Lewis Jones - As If MagicVolume 1: Memoirs
Before you dive into the tricks in Volumes II & III, you’ll be taken on a firsthand adventure through Wayne’s remarkable lifelong journey. Step into his world and discover how a childhood fascination with magic in a drab suburban town blossomed into an obsession that drove his rise to superstardom. Tucked between the lines, you’ll find invaluable pieces of wisdom that can help guide any aspiring performer to greatness.
Told in his own voice, this uncensored view of Wayne’s life is unlike the dry, data-dense biographies of magic’s golden-age heroes. You’ll be there step-by-step as he relives the highs of his career, while also not shying away from the challenges he’s had to overcome and still faces to this day.
During the darkest moments of his life, when his personal issues were thrust into the public eye and an MS diagnosis changed his life overnight, Wayne could have easily entered into a Hollywood-esque downward spiral. However, as you’ll learn, he instead chose to face adversity with humor and magic.
At his professional peak, Wayne was a role model and magic star. But throughout this inspirational story, you’ll discover he’s so much more.
He is a survivor. He is an adaptor. He is a leader.
Contents of Volume 1
Foreword (Andi Gladwin and Joshua Jay)
Introduction (Joe Pasquale)
My Story
In the Beginning
Early Days
Learning My Craft
Paying My Dues
On the Circuit
Rising Starr
Which Do You Want First?
The Royal Box
On the Box
Viva Las Vegas
A Kind of Magic
On the Road
The Show Must Go On
In Sickness & in Health
Coming Out
Squeaky Clean
Out of the Frying Pan
Wheeler Dealer
I Wish I Could Fly
Shit Happens
Closure
Volume 2: A Kind of Magic
Volume II starts with a touching foreword from David Williamson before diving into Wayne’s most popular, reputation-making routines. You’ll get the inner-workings to his best original effects, the routines that helped him achieve his international fame.
There’s something for everyone in this book. From the close-up magic miracles he performed on TV, like his poetic “Coins to Glass” or one-of-a-kind “Homing Death Card” routine, to his ingenious reframing of stage illusions like his take on the “Million Dollar Mystery” and, of course, his most popular classics like “Tossed Deck Pro”.
Wayne even shares every nuance of his go-to opening routine for winning over a crowd; his “Five Card Repeat”, which encapsulates how a pro’s revisiting of a tired classic can create a sparkling workhorse. This is the routine Wayne taught to Jeff Hobson, who pronounced it, “the very best opener for the stage magician, even today”.
For the first time ever, you’ll also receive the full script and workings of his infamous “Voices” routine that he performed during his Royal Variety Command Performance; a routine that many believe to be one of the greatest magic performances ever to grace the airwaves. Unlike other compilations of Wayne’s work, this book (and Volume III) stays true to his signature style. Instead of just explaining the basics of the routine, it dives into the necessary details and subtleties you need to truly learn the material. Given his limited mobility later in life, you’ll also get to see how he modified and reworked much of his material to be hands-off.
Contents of Volume 2
Preface (David Williamson)
Before We Begin
On Stage & Television
Opener & Five Card Repeat
An Englishman in New York
Banana Drama
Bottle Opener
The Crying Game
He Who Spelt It Dealt It
Invisible Deck 2.0
The Kid’s a Magician
Misdirection
Nailed
Silk in Cigarette Packet
Six Pack
The Spectrumalist
This Is Your Knife
Tossed Deck Pro
Vanishing Cigarette
Voices
Sponge Ball Vanish
On Stage & Television
Opener & Five Card Repeat
An Englishman in New York
Banana Drama
Bottle Opener
The Crying Game
He Who Spelt It Dealt It
Invisible Deck 2.0
The Kid’s a Magician
Misdirection
Nailed
Silk in Cigarette Packet
Six Pack
The Spectrumalist
This Is Your Knife
Tossed Deck Pro
Vanishing Cigarette
Voices
Sponge Ball Vanish
Wayne’s Stage Illusions
Box Jumping
Asrah
Card Illusion
Heads Off
Just in Case
The Passage of Time
The Pyramid
Room Service
Sawing Through
Close-up on TV
Coins to Glass
Cap & Pence
Continuous Do As I Do
Hanky Poo
The Homing Death Card
Flick-a-Flick
Razor Card
TV Shows
"A Kind of Magic"
“Wayne Dobson Close Up”
Volume 3: Dobson's Choice
Those who enjoy learning practical material are going to absolutely love Volume III. These are practical, professional routines that have been honed and refined in front of real audiences of all sizes. To put it simply, this is a book of workers. There are stand-up pieces like “Total Recall”, Wayne’s unique take on the Magic Square routine, and “Shopping List”, an impossible, hilarious, and entertaining 10-minute prediction routine filled with a surprising wine bottle production kicker they’ll never see coming. Wayne also includes his close-up classics like “3Sixty” and “Lucky Dip”, the trick that fooled Derren Brown (who also wrote the foreword) and immediately became one of the legendary mentalist’s favorite go-to tricks to perform.
You’ll also get detailed instructions for creating props that are either unavailable or extremely difficult to purchase.
Contents of Volume 3
Introduction (Derren Brown)
“Who Are You Calling Disabled?” (Bob Gill)
A Few Words from Wayne
Stand-up Creations
Eye Pad
Oddball
Odds On
Shopping List
Echo
Take a Seat
Total Recall
The Unnamed Card
Close-up Creations
3Sixty + 1Eighty
Anniversary Tango
Autograph
Balls of Steel
Best Friends
Boston Blow
Bullshit
City Break
Compatability
Die Vernon
Dobbo Marked Deck Systems
Fifty/Fifty
Fluke
The F--k Trick
Heads Up 2.0
Houdini’s Diary
Houdini’s Watch
The Invisible Lie Detector
I've Got Your Number
Lucky Card
Lucky Dip
Open Face
Out of My Hands
Possessions
Rainbow
Second Chance
Startling
Stunning
Sweet
Synchronicity
The Man Who Knows
T.L.C.
Visionary
Vodka & Coke
White Lightning
Keep It Zipped
Fifty Shades of Gold
