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The work you've done with Derren could be seen as transcending traditional magic, as it blurs the line between genuine psychology and trickery. Do you think that there are other scientific disciplines, which, if exploited as a framework for magic, would have the same air of realism as Mr Brown's...

I contribute some stuff to Ollie Mealing's Magic Review Blog, which has content on Facebook and on the blog site itself. The last contribution I made was an interview with Lewis Le Val about his Paint the Roses Red DVD. The Facebook side of things is here...

Was Sybil influenced by the flourish cuts of Bill Kalush, Gianni Mattiolo, and Herb Zarrow, or does it predate them?

Hmmm....are you sure you don't mean "fall for"?

Buy a book called The Royal Road to Card Magic. Not only will you learn some new tricks but you'll develop an obsession with card magic that means you'll never feel fully dressed without a deck in your pocket. (Without a what in your pocket?...That's what she said!...etc.)

I generally echo YRAMagicMan here. I'd definitely pick up Expert Card Technique and Expert at the Card Table. For me, Card Control is less of an essential, but there are a few nice bits and pieces. My recommendation is to study ECT and EATCT at roughly the same time, not waiting to master all...

If you have the snap change download, then you should know how to do it. That's just the standard Marlo-style change.

Just to chime in with some agreement, I don't think I've ever been asked "How did you do that?" in a way which suggested that the person really wanted to know. The truism, "magicians never reveal their secrets" is so ingrained in the culture that I don't think anyone asks the question with any...

Seconded. I think you've absolutely nailed your analysis right there, tokyoUW. I should probably say that I dropped out of university so I'm in no position to mock other people, but I'm under no illusion that my failure to engage in structured education was because I was, fundamentally, a lazy...

If you've got time to master it, I would go with cards up the sleeve. This seemed to be Vernon's go-to effect for stand-up situations when he was a performer. Or, if you want something less taxing sleight-wise, and if the performing space suits it, I'd go for his three card monte routine.

It's not a long-distance spinner. Off the top of my head I can't remember the name of it, but I learned it from a Jean-Pierre Vallarino lecture, and I believe it's on one of his DVDs. I'll see if I can track down the source.

Actually, authors do get a small royalty when someone borrows their book from a library in the UK. In the US and Ireland, and probably other countries, the library-borrowing aspect is normally built into the author's original contract with their publisher. So, effectively, part of their earnings...

I absolutely agree with you on this point. The difference between our approaches is, I think, that I believe that tricks should be used as an example of a wider truth, whereas you think they should be a metaphor for this wider truth. So, when Derren Brown introduces a trick with, "It's very easy...

I don't know if I've missed something here, but what's wrong with your spectators predominantly recalling of the climax of your trick? Surely the climax is supposed to be the strong moment of magic that leaves an impression on them. If each separate moment of magic in your routine was as...

I think there's a difference between having a card signed before manipulating and having a metal object signed before bending it. To my mind it comes down to a definition of the effect. In an ACR, the effect can be stated as "the magician makes a selected card rise to the top of the deck". As...

It was in Genii. The May 2001 edition to be precise.

Harry Lorayne is considered an expert in memory work, by people in and out of the magic community, so his books would be a good starting point.

Before investing too much time, money, or energy in studying speed reading, maybe consider the possibility that not everything Derren Brown says or implies on his shows is precisely the truth. You might not quite get the results you're hoping for.

Just a quick caveat. Silvio Berlusconi is no longer Italian prime minister, having stepped down amidst the Eurozone economic crisis. He's been replaced be the economist Mario Monti. However, Berlusconi is still a significant figure, owning much of the media in Italy, as well as for his...

Both sets teach extremely different types of material, so I think it's quite hard to say which is objectively better. Lennart Green is all about clever moves and mathematical principles, whereas Dani Da Ortiz goes much more into the psychology and has less hardcore sleight-of-hand. My own...