Inamonolog
Interview with a Member of the Magic Circle
Jake will be performing close up magic at every table at inamo Covent Garden on Wednesday 28th August, more info here, and book your table now!
What got you into magic?
I’ve always been fascinated with magic since I was a child. My Dad saw that, went to an archaic shop in Charing Cross called International Magic and bought me a few tricks. These intrigued me, but it was a book on card tricks a friend of his gave me that really helped me along. As It turned out, this book was one of the most advanced card tricks books around and so the stuff I was learning at 12 years old was pretty cool, some of the hardest card tricks in the world.. Since then, through school, college and university I seized every opportunity to perform in front of an audience. Now I get to do what I love for a living, which I am truly grateful for.
What was the first trick you learnt?
How to make a 10 pence piece vanish. I’ve moved onto £2 coins now.
Tell us about the Magic Circle. It’s quite a big deal, isn’t it?
Okay, so ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve wanted to be a member of the magic circle. All I knew was that it was the place the best magicians join. My family used to joke that I might be lucky and join the magic square one day. Thankfully I joined when I was 18, and it has lived up to expectations. There is a library with thousands of magic books, dated back to the 16th Century. I met John (our resident magician) there, and every Monday the club is open to members where we share ideas, discuss tricks and usually watch a guest lecturer.
What’re you looking forwards to about performing at inamo?
I’ve already talked to my friends about performing and inamo and as far as they are concerned the place is already magic, the interactive tables, the whole dining experience is amazing. So being able to add to that is going to be great. The whole theme of interactivity is going to be so much fun to play with and create magic tricks for.
What’s the largest object you’ve ever managed to hide about your person?
Okay, this isn’t the largest but it I think it is the most impressive… A live goldfish called Arthur. May he rest in peace.
Tell us about your favourite trick.
The trick with the little cup and ball. It is an old carnival game people used to play for money. It has a great surprise at the end. I first saw it when I was 12 and have wanted to master it ever since. It took me 2 years to get it ready to show an audience.
Is there a trick you wish you could perform that you can’t get down?
You’d be amazed at the number of sleights you can do with a pack of cards. I’m always trying to learn new moves, to keep me dextrous. Currently I’m trying to nail something called the clip shift.
Are there any kinds of magic you refuse to go near?
There is a type of magic called Bizzare magic, which has strong occult and horror themes, that. And I also steer clear of hypnotism, even though some of the mind reading feats I perform use the power of suggestion.
If you could be Siegfried or Roy, which would you be?
Siegfried, purely because I’d love to have a name like Siegfried. (and a pet lion)
Who’d win in a Magical Battle between David Copperfield and Derron Brown? Assume the fight takes place outside, so aerial combat is, at best, unlikely.
Well Copperfield is famous for making the statue of liberty disappear and he can fly, so he brings that to the table. Whereas Derren has the whole mind control thing going on. I’m imagining a scene from Ghostbusters 2, where the statue of liberty comes to life but instead of a ray gun, Derren uses mind control on the statue of liberty. Then the 3 of them sit down to have a tea party. Derren wins on a split points decision, which he predicted all along in an envelope. Coincidentally, the number of points turned out to be phone number for booking reservations at inamo Covent Garden: 020 7484 0500.
We recently learnt, by watching this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2IJMPkJkik – that Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee used to let white rabbits run wild around their home. Tell us something else we don’t know about the Grand Warlock.
Statistics suggest that Paul Daniels could be my Dad, based on the amount of women that he confessed to sleeping with in his prime and I was born in 1988.
Has anyone ever threatened to put you on trial for witchcraft?
I travelled around New Zealand after I graduated from university. I got into a local poker game with some Maoris… They didn’t take to kindly to me once they found out I was a magician and wouldn’t let me deal. That’s the closest, though, I’m sure it is still legal to trial people for witchcraft in some parts of America.