The following is an exclusive interview with Steve Fearson, enjoy the read!

- Who most inspired you to start doing magic?

I was always a fan of David Copperfield but the performer who actually
inspired me to start learning magic was the original masked magician,
the Mystery Magician. I rented a video around 1989 called The Mystery
Magician. It was a secrets exposed tape which explained the zig zag
and several other big illusions. I was really excited to learn those
secrets. At the end of the video, the Mystery Magician did Al
Schnieder’s Matrix routine and then explained it. He didn’t simply
expose it, he taught it and I learned it. That was it for me, I was
hooked. From there I went to the public library and checked out every
magic book they had. The Milwaukee public library had a load of great
books, many classics of magic. I read them all cover to cover and
learned to perform almost every close up routine in them.

- Where do you start when creating an effect?

Sometimes it starts with the effect I want to produce. With my
Fantastic Floatation I started with the intent of creating a
levitation that could be done close up, and without any props. After
deciding what the requirements would be, then I start exploring
methods. Same thing with the Floating Cigarette. Other times it
starts with a gimmick or method that shows potential to create an
effect. The Laser was kind of like that. It started out just toying
with my Floatation gimmick and evolved into a sawing illusion.

One thing I always try to do while working out new effects is approach
it from the most unexpected, twisted angle possible. The first half
dozen methods get tossed aside immediately because they’re the most
obvious. I try to work in the space that nobody else has before.

- To be a bit controversial but with no disrespect, many have said
that your ideas are incomplete and impractical. How would you answer
these critics of your work?

If they had the nerve to say it to my face I’d slap the crap out of
them. Seriously though, If I had marketed the Laser, many would have
called it impractical. There’s an old saying about throwing pearls
before swine. I’m not saying every idea I put out is a gem. But I
have put out a few very solid tricks that got slammed by people who
weren’t bright enough to realize their potential. My Goodbye Vanish
is a prime example of something that was initially trashed online.
Apparently for $6.95 people expected more than a workable effect based
on a proven method, with a bonus of a full scale illusion. For every
person who has said that trick is a rip off, I have another who uses
it regularly and loves it. I received an email recently from one of
the UK’s top illusionists sharing his presentation ideas, he performs
the Goodbye Vanish nightly. I knocked heads with 2 of magic’s most
brilliant inventors while creating that trick and we all took it very
seriously. So who am I to believe? Headliners and professionals or
the very vocal beginners and hobbyists who frequent the forums?

To answer the question, there are three things I think people need to consider.

1. If you pay under $10 for a trick don’t expect a damn miracle.
2. Don’t knock it until you tried it. And not just once or twice.
All magic takes practice.
3. Just because it doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it won’t work for others.

- What is your opinion about exposing tricks?
(Someone believes that exposing old tricks helps to create new ones by
inspiring the creative mind)

In my opinion exposure is part of magic. As long as magicians act as
though they are protecting sacred secrets, there will be a desire to
see these secrets exposed. It’s part of the game.

Does it hurt magic? No.

The proof of this is evident in the fact that exposure has been around
as long as magic and magic is still going strong.

Does it hurt individuals? Sometimes.

In the case of marketed effects exposure can have an direct effect on
sales. It can spoil some one’s act if the audience saw the effect
exposed the night before.

Does it help magic? That’s debatable.

I think the only person who ever said exposure helps magic by
inspiring magicians to create new effects was Valentino. Frankly
that’s a load of BS he came up with when his balls came off with his
mask. Magicians will create new effects regardless, we don’t need the
motivation of having our marketed effects exposed.

I do believe exposure can benefit magic, at least in the form of a
show like the Masked Magician specials, by raising interest in magic
in general. When those specials air, sales go up just as much as when
a David Blaine special is on. And as I’ve already mentioned, the
exposure shows can bring new people into the art.

So regarding exposure, I can’t be a hypocrite. I like to know the
secrets. All magicians do. So do many magic fans. If someone
exposes an effect after I’ve done it hopefully the audience will
appreciate that I did it well. It shouldn’t necessarily take away
from what I’ve done in their eyes. Now exposing some of the recent
magic on TV is a different story. I’ve heard some supposedly
reputable folk in magic say that camera cuts and edits is the new way
of doing magic. They’re digging their own grave though. When this
stuff is exposed as camera tricks, magic has taken it’s final bow.
Part of the fun in watching magic is trying to figure out how it’s
done. Once you start using camera tricks, what’s the point?

- Do you agree that most of the time in mentalism you buy the
presentation, because the method is based on an old (and practical)
principle?

I think all magic is like that, not just mentalism. Very few
principles are new. A long time ago someone told me something that I
didn’t quite understand at the time but it’s true. That is, that
there is nothing new in magic. Everything is a variation on a
variation. Even if you come up with a new principle, it’s still a
variation of the original MAGIC TRICK. Once upon a time there was
someone who came up with the idea of fooling someone. Of using
deception to create the illusion of magic. Everything that came after
that is just a variation of the original idea.

- What do you think about hype and false advertising?

I would like to believe that I am the father of hype in magic
advertising. And also that I have never participated in false
advertising.

Writing magic ads is fun. It’s like a little game that’s played
between the seller and the potential customer. We get tell you as
much as we can without you figuring out the secret. If we can tell
you just enough of what it’s not to drive you nuts and convince you
that you don’t know the secret, you buy it. If you can figure it out,
odds are you don’t buy it.

Magic is advertised by telling you what it isn’t. Imagine going into
an electronics shop to buy a tv and the salesman approaches you and
says, “you gotta have this tv, you won’t believe the picture quality”

“Is it high-def?”

“It’s better than high-def, it’s not LCD. There are no CRT’s no
remote controls. None of the traditional methods are used.”

You say, “Can you turn it on for me?”

“No, not until you buy it. I’ll tell you this though… it’s not like
any picture you’ve seen before.”

“Oh yeah, and there are no returns.”

Amazing isn’t it? If it were any other business it would be illegal

- Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start doing less
street magic or close up magic and more stage and parlor magic?

Yes. Invest in some spandex and refrain from using masks if possible.

I wish I had more advice to give you but stage is not my area of
expertise. The only thing I’d say is pursue some training in theatre.
Try some acting or dance to learn how to use a stage.

- There is a rumor about a recent film production by you, whats this about?

If it’s a rumor about me you can bet I started it.

- Do you recommend practicing sleights separately or practicing it
along with the routine?

Some moves require so much practice they must be learned outside of

the routine. It may take a thousand times to get the knack of a
certain sleight, you certainly don’t want to plow through the entire
routine just to learn the single move. I say learn the difficult
moves outside of the routine, then work them in. There are certain
moves that I remember practicing all the time, palming while grocery
shopping for instance. There’s that move where you spin a card on the
fingertip, it’s just a flourish really. But that one I practiced
while driving.

- How do you structure your practice sessions?

When I was developing my act, contests were a great motivator. I’d
set up at the table and rehearse the act from start to finish. I’d
video tape each performance and review it immediately. One
interesting thing about contests is that they are timed. Rehearsing
within a specific time frame added another dimension to the practice
session. You end up learning your routine with military-like
precision.

Video is probably the most valuable tool you can use when rehearsing.

- I heard you wanted back the Laser from David so you could release to
the public. Did you solve that or David avoided your request?

Sometimes I wish I had it back, other times I don’t. Once in a while
I think it was a bad financial decision because it seems like everyone
is eager to buy the trick. On the other hand I realize that people
only want what they can’t have. David paid a lot for it. If I would
have sold it, it would have come and gone by now and probably nobody
would be talking about it.

What does frustrate me is seeing people sell variations and knock-offs
of the effect and apparently getting away with it. It does seem like
the only person not allowed to work with it is me.

- Do you feel guilty for selling the Stationary Document and for
falsely advertising it?

Of course not. The Station Manager document is still popular and the
routine included is super strong. All in all it’s a great value. It
was never falsely advertised either. There are certain things
discussed in it that irritate the living hell out of a certain type of
person. Let’s just say that skeptics and Atheists are advised not to
read it. It seems to drive them straight bonkers. So much so that
they will feel it is their duty to discredit it and steer others away
from it in which case they miss out.

The document did make certain predictions which have all come to pass.
That has helped squelch the protesters. Really, the truth behind the
Station Manager document is more shocking than the document itself.
I’d love to say more but should hold off as we have another
installment on the table that explains a lot. It was meant to be
released in January but I’m holding off just a bit. It’s touchy
stuff.

- What is, and has been, the largest part of your work in magic, that
is, is your time most devoted to doing shows or in the development and
promotion of your magic effects? If you spend a lot of time doing
shows, what type(s) are you doing, where and how often?

I got into magic late compared to a lot of performers. I was about 21
years old. I spent over 10 years performing and lecturing. I did the
magic circuit and of course the contest thing. For several years I
was really focused on winning the IBM and SAM awards. For me
performing was a necessary evil. What I really wanted to do was sell
magic and making money performing it enabled me to spend time creating
new effects to market. Winning the contests using the effects I’d
created was something I wanted to do so I could mention it in my
advertising. Along the way I ended up lecturing all around the world,
got my own special in Japan and met a ton of great people. My
professional life outside of the magician/convention circles was
private parties and a lot of restaurant work. I was the house
magician at TGIFridays in Milwaukee for quite a few years. For a
while I was working a couple 7 hour shifts a week.

Somewhere along the way I got the idea in my head that I wanted to
create a trick that David Copperfield would perform on television. It
took several years before that materialized. He did call me at one
point, curious about my Floating Cigarette routine. Unfortunately
since I had sold so many already, he couldn’t work with it as he is
always looking for fresh material. A few years later though I had the
Laser, or the Splitting Image Illusion. I had done it just once in
Japan for a tv show and was booked to circle the world with it,
performing it on a few tv shows. Long story short, we made a deal and
that tour never happened.

Today I’m no longer performing and haven’t for quite a few years.
It’s not something I care to do. I’m more interested in the Internet
and seeing how many ways we can plug magic into it. I’ve been working
with computers since I was 11. My first was a Timex Sinclair, that
was 30 years ago.

- If I’m not mistaken, did you not collaborate with andrew mayne at
some point? what do you think of him? what does he think of you?

I’ve never worked with Andrew Mayne. Never even met him.

Judging from some of his effects I suspect I’ve been an inspiration to
him. No idea what he thinks of me. I would assume he finds me
inspirational.

Some From Me Personally

- What is your favorite effect?

Maybe Copperfield’s Death Saw. Or Harry Anderson doing the Needle
Through the Arm. If I was in a Devil went down to Georgia situation
though, I’d bet on my Floating Cigarette.

- What type of magic do you like most?

I like the kind that fools me so badly I get all concerned and
confused. Harry Anderson doing the Needle through the arm on Saturday
Night Live was like that.

Really, the most intriguing magic I’ve seen is when somebody tries to
pull it off as if it was real. I saw James Hydrick on That’s
Incredible when I was like 13 years old, nothing has impressed me as
much as that since.

- How long does it take you to come up with effects

Some effects take years to complete. The Laser illusion took almost 2
years working literally every day. Another trick I’m not currently
selling, Static Elevation took 1 1/2 years. And by this I mean I
couldn’t come to a satisfactory solution for the entire time, but kept
working on it. Other tricks appear in an instant, sometimes two at
once. A good example of that is Amagazing, which is one of my best
effects and Easyfloat, which has been one of my best selling effects
for many years. Both popped into my head at the same moment, in their
entirety. So much information I had to scramble to write down all the
details. I’m of the school of thought that there is a universal mind
and when we create we’re simply dipping into it. Sometimes it cops a
squat without warning, other times you have to pry it out or feed it
laxative for months before you get a taste.

- What is your honest opinion about Secrets of Magic Forum?

I hate to see you get harassed about your site. I’ve already given my
views on exposure, I think it’s basically harmless. If an individual
creator has an issue about a currently marketed effect that’s one
thing, and probably something you should take into consideration. But
the main problem you face is with hypocrites. These people reside on
sites like the magic cafe which are basically no different than SOMF.
They just go about sharing secrets more discreetly. Instead of “how
is this done?” they say, “any thoughts?”. They don’t want you to
blatantly expose the trick, just give them enough information so they
can figure it out. How is this any different?

The magic community is full of freaks who seem to think they are like
a priest of a certain denomination. Magic is like God to them and
they want to stand between you and God so that the only way to Magic
is to pass through them. They want you to discover magic their way
and in turn they can teach you to push their own personal agenda,
whatever it may be.

So let’s not choose words here… Magic doesn’t belong to these
losers and most of them haven’t contributed squat to it. They have
absolutely no right to tell anyone how or where they can learn about
magic, or what terminology they should use when discussing it. “Lean
magic” is no different than “Secrets Exposed” when it comes down to
it. And none of them have a problem with any magic site advertising
the latest tricks performed on tv by David Blaine or Criss Angel.
Just as long as they don’t use the word “exposed”?

Good magic and good performers deserve respect and it will come
automatically if it is deserved. I know it already happens on your
site. If someone is marketing something that is truly clever and
worth the price, people will say just buy it because it’s worth it.
If it is a scam it will be exposed. What is more ethical, that or a
forum sponsored by magic distributors where scams can run their course
because supposed “exposure” is not allowed?

The funny thing about your site is that it’s not even public. You
have to join so what’s the big deal? I see dozens of magicians
putting up secrets where all you have to do is answer a question to
prove you’re a magician. And the question is always something simple
anyone could look up on google. They all want to share secrets, just
in their own special way.

I remember back in the 90′s I was working on selling magic online. I
wanted to do video demos but I was concerned about the fact that video
demos break the second rule of magic, “Thou shalt not repeat a trick”.
I was worried I would catch flak from every magician on earth, there
literally were no video demos of magic online. Eventually I just went
ahead and did it. The next issue was selling invisible thread online.
How in the world could I say the forbidden words in “public”…
Invisible Thread? I did catch flak for a while with that one. But
guess what? The only people who give a hoot about Invisible thread
are magicians. If you know nothing about the Internet you think every
exposure site is seen by every layperson on the planet. Don’t we
wish? Getting traffic is hard as hell! Point being, the only people
who really find exposure online are people who are really interested
in magic to begin with. The majority of your visitors are already
registered at every other magic forum online. Even the number of
people who really watch the Masked Magician specials is not very
large. And they are mostly magicians and die hard magic fans. Who
else could sit through that weirdness?

My opinion about SOMF is the same as my opinion regarding exposure in
general. And that is, we should be glad there is interest. When
people stop wondering how it’s done, magic is really in trouble.

All my best!

Steve Fearson

Regarding others who share my views on this stuff… probably a lot do
but not many would go out on a limb to say so. Then again, maybe I’m
the only one

If any other well known magicians or creators would like to be interviewed, feel free to contact us. Hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview brought to you by Secrets of Magic Forum! Be sure to sign up on SOMF if you haven’t already and subscribe to our RSS feed!

Mike