Modern Magic and Mentalism: Deceptions Milwaukee

In this episode of the podcast, the crew has “magic on the mind,” and Elisabeth, Lindsay, and David dig into magic in a variety of forms. Their banter covers a range of topics including recent magical performances in Milwaukee, the magic of physics and great guacamole, the hypothetical burden of reading minds, the possible UFO hotspot where Elisabeth was raised, and David’s freaky premonition.

Luka joins the crew for an interview beginning around 18:30. He starts the conversation off by talking about how he got into magic. Leaning into a childhood summer tradition of going to the library, he took to reading books on magic tricks. After college, Luka worked as a video editor and a banker. Then, in his mid-twenties, he decided to take a risk and jump into working in magic full-time. After building up a small repertoire of gigs and making connections, Luka joined a group magic show in Branson, Missouri. Upon returning to Milwaukee several years later, he became a resident performer at the Safe House and developed his show “Deceptions,” which he launched in 2021.

In the conversation, Luka reflects on how he brands himself as a “deception artist” rather than a magician for kids. He also highlights the ways in which magic is an art form— as long as the magician portrays and conducts themselves as an artist. Luka compares the art of magic to the art of making and performing music. It involves writing, workshopping, acting, comedy, and more. But according to Luka, there is no direct path to get into magic—rather, “magic finds you.”

Lastly, as the “magician of arts and culture” Luka amazes David by, almost verbatim, invoking the same imaginary policy as the poet laureate and previous ITP guest Dasha Kelly Hamilton.

You can find info about Luka's shows at Deceptions and SafeHouse

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