Damien O'Brien

A great magic set isn’t about having the fanciest props. It’s about having material that survives real-world conditions: bad lighting, tough angles, quiet tables, camera pressure, and the sudden moment when someone says, “Do something,” and you’re already empty-handed. Damien O’Brien knows that reality first-hand, from reaching the finals on Britain’s Got Talent during the pandemic to performing close-up in immersive theatre at the Magician’s Table.

We’re kicking off season three with Damien’s “desert island” list: the single card routine he’d repeat forever, the phone-based mentalism that creates bulletproof fairness, and the pieces that hit with pure visual shock. He breaks down why Ambitious Card still kills, how Digital Force Bag and Hypernesia turn a normal smartphone into a miracle machine, and why effects like Haunted Deck and Invisible Deck stay in a worker’s case for years. We also dig into Lumen Mini for deeply personal revelations, plus the bolder side of close-up with Pyro Perception and iCandy, where the reaction is instant and unforgettable.

The conversation goes beyond methods into performance mindset: banishing negative energy, building a small trusted creative team, and finding inspiration through story with Carter Beats the Devil. If you’re into modern magic, mentalism, close-up performance, Britain’s Got Talent behind-the-scenes, or immersive magic shows, this one is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately. Subscribe, share the episode with a magician friend, and leave a review telling us the one trick you’d take to your own magical island.

Damien’s Desert Island List:

Welcome Package. Ambitious Card

1. Digital Force Bag
2. Hypermnesia
3. Haunted Deck 
4. Lumen Mini 
5. Pyro Perception 
6. Eye Candy
7. Invisible Deck 
8. Pk Touches 

Banishment. Negative Energy 

Book. Carter Beats the Devil

Item. Phone 

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

Transcript

Pandemic TV Magic Shock

SPEAKER_02 0:00

It was really bizarre as you said, like, you know, we went from our auditions being in front of 2,000 people to then suddenly having this room where you've got the four judges, very minimal staff around because you know, social distancing at the time. And it was really weird because you've done these like bits of magic, and suddenly it was like a couple of second delay, and suddenly the claps would come in like this audio, and it felt so strange. And um, obviously, when you went out on TV, it it it blends perfect.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

This is episode one of season three, which means things are gonna get a little bit different because Pete suggested something and we have followed it through just to keep things interesting. But let's tell you about our first guest. Uh, today's guest, I've actually wanted on for a little while. He's another guest who is so incredibly busy all over the place. You will have seen him somewhere over the years. He's been on so many different shows, so many different events. He does so many different brand deals, he's all over social media. He's a brilliant performer. We actually saw him last year at something in London, but I'll tell you about that in a moment. He's appeared on shows like Killer Magic, which was a brilliant show here in the UK where magicians faced off against each other. It was a really, really good show. He's been on Pen and Teller Fool Us, in which he was absolutely brilliant on. Uh, he did, of course, Britain's Got Talent, and he got all the way through to the finals of Britain's Got Talent, um, which must have been quite strange because he kind of started in the live shows and then the pandemic hit, and then he was in that kind of weird virtual studio-y thing. Um, so it must have been weird being in between both of those different venues. And most recently, we saw him at the Magician's Table in London. If you haven't heard of this, I believe it's being opened up in different places around the world. I know there's now one in America as well. Uh I think they have they're aiming to open up some more in America as well. And that is a brilliant immersive magic theatre show where you go and sit at a table, hence the name, and uh these performers come around and they show you tricks, but at the same time, there are actors walking around telling you little parts of the story. It's brilliant. So if you get the chance to go and see that, please do. He was also in Rhythm and Ruse, which was a music and magic thing that was in London that sadly isn't there. I didn't get the chance to see that one, so I'm hoping it comes back. He's done massive brand deals with pretty much anyone you can think of, from you know, Apple, Nike to McDonald's, any big brand that you can think of, Damien has worked with them. He is, of course, the wonderful Damien O'Brien. Hello, Damien.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Hello, that was um quite an introduction. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

Well, you've just achieved so much, you've done so much, and I remember uh Davenport's Day see seeing you in Davenport to perform him. Um, and you were so I was gonna say youthful, but that's probably the wrong thing. But every everything that you do tends to be a bit more modern, a little bit more street.

Britain’s Got Talent During Lockdown

SPEAKER_02 3:45

Um, yeah, I mean obviously with Davenport days, I was a lot younger, um 41 now, just turned 41. Um, but yeah, it's always sort of been my I don't know, like I've since the like you if you had seen first of me as a little, little kid, I was always like in a baseball cap or like you know t-shirts and jeans, and like it's just that's sort of I don't know, it's just what I feel comfortable. I'm comfy in like a you know, a comfy hoodie and some jeans and stuff like that. Um, and so yeah, it's just I don't know. I've never fallen out of love with that was skater kind of style. It's just comfy for me.

SPEAKER_03 4:26

And what was it like with the Britain's Got Talent? Because you did it the year of the pandemic, so it must have been such a strange, surreal situation for you.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

It was really bizarre. As you said, like, you know, we went from our auditions being in front of 2,000 people to then suddenly having uh this room where you've got the four judges, very minimal staff around because you know, uh you know, social distancing at the time, and it was really weird because you've done these like bits of magic, and suddenly it was like a couple of second delay, and suddenly the claps would come in like this audio, and it felt so strange. And um, obviously, when it went out on TV, it it it blends perfect, but um, yeah, it was very uh weird, and obviously, you're so we're so used to having no, like you know, you do a station like everyone in unison clapping together or cheering together, so it was very different, but fun.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

So, when you were picking the tricks for that show, obviously you had social distancing. What were the rules with like props? Did you have to pick tricks that were hands-off, or could only certain people touch props?

Life Inside The Magician’s Table

SPEAKER_02 5:42

No, um, I mean, like that wasn't too bad. It was like, you know, pretty lenient on that. Um, obviously, you know, I worked very closely with Russ Stevens, who, you know, uh guided me so well with uh what kind of tricks and ideas. Like he he honestly, that man is like a genius in figuring out what works to your style. He could figure out any trick what works for any magician style. He's so great with it. The good thing is, you know, I had a group of people who worked with me behind the scenes from uh Mitch O'Brien, Mark Lavelle, Bo Kramer, and uh Mark Smith. Like those uh four were like part of sort of like my sort of circle, should we call it? A lot of times it was just us handling those tricks anyway. So no one else is really touching them. Like production team weren't really touching it. I think the most production did was like they put suspended the box. Like we we placed everything we wanted in the positions we needed to be, because obviously, as you know, with magic, everything's gotta be just right, and uh Navigavila off slightly. So uh yeah, we was uh very fortunate and everything like that. And uh yeah, the show as well, like if Russ was pretty much like, no, this is what we want him to do, this is gonna be great, they're very good, they listen to Russ, so uh it works great.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Like this the step from then to now, where you're in magician's table, which we had the joy of coming to see you guys perform uh a few months ago, and it was absolutely brilliant. I loved it. You're just about to change venues, which we just spoke about. Um I I was a bit heartbroken because I love the venue, it was where uh Dragon's Den was filmed years ago, so it was really cool. Um, but Damien was saying he might not be missing it so much because uh of the um the weather restrictions within that building, because it's quite an old building. Um, so what's it like doing magician's table?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

So magician's table is great. Um, you know, with when you're a magician and you're performing as well, like it's your full-time job. A lot of the times you you're on your own working. So when you do magician's table and uh I don't know, you finish with a really great table, you you come out back, and you know the other magicians are there, and you're just like, Oh my god, you're gonna have so much fun at this table. They're great, their energy is fantastic, their reactions. So it's really nice when you can talk about all that sort of stuff, like, and they get it as well when your ideas and when you go, Oh, I just tried this new thing out, and you can't do that at a normal gig, you can't go to the agent, oh yeah, well, I just tried this brand new method. You know, every performer's had that time where it's like maybe you've had one uh gig where you're like, man, everyone felt really off. Was I having a bad night? And you you question, you doubt yourself, but instead, if you maybe have like a quieter table, and then you hear the other magicians like, I know that just seems to be a quiet table. You're like, okay, cool, it wasn't just me. It's like, you know, they're just a bit of a quiet table, wasn't doing a horrible job. Like, um, and uh, because sometimes you're so used to everyone being like full of energy, and then you do forget sometimes some people are a bit more reserved with their reactions, they're just like, cool, it's great. And you're like, Oh man, if I don't sound horrible, like the bad. Like you're like, you try your hardest, and then like you realize that okay, they're just not gonna give those kind of reactions. That's just who they are. But Magician's Table is fantastic, the venue is so amazing. Uh, I'm so grateful I got to be part of this experience, and I'm looking forward to what's comes next of it when we move to the vaults, which opens in June. Um, you know, seeing the photos on the group chat of like, you know, they literally gutted it out straight away after the last show is insane. The show is currently on in Florida, it opens up in uh Melbourne soon, uh, which is amazing. More places to be announced soon. Um, but yeah, it's just going from strength to strength. And um, yeah, I'm very grateful to be able to work with such uh an amazing, talented group of people who are just you know, you're just constantly feeling inspired every time.

Island Rules And The Card Trick

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Yeah, it must be so cool. There you've got some great talent there as well. There's some phenomenal, phenomenal performances uh there. Yeah, well, let's talk about your list then. So we mentioned at the head of the podcast that a lot of what you do is quite modern. I normally see you using quite organic props. Um, I think even at the magician's table, uh, it was all organic stuff, it just looked like stuff that maybe you'd had on you. Do we think that this without giving anything away? Because we like to to guess along, would this leak into your list a little bit?

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Yes, of course. But it's um I like as well as organic as possible, where as you just said, it just feels like you'd be walking around with that. Because I've never liked it as you know, when somebody says, So, what do you do? And you say, I'm a magician. Honestly, you people don't ever hear this, and they're like, you do something go, no, I've got nothing on me. Like, I I've never liked that when people do that. So I always think you should be able to do something. No, and honestly, I'd be honest, magician's table. The amount of times I've got to the table, and I'm like, Oh, I've left the cards out back on like the dressing room table. Uh like it's too late, you can't run back now. So I'm like, Cool, we're gonna like just wing it. And um, so you know, I I can go if that happens and it's all right.

SPEAKER_03 11:09

Good. Well, we have uh Damien here for the first time. He gets something a little bit interesting, but we'll tell you about that in a minute. If it's your first time listening, the idea is we're about to whisk Damien away to his very own magical island. When he's there, he's allowed to take eight tricks, banish one item, take one book and one non-magic item that he uses for magic. Particulars, who's there, what's there, all of that good stuff. We do not mind. It's in his own imagination. But Damien also has a care package. That's right, we've heard that maybe our guests are gonna be on this island for a little while. So we've given them a little care package. In that care package is a deck of cards. They get a deck of cards now, no matter what. They don't have to put that in their list. And with that deck of cards, we're restricting them, however, to only one trick. So, Damien, you have your care package. You've just arrived on the island. Uh, in the care package, there are also information about different excursions you can do. I really recommend a while watching, it's really good. Um, whatever you want to do, but inside there is a deck of cards. So let's start with that. With your care package deck of cards, what is the one trick that you would do with your deck of cards?

Ambitious Card Routine And Structure

SPEAKER_02 12:13

I'm always gonna do ambitious card, ambitious card, every single time because it's such a like uh multi-phase routine, and that end pop, which we all know, where you know, we like you go, look what you're gonna finally see the moment now like you may be doubting that it really is going in the middle about the watch, and then you see that bank card suddenly pop to the top. It's such a moment where everyone's like, what? Like, you know, I've done like I I have performed this hundreds of thousands of times, and you know, every reaction's different and it's great. Every time it is that trick, I'm telling you now, it never fails, but and it will never get old. It is I will happily perform that trick every day. If that is all I could perform, that would be it with a deck of cards. I would perform that over and over because it just looks spectacular. Of I mean, right? If you break down a card trick, a card trick is in a sense I'm gonna lose the card and find the card. In this way of looking like it's the bare minimal movements of like, look, your card's gone in, it is now back here. You can see they're all different. This card is even signed, but it adds such a magical thing. We're like, they like and when you're getting them to push the card in too. Uh the and the I said, that visual, that final visual, is so strong. So for me, yeah, ambitious card every single day of the week.

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Well, I think it's a great choice. I reckon we're gonna have a lot of ambitious cards, but why don't you share with us your your ambitious routine? Because obviously, the big thing with the ambitious card routine that we all talk about is how many phases does it need to be, and what are you gonna put into those phases? So talk us through your ambitious card. Do you know what?

SPEAKER_02 14:07

Mine is like I had I followed mine from uh watching uh Daryl years ago. Uh I think I had many watch Daryl, and um, so not too much has changed it because I was just like, this is just the sort of perfect sort of routine. So mine is, you know, look, it's gone in, it's like I'm trying to count the phases now. You put me on the spot. I think it is four phases, um, you know, um of the routine. So um, yeah, it's not too heavy where I don't want to be like, I mean, I joke a lot with it, and I'm like, this is the only trick I can do, so I'm gonna just keep doing this. Uh so people are like, really? And like I love because people are like, how? Like, um, you know, when you especially you get to the what the sort of first two times you said and go, look, you probably think I'm not printing in the middle. Look, I'll leave it sticking out here. You can see this, you can follow this. Did you catch it? No, good. I'll retire if you did. And then you know, it's back on top of the last little bit. It's just like, I'll watch, you're gonna really watch this now. I'm gonna bend it. Can you see the bend? Like it's right here. Watch as slow as possible. And that last final moment, and it's like that you take it, you turn it over. It's just that ultimate kicker. And like to be fair, I see people sometimes maybe doing a bit more with it after, and I'm like, you don't need to. That is such a strong, strong ending, anyway, where they're just like, and I think when you do more, it almost makes that like feel uh you know, unnecessary. Then why did you do the bend if you're gonna go, oh look, I I do it like this, and it's fine. Don't need to. That last bit is so insanely visual and amazing on its own, you just don't need to either kill it.

SPEAKER_03 15:56

I really like the idea of uh you mentioned this is the one trick that I've learned, uh, so I'm gonna keep showing it to you. I love that as a as a line and a concept, I think that's really funny.

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Yeah, I always the sort of joke of it because I after like you've done it twice and now you go there three times, it's just like you're like, okay, how many different ways can you put this card in it? Something I can do, I'm just gonna keep that. And then people just like start laughing, and I'm like, because when I'm doing a live show, I never start with a card trick, but when I do eventually get to card tricks, ambitious cards usually the one of the first things I jump into. So um, yeah, yeah, it's such a great, great trick.

Digital Force Bag Phone Prediction

SPEAKER_03 16:37

Well, that is the first care package card trick that we have, the ambitious card. Let's move on to your eight tricks. So let's start with number one. What did you put in your first position, Damien?

SPEAKER_02 16:47

If I'm gonna take any trick with me straight away, is digital falseback. Like Nick Einhorn and Craig know already how much I love that and how much respect I have for that. And it's it's just a trick anytime, anywhere. It's great. If if I just want to do like a little sort of quick thing, and it still just gets people super fast, and like in quick, I would say to so I joke and I say, I'm gonna take your phone. Um, in fact, uh, unlock it for us, show your browser history, and like they're like, Well, and I go, No, I'm joking. Uh, go into your notes app, start a brand new note for us, and say, Look, I'm gonna write in a prediction, I'm gonna let everyone see so you know I'm not going through your phone. And I write in a prediction, I'll write down a celebrity's name, and I'd be like, show it around, I'll lock it, I go, I'm gonna give you back your phone. And at that point, I say, Is it normal that you get OnlyFans notifications? Because a couple popped up just there. Um, uh like, yeah, they just get the little laughs. Then I say to them, I um, you know, I have a list, 100 famous people from this industry, that industry, that industry. I just give me any number, ask them if the number is meaningful to them in some sort of way. Is it uh a special number, a birthday or anything? And they say no or yes. I say, look, I unlock my phone. Uh, we go over, look, there's the notes, uh, take the phone. And when they say it out loud, you see everyone's reaction, like, what? They're like, because they have just seen that this ain't, you know, uh somehow being controlled via uh some kind of like online or special thing. And then when it's up there, and they're like, wait, what? I'm gonna now look at your phone. So many people, do you know what I get at the end? They screenshot that and upload that to Instagram and like tag me in it. They're like, I have no idea how you wrote in Will Smith or something like that, or um Leonardo DiCaprio. So it goes out like so great, and uh that is just sort of like a one-phase routine. I would just do like you know, you could do that at any time, and it just works. It's great.

SPEAKER_03 18:45

Yeah, it's such a powerful routine, such a great uh effect, and it's that thing that you always have on you. That's always ready to go. You don't have to think of anything.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

It just feels so natural. There's nothing about it that feels off, if that makes sense. It just feels like I I think it's just so well layered and uh done that it just destroys people.

Hypernesia Memory Demonstration

SPEAKER_03 19:13

Well, I think it's a great choice in at number one. Let's go to number two then. What did you put in your second spot?

SPEAKER_02 19:19

So again, this is another phone trick, and I've been performing this now for a while, and I've I've got to thank Daryl Rose for this because he put me under this hyper amnesia. He's he's so good. I've been performing this now um since just before Christmas, I want to say. And is one of the greatest things out there, and if no one knows what it is, it is like a memory of, you know, people will learn the memory of maybe a deck of cards or something. This is you can basically give your phone to someone, ask them to go through your contacts, choose any contact you want, just they just give you the name, you can tell the full phone number, if there's a date of birth, if there's an email address, and they can keep doing it. Multiple contacts, it's not just one, not just two. And if they go, is this some sort of special magic app push the phone button and then it rings? And it's like and it's it's honestly it's amazing. Like I've I can use and people it literally flies because if you ask someone now how many phone numbers can you put people like two and my honestly, my contact list is a bit like uh bad. I've got 680 something contacts in my phone, and uh that's terrible. But like and so when people see that now, like and when they do see, like, and it is every single number is different, it has different date of birth, and you're telling them that, or if there's a little note which says just WhatsApp call them only because they don't have serves in their area, so they use online, of course. It's it's fantastic. It is so good. If you're not performing this, perform this people. Trust me, it's a game changer.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

I think it's really funny. I'm gonna sound super old now, but there was a time where memorizing phone numbers in your your phone was a normal thing. That that wasn't uh an amazing skill, but now we're at the the the stage where that is an amazing skill. But I think it is it's like uh it's like the modern day magic square, because you have the magic square in the show to slow down the pace a little bit and to have this almost surreal mental moment where it's just you and your brain doing this incredible thing, and this is that this this is that moment where everyone goes, What on earth is. Going on here, yeah. How do you have this memory?

SPEAKER_02 22:03

And this is the thing, and your time, maybe you'll get a number the wrong way. And when people are like, Okay, whoa, this is like that, even adds to you like close, and they're like, and they're willing you now to get it right. And so when I do this, like again, I like love this, and I talk about it at the beginning, go, like, you know, I say, Oh, like before the invention of these, do you remember? Like, you know, if you wanted to contact your friends, you just knew their number. You just picked up your house phone, you dialed it, and you knew it. You just remembered these things straight away. I went now, most of us we can barely uh, you know, remember like two, three numbers maximum, you know. Um, so um everyone can agree to that. And I say, you know, and the truth is is now people are just so big, life's just so busy, it's harder for people to retain that information like of what's going on because it's it's not as important anymore because it is just at your fingertips.

SPEAKER_03 23:01

Well, the first two tricks then on your list are both mobile phone tricks, which is yeah, uh pretty cool. Let's see where you go with number three, then what's in your third spot?

SPEAKER_02 23:11

So my third spot is uh is actually haunted deck. Love this. Uh haunted deck is just fantastic. Um so I I go through the idea of um when I do this, I've it's maybe after I've done a couple of like sort of warm-up card things, and I say, look, um, now if I shuffle the cards, you know I can find the trick, uh card. Okay, like it's cool, but it's not as mind-blowing as the first time, right? So uh you're expecting it. So what would be cooler if I if I didn't touch it right? And they're like, Yeah, okay, maybe if my shadows find it, they're like, What? And I put the cards and I say, look, you can see my shadows just waving over the cards right now, like, yeah. And then like I make the shadow sort of the grip. And as we sort of come over and they'll see the deck parts, and I sort of go like it's this gesture, and it just spins out towards the person in front of me. And that moment of them just picking it up to see there's nothing to check, nothing to examine. It's just there, they could pick the cards up. It's it's so amazing, it's so visually fantastic. And I've never had someone go, Cobra, it's always like wow, it's always so like that, like where people jump and are like and they're like this, they're like touching you after, like, and you just laughing because it's just it's so good.

SPEAKER_03 24:41

And the magician's table would be the perfect venue for a haunted deck as well.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

So I do it there, I do it. That's part of my routine. I actually do that. So that is so kneeling around. Uh, that is actually the uh pretty much the only card trick now I do at Magician's Table now is the haunted deck because um, you know, you got guys like Andrew Frost in there and they're doing like some absolutely unreal stuff with a deck of cards. I'm like, I want to follow that. Like it's uh it's slightly hands like insane. But um, I use um, you know, some Yee-Game seeker stuff. Um words here, um, and uh yeah, I use uh that method, it's just uh nice, easy. Um my handling's a little bit different than what's tall, but yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

Great. Well, I'm uh a big fan of a haunted deck, I think that's a very good choice in a number three. Let's go to number four. So, what's in your fourth spot?

SPEAKER_02 25:42

So, number four uh for me is Lumen Mini. Now, I don't know how many people would say that, but to me, that is I've not even been performing this long. Lumen Mini is like if you know, you know, like so again, I'll gotta give a shout out again to another magician from Magician's Table, uh, Martin Roland, who got me on this, and I was just like, Oh, okay, I need that. Like, I need to get this, I need to learn this. Um, Lumen, I mean, Audience Wonderland, their products are like incredible. If anyone's ever had one of their products, you you know they are just like top, you know, top-notch. They're you can't fault them, and also the customer service is fantastic. Uh, Mark is amazing. I've been doing that now, whether it's like you want to know someone's first kiss or you know, a lovely holiday they went on to, or just I don't know, a date of birth of a number. Uh is it's the if you're doom mentalism is the ultimate mentalism piece of kit in my mind. I like doing um their first kiss saying I want you to write down uh your the name of your first kiss and try and maybe even uh imagine like um where you was like you can write down if you want and all that. So it gives you obviously everything to play with, go, and I'll come back to that at the end. I'll say look, you can do that, and I'll start usually with that. I'll give them like uh a notepad and uh pen to write it down. Uh they keep all that to the end. I don't take it back and I say uh do a bunch of tricks, come back, go, okay. So you'd be thinking of this, I want you to think of the scenery. So first uh it's you know, uh, you know, it's probably would have been like a warm day, and uh, you know, the you know, trees are like in full, you know, bloom, like they're green, there's this, and they're like, Yeah, and it's around maybe like you know, sort of June time, and like so you're really building that scenario back, and it's quite a because your first kiss is a moment you never forget who the first kiss is. It's it's a very um big moment in our lives, you know. Um, so it's and it's just so personal, and I think when magic is a very personal has that very personal touch, it's uh you know, really, really strong. So then when you do your reveal of you ask who is this person, and you see their face, like uh it is it's so nice, and I get people have gone to me, can I keep this? And they just want the piece of paper. I'm like, Yeah, before it's a piece of paper. Um, you know, but it's strange when you see how much that means to someone. Um, so yeah, it it's a really nice one. Um, I really like doing that, and I I've seen people use it for all kinds of things, whether it's um writing down happy memories to uh important people in their lives, to um what else? Like, yeah, it's a special, a special date, like you know, a moment which is really important to you. So um it's it's such a great uh piece of kit, and I honestly I can't recommend it enough.

SPEAKER_03 29:17

Well, I think that's a great choice. Audience Wonderland stuff just looks like it's next level in quality as well, it just looks phenomenal.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Yeah, it's nice.

Pyro Perception Finger Blister Reveal

SPEAKER_03 29:26

So we've got Digital Force Bag, Hypernesia, Haunted Deck, Lumen Mini. I would say we're we're tipping on the side of mentalism, uh mostly, and the haunted deck is just kind of like a bit of weird, which I quite like as well. So let's go to number five. What's in your fifth spot?

SPEAKER_02 29:45

It's actually something I've been performing for such a long time now, and I'm kind of glad that you can't get it anymore. Um, and it's called pyro perception. Now, pyro perception is it's a beautiful trick. Um, and the idea is that uh you have someone choose a card, they remember it, and you say, Now I want to try this, and you pull out a lighter and you say, Okay, I want you to picture your card in the flame, whether it's red, black, a number, a picture card, uh, everything about it, just picture it here in the flame, and you just start burning the tips of your fingers on the flame, and then you turn it around, you've now got the blisters of uh the chosen card on your fingertip and on your thumb, and they can like feel it to see that it's not something you've just stuck on quickly. This is really is your skin all blistered up. I know there's been other versions uh which have come out which do a similar effect, but to me personally, uh I feel like this is one of the best ones. Um and you know, the great thing is you can do this with multiple cards all night. And I've done it quite a few times throughout the night. I try not to overdo it throughout the night. Um, and but like, you know, it's it's again a really like you know, it looks very weird as well when you start burning your people like, wow, what's he doing? Why is he setting fire to his hands? Um, obviously, we're not. Um, but it looks really good when they go and they check out your fingertip and they can see this blister of uh, you know, a cue and a club sign on your farm or whether it's like you know, a 10 and um a space, it just it's insane because there's no like logical answer of how have you got a blister like that on your fingers, and it's yeah, it's so good.

SPEAKER_03 31:39

Without giving anything away, what sets this version apart from others?

SPEAKER_02 31:44

I don't like to have too much in my pockets, yeah, or gig. Some of them you have to physically bring them out into play with your audience around you, and um, or you've got to have duplicates maybe which look like stuff where this is you're fully hidden the whole time. No one's ever seen this. It's it's a lot better or compact and uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:15

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SPEAKER_03 33:11

Nice. Well, I think that's another great one in at number five. Let's go to number six, then what's in your sixth spot?

SPEAKER_02 33:20

So number six for me was eye candy. So um eye candy is gross. Um it's so good. Um, so eye candy. If you're not doing it yet and you're a little bit brave, go do it. Uh so the idea is uh you a tic tac, or you take a tic-tac, you say, look, I'm gonna show you some. Um so my I'm gonna break down my routine. I say, Oh, look, ever since I was a kid, I've always loved it when magicians did dangerous tricks, whether it was you know water tank escapes to like Darren Brown when he did Russian roulette to David Blaine with his crazy stunts. And I learned this when I was really young. Um, I recommend you try this, but I'm gonna get you to help uh someone of you to help me out. Um, and I bring them up, and obviously at this point they're nervous. I have no idea what you're gonna do. You go, look, just got some tic-tacks. You know, okay. You go, not what you thought when it was a day, I said dangerous tricks, but I want you to just pour one into my hand. You're gonna make sure I'm not using any slight hand because obviously this is the world's smallest object. Uh, I take the one tic-tac, put it in my mouth, show it's in my mouth, like nothing's in my hand now. Um I start sort of swallowing it and I go, This doesn't look impressive here. It looks like I'm just eating a tic-tac. So, but you've got to get it to the right spot, and then I start going. And everyone's like, No. And I I get the person's finger and I say, Look, can you just feel it here? And then ah, like they start feeling funny and bugging, look, if we turn your hand around, look, we're gonna push it upwards now. And I use their hand to push it to drop the tic-tac thing out of my eye into my hand. And what I do after that, I take the tic-tac and I put it in a little glass vial and I hand it to them, and I say, Here you go,'s a little souvenir. So they get to take home the world's weirdest souvenir as well. And I go, if you want to read that later, feel free.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

All of these really feel perfect for the magician's table because it has that kind of weird sideshow vibe to it. Um, and yeah, it looks very circusy, right? Yeah, very circusy, and all of the tricks that you've picked feel perfect for that environment. Were these choices informed by doing things like the magician's table, or were you just always attracted to this kind of routine?

SPEAKER_02 35:39

No, I was always sort of um attracted to these sort of routines. I just um always liked that kind of magic, which was um wasn't over long and storytelling, and you know, it was just impactful to you know, uh visual as well for people who maybe don't speak uh English as well, or you know, um, and also that even if you're a bit of a distance away, you can see what's happening, what's going on, like because and also when some places are so dark like I've performed in, like you need it that it's like and like but these all these certain things as well get such big reactions. So if you're at one end of a room of a say, like uh uh doing a dinner uh performance, and this table goes nuts, it makes all the other tables suddenly go, what's going on over there? I want to see that. So they are sort of carefully picked, but it's also like I I try not to buy or do anything quite how you gotta put into my routine full-time. Um like um I had a chat with uh James Marina um a few years back at Blackpool, and they were sort of telling me that there was like don't we won't get anything unless we've written it first into our routine. I was like, man, like you know, I feel like you know, I've just learned so many times I could be guilty of impulse buying. I'm like, it's great, I I need that, and it's like I'm never gonna perform this ever, but it's not practical. So now it's like it's very changed where it's like everything I get now it has to I I've already had to have figured it out of where does that fit and does that uh in a sense pay for itself? So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:29

Well, I think iCandy is another really interesting one, and leads us to the tail end of your eight. So we've got two more. What's in at number seven?

SPEAKER_02 37:39

So, number seven, I've been doing this probably since I first got into magic, and I've told everyone this trick has probably made me more money than any other trick ever. Invisible deck, but and so many people you've seen it be done with doing it as a almost like tossed out deck routine, or someone's throwing a ball around the audience or paper ball or something like that, and go, uh, just name me a colour, red or black. What do you want to use? Like everything you say use is what we're gonna use. I'm not gonna try and do this weird things where magicians eliminate stuff. It's whatever you say is what do you want high or low? Uh, where does low start from oh uh like two great? Uh, where does low end by five? Okay, cool. Uh, you can pick any of uh the odds or the even that like you really like build this up. It's like there's no way I could predict this. In here, this set of cars, there's been one car turned over the entire time, and you do it so like clean, like steady pace, there's no weird movement, and it's just this is the only car turned over, but it is so strong, and it's the fact you are pretty much ready to go instantly again, and I've had like people who've followed me around gigs and seen me perform it a couple of times, they're like, No, how like what is going on? And it's like they can't fathom it. It's uh like my ex-girlfriend, she even said once before she was like, Never ever tell me how that is done because that is the greatest thing I've ever seen. Like, and you I mean, can you remember the first time you saw that and how how your what your brain was trying to think? Because I was I was like, What how and I remember the magician in Davenport showing me this, and uh it was just I was like I I I need to learn this, this is the greatest thing ever. When you learn it, you're like it's so clever, this is so good, and that it's I will do that every single gig. I'll always have that till I'm old and covered in cobwebs, I will be doing it.

SPEAKER_03 40:04

Which you might be on this island depending on how long you are there. Um, but I think that's a great choice. Invisible deck, we've had quite a few times, but you know, we've spoken before how it can be a challenge trick to a group where they challenge you to keep doing it over and over again. You're fine doing that. It's a great one to do it to a large group. You can do that, you can do it on stage to a large audience and still uh get that revelation. It really is kind of the perfect trick.

SPEAKER_02 40:32

Yeah, I don't see how there's any ever any real downside when you do that. I can't for you. I can't for you in any way, I can't think of anything negative to ever say about that. I love it.

PK Touches And Human Connection

SPEAKER_03 40:43

Well, that brings us on to number eight. So your list so far has been mostly mentalism and bits of strange. Even the card trick that you have in there is mentalism, invisible deck, and of course, you had pyro perception, which is technically mentalism because it's a a reveal, but kind of like a weedy, bizarre yellow as well. So let's if you're playing Damien O'Brien Bingo at home, what do you think he's gonna put in number eight? Do we think it's gonna be another piece of mentalism? Is it gonna be uh a piece of weird? Maybe he's gonna go full circle and go back to another piece of phone magic. We're not sure. Let's find out. What did you put in your final spot, Damien?

SPEAKER_02 41:27

My final thing, actually, uh, for me, I was torn between two. But one is actually I've not been performing it that long. It it's my own, it's my own thing, which is uh a new trick I have coming out later this year, so shameless self-promotion here, uh, called iCase, um, where any signed card, banknote, or billet like prediction into the back of your phone case. Any phone case, any phone doesn't matter. Like, and any phone case what comes out after, this is gonna work. But um I then changed to saying I thought, do you know what I'm going with saying that I've been performing for many of years and that I know just is so great, and that is PK Touches. PK Touches is just so uh beautiful. Um, you know, I play around the idea of um talking about uh, you know, of human connection of how strong it can actually be, um, and that we are more connected in more ways than one. I say it's a bit like um I mean you've heard of mother's intuition, right? It's like mums just know when we're being little menaces and uh misbehaving as they're just suddenly get this thing going, hmm, thanks, not right. Uh it's like that gut feeling, and you know, we can all have a strong connection to each other when we know what someone's maybe feeling or doing. And so I'm gonna try and create a strong connection between people, you and you, maybe you've only known each other a couple of hours, you've just met tonight. And I do the my sort of routine where they would then say uh hold up their hand or say go, like raise your hand when you feel a touch. Well, like go how many times you film and touch me, and uh both put the fingers up of how many times to where did you film and touch you? And they'd be like, To their nose or to their shoulder or their hand. And when the audience were watching this, like I mean, I said I did this um two weeks ago, and no word of a lie, the guy threw his chair like an audience member out of the way, then jumped onto the next chair behind him and had a full on meltdown of how insane that was. Cause he was like, No, it was like that's not bust about. Like, and it so those sort of moments I'm just in tears of laughter and it. It shows how impactful it can be. And again, it's just to the audience, it's like what can you do with nothing? I loved that stuff of like what can you just do here and there? And again, you can just do that. You can go anywhere. Like um there's I can't remember his second name, but there's a magician called Roberto. Uh amaz and he does such a brilliant PK touch routine. And uh around December on one of the uh our show days for Magician's Table, I was watching him do it. Uh like so what I was uh doing that day, I was just helping out, grabbing some like I used to help a lot with the social media magician's table, and I was grabbing some like photos and videos, and I was watching him do it, and I was like, Oh man, that's so good. Uh so and it's nice when you watch someone else do it and you watch everyone's reaction like no, hello, it's so good. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:03

Well, I could talk for hours about this, as people on the podcast know. This was actually one of our top eight of last season overall. So this has been mentioned lots and lots, and for good reason, it is phenomenal. Um, yeah, what were your PK Touch influences then? So they're a bit like uh a bit like Ambitious Card, there are different phases that you can put into PK Touches, and in you can take stuff out, put stuff in. What are the influences that make up your PK Touches routine?

SPEAKER_02 45:37

There's been so many. Um watching Banachek performs or watching um yeah, Sonia Benito, she does an amazing PK touch routine. Um even watching uh is it uh like getting ideas from watching Teller's shadow routine, uh like uh just in Winnie's right and they raise their hand, it's so Mark Spellman as well, like another one, like these are all like watch all their stuff and how they just sometimes their presentation of how they do it, and I'm just like uh this is so good, like this is so good, and um so there's so many different ones, and uh when you're a close-up performer as well, I think a lot of times you adapt to the situation. So sometimes your storytelling or even your handling and stuff changes on it of what you're gonna do and how you're gonna present it and how you're gonna do it, and where is the they're gonna feel uh the touch? Are they gonna feel it on the shoulder, they're gonna feel it on the nose, the hand, and I think all of that plays importance and also to your environment of your space too. So um, yeah, learning from all of them. There's so many different things, and yeah, so there's a lot of inspiration.

SPEAKER_03 46:54

Well, I think it is the perfect way to round out your list. So let's go back over it very quickly. We have Digital Force Bag, Hypernesia, Haunted Deck, Lumin Mini, Pyro Perception, Eye Candy, Invisible Deck, and PK Touches. That's a pretty phenomenal list. It's a great way to start our third season, I think.

SPEAKER_02 47:14

Thank you. I I have fun performing with all of it. I'm like a big child, still like running around like that.

SPEAKER_03 47:22

Well, Damien, we gave you eight tricks and a care package, uh, but we're only allowing you to take one each of these, okay? So I want you to imagine that you're about to dig a big sandy hole, you're gonna throw something inside, we're gonna bury it, never to be seen again. What are you going to banish?

SPEAKER_02 47:39

Okay, so saying I would banish would be negative energy. No negative energy, man. So I'd like I'm a firm believer in don't surround yourself with anything negative, no negative energy. Be around people make you laugh, make you inspire you, want to see you succeed, who uh motivate you and uh you know who are only trying to manifest good things for you. Uh they are the people uh I want in my life and also that kind of energy of like uplifting, uh obviously, of course, who will tell me the truth when saying it's uh rubbish, but of course, all you want is uh good vibes, you know.

SPEAKER_03 48:27

So the the team of people that you kind of build around you because you've done so much uh like so many TV things and these big brand deals and all that sort of stuff. Is the team that you surround yourself with the same team that you've always had, or has it adapted and grown, or do you just literally just have one or two people?

SPEAKER_02 48:50

Um my team, the team of people I work with, like I try and sort of stay with the same sort of ones. So this is uh Sonia Benito, Mark Lavelle, to uh Bo Kramer, um Mark Smith, Mitch, O'Brien, and you know, um they are you know very clever, they come up with some great ideas, of course, but I know I can message others and be like, hey man, I've got this like thing, and like and it's maybe because I've known someone's worked on stuff before uh or done something very along those lines, you know. Um, you know, I've reached out to Pete Nardi before, I've reached out to Ross Stevens before, to um many others, but like they are sort of would always be like my first uh uh point of contact where I'll just be like, I mean, Sonia as well, especially I feel for her, because she probably gets a million messages um a week, and vice versa, we're always just talking about ideas and about stuff off of each other, and uh Bo Kramer, who is just insanely clever, people don't realise how smart this man is. Um, but yeah, so I try not to uh have too many voices around. Um, but these are all good people who are I I just they're all people as well where I could just vibe with without talking about magic too. So we could just talk about normal day-to-day life of you know, oh I went out today with my dog and had a nice walk or just something I'll go I grabbed a you know, dinner at this place, you need to go try it. So yeah.

Book Pick And Learning With ADHD

SPEAKER_03 50:33

Nice. Well, negative energy is gone. There is no negative energy on Damien O'Brien's Island, which is good, and it leads us to your book. So you're allowed to take one book with you, Damien. What book are you taking?

SPEAKER_02 50:46

Um if I am taking one book with me, um it's um it's actually uh Carter Beats the Devil. It was one of these first sort of books. I was never really much of um a reader, like I was always like um you know, I struggle to learn from uh magic books from reading and stuff like that. I I very much learnt from visual seeing it being done, and but someone had told me about this book, and it was because I saw a poster, and I believe I saw the poster in Davenport's, and it was actually Bill Davenport who told me about the book. Um, and he was like, You should read the book, it's really fantastic, it's great. I was like, okay. And you know, it it was hard for me to get into at first, like you know, my brain ADHD just wants to wander. And the more though I gave my time into this book, the more I just really enjoyed this book, and um, you know, it's it's a great book. Um definitely give it a read if you haven't.

SPEAKER_03 52:02

Yeah, so Carter beats the devil. I think we've had it on the podcast before, um because it's a storybook, right? As opposed to and it's about a magician. Um, yes, and I think it's a really nice that you know it's kind of like magic adjacent, and it's so lovely that you had this storybook that still inspired you about a magician uh going forward. I don't think we have enough storybooks like that now.

SPEAKER_02 52:28

No, there ain't there is not enough like that now. Um so yeah, it's a really, really cool world. It's actually I can actually see it right now. Yeah, it is so fantastic, you know. It is that very old school um you know magic posters we used to see, and um that's what drew me and say because I saw the poster in Davenports. They had this big light poster, like they had so many there of like Alexander the Great and stuff like that. And I was just like, oh my god, like I've this looks really cool. What is this? And like, you know, I was very young when I first went to Davenports, and it was when they told me there was oh, it's it's a book. Like they went like read it, like don't like it's really good, you'll love it. And you know, when you're like me, you have AGH and you see something that thick, you're like, Oh my god, that's it's it's a bit daunting. But uh honestly, amazing book.

Phone Choice And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_03 53:25

Amazing. Well, that's going with you. Carter Beats the Devil is your book choice. That leads us to our final one. So if you were to take a non-magic item that you use for magic, what is that item?

SPEAKER_02 53:36

Yeah, probably my phone because it's not a magic item, so it's gotta be my phone. So I need that. Like, it's there's so much you can do with it.

SPEAKER_03 53:48

I would have anticipated you saying that, otherwise, digital force bag and hypernesia is gonna be very difficult for you to do.

SPEAKER_02 53:56

Yeah, it'd be very, very difficult. Very, I'd be like, oh man, and I'm my list would have got a lot shorter.

SPEAKER_03 54:03

I'm guessing your phone is absolutely jam-packed with other things as well, right? Not just those two.

SPEAKER_02 54:08

There's a lot on there, yeah. There's so many stuff on that uh phone um from over the years and that. But yeah, I'm I think I'm not the only magician who's like that either.

SPEAKER_03 54:19

No, I think we all are. Uh, but it's a great way to round out your list. I'm so glad that you had it. I'll tell you what, I'll even put in a little solar-powered phone charger for you just to make sure you still have that the power on it. Just so that you have but that's a great way uh to round out your list. It's a great list as well. One more time, we have Digital Force Bag, Hypernesia, Haunted Deck, Illumin Mini, Pyro Perception, Eye Candy, Invisible Deck, PK Touches. Your banishment is negative energy. That's gone. Your book is Carter Beats the Devil, your item was phone. Of course, your welcome package trick was ambitious card. I think that's a phenomenal way to start our third season. So thank you. Now, earlier on, you mentioned that you have a new trick coming out. So if people want to find out about that, they want to find about you, about the magician's table, where you're performing, all of that good stuff. Where do they go to, Damien?

SPEAKER_02 55:08

Um, best players, if you're wanting to find out about my my own releases or like where I'm performing, stuff like that, just hit me up on Instagram, Damien Magician, or my Facebook page, Damien Magician. Both of those two is usually like my most active out of sort of both. Like I would go with Instagram, but yeah, those two you can find out pretty much everything. I'm getting up to when I've got new things coming out. And uh yeah, uh, hopefully you ain't got too long to wait for the new trick either. Hopefully it's in production now, like the first the first thousand units already.

SPEAKER_03 55:43

So that's great. Thank you so much for your time, Damien.

SPEAKER_02 55:47

Thank you. I really appreciate you having me on there. Really appreciate it.

Listener Submissions And Closing

SPEAKER_03 55:51

And of course, thank all of you for being here. Like Damien said, please do look out for that trick. It sounds phenomenal. And I know if it's Damien, there's going to be so much thought that's gone into that. Uh, do go check out the Magician's Table as well. If Damien's still performing in it, I'm sure he's not sure when he's performing in it because uh it's different people in there at different times, but hopefully you'll get the chance to see him. And even if he's not in there, it's a phenomenal show with some phenomenal talent in there. I'm hoping to try and get some more of the magicians from the magician's table on here um for future editions as well. If you want to be a part of this, we do have Stranded with a Stranger. Send in your list of eight tricks, one banishment, one book, one non-magic item, and of course, your new welcome package trick to sales at alakazan.co.uk. Include your name, uh, a little bit about who you are, and of course why you chose those tricks, and we'll get one of these recorded for you in the subject line. Please put my desert island tricks that way it comes through to me. Uh, we're gonna be back next week with a version of this, whether it is Desert Island Tricks, Desert Island SOS, or Stranding with a Stranger. But until then, have a great week. Goodbye.

SPEAKER_00 57:00

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