The Modern Mystic League
AUGUST 2025
Blackburn & District Society of Magicians
I was a bit apprehensive about sharing a car with Psycho Kev, but fortunately our August guest Kevn Cunliffe arrived at Preston station without his make-up. He turned out to be a really friendly and outgoing sort of guy, keen to share his skills and experiences, with a story for every occasion.
We learned that Kevin comes from a fifth-generation circus family, his parents performing all sorts of strange acts. Apparently, he was sitting on a bed of nails by the age of three and knocking nails into his head by seven; hence his lecture title of The Good, the Bad and the Gruesome.
Kevin is one of only a small number of entertainers in the world to have won the prestigious ‘Ace Magician of the Year Award’ three times, and he also holds several Guinness World Records.
He opened with ‘Phoenix’ – the intimate, close-up effect of a torn-and-restored cigarette paper, with plenty of additional subtleties and a very clear explanation.
Next came two card effects – the apparently impossible location of a card following multiple mixing and Shadow Cards V2, which was the refinement of a trick first published in 2001 for Kevin’s ’Magic in Mind’ tour. Signed cards simply changed place under the shadow cast by the performer’s hand.
‘£5 - £10 - £20 Predicted’ was created in 2003, and has featured in Kevin’s performances ever since. Three folded banknotes of differing value are mixed out of view of the performer, who can then accurately locate them. An added kicker is some writing subsequently revealed on the folded notes, confirming their final positions. Some members may recall that a similar routine using cutlery was presented by Brian Berry at a recent workshop, proving its flexibility.
We learned that Kevin comes from a fifth-generation circus family, his parents performing all sorts of strange acts. Apparently, he was sitting on a bed of nails by the age of three and knocking nails into his head by seven; hence his lecture title of The Good, the Bad and the Gruesome.
Kevin is one of only a small number of entertainers in the world to have won the prestigious ‘Ace Magician of the Year Award’ three times, and he also holds several Guinness World Records.
He opened with ‘Phoenix’ – the intimate, close-up effect of a torn-and-restored cigarette paper, with plenty of additional subtleties and a very clear explanation.
Next came two card effects – the apparently impossible location of a card following multiple mixing and Shadow Cards V2, which was the refinement of a trick first published in 2001 for Kevin’s ’Magic in Mind’ tour. Signed cards simply changed place under the shadow cast by the performer’s hand.
‘£5 - £10 - £20 Predicted’ was created in 2003, and has featured in Kevin’s performances ever since. Three folded banknotes of differing value are mixed out of view of the performer, who can then accurately locate them. An added kicker is some writing subsequently revealed on the folded notes, confirming their final positions. Some members may recall that a similar routine using cutlery was presented by Brian Berry at a recent workshop, proving its flexibility.
STAR LECTURE
KEVIN CUNLIFFE
GOOD, BAD & GRUESOME
KEVIN CUNLIFFE
GOOD, BAD & GRUESOME
With ‘Blindfellan’, Kevin introduced us to a very special sort of black bandage which, when taut, allows the person wearing it as a blindfold to see well enough to play a trick on a ‘volunteer’ spectator, involving a large pin hovering over their head like the Sword of Damocles. It is finally brought down dramatically to burst an inflated balloon held by another spectator seated nearby.
The pin led us on to the ‘gruesome’ part of the presentation, which involved apparently piercing the tongue and the eye, but using a disturbing realistic false tongue and, in the latter case, employing the optical illusion normally associated with sticking a pen or pencil up the nose and retrieving it via the ear.
The 100% safe eating of glass from a newly smashed bottle involved the switching in of a Fox’s glacier mint.
Kevin concluded with an attractive dancing butterfly segment, with an origami butterfly fluttering in mid-air. He explained the intricate hook-up which allowed the magician to walk away from the audience volunteer, who unwittingly operated the effect.
These, and many other items, were available for purchase, with the offer of a 25% discount. Check out his website.
Paul thanked Kevin for giving so generously of his time and talents, and assured him that we had all greatly appreciated his visit.
Brian Lead
The pin led us on to the ‘gruesome’ part of the presentation, which involved apparently piercing the tongue and the eye, but using a disturbing realistic false tongue and, in the latter case, employing the optical illusion normally associated with sticking a pen or pencil up the nose and retrieving it via the ear.
The 100% safe eating of glass from a newly smashed bottle involved the switching in of a Fox’s glacier mint.
Kevin concluded with an attractive dancing butterfly segment, with an origami butterfly fluttering in mid-air. He explained the intricate hook-up which allowed the magician to walk away from the audience volunteer, who unwittingly operated the effect.
These, and many other items, were available for purchase, with the offer of a 25% discount. Check out his website.
Paul thanked Kevin for giving so generously of his time and talents, and assured him that we had all greatly appreciated his visit.
Brian Lead