The Adam Buxton Podcast

[Noodle Lizard]

Is the problem with DB on the tv, and the reason why he doesn't really do magic on the tv now, is that there are not really that many ways to do magic and you soon run out of ways to make them seem interesting and new on telly.

Possibly, although it's not as if he invented any of the mentalist effects/techniques he used anyway, they were just dressed up very well and uniquely for a TV audience. In that regard, the only limit is the imagination of whoever's writing the shows, and I think his most talented collaborators have long since moved on.

I seem to remember someone saying that his move away from doing any actual "magic" himself in these latest shows was a conscious decision on his part, for some reason or another. I imagine it's largely the same as him not wanting to do card magic on his first TV shows, despite being an exceptionally talented card magician. Wanting to be something "a bit more than that". In the process, I think he's removed just about everything that makes him unique and interesting as a performer. Realistically, those last few "experiment" shows wouldn't have suffered much if he'd been replaced by Ant & Dec - it might even have improved their watchability.

[Ferris]

Absent a Derren Brown thread, I thought about the one where he plays 12 games of chess at once against a load of grand masters and other chess boffins, won a load of games, then revealed how he did it.

(He started 6 games as white, 6 games as black, then was just remembering which move the other player made and made the same move so he was just playing the chess boffins against each other).

[popcorn]

(He started 6 games as white, 6 games as black, then was just remembering which move the other player made and made the same move so he was just playing the chess boffins against each other).

This is also how I'm so good at posting on CaB btw.

[Noodle Lizard]

Absent a Derren Brown thread, I thought about the one where he plays 12 games of chess at once against a load of grand masters and other chess boffins, won a load of games, then revealed how he did it.

(He started 6 games as white, 6 games as black, then was just remembering which move the other player made and made the same move so he was just playing the chess boffins against each other).

There's a lot more to it than that, if I remember correctly. The thing with these DB stunts is that they deliberately only give away about half of the actual method - not to be mysterious, moreso because the other half requires having the power of a full TV production behind you. That was a hard lesson for a 12-year-old kid who saw Mind Control and thought "I want to do that!" Nah kid: there's no magic, there's no wonder, and often there isn't even much talent either. You can't do this.

That all said, as a result of Derren's shows introducing me to mentalism as a subgenre of magic, I did get into my Corinda and Annemann and Banachek and learned enough to make me impressive in pubs. That's fine, too.

[Dr Rock]

DB definitely did not admit there was any aspect of traditional magic tricks in his early rise to fame. He presented it as mostly NLP and the ability to influence people in similar ways. It also became clear he was using editing to present a false account of what he supposedly achieved, and lying about his feats were achieved - this was when he was presenting his feats as involving no such trickery or deceit.

[Twit 2]

THE WIZARD DONE A MAGIC

[Paaaaul]

I live near Norwich (near Buxton actually, have seen him in the supermarket and said hello before). I know a teacher who taught his kids at prep school and I know a kid who goes to school with them now.

Waitrose?

[Beagle 2]

Pretty disappointed with the Nicky Wire one, it seemed like Buckles was zoning out by the second half and wanted to be somewhere else. He's obviously not really a big Manics fan, which is fair enough, but they never really took it anywhere else interesting.

Yes, you can read that post in Buxton's smug internet wanker voice.

[Glyn]

Pretty disappointed with the Nicky Wire one, it seemed like Buckles was zoning out by the second half and wanted to be somewhere else. He's obviously not really a big Manics fan, which is fair enough, but they never really took it anywhere else interesting.

Yes, you can read that post in Buxton's smug internet wanker voice.

Thought it was ok, the rather jovial discussion of the '4RAEL' incident was a bit odd but I guess when you lose a friend even memories like that can become fond over time.  I could feel Adam deflate though when Wire admits he never met Bowie.

My main takeaway was Adam's claim that Pob has been largely forgotten ?

[phantom_power]

I liked the Wire interview. It was interesting hearing his take on his old behaviour now he is older, that mixture of accepting that was who he was but that he isn't any more.

Has anyone heard his Radio 4 documentary on Shooby Taylor?

[popcorn]

Has anyone heard his Radio 4 documentary on Shooby Taylor?

My mum said she'd listened to a Buckles thing on Radio 4 this week about the idea of "the dream job" or something, but when I googled this I couldn't find anything so I assumed she'd gone simple. Or wondered if it was a repeat of his You're Doing It Wrong series, but I can't remember what was in that.

[phantom_power]

You're Doing It Wrong is doing the rounds on BBC Sounds at the moment I think

[Beagle 2]

Fair enough, I speak as a former massive Manics fan so I guess I was looking for the kind of in-depth stuff that isn't really reflective of the way other ramble chats usually go.

[PlanktonSideburns]

This is also how I'm so good at posting on CaB btw.

[Pink Gregory]

You're Doing It Wrong is doing the rounds on BBC Sounds at the moment I think

I tried to listen to that but we got dead angry because the interviewee sounded like her job was just answering emails.

[markburgle]

I also hoped for more depth from the Wire one, but I suppose that's not really the remit of the pod. It's just that the luddite Manics don't do many podcasts, so I hoped it would cover some different ground than their usual interviews. Why do you think he waited so long to post it?

[thugler]

This new one, thought she was over generalising quite a bit and buxton did try and argue back a bit. Quite dismissive of the view that women have not had access to the same opportunities as men, seeming to prefer to defend the status quo as being the 'natural order of things'. Wasn't convinced by her myself.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I love the podcast and I love Adam. It's brilliant and so is he. BUT I can't help but do a massive sigh every time he starts talking about cancel culture. Not even because I disagree or anything, but just because it seems to come up in every single episode. Honestly I hope he gets cancelled, loses his job and dies. But I would like to reiterate I love the podcast and I love Adam. Haven't listened to the new one.

[thelittlemango]

Just listened to the new one and I can confirm that Adam doesn't...I repeat....doesn't....have a complete Chuxton.

[Paaaaul]

Mark Kermode's podcast this week includes a chat with Edgar Wright which contains a lot of Cornish chat.

[McFlymo]

This new one, thought she was over generalising quite a bit and buxton did try and argue back a bit. Quite dismissive of the view that women have not had access to the same opportunities as men, seeming to prefer to defend the status quo as being the 'natural order of things'. Wasn't convinced by her myself.

Yes. I agree with these words you have written.

I couldn't stop laughing at the idea of her "scrapey" voice, especially after recently re-listening to Adam and Louis laughing their head's off at other American podcast hosts doing that same "scrapey" thing - the lols were a-flying.

She was quite bad for it though, as well as being kinda wrong about loads of stuff.

[VelourSpirit]

oh no another science one. just get the lads on again weyyyy lads

[VelourSpirit]

in all seriousness I feel bad for just not listening to the ones with people i'm not already interested in. i used to listen to all of them. i just want some comfy chat and banter weyyy

[MigraineBoy]

in all seriousness I feel bad for just not listening to the ones with people i'm not already interested in. i used to listen to all of them. i just want some comfy chat and banter weyyy

Not listened to the most recent one yet, but in recent memory the Dawn O'Porter was the only one I bailed on after 5 minutes. I've never read a Pullman book or bought a Manics CD but I made it through both of those. 

[Ham Bap]

Only listened to the Chris Morris and Derren Brown ones recently.

It's all about the Christmas Day one with Joe next.
It's become part of the annual Christmas Day tradition to listen to it over breakfast.

[The Roofdog]

What amuses me about Buxpod these days is there's some guests who think it's an honour to get on to it akin to receiving some kind of comedy OBE and some who give so little of a shit and have so little idea who he is that they just started chomping chicken salad in the middle of it.

[Ferris]

There's a lot more to it than that, if I remember correctly. The thing with these DB stunts is that they deliberately only give away about half of the actual method - not to be mysterious, moreso because the other half requires having the power of a full TV production behind you. That was a hard lesson for a 12-year-old kid who saw Mind Control and thought "I want to do that!" Nah kid: there's no magic, there's no wonder, and often there isn't even much talent either. You can't do this.

That all said, as a result of Derren's shows introducing me to mentalism as a subgenre of magic, I did get into my Corinda and Annemann and Banachek and learned enough to make me impressive in pubs. That's fine, too.

Been watching a shitload of Derren vids on youtube. They are very early 00s in terms of production and not quite as slick or clever as I remember, but still good fun

[VelourSpirit]

His latest guest is someone I never ever would have even imagined to be on the podcast

[Sin Agog]

I dunno, I don't think the brother from Right Said Fred who isn't called Fred is that great a booking.

[Twit 2]

His latest guest is someone I never ever would have even imagined to be on the podcast

It's pretty easy to do a video link to a prison. I'd have preferred him to ask her more about Fred.