My essentials: Gwilym Bugeja’s cultural picks

About  

I am a professional magician, specialising in comedy & magic. I currently run two creative brands called OMG Magic & OMG Magic Kids where the goal is to spread magical fun to all audiences both locally and internationally. Apart from magic being a job it also my passion, meaning when I am not working, I am still doing magic.

Book

I am currently reading How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception, and Why Magic Matters. The book is a series of 52 thoughtful essays about how magicians use human perception, attention, and belief to create illusions. It’s less about ‘how to do trick’ and more about why tricks work on the human mind. It is a book I am enjoying as it delves into the theory of why magic as an art form works

Film 

A film that I always love to revisit is The Mask. The film is goofy, zany and with loads of random moments. This film has influenced my character on stage and the magic that I perform.

Internet and TV 

Being a bit of a Marvel nerd and a fan of the cinematic universe, they are building, I enjoy listening to videos produced by a channel called New Rockstar. They discuss theories, rumours and Easter eggs of current pop culture movies and series.

Music 

My taste in music is weird, I could be listening and singing to rock tunes in the car and the next song will be something by ‘Weird Al’ Yankovich. Having said that a song that is on all my playlists is Orinoco Flow by Enya. If I am ever in a stressful period in my life or having a tough day, this is the song that calms me down and gets me back on track.

Place 

I love travelling and have been to different cities. My favourite so far is London. I love cities and the feeling that the buildings around you are alive, and I think London embodies that. Not to mention the countless museums, shows and amazing restaurants that it has. Currently, though, I have my sights on Japan and hoping to travel there soon.