Some magicians closely guard their secrets. Others, when they are not performing, freely dispense advice to aspiring illusionists and seekers of sleight-of-hand knowledge. Mac King falls squarely in the latter, if only for the long-running comic strip Magic-in-a-Minute he created with his illustrator cousin Bill.
The amount of times young people have asked King how to get started in the craft, after seeing one of his afternoon performances of The Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Excalibur, is inestimable (and he can’t answer them comprehensively in 30 seconds of meet-and-greet). King himself was literally grandfathered in, with both of his grandfathers having magical skills.
“They knew some tricks, and my mom’s dad, in particular, had some magic books at his house,” says King in an exclusive interview with Las Vegas Magazine. Both grandfathers were in sales and traveled for work. “They used magic as icebreakers to meet people or make themselves look interesting.”
If King had to identify one trick as ground zero for his interest, it would be his dad’s dad breaking a match, then “reconstructing” it beneath a handkerchief. It was also the first trick King learned step-by-step, which fully ignited his passion.
King’s own Mac King’s Magic in a Minute Great Big Ol’ Book-O-Magic is due for a revision, but it can be found used on Amazon as well. King cites benefits of learning magic such as sharpened focus and problem-solving skills. Practice improves muscle memory, while performing builds confidence in public speaking.
Ultimately, it led King to a career and meeting his future wife. He performed a trick involving pulling a card from his pants that he still performs today, and she was smitten, long before he became the plaid-clad member of Las Vegas’ resident magicians.
Practicing with cards as often as possible, even if they don’t ultimately become part of an act, is good early stage training. King usually has a pack within reach that he can play with while engaging in activities that leave his hands free. “I’ve got decks of cards all over my house,” he says. “I’m shuffling or doing moves. I’m not even thinking about it.”
While King would never give away another magician’s secrets, his own history of disclosures dates back to the ’90s, when he appeared on television specials for NBC titled The World’s Greatest Magic. King performed tricks before commercial breaks, then demonstrated how they worked when he returned.
“Magicians kind of divide the way they talk about magic into effect—that’s what the trick looks like to the audience—and the method. That’s the secret stuff that leads to the effect,” says King, before categorizing effects. “There’s vanish. There’s change. Mutilated and restored. There’s levitation. Any of those effects you can do with a deck of cards.”
While King doesn’t mind his tricks winding up in the public domain, his skills of making goldfish and Fig Newtons appear remain unsurpassed. His folksy presence and family-friendly magic blend together in a persona that, unlike his tricks, can't be copied.
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