Derren Brown interview: ‘Maybe I was an eccentric. Part of it was me not dealing with my sexuality’..
Chris Blackhurst Interviews for the Independent..
Derren Brown: ‘I love technology, but I don’t know if it’s improved my life’..
Good interview by Tim Lewis for the Observer…
How much does technology play a part in your illusions? Or would that be cheating?
There’s a whole area in the magic world of clever, electronic props, but if you are a professional performer, doing it every night, six months on tour, there’s just no way you can work with things like that. Sometimes they won’t work; they’ll break and then you’re stuck in front of 3,000 people. Also the reason I do what I do is because is because I love the process of having to make it work, so it takes the fun out of it to have some gadget that does it for you.
How have other magicians incorporated it?
There’s always been technology that is just ahead of what the public are aware of. Way back when, one of the performers I really like was an early mind-reader called Alexander; that exotic image of the turbaned mind-reader comes from him. But the reason he had a big turban was that he had a massive electronic headpiece underneath it that would allow somebody to feed him information…
Andrew Newman: ‘There are lots of challenges with Derren Brown’
Exacting article by Maggie Brown for the Guardian…
Andrew Newman, an executive producer on illusionist Derren Brown’s latest Channel 4 show, in which he coaches pensioners to steal a Chapman brothers painting from an art exhibition, is no stranger to brazen stunts. Early in his TV career, Newman worked with Sacha Baron Cohen in his Ali G phase and Chris Morris on Brass Eye, so he should have a natural affinity with Brown’s high concept pranks.
As chief executive of Objective, the independent producer behind Brown’s TV output, Newman oversees a programming slate that mirrors his own background working on offbeat, sometimes spiky series. The likes of Peep Show, Fresh Meat and Toast of London – recommissioned for a second Channel 4 series last week – attract critical plaudits and industry awards, but not always large audiences.
REVIEW: Deception..
A Review by Andy Ruzgar for FiveAA.com ..
Adelaide based magicians Matt Tarrant and Vinh Giang kick their show off by paying tribute to the magicians who’ve inspired them throughout their careers. Houdini, David Copperfield, Derren Brown, among others. The two devote time in the show telling the audience their desire to be on the same platform as these world-famous tricksters. As far as I’m concerned, they are already in the same league as these greats.