Brilliant chat with Marc still so enthusiastic about magic after so many years performing, the best magician's are the ones still in love with the craft😊
Great interview! Thank you Craig! In my humble opinion, Marc Paul is the best living mentalist in the world. I have been doing mentalism for 33 years now and I am a member of the P.E.A. for as many years. I had the honor to meet and learn from people like Bob Cassidy, Ted K. and many more. I love old school mentalism and low tech solutions. When I saw how Marc Paul improved on the classic 4DT and when I saw and learned many of the other effects/handling/solutions/ideas he is teaching (in his past publications and videos) I knew Marc is truly a master mentalist (and a great teacher and gentleman).
You may forget Derren Brown. Which is all that but also a far true theatre showman and storyteller and performer. Of course also due to the help of Andy Nyman and Marc who’ve been friends for decades. I personally love hightech solutions, designed and build several myself for my own show and TV productions I consulted for. It was actually through that work that I pivoted into Special Effects and Visual Effects. And there as well the combination of old and new is the best for me. I live by Carl Sagan’s saying: “any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic.” But also: “if it works don’t change it.”
Every Magician should really listen to this great advice. Some of the best information I have found on preforming if you are 8 years old to 80 years old.
Yes stage, close and street performance are three totally different beasts. I grew up on the stage as a kid actor, doing musicals until my voice broke early ( at age 12). Then I became a gigging musician age 15-22 which is all stage work. So I think in a stage (and now also a film) kind of way. I feel very uncomfortable doing close up and street. When my best friend in the states, who was a street mentalists and I met and we did do a street performance, I felt like a fish out of water. I ended up performing basically my stage hypnosis show with about a dozen of volunteers making that street wide, and getting rid of the lines on the ground (weird thing they do in Lancaster county). I was so amazed by my friend walking up and chatting and getting people to commit some of their time. I just can’t do that, it feels so awkward and invasive. And he was amazed that I put up a sign free stage hypnosis show at 8:00pm and people gathering and me doing the selection process getting the people up and basically have an adlib theater show. And yes the stage itself is a tool. Moving up stage (moving back from the audience, as a theater stages rise up-hence upstage) makes it easy to hide certain actions. Convenient for those moment you need to load a swami or a thumb or switch a deck. Whilst moving downstage psychology emphasizes certain actions. Getting what we call a balanced imaged is important. I’m a stocky broad shouldered guy. So when I have a smaller person I don’t want to make them look small and me imposing over them - my participants are the heroes, I just facilitate; that’s my angle. So there’s more distance between me and them on a lateral sense - making in affect the image wider. When we are similar sized I’ll be closer. Unless of course the burden of magic arts, is that you need to handle stuff 😂 Also playing with the lighting plan is so powerful. In my stage hypnosis show I had a skit where a person is “Skippy” the bush kangaroo and the theme tune comes on we bring up that orange gelled lamps (or nowadays led). Indiana Jones skit same. But eerie skits like the exorcist it’s blue. Use the stage and the lighting. And these days buying your own lighting set and programming it to the music, is less than 1000 pounds. Even for corporate it’s a worth investment and increases your production value.
Very interesting ! I'm moving on more and more to the english scene...in 2025 ! I do now comedy magic in french on stage ! 🙂I wanna pay for markobi book :Stairway.That's the book i want to read in 2025 !
When I was just starting in Mem-Deck magic, Marc was kind enough to give me his time and tell me where to start and what tricks to learn. A gentleman and a scholar 👏
Brilliant chat with Marc still so enthusiastic about magic after so many years performing, the best magician's are the ones still in love with the craft😊
Great interview! Thank you Craig! In my humble opinion, Marc Paul is the best living mentalist in the world. I have been doing mentalism for 33 years now and I am a member of the P.E.A. for as many years. I had the honor to meet and learn from people like Bob Cassidy, Ted K. and many more. I love old school mentalism and low tech solutions. When I saw how Marc Paul improved on the classic 4DT and when I saw and learned many of the other effects/handling/solutions/ideas he is teaching (in his past publications and videos) I knew Marc is truly a master mentalist (and a great teacher and gentleman).
You may forget Derren Brown. Which is all that but also a far true theatre showman and storyteller and performer. Of course also due to the help of Andy Nyman and Marc who’ve been friends for decades.
I personally love hightech solutions, designed and build several myself for my own show and TV productions I consulted for. It was actually through that work that I pivoted into Special Effects and Visual Effects. And there as well the combination of old and new is the best for me.
I live by Carl Sagan’s saying: “any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic.” But also: “if it works don’t change it.”
Every Magician should really listen to this great advice. Some of the best information I have found on preforming if you are 8 years old to 80 years old.
Fantastic interview..! 👍😃🌅🎩
Love Marc Paul. Brilliant performer and teacher, and also a real gentleman.
Great interview with a great guy. Love listening to Marc's thoughts on the business. If I was 30 years younger I'd be all over trade shows!
Yes stage, close and street performance are three totally different beasts. I grew up on the stage as a kid actor, doing musicals until my voice broke early ( at age 12).
Then I became a gigging musician age 15-22 which is all stage work. So I think in a stage (and now also a film) kind of way.
I feel very uncomfortable doing close up and street. When my best friend in the states, who was a street mentalists and I met and we did do a street performance, I felt like a fish out of water.
I ended up performing basically my stage hypnosis show with about a dozen of volunteers making that street wide, and getting rid of the lines on the ground (weird thing they do in Lancaster county).
I was so amazed by my friend walking up and chatting and getting people to commit some of their time.
I just can’t do that, it feels so awkward and invasive.
And he was amazed that I put up a sign free stage hypnosis show at 8:00pm and people gathering and me doing the selection process getting the people up and basically have an adlib theater show.
And yes the stage itself is a tool. Moving up stage (moving back from the audience, as a theater stages rise up-hence upstage) makes it easy to hide certain actions. Convenient for those moment you need to load a swami or a thumb or switch a deck.
Whilst moving downstage psychology emphasizes certain actions.
Getting what we call a balanced imaged is important. I’m a stocky broad shouldered guy. So when I have a smaller person I don’t want to make them look small and me imposing over them - my participants are the heroes, I just facilitate; that’s my angle. So there’s more distance between me and them on a lateral sense - making in affect the image wider.
When we are similar sized I’ll be closer. Unless of course the burden of magic arts, is that you need to handle stuff 😂
Also playing with the lighting plan is so powerful. In my stage hypnosis show I had a skit where a person is “Skippy” the bush kangaroo and the theme tune comes on we bring up that orange gelled lamps (or nowadays led).
Indiana Jones skit same. But eerie skits like the exorcist it’s blue. Use the stage and the lighting. And these days buying your own lighting set and programming it to the music, is less than 1000 pounds. Even for corporate it’s a worth investment and increases your production value.
What a great interview. That was a masterclass from Marc.
Great interview. Lots of good information. Priceless
Very interesting ! I'm moving on more and more to the english scene...in 2025 ! I do now comedy magic in french on stage ! 🙂I wanna pay for markobi book :Stairway.That's the book i want to read in 2025 !
Wow… best episode to date 5⭐️
Interesting, entertaining, insightful -- this was a great interview.
Can’t wait for this ❤
When I was just starting in Mem-Deck magic, Marc was kind enough to give me his time and tell me where to start and what tricks to learn.
A gentleman and a scholar 👏
Absolutely Wonderful! Thanks Craig and Marc for the interview. 👍👍
Marc with a C, obvious :)