Marc Lavelle

Marc Lavelle

A great magic set isn’t the one with the fanciest props. It’s the one you can do when the pockets are empty, the room is loud and someone says, “Go on then, show us something” with zero warning. That’s why Marc Lavelle’s return hits so hard: after stepping back from the magic and convention scene for years, he comes back with a clearer view of what actually works for real audiences.  We put Marc on the “Desert Island Tricks” hot seat and build a survival-ready lineup: stack work with the Shadow Stack for named-card miracles, a fast one coin routine that snaps attention to the performer, plus ring on string and elastic band magic that can be done with borrowed or everyday objects. Along the way, he shares a wild Maldives story where one simple band-through-thumb moment gets demanded on repeat for ten straight minutes, proving that impact often beats complexity.  From there we move into bulletproof interactive pieces like Mark Elsdon’s Tequila Hustler, a multi-spectator drawing duplication, and practical working tips like using Five Guys cardstock as free billets. We also talk Ring Thing, PK touch, and why Paul Harris style “organic magic” still matters when everything is filmed in slow motion. Then comes the spicy banishment: should the Omni Deck be retired for a while because spectators have seen it too often? Marc makes the case for variety, smarter endings, and building effects that don’t arrive pre-spoiled by social media.  If you enjoy close-up magic, walk around work, mentalism principles, and real-world gigging advice from a working pro, hit subscribe, share this with a magician friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Marc’s Desert Island Tricks:  Welcome Package. Any Card Named (Shadow Stack) 1. One Coin Routine  2. Ring on String  3. Band Through Thumb  4. Tequila Hustler  5. Multiple Spectator Drawing Duplication  6. Ring Thing  7. PK Touches  8. Torn and Restored Leaf  Banishment. Omni Deck  Book. Art of Astonishment  Item. MagSafe Selfie screen  Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Damien O'Brien

A great magic set isn’t about having the fanciest props. It’s about having material that survives real-world conditions: bad lighting, tough angles, quiet tables, camera pressure, and the sudden moment when someone says, “Do something,” and you’re already empty-handed. Damien O’Brien knows that reality first-hand, from reaching the finals on Britain’s Got Talent during the pandemic to performing close-up in immersive theatre at the Magician’s Table. We’re kicking off season three with Damien’s “desert island” list: the single card routine he’d repeat forever, the phone-based mentalism that creates bulletproof fairness, and the pieces that hit with pure visual shock. He breaks down why Ambitious Card still kills, how Digital Force Bag and Hypernesia turn a normal smartphone into a miracle machine, and why effects like Haunted Deck and Invisible Deck stay in a worker’s case for years. We also dig into Lumen Mini for deeply personal revelations, plus the bolder side of close-up with Pyro Perception and iCandy, where the reaction is instant and unforgettable. The conversation goes beyond methods into performance mindset: banishing negative energy, building a small trusted creative team, and finding inspiration through story with Carter Beats the Devil. If you’re into modern magic, mentalism, close-up performance, Britain’s Got Talent behind-the-scenes, or immersive magic shows, this one is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately. Subscribe, share the episode with a magician friend, and leave a review telling us the one trick you’d take to your own magical island. Damien’s Desert Island List: Welcome Package. Ambitious Card 1. Digital Force Bag 2. Hypermnesia 3. Haunted Deck  4. Lumen Mini  5. Pyro Perception  6. Eye Candy 7. Invisible Deck  8. Pk Touches  Banishment. Negative Energy  Book. Carter Beats the Devil Item. Phone  Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Stranded with a Stranger: John France

You can learn a lot about a magician by the eight tricks they refuse to live without, and John France’s list is built for the real world: restaurant tables, family events, and close-up sets where you need fast impact, clear plots, and resets that don’t slow you down. John’s also a refreshing reminder that you don’t have to start young to start strong. He didn’t perform until his mid-50s, got a buzz from fooling one coworker, and turned that spark into a working, practical card magic toolkit. We dig into why each choice earns its spot, from a super-visual sandwich routine that grabs attention instantly, to a stacked-deck Five of Spades sequence that escalates into an ace-finding kicker people won’t forget. There’s also a dose of pure close-up shock with Sharpie Through Card, plus a simple, direct “one card reversed” selection reveal that proves how far strong handling and timing can go with a normal deck. Along the way we talk about building a mental library of dependable card tricks so you’re never stuck when someone inevitably says, “Show me something with cards.” The set widens into walk-around strategy and audience management: Sudoku 2.0 as a souvenir mentalism-style leave-behind that doubles as a business card, and The Grail as a versatile card-at-any-number tool for those awkward table revisits. Then comes the curveball John insists on: spooky, bizarre magic with Dead Man’s Hand, where story and multiple reveals change the energy in the room. We also hit a topic that matters to every performer and creator: what John would banish from magic forever, and why originality and credit are non-negotiable. Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

End of Season 2 Special with Peter Nardi

355 different tricks. Only six people sharing the single most popular pick. And a top item that only three guests chose. Season two ends with the kind of recap that every magician, mentalist, and close-up worker secretly loves: the real numbers, the real patterns, and the real reasons behind what performers actually keep in their pockets. We’re closing with the official season two rankings plus the moments that made the year. A Deck Of Cards takes the top spot, with PK Touches and Invisible Deck right behind it, followed by classics like Cups And Balls, Coins Across, and Sponge Balls. We also unpack the tied cluster of powerful “worker” effects that share the lower spots, plus what the spread teaches about originality, overexposure, and choosing material that actually suits you. We round things off with the season’s top banishment (yes, it’s ego), the most loved magic book (The Mind and Magic of David Berglass), and the surprisingly revealing “non-magic item” choices. The Season 2 Top Tricks:  1. Deck of Cards - Beau Cremer, Steve Gore, Keith Barry, Joel M, Marvin Berglas, Alan Rorrison  2. PK Touches - Vince Wilson, Jamie Daws, Christopher Taylor, Looch, Kay Dyson 3. Invisible Deck - Harry Marlin Piper, Steve Gore, Keith Barry, John Archer  4. Cups and Balls - Erik Tait, R Paul Wilson, Nikola Arkane, Michael Ammar  5. Coins Across - Erik Tait, R Paul Wilson, James Brown, Ben Williams 6. Sponge Balls - Nikola Arkane, Kay Dyson, Roddy McGhie, Mark Bennett Joint 7 & 8. Double Levitation - Harry Merlin Pipar, Rodney James Piper, Russ Stevens Fork Bending - Rodney James Piper, Neil Henry, Phill Smith Destination Box - Craig Petty, Jon Allen, Noel Qualter Multiple Selection - Tom Bolton, Ben Hanlin, Daniel Chard Double Cross - Tom Bolton, Luke Oseland, James Brown Toxic + - Tom Bolton, Jamie Daws, Harry De Cruz Card Under Box - Daniel Chard, James Brown, Neil Henry Q&A - Looch, Marc Paul, Daniel Chard TOP BANISHMENT - Ego - Tom Bolton, Ben Williams, Dave Loosley, James Brown, Leo Smetsers  TOP BOOK - The Mind and Magic of David Berglas - Rodney James Piper, Marvin Berglas, Tony Antoniou, Neil Henry TOP ITEM - MUSIC - Nikolas Mavresis, Oliver Tabor, Matthew Pomeroy / WIFE - Chris North, Michael Ammar, Jonathan Goodwin  Season 2 Stats: 355 Tricks named - 48 Banishments - 46 Books - 46 Items  Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

SOS: Dean Leavy

If you work gigs for a living, you know the quiet fear: doing the same “sure-fire” routines until you start performing on autopilot. Jamie sits down again with UK magician Dean Leavy to find out what actually makes a trick worth keeping for life and what gets cut when you’re performing corporate events, weddings, trade shows, and parties week after week. Dean walks us through the real reasons a professional close-up magician updates a working set, starting with repeat clients who want to see something new. We dig into the practical choices behind swapping Extreme Burn for a hard-hitting chop cup routine, why Ring Flight Revolution still gets reactions people talk about years later, and how a wallet can be more than a prop when you treat it like a utility device for impossible locations. We also get nerdy about routining ProMystic MD Mini as believable “psychology,” not just a reveal. Then we get into the surprisingly smart business side of magic: Liquid Forks replacing phone-based tricks when reliability matters, leaving spectators with a souvenir that keeps your name alive. Dean shares a brutal performance mistake from Phantom Cutout and what he’d do differently now, plus his banishment choice for the magic community, his dream guest, and the one show he’d rewatch forever. Dean’s Desert Island Substitutions:  1. Extreme Burn for Chop Cup 2. Digital Force Bag for Liquid Forks  3. Billiard Ball Manipulation Act for Floating Table Banishment. Magicians Ego  Guest. David Blaine  Memory. Performing at the Young Magician of the Year Horror. Revealing the wrong celebrity  Show. Showman Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk