Magician_no 1: Michael you are great.  I saw a clip of you performing at the magic circle
and you do a wicked coin routine using the purse frame
it made me buy one right away (lol).
Well hopefully you will come and teach us a bit at a workshop for the Y.M.C

John McDonald: Michael, you have been a professional for many years now and have worked a lot on television.

What was your experience on the Paul Daniels shows like?

Michael Vincent: My experience on the Paul Daniels show was very good. It was in fact the year I turned professional so a very exciting period for me.

Paul Daniels was very professional and I enjoyed the professionalism of the staff and crew of the BBC.

Working on the show allowed me the opportunity to record my presentation for the Slap Aces and my Stage version of Slydini's One Coin Routine.
All in all, a very good experience for me.

John McDonald: You are a huge fan of Slydini. I have seen him only on tapes. The torn and restored cigarette was akin to real magic. Do you think that we have had anyone in this country that comes close to people like Slydini?

Michael Vincent: Frankly, NO

Slydni was a one of kind artist and there will never be another. I am speaking from first hand experience because I studied Slydini's magic firstly from his books and then from him personally.

Studying with Slydini made me aware of a lot more than just the technical details. More importantly, what actually goes on in the mind of the audience.

Slydini's concept where and are ground breaking, to my surprise, very few magicians have really caught on to what Slydini was on about. By studying his concepts, I was able to transfer all of his approaches to the kind of magic I enjoyed, namely card magic and other aspects of close-up magic.

All I can say is, if you feel your magic is not striking a cord with your audience, then its back to basic. Study Slydini's work and keep an open mind about its wider application.

The Magic of Slydini lives on.........

John McDonald: This requires a huge amount of work and dedication. Do you feel that you are treading along the road less traveled? I am sure that other magicians agree with you that the mind of the audience is where the magic happens.

Do you video a lot of what you do and go over the presentation as if you are a member of the audience?

How does the "process" of understanding the magical effect work? Is it intuitive? Is it be planned? How are the mechanics worked out?

Michael Vincent: John, you have asked the right question.

The road less traveled is long and lonely for the dedicated student. If you decide to take it you might meet fellow travelers on the way, like my self, John Carney, Darwin Ortiz and Tommy Wonder.

Of course, your journey will take many twist and turns, which will depend on your map and the sites you wish to see, but your journey will be just as beautiful as mine.

I video my work as often as I can to do exactly what you suggested; to view the magic through the eyes of a lay person. The magic I perform is exactly the kind of magic I would like to see if I wasn't a magician.

Magic that is beautiful, visually stunning, and totally baffling.

Understanding what an effect is can be easily understood by taking some of you favorite effect and describing in a single sentence what happens; what the spectators actually see.

If you can do this, then you will understand what the spectator sees. Some effect by their construction and complexity will not be easy to describe, like the Conus Aces, as I do it. however, the overall experience of the effect is truly magical.

But it is a good way to start breaking down in your own mind what you feel an effect is. This will help you to achieve the right level of clarity.

Study Darwins book "Strong Magic" for more thoughts on how to keep things simple in terms of clarity of effect.

Your questions have really stimulate my thought process, I hope this helps.

Shaun Robinson: Hi Mike

Personally, I cant think of one conversation in a magic club, where shifting has been the topic, and your name hasn’t come up. EVERYONE always says, "Yeh, but have you seen Michael Vincent do it?" and the conversation pretty much dies as we know you have what can only be described as perfection in your passing.

I was curious about your technique. Subtle changes in the pass, like Fred Robinson’s Riffle Pass can make it that little bit more invisible, There are countless variants (as I’m sure you know) that offer different qualities. Colour change passes, smooth transpo passes, one hand passes, easy passes etc., etc.

What is your favourite method? What do you think is the most convincing handling? Would you ever shift without even the lightest misdirection?

Thanks for your reply in advance.

Michael Vincent: I spent years practicing the Pass and all its variations after seeing Derek Dingle and Ken Krenzel execute flawlessly. After seeing done I knew it was possible.

What I didn't know was which style of Pass would suite me. In learning all of the various Passes, I was able to decide which Pass fitted my dynamics perfectly.

They are as follows.

The Spread Pass
The Turn Over Pass
The Top Card Cover Pass
The Dribble Shift
The Midnight Shift.

Each of these Passes suite me perfectly and I would any one of them to achieve a very specific result under different performing situations.

You will need to do exactly the same for your self.

This is a question I cannot answer for you. All we can do is compare notes. Ultimately your own research and experimentation will help you to decide.

Good Luck

Mister Toad: You may have heard of the hot air balloon game:

Ten different people are caught in a sinking hot air balloon traveling over the ocean and then the balloon starts to sink towards the sea. One-by-one each person has to explain why he/she should remain and then, after they have all spoken, one of them is thrown out, in order to save the others.

What would you say, as a professional magician, to defend your place in the balloon?

Michael Vincent: I would say that I am fully qualified to up hold the tradition of technical and artistic excellence in magic and that my performances bring class, style, charm and dignity to a profession which has been prostituted by people who really don't love magic as much as they think they do or would like us to think.

I can back this very bold statement with the quality of my work.

Any challenges?

Mister Toad: A good reply - I don't think I'd push you over the edge.

What are your general thoughts about your career from the past twelve months? Is there one specific ambition that you wish to achieve next year?

Michael Vincent: Earning your living as a professional magician is tough. Most of the magician who are successful aren't always the most talented as performers. They posses good marketing skills and business acumen.

From my point of view, I do very well as a professional. The challenges I face are magicians who think they professional but haven't done their home work. This can have an impact on how well I do or any other respected professional.

My goals are to continue presenting magic in the way that I am and do more work abroad in America.

Watch this space.

Mister Toad: Are you lined up to appear in any conventions in the future or are you at the Magic Castle?

Michael Vincent: I was at the Castle this year and may well return later in the year. In the mean time, I will be doing a few lectures, one on the Isle on Man on the 20th June and another for the Surrey Magic Circle on the 10th July.

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