Here’s a weird question for you to ponder over a cup of tea…
Why do we like magic when we know it’s a trick?
Magic and magicians seem to transcend space, time and trends. Not everyone is into sport or theatre or live music but everyone seems to love a magic show. Even grumpy old dads and dudes who think they’re too cool for it. It’s almost impossible to walk past a street magician. I’ve been late to several dinners because wanted to see the end of a street magician’s performance.
I think the fascination with magic is that it defies logic. We’re looking for solutions and we KNOW the solutions are there we just can’t see them. It’s escapism at it’s finest.
This week’s podcast guest is Cosentino, magician, illusionist and escapologist. The thing is, being a magician looks flashy and fabulous on the surface but it’s actually one of the most disciplined professions around. The magician dream often dies when kids figure out that performing is about 1% of the job – the rest is diligently sitting in front of a mirror for hours practising passing a coin from one hand to another without anyone seeing it.
Cosentino is arguably one of Australia’s most prolific and talented magicians with years of touring under his belt. He’s currently focussed on magic education and since his live performances have been cancelled for the foreseeable future he has turned his attention to his magic school, teaching kids how to master the art of magic.
We chat about discipline, overcoming learning disabilities, the importance of routine and how being obsessed with details could actually save your life.
In this episode, we talk about
- How he grew from a shy, introverted kid into a world-famous magician
- The power in magic and how it gives magicians a sense of control
- How to adapt your learning to suit your own learning style
- Branding and honouring the tradition of theatre and romance in his performances
- Why he keeps the basic spinning rings trick in his professional shows and the story behind it
- The horrifying moment when he almost drowned onstage in front of a live audience
- How he went from performing on cruise ships to performing to a packed house at the Anatheum in Melbourne
If you want to learn the next level discipline techniques from the man of mystery Cosentino himself, this episode is for you.
Links mention in this episode
The best bits from Cosentino?
‘Break it down, analyse it, practice it, repeat it.’
‘Magic is all about repetition and making the unnatural look natural.’
‘There’s a massive transfer of power when you can do things that nobody else can do.’
‘The trick is good… but the story is better.’
‘Systems are really important to me, mentally it just feels better.’
‘We have a term in magic called misdirection where you pull the audience’s attention away from the secret or the trick.’
Want more from Cosentino?
You can find him on Instagram @thecosentino and on his website here.
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