AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies

He held the restaurant’s menu in front of him as he spoke, blocking the reporter’s line of sight. He lifted the menu from the table. In the space between them sat a large block of ice. Mackenzie began to cry. “I deceived you,” Jay responded while she sobbed. “It’s what I do for a living.” Mackenzie later recalled the event: “It’s a moment I’ll neve

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Performative magic is one of the most honest exchanges between people; whether it’s you and a card shark on the street today, or Houdini escaping from handcuffs in the East River a hundred years ago, in both cases you’re watching artists perform what you both call tricks. The magic happens in the ether between the magician or performer and the audi... See more

A lifetime in magic has convinced me that magicians have a unique dilemma. As the magician, I am the only person who cannot see the magic. Why? Because I know how the trick works, and knowledge of the secret is a limiting perspective. It completely hinders my ability to witness the very magic that I am creating for the audience. So as a magician I

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The success of a magician lies in making a human connection to the magic, the precise focus that creates a fully realized illusion in the minds of the audience. The simple explanation is that seldom do the crude gimmicks in a magic show-those mirrors, threads, or rubber bands-deceive people. The audience is taken by the hand and led to deceive them

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