Singapore's Harapan Ong has caused an online sensation with his technical abilities. Videos began to circulate some years ago from a pair of hands doing extraordinary things. His style is natural, unassuming, and soft. But Aces appear, selections transpose, and magical things just seem to happen in Harapan's hands. Recently we had the pleasure of talking to him on our podcast, he was open, kind, and impressively candid. If you enjoyed listening to him and want more head over here: https://www.ha...
Mar 27, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 26
Pit Hartling is one of Germany’s most requested magic entertainers. His appearances have brought him to more than fifty countries on five continents… ...and he’s also the author of the incredible book ‘In Order To Amaze.’ (one of the best magic books ever written) Check out his books here: https://pithartling.com/shop/
Mar 19, 2021•58 min•Ep. 25
Denis is an expert sleight-of-hand artist, memorized deck master, and hilarious performer. He’s also the creator and curator of the ‘conjuring archive’ website—THE largest research project in magic. On this website, you’ll find indexes, references, and contents of over 2000 magic books. This website was started in 2004, and Denis has been diligently reading and making notes on all kinds of obscure magic books ever since. That’s nearly 20 YEARS of hard work. Denis doesn’t get paid to do this—he d...
Feb 25, 2021•53 min•Ep. 24
Jonah Babins is the host of the podcast ‘Discourse in Magic’, co-founder of the Toronto Magic Company, and professional magician. Over the last 4 years, he’s interviewed some of the world’s best magicians—from Juan Tamariz to Derren Brown. In this episode… We talk about the real ‘secret’ behind getting in touch with the world’s best magicians, the best way to increase your chances of success as a magician, and Jonah’s upcoming virtual magic convention. If you’re interested in Unconventional Fun,...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 23
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 genuine. We can honestly say that he's one of our magic idols. This was an emotional episode, and we l...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 22
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 them as one of the same) The power of the 'one degree' principle and why it applies to pretty much every...
Feb 05, 2021•51 min•Ep. 21
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 copywriters are forced to learn) How Evan Porter became financially independent simply by writing a few b...
Feb 04, 2021•39 min•Ep. 20
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 is ALWAYS confident during performances (he wasn’t even stressed to perform for the Argentinian Preside...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 19
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 magic (and almost NEVER do it) - How Terry Pratchett books inspired their current stage persona (Benji...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 18
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 episode we discuss: The key to producing great TV shows (and how to harness that power in your magic perf...
Jan 04, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 17
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 a good street performance (and the secret to a bad one) Why Steven is haunted by 'lemon failures' (an...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 16
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 (and the 'big shot' job he gave up to do so) Giobbi's tips on performing for all types of audiences- ...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 15
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 BEST force in magic (I guarantee it will surprise you) How to avoid being tricked (the answer made us laugh...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 14
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. With that in mind, hit the link below to secure your copy while you still can... https://www.vanishin...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 13
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...
Nov 28, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 12
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 14,800 magicians have seen that link, and over 1,800 have clicked on it. So the interest is definitel...
Nov 24, 2020•23 min•Ep. 11
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 magic, his new book (that many magicians have nicknamed ‘the modern Bobo’), and how to create truly po...
Nov 18, 2020•50 min•Ep. 10
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 implementing its secrets in your performances) Danny's beautiful 'magic origin story' (it blew us away) The secr...
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, Jacob and I took on the age-old debate between card and coin magic. Enjoy!
Oct 31, 2020•38 min•Ep. 8
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 Pathways training program in 2 days.
Oct 26, 2020•32 min•Ep. 7
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 DaOrtiz doesn’t have any mirrors in his house * Why the key to being creative is to...be creative (it s...
Oct 13, 2020•25 min•Ep. 6
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 Ladanye (no, it’s not his hair.) The USA trip that changed my magic (and transformed me from an arrogant k...
Oct 01, 2020•21 min•Ep. 5
(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 weekend Why telling people to ‘read the classics’ can be a huge mistake (but at the same time, the bes...
Sep 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 4
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 one thing you should do every day to be successful in magic (and life.) The long-distance running se...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 3
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 care (if you get it...you get it.) A tip by Darwin Ortiz that shapes the way I view magic (about fruit,...
Sep 15, 2020•21 min•Ep. 2
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 that scuppered my ‘which hand’ routine Our ‘unethical’ performance that went a little bit TOO well H...
Sep 12, 2020•57 min•Ep. 1
