Interview: How did I get here? Magician Martin Cox’s crazy journey from Bouncer to Bamboozler..
Sat just across the table from me is Martin Cox. I’m just an arm’s length away – less than an arm’s length for the burly, bald and big-fisted former bouncer, I note – but I still have no idea.
No clue how he’s moved an ace of hearts from one hand to a pile on the table, seemingly without moving his very big hands at all. Impressive tricks come one after another, demonstrations of techniques explained to me, but it’s too subtle to be spotted.
Not long before that, we start the interview talking about whether he’s played card games for money, as opposed to pulled tricks to entertain. Next thing I know, I’m having a lesson in how to count cards (though he doesn’t admit to using this for personal gain).
Many detours in conversation later, I discover the East End-born, former market trader’s life has been much like a series of misdirections – each a useful step towards his life as a magician. Read more:
Thanks to Mel Kientz’s ‘Magician’s Life”