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| Derren Brown |
Magnus Franklin offered a nice profile of the incredible Derren Brown recently.
Right off the bat, Mr. Franklin points out two differences between Mr. Brown and others who perform our art. He promises no special skills, no box tricks, no illusions, and nothing that could not be explained by “psychology, magic, misdirection and showmanship.”
He enjoys his “Something Wicked This Way Comes” tour because he says performing on the road is one of his favorite things. In that regard, he is like Paul Daniels who famously termed television specials “the crap end of magic.” “I love touring,? he says emphatically. ?Once you get into the routine, you can change things around a bit. Of course, the audience doesn?t always know about it, but I get quite a lot of satisfaction just knowing it for myself.”
As much as he enjoys the intimacy of the audience and the immediacy of their feedback, he knows he’ll go broke touring halls and theaters. “You need the TV jobs as well. I will try to carry on the way I am going now. Of course there is such a thing as media saturation, but performing is what I want to continue doing.”
Mr. Brown was not originally intending to be a magician. He didn’t plan on standing before strangers, lying, using props, and working always to convince them something that wasn’t true. No, indeed, he was originally intent on being a lawyer. He believes both professions use the same “set of skills.” We’re not sure what that means but we know a lawsuit when we smell one. Someone ought to sue someone.
What’s the downside with being an incredibly famous magician with facial hair performing occasional television specials?
?I have been compared, especially in the beginning, to David Blaine,? Derren explains. ?I guess we are similar in many ways. He was the first, really, to get into this deeper, darker style. I can?t say I haven?t been influenced by him,? he admits. Having said that, though, he has moved on: ?I have developed my own style and in many ways we are quite different.?
One of the biggest differences between the two men is enunciation and the ability to perform an effect on the first take without using the magic words, “Hey, wait, c’mon, watch this, seriously.”
Mr. Brown’s scrupulous refusal to claim true psychic powers is not only admirable but also enables him to expose those beyond the fringe – the quacks and charlatans. “I wouldn?t want to be generally negative, but I think psychics and those who submit to new age philosophy without questioning it are quite narrow-minded. I couldn?t say that everything they say is wrong, but in general there tends to be an explanation to mysterious things.”
The British Magi traveled to the United States for his latest television special on Channel 4, Messiah. The one-hour “documentary-style” show had Mr. Brown questioning Americans about their religion and whether they blindly believe what they are told – be it religion, atheism, or something in between….
Continue reading Derren Brown’s Wicked UK Tour
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