Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2011/January 2012 | Page 134
ENTERTAINMENT
Aaron's
magical
mystery
tour
By Peter White
Aaron Isted often disappears off the
Island for a while, but that is not one
of his many tricks!
Aaron has built a reputation as an
excellent magician and illusionist, and
as such has been invited to display his
talents not just nationwide, but as far
away as the United States.
The 23 year-old from Ventnor
captivates audiences wherever he goes,
and has graduated from just working
his magic at small functions and
gatherings to performing high profile
stunts that have left onlookers gasping
in disbelief.
Aaron has recently returned from his
second visit to the US, and Island Life
caught up with him to see just what
prompted him to take up his unusual
profession, and what plans he has for
the future.
He revealed that it all began when
he was just five years old, and like so
many youngsters of that age he was
given a magic set for Christmas. But
instead of opening the box, having
a look at it, and then discarding
it in favour of another present, he
persevered.
“I had a Paul Daniels set because
he was big at the time, and I enjoyed
134
www.visitislandlife.com
doing the tricks.
I’ve got a brother
and two sisters,
and I am sure
they had magic
sets as well,
but never really
bothered with them. I started buying
books about magic and remember
going to the magic shop in Shanklin to
buy my first proper trick.
“I had a lot of encouragement
from my family, who would sit and
watch my tricks, even if they weren’t
enjoying it. Seriously they were very
supportive, and if I got a trick wrong,
I would keep practising until I got
it right. I used to do a little show at
Christmas, and my grandfather, who is
a carpenter, built me a small table with
the word ‘Magic’ written on the front.”
Aaron attended St. Boniface Primary,
Ventnor Middle and Medina High
Schools and then studied graphic
design photography at the IW College.
He has used that to good advantage
since, using his skills not only to
design his website but to also plan
some of his tricks and illusions.
“I was doing magic while I was at
College, but I thought graphic design
would help teach me to do it that bit
better. I also did magic at school, and
when I was old enough I started going
into a few restaurants and hotels on
the Island to perform. At one time I
used a ‘trick pack’ of cards for a certain
trick, but now I use standard playing
cards for all my tricks.”
One trick that always captivates his
audience is when someone signs a
card, returns it to the pack, and Aaron
produces it from inside his wallet that
has been tucked away in an inside
pocket!
He decided he wanted to become a
professional magician and illusionist
while he was at High School, and even
though he won the school’s Entertainer
of the Year award, one teacher wrote
on his end-of-term report ‘put those
cards away!’ He smiled: “I did get told
off a few times!”
As his career blossomed he was
inspired by the likes of renowned stars
David Blaine and David Copperfield,
and although he still does his ‘close up’
magic, he has moved on to perform
some amazing big-stage illusions,
which have mesmerised his audiences