Of Sleights and Men

Internationally renowned magician Michael Vincent has been named Best Close-Up Magician three times by the UK’s Magic Circle, 3 times in three consecutive decades; 1983, 1991, and 2003, and was awarded the title of International Magician of the Year in 1993. He truly is one of the 'best' and when you hear how he got to be that way, we promise you'll be blown away.  Michael is kind, inspiring and g...

John Guastaferro is a name every magician should be aware of he possesses an incredible array of talents from Spanish guitar to a deep and developed knowledge of the non-profit world.    In this episode we discuss:  Why you should learn Spanish Guitar (everyone could do with better finger dexterity in magic)  The incredible similarities between philanthropy and magic (and why John Guastaferro sees...

Evan Porter is a SEO expert, who ranks in google for a living, and thankfully for the majority of our readers, he’s also a HUGE magic fan.  In this episode we discuss:  What makes a good magic website (and why there are so few good ones out there)  What SEO work and magic have in common (and how to harness the powers of both worlds)  The AIDA formula that ANY good magician knows intuitively (but c...

Adrian Lacroix recently burst onto the worldwide magic scene with his incredible virtual magic (used by magicians Penn and Teller and the like!)  And just a few days ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming him on the 'Of Sleights and Men' podcast where we discussed:  How Adrian went from watching David Copperfield perform on TV as a kid, to performing for Copperfield’s children.  Why Adrian Lacroix...

Very recently we had the pleasure of meeting the only time travelers we know... They happened to be English and turned out to be, much to our own pleasure, all around spiffing chaps!  In this podcast with the great Morgan and West we discuss:  - Why Morgan and West prefer to perform children’s shows (and would ONLY perform for children if they could)  - Why Morgan and West hate to perform close up...

David Regal is behind magic seen by millions across the globe. He has written for, and designed effects for stage performers who perform internationally, in Vegas showrooms, and on Broadway stages. His television writing credits range from kid shows (Rugrats) to sitcoms (Everybody Loves Raymond) He truly is a huge name in the magic world— and today he became our latest podcast guest.  In this epis...

In this episode, Benji got to talk to one of his all-time heroes and overall amazing magician - Steven Bridges.  Recording this was a whole lot of fun for all of us! We hope you feel that you're hanging out in a pub with three British lads who love chatting about magic, rather than sitting, or working out, or even sleeping while listening to this podcast. In this podcast we discuss: The secret to...

Recently we were honored to welcome a legend of the magic world onto our podcast - the one and only Roberto Giobbi.  During this episode, we talked on a variety of subjects, from card college to the power of linguistics. Here's what you can expect:  How Roberto Giobbi went from selling floppy disks to a world-class magician What made Roberto Giobbi 'take the leap' to become a professional magician...

In this episode, we were honoured to welcome our first female guest a Miss. Alice Paihlès.  She's made a name for herself in the magic world with her analysis of the direct connections between magic and the science of psychology.  In this episode, we discuss her upcoming book, semi-viral ted talk and:  How much of Derren Brown's magic is true 'mentalism' (it was far more than we expected)  The BES...

In this episode of the podcast, we sat down with the one and only Andi Gladwin.  We started out by asking Andi about his brand new book—The Boy Who Cried Magic. This book has been, by our estimation, 23 years in the making—and includes Andi’s most exquisite material. In fact, it’s in such high demand—Vanishing Inc have started buying copies from OTHER magic companies just to fulfill their orders. ...

Mortiz Mueller is arguably the ‘Mozart of magic’—he’s a German phenom who burst onto the scene at a young age and has studied under some of the world’s best in his craft.  In this podcast, we ask Moritz where it all began, and discuss everything from the famous European magic scene to the ethics of when to release a magic product.  Take a listen...  

Alright, I know this is late, but... ...have you noticed that Zoom magic is, kinda, a thing now? Maybe you love it. Maybe you hate it. Either way, here’s something I think you’ll find interesting: If you Google ‘Zoom magic tricks’, depending on where you are in the world, our site will be either the No.1 result or one of the top ten. Over the last four months, my analytics software tells me over 1...

David Williamson calls him “One of the best coin handlers I’ve ever seen.” Ken Krenzel called him “A Highly Innovative Coin Worker” And arguably the greatest magician of all time, Dai Vernon, called him “A Superb Artist!” Who is he? His name is Dr. Michael Rubinstein, and he’s one of the most legendary names in modern magic.  We recently sat down and chatted with Dr. Rubinstein about his life in m...

We're delighted to present one of our all-time favorite magicians- Danny Goldsmith. We believe Danny is unparalleled in his control and power over the art which is coin magic, which is why we couldn't wait to have him on the show. In this episode we explore:  What magic and meditation have in common (HINT it's not what you expect)  The power of Eastern culture (and why you have to start implementi...

In this episode, Jacob and I took on the age-old debate between card and coin magic.  Enjoy!

Welcome to the Podcast, in this episode we go over: How Benji learned French in two weeks (He used this method ‘on’ me, and I was floored) A Computer Science professor’s secret to (at least) double your productivity (this method was used by everyone from Carl Jung to JK Rowling, and it works like gangbusters for magicians) What ‘shallow’ practice is. How to complete card magician Aaron Fisher’s Pa...

Jacob and I finally had time to sit down and chat on ye olde ‘Of Sleights of Men’ podcast...  In this episode, we discuss: * A ‘behind the scenes’ look at what it took to create the Skyscraper Method * The no.1 most satisfying part of releasing a magic product * Why the hardest part of the creative process is often the stuff you don’t think about (illustrated by a few crazy stories…) * Why Dani Da...

In this episode, I talk about why you should always seek out magicians that are better than you.  Also discussed: How getting ‘smoked’ in tennis matches is a perfect metaphor for magicians who hate getting fooled. The one thing all the best magicians in the world have in common (and how you can join them.) How passive-aggressive Instagram magicians are sabotaging themselves. Why I love Jason Ladan...

(NOTE: the audio gets a little fuzzy about halfway through, but then it sorts itself out. So don't worry...it's us, not you.) In this episode, I talk about why ‘new product junkies’ are good for magic.  Also discussed: Why some of the world’s best magicians are flat out wrong about the value of ‘new releases’ (they totally missed the mark on this) Why buying magic is like browsing Netflix on the w...

In this special ‘birthday’ episode, Jacob and I reflect on our magic journey so far… Highlights include: The No.1 most criminally underrated magic channel on YouTube (that I guarantee will fool the socks off you) How being ‘lazy’ helped me unlock some of magic’s best secrets (this won't work for everyone, granted, but it certainly did for me) What you should never do when using a marked deck. The...

In this episode, I talk about the big problem I have with Triumph... Also discussed:  Why Triumph is one of the greatest routines in magic (this might sound odd given I have a huge problem with it, but hear me out and you’ll understand why both are the case.) The strange similarity between Triumph and Frodo Baggins. Why Dani DaOrtiz’ ‘Open Triumph’ is the greatest version ever...or not, I don’t ca...

Welcome to the very first episode of 'Of Sleights and Men!' In this episode, Jacob and I decided to introduce ourselves by getting deep into some of our magic ‘horror stories’, including… The ‘EXTRA bold’ bold book test that I insisted on performing (despite screwing up nearly every time) Why Jacob used to harass grandmas (no excuse for this one, all we can do is apologize) The weird ‘T Rex’ pose...