How old were you when you first went to a magic convention and what are your memories of it?

It was in 1969 in San Jose, California and I was fourteen years old at the time. I didn’t realize that it was a magic convention, I just attended the public show and they made an announcement that the dealer’s room would be open after the show, so I went in. I was amazed to see literally HUNDREDS of different magic tricks from all over the world. I was in magic heaven!

Where did you first lecture? How old were you?

My first magic lecture was for Lloyd Jones’ “The Club” in Oakland, California and I believe I was seventeen or eighteen years old.

Where are some of the most interesting places that you have lectured?

I’ve lectured in more than twenty-five different countries around the world. One of my favorite countries in the world is Japan. I’ve also lectured in some interesting rooms. A church chapel, a fallout shelter bunker, and a courtroom (where the audience was sitting in the jury box!) come to mind.

Who is your favourite magic lecturer?

At the moment, it’s probably a tie between Juan Tamariz and Gaetan Bloom. Both of these gentlemen are incredibly gifted creative magical thinkers.

You spend quite a bit of time lecturing to magicians and creating new magic. How much performing for real people do you get to do?

This varies a lot. At the moment, I only do a few shows (for non-magicians) a month. There was, however, a time when I was performing at Caesars Magical Empire in Las Vegas doing six shows a night, six nights a week! I prefer my new schedule.

What do you think are the essential ingredients of a good magic lecture?

I think a good magic lecture should be entertaining AND informative. The tricks should be practical and not too difficult to perform. I prefer a good variety of magic instead of all cards for example.

Which 5 magicians would you book for your ideal magic convention?

Great question! In no particular order: Juan Tamariz, Gaetan Bloom, Timothy Conover, Guy Hollingworth, and Chris Kenner.

Do you think that magic conventions and lectures have become too commercial?

Yes.

Do you think many magicians on the lecture circuit are making a full time living just from doing magic lectures?

No, not really. I think that presenting magic lectures is only part of the big picture.

Do you change your performance style when you work for magicians?

I wouldn’t say that I change my style, but I do include several “magician’s only” type gags.

Which magician(s) would you have most liked to seen lecture, but never had the chance?

It thrills me to say that I can’t think of any. I’ve been fortunate enough to see lectures by Dai Vernon, Slydini, Al Goshman, Larry Jennings, Fred Kaps, Michael Skinner, Juan Tamariz, Gaetan Bloom, Guy Hollingworth, Chris Kenner, Brother John Hamman, Ed Marlo, Del Ray, Gary Kurtz, John Carney, and literally hundreds of others.

Magic lectures have been around for over 50 years, how do you see them changing in the future?

In some ways, I see the future of magic lecturing as being a bit depressing. The more I see some of the younger magicians, the more I realize that many of them just don’t read the classic books on magic. They learn their magic from DVDs and from the internet. Many of them don’t know anything about the history of magic or who created the effects they perform. They make what they believe is an improvement to a trick (and they call it “original”) when actually they simply changed the trick back to its original form. I’ve actually seen lectures by magicians who claimed that the material was original when it was nothing more than bad “improvements” on standard effects. It’s downright shameful. Al Baker was right when he said that many good tricks have been ruined with improvements.

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About Daryl….Daryl, “The Magicians Magician” has done it all in magic and needs no introduction.