“Nothing great in the world was accomplished without passion.” ― Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Tim’s passion and dedication for the art of magic began at early age of ten and through the years has enabled him to attain many notable achievements to his name including being named ‘Best Stage Magician in Australia’ and was the first Australian ever to win twice at the FISM World Championships of Magic. Tim has performed at Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle and he has been featured in numerous magazines, press articles, and TV shows including ‘Today’, ‘Good Morning Australia’, ‘Fox News’ (USA) and more. Recently, after being diagnosed with Asperger’s, he explored the positives and negatives of his condition in an autobiographical one-man show ‘AspyCadabra’.

How and when did you start taking interest in magic and decide to make it your profession? Does the Asperger’s condition affect you in your performances?T: My interest in the art of magic began at the age of 10 when my grandfather gave me a ‘Hanky Panky Magic Set’ that he had bought at Myer, where he worked as an electrician. I learned and performed every trick in that set and was hungry for more – so I sought out every library book I could find on magic, and eventually discovered Bernard’s Magic Shop in the city where I encountered an unlimited supply of tricks and fun.
I performed at children’s parties for small fees, which went on buying more elaborate magical equipment, and then I started entertaining adults at private events and venues all over Melbourne. By the time I left school and started studying film and television at Swinburne University, I realised there were more opportunities to earn a living performing magic than in the TV industry and I have never stopped.
Asperger’s tends to affect me much more in my personal life, when I am not in “magician-mode” because I am not in control. In my personal life people interact in shades of grey that I cannot understand: body language, non-verbal cues, innuendo etc.
On stage it is my domain. I take control and people feel confident to allow me to do so. To an extent I have developed coping mechanisms to conceal my Asperger’s when I am in magician-mode, but the slightly “off” nature of my Aspergian personality seems to work in my favour as people can’t quite figure out what is different about me – they simply assume it’s because I’m a magician and it seems to add an intriguing depth to my magician personae.
It’s in the preparation and the development of my magic that Asperger’s is a real asset. It allows me to focus and see details even other magicians miss.

Which of your magic acts was most difficult to master? How much practice do you need to perform a difficult trick?T: Probably Runaround Sue: The Cups & Balls routine that won me the Silver Medal at The World Magic Championships in 1994. It required me to create a series of new sleight of hand techniques that rely on split second timing and misdirection. If my timing is off by even by half a beat you’ll see exactly how the trick is done.
With Runaround Sue it took me 6 months of daily practice to get the two minute routine working… then I spent several years refining it. Even now, if I have to do it in a show I will try to spend a few hours just going over the act to make sure it becomes second nature again.

Can you tell us about your role as an expert magic consultant for film, television and theatre? Which film/television consulting was the most challenging and why?T: There are many times I have been called on to advise on film, television and theatre. Usually it’s because a character will need to perform some magic and they have virtually no time to learn any. Other times it’s because they want to create a live special effect rather than using CGI or camera trickery.
Probably the hardest was teaching an actor how to play a magician for the TV series ‘Blue Heelers’. He was supposed to be an old hand at the art, so he had to look beyond confident when performing his tricks. We had created a series of simple, self-working effects, but he also had to perform some sleight of hand as dictated by the script. Obviously, there was no way he could learn the effects in the time allocated so we had to invent specific methods that were virtually automatic but looked like genuine skill. The fact that he would be performing just to the lens of the camera made it easier, as he didn’t have to worry about his angles so much, but it was still very challenging.

What quality is a must for a person to be successful at performing magic? How do you incorporate modern technology into your tricks? From where you get the ideas of your magic acts?T: In my opinion, intrigue. You must intrigue your audience to such an extent that they cannot help but be drawn in to want to watch you… to see what you are going to do next. You may be the world’s greatest sleight of hand artist but, if nobody is interested in YOU, then you will fail as a performer.
I try to avoid modern technology. There are hundreds of magic ‘apps’ which allow you to do a magic trick with your phone – but the general reaction to those tricks is not one of amazement but rather “What a cool app, what’s it called?”If I choose to incorporate technology into my act, you won’t know. If you suspect a magician is using technology then, in my opinion, he has failed to fool you.
Everywhere. Inspiration comes at the strangest of moments which is why you must always be open to it I cannot turn “off” from magic because it’s not just my job, it’s my vocation. No matter how relaxed I am there is always a part of my brain looking around at my environment and assessing the magical possibilities around me.

Who is your favorite magician? Which of his/her magic trick do you want to try next and why?T: I have a number of favourites for a number of different reasons: Derren Brown, because of his brilliant reinvention of the art of mentalism by his intelligent presentations and mix of methods. Dani DaOrtiz, because of his astonishing use of psychology to create false memories in the mind of his audience. Jeff Hobson, because of his incredible blend of comedy and magic. Penn & Teller, for their constant innovation. David Copperfield, for his redefining of the art for television. Lee Eun Gyeol, for his artistic take on grand spectacle – his show ‘The Illusion’ is the best live illusion show I’ve ever seen.
Boris Wild, Ali Bongo, Tommy Wonder, Carisa Hendrix, David Stone, Yann Frisch, Yu Ho Jin, Tom Ogden…. I could go on and on and on.
I don’t want to try their tricks – because they are their tricks. I’m happy to be inspired by their work to do better myself, but I really try to avoid the path already walked.

You have received plenty of awards and recognition. Which award is closest to your heart and why?T: Probably the first international award I received, the Special Prize of The Jury at The World Championships of Magic in 1991. It was in Lausanne, Switzerland, and I had never even attended a World Championship before let alone competed. I saw all of my magical heroes there and I was just one of the crowd of 3,000 aspiring magicians.
I performed my original ‘Six Card Rap’ for the first time and it got such a great reaction my friend Peter Reveen took me aside and introduced me to David Copperfield who said “Man, you rocked the house!”
A little while later I discovered that my trick was too short to qualify for a prize (it was only 3 minutes) and the rules also stated that you had to perform more than just one effect, so I was disqualified from winning a regular award. However, the trick had garnered such an overwhelmingly positive response that the Jury decided to award me a ‘Special Prize’, which was an absolutely huge honour.

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?T: My house. It’s my own personal Bat Cave. It’s a converted warehouse with no street frontage and I can relax in there for days at a time without ever emerging. A great way to get my Aspie recharge.
Aside from the peace and quiet… it has a magical front entrance (you come in through a graveyard and enter via a coffin), a 32 seat theatre, rehearsal room, lots of storage, and an enclosed summer balcony with hammock and hot tub.

What are your other hobbies?T: None really – though I do enjoy going to the movies a few times a week, and I spend a lot of time playing with my two Rainbow Lorikeets.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who are interested in becoming a magician?T:  Only do it if you know there is nothing else you want to do. To be truly successful it has to be your passion because it is the most unexplored of all art forms and it deserves your full attention.
But you will have to interact with other humans (on your own terms though) because magic, unlike any other art, cannot exist in a vacuum. The magic happens in the mind of your audience. If you perform on your own there is no magic.

Any special message for our community?T: Follow your passion whatever it is. We live in a very odd time where you can make a living doing literally ANYTHING. Don’t be restricted by traditional career paths.