Desert Island Tricks

We’re drawing a line in the sand: self-working tricks are not a guilty pleasure. If the audience can’t backtrack the method and the moment feels impossible, it’s real magic where it counts.

We bring Harry Nardi back after the Alakazam convention to rebuild his desert island lineup using the only criteria that matters on paid gigs: trust. That means effects that reset fast, pack small, play big, and stay strong when conditions are messy. You’ll hear why Instant Paper To Money beats Extreme Burn for freedom and fairness, why MD Mini keeps destroying even after time off, and how Coins Across and Stand Up Monty earn their spot as reliable, high-clarity crowd winners.

Then we get into the meaty stuff: PK Touches routining and the “less is more” debate, plus a swap that turns the set personal with Lover’s Waltz as a fused, signed souvenir. We also break down why Castle Wallet feels like the closest thing to real mind reading, including the framing of “fake mind reading” versus a prediction that people never see coming. Add in an island guest pick (Chris Harding), a replay-worthy performance memory, a painful first-gig lesson, and a shoutout to a perfect convention show from Tom Wright, and you’ve got an episode packed with working pro insight.

If you enjoy practical close-up magic, mentalism, and smarter thinking about what audiences actually experience, subscribe, share this with a magician friend, and leave a review. What’s one “easy” trick you think deserves more respect?
Harry Nardi’s SOS Substitutions : 
Extreme Burn for Instant Paper to Money 
Imagine for Lovers Waltz
Big Reaction for Castle Wallet (with a sneaky Foreshadow) 
Banishment. Discounting self working tricks 
Guest. Chris Harding 
Memory. BGT Semi Finals 
Horror. Asking a person with a disability to help when they couldn’t 
Show. Tom Wright’s Show at the Alakazam Convention 
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A great magic set isn’t the one with the fanciest props. It’s the one you can do when the pockets are empty, the room is loud and someone says, “Go on then, show us something” with zero warning. That’s why Marc Lavelle’s return hits so hard: after stepping back from the magic and convention scene for years, he comes back with a clearer view of what actually works for real audiences. 
We put Marc on the “Desert Island Tricks” hot seat and build a survival-ready lineup: stack work with the Shadow Stack for named-card miracles, a fast one coin routine that snaps attention to the performer, plus ring on string and elastic band magic that can be done with borrowed or everyday objects. Along the way, he shares a wild Maldives story where one simple band-through-thumb moment gets demanded on repeat for ten straight minutes, proving that impact often beats complexity. 
From there we move into bulletproof interactive pieces like Mark Elsdon’s Tequila Hustler, a multi-spectator drawing duplication, and practical working tips like using Five Guys cardstock as free billets. We also talk Ring Thing, PK touch, and why Paul Harris style “organic magic” still matters when everything is filmed in slow motion. Then comes the spicy banishment: should the Omni Deck be retired for a while because spectators have seen it too often? Marc makes the case for variety, smarter endings, and building effects that don’t arrive pre-spoiled by social media. 
If you enjoy close-up magic, walk around work, mentalism principles, and real-world gigging advice from a working pro, hit subscribe, share this with a magician friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
Marc’s Desert Island Tricks: 
Welcome Package. Any Card Named (Shadow Stack)
One Coin Routine 
Ring on String 
Band Through Thumb 
Tequila Hustler 
Multiple Spectator Drawing Duplication 
Ring Thing 
PK Touches 
Torn and Restored Leaf 
Banishment. Omni Deck 
Book. Art of Astonishment 
Item. MagSafe Selfie screen 
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A great magic set isn’t about having the fanciest props. It’s about having material that survives real-world conditions: bad lighting, tough angles, quiet tables, camera pressure, and the sudden moment when someone says, “Do something,” and you’re already empty-handed. Damien O’Brien knows that reality first-hand, from reaching the finals on Britain’s Got Talent during the pandemic to performing close-up in immersive theatre at the Magician’s Table.
We’re kicking off season three with Damien’s “desert island” list: the single card routine he’d repeat forever, the phone-based mentalism that creates bulletproof fairness, and the pieces that hit with pure visual shock. He breaks down why Ambitious Card still kills, how Digital Force Bag and Hypernesia turn a normal smartphone into a miracle machine, and why effects like Haunted Deck and Invisible Deck stay in a worker’s case for years. We also dig into Lumen Mini for deeply personal revelations, plus the bolder side of close-up with Pyro Perception and iCandy, where the reaction is instant and unforgettable.
The conversation goes beyond methods into performance mindset: banishing negative energy, building a small trusted creative team, and finding inspiration through story with Carter Beats the Devil. If you’re into modern magic, mentalism, close-up performance, Britain’s Got Talent behind-the-scenes, or immersive magic shows, this one is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately. Subscribe, share the episode with a magician friend, and leave a review telling us the one trick you’d take to your own magical island.
Damien’s Desert Island List:
Welcome Package. Ambitious Card
Digital Force Bag
Hypermnesia
Haunted Deck 
Lumen Mini 
Pyro Perception 
Eye Candy
Invisible Deck 
Pk Touches 
Banishment. Negative Energy 
Book. Carter Beats the Devil
Item. Phone 
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

You can learn a lot about a magician by the eight tricks they refuse to live without, and John France’s list is built for the real world: restaurant tables, family events, and close-up sets where you need fast impact, clear plots, and resets that don’t slow you down. John’s also a refreshing reminder that you don’t have to start young to start strong. He didn’t perform until his mid-50s, got a buzz from fooling one coworker, and turned that spark into a working, practical card magic toolkit.

We dig into why each choice earns its spot, from a super-visual sandwich routine that grabs attention instantly, to a stacked-deck Five of Spades sequence that escalates into an ace-finding kicker people won’t forget. There’s also a dose of pure close-up shock with Sharpie Through Card, plus a simple, direct “one card reversed” selection reveal that proves how far strong handling and timing can go with a normal deck. Along the way we talk about building a mental library of dependable card tricks so you’re never stuck when someone inevitably says, “Show me something with cards.”

The set widens into walk-around strategy and audience management: Sudoku 2.0 as a souvenir mentalism-style leave-behind that doubles as a business card, and The Grail as a versatile card-at-any-number tool for those awkward table revisits. Then comes the curveball John insists on: spooky, bizarre magic with Dead Man’s Hand, where story and multiple reveals change the energy in the room. We also hit a topic that matters to every performer and creator: what John would banish from magic forever, and why originality and credit are non-negotiable.
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

355 different tricks. Only six people sharing the single most popular pick. And a top item that only three guests chose. Season two ends with the kind of recap that every magician, mentalist, and close-up worker secretly loves: the real numbers, the real patterns, and the real reasons behind what performers actually keep in their pockets.
We’re closing with the official season two rankings plus the moments that made the year. A Deck Of Cards takes the top spot, with PK Touches and Invisible Deck right behind it, followed by classics like Cups And Balls, Coins Across, and Sponge Balls. We also unpack the tied cluster of powerful “worker” effects that share the lower spots, plus what the spread teaches about originality, overexposure, and choosing material that actually suits you. We round things off with the season’s top banishment (yes, it’s ego), the most loved magic book (The Mind and Magic of David Berglass), and the surprisingly revealing “non-magic item” choices.
The Season 2 Top Tricks: 
1. Deck of Cards - Beau Cremer, Steve Gore, Keith Barry, Joel M, Marvin Berglas, Alan Rorrison 
2. PK Touches - Vince Wilson, Jamie Daws, Christopher Taylor, Looch, Kay Dyson
3. Invisible Deck - Harry Marlin Piper, Steve Gore, Keith Barry, John Archer 
4. Cups and Balls - Erik Tait, R Paul Wilson, Nikola Arkane, Michael Ammar 
5. Coins Across - Erik Tait, R Paul Wilson, James Brown, Ben Williams
6. Sponge Balls - Nikola Arkane, Kay Dyson, Roddy McGhie, Mark Bennett
Joint 7 & 8. Double Levitation - Harry Merlin Pipar, Rodney James Piper, Russ Stevens
Fork Bending - Rodney James Piper, Neil Henry, Phill Smith
Destination Box - Craig Petty, Jon Allen, Noel Qualter
Multiple Selection - Tom Bolton, Ben Hanlin, Daniel Chard
Double Cross - Tom Bolton, Luke Oseland, James Brown
Toxic + - Tom Bolton, Jamie Daws, Harry De Cruz
Card Under Box - Daniel Chard, James Brown, Neil Henry
Q&A - Looch, Marc Paul, Daniel Chard
TOP BANISHMENT - Ego - Tom Bolton, Ben Williams, Dave Loosley, James Brown, Leo Smetsers 
TOP BOOK - The Mind and Magic of David Berglas - Rodney James Piper, Marvin Berglas, Tony Antoniou, Neil Henry
TOP ITEM - MUSIC - Nikolas Mavresis, Oliver Tabor, Matthew Pomeroy / WIFE - Chris North, Michael Ammar, Jonathan Goodwin 
Season 2 Stats: 355 Tricks named - 48 Banishments - 46 Books - 46 Items 
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk