Thom Peterson

When I was about 5, I saw a magician (Marshall Brodine) on televising selling "T.V. Magic Decks." During the commercial, there was a clip of him throwing a dove in the air, and having it come down as a white handkerchief. It was then, and still is now, one of the most magical memories I have. My parents bought me a trick deck of cards for Christmas that year, and I was hooked. Along the same time, there was a show on television in the states called, "The Magician." It stared Bill Bixby who played this handsome playboy, who travelled the world in his private jet that he parked his white sports car on. I thought to myself even then, "Yeah, I could do that for a living!"

My first magic trick was a deck of cards called "T.V. Mystery Cards." It was basically a mental photography deck as I recall. From there, it was straight into any book in the library about magic I could get my hands on.

Wow, that's a huge question. There have been so many. I think the one that I would have to say was the most meaningful for me was a guy by the name of Jim Moody. He's no one of note, but he was performing in a shopping mall near where I lived when I was about 13. I was at the age where I was impressed with any box or tube on the market. And like so many of my generation, I thought I wanted to be the next David Copperfield. But it all changed when I saw this man. He was performing in front of 300 people with nothing more than the props that fit into a small top hat on a stand. I remember him doing an amazing colour changing hank, a sponge ball routine, a Dukes Dyeversion and a Key-R-Rect. It was then that I realised that it was personality, and not props that entertained people.

Probably the most interesting convention I've ever been to was the I.B.M. convention in St. Louis back in 1990. There were so many great acts on. I remember laughing until I cried at David Williamson. And then, right in the middle of the close up show, somebody had the genius idea to have Tom Noddy come in and do his fabulous bubble show. It was so different, but so well received. I have very fond memories of that convention.

My favourite would have to be my card stab. It's so much fun to perform, and I've put so many years, and so much of myself into it. It's a very satisfying routine to do.

Magic & Showmanship Henning Nelms, The Card Magic of Paul Le Paul.

Only that sometimes they live in a world of shortage. They sometimes have the attitude that "You got the show, which means that I didn't get the show." I feel that we live in a land of plenty, and that if we all got only a fraction of all of the work out there, we would all be busy for the rest of our lives. Mind you, this isn't everyone, only some.

I've been very involved in martial arts since I was a boy. I study three different styles, and spend a fair amount of time in Japan studying with my teachers. It's brought me a lot of joy.

I would probably have to say Mike Myers (the star of Austin Powers, and other films). I've heard interviews with him, and I'm deluded into thinking that if we ever met under casual circumstances, we'd become best friends.

I've raised my 22 year old son to be kind and sensitive. He's got the best heart of anyone I know.