Magicians have had a longstanding connection with the world of the paranormal and the supernatural. It is feasible to suggest that the early shaman and village ‘wise person’ used a potent mix of psychology, conjuring and ‘magic’ in order to act as the mediator between the spirit and earthly realms; the tribal counsellor and the healer. In fact the art if the conjuror has had several incarnations since then – the mountebank, the swindler, the carnival medicine man and the thief. Perhaps Robert Houdin can truly be credited with turning the street swindler into the suave deceiver so respected at evening soirees.

With the advent of the spiritualist movement in the late 1800′s some magicians found another way to please paying audiences. Now whilst not only mediums based their spiritual hokum on trickery, the fact remains that many did. Even the founders of spiritualism, The Fox Sisters admitted to blatant fraud towards the end of their careers.

In many respects the first popular magician to make a stand against misuse of magic and magical techniques was Harry Houdini. Not only did he set out to expose fraudulent mediums but he was one of the original members of the Society of American Magicians to be invited to set up a committee for the investigation of psychic claims with the full support of the scientific community.

For the last thirty years or more James Randi has been actively fighting a battle against flim flam and woo. His understanding of magical techniques has given him a unique perspective which in some cases has ‘seen through’ some of the flaws in scientific method and thinking.

Not only did James Randi as a performer emulate Houdini, but as a critical thinker he has donned the mantle of psychic investigator. More to the point Randi has inspired a new generation of magicians who are making a stand against the fraudulent application of tricks. Banacek, Penn and Teller, Jamie Ian Swiss being the more notable examples.

I remember as a fledgling mentalist I got angry at folks like Randi as, at the time I saw them breaking the ‘magicians code” in suggesting the methods behind effects similar to those that featured in my act. At the time my enthusiasm for the art and innocence meant that I did not feel the public needed the kind of protection Randi and his fellow conjurors were offering.

Well I”ve been performing for best part of twenty five years now and guess what – the public do need protecting. Now more than ever.

As a performer who takes the paranormal, the psychic and the occult as themes for his performances I try to be very aware of how i need to maintain the mystery of the presentation whilst not promoting beliefs in wooly thinking and woo woo.

Of course these considerations are not a problem for card and coin magicians or those demonstrating some for of manual dexterity or theatrical illusion, but they are vital for the growing number of magicians choosing to be psychological illusionists, mentalists, psychic entertainers and such like.

What responsibilities do you have in this area.

For my part I am a Rational Mystic and try to offer some entertaining distractions and provocative debates an the Haunted Cornwall radio show….

Alan