Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I'm Todd Cooper and this is Magician's Workshop, the only magic podcast hosted by an amateur magician, where we interview the coolest magicians in the world to inspire you in the art. I can't tell you how much I love this next magician. Sometimes in life you'll find someone that's so kind, so talented, so emotionally intelligent that you feel it's your mission to learn more about them and shout it from the rooftops. Damori is that person.
So it is without further ado that I give you my interview with the astounding magician, Dameaury.
My name is Dr. Todd and I interview magicians. Today we have Day Mori, a star magician from Los Angeles who's been viral on TikTok and was part of the new Mystify magic show. Day's been performing professionally for 13 years, headlining at Hollywood's famous Magic Castle and at the Formosa Cafe. He's got over 600,000 TikTok followers already, and which is insane. So today we're diving into Day's journey, his music, his magic, and how diversity and fun collide on stage.
Day Mori, welcome to the show.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: Hi all, it's Day. What's up? Nice to meet you.
Nice, thanks for having me. Todd. This is going to be so cool.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: Absolutely. It's my pleasure. We're going to do the thing that we always do. We're going to ask about your magic origin story. How did you get started? Like, what is your earliest memory of magic? How did you get involved in all this? Like, take us through it, yo.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: It's actually really cool that you asked that because I just hit up the guy who like got me into magic. So when I was nine, I learned like a couple self working hard tricks on YouTube on like scam school, right?
[00:01:38] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: And then it became more of like a love and more of like a. A thing that I was just like addicted to. So like I learned one, I learned another.
Then like I went to this coffee shop in Sierra Madre and I showed the priest of Julia this self working card trick and she was like, hey, you got to meet this guy. And it was this like high school student who was like going off to college and was doing really good magic and his name was Mark.
And I sat down with him, I was like 8 or 9 years old.
And he just taught me a bunch of magic tricks. And then he gave me the trilogy by Dan and Dave, which is really hard, but I didn't know it was like a really hard thing. When I got it, I was like, I Guess good magic has to be this. So I, like, learned a bunch of the effects from Trilogy as well as he gave me a couple other really good magic books I taught, like the self folding Bill and like, just a bunch of really cool effects that were really fun to learn. And so I actually sent him a message last night just as like a thank you because, you know, a lot of really great blessings in my career have been coming up, so I wanted to, like, update him and be like, hey, like, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm that kid from Sierra Madre. He were really nice to and just like, genuinely helped. And if you want to come to my show, let me know and I'll. I would love to have you.
And it was really cool. So we actually connected today, which was really sweet and really just beautiful. It was a really fun experience.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: That's awesome. How did you get involved with the Magic Castle?
[00:03:09] Speaker B: I started performing there.
So are you familiar with the Junior program?
[00:03:15] Speaker A: I am.
I'm slightly familiar with the Junior program. I interviewed Pete McCabe a while ago, and I know he's involved with a junior program, I think.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Love Pete. He's awesome. So the Magic Castle Junior program is a program started by Diana Zimmerman and Cary Grant for magicians age 13 to 21 to be performing with the Magic Castle before they're old enough to technically be a member.
So it's a very strict audition process.
And the first time I auditioned, I actually didn't get in. But then six months later, I auditioned again and got in, and it was super fun. I would take the trains from Sierra Madre to Hollywood. I would take the Gold Line to the Red Line to the Magic Castle, and then just start learning magic, like, at a pro level. And I had access to the library, and I was performing and doing shows and doing, you know, a lot of close up. And then when I was like 18, I started really pursuing, like, stage magic. And that's probably like my. My main love now to this day is performing.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: When you say stage magic, like, so I've seen some of your. I've seen your sizzle reel. But what kind of like. Like, I know you do escapology, do straight jacket escapes. Is that kind of what you do on stage? You have other. Or do you like bigger illusions as well? What's your. Like, what do you like to do on stage?
[00:04:42] Speaker B: I love illusions. So I actually debuted at Mystify, my new Vanish, which is really cool because it's elevated so you can see above me, below me, and around me as I vanish, which is really fun.
Um, and I was really pumped because we found out that it fooled a few magician, like, a.
[00:04:57] Speaker A: Quite.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: Quite a few magicians in the audience. I don't think anyone from the audience knew how it worked, which was super cool because, like, I love that feeling when you can do a trick that fools magicians. It just, like, makes me giddy, Especially in illusions, because it's such a limited thing.
There's a really cool book called the Trick Brain. I don't know if you've read it. It's like, really good book.
Anyone who wants to learn magic, read that book. It just talks about, like, every method in magic and how do I Create your own effects and adopt effects that are already created?
And so I try and, like, learn from that. But, yeah, this finish was not. I did not create it. It's actually a concept that, like, is, to my knowledge, older.
I think this concept that it works with is, like, from the 1800s. But I do, like, a modern version of it that was, like, limited, instructed. And yeah, it's. It's a really cool effect that I just love performing. And I do it a little differently. I wanted to do it where I just make myself disappear. It's initially made to make something appear. So I was like, why don't we rework it to make it what I want to see, which is I want to see someone vanish with nothing above, below, around them.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: And yeah, I got to meet the guy who, like, created it, and it was just really cool. Like, really cool, cool, cool illusion to be able to, like, perform on stage. So I love it.
Yeah, I love illusions, escapology, parlor style things. Anything with, like, borrowed objects. Like Diana Zimmerman's effects are some of my favorite because those are like, you know, like Collins did on agt. The bill to the potato chip bag. Right. I do a version of that effect too.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: Oh, cool.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: Yeah, so it's really cool to, like, have things that are borrowed objects that still become magical yet, you know, I really love that.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Nice. I want to talk more about the Mystify magic show. Yeah, I didn't get a chance to go to the actual festival. Did you go to the festival this year?
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Did. And it was so incredible. Like, people so much love everywhere. Just like a place where you feel like you belong in magic, you know? It was so cool. So cool.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: It's really. It's nice to see. It's like what Leah was saying about finding someone that looks like you or is like you, that does magic. That's a really cool thing.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Yeah, I totally agree.
I think representation in any art form is important, especially magic. Like, you look at, like, women in boxes. Like, magic has been a pretty misogynistic form for a while. Like, I know that, like, when I first started magic, like, there were people without saying names or places. Like, you know, people were very mean to me on a basis of my voice, on a basis of me being queer. Like, on a basis of, like, me not wanting to, like, even look like a typical magician. Right. Like, I think people have expectations, and when you break them, it, like, shatters some people's mind. And I think that that's actually a really cool thing. I think that it's something it should be, you know, And I think in any art form, you know, it's important to have people look up to, especially the art form that you do, you know?
[00:08:09] Speaker A: Yeah. And I, I, I, I like that. That's one of the things I liked about the Mystified Magic Festival. I think was really successful in that. But also I like that they were doing a magic show. I, I wish they do more. Is there any plans for more of that in the future?
[00:08:22] Speaker B: I know that Leah mentioned that it's possible. We want to, all of us want to, but it is her secondary project. Obviously she works with herself, like, her own brand first, which makes total sense. So I think there's like, a bandwidth situation of how much time can a very small group of people dedicate to Mystify as opposed to their personal brands as well.
So that's being figured out. But if we do any more shows, I would love to be a part of it again. Like, hands down, my favorite backstage environment. It was so cool. Oh, I bet you're just, like, all supporting each other. It was so, so fun.
I, we were like, I know somebody needed mascara. And I was like, I got you, girl.
We're all, like, complimenting each other. Like, I, I never got so many compliments on, like, my face backstage than doing that. And it just made me feel so good because, like, as you can imagine in entertainment, oftentimes it's like the opposite. It's like, you're not good enough, you're not skinny enough, you're not pretty. Right. Like, stuff like that.
So it was really cool to be in a space where it was like, no, like, you are enough. You're perfect and we love you. And that was just so amazing. And I think led to us doing a really good show. Like, the positive reinforcement and the culture that Leah, Chloe, Aaron, Ethan, our amazing tech all did Just created such a great space for all of us and everyone involved with the show. You know, cersei, Kristen, Gabriela. Ms. Uchawi. Right?
[00:09:55] Speaker A: Yeah. Fun.
So I. What. What drew you to escapology? Like, I'm still going back to the. The video I saw of you doing the Straight Jacket Escape. What about. What about. It's. That's such a. A Houdini kind of like, thing. It's just like, what. What makes you, like.
And it seemed like the crowd was really loved it.
I drew. What drew you to that?
[00:10:18] Speaker B: I have a new Escape. Straight Jacket Escape video that I can't wait for you to see where I'm hung upside down that I've been training for.
[00:10:24] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: And it's so cool. I don't want to spoil it, but there's a story attached to it that's really sick and I think you'll like it.
[00:10:31] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:32] Speaker B: I'm really. And I made the music for it too, so I'm really excited.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Yeah, I wanted. Since you're. Since we're here, let's talk about. So your song boyfriend. Is that part of a bigger project? Or is that like. Is that a single or, like, are we going to be getting a full day. More album?
[00:10:47] Speaker B: So I am currently working with Blessed, if you're familiar with the producer Blessed. Tariq Bless Sharif bl $sign $sign d Blessed.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: One of the most talented producers, songwriters, music creators, really believes in me. I showed him, like, I actually have a full unreleased project of pop music and a full unreleased project of pop music. And I showed it to him and he really, like, sat down with me and was like, I have, like, ideas and he is my literal best friend. And so we just like, hung out and started, like, talking about it all. He's literally texting me right now. That is so funny.
[00:11:27] Speaker A: Oh, wow. Okay. I was just like, oh, I wonder what.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Let me turn on Do Not Disturb because I'm in an interview.
[00:11:32] Speaker A: I'm so sorry. This is literally important.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: No, that's all good. I'll hit him back right after this. But yeah, so he's just been so cool and, like, supporting me and really, like, seeing my vision in music. And so we are working on a music project currently, but I don't have, like, release dates yet because we're still trying to make sure that everything is just perfect and exactly what we want it to be before we release it for everyone.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Yeah, the music video was good too, because it kind of. You could. I was like, oh, he's an escapologist and Then I actually, when. When you. When I first saw it, I thought you were just lip syncing. And then I found that you actually did the song. I was like, holy moly, you got talent.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: I really want to do magic and music together.
Like, I don't know if you saw like any of Michael Jackson's touring or familiar with that, but if you go to Johnny Gon's Warehouse, Michael Jackson's form for a specific illusion without giving anything away is there. And it's cool because, like, you can see just like props that MJ used, you know?
[00:12:30] Speaker A: Yeah, well, I mean, he did.
He definitely was. It was growing up. So I grew up in the. In the 80s and 90s, like Michael Jackson, when he had a new video.
You, like, everything stopped. Like every. Everyone in America sat down. Everyone around the world, we sat down, we watched the video. I remember watching Black and White. Like, I remember that was an event. It was an event. And then I thought that. So my favorite music video of all time. Have you ever seen the movie Moonwalker?
[00:12:57] Speaker B: No.
[00:12:58] Speaker A: Okay, so it's a. It's a movie that came out around the time, a little bit after Bad. I've seen this movie a billion times. And the first half of the movie is him doing music videos. And the second half of the movie is this like, short 40 minute movie where Joe Pesci.
Joe Pesci is a drug dealer who kidnaps his friends or these little kids into a car and then he turns into a robot that turns into a spaceship that blasts off in the sky. And that's where the music video for and Are you Annie, Are you okay? Came from. And where he did like the Lean, which was pure magic. Like, I. I thought it was like Moonwalker and.
[00:13:39] Speaker B: Okay, I'm gonna watch it.
[00:13:40] Speaker A: It's. You can. You can get on YouTube. It's highly, like, highly recommend, but for me, it's more nostalgic. You may be like, this is kind of corny, but.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: No, I love 80s anything.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: I'm in like.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: But no, really great movie.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: And I noticed your tattoo. It's cool. What is it?
[00:13:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank you. Dopamine, serotonin. And then this is. If you ever see Doctor who. The.
The.
The. It's the longest running sci fi.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: I know about Doctor who. Yeah.
[00:14:07] Speaker A: Okay. And this is. This is Doctor who. There's actually a written language. And this means magician in Whovian.
[00:14:14] Speaker B: Whoa, that's cool.
That's.
I have this one that says fear is fake, and then this one that says love is real.
[00:14:24] Speaker A: Is that watercolor on the Other one?
[00:14:25] Speaker B: Yeah, that's why I saw yours with all the colors and watercolor friends.
[00:14:29] Speaker A: Watercolor is the best. That's just my. Yeah, it's the best tattoo.
[00:14:34] Speaker B: I love color tattoos. I think they're so fun because you are.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: Okay, I want to talk to you a little bit about your social media. So in your, with your social media, your first video, was you like, levitating? Was that the first one that went viral? The levitation video, like, magic wise?
Well, I guess. What was. I'm going to say, what was the first video that went viral?
[00:14:57] Speaker B: So I made this video of me like doing a backflip on a swing set. And I think that was my first, like viral video. And it was just me doing a backflip off a swing set. And I was, I just turned 16. I was in high school. I was like in PE class with my friend, which we did at a park, and I was like, I don't really want to do this.
Let's just go run off and make tick tocks. So we did, and then it got like a bunch of views and I was like, what is happening? Like, I thought it was like a prank or something.
Okay, well, there might be something to this. So I kept making TikTok videos and then it was really cool because I just met this like awesome community of people who are very supportive and encouraging of me doing magic. And I kept posting magic videos and videos just about like my life and who I am and what I like. And it was really cool. You know, it gave me an outlet to like express myself and meet cool people and see amazing art. Like, the drawings People make on TikTok are awesome, you know, like, I'm really, really grateful for it. Like, you know, tick tock has definitely opened up a lot of doors for me.
So, you know, I think it's cool because it shows like how even like if you're just having fun and doing something small for you, sometimes it can lead to something really beautiful like magic, you know?
[00:16:20] Speaker A: Yeah. And actually you. I've seen some videos where you go on Omegle now remember, I'm like a. I'm like, I don't know a lot. I just know that it's like a chat where you at random people and then you like will do magic or car history for them and, and you've had some, you definitely had some, some ones where I was, I. I got angry for you and the fact that you posted some of the people that were basically, I don't know, like small, small minded people. I'll say it that way and then you, you kind of win them over, I guess, like with magic. And I was just like, wow, that's actually really cool. Like what a great way to handle that.
And it was, it was very mature and it was, it was really cool. And I also like, I said, hey, don't, don't, don't hate on those people. They're just, you know, like, because you could it it internally it made me upset because like who are you to, to tell anyone how to live their lives?
[00:17:19] Speaker B: I totally agree. Like, thank you for seeing that and thanks for like reading the description too.
A lot of people don't. And then like I'll delete comments that are like hateful towards the other person, you know, because I don't think that that's helpful or constructive.
[00:17:35] Speaker A: Like that makes you, that makes you a better person. That's the difference. That's how you win.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: I think it's a learning experience, you know, like, the more that we can just like show people as they are, as I am, as you are, as we all are, whatever we are, right? Existing and hopefully doing something constructive and kind and beautiful even when faced with negative.
I think it can open up to change people's minds. And I think really it shows that we're all human, you know, like, and we're all just like kids, all grown up. Like, we're all just like people living with the same insecurities often that we had when we were younger. The same like self hate that we project onto others. And yeah, these that are all very human and just like how magic, like when I first fell in love with it, right, was just this thing that dropped off all my walls and made me okay to be vulnerable. And I think that there's really like a beauty in that.
And I just want to help other people find that.
So yeah, I, I hope that no one sends any like hate to anyone and that, and I openly say that because I, I really don't like, I don't want anyone to be like cancel for it. I just want them to like say, hey, we're all human. This is a point in history, right? Like, I get it, you said something or did something maybe kind of mean to me, right?
But let's try and find some equal ground and see each other. And in there's one video where this guy was really sweet and he just wanted to like, know if I was gay, right? Like I'm very openly queer. And he was like, are you gay? Are you gay? And I just like, didn't answer and did it. And then at the end, like, he said very clearly, like, I wanted to know because just, like, whatever, I, like, support you. Right. And I kept that in there too, because I wanted to make sure he didn't get hate.
[00:19:36] Speaker A: You know, I saw that. I saw that. I was like, oh, wow. I wasn't expecting that response. That was cool.
[00:19:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And, like, I think, you know, in magic we learn too. Like, I'm very much so of the mindset of, if someone heckles you, I. I still want to win them over. I still want to be their friend. I still want to. I still want them to leave the show having a good experience. Like, I never want anyone to feel excluded or less than or other or different because, like, I've felt those ways a lot of my life. And, you know, whether they feel excluded because of how they look or how. Or, like, their identity, or even if they're just dealing with an internal battle that maybe causes them to act out, like, I still want to just be supportive to them as a human and try and show them love in any capacity that I can, because that's what it's all about. That's why we do magic. At the end of the day, like, I'm not here for me. Like, I'm not here to feel big and tall. Like, I'm here to try and, like, see you eye to eye and be vulnerable with you, and you be vulnerable with me. No matter what societal influence has had on us. And we live in a point in time right now where, like, societal influence is not necessarily the best. Like, we've got some pretty negative societal influence towards a lot of people right now. Like, especially, like, everything that the trans community is dealing with and women are dealing with right now and, you know, like, people of color and, like, So I could go on. So many marginalized communities are dealing with a lot of, like, mass hate. And I think that, you know, it's like, whatever we can do to, like, positively leave a good vibe and. And give love to someone who maybe at one point was, like, negative to me, then maybe that can lead them to go, wait, why did I act like that?
And then when we think that, then we can start to change. You know, that's how I like to see it. But at the end of the day, I'm just here to do magic tricks.
Like, I'm not.
I am not a sociologist. I am not an expert at any of that stuff. I. I'm just here to do magic tricks and here to sing my little pop songs.
[00:21:54] Speaker A: So I don't know you, you showed more intelligence, like more emotional intelligence in that last 30 seconds than most like 40 and 50 year olds that I've met in my entire life. So if more people were like you, we wouldn't be having the problems because you just, you have such a good outlook on things. So you're, you're very impressive, by the way. And I'm, I mean, I'm not a magician. I'm, I'm a, you know, know a, a amateur magician.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: But like, that's magic. Like what you do is magic. I saw actually some of your videos too, and you doing magic in your place of work and bringing joy to people. The balloon trick, right? And I thought that was so cool. Like, I think magic lives in so many different capacities, whether it's your full time job or whether it's like something that you do because you love it. Like, regardless, like, you're a magician. Don't, don't pull yourself short on that. Like, you know, like, I think, I think, you know, you're a magician. You know, take it, take it or leave it. But in my mind, you're a magician.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. I'm like, I'm literally, I'm, I'm, I'm shaking right now, which is bad for a dentist.
[00:22:56] Speaker B: I mean, you're a dentist, you've got to have really steady hands. Like, that really impresses me because you crazy.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: I will say dentistry. So magic helped me become a better dentist. It's the craziest thing. Once I started practicing magic, I got so much faster. It's like, I'm done. The patients are like, oh, wait, you're done.
All right, that was.
Thank you for sharing your story, your magic and your insights.
And for everybody watching, make sure to subscribe to his channel. Subscribe to this channel. Hit the like button. If you enjoyed today's show, leave a comment and then follow. Follow him on social media for more magic content. It's @davemore magic on TikTok and Instagram and, and hopefully you'll do the magic. Mystify. Are you now, are you doing any shows coming up that you can tell us about or.
[00:23:48] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I'm doing like 40 shows in June. Most are corporate, though. And I'm doing like a wedding and a couple of house parties and I'm doing a full week at the Castle in the palace, which is going to be fun.
[00:23:59] Speaker A: Oh my gosh, that's going to be crazy. That's legit, man. You, you've arrived.
[00:24:04] Speaker B: Oh, thank you.
I think I'M just starting, like.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: No, I'm saying.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm just a baby at this. Like, there's so many people have been doing this way longer. Like, I really look up to people like Teller and, like, David Blaine, and, you know, everyone has just been, like, really doing the thing, you know, like, that's. That's my dream.
[00:24:24] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, sky's the limit. You've got literally all the time in the world, so. And you're fun. You're great. Buy your tote bag. It's. It's great down and. And hopefully we'll. We'll get a whole album sometime and. Yeah. And so. So keep in touch. And thanks for. Thanks for watching, everybody.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Thank you. Oh, by the way, I just released the fast and slow versions of Boyfriend on Spotify and a slowed down one if you want.
[00:24:51] Speaker A: Great. I. Yeah, I saw that. I just haven't seen them yet, so.
Fantastic.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: Thank you, Todd. I appreciate you. Thank you so much again for having me. Thank you for sharing about, like, your experience and, like, being a dentist, putting me on a moonwalker. I'm gonna check them out. And show me your cool tattoo. I hope you have a really great day.
[00:25:07] Speaker A: I hope you do, too. Thank you. This was. This was absolutely my pleasure. Thank you so much.
[00:25:11] Speaker B: Thank you. Thanks for having me. Bye, y' all. Love you guys.
[00:25:20] Speaker A: Sam.
