Magician dazzles scammers’ eyes

It is not unusual for illusionist Kemarch Dodd to mystify his audience by turning a piece of white paper into what appears to be a $5,000 note. He also claims to be able to make a member of the audience levitate, vanish suddenly, or seemingly get sawn in half.

Dodd said these tricks have caught the eyes of some scammers who often approach him to 'load' their guard rings with mystical powers. Speaking with THE STAR yesterday, he laughed heartily as he explained how, in the past, he would think about 'scamming the scammers'.

"Some of them will come and say, 'Yow mi boss, yuh know say mi wah yuh load up da ring yah. Mi wah when mi come suh and make a call the people dem just send over the cabbage'. I am going to be honest and say that there was a time when I wanted to take the ring and give it back to them and tell them it's loaded, and collect $300,000 then they would feel good," he said.

"I have never done that, though, because scamming the scammer would mean I would be indulging, and I will never do that so I let it slide," he added between laughter.

The Jamaican police have long said that scammers have turned to the occult world to protect them from evil and law enforcement officers, while at the same time boost their chances of a big pay day from their illicit activities.

Dodd, who hails from Seaview Gardens in St Andrew, said he has steered clear of scammers, opting instead to mesmerise his audience through sleight of hand magic. Sleight of hand refers to the manual dexterity that magicians use to deceive their audiences. In the world of card magic, it's things like palming cards, a false overhand shuffle and other trickery.

"When I went to school, subjects wasn't my thing. I wished they had a subject name magic because I use to leave school and go to the library and study up on magicians and the whole nine yards. I always like to be different ," said Dodd, who has been a magician for two decades.

The magician owns and operates the Trelawny-based Trickstars Production. In addition to his regular hotel performances, he also entertains weekly at Captain Dre Restaurant and Grill in Trelawny. He said he is sometimes labelled as an obeahman by those who see his shows, but he said that there are differences.

"I take it as a compliment, which means that what I am doing is really puzzling. If my performances weren't good, then they would think I am a con artist. I always explain to them though as I do not want to be labelled as an obeahman. It's all tricks and trades, and angles play a vital role in magic. Magic is an illusion and your mind is telling you what you want to see. We, as magicians, don't tell lies," Dodd said.

Minutes into the interview, he decided to show off his talent to this reporter, photographer Nicholas Nunes and videographer Raymond Simpson. We all gathered as close as possible to Dodd as we didn't want to miss a beat. He requested a blank sheet from my notepad and although I knew it was merely paper, I still inspected it thoroughly before handing it to the magician who was, by this time, grinning at me. He showed his bare hands before tearing the paper in half and closing his fist with one of the halves. Within seconds, he reopened his hand and showcased a crisp $5,000 note. He then reversed the trick, and the cash became plain white paper once more.

If that wasn't eye popping enough, Dodd then asked me to hold a plastic action figure in the palm of my hand and commanded it to stand. As expected, it did not move, but shortly after, it 'came to life' in Dodd's hands. I watched in shock as the toy later 'fell asleep' in his hand. He then offered me the toy, which mysteriously disappeared from his hand and was laying peacefully close to my elbow. I flashed it off and screamed much to Dodd's and my co-workers amusement.

He continued his magic show for a few more minutes before bidding farewell.