Tyler Wilson lecture

On 1st September, Canadian magician Tyler Wilson embarked on a month-long lecture tour of the UK and Ireland. All I knew about this guy was that he was very funny and very hairy, so I arrived at the Bolton Magicians’ Club not really knowing what to expect.

As it turns out, he got fed up with endless bad hair days and now has a short, neat haircut on his head and, since he didn’t take off any clothes at this lecture, that’s all I can tell you. (In case you’re wondering, he has been known to reveal a card prediction shaved into his chest hair.)

Cards are evidently Tyler’s passion and he handles them with assured smoothness. Although he is easily capable of carrying out the most complex and challenging moves, he is not one who believes that the more difficult a trick is to perform the more effective it must be. He understands that, from the layperson’s point of view, it is the effect - and not the method - that counts.

Most of Tyler’s magic, then, is card-based but it’s a long way from the standard pick-a-card tricks. His original slant on established ideas keeps everything interesting and unpredicatable, and his deeply thoughtful approach to presentation gives every trick a satisfying shape. Comedy arises organically out of the magic and there is a delightful absence of the corny jokes that are shoehorned into far too many acts.

The lecture is well constructed and makes a good evening’s entertainment in itself. It’s not too late to experience it for yourself: the rest of Tyler’s tour dates are on MagicWeek.

Tyler Wilson in characteristic pose

Tyler’s excellent book Dominatricks is available through Andi Gladwin's website.