French Magician in Split Wins Top Prize in Slovenia: A Week in the Life of Guy Pardillos
He is Split's favourite Frenchman, and his magic tricks have enthralled guests in several of the city's top restaurants and hotels over the last year or so, and it would seem that the magic of Guy Pardillos is rather special indeed. A television appearance in France is followed by first prize at the International Magic Convention in Slovenia. Congratulations, Sir, I am proud to have you as a neighbour across the Channel.
7 Days in a Magician's life
Monday 6.30 am, I’m on my way to the station ready to take the bus who will drive me to Zagreb, the journey begins.
12 o'clock Zagreb, new transfers to the airport, my plane will take off at 2.50pm on the way to Frankfurt where I will have 5 hours to spend untill the next plane to Nice, back to home base after 15 years.
11.30 pm finally the plane land at Nice's airport. I feel so excited... My friend Eric is already here waiting for me. After a warm hug it's time to go home and having some rest, for tomorrow will be a hard day.
Tuesday 8.00 am, after a short night. Eric and I are on the road, direction to the cabaret for a full day in the studio for the TV show. A lot of emotions, laughs and fun. A bit nervous but, at the end of the day all was perfect, 8.00pm we are finally leaving and going out to have a fun in town and a dinner. The night will be short again and the best is yet to come. See the show in the video below:
Wednesday, it's time to be focused now, for on Saturday we are supposed to be in Slovenia for the « International Magic Convention » at Maribor. Eric will perform on stage presenting the shows and I will do the magic contest and to be completely honest with you, my show is not only not ready, but even worse, not even created. We are working all the day on my show with my friend and what I am supposed to do is a little bit scary due to the technical complexity. Doubts start to grow progressively inside me, let's see.
Thursday, after a huge brainstorming yesterday, we finally got a frame of my show for the contest. Now is the place for training all day long if I want to be ready for Saturday, knowing that Eric will work today and I won't see him. Mistakes after mistakes and a lot of repetition, alone in front of the mirror, speaking to an imaginary audience, I think I've got it. The show looks great but far from perfect, still thinking of the transitions, order of the tricks and text... D -2 and tomorrow we will drive all day long, no training anymore. Am I a little bit crazy ??
Friday, again a short night, just few hours since Monday, we are tired, my show is not ready and these thoughts drive me crazy. 9.00 am we are on the highway...
Nice - Maribor it sounds the other side of the earth. After a very long trip it is 9.30 pm and here we are. Vladimir our host for the convention welcomes us and drive us to the hotel. Dinner and sleep, tomorrow is the DAY !
Saturday, 8.30 am after a nice breakfast, we are leaving the hotel and going to the convention. There, we are meeting other magicians, looking at the dealer stands seeking for the last new trick to buy.
11.30 we going back to the hotel to bring our stuff back to the convention.
12.30 we are in the background of the stage, at 2.00 pm Eric will do a lecture for the magicians and at 3.00 pm will be the competition. I dress my suit, setup my tricks and start to train intensively in the backstage. All the competition is coming and I meet them, time is running, Eric started his lecture already and I can feel the stress growing in me.
3.30 pm with a little delay, the competition is ready to start and I’m the last performer. One by one each performer goes on stage and back to the backstage, I’m the next one…
Time for the show, the speaker is already on the stage introducing me, I can hear my name and the applause, I come up on the stage under the lights…
You know what is following… Thanks to everyone.
Never give up, believe in your dreams, they are yours and only yours and nobody will realize them for you except YOURSELF ! Life is Magic for those who can see it.
Magical regards,
Guy Pardillos
Meet the Foreign Residents of Croatia: Magician Guy Pardillos from France
Who are the full-time foreign residents of Croatia? What brought them here, what are they doing, and how are they finding life? A new series from TCN, looking at life in the different regions of Croatia through a foreign eye. We start with a little French flair and magic in Split.
