Why I Wanted To Be A Professional Magician In The First Place…..
Like most magicians my initial interest in magic was sparked at an early age by the gift of a magic set. Then I discovered the joys of the magic catalogue and the special thrill of an occasional visit to an actual magic shop. It quickly became an exciting and rewarding hobby.
At the age of eleven I persuaded my parents to take me to one of the monthly magic shows hosted by the London Society of Magicians at the Conway Hall in London. That was when everything changed and I realized that magic was going to be more than just an enjoyable hobby for me.
The headliner of that show was the legendary Irish magician Billy McComb, and it was watching McComb perform that I realized that magic was something even more special and important to me then I could ever have guessed. Billy was a riot to watch, he kept the audience in stitches from the moment he walked onstage right up until he received is final ovation.
McComb presented a lot of great magic that night—he even produced a live hen! However there was one particular trick he performed that impressed me beyond anything I had seen before; it could have been the simplicity that made such a profound impression on me. What was it that made such an impression on me?
Billy stood in the centre of the stage and while presenting a non-stop stream of one-liner jokes he took a length of white thread,
casually broke it into pieces and then restored them to their original condition with a casual elegance that took my breath away. There was something so special about the way he commanded a large theatre with such a simple and tiny piece of magic.Sitting out front in the audience I was hit by the sudden realization that this was what I wanted to do. My dream was to captivate a huge audience with something as simple as a length of thread and some carefully chosen words. This was quite simply the trick that made me want to be a magician.
For the last 40 years I have lived this vision and performed that same piece of magic in nightclubs and theatres around the world making a very good living doing so. It took a long while to perfect the trick, but I now perform it every show and the applause, emotions and gasps I receive from audiences tell me that they was not wasted years.
Thank you for the inspiration Billy, you gave me my first glimpse of something that was as close to true theatrical magic as I can imagine. Direct, funny and powerful you introduced me to the most important trick I would ever learn to master. I will never forget the chills I first got when I saw you perform it that long ago night in London.
You can watch video, read more about my version of this classic effect or order it by CLICKING HERE
REMARKABLE MAGIC 