Do you believe in magic? I do. In fact, I used to be quite the magician myself back in primary school.
Looking back it seems petty, but for a young mind it was pretty impressive. My favourite trick? I would burn a match half way down and blow out the flame. Then I’d hold it in one hand, pull an invisible string from thin air and “tie” it around the burnt part of the matchstick. Then I’d pull the “string”, snapping the match in two. It was really impressive.
But if the esteemed magician Dynamo were to read this, or see me in action, he would find it laughable that I call that demonstration “magic”.
For those who do not know who Dynamo is, you have been missing out. Think of anything you would consider impossible, anything at all, and I will tell you Dynamo can do it. If you do not believe me then you will be the perfect viewer for his show, Dynamo: Magician Impossible, that is airing on Discovery (DStv, Wednesdays at 8.30pm).
Famous for pulling magic stunts on celebrities, you’ll see Dynamo make Lindsay Lohan levitate off her bar stool. You may think it is CGI, but the act is done out in the open so you can see just how shocked the passersby are.
There is nothing too hard for Dynamo as he does even crazier things like lift impossible heavy weights at the gym and, when he feels like it, he walks on water.
I confess! He is light years ahead of my matchstick trick.
If you are impressed by Dynamo then Criss Angel, whose show Mindfreak also airs on Wednesdays, but on Sony Max at 9pm, may well interest you too. This is one guy you do not want to mess with. If you thought you knew it all when it came to tricks like cutting someone in half, then you have not really seen it done by the real master.
While old magicians would have a box in which the severing would take place, with Angel it is done in the open.
Not so long ago there was a video doing the rounds via e-mail and it was an Angel demonstration. He was out in public and asked for a volunteer among a group of tourists visiting a park. A curious lady raised her hand and he asked her to lie down on the lawn.
He did his chants, etc and then asked her colleagues to hold her limbs and do some tug-of-war. They all fell down as the woman snapped in half! The scary thing was she was alive through all of this.
This is not for the faint- hearted and whatever you do, do not try this anywhere!
• Magic Wednesdays: Catch Dynamo: Magician Impossible on Discovery at 8.30pm and Mindfreak at 9pm on Sony Max.