Thanks so much to all of you who snet me questions. I've picked some of the best and asked them to Lee. Below is the first part of our interview with him...
Hi Everyone.
Thanks for all the questions I will spend the next day trying to get through them all. Some will be more longer than other and hope they all make sense.
Lee.
Here we go.
What started you off in magic and how old were you?I am not really sure what started me off? It was just a hobby for me that got out of control.
I used to be a Carpenter by trade and picked up a few basic tricks to do on building sites as I wanted to have something different. I was about 17 year old when I first started.
It was just a hobby for a couple of years and the same as most I read all the main books, Encyclopedia of card tricks, royal road etc. I was purely self taught for a long time.
I then went onto run a bar for a friend (I was about 22) and it was here that I got to show my magic to more people on a larger scale. I had been performing in the bars and for friends for a while but now had the chance to show random punters. It all got more serious for me from this point and started learning from the Michael Ammar DVDs and many others. I ended up getting so involved that the Charles Wells chain started paying me to do other venues. I soon got pretty busy and that was how it all started for me.
Can you explain the route you followed into Magic, then into Close-up, and finally (so far!) into Commercial Products for MagiciansPlease read the post above for my route into magic.
I have always been into close up and I have found it to be the most interesting and amazing form of magic out there. I like to watch all the magical arts but have always been a close up guy. I have never even done any stage or children's in my career. I have thought about branching out many times and have done a lot of parlor over the years but still do my close up material.
My commercial material came about from performing in the real world and making so many mistakes. As I was self taught for so long I would do something wrong and adapt it to my style (the well that didn't work so lets try this attitude) lol. I never let anything faze me and this would usually end up in me making up my own versions of effects. Before long I was doing them completely different and making up my own full routines.
I honestly didn't know what I was doing until I met other magicians years later and showed people my work. Everything I do has to be tried and tested it must be simple as possible and work for all audiences. Often laymen would say something like can you make this vanish or can you do this or do that? I would go home and find a way and often a new effect would be born.
I guess I just had no choice but to be creative, and now I am working with some of most creative guys out there that just being around those people rubs off on you.
Was the above a definite plan, or just something you fell intoIt was just something I fell in to. My experience ids that you can have a rough idea and should aim for that but if you plan things to much it doesn't always work. I think if you be yourself work hard and put in time and dedication and enjoy what you do then things will happen for you.
What are your plans for the future, Magic-wise?This is an easy one. I have none as I didn't think I would get this far. I feel very lucky to do what I enjoy for a living and If i can just keep doing it then I will be happy. I want to continue to put out products as long as everyone continue to enjoy it.
I do want my son to get into it and to perform when he is older.
There seem to be concerns about the changing quality standards of some playing cards, have you noticed this and, if so, how do you deal with the problem?I have not really noticed to much? but I have seen all the talk about it. I always use bikes when I work and have noticed the change in boxes and face print from time to time, but never really found it to be a problem? Nearly all my material is impromptu and I go through one or two decks a night at a busy show. I think if I didn't trash so many and used gimmicks to match decks I might find It a problem?
I dont think laymen notice the discrepancies like we do so I wouldn't worry.
Setting magic aside for a moment, what else floats your boat?I look after my Son full time which I love. I have great friends and family that I love going out with. I like going out and buying stuff (mainly clothes) my other half is into fashion and works in the industry so guess that has had an effect on me, lol.
I like gaming I spend lots of my spare time on the PS3 (big kid) but love it. I try and have break from magic when I can and when I do just like going out socializing.
Just to encourage those of us who are still struggling with sleights and moves, is there a sleight or move you just can't manage to do?So so many,
I still struggle wit some of the most useful sleights. I do a really bad cull and often avoid using it. There are moves that have spent so long trying to do that I have ended up creating a new one. So yeah we all have this problem.
As a leftie, are there any sleights you omit from your work? For example, I struggle with the corner riffle used to select a card then catching a break after. Easy for right-handers, but lefties have the index on the wrong side!Yep, I have the same problems and feel your pain. Us lefties have had to spent all those years learning everything back to front. I do my fans riffles and all sorts of moves back to front and upside down. Over the years I have learnt to adapt to do it both ways. I have not taken anything away from my set but made sure to make it work for me another way. Some things are easier as a leftie but others we have to put in much more practice.