Admin: I would like to offer a very warm welcome to a man who needs no introduction. If you were to ask a hundred magicians to name their top ten, I am sure that this man would be near the top of each of these lists. Our next Special Guest is Daryl, a man who has become a household name on so many peoples' lips.

As you may guess, Daryl is a very busy and well-sought after magician and so I would like to offer the following gesture to Daryl, in order to allow him to fit our forum into his very busy professional schedule.

This forum will remain open for the period of one week to allow for the collection of questions and then the forum will be temporarily closed and the questions emailed to Daryl, so that he can answer these in his own time. Therefore, there will be a pause before the questions are answered and during this time, this forum will be hidden to allow Daryl as much time as he needs to answer the questions.

After this period, the answers will be attached to the questions and the forum will be re-opened to allow you to pursue the full range of threads. I hope that, in this way, Daryl can accommodate us and fit our requests into his very busy life style.

I shall look forward to seeing a wide range of questions over the following week.

This forum will temporarily shut on Sunday 11th May to allow time for Daryl to compose his replies.

Oliver Gratten: Hi Daryl,

I have always been a great admirer of your work and was wondering...what provoked you to create your own line of effects? Also, what is your favourite effect of all time to watch, and to perform?

Many thanks,

(You can probably expect more questions from me later)

Oliver

Daryl: Oliver,

The first magic item I ever produced for sale was a set of lecture notes when I was seventeen or eighteen years old. I sold about 35 sets at my first lecture for $3.00 each. In addition to my fee, I earned more than $100.00!  However my inspiration for continuing to produce and market magic items has been the belief that we should all give back to magic as much, or more as we take out. This way the art will continue to thrive and move forwards.

My favorite effect to watch was Fred Kaps smoking his thumb. My favorite effect to perform is the Jumping Knot of Pakistan (which you may have seen on my Rope Videos – Vol. 8).

Shaun Robinson: Hi Daryl, thanks for taking the time out to speak with us, it is much appreciated!

I would like to know how you feel your performance style has evolved and why is has. I watch your old, and I do mean old lecture videos, and you seem to have changed quite a bit. This is also true of Williamson, although I prefer Williamson's older style, but think your new style is great.

Thanks for your reply

Daryl: Shaun,

My performing style has evolved because I have evolved as a person. I now feel more confident and relaxed than I did when I was beginning and I hope this shows in my performances. As I get older, I value my time more than ever before and as a result, I respect other people’s time as well. I try to get to the point quickly and not waste audience’s time with “filler”.

Michael Jay: Hi Daryl, welcome to our forums and thank you so very much for taking your time to do this for us. Words cannot express my appreciation.

I'd like to know at what point in your life you decided that going full pro and teaching to magicians was your calling. Was it specifically at an age or time in your life that you just said to yourself, "I can make a go of this and do pretty well for myself," or was it more along the lines of a slow transition where life simply led you to? I hope that makes sense!

Thank you again.

Mike.

Daryl: Mike,

I do not believe that there was a specific time in my life when I made a conscious decision to become a professional magician. It was a long and slow (yet pleasurable) journey. I performed for several years as a child and as a teenager for very little or no money, including street performing in San Francisco. As I gained more and more experience, I slowly increased my fees as I was performing more and more often. The next thing I knew, I was earning enough to make a living before I left home.

Kevin Wratten: I have all 8 'Encyclopaedia of Card Sleights' and I find them a great learning tool. What prompted you to make these videos and what made you choose the particular contents that are included on the volumes.

Thanks in advance,

Kevin.

Daryl: Kevin,

I decided to make the card sleights videos because I remember how difficult it was for me to learn sleight of hand technique from the printed page. I didn’t know what the technique was supposed to look like and there was no one I knew who could teach me.

Many years later, Louis (president of L&L Publishing) contacted me because he had the idea of producing the series and he heard that I was already working on a similar project independently.

I choose the specific sleights to be included in the contents because I thought they represented the “basics” with enough variations for each student to select his or her particular favorite techniques. You may only need one or two “forces” for example, but if I teach you ten different techniques, you can choose to master the methods you prefer.