Gary Jones – Life’s a Beach – Volume 1 – review

Posted by Phil Sweeting on July 1, 2019

Life’s a Beach is the first volume in a forthcoming collection gathering some of the brilliant ideas of Gary Jones in print. It’s a 135-page paper backed collection produced by the wonderful folk at MagicSeen – and it really does have something for everyone.

Gary is a very talented performer and creator of magic. He seems to have a knack for coming up with ideas which are really commercial – direct effects which audiences appreciate. Some of the effects in the book are self-working and some will require a bit more technical proficiency.

Let’s get into the tricks

First up, it’s worth mentioning that a few of the effects in print here have previously appeared on DVD. If you’ve seen the brilliant Automata series (you can read our reviews of Volume One, Volume Two and Volume Three) – then you will already know about the following: Aqua Ring (a self-working ring off string); Fireballs (an easy, portable, impactful cups and balls); Metal Sheep (clever self-working coin transposition); Lead Free (a neat little coin bend); No Luck (a prediction effect using dice); Peeky Blinders (a superb little mentalism routine); ESP-ionage (a clever and again more or less self-working ESP prediction effect).

But even if, like me, you’ve seen them already, I was pleased to have them in print to refer to more easily. They are all cracking effects! And there are still more than 30 other effects in the book too.

Something for everyone

There’s so much other material in Life’s a Beach that I can’t go into detail on all of it. Instead I’ll try to give you a flavour and some highlights. The book starts with a sneaky ACAAN type effect which uses a gaffed deck to great effect.

I really like the Paul Gordon Card To Wallet idea which gets rid of the need to palm. This is taught and then Gary’s variation is also explained. Both are real workers. There’s also a super little oil and water routine which I have already started playing with.

One of my favourites is Grater – which is a great example of how Gary combines different principles and adds entertainment. The spectator chooses a card – and then merely thinks of a different card in their mind. You can then show that you predicted their thought of card (in combination with a great pun) and then read their mind to reveal the original card. Love it.

Although the majority of effects are card, there are also tricks with coins (a no palm coins through table – would you believe!), silks (a colour changing silk effect which would be great for strolling), a bottle production (you can guess what that is, right?!) and several mentalism type effects.

There are variations on a number of classic plots and one that caught my eye was a really straightforward Card Under the Box routine which with one sneaky ruse gets you so far ahead it’s brilliant.

A cracking collection

I hope, by now, you have got the impression that I think this is a super collection. The writing style is easy and Gary is generous with his experience which shines through. Throughout the tricks are short tips which contain excellent advice if you are wanting to get into close up magic in a more professional way. There is also a longer article with Gary’s thoughts on being a pro. Well worth a read.

I know that I will keep coming back to this book as there are routines in here I definitely want to perfect to add to my strolling set – and I’m sure you will too. Life’s a Beach comes unreservedly recommended – in spite of the fact that the beach I sat on while I reviewed it was cold and miserable!

You can pick up Life’s a Beach direct from MagicSeen for £25 (at the time of writing) – or if you contact Gary directly he can fix you up and he might even sign it – though not necessarily in his own name! His address is Gary at Gary Jones Magic dot com. Type it as you read it people.

Gary Jones – Life’s a Beach – Volume 1 – review

Exeter’s Premier Magician - Gary Jones Magic performing the oldest recorded magic trick, the cups and balls. This effect never fails to be entertaining and it is also one of the most difficult tricks a magician can do well.

When performed to perfection the trick not only receives laughter (as you can see from the photo) it also gets gasps of a amazement and astonishment!

Hi Gary ,

Thank you so much for your magic at the SCCC last night.

It really was amazing, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and most of us are still trying to work out how you did those tricks!

A big thanks for the Glitter Ball committee  Taunton School 2019.

Hope to see you next year too!

Hi Gary

Thank you very much for joining us last Saturday, you were absolutely amazing and all our guests loved you, especially my nephews (apologies if they followed you around a little too much!!). Everyone said how brilliant you were and very entertaining.

Thank you for just turning up and fitting around our very delayed schedule! We had a great day which you helped to make!

Many thanks

Regards

Alex

The wedding took place on 15th June 2019 at the fabulous, The Barn at Barons Hill Farm, Avonwick in glorious Devon.

Gary’s first book ‘Life’s a Beach’ sold out of the first run so a second run had to be done. The great news is, Gary has been writing almost daily and his second book will be released in August - Watch this space for more news….

The crazy storms and showers are slowly easing and the Pimms and Prosecco are chilling nicely…Now is the time to add that extra pizazz to your summer garden parties by adding some amazing close-up magic performed by Exeter’s Master of Sleight of Hand and Misdirection Gary Jones!

Please contact Gary for a no obligation quote…..

07801 950 295

gary@garyjonesmagic.com

www.facebook.com/garyjonesmagician

Would you like to witness your coins bending in your own hands, book Exeter’s Premier Magician Gary Jones Magic for your next event and you too will experience the magic for yourself!

Today’s blog isn’t about magic tricks, it is about “real” magic for people who are visiting Devon’s beautiful capital city Exeter over the coming months.

Exeter is full of amazing buildings and historical places, and the best way to explore the amazing magical city of Exeter is to go on one of the Red Coat walking tours. Below will give you all the details, and also check out if Gary Jones Magic is magic is performing in one of the many venues in and around this glorious city.

Here is the link.

https://exeter.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/our-attractions/red-coat-guided-tours/summer-2019-tour-timetable/

“I’d rather hustle 24/7 than slave away 9-to-5″

Here in glorious Devon there are only about 6 or 7 full-time professional close-up magicians, there are quite a large number part-time magicians who also have day jobs, but there are only a small handful of full-time professional magicians. Gary Jones Magic is a full-time professional magician with many years of experience, Gary is also a member of the exclusive Magic Circle and holds the highest rank of  ‘Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star’ (MIMC)

So what is the difference between the two -  Many part-time magicians can charge much less than full-time professionals because they already earn a living, so magic to them is like earning a little extra ‘pocket money’ - whereas a full-time professional will have huge business expenses and running costs etc. Now this can be confusing for a booker when they are researching prices for their event.

The prices can vary considerably as you can imagine, especially when you receive two quotes, one from a part-time magician and one from a full-time professional magician. As most people know, running a business day to day is a very expensive occupation, and full-time professional magicians have to not only invest their time to learning and perfecting their effects and skills, they also have to invest £1000’s in advertising and marketing etc.

So, the next time you need to book a magician and you get extremes in quotes please bear in mind that you may be talking to either a full-time professional magician, or a magic hobbyist who also has a day job and does a few shows to top up their earnings.

Of course the big question I hear you think is, are full-time professional magicians better than part-time magicians? I cannot answer this question as this would be a matter of opinion, and as we all know everyone has an opinion lol.

One thing you can be sure of is, 99.9% of full-time professional magicians will have Public Liability, and will be fully insured for any eventuality - and if they should become ill they will find another full-time professional magician of an excellent standard to stand in for them should you require this, and full-time professional magicians will also have a 100% money back guarantee.

Full-time professional magicians can be at a venue at the drop of a hat as they don’t have to seek time off work, especially during busy times like the summer and Christmas - And because professional magicians are working their magic 24/7 the magic effects they perform will be polished and slick, and professionals will also know when and where the magic will work best so they can advise clients to ensure you will get the best service for your event.

There are many more reasons why you should book a full-time professional for your event, but the above will give you a better idea why you may find variations in prices when you are looking for a magician for your next event.

If you would like any further information on this subject please feel free to contact Gary who will be very happy to have a chat about the points above, or how you can add that extra pizazz to your event.

Monday night magic will hopefully be heading its way back to Devon’s capital city, Exeter.

Watch this space!

Many moons ago when I was holidaying in Spain and I was ‘cooling off’ at the water’s edge I witnessed a wave drag off a lady’s wedding and engagement rings as she was sat just where the waves were breaking. Quite a few people started to search for the rings (have you ever dropped a coin into the sand and it completely disappears?) and out of the blue a Spanish lad (he was probably about 10 years old) put on a snorkel and mask and started to search the waters edge; after 5 minutes or so we all gave up searching, not this Spanish lad, he continued searching for a good 20 minutes or so after we all gave up.

We then heard a shout, he had found one of the rings, everyone started cheering and applauding this Spanish lad. He continued to search and after a further 10 minutes or so he found the other ring, well as you can imagine by now quite a large crowd had gathered to see what was going on, and when he found the second ring everyone went mad cheering and applauding this Spanish lad!

Please think about this for a second or two, most people gave up the search after about 5 minutes and just wrote off the fact that the lady would never see her precious rings ever again, but this kid was just so determined and luckily for this lady he didn’t give up! This young boy wasn’t going to be beaten, well not without giving it more than everyone else on that hot sunny day. And just think, if he had given up the search like the rest of us that poor lady would’ve lost those precious memories, and at the end of the day our memories are the only things which are worth more than anything else!

The purpose of this post…..Do not give up or give in too soon, if you keep at it you may be pleasantly surprised with the results, anything worthwhile takes time, hard work and patience!

I would love to meet that Spanish lad again and I often wonder how well he has done in life,  he certainly taught me a lesson about determination and perseverance all those years ago!

Hi Gary, sorry its taken me so long to write to thank you for all you did to make Dave’s party, your magic made the whole evening perfect.  There are so many partygoers who are still carrying around bent pennies and signed cards and I think the memories of the ‘magical’ evening will stay with people (especially the children) for a long time. Your ‘Mingle and Magic’ is just right for an informal party like Dave’s and blended perfectly with the music of Scenic Route.  I think they took your details for their wedding and Nick and Sue Taylor of Hanlon’s Brewery were very interested in booking you for an event.  I hope your book signing in Blackpool went well and that sales are good.

Thank you so much again for making a great party even better!

Kind regards,

Anne and Dave x

The above quote was from a house party event in the lovely Devon town of Tiverton near Exeter.

House parties are events Gary Jones Magic is an expert at, Gary is also an expert in Wedding Magic, Hotel Entertainment, Trade Shows, Works Functions…  The list is endless, if there is an event of any type then you can guarantee Gary Jones Magic has performed at many like it in the past.

If you are planning an event and you would like help in organising your event please contact Gary for free advice.

Exeter’s premier magician Gary Jones Magic’s new book is being launched at the world’s largest magic convention which is being held in Blackpool.

Gary will also be on the cover of Europe’s best selling magic magazine ‘Magicseen’

Gary wishes to thank the team at Magicseen and all the magicians and bookers for their fantastic and continued support!

Exeter Magician Gary Jones Magic has been lucky enough to have performed at some amazing venues on the run up to Christmas and the New Year, here is a partial list of some of these fantastic venues…

The Royal Duchy, Falmouth - The Grosvenor, Park Lane, London - The Sheraton, Piccadilly, London - The Grand, Torquay - The Rougemont, Exeter - HMS Drake, Plymouth - The Thurlestone, Salcombe - The Salcombe Harbour Hotel, Salcombe - Yeovilton Air Base, Yeovil -  The Council  Offices, Nottingham - Barton Marina, Barton-under-Needwood - Rockbeare Manor, Exeter - Dartmouth Naval College, Dartmouth - Exeter University, Exeter - The Raven Hotel, Hook - Kennaway House, Sidmouth and The Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth…..Phew busy busy!

Happy New Year and a very Prosperous 2019 and beyond! Gary Jones Magic x

Gary Jones Magic hopes you have had an awesome Christmas/Holiday and would like to wish you all a Happy and Prosperous 2019 and beyond…

Hi Gary! You came to our wedding on Friday at Rockbeare Manor and I just wanted to say a massive Thank you!!! Everyone has been talking about how amazing you were! It was the perfect transition into the evening!! It was definitely a highlight of the day watching you do your magic and my grandad was talking about it all through breakfast! Thank you again!! x

Sophie Hawking  Friday 30th November 2018 Wedding at Rockbeare Manor near Exeter, Devon.

Rockbeare Manor just on the outskirts of the glorious city of Exeter (Gary Jones Magic’s hometown) is a first class wedding venue, it really has everything you could ask for!