What a gentleman.

Lately I've been working on a routine that culminates in a deck of cards turning into a solid deck-sized block of glass (ok, 'acrylic', but I won't get pedantic. Much.) in the spectator's hands. The magi among you will know it as the Omni Deck.

I found some interesting thoughts on the subject posted to the Magic Cafe by a UK magician called Gary Jones so I phoned him up yesterday to chat. What a gentleman. Helpful, generous and creative.

http://www.garyjonesmagic.com/?page_id=8 if you fancy a look.

And what a CV! Among the people he's performed for: "Tony Blair, The Darkness, Sir Richard Branson, Nigel Mansell, Sarah Ferguson, Cilla Black, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Uri Geller, David Blaine, Graham Gooch, Phil Collins, "Posh" Beckham, Jack Straw, Rick Wakeman, Graham Norton, Steve Davis, Ronnie Wood, Paddy Ashdown, and many of the cast of Eastenders and The Bill."

The list, you'll notice, is more egalitarian than many would make it: A Rolling Stone comes in after a snooker player, an F1 racer comes in ahead of the King of Pop and Posh Becks beats out the former Home Secretary/Foreign Secretary/Leader of the House of Commons. Though perhaps properly The Bill comes in at the end, perhaps because its cast-list has included approximately 96% of the actors currently living in the UK, on their way to either greatness or obscurity. (Yeah, you're right. Mostly obscurity.)

The best bit of the conversation with Gary? Him sharing tips on having the deck of cards change to a block of glass in the spectator's hand...uncovered...two feet away from you.

His misdirection is superb.