Sean: Hi Geoffrey

An interesting question was raised on here last time and I think I'd like to hear your views especially as you do quite a bit of TV including Countdown.

A very interesting question in my opinion

Geoffrey Durham: Hi Sean

Yes, a very interesting question. I've done well over 1,000 TV shows in all sorts of genres, and I've been very lucky to seek out the outlets on TV that would help my career. But having said that, I'm not at all sure that anyone, least of all me, can predict the future of magic on TV.

There are two important factors with regard to British TV that we have to bear in mind: (1) Each network is now in the hands of one person - not a committee, as used to be the case. (2) TV shows are only commissioned if they are cheap.

That means that there will never again be big TV shows with big production values, like The Best of Magic or Paul Daniels or David Nixon. All TV shows for the foreseeable future will be small scale.

And because the network controllers are obsessed with novelty, everything has to look new.

Derren Brown is definitely going stay big, and get bigger, though I suspect that the bigger he gets, the more interested the press may become in his methods.

Stephen Mulhern strikes me as a real tip for the top. I thought that ten years ago, and I've had no reason to change my opinion.

I have a feeling that Danny Buckler may well become a big name as well.

I'm a big fan of David Blaine. He is the only foreign magician ever to become truly popular in Britain, and that is because he does exactly what the British require of a magician: he is very plain and simple with no starriness, and his character is clear and consistent. The British hate to be told they are "ABOUT TO WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE" or go on a "JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE MIND" or other such stuff. When people talk like that to a British TV audience, the whole nation turns over and watches the news. Which is why, I suspect, David Copperfield has never caught on with the British lay public.

So here are a few thoughts: if we get more variety shows (and I suspect we might) they will be cheap and small scale; new and up-and-coming magicians will have to find new ways to present themselves (compare with David Blaine and Derren Brown); the American influence will only work with the British if it's done on a small scale; and finally, there will always, always be room for new and original talent.

Geoffrey

Sean: Great reply Geoffrey. Just one more thing. When you say that TV execs are looking for novelties and things now, combined with the reality TV phenomenon that we are having, can you see a Magic Idol or something similar taking place in the near future?

Geoffrey Durham: Yes of course. Good idea. Why don't you approach a TV exec with it?

Aged Magician: Geoffrey, your post makes me think how true the old Gigi song is to me, "Oh, I'm glad that I'm not young anymore."!!
At least us oldies have seen the magic of the past.

Paul Smith:

I can actually confirm that there is talk about such a show going on already. I'm a professional set designer for TV shows and was one of the consultants for the set of The Quick Trick show, so I know young Stephen Mulhern personally. He's a fabulous guy and I agree with Geoffrey that he is pretty big at the minute, and will go on to huge!

Sean: Hi Geoffrey

In another post the advice you gave was:

On that note, what would you suggest? There are of course the obvious choices of say RRTCM for card guys and MCM for the coin guys, but what else other great books would you suggest for an upcoming magician, or even some of the older ones! We never stop learning, do we?

Geoffrey Durham: Hi Sean

Well, how long have you got? I could spend the next three weeks recommending you books!

I've already said in another post that I warmly recommend Classic Secrets of Magic by Bruce Elliott as an ideal first magic book. It contains such wonderful stuff, and by such fine magicians. There's a lot of Dai Vernon in the Ambitious Card routine, and the Card on the Ceiling is by Jay Marshall. And so on. And Elliott makes such beautiful connections: the Rice Bowls leads him on to a brilliant Glass of Wine from the Air, for example. And there's lots more like that.

Bruce Elliott's other books are terrific as well: Magic As a Hobby, Magic 100 New Tricks (entitled The Best in Magic in the US) and Professional Magic Made Easy. Each one really excellent. I've just looked up all four of his books on abebooks.com (an excellent second-hand book site) and they're all there, some at knockdown prices.

We should all have read the classics, of course. Everything by Devant, Robert-Houdin, Hoffman and Vernon. Oh, and the dear old Tarbell Course goes without saying. And Sleight of Hand by Edwin Sachs contains the best description of a successful magician that I've ever read. Greater Magic, too, by John Hilliard - crammed with tiny inaccuracies, but really fascinating, and full of strong magic.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that because this stuff is old, it's also old-fashioned. It just isn't true. It's all useful to us all now.

I like reading old magazines. I would single out the bound editions of the Phoenix, Hugard's Magic Monthly (there's a trick from that in my new theatre show) and the quirkiest and probably most useful of all, Chap's Scrapbook.

Books of old running orders are a help. Holden's Programmes of Famous Magicians[/I] contains the acts of a huge number of wonderful performers, from Chung Ling Soo to his own time. Many of the magicians I can remember myself! And Taylor's Spotlight on 101 Magic Acts does the same thing in a slightly different way.

When I was starting out as a stand-up magician, I found Billy McComb's book 25 Years Wiser a real goldmine. And I read everything by Roy Johnson, Alan Shaxon and Al Koran as well as devouring absolutely everything ever written by Sid Lorraine.

Eugene Burger seems to me to be required reading. His first book Secrets and Mysteries for the Close-up Entertainer should be set as an exam, and you should have to get 90% before they let you into a magic club!

Finally, two books to curl up with on a winter's evening. David Bamberg's Illusion Show is the best evocation of a travelling magic spectacular ever written. And Todd Karr's The Silence of Chung Ling Soo recreates the man like nothing else I've ever seen. He really lives.

My own favourite magic book is very hard to get hold of. Magic of Robert Harbin is a beautifully written description of the man's greatest tricks. Always inspiring, and an absolute delight from beginning to end.

Well that's a start. I'm sure I've left a lot out.

Geoffrey

Paul Smith: Very in depth reply Geoffrey and I'll definitely look out for some of those books.

My question basically is, how could you get your hands on such magazines? I'd assume there are specialist dealers for this sort of thing?

Geoffrey Durham: Hi Paul

Well, a quick jaunt round the Internet has revealed that H & R Magic Books have bound copies of the Phoenix for sale, new. Abebooks.com have a lot of Hugard's Magic Monthly at various prices second-hand. I haven't found Chap's Scrapbook yet. It may be harder to track down because it's so damned good, but I bet you'll find one in the end.

If you're a UK resident, I find Adrian Harris in Perth very useful for second-hand books.

I realise that I never recommended the best and most obvious book for card enthusiasts. The Expert at the Card Table by Erdnase is absolutely invaluable, it seems to me. I particularly like the (expensive) edition edited by Darwin Ortiz, called The Annotated Erdnase. A real treat.

Geoffrey

Sean: Who are the two worlds best magicians at the minute? I always try to find two as I don't think it's fair to compare skill with entertainment. For example, David Blaine is a hugely entertaining magician, but I would never compare him with someone like Daryl. Therefore my question is, who is the most entertaining magician in the world and who is the most skilled magician in the world at the minute in your opinion?

Geoffrey Durham: Hi Sean

Hmmm.

Well, I can't really draw a distinction between an entertaining magician and a skilled one. Skill without the ability to entertain seems utterly futile to me.

Restricting my choices to people I have actually seen live (because the video camera can hide a multitude of ineptitudes) I would say that the most skilled magicians I have ever encountered were Juan Tamariz, Rene Lavand and Lance Burton.

I was four feet away from Lance Burton as he did his dove act, and I was at the side of him, and I didn't see a thing.

Every time I meet I meet Juan Tamariz, I ask to see a trick. He always does the same one. He takes a pack of cards from its case and asks me to name a card. I do. It is the top card of the pack. I know how he does it, and somehow knowing makes it all the more wonderful.

Rene Lavand uses his skill to such effect that he actually has the ability to move people with his magic. Very hard to do.

And the most entertaining? Well, those three would give me a start and Salvano from >Poland always leaves me utterly enthralled. I enjoy Mac King very much.

But I guess my final answer is probably Juan Tamariz in both categories.

Geoffrey

Paul Smith: Hi Geoffrey!

It's great to get to ask you questions. I have fond memories of your crackerjack days and when I found out you were answering questions, I had to pop in!

I was just wondering if there were any additional techniques that you use to make your magic more powerful to your audiences.

I already try to employ things like resolving all questions before the climax, removing any unnecessary patter/movement/time, and tuning into the spectator's reactions to refine the effect later on. However, I do find that I'm searching for more methods to make the magic more powerful.

Cheers,

Paul

Geoffrey Durham: Hi Paul

All your suggestions are good.

If at the end of all that, you find your magic isn't powerful enough, it's perhaps not the magic that needs help. Because the magic can only take you so far, and then after that you need to look at yourself., and see how you can make yourself more powerful.

By "powerful", of course, I don't mean "strong" or "big" or "important". The power of silence can be very telling. And talking quietly. And pausing.
As I've said before in other posts, rhythm is the most important factor in getting your magic to work, and getting it to reflect and enhance your personality.

Because, make no mistake, nobody in the world ever wanted to see a magic trick. Not even you. What they want to see is an interesting person doing a magic trick.

Good luck with it!

Geoffrey