THERE?S something magic about David Paul Jones.

He can make his wife disappear whenever he wants to, he can pull live doves out of nowhere, and he can make them disappear again.

But then again, David is a stage magician and such amazing feats are all part of his act.
David is passionate about his magic, and spends long hours practicing to perfect even the simplest tricks.

?I start by practicing in front of a mirror so I can see exactly what the audience is seeing,? he said.

?This shows me what body language I have to use, and the angle that I should present.

?I then spend an equal amount of time doing the same thing without a mirror while I work out the positioning and posture.?

Dedication bordering on obsession is common amongst magicians.

?It?s not only learning to do the trick and making it look simple, you also have to know what the audience is thinking,? said David.

?That way you can use their own apparent beliefs to deceive them even further.?

Deception is the name of the game and David does it well.

?Simplicity is the key,? he said.

?How can anything be a dark and devious trick when it looks so easy?

?It has to look like real magic.?

David became obsessed with magic when he was a small boy.

?I can remember seeing David Nixon on TV and I was hooked immediately,? he said.

?When I was six years old, I did the ?pouring orange juice into the newspaper? trick for some friends.

?I unfolded the paper, read it for a while, wrapped it back up and poured the orange juice into two glasses.

?My friends were amazed, and I decided there and then that I wanted to be a professional magician.?

David?s interest in magic grew and one day, while working on a market stall, he met Dave Charles, the famous British stage magician.

David offered Charles a deal.

If he would teach him to do some magic tricks, he would drive him around England doing lectures and sales demonstrations.

Their relationship lasted five years and David was a model student.

He was completely focused during the day and practiced the tricks for hours every night.

The master magician was impressed by David?s eagerness to succeed and his obvious dexterity, and he nominated him to join the exclusive Magic Circle.

?I went along for my audition and I watched other young magicians coming out of the audition room with their heads hung low and close to tears,? he said.

?I had meticulously prepared and practiced the six tricks they required, but I was losing my confidence by the second and starting to panic.

?Dave told me to go into the toilet, to sit down and to start counting.

?I got to about 2468 when he came in and told me it was my turn.

?I was scared out of my wits, but I went in and did only two tricks before they stopped me and told me to leave the room.

?I thought that was it, that I?d blown it.

They called Dave in and a few minutes later, they came out and announced that I was now a member of the prestigious Magic Circle.

?I was over the moon.?

David?s membership of the Magic Circle opened the door for him to then become a member of The International Brotherhood of Magicians.

The next few years were a huge learning curve for David.

?I learnt so much from Dave Charles and all the other magicians, but I had a whole lot more to learn,? he said.

David studied hard and became better and better and was close to turning professional when he and his wife separated.

?I had a big decision to make,? said David.

?I?d been to Thailand on holiday and really loved it here.

?I figured I could stay in England and compete against all the other professional magicians, or I could try and make a go of it in a warm and tropical climate.

?I chose Thailand.?

David arrived in Phuket with four suitcases, one with his clothes in it, and the other three full of his magic tricks and props.

?I was essentially a close up magician who did children?s parties when I first got here,? he said.

?But I wanted to expand the act quite quickly and get into illusions. That?s what really interested me,? he said.

David and his new wife and assistant, Poo, practiced and kept on practicing until they got their illusions up to a professional performance standard.

?Producing doves for the first time was such an exhilarating feeling,? said David.

?You spend many lonely hours getting an illusion right, but its all worth it when you see the looks on the look on the faces of the audience, especially the young children.?

David said it took many hours of practice to perfect a simple two minute trick.

?Moving to Phuket was the right decision,? he said.

David?s magic show is now well known all around the Island and he plans to stay here for a long time yet.

?I want the show to get bigger and better,? he said.

For further information, visit www.phuketmagic.com or email magic@phuketmagic.com