by Dynamo
As Will Smith once said, people are attracted to greatness. If you can display greatness in whatever field you work in, then naturally people are going to gravitate towards you. Plant the seed around them and they will come. It’s keeping them there that is the hard part.
It’s a principle I apply today. Sometimes I need to attract the attention of an A-lister because I’ve been asked to create content for something, like, for instance, F1 Rocks or the MTV VMA Awards show. So, I’ll need to ‘work the room’ and get footage of the more famous people in the room because that’s essentially what I’m there for. The company relies on the bigger names to get viewers to either watch on TV or look online.
I’ve found when I’m in a room with a celebrity I can inadvertently steal the attention from them. It’s not intentional, but the curiosity of the crowd will invariably be drawn towards what I’m doing when I perform. I start small, working the room, so that people slowly get an awareness of what’s going on. I’ve found that occasionally with a famous person, as the hangers-on and pretty girls start to gather around me, their attention and curiosity will override whatever they’re doing and ultimately they too will want to see what everybody is so excited about.
It was a lesson I first learnt when I performed for Jay-Z. It was 2006 at the Light Bar in London’s Covent Garden. He was throwing a party for the release of his album, Kingdom Come. It was your typical West End scene – so dimly lit you could barely see the end of your nose, with over-priced cocktails and a long, winding queue outside waiting to get in. That night, the Light Bar was the place to be. ‘Hi guys, come on in,’ said the hostess, welcoming me and Dan, despite our caps and trainers. My face was fast becoming a familiar sight at bars around the West End. I was far from famous, but I was starting to get a certain amount of recognition. I didn’t have to work as hard to blag my way in anymore; they knew I’d do some magic and help everyone have a good time.
a lot of people have said that I have some sort of magnetism
Around midnight, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived: Jay-Z made his entrance. Everyone rushed towards him, pushing against the black rope of the VIP area. Wearing dark shades, designer clothes and jewellery, his fame, confidence and talent lit up the room.
We didn’t have a camera with us, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to create any content. But as an admirer and long-term fan of Jay-Z, I simply wanted to perform for him. I was genuinely interested to find out what he thought of my magic.
Dan and I were probably the only two people in the room who didn’t go over and crowd around him. I stood to the side and started messing with my cards. Gradually, people stopped staring at the world-famous rapper and drifted back to their seats. Jay-Z had said a few polite ‘hellos’ and before long the whole club was jumping. People were up for a party.
I started doing my special card shuffle, nothing too crazy, but enough to gather a circle of people around me. ‘Hey bro, do that one where you put the coin in the bottle?’ said one enthusiastic bystander. I was starting to generate a lot of attention.
After about five minutes, Jay-Z’s best friend, Ty Ty, clocked what was going on. I could feel him watching me for a while before he tapped Jay-Z on the shoulder. The next thing I knew the entire party had descended on me – Jay-Z and his crew had sauntered over.
I did some card magic on Jay-Z and Ty Ty. ‘This kid is dope,’ they murmured. He might have been a famous rapper but that night Jay-Z was just like anyone else – a curious bystander caught up in the wonder.
I finished with a final big piece of magic – I made his signature magically appear on my business card – and left. Pow! That’s the best way, I think – leave them wanting more.
The next night, Dan and I were out again in the West End, and we saw Jay-Z and his crew celebrating his birthday at Movida. ‘Hey, get over here,’ said Jay-Z, beckoning us over to his table that was heaving with both champagne and beautiful women. ‘Show me some more of what you got.’ Well, it would have been rude not to!
A FEW YEARS later, I met Lewis Hamilton for the first time. He’d just started to win a lot of races, and we’d both been invited to the 2007 MTV EMA Awards in Munich.
It was well after midnight and people were already pretty tipsy from the awards show. A big brand threw an after-party and so we decided to go to this crazy event in some cavernous warehouse in deepest, darkest Munich to see what was going on. There was a lot of alcohol and the loudest music was blasting from the speakers. It was a real celebrity-filled party. Everyone from the Black Eyed Peas to the Foo Fighters and the Pussycat Dolls were there. I was out partying with Lewis Hamilton and Shaggy (a random combination to say the least)!
I don’t remember too much about how the night ended up. I just know it was crazy and that a few days later my friend Lewis was dating a Pussycat Doll. Sounds like a good night to me!
I bumped into Lewis again in Singapore two years later. I was with a friend whose father is a big deal in the oil industry and rather wealthy! Life was good as me and my friend’s mates drove around the city. I was in a Ferrari while my friend was in a Bentley – both of them matte white. I’m bit of a petrol head and the sight of them gave me palpitations! They were so cool.
At one point we pulled up at some traffic lights. I looked to the left and I could see these guys checking out the car from a taxi. My face lit up as I realised who was in the taxi – it was Lewis! Obviously, Formula One was on and he was in town.
He wound the taxi window down. ‘Dynamo! What are you doing here?’ he shouted.
I explained I was filming for Formula One and just as we’d established that we were staying at the same hotel, the lights changed. ‘You want to race back?’ I grinned. To be fair, he wasn’t driving and he was in a taxi, but to me it was a race, which I won nonetheless. It was nuts: Lewis Hamilton, a famous Formula One driver, and I beat him in a race.
Since then, I’ve performed at Lewis’s birthday party and we hang out here and there. He became a lot more famous faster than I did, but then again he is a Formula One driver. He’s still a really good, genuine guy despite his success.
Magic has introduced me to such a broad range of people. I have my best mates from home who do everything from teaching to working for British Gas; I have friends who I work with and I have pals from all over the world of entertainment, including sports like football, racing and boxing.
David Haye, for instance, has been a great friend. It’s a pretty incredible feeling when you get to sit ringside at one of his fights. And he is always happy to join in on my magic. I’ve had a lot of support from Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand too. I love seeing these big, strong sportsmen running around in amazement like kids because of some magic I’ve created. It never fails to amuse me – and them.
IT WAS THROUGH Formula One that I met Richard Branson for the first time. They had invited me out to Abu Dhabi to perform and then they took me out for dinner while I was out there. We went to a place called Cipriani’s. It’s a beautiful restaurant.
Dan and I were having dinner when I noticed Sam Branson, Richard’s son. I first met Sam through my friend Johnny. I’ve known Johnny since school. He used to be a professional wakeboarder and would often wakeboard with Sam.
I got to know Sam and his sister Holly through Johnny, and over the years we’ve hung out together. I’ve done a lot of work with Sam for his family’s charity, Virgin Unite, too.
Sam noticed me at Cipriani’s and called me over, saying, ‘Dad, this is the magician – Dynamo – I was telling you about.
D, would you mind showing my dad some of your magic?’ I’d read quite a few of his business books and knew it would be a great opportunity to show someone I admire what I could do.
There was no one filming, there was no one else really watching, so it was quite a low-key, private moment. Usually when I perform it often becomes a case of camera-phones and crowds with everyone craning to see what’s going on. It was a special moment between me, Sam, Richard and his friend
s.
I asked Richard to pull out a coin from his wallet. I made him close his fist over it and the next thing he knew the coin had disappeared from his hand and reappeared under his watch. I then made his watch disappear. It was just spur-of-the-moment fun, totally improvised, but that was what made it good. How magic should be. If I’d known I was going to do magic for Richard Branson that night I might have over-thought what I was going to do, which could have ruined what was such a natural, relaxed moment.
At the end, he got off his chair, dropped to the ground and started bowing down to me. Sir Richard Branson was on the floor, on his hands and knees, his face just inches away from my trainers. That’s right, Sir Richard Branson on his knees, bowing to me. It was surreal. Part of me didn’t know what to do, though I do remember thinking, ‘Oh, I wish someone had a camera right now.’ To my delight, Richard then turned to his son and said, ‘Take a picture, Sam, take a picture,’ while he stayed there bowing down to me on the floor. Bizarre.
You know when Richard Branson is in the room. There are no airs or graces. Just confidence and a sense of power and presence. I guess that when you’ve reached the level of success he has, you’ve probably dealt with a lot of your demons and your insecurities, so you just exude confidence.
He’s always smiling. I’ve met a few super-rich businessmen over the years and a lot of the time you can see the stress of their responsibilities weighing them down. But with Richard he’s having a wicked time, no matter what he’s doing. I think he wholeheartedly embraces life.
About a year after Cipriani’s, Sam booked me to perform at the wedding of his sister, Holly, and her husband, Freddie. I was a ‘gift’ from Sam.
The reception was at the Kensington Roof Gardens, which is a glamorous private members’ club that Richard Branson owns. It was a very lavish do with lots of incredible food and drink laid on for the guests. When I first saw Richard he had crowd of people around him because, naturally, everyone wanted to congratulate him. So, I just walked past and said a quick ‘hello’.
Later on, I took my cards, coins and Polo mints (my tools of the trade) from table to table and entertained them all. I didn’t feel like there was a pressure; I just went, did my thing and had a great time. The guests reacted so well. Everyone was in great spirits and because it was such a magical day anyway they really embraced my magic too. They wanted to believe to make the day even more special. From Richard, Sam and Holly to their family and friends, I felt really lucky to have been able to add to what was such a special occasion.
That’s the thing I love about magic: it doesn’t matter if you’re a kid from Bradford, a big-shot celebrity, or a billionaire businessman – it puts everyone on the same level. For me, the reactions from people are everything. I love the looks on their faces – sometimes they laugh, sometimes they’re shocked, some people even get scared. But there’s always that one moment when I look at them and I see a glint in their eye and for that second they believe that anything is possible. I’ll never stop loving that moment.
IT’S ONLY REALLY been in the last year or two that I’ve come to fully understand why I feel the need to do magic. Like I’ve said, the way it brings people together is right up there; the way I can bring a moment of astonishment into their lives and show them the impossible, but it’s also because I can affect people’s lives in other ways.
I get to work with a lot of charities and I’m always amazed by what they do. Where possible, I like to do something to try to help out. And the purity of magic seems to be a good fit, especially for kids’ charities.
I’ve spent a lot of time in hospital myself and I know how depressing and glum it can be. But thanks to groups like the Teenage Cancer Trust and other children’s charities, the day-to-day experience for these kids is made slightly more bearable.
When the Euro 2012 tournament was taking place, I decided to put on a bet and predicted the outcome of the final. But I went quite a few steps further. I predicted all of the quarter-final winners – Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany – and said that Italy would win on penalties. And, that Spain and Italy would go through to the semis and win on penalties. Then, I predicted that Spain would win overall with two or more goals.
It was quite a bold move to make such a specific prediction – there were so many different variables. In fact, the odds were 10,000–1 as they thought the chances of me getting it right were so slim. I placed a £1 accumulative bet with Paddy Power and then left my betting slip with ITV studios, in a secure locked box for two weeks, ahead of an appearance on This Morning.
As the tournament went on, one by one my predictions came true. Everything I’d seen in my mind became a reality. When the final came around Silva, Alba, Torres and Mata all scored for Spain, giving them a 4-0 win. I won £10,000!
I’d kept my prediction quiet. But when I went on the television show This Morning a couple of days after the final, they revealed what I’d put on the betting slip. It was a tense moment as Phillip Schofield opened the box to retrieve my betting slip. ‘That’s extraordinary,’ said Phil as he read the results of my prediction. ‘You can’t fake something like that. It’s incredible.’ Holly Willoughby was just as staggered. They just couldn’t conceive how it was possible for me to be so accurate. It was another one of those moments where the gobsmacked looks on their faces made me beam with pride. The betting slip was later confirmed as genuine by Paddy Power.
When I collected my winnings, the bookies were just as shocked – they gave me that look I sometimes get from people where they eye me like I’m an alien from out of space or something. I knew exactly what I was going to do with the money, though; like my prediction there was no question about that. I gave the £10,000 to the Teenage Cancer Trust. I delivered the money myself to their hospital near Euston. It might sound like a huge sum of money, but really it’s a tiny drop in the ocean for charities like those. But every donation counts and I was glad I was able to help. The charity works a lot more wonders than I do.
While I was at the hospital I had chance to hang out on some of the wards. One of the kids in there was really ill, but he had his own room, an Xbox and a big plasma TV, which the hospital had provided for him. He seemed as happy as Larry, even though he wasn’t well at all. The extras that these charities provide really do make a huge difference. I know how important it is for kids to be cared for in hospital; they try to make the children’s wards a home away from home rather than a scary, starched environment. They might not be at home, but the wards are painted in bright colours, there are sofas to hang out on, they have a playroom with Xboxes and DVD players. The children in the hospital might be incredibly ill, scared and homesick, but at least they have comforts to keep them distracted and entertained. You wouldn’t believe the difference that makes.
I love doing those visits, but it can be a challenge for me, even though I probably understand as well as anyone what these kids are going through. I was in hospital for months at a time as a teenager and I know how scary it can be. But I don’t always know what to do or say. When I visit, obviously I put on an apron and gloves so as not to pass on any germs. But then I’m thinking, ‘Is it OK if they touch a card, when I ask them to choose one? Do I just get them to point?’ It’s probably a silly thing to worry about, but because every child’s case is different, I just never know.
Once I’ve worked out the best way to entertain them, the kids are a joy and it’s brilliant to put smiles on their faces. I met the cutest little kid called Kieran recently. I was performing in the games room there and all the kids came in. This one kid sat there, with his drip, and he wore a bandanna as he’d lost his hair. He must have been about five years old and was pretty much ignoring me, playing FIFA on the Xbox. Then, all of a sudden, he paused the game and went, ‘Who’s the magician?’
I said, ‘Me.’
‘You don’t look like a magician,’ he pouted.
Halfway through the performance, he stopped me again and said, ‘I like your adidas trainers. They’re li
mited edition aren’t they?’ I was like, ‘How on earth do you know about limited-edition adidas kicks? I only got them two days ago.’ It was so random but I love things like that. All these kids might be desperately sick, but they’re the sharpest, funniest little people you can meet.
It means the world to me that I can help them in different ways. Whether that’s by raising money, raising the profile of the charities that do this brilliant work, or raising their spirits, I try to do everything I can.
It’s all very well racing around in Ferraris in Singapore, but it’s moments like this that put everything into perspective, and for once I’m the one who feels like I’ve been shown something genuinely magical. The spirit these kids have is beautiful. The human spirit is more powerful than anything I know.
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CHAPTER 9
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THE MAGIC OF TELEVISION
DESPITE ALL THE whirlwind adventures Dan and I were having, the thing we wanted most just wasn’t happening. Our own TV show. It was a weird scenario. It felt like we were rising to the top at 100mph, but the chance of making a proper TV series was travelling at 200mph – always out of our grasp. We couldn’t get a show commissioned nor make enough money to fund our own show.
There were points between 2008 and 2010 when I was very, very down. I thought about all those years ago while I was recuperating in hospital, watching the film Troy. My moment of revelation. But sometimes, it felt like I’d never be able to impact the world through my magic the way I wanted to. And I couldn’t see a way of getting any further.