Chris Funk
from Desert Island Tricks Hosted by Alakazam Magic
A card rises to the top of the deck because a violin is playing and somehow that makes perfect sense by the time it’s over. That’s the kind of “how is this even happening?” thinking we love and it’s why we’ve wanted Chris Funk on for years. Chris is a touring magician known for Redefining Wonder and for bringing music into modern stage magic in a way that feels lived-in, not bolted on. We talk through his desert island list of essential routines, from Bill Abbott’s Five Card Box as a killer opener to a lottery ticket prediction he’s preparing to release (Numera), plus a colour match that ends with a guitar reveal. Chris breaks down what makes multi-phase magic routines work: theme and variation, raising the stakes, and scripting that sounds like a real human instead of “instructions on a page.” We also get into a wild guitar-and-looping piece where a moving power plug changes the music and why audiences sometimes need you to say the thought they’re already thinking. Then we go backstage into the real touring magician life: cramped travel, questionable hotels, missing luggage, TSA surprises and why “utility props” and redundancies matter if you want a professional show that survives the worst day. Chris shares a kid-led drawing duplication built around trust and confidence, his spicy banishments (including the phrase “Do me a favour”), the classic book he’d take to a desert island (Royal Road to Card Magic) and the tech that runs his show via QLab and a DAW. Chris’ Desert Island List: Welcome: Violin Card Rise Bill Abbotts 5 card box Lottery Ticket Prediction Numera Colour Match Guitar Trick Mind reading production effect Drawing Duplication Bill to lime Impossible Instrument Balance Banishment. Do me a favour / The Floating Table Book. Royal Road to Card Magic Item. Laptop Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
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What this episode covers
A card rises to the top of the deck because a violin is playing and somehow that makes perfect sense by the time it’s over. That’s the kind of “how is this even happening?” thinking we love and it’s why we’ve wanted Chris Funk on for years. Chris is a touring magician known for Redefining Wonder and for bringing music into modern stage magic in a way that feels lived-in, not bolted on. We talk through his desert island list of essential routines, from Bill Abbott’s Five Card Box as a killer o...
Chapters
- 0:00 Stolen Acts And A Punch
- 1:38 Why Chris Funk Stands Out
- 4:02 Tour Life Breaks And Realities
- 9:35 Desert Island Magic Format Explained
- 10:02 Building The Violin Card Rise
- 15:56 Why Five Card Box Opens Strong
- 19:23 Numera Lottery Prediction Teaser
- 25:00 Color Match With A Guitar Reveal
- 30:05 The Guitar Plug Knot Vignette
- 38:08 Sponsor Break Custom Playing Cards
- 39:13 Utility Devices After Lost Luggage
- 47:36 Letting Kids Shine With Mind Reading
- 51:51 Bill Vanish Into Lime Or Crackers
- 57:29 Balancing Instruments For A Last Image
- 1:03:52 Banish Bad Lines And Floating Tables
- 1:09:51 Royal Road Plus Laptop Cues
- 1:14:20 Links Tour Talk And Goodbye
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