Moein Al Bastaki: the magician

When did you first become fascinated by magic?

I was six when I saw my first magic trick, performed by my grandfather. He took a coin, bit it and showed me two pieces of the coin. I figured his teeth were strong. Then he shook the coin and it was whole again. I gathered up all the coins I could find and asked him to do it again… he explained that it was a gimmick coin. I didn’t know what one was but I wanted to find out more about magic.

How did you become a magician?

Magic isn’t common in the Arab world, but my dad had a video rental shop and I started watching David Copperfield videos – I saw him sawing people in half, making things vanish and I was in awe. One of the oldest places known for magic is India, and my grandfather, a businessman, would go there to trade. He found some fakirs who taught him magic tricks, which he then taught me. I also read up on it and practised it.

What’s a typical day for you?

I still work for a corporation. After I finished school I went to my father and said, ‘I want to be a magician’. I was, of course, grounded for a month! So I got a master’s degree in business and marketing and then started working for a multinational company while still studying the art of magic. So I work from nine to five and then I go to the gym every day. I practise magic after my workout. I don’t sleep much and am constantly thinking of ways to improve my magic skills.

How long do you have to work on a trick before you’re ready to perform it?

Do all tricks need lots of props and preparation?

You need several tricks to do on the spot, what you might call ‘go-to’ tricks. When I met WWE star John Cena I had just 10 seconds with him and I had to do a trick that he’d hopefully not seen before. The trick was that I break my finger and then I put it back. He must have liked it because he said on camera: ‘I will never fight this guy because he feels no pain!’. That went viral.

What skills do you need to be a good magician?

I think the most important is public speaking. You’re standing in front of hundreds or thousands of educated people and you need to be confident enough to fool them.

You’ve performed magic for lots of celebrities – who did you enjoy meeting most?

I’m constantly surprised by how humble celebrities are. My favourite is John Travolta. He was visiting Dubai and after I met his team they allowed me to spend some time with him, and I showed him some of my tricks. I was flying for a month afterwards.

If money were no object, what trick would you like to do?

I would prefer to give a brand to the Arab world rather than just buying expensive tricks. It’s more about me connecting with the audience and performing something that amazes them.

Do you ever see other magicians on TV and go, ‘How did they do that?’

Finally, if you had one magic power for real, what would it be?

The ability to end war on earth and have the whole of humanity live in peace.