Interview: Tom Binns
29th August 2013
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Tom Binns is the award-winning creator of celebrated comic characters such as hapless local radio DJ Ivan Brackenbury and psychic Ian D Montfort. Post-Fringe appearances, he talks to The National Student in this exclusive interview.
Is there a genuine belief in Ian’s powers?
I need to reply to a lovely lady, who said, 'Dear Ian, thanks for the gig and do you do private readings, either as Ian or Tom.’ I had a review from a journalist in Melbourne who said; 'Clearly this is a guy with a gift but who embarrassed by it being brought up in this modern world and so has added a few jokes and magic tricks to his amazing abilities'. I only mention the lady because she was aware I did other characters, but I regularly get people asking for readings after the show.
Some of the biggest fans of the show are physics and spirit mediums. They still went away thinking I had a gift and they had a gift. I started out thinking that they were absolute crocks, but I have absolutely changed my opinion on that. Even the ones that do cheats think they have a gift and are helping people, in just the same way that news readers that read the autocue think they can talk unaided. But if you do it every night you have to believe. There has to be some self-delusion to keep them going every night.”
So there is a huge amount of work in perfecting the ability to pull off a stage show physic and then to turn it into a comedy performance? Absolutely. Ian has to be able to do this better than an actual spirit medium. If you are going to see Paul Daniels and believe he is magic, you want him to succeed. He doesn’t need to convince you of the trick. You are wanting to believe it. If you go to see a spirit medium, they are getting about a 40% success rate. I could get 100% if I wanted, but that wouldn’t be very funny. I’m at about 80%, or should I say when I get it wrong I get it wrong deliberately. So it’s about three years of studying every day, pretty intensively, to get it right. Now I can walk into any room and do it. Having done three years of work is it now fun? It is now. The first year was sheer panic; the second year wasn’t at all funny, it was all about the physic stuff; and this year it is just been a bag of fun. I think the last year has been the key turning point. I started to get secrets of people right. Some are hilarious and that is the show in itself: revealing those dark secrets and people's reaction. A lot of people will think, 'I’ll try and get him — he’ll never get this!' and they will think about their most horrific secret, almost as a dare. Improvising off the back of that is a lot of fun — those secrets can go anywhere.
Is there something in there for the sceptics as well?
Absolutely. There are always clues in the act. If I am peeking at a card I will use the word 'peek' in as many different ways possible while I am peeking, just to throw something in for the sceptics.
Ian D Montfort is Unbelievable is available on AudioGO. Are there plans for another series?
It was a critical success, but was only ever meant to be a one-off. So we are starting again re-pitching for BBC Radio 4. The BBC have said they don’t want to put it on TV, but then out of the blue, someone phoned up and said they would love to put it on television. I can’t tell you who, unfortunately, but watch this space.
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So there is a huge amount of work in perfecting the ability to pull off a stage show physic and then to turn it into a comedy performance? Absolutely. Ian has to be able to do this better than an actual spirit medium. If you are going to see Paul Daniels and believe he is magic, you want him to succeed. He doesn’t need to convince you of the trick. You are wanting to believe it. If you go to see a spirit medium, they are getting about a 40% success rate. I could get 100% if I wanted, but that wouldn’t be very funny. I’m at about 80%, or should I say when I get it wrong I get it wrong deliberately. So it’s about three years of studying every day, pretty intensively, to get it right. Now I can walk into any room and do it. Having done three years of work is it now fun? It is now. The first year was sheer panic; the second year wasn’t at all funny, it was all about the physic stuff; and this year it is just been a bag of fun. I think the last year has been the key turning point. I started to get secrets of people right. Some are hilarious and that is the show in itself: revealing those dark secrets and people's reaction. A lot of people will think, 'I’ll try and get him — he’ll never get this!' and they will think about their most horrific secret, almost as a dare. Improvising off the back of that is a lot of fun — those secrets can go anywhere.
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