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E very article I’ve ever read about Derren Brown tends to begin in the same vein. The journalist usually makes some half-jokey remark about the forthcoming interview; that they are worried, scared, tense - maybe Derren will “brainwash” them and they’ll end up clucking like a chicken or writing something stupid. They always say these kind of things, but not me, I’m not most journalists - I’m a cool customer and would not let any of that silliness creep into my mind. Thecallwasarrangedfor3pmonawetand windyFridayafternoon.Nosweat,justanother normalinterview.Theclockstruck3pmandI called,penpoisedreadyforthechat.Ispoke toDerrenandafterabrief“hello”;hesaidhe’d callmebackin‘5minutes’.5minutesturned into10minutes,then15.WasIbeginningto getnervous?Hedidsayhe’dcallmebeback? Didn’the?I’llleaveitanother10minutes,I thoughtandmadeanothercupofteaandsat waiting in no man’s land for the call back: phone-callpurgatory.Stillnothing.Wasthis somekindofmindgame?Anewexperiment fromthemastershowman?25minutes,30, 35,40...45minutes!Itwastoomuchformy fragilemind,soIcalledhimbackandhere’s whathappened... Nothing. Derrenexplainedthatourcallhadbeen interrupted by another ‘Scots’ guy and after he’d finished talking to him, he thoughthehadspokentomeandso hadn’tcalledback!Itsoundslikehe’s inthepubwhereit’sabitnoisysohe ‘nipsoutside’,‘it’sfreezing’butdespite thecoldwebeginalongchat. Beginnings and Beliefs Howdidhegetstarted?TheBristol- born illusionist answers, in his soft southern accent, ‘I saw a hypnotist performing when I was about 19 and decided I was going to do that and also pickedupclose-upmagic-asabitofaside line...itendedupbeingmagicthatImademy living from because you can do magic anywhere,whereaswithhypnotismyouneed a certain environment.” What appealed to Brown,afirstyearatBristolUniversity,was the chance to impress people. This is a common thread that binds most illusionists andmagicians,thecreationofanothermore accomplishedself,anotheregoasameansto impresspeople.Derrenconfirmsthisnotion, ‘Magic is the quickest, easiest and most fraudulentwayofimpressingpeople...people lookatthemagictrickandgo“ohgodthat’s amazing”andsotheysay“you’reamazing”- theymistakeyouforthetrick.That’scertainly whyIgotintomagic,andwhymostpeopleget intomagic.’ Are You A Believer? Despite being born into a religious family Derren revaluated his position and is now seen as a prominent sceptic, even chin- waggingwithatheistextraordinaire,Richard Dawkins. So how does the man define himself?Heexplainswiththecalmauthority INTERVIEW
