He’s acquired some methods up his sleeve – Orange County Register

Anybody who has attended the Aquadettes’ Aqua Follies over the previous 5 years will keep in mind Jerry Langford, the grasp of ceremonies, who additionally occurs to be a radio present host, an illusionist and a mentalist.

“They invited me to their present due to my radio work and my voice,” Langford stated in a latest interview, his voice deep and resonant. “It feels pure for me to talk for the Aquadettes.”

Langford is the morning host at KSDW Radio in San Diego and Riverside County and Ok-Wave in Orange County. “Radio opened the door for me to do magic as a result of I’m additionally very artistic,” he stated.

To advertise his radio reveals, Langford arrange cubicles at live shows, conferences, seashore occasions and county gala’s.

“I’d stand in our sales space and folks would stroll proper by,” he stated. “Then I considered a artistic solution to make them cease by doing close-up magic (card methods, sleight-of-hand) and saved increasing my repertoire.”

He realized his craft at on-line magic outlets, hanging out with different magicians, studying and exchanging new methods and approaches on current them.

“It began out as a interest and is now a much bigger enterprise than my radio work,” he stated.

Together with emceeing the Aqua Follies, Langford has accomplished magic reveals within the Village. His subsequent one is for the Saddleback Church of Laguna Woods on Monday, Nov. 14. He’s up for rent for extra occasions within the Village. Contact him at 949-292-2624 or writejerry@gmail.com. His web site is jerrydoesmagic.com.

Langford, who can greatest be described as an extrovert pushed by high-octane creativity, was very happy to point out off a number of of the methods up his sleeve on the 19 Restaurant lately.

In a single trick – extra mentalism than sleight-of-hand – he  handed patron Julie Dickman a e book of roughly 600 pages (“The Finish of the Hunt,” by Thomas Flanagan).

“Rifle by way of the pages randomly, see that it’s an actual e book, no methods,” he advised her. Then he requested her to choose any phrase out of the e book, write it on a chunk of paper after which crumple it up. Dickman watched as Langford did some writing of his personal, arising with the phrase “lead” – precisely the phrase she had picked out of the e book.

In one other trick, Langford requested this reporter some questions on pets – earlier than accurately guessing the title of the reporter’s miniature schnauzer combine.

“That is truly extra magical, extra mentalist,” he stated. “It packs a extra highly effective punch than pulling a dove out of skinny air and requires no gear.”

Langford begins his reveals with stage magic to amp up the gang after which circulates among the many viewers. He’s acquired sufficient methods, he stated, that he can do two or three reveals with out repeating any.

His viewers has included folks from each stroll of life and all ages, from youngsters to seniors, and he tailors his materials to maintain all of them enthralled.

“I’ve carried out for teams from 50 to 200, altogether 3,000 to five,000 folks … I’ve misplaced depend,” he stated.

Venues are as diverse — he’s performed at church buildings, synagogues, company occasions, financial institution openings, metropolis occasions in locations like Fullerton and Laguna Niguel, every thing from nightclub occasions to youngsters’ birthday events.

“I don’t hesitate to incorporate some corny jokes for households or occasions like Aquadettes,” he stated. “I like to depart folks smiling and laughing and attempting to determine how I did it.”

Firstly of his magicianship, Langford traveled all through California, he stated, however discovered that transporting gear proved a downside.

“I do numerous stuff with fireplace, and people supplies couldn’t be introduced on a airplane, and it turned too massive a problem to get gear from one place to a different intact,” he stated.

Lately, every thing has to slot in his automobile. That swap, he recalled, led him to carry out extra mentalist demonstrations such because the e book/phrase trick.

“Mentalism seems easy and easy, nevertheless it has energy,” he stated.

A few of his most memorable reveals have been those he carried out in Tanzania, the place one in every of his daughters as soon as was a social employee.

“When my spouse and I visited her, (the daughter) lined up magic reveals in a jail for juveniles, a few colleges, orphanages and even a village church. I used to be saved busy for 2 weeks,” Langford stated. “She knew that I take pleasure in assembly and entertaining folks, and he or she reminded everybody that (my) magic was not witchcraft however phantasm. She advised them in Swahili that phantasm is a trick of the eyes.”

Langford, 63, was to not the manor however to the magic born, so to talk.

“I’ve led a reasonably weird life. I drove limos and met celebrities and labored as a slapstick comedian,” he stated. “I had left residence at 16, and if you go away residence at an early age, you must survive.”

He acquired into the radio/information/discuss enterprise impressed by his grandfather, Ernest Bennett, an Related Press photographer.

“My grandfather took me alongside to the San Francisco Chronicle constructing the place I acquired my love for information,” he stated, including that he began his 30-year radio profession in Texas and moved again to California within the Nineties.

Langford developed an curiosity in magic whereas in his 40s. He attributes his glad 44-year marriage to the truth that his spouse is supportive of his many stints on the highway and on stage, which has numbered greater than 100 reveals this yr alone.

“My reveals are booked into January of subsequent yr,” he stated.

Father of a son and two daughters and grandfather of 4, he’s additionally an avid poker and blackjack participant. Taking part in poker two or thrice per week and attempting out new magic methods on his buddies acquired him by way of the pandemic, he stated.

“Magic is a tool, a method to an finish to entertain folks, to make them snort, to attach,” he stated.