Tony C: Hi Pete,

This may be old ground, but I wondered whether you could fill us in a little bit on the Monkey Magic group. I'd be most interested to hear about backgrounds, strengths within the group, what you think the dynamic is and where you see the four of you going from this point?

I hope you'll take the time to answer,
Many thanks,
Tony.

Peter: The Monkey Magic team was brought together by Objective Productions. Up to that point Jonathan, Ali & I were aware of each others existence as fellow members of The Magic Circle but were not actually 'friends'. Following invitations by Objective to attend initial discussions and present a show reel, we were chosen by Objective to create a pilot for pitching to channel five. At that stage we had a fourth member who subsequently dropped out and after answering an advert on www.magicweek.co.uk Pete Firman was recruited to fill the fourth slot.

It's hard to say what our strengths are because they are constantly developing and adapting as we try new challenges. The reason for choosing us, was as I understand it, that we were four very different and distinct characters. Objective wanted a team that stood out from the traditional TV image of magicians and were genuine 'real' people.

I think that within the group we have a huge pool of talents and we spark off each well when developing new material. Some have a solid knowledge of magical history and effects, others are good at looking outside the box when finding presentations. All of us have a keen sense of what makes us laugh and the ability I think to translate that into watchable TV.

It would be wrong to not aknowledge the huge role that folk like Anthony Owen, Andy Nyman and Richard Pinner ply in brainstorming, solving problems and finding the diamonds in the rough!

We have lots of plans for the future but right now our big focus is preparing for the second series of Monkey Magic and making it even bigger, better and weirder than the first!

Peter Mc

Kaos: Hi Pete
As comedy goes hand in hand with your performance style I was just wondering!
What’s your favourite one liner??
Thanks!

Peter: I'm afraid that's an impossible question as it's so subjective to the moment. Where I am, who the audience is etc all make a difference in determining whats funny at that moment.

Peter Mc

YinHoNg: Hi Peter. I gotta admit, I only recognise you by face and not by name. But after reading your replies you seem like a really nice guy!

What i wanted to ask you is: how has Magic changed your life, in terms of how you look at things in a different perspective?

Peter: Well I guess the biggest change to my life is that I control my own business and it's the decisions that I make rather than someone else that determine what I do. This makes for an interesting life at times (it's always nice to have someone else to blame ) but in terms of sheer job satisfaction it's the best.

I love my job, I enjoy performing and I really enjoy magic as a subject. The idea of not being involved would freak me out. Even the other things I take an interest in, eventually seem to work their way back to being relevant somehow.

I'm not really sure that counts as a 'different perspective' but it's the best I can offer!

Peter Mc

Shaun Robinson: Hi,

I wont ask too many questions here as I want to leave this as open as possible. But I was wondering, how do you feel about the general state of magic nowadays? Regarding exposer, performing, performers and the magic community as a whole?

Thanks for taking time out to be here by the way.

Peter: Wow, that's a really broad question and I'm not sure I have time tonight to answer in detail.

In general terms I regard the state of magic as fairly healthy. Due in the main to folk like David Blaine, magic has had a big come back in recent years and is now being touted as the 'new black'. It's considered trendy to book close up magic and even stand up performers are being seen more and more on the after dinner circuit.

The biggest problem here in the UK is still potential performing venues for stage performers. If you don't want to tour holiday camps or go on cruise ships the market is definitely very slim indeed. Personally I think that's a real shame because I love the buzz of a big audience enjoying a good show.

Exposure has raised it's head here in the UK recently and as usual magicians have leapt to condemn it. I think my honest opinion is that whilst I understand that attitude I'm not sure it recognises all the issues. Certainly if asked "hows that done?" after a show, my knee jerk reaction is always to say "no, it's a secret". But the issue here is how do we interest folk in magic without helping them to share the excitement? We can put out magic shows that entertain and amaze and obviously I think thats a great idea, however I also think it's possible to take other approaches. There is a huge difference to my mind between the snide revealing of the masked magician (whose stated aim is to destroy Magicians secrets and make it tough for them) and the simple effects revealed at the breaks on 'Worlds Greatest Magic' or even 'Secrets of Magic'. The aim of these shows is to promote magic and to involve folk in the excitement even if only to a minor degree.

I think the magic community is gradually changing and adapting to new ideas, but we have to be practical and remember that most folk are hobby magicians and the vast majority are over fifty. No big surprise then that magic is less like a rave and more like a tea dance on occasion. The key is not to dismiss the past as out of touch or to ignore the future as irrelevant. There is room for all ideas and approaches in this magic community.

Peter Mc