HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN MAGIC?
Long story... When I left school I had to do whatever I could to make money because of my home life situation and the only jobs I could get were paying less than I needed so I got into gambling but instead of making money i ended up in serious debt. I started to learn every cheating technique I could to help me make back the money I'd lost. I became very successful with the techniques I'd learnt and made more money than I ever needed but unfortunately I got greedy, I was young and naive and made a stupid mistake that got me banned from casinos…

DID YOU GET ARRESTED?
No, fortunately the techniques I'd learnt were memory based card-counting techniques so the method only existed in my mind, therefore there was no evidence, only suspicion, and for casinos that's enough...

HOW DID YOU GET CAUGHT?
I got cocky with my skills, and lazy too, I can't really tell you too much about what happened. Lets just say I was asked politely to leave... My feet didn't touch the floor until I was out in the rain. Anyway. After that I tried a few other casinos to realize that the ban was nationwide.
Soon after I developed a love for poker and wanted to make a living at it, heard of a poker circuit in Leeds and got involved, after learning the basics of poker and standard moves with the deck; shuffling, dealing etc, I began to learn sleight of hand so that I could continue cheating within the gambling community, but it was like history repeating itself, I got good, I made money and I got cocky and lazy and got caught and had to deal with different consequences than those dealt by the casino.

IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN ELABORATE ON?
I'll tell you what I can... There was a standard technique I'd use once in a while at new tables; I'd ask to check the deck... As a new player the others were always okay with this; I explained that I'd been conned before and didn't want to take any risks, whilst checking the deck I'd pull wanted cards behind the spread cards - a technique known as Culling in the magic industry - once the cards were behind, or now on top of the deck, I’d palm them off with my right hand as the deck went back to the table with the left... the right hand would then reach the edge of the table and the cards would be dropped to my lap - a technique known as lapping in both professions. I'd then be able to switch any amount of these cards in with dealt cards whilst in play later and get rid of any excess cards by palming them to the bottom of the deck on my deal.
So, I was in a pub Kitchen in Barnsley and there were 4 of us in play at a small square table, the stakes were low and all of the players were new to me, as was the location. It was about 20 minutes in and at the point of lapping that I messed up. A vital part of lapping more than one card is to add a curve to the cards by slightly bending them so that they fall as one... something I failed to do, and so the cards fell individually. They all landed on my lap, but the player to my right spotted one of the four Kings land. He grabbed my arm and pushed me back into my chair, he then grabbed the cards. There are very few excuses for having four Kings on your lap amid play, so the only thought I had was RUN; which in hindsight probably made the situation worse. I don't remember anything after that, only fear.

WHAT HAPPEND TO YOU?
I had a lot of broken bones, a lot of scars, I had surgery on my left knee and collarbone, I was out cold for 2-weeks and in a wheelchair for 6-months, which would have been a lot less if I had stayed in hospital but when I got my memory back I became so scared and paranoid that they were coming back to finish me off that I self-discharged and made my way home in the early hours of the morning in a wheelchair. I stayed locked in my room most of the time, just me, a TV and a deck of cards, and that's where the magic began. I learnt a lot of lessons and when you come so close to losing you life your outlook on everything changes. I wanted to be fair, and take care of my life but I knew I'd never put the cards down... Magic seemed to be the most obvious answer.

DID YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF MENTOR OR SOURCE THAT INSTRUCTED YOU HOW TO “COUNT-CARDS” OR BET?
A guy called ‘Scales’ taught me a lot but it came a little too late. Discovering card counting had a big impact on my life, the challenge of building on my memory to such a level as that of a card-counter impressed me immensely, I spent months without resource just trying to memorize things, books, car license plates, mathematical equations… I even learnt how to speak backwards, not so that I could but so that I knew how to use my memory for something un-natural, then I memorized a stack of four shuffle decks of cards but I soon realized that the order was irrelevant as it was the dealt cards that mattered as they would indicate which cards were left in the deck. It wasn’t until a year after I stopped card counting that I met Scales, who offered me a card counting technique that doesn’t even require a memory system, but I’m richer in knowledge from building my memory, and richer in deception from meeting Scales.

KNOWING THAT YOUR PAST IS PART OF WHAT MAKES US WHO WE ARE NOW; DO YOU REGRET ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR PAST?
Everything I did led me to where I am now. I’d rather regret trying than regret never knowing. If I had to do it all again I wouldn’t have changed a thing, I’m very proud of my past as I learnt so much from my own choices as opposed to being told what to do, I’m wiser for it and never take a moment in life for granted.

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR BIG BREAK IN MAGIC?
I'm not sure it's happened yet, to me, doing magic isn't about fame and fortune or big breaks... whilst I was learning how to card-count I also qualified as a stock-broker so if I wanted to do something for money I'd be doing that, but sitting at a desk all day looking at a computer screen being told when to start and when to go home isn't very appetizing to me, I'd rather live life how I plan it doing things that I enjoy. I guess I got known quite fast for my flourishing which at the time was a unique skill that only a handful had, and then Lethal did far better than I ever expected, it was one of only 4 existing flourishing DVDs out at the time... but I got a lot more attention from the industry when I held a private lecture (One) at the 2005 Blackpool magic convention. I approached them with my lecture and they said 'you have to have status to lecture here' so I spread the word all morning and held the lecture in the closest pub in the afternoon, I was amazed at some of the names that turned up, it was a complete success. The following year I gladly turned down the chance to lecture (Two) in the main hall. I guess the biggest deal for me so far was the opportunity to be a part of Theory11.com, I'd turned down so many opportunities to go commercial but no other company out there held the same outlook on the industry as I do other than Theory11.

WHEN YOU GOT INTO BEING A MAGICIAN/ VISUAL ARTIST/ CARD HANDLER, WHAT WAS/ IS YOUR MAIN GOAL?
I never liked magic in the beginning and only saw it as a legitimate way to make money with playing cards. Magic for me was one of the few things that saved me from a destructive life, it opened a platform for my obsession with subterfuge where I could continue my sleights and rouges without the risk it once had for me. I heard about the local Magic Circle a year into my career, I auditioned and learnt so much from the interview, none of the committee believed my story, they didn’t believe that I hadn’t learnt from magic books or videos or even heard of some of the magicians they spoke of, they said things like ‘we know that’s your… “story,” but how did you really get into magic?’ and ‘We’re all fellow magicians here, you don’t have to play your character in front of us.’ I spent a few days trying to fit in with them and understand their ways but all I found was negative attitudes toward my style and angle of performing honest sleight of hand without dressing it up with top hats and fairy dust. After my experience with the circle I wanted to become successful enough to be a part of something that would offer an alternative to the old worn-out narrow-minded industry standards set by such organizations as the Magic Circle, so through my art I always aim to express that, to show people that magic isn’t limited to magic wands or producing doves, it’s in style, attitude, and ultimately is expressed however the performer sees fit without intervention from magic circles there to approve or deny. Magic is in the art of the performer and not his repertoire, and this is something that cannot conform to guidelines.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAGIC SHOULD BE LIKE?
Honest, inspirational, exciting and challenging. As magicians we should take full advantage of the platform we’re given and aim to provide the most affecting experiences for our spectators. I believe that in magic, the magician is not the star, it’s the spectator who deserves the spotlight, magic isn’t about ‘hey look at me and look what I can do’ it’s about ‘look what magic did to you, look how it allowed you to react and how it affected your day, year, life.’ It’s a shame to see so many pop-star magicians obviously abusing the art for fame and popularity, magic deserves much more than that and I hope the next/current generation of magicians don’t try to follow in line.

YOU SEEM TO HAVE A NEGATIVE OPPINION ON THE MAGIC INDUSTRY, WHY IS THAT?
I don't think it's negative in any way, it's my opinion which I believe to be true... The industry is doing nothing for itself, it's filled with top-hats and magic wands and patronizing old men who hate young newcomers who have different styles, the traditional magicians think the young crowd are there to challenge and take over what they have created and so they create a divide and start to hate. If the traditional magicians had respect for the youngsters, they'd realize that the youth do respect them and the foundations they have built. I do love traditional magic, it entertains me and that's the main point of it, but I just think magic deserves so much more than that these days, times have moved on but traditional magic isn't allowing any room for new styles or approaches. There are many magicians out there not pushing or trying to advance the art of magic, they're blind to their patronizing ways and ridiculous and pointless routines that make magic an okay type of entertainment but not an amazing one which every magician has the ability to do, magic is a tacky art because of rabbits in hats and arrogant characters... magic needs to be real, that's what magic asks people to believe; that it is real and no top hats or dickey-bow-ties do anything to portray that; if magic were real it wouldn't be done by some pompous twat in a suit and cape on a single-angle stage, it would be done by a normal person in a real-life environment... Now I’m not hating on stage magic, I love stage magic, but don't piss on my back and tell me it's raining, if you're going to float around a stage, don't tell me it's magic, just do it and let me wonder what kind of wires are being used. Nobody believes in magic anymore and it's because of magicians, not the spectators. Stop me anytime, I've got weeks worth of this... I know everybody has different views, and this is merely my opinion, I'm not hating anybody or anything and I never complain about the industry; I did do a few back flips when Theory11 came along, magic was on a slippery slope until that point.

IT SEEMS TO BE TRADITIONAL MAGIC THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, IS IT RIGHT THAT YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS A SUCCESFUL STAGE MAGIC IN RUSSIA?
I don't have a problem with the genre of traditional magic; I have a problem with their attitudes toward modern magic and how they don't see that there are aspects of magic that need improving. I was very young when I formed my views on magic, I was fascinated with what my grandfather could do but even as a 7year-old I felt patronized by the patter and routines, I knew I would have loved it more if it wasn't dressed up with bullshit costumes and stupid stories. Unfortunately my grandfather died when I was young and I never really had the time or chance to appreciate the skill involved in what he did. he had a big influence on my choices in magic and the more I researched his work the more I realized the acts I saw were adapted for me as a child, whereas his stage show was actually quite intelligent and honest; which I think is why he had so much success.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT MAGIC?
What I love the most is how it makes me feel when I watch it. It’s hard to enjoy magic when you see the double lift before it happens but every so often I’ll see a magician who completely baffles me and I try to hold onto that feeling for as long as I can. The one person who consistently baffles me is Wayne Houchin, when I met him I said ‘I don’t ever want to know how any of your effects work, because I want to enjoy the magic for as long as I can.’
Moments of astonishment are few and far between these days so the next best thing is to see that reaction I long for in my spectators, it’s rewarding to know how they’re feeling, and being a part of it.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR DANIEL MADISON?
I have quite a few projects lined up before the end of 2008, but I’ll be taking a few years off-screen to develop Devils Advocate Productions at MAGICisDEAD.com. I've found many great unknown underground artists that I want to help, they all share my views and they all want to use their skills and the DAP platform to advance the art of magic. I love directing and producing and am happy to have the opportunity to be involved with magicians that will ultimately host the future of magic. I've done a lot of consultancy over the last year and plan on doing a lot more in the future. I have a few more Theory11 tricks up my sleeve that we're planning over the next few months.

CONTENT TAKEN FROM VARIOUS INTERVIEWS THROUGH 2008