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Mathew Youngs, Close-Up Magician

Find out what Mathew has been up to recently. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to Contact Us ...

Dynamo and Penn and Teller

Posted Thu, 8 Sep 2011 by Mathew

Recently lots of people have been asking me why I didn't you go on ITV1’s latest magic series: ‘Penn and Teller- Fool Us’? The answer is- I did have the audition form but I also had three confirmed bookings on the weekend of filming. I chose do the bookings because I didn't want to let my clients down. If they have a second series, I shall definitely audition, so watch this space!

The other thing that my spectators tend to be talking about is the magician Dynamo, who recently had a hit series call 'Magician Impossible'. How do you put a phone in a bottle? I can't tell you but I do perform a similar style of magic to Dynamo. That type of magic is what I call modern 'Close up Magic', and whereas Dynamo often performs on the street, I perform at parties and celebrations across the UK.

People have asked whether Dynamo uses camera tricks or whether he really can do the things that are featured on his show. Well there is much to be said on this subject, so I plan to write a whole blog about it next time. If you can't wait until then or you want to ask me anything else, you can always get me on the Facebook page, which is www.facebook.com/CloseUpMagician

Student to Magician

Posted Fri, 12 Aug 2011 by Mathew

This is an interview that I did for a recent article, which appeared on the Nottingham Trent University news website...

• When did you first become interested in magic / when did you start performing?

As a child I always had busy hands and I would spin pens, flip coins and shuffle cards just for the fun of it. When I was about 16 a friend showed me a simple card trick, which I learned and then adapted. As soon I got a great reaction from performing it, there was no looking back.


• Did you amaze your mates with tricks whilst at Uni?

As a magician, I have a bit of a reputation in my local area as ‘Magic Mat’, which often results in me getting asked to “do a trick” anywhere and everywhere. At first I didn’t want to mention it at Uni, so that I could keep it separate from my studies, but as I made friends, I inevitably ended up showing them some of my stuff. I was working as a semi-pro magician on some of my evenings and I also used my magic as a visual aid to some of the presentations that I did in my final year! It’s amazing how useful it can be actually.


• What’s your favourite trick / what gets the best reaction from the crowd?

I like performing anything that’s really visual, such as making coins or other object appear or disappear out of thin air. That always gets good reactions but I probably get my best reactions from a trick I do, which involves making a pack of cards disappear whilst the spectator is holding them (I know that sounds like it couldn’t be done, but that’s what magic is all about!). You have to see it to believe it.


• Do you do this full time now, or work elsewhere as well?

I used to have a job in a local gym but I got made redundant, so I put all of my efforts into my magic and now I’m happy to say that I’m a busy full time pro and I’m making a decent living from it.


• What have you been doing since University?

I did my University course as a backup plan as I was into fitness, worked in a gym and didn’t think that I could ever work exclusively as a magician. As soon as the hard work and exams were finished, I was able to completely focus on my magic again, so I started picking up more bookings and built it up from there.


• Who inspires you? I’ve recently been watching “Dynamo” on Sky who seems fascinating. I’ve seen Siegfried & Roy and Penn & Teller in Las Vegas – they were all good. I saw David Copperfield during my last visit to Las Vegas – very disappointing!

It’s a shame that you found Copperfield to be disappointing. I plan on going to Vegas and watching some of the magic shows at some point in the future. A lot of the top magicians also put on lectures at places like The Magic Circle or at magic conventions. I’ve seen some of the top guys at those places and been very inspired. I’ve been enjoying the magic that has been on TV recently such as Penn and Teller’s ‘Fool Us’ and ‘Dynamo: Magician Impossible’ but my real inspiration is a magician called Cyril Takayama. He is very big in Japan and rightly so, as he is an excellent performer. Youtube ‘Cyril Magic’ to see what I mean.


• Do you continue to think of new material.

Yes very much so, it’s like music- first you learn the notes and then you can create your own tunes. My act evolves as I perform it for different people over time.


• What’s the weirdest thing you’ve been asked to do, e.g. “make my wife disappear”! I’ll make reference to the proposal trick.

I am often asked to make people’s wives disappear! And yes the proposal has got to be the strangest thing. Other than these, I was once asked to perform at a fashion event where I greeted and performed for the guests as they arrived, whilst wearing a smoking jacket (think Hew Hefner). It looked like a dressing gown but was worth about £500.


• What has been the highlight of your career or personal achievements to date?

Some highlights have been, working at venues like The Dorchester Hotel and the Emirates Stadium for big corporate companies and being in the newspapers. The biggest highlight was probably performing backstage for celebrities like Radio 1 DJ Huw Stevens, Tinie Tempah, ‘The Saturdays’ and Alan Carr.


• Can you share your plans for the future?

I have a baby on the way (due any time now!), but career wise I just want to get as many bookings as I can, build my business and perform at some great events. I also plan on auditioning for the next series of ITV’s ‘Fool Us’ (if there is one). I had the audition form for the last series but they were filming on a weekend when I had three confirmed bookings!

Magician to hire for marriage proposal

Posted Tue, 2 Aug 2011 by Mathew

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Hi folks

Here's an update on the last blog entry.

The story that I referred to has now been featured in The Nottingham Evening Post. To see the article, click here

Watch this space

Mathew

Magic wedding proposal

Posted Wed, 27 Jul 2011 by Mathew

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Hi folks

I was recently asked to magically produce an engagement ring for a marriage proposal!

The story has already made front page of my local paper and has now been picked up by another newspaper and some magazines.

To see how it went, have a look at this article: Click here

There are also some pictures of it on my Facebook Page

All the best

Mathew

When is it best to hire a wedding magician?

Posted Wed, 15 Jun 2011 by Mathew

Hiring a wedding magician is becoming increasingly popular. Why? Because this kind of magic is designed to be suitable for all age groups and for people from all walks of life. Add this to the fact that there is no stage, sound or lighting requirements and you have an easy, hassle free way to provide great entertainment for your guests on your wedding day.

But when should hire a magician to perform at your wedding? ‘Close up magic’ is suitable in most environments and can be adapted to your specific circumstances but in general there are three main phases of the day that are ideal for this kind of entertainment....

During the photographs or pre dinner drinks reception:
Have you hired a professional photographer to take your wedding pictures? If so, there is usually a period after the ceremony in which the photographer likes to get some creative shots of the happily married couple and their guests. This usually lasts 1 – 2 hours as various groups get together to be snapped. But what do the guests do whilst they are not involved in the photographs? Often they will stand in small groups with a glass of champagne and some nibbles. This is a perfect time to hire a mix and mingle entertainer like myself to meet and greet your guests, ‘break the ice’, create atmosphere and get people talking!

At the wedding breakfast:
If you hire me to perform table magic, I move from table to table during the wedding breakfast, entertaining the guests with my close up magic, which I have specifically adapted to be ideal for a group of diners who are sitting around a table. This is a great way to fill those gaps in the meal service whilst people are waiting for food. I move from one table to the next in between each meal course and aim to wow everybody with a unique style of entertainment, which most people have never seen. After many years of experience working at dinner tables, I aim to provide high class, professional entertainment that compliments the dinner service and leaves guests with an enjoyable and memorable experience.

During the evening reception:
This is probably the most popular time to hire a magician because by the evening, all of your guests have arrived, eaten, relaxed and are ready to be entertained! My mix and mingle style of magic is probably at its best during a wedding reception. With people from different sides of the family, standing, sitting, dancing and generally having a great time, close up magic is an ideal accompaniment to the celebrations. I aim to offer something that most other forms of entertainment cannot: an interactive experience! The magic that I perform always involves my spectators, getting the magic to happen not only in their minds, but often in their very own hands. I approach people in a friendly manner and either show them some visual magic, which they can simply watch or I get them involved in creating my next impossibility. This often generates laughter and amazement, and should give your guests something further to remember.

But hang on, what if there’s a disco! No problem. Close up magic is best in a well lit and moderately quiet environment; however I am pleased to say that I am one of the only modern magicians who can offer a silent act, which is great for discos. As well as working at a lot of large parties, weddings and corporate events, I have also been hired to perform at nightclubs for many years now. Over this time I have developed an act, which uses body language and visual magic, to be ideal in dark, loud environments.

How long should you book for and can you hire me to perform at different parts of the day?

The length of time that I spend performing is largely determined by the number of guests. I require at least one hour per 100 guests but most bookings cover a two hour period. To find out how long to hire me for, simply contact us and provide details of the number of guests and the time at which you would like me to entertain. Following this we will be able to make a recommendation based on your needs.

Please see my feedback on the testimonials page of this site, to find out what previous clients thought of my close up wedding magic.

If you have any specific questions about how this kind of entertainment can fit your occasion, please contact us.

How to Sign Documents Digitally

Posted Mon, 23 May 2011 by Mathew

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The first thing that you need to do is to create a digital image of your signature. You can do this in a number of ways.


Option 1: Paint

Step 1: Open Microsoft Paint (Click start, click ‘Paint’) or use any program that allows you to draw with your computer mouse.

Step 2: Draw your signature (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Note: ensure that there isn’t too much white space around the signature by beginning near to the top left of the drawing space. Once drawn, shrink the white background to fit the image by clicking the bottom right corner of the white box and dragging it up to the edge of the signature.

Step 3: Save the document (name it something like ‘my signature’ and save it in a location that you can easily find).


Option 2: Digital Camera

Step 1: Physically sign a piece of white paper.

Step 2: Use any digital camera (even the camera on your phone if it’s good enough) to take a photograph of your signature. Try to ensure that the signature fills the frame, otherwise you may have to ‘crop’ the image later*

Step 3: Transfer this image onto your computer via a cable, Bluetooth, email or whatever your preferred method.

*To crop an image, locate your file, hover the mouse pointer over it and ‘right click’ the mouse. Select ‘open with’, move across and click ‘Paint’ (or whatever drawing software you have). Once opened in Paint, click ‘Select’ (this option is displayed at the top of the page) and then choose ‘select all’. Once you have done this, click ‘crop’ (this option is also at the top of the page) and draw a rectangle around your image. Click ‘crop’ again and your image will now be cropped to the size of the box that you just drew. Save your document.


Option 3: Smartphone

Step 1: If you have an iPhone or any other Smartphone that has a drawing app, use it to draw your signature with your finger.

Step 2: Send the image to your computer and save it.


Now that you have a digital image of your signature saved on your computer, you just need to get that image into the ‘Booking Form’ document (or whatever document requires your signature).

We send all booking forms in MS Word format, which is easy to edit on most computers. Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Open the email attachment entitled ‘Booking Form Date .docx’

Step 2: Click in the appropriate boxes and enter the remaining booking details if necessary.

Step 3: Open the digital signature document that you created and saved earlier.

Step 4: With the mouse pointer over the signature image, click the right hand mouse button and then select ‘copy’

Step 5: Go back to the booking form document and ‘right click’ next to the word ‘Signature’. Select ‘paste’. Note: Don’t worry if at this point the document formatting goes all over the place. This is probably due to the size of the image, which will be changed straight away in the next step...

Step 6: ‘Double click’ the image and then click and drag from the corner of the image until it becomes a reasonable size to fit the space.

Step 7: Save the ‘Booking Form’ document.


That’s it! Now all you have to do is write your email, click the ‘attachment’ option in your email provider, and attach the newly edited (and digitally signed!) document to your email and send it.

For further help, contact us.

Magic for celebrities

Posted Tue, 3 May 2011 by Mathew

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Someone asked me why I haven't blogged about meeting and performing for celebrities.
Click the image to see an article, which was featured on the magic news site MagicWeek.

Three in One

Posted Mon, 18 Apr 2011 by Mathew

After performing in a silver sequined tailcoat and top hat (not my idea!) at a big corporate event on Tuesday, I prepared myself for three bookings in one day on Saturday.

I was set to perform in a show-home as part of an open day for Taylor Wimpey Homes, followed by a wedding at an old stomping ground- the Goosedale conference and banqueting suite, and finally at a 40th birthday party celebration in a Rotherham hotel.

Needless to say, the day was full of variety, I met lots of people from all walks of life and did my best to impress the guests with my latest ‘close up magic’.
Have a look at the most recent three comments on the Testimonials page to see the feedback.

With spring in full swing and summer fast approaching, the wedding season will soon see me entertaining the family and friends of happily married couples on their special day, across the UK.

Maybe I’ll see you there.

All the best

Mathew

The conjuring chronicles

Posted Mon, 28 Mar 2011 by Mathew

  
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Hi folks

I am conscious that a blog is supposed to include information about what I’ve been up to, so here’s an update.....

Now that magic is my full time occupation, it would be easy to label it as my job and to view it only as a source of income. Happily my passion for the art is too deep to let it get like this, and I’m lucky enough to love my work. Having said this, I try to strike a balance between, performing and creating. My creative periods come in peaks and troughs, and last week I was feeling particularly creative (a peak in creativity if you like). I rarely find material that is good enough to go into my act, rather- I come up with ideas here and there and they creep into my set bit by bit as it ‘evolves’ over the years.

During busy times, when I’m hired to perform night after night and sometimes twice a day, my new material has to be put to one side, as I never perform anything at a gig until it is completely ready (professional footballers can miss the target, but professional magicians must endeavour to never miss a trick!).

So last week, as Friday approached, my new projects took a back seat as I prepared for a busy weekend. It started with a ‘mix and mingle’ style performance at a computer game launch party for a company called Crytek. For all you gamers out there, they produced Crysis 2, which looks excellent. It was a large event with a glow juggler, a bouncy castle, ice sculptor, hoopla, coconut shy, popcorn stand, a hog roast, fireworks, and a magician (me).

The following day, I set off for Kent, where I was due to perform at the dinner tables during a private party in a West Wickham restaurant. It was an intimate, friendly environment and I felt that it went well (see the latest testimonial for more information).

On Sunday, the consistent March sunshine didn’t disappoint as it brightened up the beautiful countryside in Ware, where I was performing at a wedding (where’s Ware and what to wear, when we’re there?!). The rather grand Farnham Hall was the venue, and I entertained a young couple and their guests during the wedding breakfast as they celebrated the marriage.

Monday is now upon us, so it’s back to the magic office to catch up on some emails and update the website. Perhaps the creativity will revisit before my gigs later in the week.
All the best

Mathew

Magicians for Hire

Posted Wed, 9 Mar 2011 by Mathew

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Hi folks,

Just a quick update to let you know that I have a sister site called ’Magicians for Hire’.

It is a new project that has been put in place so that I can recommend a great performer to those clients who wish to book me on a particular date, when I am unavailable.

To see the site, click this link: ’Magicians for Hire’

Until next time,

Be magic

Magic videos

Posted Mon, 28 Feb 2011 by Mathew

You may have seen the 'Ring Magic' video, which is currently being displayed on my 'homepage' but did you know, there are some more videos in the Gallery section of this site?
Simply scroll down to the bottom of the 'Gallery' page and click on the video links.
There is also a video on my Facebook page, entitled 'Visual Stunts' that can only be viewed via Facebook. To see it, click Here

Restaurant magician

Posted Wed, 16 Feb 2011 by Mathew

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Calling all restaurant owners....

Create a buzz about your venue the magic way, attract new customers and encourage repeat business!

Having a resident magician is a fantastic way to offer something unusual and unique to your customers.

People love to tell their friends about the time that they met a magician at a particular venue “It was amazing! He made this vanish and made that float. He’s there every Tuesday; you should go along and see”.

How it works...
Mathew Youngs is a professional magician, who specialises in modern ‘Close up Magic’. He can meet and greet your guests and astonish them with his memorable entertainment, whilst they await their food. Approaching guests with a friendly and welcoming manner, Mathew performs interactive magic that is suitable for all ages. It encourages laughter and WOWs people, which creates a great atmosphere and offers a unique and entertaining experience.

Why it works...
Mathew can tailor his magic to suit your setting, referencing the name of your venue to ensure that people link their enjoyable experience to your restaurant and come back for more. Magic is a fantastic way to create word of mouth and get people talking. Turn a slow night into a unique night by hiring Mathew to be the resident magician and advertising his presence. It can also help with the service during busier times because he can keep those hungry diners occupied whilst they are waiting.

Key benefits of the service...
• Memorable
• Creates word of mouth about your venue
• Offers something unique
• Attracts new customers
• Encourages repeat business
• Tailored performances to suit your needs
• Great to occupy diners during unexpected delays
• Gives people a reason to book on a particular night
• Appeals to all generations
• Mathew is a highly experienced expert magician. He is friendly, professional and reliable

Special offers...
Magicians, like other professional entertainers, are expensive! However, you can get a great discount with multiple bookings, which offers excellent value for money. Even cheaper on Mondays- Thursdays, contact us for more information.

Testimonials...
To view our long list of happy customers, click here

How much do magicians cost?

Posted Thu, 3 Feb 2011 by Mathew

If you’re searching the internet trying to work out how much it costs to hire a magician, you might notice that most performers don’t advertise their fees. This can be frustrating when you’re working to a budget and you need to figure out the costs and consider your options.

Why don’t magicians advertise their prices?

Simple; imagine the following two scenarios....

1. A client wants to hire a magician for a birthday party. It will take place in their house and there will be 20 guests attending.

2. A client needs to hire a magician for their annual corporate event. They are having a drinks reception followed by a formal meal, and need an entertainer for both. 1000 guests will be attending.

Clearly scenario 2 will cost more than scenario 1. It has nothing to do with who’s paying for the service or the venue where it is held. 1000 guests under varying conditions will take much longer to entertain than 20 guests at a house party, and it will require much more expertise to accomplish. Scenario 2 might even require two performers. The variations in the customer’s requests can affect the cost, so- to remain consistent and fair; at mathewyoungs.com we take the necessary details and put them into a quote generator. This allows us to send a rapid, competitive quote, which is tailored to your occasion and offers our best value for money.

To get your quote, just contact us with the details of your event.

Are you wondering why different magicians charge different amounts for the same event? Click here to find out why.

Are you shopping around for the best price magicians?

Posted Thu, 3 Feb 2011 by Mathew

If price is not the most important factor and you just need a reliable, professional entertainer, click the following link for your peace of mind; Click here or...

Read on to find out about magician’s fees....

With price comparison sites, competition between businesses and the convenience of the internet, it’s no surprise that people browse the web to find the best deal. However, when hiring an entertainer, there are some important differences that you should be aware of.

1. Each performer is unique.
When trying to find the best price, you are often looking in different places for the same product. Say you want some designer shoes; you might look in various shoe shops at the same pair of shoes, ultimately searching for the best deal. When organising entertainment it is very different because you are looking at different products (the performers). Whether uniquely brilliant or uniquely rubbish, you can be sure that no two magicians are the same. So how can you decide whether the fee reflects the quality of the service?

2. Price is not everything.
When shopping for a product or service, we are often driven and influenced by two conflicting mind sets.
We either think that we should go with the cheapest option no matter what, because the most important thing is to get the best price, or...
we assume that a more expensive product must be better.
When hiring a magician you would be well advised to put aside these thoughts for the following reasons....
• There are expensive performers that are terrible.
• Terrible performers are cheap!

But where does this leave us?

Confused?! You don’t need to be, because magicians like Mathew Youngs have thought this through. If you email Mathew for a quote, this is how it should fit the bigger picture...

1. It might well be cheaper than the competitors! If this is the case, great. Mathew’s fees are intentionally slightly lower than the fees of other top performers in an attempt to provide even greater value for money.

2. It could be more expensive than other magicians. This should only be true when compared to some of the magicians who are just starting out or who only perform part-time as a hobby. Unfortunately some websites and marketing material can be deceptive. Amateur magicians often appear in the newspaper or meet and perform for a celebrity. Couple this with the convenient exclusion of the fact that this is not their full time job, and you’ll soon believe that you’re hiring the best in the business.

Why hire a professional? Click here to find out the advantages.

Mathew has performed at prestigious venues and entertained a range of celebrities but this doesn’t actually matter!

What matters is that Mathew is a full time professional who relies on happy customers and repeat business to make his living. This only comes by proving a top quality, reliable service that offers value for money and peace of mind.

And the proof?... See the feedback from our long list of satisfied clients, on the Testimonials Page of the website.

Hire a specialist, relax and enjoy the occasion

Posted Thu, 3 Feb 2011 by Mathew

Unless you’re a magician yourself, how could you know that- of the top 4 magicians on Google Maps, Mathew is the only one who is a full time professional in his area?!

Why hire a professional?

As the person in charge of organising the entertainment, part of the success or failure of the event could rest on your shoulders! If you want everybody to be raving about your choice of performer, you need a skilled performer who conducts themselves professionally. You can have peace of mind when you hire Mathew because he is.....

• Easy to deal with
• Punctual
• Well mannered and polite
• Hygienic and smartly dressed
• Gets on well with people of all ages
• Never drinks alcohol whilst performing
• Has a friendly approach
• Has bags of experience and a long list of happy customers
• Draws upon his experience to adapt to your event
• Uses his discretion where necessary
• Appeals to all generations
• Is prepared to ‘go the extra mile’
• Engages and entertains his audiences
• Is an expert within his field
• Provides unique, astounding magic to amaze everybody and add to the success of the occasion.

But don’t take our word for it, see what other people say, visit www.mathewyoungs.com/testimonials.php

All of this and we offer a competitive fee to ensure that you get great value for money and can enjoy a hassle free experience when organising something special for your event.

Up Close Table Magician

Posted Mon, 24 Jan 2011 by Mathew

Hi folks,

I got some great feedback from the two bookings that I mentioned in my last blog. To see it, visit the 'Testimonials' page.

I worked at a Christening yesterday and I have been hired to perform my ‘Close up Magic’ at some parties this weekend. I’ll let you know how they go.

Mathew

Corporate conjuring

Posted Wed, 19 Jan 2011 by Mathew

Hi folks

Just a quick update this week as I’m super busy at the moment doing the ‘show’ and ‘business’ side of show-business.
A few days ago I was performing at the Crowne Plaza at a big Las Vegas themed event for a company’s New Year party. There were circa 250 guests plus multiple Las Vegas showgirls, casino tables and me. Tonight I’m providing entertainment at a corporate event in Nottingham, where I’ll be doing ‘table magic’ for the guests. At the weekend I’m at a christening and then I have a number of other events coming up after that. I expected January to be a quiet month.

The Facebook page that I recently set up has just crossed the 200 member mark. Check it out if you’re not already on there, here’s the link; Click here

Mathew

Farewell 2010, hello 2011

Posted Tue, 11 Jan 2011 by Mathew

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It has been a little while since the last update so first- Happy New Year to one and all!

For me, 2010 was certainly an interesting year and if you’ve been reading my blog you’ll know a bit about what I got up to. I believe that the way we interpret our experiences is the most important thing. For example, last year some pretty bad things happened to me, such as crashing my car and breaking my elbow (Not at the same time). On the other hand, I moved into a great new house in a lovely village, had a turbulent but successful year with my business and received some excellent news, which I can’t reveal just yet. So when I reflect on the year, I’ve decided to learn from the bad luck and cherish all of the good fortune and the decisions that lead to it. During 2010 I also developed my Close up Magic act to a degree that I am really very happy with, although it is basically always in a state of evolution.

As a performer, January is usually much quieter than December because most people are partied out and spent up after Christmas and New Year. Having said this, I’m actually rather busy this January, which is great! Later this week I’m entertaining at a big Las Vegas themed event and then as the month progresses, I’m performing at corporate events, birthday parties and a christening.

If you know anyone with an upcoming spring/summer wedding, please pass my details on.

I hope you are all having a great start to 2011.

Mathew

Entertaining in December

Posted Thu, 9 Dec 2010 by Mathew

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Hi blog readers,

As predicted, Christmas is particularly busy for me this year. I’ve done nine gigs within the last seven days, travelled all over the country in the snow and even made a girl faint during a trick (It was in a nightclub and she was quite drunk so I can’t claim it was due to my charm but the trick was pretty nuts).

I’ve also been working at some classy places and performed at birthday celebrations and Christmas parties. There’s been some great feedback from these bookings, which can be seen on the Testimonials page.

I’m back at a nightclub tonight (Pandora’s Box), where I’ll be performing some of my more visual magic and trying to mess with people’s minds (In a good way). Tomorrow I’m off to Lincolnshire University to perform my ‘mix and mingle’ magic for about 400 people and next week I’ll be back in the capital, entertaining dinner guests at The Strand Palace Hotel.

Is it too early to wish you all a Merry Christmas?

Look out for more updates coming soon.

Mathew

Muggle Magic

Posted Mon, 29 Nov 2010 by Mathew

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Earlier this week I was back at Escucha Bar making full use of my more visual magic in the dark, loud environment as I entertained the 200+ students in attendance. To any budding magicians out there- I would highly recommend performing in nightclubs and bars as it will really help to improve your NVC (none verbal communication), which is an important part of expressing your material effectively.

After some time spent on the business side of the ‘show business’ I got rather addicted to the TV show- ‘The Wire’ and the game of Table Tennis. I also managed to make time to catch see the latest instalment of the Harry Potter saga (skip the rest of this paragraph if you don’t like Harry Potter). I am a big fan of the books and although my style of magic is more ‘muggle magic’, I can appreciate good conjuring when I see it. As for the film, I can only judge it from the perspective of someone who read the book first but overall I thought it was excellent. I had very low expectations after hearing what some of the critics were saying but I was pleasantly surprised and entertained. There was much more of the charm and humour that was lacking in previous films (4, 5 and 6 particularly) and the young actors certainly seem to have learnt a few new tricks. I think that splitting the final instalment into two has definitely worked out well (Cha-Ching!) because that they had more time to tell the full story. The Polyjuice potion scenes (The 7 Potters and the infiltration of The Ministry) stood out as highlights for me as well as the much welcomed return of the character Dobby.

Back to reality; Friday saw me at my first Christmas party of the year, which was held at The Castle in my home Shire of Nottingham. It’s easy to get into the festive spirit with the early Christmas parties and all of this snow but it IS still November people! (I have to keep reminding myself to be honest).

On Saturday I performed for about 75 wedding guests at a magical, snowy winter wedding.

Next week I’m back at the nightclubs again and then as the weekend approaches I may need to get some spikes on my car tires (If the snow persists) as I’m travelling all over the UK to perform at Birthday and Christmas parties.

Entertainer for hire.

Posted Fri, 19 Nov 2010 by Mathew

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It has been an interesting week. Last Saturday I was feeling posh as I was hired to perform in the Penthouse suite of the prestigious Dorchester Hotel in London. It was a lovely venue and the people that hired me were all very nice as were the staff. Eating an especially tasty meal with a view of the London eye from the Penthouse suite was a highlight. A big thanks to my brother Adam for looking after me whilst I was in the big city too; although I’m often hired to perform in London, us village folk just aren’t used to all of the hustle and bustle of the capital.

I had a couple of days on the computer (marketing my magic from my home office) and then on Wednesday me and a fellow magician performed at an awards ceremony, which was being held close to home. The fellow performer, my friend Dee has a rather alternative style and had been known to play Russian roulette with power drills for entertainment, which is featured in Bizarre magazine this month. He got his smart suit on and proved that magic, no matter the performance style can be adapted to work for all kinds of audiences in a range of circumstances.

The feedback from the last two bookings was great and can be seen on the Testimonials page.

I’ll be entertaining the students again at the beginning of next week and then the Christmas rush begins. With just a few dates remaining, tell your friends to book fast if they want their guests to be wowed at their Christmas party.

I added a rather disgusting video to my Facebook page today so if you’re not already a ’Liker’ , head over and check it out.


More updates soon.

Mathew

The Travelling Magician

Posted Fri, 12 Nov 2010 by Mathew

Last week I was hired to perform at a bonfire night party, which thankfully was indoors!

On Saturday I found myself in Warwickshire, entertaining the guests at an anniversary held at the rather grand Adencote Manor.

This Saturday I’ll be performing table magic at a birthday dinner held in the Pavilion and Penthouse suites of The Dorchester hotel in London.

Next week a fellow magician and I will be wowing the crowds at an awards ceremony, then later in the month, my first Christmas party performance of 2010!

As I mentioned in my last update, I have joined Twitter
now so if you prefer tweeting to Facebooking , why not ‘follow’ me?

Twitter

Posted Tue, 9 Nov 2010 by Mathew

Hi folks,

I finally joined Twitter!

If you want to follow me, click the link below:

Party entertainer for hire

Posted Fri, 29 Oct 2010 by Mathew

Hi Folks,

I’m super busy at the moment, so it’s just a quick update this week.

Last weekend I worked at a 90th birthday party, which was great. On Wednesday I performed table magic for about 200 students at Nottingham university and this weekend I am working at a private party to celebrate a 50th birthday. On Sunday it is Halloween and I’ve got some spooky magic lined up to freak out the youngsters.

Bookings are coming in fast for November and December so if you want to hire a magician for your office Christmas party, get in touch as I have a few dates left.

Is seeing believing?

Posted Tue, 19 Oct 2010 by Mathew

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What a fascinating episode of Horizon last night!

If you didn't see it, I urge you to watch it on the bbc iplayer. It featured a blind man who could echo-locate like a bat and a scientist who could trick people into believing that a rubber hand was their own. It had optical illusions, magicians and lots of ground breaking research including an experiment that suggests we could actually gain a whole new extra sense.

As a magician I am lucky enough to be able to create demonstrations of some weird and wonderful illusions that show how strange our perception of reality can be.

This weekend I'll be working at a 90th birthday party! I hope one day I'll be celebrating my 90th birthday and I hope I can hire a magician to entertain everybody in the year 2073.

The truth about The Magic Circle

Posted Wed, 13 Oct 2010 by Mathew

  
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What is The Magic Circle?

With its’ doors closed to the public and a motto of ‘indocilis privata loqui’ meaning "not apt to disclose secrets", it’s not surprising that the society is surrounded by mystery. But just what is The Magic Circle?

It is an organization, which represents magicians all over the world and is designed to help conjurers improve their magical technique, further their ability and learn about the art. The headquarters in London has a library, a museum and a stage (On which countless top magicians have performed). They host lectures, which are designed to educate their members and they organise shows to entertain fellow magicians and the public alike. There are also unofficial sub branches of the magic circle in just about every major city in the UK.

But how do you gain membership into the secret society?

If you have known two current members for over a year, they can make a recommendation for your acceptance into the prestigious Magic Circle. An interview will follow and if it is successful, you must demonstrate your ability by completing a performance in front of a crowd of existing members. The audience votes yes or no and if the majority of votes are positive, you are invited to join. Finally- every new member must be sworn in, which basically involves swearing not to divulge any magical secrets. If somebody is caught exposing magical techniques to anyone other than a magician, they are expelled from the organisation. If you’re interested in magic and all of this seems a bit too much, see my last blog update for some help.

It is questionable whether all of the precautions that The Magic Circle takes are necessary, especially now that information is so freely available on the internet. One thing is for certain; the keeping of secrets is certainly not about one-upmanship, far from it. The fact of the matter is that magic relies on secret techniques because magic is not real and therefore a deception must be created in order to create the illusion of magic. If audiences knew how everything was done, the mystery would be blown and the entertainment would disappear. Think of it like the film ‘The Matrix’, it can be liberating to know the truth but better to be in the blissful ignorance of the deception. I love watching magic that baffles me and The Magic Circle has been protecting and promoting the art form for over 200 years.

How to learn magic

Posted Wed, 6 Oct 2010 by Mathew

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Wouldn’t it be great to learn one cool trick to show your mates as a party piece?!

When people hire a magician it is usually because they would like some unusual entertainment at their party. Most folks realise that I won’t give away the secrets to my own act (Which I have spent many years working on) but one of the most frequently asked questions is:

“How did you learn magic?”

The answer is that I am self taught, first learning from books, then from other magicians and finally using my own creativity to invent my own material.

Magic is shrouded in secrets but everybody has to start somewhere, so I am willing to help people out if they are interested in learning magic.

I can offer advice on the best beginner’s books to learn from or I can be hired to teach magic. I also sell a small number of magic props for people who don’t have the time to spend hours and hours practicing. If you purchase anything from me, I also offer free advice on how to get the best out of the prop. Contact me to find out more about any of these services.

Do magicians cheat at the casino?

Posted Sat, 2 Oct 2010 by Mathew

  
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Ever wondered whether magicians cheat at the casino?

Although it is clearly wrong to scam a casino out of money, there is obviously something romantic about the idea because there are Hollywood films, books, and TV shows all about it. Perhaps the idea of tipping the odds in our own favour appeals to us. Some may think that the large corporations can clearly afford to lose for a change. Perhaps it’s the imagined shortcut to the glitz and the glamour, the lifestyle of the ‘high rollers’, who always seem to be on a winning streak.

But what have magicians got to do with all of this? Well, there is clearly some cross over between the techniques used by conjurers and the ones utilized by card sharps.
If someone sees an amazing display of card skill, the ability to change one card for another or the creation of a seeming impossible event, they are bound to wonder whether these techniques could be used dishonestly to win money.

Let’s look at a few of the similarities between card sharks and magicians. First and foremost, both of them tend to use playing cards, dice and poker chips; the conjurer- to perform his miracles and the card cheat- well, to cheat! Both the magician and the cheat primarily use deception to ‘pull the wool over the eyes’ of their respective audiences and both need to keep their true motives a secret.

Most accomplished magicians are aware of a lovely little book called ‘The expert at the card table’ by S.W. Erdnase, originally published in 1902. It clearly demonstrates the crossover between the techniques used by card cheats and those that are used by magicians as half of the book is dedicated to each discipline. In fact, the mysterious author was clearly concerned about publishing the cheating techniques, as he used the alias of S.W. Erdnase. His real name is thought to be E.S. Andrews (S.W. Erdnase backwards).

So how do you actually cheat in a card game? A lot of people think it would be a simple matter of slipping an extra Ace from the sleeve and claiming the winnings. Let’s think about that for a moment. Say you’re playing Texas Hold’em Poker and you really did have an extra Ace of Spades up your sleeve, which you secretly slipped down and into your hand at an appropriately sneaky moment. Problem number one: You now have three cards instead of two and are faced with the difficulty of disposing of the extra card without getting noticed. Problem number two: you need to know the exact type of deck that will be used in the card game so that the duplicate Ace matches. Problem number three: If you did get the Ace from a duplicate deck there are now two of the exact same cards in play. Imagine it- you reveal your hand and you have the Ace of Spades but wait, what’s this? Another player also has the Ace of Spades!! Oh dear.

There is clearly more to cheating than an extra Ace up the sleeve and the subtle techniques necessary to actually pull off a con take years to learn and a lot of time and dedication, so it’s really a question of focus. Pro magicians have to spend much of their time focusing on presentation in order to make their sleight of hand into something that is actually entertaining, whereas cheats do not. In the magician’s work, he has the advantage of being open (to a certain extent) about what he is doing, meaning he can control and dictate the situation. This includes being able to use his own props, recruiting a spectator to perform an action in order for the trick to work, or positioning the audience so that the performance environment is just right. Cheats don’t have the luxury of doing this and there are even a whole host of environmental factors that are designed specifically to hinder them. CCTV cameras, cut cards, pit bosses, and the overall procedure of play are all good examples of this. Some magicians are even employed to help to catch cheats by watching suspected crooks or training the casino staff to know what to look for.

In my experience, most magicians seem to be good and honest. Yes they are capable of cheating in a casino, shoplifting or conning people out of money but they’d be reluctant to lead such a dishonest lifestyle once the novelty had worn off. I know I’d rather focus on entertaining and amazing people to make my living. If a magician messes up a trick, they can just move on but (as our friend Erdnase new) if a card cheat gets caught, they’re going to have to face the consequences!

Please leave a comment on the Facebook page

Students, a birthday and a farm

Posted Tue, 28 Sep 2010 by Mathew

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Last week I was hired to perform at a Fresher’s fair in Nottingham, where I mingled around the crowds of new students, surprising them with my magic and entertaining them in, what seemed like the last of the summer sun.

On Friday I had a booking at a nice restaurant called Bistro Pierre, where I performed table magic for the guests at a 50th Birthday party and on Saturday I was entertaining the ‘Dry Stone Wall Association’ at Bushy Heath farm in beautiful rural Derbyshire.

I love the variety of my job and enjoy the challenge of creating material that appeals to all age groups and people from all walks of life.

Hello to all the people that I met last week.

My next few bookings are all birthday parties but Halloween is approaching and I can feel some spooky magic coming on!

Why not hire a Magician for your Christmas Party?

Posted Thu, 23 Sep 2010 by Mathew

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Christmas is a magical time of year but hang on its only flipping September!

If you’ve been given the responsibility of arranging your work Christmas party, you’ll realise that everything gets booked up early. As an entertainer, I tend to be really busy throughout December since close up magic seems to be the ideal entertainment solution for many people’s party needs. Creating atmosphere and providing a talking point, interactive magic certainly spices things up whether at the dinner tables or mingling around the bar.

I’m currently taking bookings to perform my magic at Christmas parties across the UK so if you want to add some festive magic to your celebrations, Contact Us
to discuss the details.

Mix and Mingle Magic Messes up my Mind!

Posted Tue, 14 Sep 2010 by Mathew

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It’s great to be able to use this blog to answer questions about magic and one of the things that can often be confusing is all of the different terminology that is now being used to describe what the same thing is essentially.
Close up magic can be thought of like David Blaine’s ‘Street Magic’. It basically refers to a style of magic that is performed at close range and is often interactive. People always tell me that they find close up magic so much more impressive than classic stage magic, which is probably because a demonstration of the impossible seems less likely to be able to occur at such close range!
The nature of close up magic means that it can be adapted to a diverse range of situations such as at tables, at a trade fair, on the street or during a drinks reception. This has resulted in us close up entertainers being called ‘table magicians’, ’wedding magicians’
, ’party magicians’ , ‘mix and mingle magicians’, ‘street magicians’, ‘strolling magicians’, and ‘walkaround magicians’. So unless you’re looking for a stage magician, mathewyoungs.com basically covers it all.

Unusual Entertainment Ideas

Posted Tue, 7 Sep 2010 by Mathew

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Wow, what a weekend! I travelled across half the country from London to Lancashire and everywhere in between, performing my close –up magic at weddings, birthdays and even a christening.
With September upon us, the sun came out and the hotels and country manors that I attended looked stunning. FYI August always seems to be the rainiest month, so my tip for people getting married is to wait until September or do it earlier in the year. Having said this I have performed at some really lovely weddings where it’s rained none stop and the weather didn’t seem to matter at all.
At one of the events (A birthday party on Saturday) a couple of firemen came in half way through and said that they had to cancel the party as there weren’t enough fire exits. It turned out to be all part of an act as they burst into song and entertained the guests. The last time that I saw anything like that was when I was working alongside some singing waitresses! I have to be biased and say that the best and most unusual entertainment idea has got to be hiring a magician. It always seems to be a hit with the guests when they get involved in these crazy impossibilities that I endeavour to conjure up and it’s one of the only forms of entertainment that is so interactive. Anyway I won’t get into the sales jargon as there’s enough info on this site.
I’m considering adding a comments section to this blog. If you think that’s a good idea, please comment below (joke ;-D ). If you do want a more interactive experience- please hit ‘like’ on my Facebook Page and join in the Facebook fun.
Hello to all the people that I met over the weekend and thank you to all the people that booked me.
Mathew

My Favourite Magician

Posted Tue, 31 Aug 2010 by Mathew

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Hello blog readers. I hope you've enjoyed August and the bank holiday weekend. I spent most of it in Birmingham, performing magic at various places including a very pleasant private house party.
As September arrives, I'll be starting the month off by performing at a wedding in Castle Donnington on Friday, a private party in London on Saturday and a Christening in Preston on Sunday.
Recently, a number of people have asked me who my favourite magician is. The answer: well I’d have to say that I’m a big fan of David Blaine but the Japanese magician Cyril Takayama has to take the number one title. The stuff he does is just phenomenal. If you want to see some incredible Close-Up magic, please book me but in the mean time- check out ‘Cyril Magic’ on Youtube. You’ll be amazed!
Mathew

Table Magicians

Posted Fri, 27 Aug 2010 by Mathew

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If you want to hire a table magician, you probably already know what to expect, however, a number of people have asked me to explain just what a ‘table magician’ is. As a close-up magician, I perform in a range of environments, one of which can be described as table magic. This involves approaching diners during a celebration dinner and entertaining them whilst they await food. What a great way to ‘break the ice’ and generate atmosphere by giving people a shared experience of the impossible! With the popularity of this unique form of entertainment growing, many people are hiring corporate table magicians and are becoming aware of this great way to amuse and bemuse their guests and colleagues. It also works really well during a wedding reception, where you can hire a table magician for a wedding breakfast to provide great entertainment on your special day. Other than wedding or corporate table magic, I also perform this style of close-up magic at just about any celebration dinner including anniversaries, christenings, birthdays and private parties.
I often work as a table magician in Nottingham, London and all across the UK and I’ve spent many hours refining my act to be high impact, contemporary, astonishing and good fun.
If you want any more information, email me and I’ll be happy to respond.

UK Magician for hire

Posted Sun, 22 Aug 2010 by Mathew

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Although I am working as a magician in Nottingham, I travel across the UK to perform at all kinds of events. I've not had chance to update this blog for a little while as I've been super busy performing at parties all over the UK. In the last three days, I've entertained at three great events- a Civil partnership in West Yorkshire, a wedding reception in London, and a party back in my home town at The Walton’s hotel. Being an entertainer can be tough at times but I get to meet such a range of great people from all walks of life and to communicate my passion, my magic to them as they enjoy their event.

Next week I'll be regaining focus on my new project, hinted at in the last (and rather ridiculous) blog update. Following that, I'll be performing at some more parties next weekend.

Mathew

Can you keep a secret?

Posted Fri, 13 Aug 2010 by Mathew

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I’m currently working on an act, which I have very high hopes for.

So what can I tell you about the act?

Nothing!

Why?

Because I believe it’s original and I don’t want anybody to copy it. Once it’s complete I can’t even tell you how it’s done as the mystery and the enjoyment of the magic would be spoilt! I even swore an oath to maintain the secrets of magic.

So I can’t tell you about the trick and once it’s complete, I can’t tell you how it’s achieved. I’m actually surprised you’re still reading this.

Ok I can tell you this though: I went to the zoo today and all they had was one dog!!

It was a Shitzoo.

Wedding Magician

Posted Thu, 5 Aug 2010 by Mathew

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Stuck for wedding entertainment ideas? How about a wedding magician?

Close up magic is ideal in a wedding reception environment. Take a look at the picture that I’ve included as part of this blog entry (see above). I could have used a picture which shows people gasping in amazement but I think that this picture is a great illustration of the versatility of Close-Up magic. Look at the rapt attention on the spectator’s faces, young, old and everywhere in-between, no matter the person’s background, magic can bring people together for a shared experience of an unusual event.

It’s been a busy wedding season so far but if you are looking for a wedding magician, please contact me as I still have a few dates left. I’ve also had a number of bookings for next year, so if you know the date of your wedding and you’d like to make a booking, let me know and I can reserve the date for you.

For more information on Wedding Magicians click here.

Magic for Children

Posted Thu, 5 Aug 2010 by Mathew

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I’ve had a lot of enquiries about children’s magic recently, so I thought I’d write a quick blog entry because there’s not much information about kid’s party magic on this site.

If you want top class entertainment at your child’s party, look no further.

Although I specialise in contemporary magic for adults, whenever I perform for youngsters it is very well received and I have adapted my material to be suitable for older children. If your child is very young, please contact me and I can arrange, balloon modelling, face-painting, party games and even a disco if needed. Get in touch (See Contact Page) and we can discuss the best way to add a little magic to your child’s celebrations.

An Online Prediction

Posted Sat, 31 Jul 2010 by Mathew

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Choose a number between 1 and 10
then do the following silently.
Double the number.

Add 8 to the result.
...
Divide the result by 2.

Subtract the original number...

Convert this into a letter of the alphabet. (1=A, 2=B, 3=C, 4=D, etc.)

Think of the name of a country which starts with this letter.

Think of an animal whose name starts with the country's second letter.

Think of the colour of that animal...

For my online prediction to be revealed, click 'like' on my Facebook Page and have a look at the photo album titled 'optical illusions and other interesting things' :



If you're not on Facebook, drop me an email (see Contact Page) and I'll email you the revelation.

Children, a guitar and a hotel

Posted Sun, 25 Jul 2010 by Mathew

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Well, my elbow is healing nicely and it’s been a great weekend. It all started with an end of school leaving party for a group of 11 year olds. As much as I like children, I don’t usually do kids shows but it seems that 11 year olds are quite grown up nowadays and with some adaptations, my magic tends to go down very well with them (I often perform for children who are present at weddings or parties). Approximately 50 youngsters, bursting with energy was pretty intense and I felt as though I’d done an hour’s workout once I’d finished performing for them! Having said that, I very much enjoyed their enthusiasm and they were a great bunch of children. If any of you are reading- best of luck at your new school.
The next night I was working at a private party held at The Walton’s hotel, which was a little more relaxed and was very enjoyable overall. Amongst all this I’m trying to learn the guitar and I seem to be getting quite sore fingers! Perhaps I’ll save my dexterity for card and coin manipulations and stick a CD on instead. I have a new found respect for children’s entertainers and guitar players but if you don’t challenge yourself, you don’t succeed.
I’m also super busy with the business side of things and I’m aiming to finish off some video work, which will eventually end up on this site. The new stage show gets pushed even further down the ‘to do’ list but I’ll get there in the end.
August approaches, the wedding season continues and I’m supposed to be fitting a holiday in at some point. Mustn’t grumble though ;-)
I will be posting some useful or (hopefully) thought provoking blog updates soon.
Until next time
Magic Mathew

Is my magic real?

Posted Fri, 16 Jul 2010 by Mathew

     
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When it comes to the kind of magic that I perform, there are currently two mind sets. On the one hand you have performers like the straight talking and highly entertaining Pen and Teller, who openly expose magic tricks and explain that they definitely don't have magic powers. Conversely, there are performers like David Blaine, who very much sell their magic as being real and create the illusion of superpowers extremely effectively.

Whilst watching a highly thought provoking talk by the philosopher Daniel Dennett (http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_on_our_consciousness.html ), I was delighted to be made aware of a passage from a book called 'Net of magic- Wonders and deceptions in India' by Lee Siegel, which reads as follows:

“I’m Writing a book on magic”, I explain, and I’m asked “Real magic?” By Real Magic people mean miracles, thaumaturgical acts, and supernatural powers. “No.” I answer: “Conjuring tricks, not real magic.”
Real magic, in other words, refers to the magic that is not real, while the magic that is real, that can actually be done, is not real magic.

I think this sums up the situation perfectly.

As for me- well, I don't claim to have real magic powers but I am currently going through another one of my creative processes, which definitely involves creating a strong impression of magical abilities. It's a strange old world.

Until next time

Magic

The wrong kind of trick!

Posted Wed, 7 Jul 2010 by Mathew

     
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As a youth I spent many years skateboarding. Since I became a magician I always had an idea for a trick involving a huge skateboarding jump and the revelation of a spectator’s chosen card. Think David Blaine’s card through window on a skateboard.
Last week, my old skateboarding friend Baz (see picture) came over from South Korea. He stayed with me for two days and after bringing me up to speed on the latest tricks, he persuaded me to go to a new concrete skate park (to re-live my youth!). I thought it would be a good chance to get some inspiration for the card trick that I’d wanted to create, so off we went. Unfortunately I hadn’t properly considered how my aging body would take a fall and so I decided to try something rather ambitious. 80kg of body weight smashing into a concrete ramp was not a nice experience! See my illustration (pictured) to get an idea of what happened. After a few moments of writhing in agony, I tried to keep my dignity and attempted to ‘walk it off’, eventually deciding to call it a day. I drove home (in pain) and opted to go out that evening. I re-told the story to my friends, who (although sympathetic) still requested that I perform some magic. During one of my tricks there is a point where I need to sneak something into my mouth with my left hand (it’s not as dodgy as it sounds). When it came to doing so, I realised that I’d have to bend my now injured arm! Youch- I nearly blacked out but luckily I pulled it off and the reaction I got was great! It became apparent that I was actually in some serious pain with my elbow so my friends suggested that I go to A&E the next day.
Guess what?! I’d broken my elbow in two places! (See picture of me in a sling). My good friend Alex covered my gigs that weekend and I set about working my magic on the healing of my arm with my glamorous assistant (my girlfriend) to help by being my nurse. On Tuesday I went to the fracture clinic for my follow up review and to my great pleasure, I was told that I was healing surprisingly well, I needed to keep it moving and I was officially discharged. Since then I have been working on my range of movement and practicing my magic. Unbelievably, I can do about 99% of my material with the injury and nobody is even noticing that I’m injured. As a self employed performer, I couldn’t be happier about my healing progress and it’ll be back to work at two weddings this weekend.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be doing the long planned trick but I’m definitely going to be more cautious in the future.
I’m off to work on a new fire magic routine that I’m hoping to video for the ‘pictures and videos’ section of this website but first- Spain VS Germany in the world cup. Come on Spain!
Until next time
Magic

Trophies, football and The Magic Circle

Posted Tue, 29 Jun 2010 by Mathew

  
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The updates to the site are now complete and the blog has officially commenced!
It was a strange old weekend. Apart from performing magic, I entered my village sports competition and won! (See picture). Needless to say that the other major sporting event didn't go so well- England VS Germany was more nerve racking than most of the performance situations I find myself in. Alongside these activities, I was given the task of completing a booklet to accompany a lecture at the world famous Magic Circle, presented by my friend Marc (current world champion of parlour magic). It proved to be far more complicated than I could have imagined but I enjoyed the challenge and I was glad that I completed it in the end.
On Monday we set off for The Magic Circle HQ in London (see picture) and couldn't wait to arrive and enjoy the lovely air conditioning as it was such a hot day! A whole building dedicated to magic, which caters for magicians needs and entertainment, complete with museum, library, stage, cafe and more- brilliant. The show went well and I enjoyed meeting some fellow magicians even if it meant a late finish (3.30am).
This weekend I'll be performing at a couple of garden parties, fingers crossed for good weather.
Until next time
Magic