KELLY CLARKSON - ListedMagazine.com

interview
BROWN
DERREN
From card tricks in cafes to live stunts on stage, Derren Brown shows Listed his
poker face.
It’s his manipulative ability to be playful,
charming and shocking at the same
time that has won Derren Brown a
legion of admirers. His stunt with Robbie
Williams in the last series of Trick of the
Mind, in which he graphically pierced
the pop star’s arms with needles, drew
tabloid headlines. In the same series
Derren engineered a staged out-ofbody
experience, and helped an elderly
lady with no knowledge of poker to
come second in a televised poker
tournament. His brand of psychological
illusion fuses elements of magic,
suggestion, psychology, misdirection and
showmanship.
But what’s refreshing about Brown is
his honest approach to what he does.
He cheerfully reveals that he can’t read
people’s minds or commune with the
afterlife – his skill is to make it look like
he can.
“I am often dishonest in my techniques
but I’m always honest about my
dishonesty,” explains Derren. “The most
important thing is to try and get out there
and perform for real people. Finding a
presentational style which is natural to
you and sets you apart is a good aim to
have, but that doesn’t come quickly or
easily for most.”
Born in Croydon in 1971, Derren traces
“ ”
I’m often dishonest in my
techniques – but I’m always
honest about my dishonesty
his interest in magic and psychological
techniques to childhood, but it was only
later at Bristol University, where he
studied Law and German, that he started
to take it seriously.
“I fi rst performed hypnosis shows around
universities during and after my studies,
and in fact grew the laughable goatee in
an attempt to look a bit older and more
mysterious than my fellow students!”
he laughs. But after graduating, Derren
abandoned a career in Law and
40 www.listedmagazine.com
concentrated on developing his skills at
psychological magic. He was able to pay
the bills by performing in cafes, bars and
behind the local Laser Quest.
In 1999 Channel 4 came knocking, and
Derren made his fi rst TV series, Derren
Brown: Mind Control. He’s since gone
on a national tour, released DVDs and
performed tabloid teasing stunts on live
TV - Derren Brown Plays Russian Roulette
drew in over 3 million viewers.
“The biggest challenge is to keep the
work fresh and vital,” says Derren. “It’s
easy to explain why someone might not
like magic - it can be poorly presented,
surrounded by naffness, and often
amounts to little more than childish
attempts to fool you. I guess it’s largely to
escape those associations that I’ve gone
the route I have.” ▙
Derren brings the second leg of his
2007 sell out-show, Derren Brown Mind
Control: An Evening of Wonders, to the
Poole Lighthouse on March 28 and 29.