PODCAST FOR A CASTAWAY

If you haven’t already been introduced to it, Desert Island Tricks is the new ‘concept podcast’ from Alakazam!

The response from those who have discovered it has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re so pleased everyone is enjoying it! For those who haven’t heard of it, the concept is, we take some of he biggest names in the industry and maroon them on their own magical desert island. When they leave, they can only take 8 tricks, 1 book and 1 non magic item that they use for magic! Based on the popular ‘Desert Island Disks’ podcast, the crux of the idea is that, if you could only perform 8 tricks for the rest of your career, what would they be?

It’s been really interesting to see how different performers have approached this and it’s fascinating how each person has an entirely different reasoning for what they have chosen. This week we had the legend Bill Abbott take to our island and his approach was to literally list out the effects he uses in his show. It really felt as though I had watched his show by the end of it and knowing why he had structured his effects in that way really illuminated his thought process. In an up-coming episode with Matthew Wright, he mentions that lot’s of his choices are linked to other performers like the late great Eugene Burger. Talking about times they were in Amsterdam together and Eugene showed him something that sparked an idea! Roman Armstrong talks about his book choice being signed by Derren Brown but dedicated to him with a very funny nickname! But that book is now so much more to him than just a book! It really is a wonderful insight into the lives and repertoires of other performers!

The podcast is also just a fantastic way to discover some new tricks that maybe you weren't aware of! I now have an entire list of books and tricks I want to explore in the future. If I want some killer mentalism effects, I know I can head to Peter Nardi or Marc Spelmanns episode. If I want incredible pack small plays huge stage magic, Mark James or Bill Abbott have it covered! Kids magic? No problem! Martin Peirce and Wayne Goodman are there to discover! Whatever you want to discover, find out from the pro’s what they consider the best magic to do!

Desert Island Tricks is available from all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (as well as all others!) We also upload them to YouTube every Friday or, if you want to get them a little bit earlier, Alakazam Unlimited members now have access to them on the AlakazamTV channel every Monday!

If you want to discover the podcast, there is a back catalogue that’s growing, ready for you to get stuck in! The final question for you is, what would be in your top 8?