have the peak in full view throughout.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I'll tell you why, jamie, and that's why I like the telethought wallet is that you can leave it and that, and I leave it on the stage there completely, and so I can keep looking at it if I want to, um, and then carry on with mind mapping, the whole root of it, of getting to that word, and it is. And I know when I released this, a lot of magicians started doing it in their own way of just using mind map. They thought it's really good for the brain as well. When you're there linking these, you know two random words to, or three random words to get to their word that they've written down, and you're leaving them with that. They're like that's amazing, you know that's genius. How did he do that?
Speaker 1:And thank God that you put in the routine, that you put in so that Devil's Advocate didn't have to come out. So that's a very, very good choice. So what did you put in your fifth spot?
Speaker 2:So fifth spot is Spongebob. Now, obviously Spon sponge balls is a lot of people say, well, you know that kind of stuff, I hate it. You know that kind of thing. And obviously, being a nightclub magician and a bar magician, obviously ding dong came along at some point, um, but sponge balls was the one I used a lot in the nightclubs and then chasing around the floor in a sticky nightclub trying to pick them up again.
Speaker 2:But do you know what? My whole routine is only three Spongeballs, because every time I bought a set of Spongeballs I always lost one. So I had to come up with a routine. I've never lost, I've never gone down to two, but I've always lost the fourth one. The fourth one always disappeared and I never had it. I was like I've only got three, what? So? The whole routine had to come through as um, just a three version spongebob routine. There was not a fourth one coming along and um, and that's where it went like three Spongebob routine.
Speaker 2:Because the way I used to do it and the reason I love doing it is I don't care how many times somebody seen Spongebob, even a spectator, their brain will react and you won't get the audible as you did on, as you would have the first one, but their body and mannerisms will react. That other people will see that something's you know what and they will react as well because it happens so quickly in the brain doesn't matter because it's thrown it away, it's useless information, it doesn't need to keep these facts later. It's a bit like the classic of you know the time on your watch your brain. Classic of you know the time on your watch, your brain removes it once you know what the time is.
Speaker 2:But that when they open their hand and those balls appear and they don't fit and the psychology in that is amazing that when they open that hand, even though you say they're sponge balls this you know and everybody knows what they are but when you open it up, the brain just goes that doesn't fit and you get that instant reaction and you move on to the next part and you carry on and then the last, even when you do that last bit, again, that doesn't fit and that's what I love about it, because it doesn't know that the spectator will always react. It doesn't matter, they have to because the brain won't let them say, oh, I've seen this before. No, the brain will react and they will react, and that's why I'm going for Spballs only three, because I lost one.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's another great choice. My question for you is and I've asked this a couple of times because obviously we get Spongeballs quite a lot, so at this point I think it's quite interesting if we find out how people are performing with Spongeballs. So I also know that you do your Parlour shows and that you are incredibly funny, so I can imagine that this for you, for Parlour and stage, would be great. But have you gone there with it yet? Is it something that you do purely close up, or have you ventured to Parlour with it? Have you ventured to?
Speaker 2:Parler with it. No, I think the only person I know who's taken it to Parler and it is brilliant and that's Magic Sam, sam Hurst, and I've seen his and if I would do something like that, it would be very, very similar to what Sam does. But it would be almost what he. Similar to what Sam does, if, if you know, but it would be almost what he's doing because it's brilliant, he makes that. You know, the kid is a superstar. For me it was.
Speaker 2:It was that I, I used to walk up to tables and go, did you drop this? They're like what I goes. Sorry, that's what the magic books say. Did you drop this colour paint? Did you drop this pen knife? And it's only in my own head, it's just to get me into, like I'm going to have a little bit of fun here. You know, did you drop this? No, all right, okay, that's weird. And well, hold on to that. For me there's going to stuff and you've got the standard gags of, obviously, if you're going to move into ding dong and and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:But mine was just, it was a little bit of an icebreaker. I didn't. I used to do it at restaurants and then it I didn't really do it much at restaurants, it was mainly walking around a nightclub doing it just to get those people just like, well, I don't understand what's going on, because there was no way of when I was in a nightclub, there was no patter for it. So because you were just so loud, so it was just like here, put this in your hand, put this one in your hand, or this, or this and what, what you know, and nothing you're like. Okay, see you later. Cheers, thanks very much, and this is no, no, no, no, no, come back, come back, come back, come back. And it's a, it's a comeback trick. You know, show me more, I want to see more, okay, okay, we'll do another one of this kind of stuff and, like you, hold on to this. And I used spongebob routine with three and I did this little bit of almost exposing spongebob of how it works, but I don't.
Speaker 1:But it's, I find, I think it's a clever way.
Speaker 2:What I do is when I hold two in my three my fingers instead of squeezing them, they're out. And then I turn it and when they look at it I say, how many does it look like? And they go one, I go yeah, I know because. And then I turn my hand and show that there's two, but they're really like they're still big and but I've got one somewhere else. And then when I do that and I put it into the hand and it opens up and they go and then they explode into the hand and I remember saying in my audition would you like to know how it's done?
Speaker 2:The lady was helping me, this is the magic circle. No, no, you do not. No, I do not want to know how that's done. It's the magic circle. You don't give away secrets. And the reason I liked of like semi-exposing it and not exposing it was really quite nice, because you were kind of telling them what they think they know or they think oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it, I get it. So it looks like there's one, but there's actually two. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it, I get it. So it looks like there's one, but there's actually two, but your hands are really far apart and they're just, you know, just fisting between your fingers and then three appearing in their hand. So yeah, that's the reason I do Spongeballs, because of the psychology of them always not remembering.
Speaker 1:So yeah, Well, I would say that's almost like a phosis for Spongeballs, isn't it? It's no different than someone fibbing about how they are reading someone's mind. You know it's a fake method, essentially, yes, that they can latch onto and think that they're following along, and then, of course, you just pull the rug from underneath them. So, yeah, I think that sounds great. I've never heard of that either being used that way.
Speaker 2:Try it though. Just ask somebody to look at it, just say, how many does it look like? And then they go well, it looks like one, but there's actually two. Even before they go. Well, there's definitely two. Well, no, but look at it, it's bent straight on and they go oh, okay. And then you, yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it now. So have a play with it, because it is quite fun to think oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, get it now, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're a magician now.
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Speaker 1:Well, that leads us to number six. So what's in your sixth spot?
Speaker 2:So it's another one of mine and it is Leave it To Beaver. Leave it To Beaver. Now, I know Peter Nardi right now will go do the performance. Do the performance. It won't work over radio. It doesn't work over radio. Well, it kind of does. All the wording works over radio, but not what it is. But Leave it To Beaver. For the people who can't see, at the moment I am holding a toy beaver and this is a cuddly toy and what you do is you end up having a sign card in beaver. Yeah, so leave it to beaver is in my. What was that? What position were you in? This is number six, number six, number six. Yeah, leave it to Beaver in number six. Yes, leave it to Beaver.
Speaker 1:So I think we should very slightly expand on this. Now, number one this is not simply a signed card to Beaver. This is a very funny signed card to Beaver with the potential for lots of innuendo. Now, my first introduction to Mark was when Peter Nardi took me over to him and said do the Beaver thing. And I must admit I thought what on earth is going on? What have you brought me over to? But it was so funny, it was so I think there's Childish humour.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's done well. I think that's the difference. So this feels like a professional comedian has taken a magic trick and written a trick, written a comedy routine around that trick and that prop, and I think that's what's different about this. So I know that we can laugh about it and say, you know, this is a bit of a risque trick, and it is true. But if we were to really think about it from a professional standpoint, this is a very well constructed trick. It's very well thought through. The jokes are naughty but they're very cleverly put together. It's not just relying on a picture or a thing, it's just very well constructed all the way through.
Speaker 2:No word of a lie. I bought a kid's trick and I don't know who it was. So if anybody's listening and does know and remember a kid's trick with a toy beaver, I was just trying to have a look if I could find the original beaver and in the back, and I don't know why I bought it. I don't know why I bought it and you know I just got it and I was like yeah, I don't know, like this kind of stuff. And then just right in the back of the book it just said this could also be used as an adult bit if you wanted wink, wink, and then left it as that. And I went and I was in manchester and I got the beaver out and um, and when I that now, now you can actually it's signed. But before it wasn't signed the trick was just a duplicate in some respects. So it was just so you could just run through it or you didn't have to do anything other than give a card to a spectator and that's their card. And then next thing you know it's in the beaver. But all the words and the gags and the bits and bobs just came working with it each night and an audience member saying something in the background. You go oh brilliant, thanks very much. Oh, bit far. No, no, we're going to do that, you know. And it's all very carry-on, you know, matron, kind of like gags all the way through there. And then there's another one that you were just you're getting the carry-on gags and then you'll drop a little heavier one in there and then they go. But they laugh before they go. So you've got that Jimmy Carr moment.
Speaker 2:In some respects I laughed, but I shouldn't have laughed at that, but it was. I laughed, you know, and I think we had a review back on TripAdvisor a while back, not one of my tricks, but one of my magicians, richard, oh no, did she send an email? I don't think she. I said I really wish she had put it up on TripAdvisor. I think she sent an email and he'd done the balloon swallow. But what we had done within this routine, as I said to Richard, I goes. You need to because of the your story, of what you're saying. You need to add this in because it will just, it'll add the gag to it and it will make it funny. And she, she complained that she laughed at it. I shouldn't have laughed at that. So I think the innuendo was a bit too far and it was just like that's the whole point of the joke. It's, that's the whole point of the joke. It's, that's the whole point of it and that's why leave it to beaver.
Speaker 2:There are loads of these little innuendos of the. You know this. That is that's. I can't open that zip, I can't. You know what am I supposed to do? You know, beavers work better when they're wet, et cetera. You know, we all know that.
Speaker 2:You know, and, and I love it, I, I, I feel like a little child when I'm doing it. You know, and somebody has said have you ever done that with a younger audience? Because you could do that with a younger audience, because there's nothing wrong with what I'm saying, is right, you know, and it starts off with really cheesy gags and cheesy, cheesy, and then you get the further on and I use that, he, I animate him and all that kind of stuff, and he, yeah, I, I just I feel like a little child having just like being naughty, but not being naughty but performing a magic trick. So obviously, the beaver gags, this is sold very well in America. The Americans love this because obviously it's more their kind of like thing.
Speaker 2:But the only reason I wanted to do it was I wanted to get the line of nice beaver. And I'm. There's not that line, but cause in theory, if they're old enough, the audience say it. So there's no way of. It's a bit pointless me putting in from a movie that's 30, 35, 40 years old now in some respects, that only a few people would get it. So I kind of like let the audience do that themselves so that they drop the line in. You go, hey, good, brilliant, well done, and you go down that route that way. So it's pointless me putting it in, because some people just go, I don't, it's a dead bit, you know, pause for laughter. You're not going to get much unless somebody knows exactly what you mean. So yeah, so definitely leave it to be the two, and also I'll get a little teddy bear to sleep with.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a great choice and a nice funny one as well, which I was hoping we'd get. A nice comedic effect. So that does bring us to the tail end of your eight. So a nice comedic effect. So that does bring us to the tail end of your eight.
Speaker 2:So what did you put in your seventh spot? So seventh is really, really super proud of this. I don't know, could you call it a dynasty? I don't know, I don't know what it is, but it started off with the queen, then it became the king, and then it became an outlaw and now it's become a mythical king in some respects. But we'll start with. So. This is my devil's advocate here. I'm the devil's advocate here. Which one do I keep?
Speaker 1:or can I just say a card on a round cylinder on a disc, a card on a disc that can be put on anything, which I've done a lot. Well, do you know what I am? I'm going to be mean. I am going to be mean because I know that people listening wouldn't want you to get away with this. All right, so there are. There are some phenomenal versions of this, and they're so well produced, they're great. But if you're only allowed to take one version of this with you, which one would it be and why? And also, let us know what the routine is, so that the guys know okay.
Speaker 2:So, um, I will say so. It started off with the queen's nose and this routine. Again, this was a bar routine that I used to do with the 50 pence piece. So the routine was um, I'd bring out a 50 pence piece and just say to the spectators do you remember the?
Speaker 2:The tv show called the queen's nose in the 90s, and a lot of people will nod their head. You know it's a very short-lived tv thing, but back in those days there wasn't much tv and kids tv was like you were glued to that television and you couldn't swap over because there was only itv or bbc one, and that's it, or you had anyway. And this tv show called the queen's nose, where she would rub the queen's nose to make a wish and I would just do a little simple card trick. Um that they took a card, I showed that it was an indifferent card, put the 50 pence piece on top of that card, rub the queen's nose, they turned over the card. The card had changed into their card and they're like oh my god, that's amazing. Because we're now, we'll do it again. We put the 50p back down on top of the card that they've just seen and I do the trick again and then we rub the queen's nose and then they look at it again and the card hasn't changed. But it's underneath the coin and the card was underneath the 50 pence piece attached to the coin. And the reactions I got from this were phenomenal. And I remember talking to Matthew Wright about this and he goes that sounds really good.
Speaker 2:And we sat there at Blackpool trying to think what could we do? How could we coin in on this in some respects? Come on, jamie, come on, it's all about the humour, it's all about the humour. And we came up with the queen's nose, cause it was her, her golden Jubilee, or which one ever diamond, which one? It was the big one, and we came up with that and then, sadly, she passed away. So we thought let's, let's do a king one. And that's when we in theory the routine, I actually think, is it's amazing. I love the Queen's nose.
Speaker 2:A lot of people would say, yeah, but you couldn't see the coin, you couldn't see the card very well, you had to really focus in. And I thought I quite like that because they had to really focus in on that Queen's, the one old English penny, to see that the card had popped and changed and the card was now on the coin and imprinted on it, stamped onto it. And then when we came up with the King's Secret the Noble 52, we upped the game of the quality and I believe it's one of the I think I hear from so many wedding magicians is that that's the trick that gets them at a wedding fair, the gig they perform, that and they'd like, yeah, we're booking this guy, cause it's just, they do the routine exactly as I do, and they, they get it, they hit it and they're just like they can't believe it. And then the the Americans kept saying, oh, where's our version, where's our version? So we came up with Billy the Kid version, which had a poster, its own deck of cards, its own version of a story of the bounty hunter and, you know, the US Marshals and everything. And then the Americans kind of had a go at us because our history was wrong and we were like, well, it's working. And you're kind of like it's a magic trick, it's just a little story, enjoy yourselves, that's all you need to do. And then this year, matthew and I and it's not released as yet we did show it at Blackpool and that is the Noble One.
Speaker 2:The Noble One is a gold ring, something that King Arthur would have worn back in the day. When the reveal is on this ring, the presentation box a beautiful gold inlay pack of cards in a presentation box. It's a whole. It's a nice little full-blown story. So which one do I get? I've got to pick one. I think it's the one I spent the most time on. I'm going to go for the Queen's Nose because that was the birth. I would take the Queen's Nose because it's the original bit that we did with the tin box, the old cards, the invite, the photograph and everything of this that you could easily have this little story for people to perform. So I would say the Queen's Nose. Thank you, sir, take it the Queen's Nose. But yeah, so through the generations, queen's Nose is the stake. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's great. That's an excellent, excellent choice. The Queen's Nose is great, and I think what's great about that one in particular, though, is the hook line of do you remember the Queen's nose growing up? I think that's what's really lovely about that particular version, uh, but it does lead us to number eight. So what did you put in your final spot?
Speaker 2:so this is, um, something that led on to. I used to perform dippy duck behind the magic bar and again, it's similar to leave it to beaver. Um, diippy was quite a rude duck in some respects, so he would have a lot of fun. I remember being very drunk one night and trying to do a Sam the Bellhop ad-libbed Sam the Bellhop with Dippy Duck one night. But when we saw, could we do that, yeah, we probably could do that. That would take forever though, but you know. But we had a fun night doing that.
Speaker 2:But I used to perform Dippy Duck all the time, and every time we would get the audience to when it would find the card is get them all to shout how does he know? So they would all shout Because they were like they don't know, how does she know? How does she know? And I used to love it. It used just have lots of little silly gags in there. You know the Williamson gag where he's got Rocky and he goes you know how this works, all this kind of stuff and then he throws Rocky behind him and says come on then, madam, I kind of.
Speaker 2:I used to do that with Dippy, so you know how this works, right. And then there's going to stuff and, um, show how Dippy uh dips and everything, and it was just like, well, and it was just this, just having so much little silly fun with it. And then I wanted to upgrade him and I uh, came out with I bought one of these boys so people might know who it is. That's it. That's it, steve Spill's mind reading goose. Now I will, I will say something here when I have um, this is uh.
Speaker 1:People, people can't see that, but that's very funny.
Speaker 2:What I just did. There was something I know. We all went very quiet. Now everyone's going to go. What's happening? He left. When I bought Steve Spill's Mind Reading Goose, I was like, right, okay, what can I do with him? I put a soundboard in him because mine didn't come with the sound bits. Some people had the honk, some people didn't. And I bought this at exactly the same time as Tom Wright, so we bought it exactly the same time. He had one, I had one, and we would talk on the phone about what we're going to do. What's your gag, what's this, what's this? And he goes well, I'm going to do this, do this. And I goes well, I'm going to take it to the bar tonight and have a go, because that's not fair. That's not fair. You can just walk into a theatre and just keep testing your material when buy yourself a theatre, then you know and just do what I do.
Speaker 2:So I did. I put Steve Spillin and I kept doing little bits and bobs of the mind reading goose. Mine's called Dave, I think Tom writes is called Bob, mine's Dave, and he does a book test and he does. So that's the word that they all get and then that's the word he gets in the end. And and it was the when I do I do the reading number for him, when I do the mind reading number, I lent him over the pad so he would look, you just laughed, you just laughed completely, and that's the reaction you get.
Speaker 2:I just did a show at the mill in Sonang with Dan Hudson, mark Paul and Scott Penrose and I said to Mark Paul I said, oh, you'll like my mind reading Goose because I'm not a mentalist like yourself. You know he's phenomenal, mark Paul. And he did turn around and he said that's the best, the lean is genius. And I sent it to Steve Spill, the video, and he said I've never seen anybody do the lean. That's brilliant. Why didn't I not think of that? In some respects I was just like, yeah, because I've added a little bit. You know, it's just, but I wanted Dave to be.
Speaker 2:He doesn't talk very much, he's not so animated as as a lot of other people do. Steve Spill's goose, mine's a little bit less animated but he animates when he needs to to make it funny. So if he was moving around a lot, that gag of the leaning I don't think would hit so well if he was moving around a lot, the. And so he does a book test and then he does a two digit number that he writes down and that's about it. Really he's a four, maybe five minute bit, that's it. There's a gag I've completely stolen from Not the Nine O'Clock News and the only reason is because, although it's not word for word, not the Nine O'Clock News, but it just fits perfectly. But you can't do it without swearing. The gag does not hit unless I swear.
Speaker 1:And I've tried it so many times. What is the gag? I'll bleep you out.
Speaker 2:Okay, so when I've got Dave, and I'm holding him, and this is Dave the Goose we met in the local park. Obviously, I met him when he was wild. Sorry, he said he was living, so you know, um, so yeah, so that's my, that's my uh final trick that I'll take, and obviously I can eat him as well once it's done. So have him him for dinner. You can lay some eggs first. What's Dave Don't know really, I'm not a vet, I don't have a clue, really.
Speaker 1:Well, my question is so you've got a naughty mind-reading goose and you've got a naughty beaver. Have the goose and beaver made magic together?
Speaker 2:Oh God, we're going to have to get martin duffy on that, aren't we?
Speaker 1:you seem like I'm gonna make that funny somewhere. Uh, right, so let's go back over your list. We started with a double backer, then we went to get smarty cue, the magic blind slash, telethought, peak. Uh, sponge balls only three, because you always lose the fourth. Leave it to beaver the queen's nose. Uh, because I made you choose out of your uh, four different versions. Mind reading goose. Which means now we're on to the controversial item. This is your banishment mark. So what are you gonna banish from our industry?
Speaker 2:can when I'm burying something, if I'm burying something on this desert island and I'm like you can hear this audible, there's something already in there and I dig it up. Can I keep it?
Speaker 1:You can keep it. What have you dug up? I found a vent mask.
Speaker 2:I found a vent mask dug up. I, I found a vent mask. I found a vent mask. So, um, sorry, john, but I, I, I, you know, um, we're all each to our own this kind of thing. Um, for me, I do have a vent mask in my routine. Uh, mine's not on a cable, mine's remote controlled. Um, and it is making the spectator.
Speaker 2:You know, the magician, the part of the show, and in some respects, and where we are within my comedy club, it's normally either the stag or the big birthday person. I never, ever, put a mask on a woman. I just there's just somebody. We've had a full hen, do you know? They were mostly all of them in the audience. And there was how we were here for the we're here for the vent, we, we, we, we booked it for that. You're going to do the vent. And I said I'm not putting a mask on a woman. Then a man makes us speak. I'm really sorry, but it's just I. You know, for the rest of you might find it great, but for the rest of them it's just like, and for me personally, that's just something I won't do. And um, but when you're having fun with the guys, they actually perform a magic trick as well, they actually do perform a magic trick on stage to another spectator Um, well, I'm not there, you're not. Well, I'm there but I'm not there and they, they perform the magic trick and and they get it right and they get the biggest cheer, they get the, you know, they get the laughs, they get the stuff and I've, you know, and I think, making them win at the end, even though you've had a little bit of fun with them, it's not massively, you know, it's, it's made them. You know, yeah, they got the, they got the voice, they got the voice, they got the dancing, they got the.
Speaker 2:Um, there's one bit I I just love doing um, sorry, it's when I open up the case to show them what they're going to be wearing. Is I make a gag before that? And, um, I don't know, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. So I say to them I say, have you ever seen the film pulp fiction? And they turn around, they go some people, yes or no. And I said, well, you know seen the film Pulp Fiction? And they turn around and they go oh, some people, yes or no? And I said, well, do you know, at the end of the movie of Pulp Fiction, when they open up the trunk and they open up the case and they glow gold and I goes well, spoiler if you haven't seen it, that's the end.
Speaker 2:But just think back earlier in the film when they bring out the red ball and I say and that now nobody can see what's inside the case, and everybody sees that. And then they see that and they're like what am I gonna do? You know what's going on. And then I say, well, don't worry. Don't worry, there is a safe word, don't worry about it. But you know, you say the safe word and we'll stop. Okay, it's really funny when they try and say the safe word by the way, you're here, it's funny and you bring them here. Then I put what they think is I'm putting on the ball on their face. So to the spectator, they don't know still what's going to happen. And then I put the mask on and then I tit him to turn around and then he starts talking and having fun and waving, etc. And then it moves on with the the piece.
Speaker 2:So I've dug up. So I've dug up um vent bask and I'm gonna bury um. Controversially. This might be a lot of people who say you can't do that because no, I am gonna do it.
Speaker 2:I'm going to bury any four-card ace routines or any four-card routine where you go through the pack, you pull out four cards and then you put them back in the pack and then you find them again in a different way. But you found them, you found them. They're there, but you found them. You found them, they're there, you found them. Let's take out these four cards here. Let's find those four cards, take them out, close the pack Now, put them back anywhere you want. Let's find them again, but you found them, you found them, you found them. And I've been shown this trick so many times drunk people, sober people here. You want to see my forestry team? Well, there's. No, I don't. I really really don't. You know, I think all the work that you've put into it, all that work and everything, I admire that people will put that time and effort into it, but, uh, that's the last time I ever see one.
Speaker 1:Then yay, so you were the first person to banish a card trick which I think is very, very brave, but equally, you were the first person to start a fight with another magician who's banished something which is equally as interesting. This is going to be a spin-off podcast, I think, desert Island Magicians Rumble. We'll have to get you all to face off. Let's all be honest here. Is it because whenever you have four of something, you always lose one?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I can never find that.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, we'll give you that. All four card routines are now banished onto your island and you have your vent mask back, which you'll be happy to hear. Now we are on to your two final items. So it's your book and your non-magic item. So what did you put in your book position?
Speaker 2:right. So there's honorable mentions on the um. Just before I go to the book, there's honorable mentions on tricks. It was all screwed up, doc Eason, the nuts and bolts opener, because I performed that so many times behind the bar, I really, really loved it. And on the books there is well, this is my first ever magic book. By the way, this is before I even got into magic.
Speaker 2:This book here. It's called Hocus Pocus and it was one of those magic sets, a bit like a Marvin's magic set, but it was made. It's got 60 tricks in it, but there is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven languages. This book is written. Do you think this is a full magic book? No, that's where English starts, starts this far down, and then there's about 12 pages and then it turns into a different language and that's it. But this is when I was about seven or eight. Um, I got this, but then I grew up and didn't become a magician until I was in my 20s. It's, you know, this was written in 1977, this book, and there's some great little magic tricks in there, some really cool ones.
Speaker 2:An honourable mention to this boy the Royal Road to Card Magic. You know, I know there's lots of controversy, of some people you know or no, you need to start with this one. But I feel I think anybody that wants to start learning card tricks is get past the wording so much as much as possible of the flax and all this kind of thing. But I just felt this was such a well-written book that when you learn something, it gave you a treat at the end. I thought that was a beautiful way, not like all these are the tricks, it was learn this method and I will give you two tricks at the end that you can do with learning this bit. And I thought brilliant. And it was so. And anybody you know, if you're listening to this and you're not a magician, you want to go do it. Just go and get this. The raw road to card magic. Um, but the reason that I'm here some people know who I am or I don't know who I am, but I wouldn't be here today talking to you, jamie, or doing what I do in my life, met my wife or anything without this book here.
Speaker 2:Aspen Bar, magic the Tower, michael and Mar's Magic Arts Journal. This is the reason I opened up a magic bar, because I was a magician at a time in the early 90s and then I became a bar magician because I just thought I'll just do bar magic or just go behind a bar serving drinks because I knew how to serve drinks and make cocktails etc. But I'll do magic as well and get paid more. So I'll get paid more by the hour. And I found this book and I just thought what a great idea. And I ended up writing a business plan based around having a magic bar. And the passion I wrote in this business plan was somebody who saw it from the person who first helped me open up a magic bar in Manchester called Pure Magic Bar. He read the business plan. He said I've never read a business plan with so much passion about something that nobody knows of and there's only one person who can run it and that's you. And if you want to, shall we open one. And I did, and I wouldn't be here today unless Mr Amar hadn't written that. To be honest, I wouldn't have done it and it's got.
Speaker 2:One of the best tricks ever is that stuck on you. It's just, it's a joke. You've got chewing gum. You take the chewing gum and you just stick it on somebody and then you're like, nah, I've still got it and you just stick it on somebody and then you're like, no, I've still got it. And you just keep doing it. It's so childish, it's so funny. There might be more to it, to be honest, but I just do that, that's all I do. I just have a bit of chewing gum and it's like, oh, I don't want this anymore. And you just put it on there on your mate's arm, like that, and they're like what are you doing? But nothing, I've still got it. I don't know what you're talking about, um, but yeah, that's, that's the book that I'm, um, I'm gonna take with me because, uh, I'll open up a magic bar, won't I?
Speaker 1:I know how to do it now, but you know well, that's one that we've not had before, um, and I have just researched it. You can now get it as a pdf on library, so, and it's eight dollars, which I think sounds like it's going to be an absolute bargain, or 8.95, um, so if anyone wants to track that one down, it is available still. So, um, I will be purchasing that one and, uh, having a read through it. So thank you for costing me more money. Um, what is in your item position? Awesome taking, course I'm taking Smarties, aren't I?
Speaker 2:I've got food and also paper so you can burn it and keep a fire going. So that's all good. So your sustenance. You've got a magic trick, you've got Smarties for food and also you've got paper to burn up to keep that fire burning all the way through the evening. I would like to mention that, as you already said at the beginning, who was on the island, what is on the island, et cetera, so already on the island is my family anyway, so everyone's there. So that's why I was bringing Smarties and also the kids will be happy as well, you see, because they get some sweets. They only get 11 at a time, 11 or 12 at a time, because the rest of them I need, um, otherwise it doesn't really work, if you know. You know that's?
Speaker 1:um, that's what I said to mark before the podcast started. Uh, the the restaurants that I do get smarty at, the bar staff particularly like me because they end up with a wine glass full of smarties that they can just have a little take at throughout their shift. So they love me for that. But yep, I was hoping that you were going to take Smarties, so I think that's a valid thing to take. And you said that your family are already on there. We've not had someone curve the rules that way before, so we're presuming that they're already on there with you. They're already on there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're already on there so what?
Speaker 1:I mean, it's going to be nice that you've got an audience for your boxing match with john archer. I think that's that's gonna be great. Uh, no, I think that's great and it's a really, really great list. So we've gone from a double backer get smarty, cue the magic, uh, blinds, telephonic peak, uh, sponge balls. Only three, because you always lose one. Uh, leave it to beaver the queen's nose. Mind reading goose. We have banished the four card routines, but we've also dug up the vent mask. Um, your book is the tower aspen bar magic and your item that you're taking is Smarties. That is a superb list.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I appreciate it. I do love it. I love this podcast. It is really nice, and I think it's nice going back all the way through the other 52. I was just picking up people that you know. You think, oh, I don't know if I want to listen to that. Well, actually, no, I will do, I'm going to go on a little thing. I will do. I'm going to go and do a little thing. Oh, my God, there's some nuggets in there. It's brilliant, so it's fantastic. So, thanks a lot, my friend.
Speaker 1:Well, I think this, in terms of a list, that's great for sort of comedy, magician, stand-up, parlor, I think you've got there's some great routines there that would be great for walk-around. But I think what's interesting about your list is I would say it's, I mean, other than the mind-reading goose maybe. It's quite an interchangeable set. So this really is a set that could be taken to most venues and most different performance situations and I think that this would hit all of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I'm kind of a modular person, as it is anyway. So if I wanted to change something up, it could all be just swapped around and moved in and just added into um, and but because of, like, I've done these for so long, it's, they're a staple that can just go in anywhere, they don't have to flow, it's just like right, you know, you can just slot it in any way you want. So that's the good bit.
Speaker 1:Well, if anyone wants to find out more about you, Mark, or the bar, how they can visit, see shows, all of that good stuff, where can they go to?
Speaker 2:So the bar is smokeandmirrorsbarcom. That's where you can book tickets to come and see a show, where we do Thursday, friday and Saturday. But the bar is open Mondays. No, mondays, thursdays, fridays, saturdays Mondays are stand-up comedy. If you want some material as in magic, it's nbmagiccouk and for me it's Mark Bennett Magician. But I don't really use my website at all, but I'm also not on Facebook, so I've got loads of spaces left for friends. I was back in the day where I was like I'm doing a cull, so I got rid of people years ago and then I said, oh, I don't have any friends now. So, yeah, I've got loads of space. Everybody wants to friend me up, friend me up. Uh, make sure, uh, you've got more than two friends, because otherwise I'll think you're spamming and, uh, you're always at conventions as well.
Speaker 1:I think, um, just a personal thing from me being at your stands and seeing you work for I don't know, maybe the past five, six years at conventions you are one of the funniest demos that anyone will see. If you want to be entertained by incredible magic, but just be entertained by a very good performer, then do go check out my uh, mark stuff and mark's stand in particular, because it's just full of gems and it's so, so funny. Do go watch the. I think we've probably got several performances from you now over the years on our vlogs and stuff. So, yeah, do go check them out. They're very, very funny.
Speaker 1:But my last thing is to say thank you, mark, for putting this list together and thank you for giving us your time and hopefully we'll be back next week. Well, we will be back next week with another episode. Now, don't forget, we do have Stranded with a Stranger. So if you want your list of eight tricks, one banishment, one book and one non-magic item to be read out, please send it in to sales at alakazamcouk. In the subject line put my Desert Island list. That way it comes through to me and we can get one of these recorded for you. Don't forget to put in a little bio, tell us about yourselves and, of course, put in your reason for the tricks. So, with that being said, we will see you next week with another episode of Desert Island Tricks. Goodbye.
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