Hello everybody,
It’s an honour to announce that we are joined today by a very special guest, my very dear friend, mentor and master magician, Michael Vincent.
He has been named the Best Close Up Magician by the Magic Circle 3 times in three consecutive decades whilst performing at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including the infamous Magic Castle, Hollywood. Michael’s classical approach to magic, expert Sleight of Hand, phenomenal showmanship and unique perspective towards creating magic has gained him the reputation as one of the world’s greatest magicians!
For my personal insight into the impact Michael has had on my work and our continued friendship, please read the ‘Final comments from Matt’ section at the end of this blog.
Without further ado, I shall now pass you over to Michael! Enjoy.
Thank you for coming onto my blog Michael. For the readers who may not know your magic backstory, please could you share a brief timeline of events with them?
Hi Matt,
Thank you for inviting me to this conversation. I became interested in Magic after seeing David Nixon - this was during the early 1970's. I was around 6 years old. During this period, Doug Henning appeared on television and I loved his magic. I remember seeing him perform the most beautiful close up magic: Coins Across, Cut and Restored Silk, Leipzig’s Tear up with a Twist and a stunning version of The Haunted Deck under a glass dome with three selections.
I “felt” magic was real after seeing Doug Henning - he was my favourite magician.
The next magic show I saw on television would impact me for the rest of my life; The Michael Parkinson Magic Show featuring Fred Kaps, Ricky Jay and Richiardi Jnr. Keep in mind, I was not practising seriously at this stage, just simple magic tricks from a Box set. Fred Kaps and Ricky Jay blew my mind. Fred Kaps was technically impeccable, classy and dignified, Ricky Jay was hip, contemporary and his performance of sleight of hand card magic set a barometer for excellence and mastery for me. Richiardi Jnr was pure theatre and majestic.
I started taking magic seriously after seeing The Film The Sting. Paul Newman, Robert Redford and that film changed my life.
I went to the library and found books on Card Magic, Sleight of Hand and discovered The Magic Book by Harry Lorayne. I learnt all of my basic techniques from Harry’s Book. The amazing thing was being able to get Harry’s other Books, like Close-up Card Magic and Deck-sterity from my Library.
Just imagine; I had access to this great information long before walking into any magic shops. I was young, happy and just learning my craft on my own. It never occurred to me to seek help or coaching - I was my own coach. I taught myself everything.
On Christmas Day 1978, BBC 1 I saw Slydini for the first time. This was another milestone moment in my life because I declared to myself “I want to meet this man”, I was 14 years old.
You have met and been mentored by many of the great magicians in magic, what have been the top 3 lessons passed on to you by them?
Well this question would fill a whole Book. Yes, carrying on from the question above, by the time I walked into The Magic Spot - a Magic Shop owned by Alan Alan, I was performing good close up magic.
Alan Alan took an interest in this young 14 year old kid from the Black Community. Alan was used to young boys coming in buying Stink Bombs. I came into his shop asking questions about magic. His number one advice to me was “Magic is theatre, and theatre is Magic”.
That statement will be expanded on in my next Book. For now, all I will say is this; when I watch the vast majority of magicians perform, they are doing “tricks”. There is nothing magical or theatrical about doing a trick.
Alan introduced me to a gentleman who would become a dear friend of mine and my very first mentor in sleight of hand card magic. That gentleman was Hollywood Movie director Cy Endfield, well known for directing the classic film Zulu (1964).
Cy Endfield really inspired me. His number one advice to me was this; “You can have the most beautiful card effect in the world, it means nothing if you don’t have a story, script and the skill to present it”.
This statement speaks for itself. If you watch any of my videos or are able to experience my live show, you will see strong magic wrapped up in a story that pulls you right into the drama, suspense and mystery of magic.
After seeing Slydini on television, it was my deepest desire to study with him. I spent a few days with him in 1982 in New York at his Studio. His advice to me was pure genius: “You must believe in your magic - you must believe it’s real - your technique must be perfect, without thought, unconscious mastery, it must happen without you thinking about doing it”.
There is a lot to unpack in Slydini’s advice. All I will say is, “I practice 8 hours day, like there’s no tomorrow”
You have performed for some of the worlds most prestigious venues and people, what has been the highlight(s) of your magical/professional career?
A big highlight for me occurred just before the Lockdown. I was hired to present my One Man Show at an exclusive venue in Knightsbridge, London. It was for 30 people, Parlor Magic in a gorgeous classy venue. 60 minutes of non stop magic. This was a big thrill for me because I created this possibility from an idea and all the elements came together perfectly.
This show was also presented in Antwerp. My client invited me over to entertain some of the top Diamond Dealers in the world. This was another gorgeous and classy venue.
My proudest moment was my first appearance on Penn & Teller: FOOL US with Jonathan Ross. I was proud because I felt I vindicated my craft from all the eye candy making the rounds by going on television and performing the most epic card magic and Sleight of Hand ever seen. People still stop me in the streets who saw it.
If you were stranded on the proverbial desert island, which 3 magic books would you take with you and why?
Strong Magic, Designing Miracles & Stars of Magic.
These three Books are the greatest I have ever studied on magic.
Strong Magic is full of insightful and provocative information on creative showmanship. Darwin Ortiz received a lot of flak for writing this Book. At least he had balls to document his opinion about the subject and share it- while others paid lip service to improving our performance. I stand by my opinion; Strong Magic is an outstanding Book because it challenged me to take this information, go out and test it, refine it and in many cases, improve on it. I still get value from Strong Magic because I am evolving as an artist so each reading of this Book feels different - because I am not the same person who read it previously. Strong Magic is full of practical advice. Although it is not a Book full of tricks, in reading it carefully, I discovered a few gems that I have added to my repertoire.
Let’s talk about Designing Miracles. I once asked Darwin how he goes about creating his magic? He told me I can read all about it in his next Book. His next Book was Designing Miracles.
I love this Book.
Quite frankly, it is a magnificent achievement because Darwin has documented his rigorous analysis on how magic works, the building blocks of deception, the thought process of Mr Layman and how to navigate the causal common sense thinking of Mr Layman. This is just a snapshot of this Book. It is required study if you truly aspire to create a strong and powerful atmosphere of magic. I take this part of my studies seriously because Strong Magic is the only thing I am committed to.
All of my work has been upgraded as a result of studying this Book. Many of my new effects came out of this academic study. It is a Book rich in detail and it will pull you in many directions.
Stars of Magic is and always will be the jewel in the crown of my library. I got my first copy on Christmas Day 1978. I learnt Triumph that same day and was excited beyond measure. I was astounded by the sheer quality of this Book. From this one Book, I learnt about Vernon, Scarne, Daley, Leipzig, Malini, Slydini and Bertram. Great Masters from a bygone era. Slydini and Vernon were still alive and I would meet both of them.
Stars of Magic set the template for a lot of the routines you see being performed today. In many cases, you cannot improve on perfection. The material in this Book is well designed, a perfect method is taught. All that is required is for the student to learn the routines exactly as it is taught. I learnt Cups and Balls with Coffee Mugs and rolled up paper balls from Stars of Magic - I still perform this routine. It really is a masterpiece from Dai Vernon. The fact that I have mentioned this Book should tell you I still uncover deeper secrets after 40 plus years of study.
If you had to choose, which are your favourite plots/premises in magic?
Another big topic to unpack. I have a lot to say on this. Again, this will be featured in my next Book.
For now, Let me just say.
Plots & Premises:
Chaos Vs Order - Triumph
Objects to impossible location - The Travellers
Mystery & Fantasy - The Haunted Deck
Gambling - The Sting
Psychological Effects - Liar’s Poker
Impossible Outcomes - 52 Factorial
These are a few of my favourite themes to address. They cover a wide narrative and my interest in various subjects. The effects I have listed are just examples that fit the plot/premise.
When performing, what experience do you aim to create for your audience and continuing forward, what will you do to leave the craft better than you found it?
I am a Sleight of Hand Artist. My performance is driven by impeccable skill and execution, psychological deception, storytelling, narrative, humour, engagement, connecting and emotional content. When all of these elements are added together, the experience is profound, deeply moving and psychologically confronting. The atmosphere is joyful and full of magic - this is what I aim for with everything I say and do.
Leaving the craft better than I found it has always been my mission. Through my studies, my performance and teaching my students.
These questions feel like I was interviewing myself, they feel strangely familiar to me.
Final comments from Matt:
Let me first start by saying a big thank you to Michael for coming onto my blog and sharing his thoughts with you all and for answering the questions with such eloquence and detail. I am sure you’d agree, they were very insightful answers and I hope that you will get continued value from this blog.
The first time I saw a video of Michael perform, I was instantly struck by his extremely powerful, elegant and classical approach to card magic. I immediately began researching, watching and learning all that I could on Michael’s work. It was at this moment my magical trajectory was changed forever. I began studying the classics, the masters and their classic books even more relentlessly than before. After witnessing Michael’s magic, whilst learning and watching all that I could from him, I knew this was how magic was meant to look, it was REAL magic. This was the point of no return, I began studying even more of all the great masters, their books and routines, going deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, solidifying in my mind what constitutes STRONG magic. I am proud to be a practitioner of the classics and Sleight of Hand card magic. No gimmicks, no gaffs, just pure, hard hitting sleight of hand card magic, any deck any time. I hope that my continued passion, study and practice will allow me to become a link in the chain of excellence. I must thank Michael’s influence for sending my magic and therefore life on such a positive trajectory. I urge all of you reading this to READ, PRACTICE and STUDY the classics like there’s no tomorrow, walk the path less travelled, honour yourself and the craft. It’s miracle time.
A few years ago I reached out to Michael to express my appreciation for his work. We have since become close friends, discussing all manners of topics on a regular basis from magic, personal development, photography and life to name a few. I have had the pleasure to meet Michael and sit down at the card table with him on a couple of occasions, with more to come. Let me tell you, witnessing Michael’s magic in person is a thing of beauty. I am continuously grateful for Michael’s kindness, generosity and friendship. Thank you.
I encourage all of you magicians to purchase Michael’s books and DVD’s, not only will you learn world class material, you will also get an insight into Michael’s thought process and gain the opportunity to ‘sit down with him’ for yourself, albeit through the medium of a book or video. You will not be disappointed. Take this wonderful opportunity to learn from the best. Stay tuned for Michael’s new book to be released soon.
All magicians are familiar with the ‘Vernon touch’. “Use your head and be natural”. What about the ‘Vincent touch’ however?
I would like to finish this blog by describing what I believe to be an accurate description of the ‘Vincent touch’ and what makes Michael’s magic so special. I encourage you, the reader, to study the following paragraph with diligence, absorb what makes Michael’s magic strong and use it to develop your own personal, authentic ‘touch’, only then will you become a unique link in the chain of excellence and push the conversation forward.
“To me, the Vincent touch is all about studying a given plot, routine or premise as a CONCEPT and learning everything there is to do with it. This includes technique, theory, thinking and presentation from every source possible. Once you have done this, you must take the best bits from your research and combine them together in order to construct the effect and method which best suits your vision, abiding by the mantra, “what would real magic look like?” This is not in an attempt to be “original'' or “creative” for the sake of it, no. This is about striving to achieve the most magical effect possible, all from the audience's point of view and pushing the conversation FORWARD. This is the crucial thing, everything worked on by the Vincent touch aims to push the conversation forward and create the most magical effect possible from the audience's point of view. Michael will create the most efficient and effective method, structure and presentation with this vision constantly in mind. Once all these components come together, you are left with a miracle.” ~ Matt Homer
Thank you for reading.
Until next time,
Matt
Michael’s Instagram: @michaelvincentmagic
Matt’s Instagram: @matthomermagic
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