Mike Larkin Interviews Barry & Stuart
What is the concept behind the new show?
The show is called “98% Séance” and is about making live contact with ghosts, spirits and demons. As anyone who has ever held a home-made Séance will know, there’s always the chance of nothing happening, and because we are pretty much totally convinced that all those things are horse-sh*t anyway, the remaining 2% of our Séance will employ some freaky trickery in order to guarantee some spine-chilling scares.
How has it been going?
It is going really well. This is our third year at the Edinburgh festival and so far it has been the best. The tickets sell out every night and we are getting 4 and 5 star reviews across the board. You can’t ask for anything better than that.
What are you up to next?
After Edinburgh we immediately travel to Spain and Portugal for shows through September and then it is back to London to film some exciting stuff for the BBC. We are always working on new live material, performing for a real live, breathing crowd is often more satisfying for us than filming for TV because the interaction with real people makes each performance unique. For us it’s an adrenaline rush because if tricks go wrong, there is no second take!
What are you ambitions in magic?
Even though we have performed all over the world we would love to tour with a big show, that is something we have never done.
What famous Scottish landmarks would you like to “Do a Copperfield on” and disappear, etc?
Even though that is not really our style, to vanish the Edinburgh castle during the festival would be an impressive feat and it couldn’t go unnoticed. Maybe we could make it re appear at the top of Arthur’s Seat, that would be a great trick. And if Fred-the-Shred would donate his pension to us maybe we could make it happen!
Has anyone famous came to see your new show?
There were only a handful of very small preview shows before Edinburgh
What sort of reactions have you had?
This show we wanted the show to get different reactions to what we normally get during our performances. There has been screaming, laughing and one night there was a girl who was so freaked out by what happens in the show that she could not stop crying. As she left she was laughing but there were still tears streaming down her face. That was totally unexpected, there was nothing we could do
Were you inspired by Edinburgh’s ghostly past?
Yes, Edinburgh is a great place for our show because there are so many ghost stories from there. The venue we are performing in isn’t far from Grassmarket, where they used to do all the public hangings. In the 1700’s child-murderer Maggie Dickson was hung and declared dead, as they disposed her body a banging was heard from inside her coffin. When they opened it she sat bolt upright. They were unable to repeat her sentence as she was already declared dead and had a death certificate to prove it. They saw it as God’s Will and she lived another forty years.
What sort of research did you do?
We used to look to old books to find inspiration. We read a lot of historical accounts of mediums and seances that had been held both in Europe and the US. We learned about the deceptions they were employing to achieve spiritual manifestations and although it was all very fascinating, we really didn’t think that either the methods or the events would be very convincing or frightening for a modern audience. So with that we virtually had to start from the ground up using techniques that we developed that would hopefully make an audience believe that ghosts and spirits were present.
What magicians do you admire?
Our absolute heroes are all dead. We can’t talk to them in the seance but there are old books that describe who they were and what they used to do.
Which magicians do you hate?
No one in particular but we don’t like the style of the super-posing illusionist who just dances around boxes looking like a tool. We like magic that means something, which is why we do the bloody, gross and scary tricks that we do.
Any plans for new television projects?
Yes, we have a few different things going on. We are most excited about creating more tricks for the BBC. Ever year they ask us to make on-line tricks that people can use on April Fools Day to trick their friends. We have a page on the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/barryandstuart up there now are some great tricks that we also tell you the secret to so you can trick your friends. We will be making some more to up there when we finish Edinburgh.
Anyone in your family have any history of seeing ghosts etc?
Stuart: When I was 10 my great aunt Mona would sit with me and ask the spooks to tip tables in the room. It was so freaky to imagine that her tables were rocking and falling because of ghosts but it also totally captured my imagination. Being a young magician I was skeptical and was on the look out for trickery. If she was knocking those tables I never caught her, there’s always a part of you that wants it to be real, it’s like that with any magic trick.
What is the secret to good magic performance?
We’ve always thought that magic should capture your imagination. It doesn’t just have to be a great trick it also needs to connect with the audience in some way. We love using the audience in our performances and that allows us to be spontaneous and have events happen on stage that the audience know don’t happen every night.
What is the biggest accident you have had so far?
It was our last show at the Edinburgh Festival 2009, everything was running great until the shows grand finale. We performed a big illusion using a large box. Once you got inside it you closed a door on the front, then activated a series of secret mechanisms. That night, right at the climax, the front door of the box came loose and completely fell off! The audience could see exactly how the trick worked. It was a real “caught with your pants down” moment. There was nothing we could have done about it, absolutely nothing. We just wanted to say, “thanks and goodnight!” leaving the stage as quickly as possible. It was hilarious but totally embarrassing to have a trick go so badly wrong.
Are you working with any people outside of magic?
We quite often work with actor Andy Nyman, who is a brilliant writer and director. He is a good friend and one of those rare people who really understand what a good magic show should be.
Have you performed for any celebrities, any famous fans, etc?
Funnily enough one of the first shows that we did together was for Billy Connolly’s 60th birthday party. We went to his house where there were lots of famous people and performed magic there for an hour or so. We’ve worked with lots of celebrities of various calibres throughout the years mostly when doing TV projects. We became friendly with Derren Brown a few years ago too and we were recently part of a 3D magic special which he hosted and selected his favourite magicians for.
What do your parents think of your unusual careers, what did they want you to do?
Barry: My mum is happy as long as we don’t make any jokes about her.
The show is called “98% Séance” and is about making live contact with ghosts, spirits and demons. As anyone who has ever held a home-made Séance will know, there’s always the chance of nothing happening, and because we are pretty much totally convinced that all those things are horse-sh*t anyway, the remaining 2% of our Séance will employ some freaky trickery in order to guarantee some spine-chilling scares.
Q2 – How has it been going?
It is going really well. This is our third year at the Edinburgh festival and so far it has been the best. The tickets sell out every night and we are getting 4 and 5 star reviews across the board. You can’t ask for anything better than that.
Q3 – Any funny experiences/performances of the show?
Q4 – What are you up to next?
After Edinburgh we immediately travel to Spain and Portugal for shows through September and then it is back to London to film some exciting stuff for the BBC. We are always working on new live material, performing for a real live, breathing crowd is often more satisfying for us than filming for TV because the interaction with real people makes each performance unique. For us it’s an adrenaline rush because if tricks go wrong, there is no second take!
Q5 – What are you ambitions in magic?
Even though we have performed all over the world we would love to tour with a big show, that is something we have never done.
Q6 – What illusions would you like to do?
Q7 – What famous Scottish landmarks would you like to “Do a Copperfield on” and disappear, etc?
Even though that is not really our style, to vanish the Edinburgh castle during the festival would be an impressive feat and it couldn’t go unnoticed. Maybe we could make it re appear at the top of Arthur’s Seat, that would be a great trick. And if Fred-the-Shred would donate his pension to us maybe we could make it happen!
Q8 – Has anyone famous came to see your new show?
There were only a handful of very small preview shows before Edinburgh
Q9 – What sort of reactions have you had?
This show we wanted the show to get different reactions to what we normally get during our performances. There has been screaming, laughing and one night there was a girl who was so freaked out by what happens in the show that she could not stop crying. As she left she was laughing but there were still tears streaming down her face. That was totally unexpected, there was nothing we could do
Q10 – Were you inspired by Edinburgh’s ghostly past?
Yes, Edinburgh is a great place for our show because there are so many ghost stories from there. The venue we are performing in isn’t far from Grassmarket, where they used to do all the public hangings. In the 1700’s child-murderer Maggie Dickson was hung and declared dead, as they disposed her body a banging was heard from inside her coffin. When they opened it she sat bolt upright. They were unable to repeat her sentence as she was already declared dead and had a death certificate to prove it. They saw it as God’s Will and she lived another forty years.
Q11 – What sort of research did you do?
We used to look to old books to find inspiration. We read a lot of historical accounts of mediums and seances that had been held both in Europe and the US. We learned about the deceptions they were employing to achieve spiritual manifestations and although it was all very fascinating, we really didn’t think that either the methods or the events would be very convincing or frightening for a modern audience. So with that we virtually had to start from the ground up using techniques that we developed that would hopefully make an audience believe that ghosts and spirits were present.
Q12 – What celebrity would you most like to saw in half?
Q13 – What magicians do you admire?
Our absolute heroes are all dead. We can’t talk to them in the seance but there are old books that describe who they were and what they used to do.
Q14 – Which magicians do you hate?
No one in particular but we don’t like the style of the super-posing illusionist who just dances around boxes looking like a tool. We like magic that means something, which is why we do the bloody, gross and scary tricks that we do.
Q15 – Any plans for new television projects?
Yes, we have a few different things going on. We are most excited about creating more tricks for the BBC. Ever year they ask us to make on-line tricks that people can use on April Fools Day to trick their friends. We have a page on the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/barryandstuart up there now are some great tricks that we also tell you the secret to so you can trick your friends. We will be making some more to up there when we finish Edinburgh.
Q16 – Anyone in your family have any history of seeing ghosts etc?
Stuart: When I was 10 my great aunt Mona would sit with me and ask the spooks to tip tables in the room. It was so freaky to imagine that her tables were rocking and falling because of ghosts but it also totally captured my imagination. Being a young magician I was skeptical and was on the look out for trickery. If she was knocking those tables I never caught her, there’s always a part of you that wants it to be real, it’s like that with any magic trick.
Q17 – What is the secret to good magic performance?
We’ve always thought that magic should capture your imagination. It doesn’t just have to be a great trick it also needs to connect with the audience in some way. We love using the audience in our performances and that allows us to be spontaneous and have events happen on stage that the audience know don’t happen every night.
Q18 – What is the biggest accident you have had so far?
It was our last show at the Edinburgh Festival 2009, everything was running great until the shows grand finale. We performed a big illusion using a large box. Once you got inside it you closed a door on the front, then activated a series of secret mechanisms. That night, right at the climax, the front door of the box came loose and completely fell off! The audience could see exactly how the trick worked. It was a real “caught with your pants down” moment. There was nothing we could have done about it, absolutely nothing. We just wanted to say, “thanks and goodnight!” leaving the stage as quickly as possible. It was hilarious but totally embarrassing to have a trick go so badly wrong.
Q19 – Are you working with any people outside of magic?
We quite often work with actor Andy Nyman, who is a brilliant writer and director. He is a good friend and one of those rare people who really understand what a good magic show should be.
Q20 – Have you performed for any celebrities, any famous fans, etc?
Funnily enough one of the first shows that we did together was for Billy Connolly’s 60th birthday party. We went to his house where there were lots of famous people and performed magic there for an hour or so. We’ve worked with lots of celebrities of various calibres throughout the years mostly when doing TV projects. We became friendly with Derren Brown a few years ago too and we were recently part of a 3D magic special which he hosted and selected his favourite magicians for.
Q21 – What do your parents think of your unusual careers, what did they want you to do?
Barry: My mum is happy as long as we don’t make any jokes about her.
