BBC Radio

I have to say that I’ve never ever seen another magician perform a magic trick which in any way ultimately has left me fooled. In retrospect I’ve always been able to work out a method of achieving that particular and desired result. Always.

(1) Well let me tell you I did that for Uri Geller in his kitchen (the card trick) and he was fascinated. Later on that day we went for a walk by the canal (Thames!) and I happened to be with him on his own and we were talking about these phenomena. He turned to me and said I’d love to know how you did that and there in the middle of this cornfield I took out this deck of cards and asked him to think of a card and showed him how I had apparently -inverted commas – apparently read his mind.. He then took the cards and said let me try something with you and he took my deck of cards and he took out a card and he held it in his right hand against his chest. All I could see was the back of the card. He then asked me to close my eyes and concentrate and receive the image of the card.

I received an image and I saw immediately 3 black blobs against a white background. I changed my mind to the 9 of spades and I said ‘9 of spades’ but I’d still got at the bark of my mind those 3 black blobs. He turned over the card, his face fell and he said its not, the 9 of spades and it was the 3 of clubs.

Now I had seen those clubs apparently in my own mind initially. He repeated it again. The second time he took out the card. I saw a mass of red and I said 10 of hearts. He turned the card round and it was the 10 of hearts. .

We repeated it again a third time with a picture card this time, the Jack of clubs.. Now that was twice out of 3 times and even the first time was an almost correct example.

(Trick?) All I can say is that he was not using any method known to me at that time. I’ve had plenty of time since to think about it. It’s an extraordinary series of coincidences. Twice – 2 1/2, 2 3/4 times, if I’d actually been honest the first time, I’d have said a black 3 and it would have been correct. Now its possible he could have predisposed me towards thinking of those 3 cards in some way, and I’m not putting that past, UG, but what I am saying is that, he was certainly using some means to implant in my mind the picture of those cards that he was holding against his own body.