It takes a lot more than magic to become the ‘undisputed king of magic.’
Steven Frayne was once a misunderstood kid from the north of England. With a young mother and a father in jail, not feeling like he fitted in at school, he turned to the circus. He had no idea that he would go on to become the worldwide phenomenon that he is today.
Steven struggled constantly growing up. And he excelled at it. He used the struggle, the failures and the bullying, to push him towards his goals. His grandfather taught him to see magic in everything, even in hardship. The value of becoming yourself, even when others disagree. Steven became a boy with a magical dream. A dream he made a reality by creating a market for himself when there wasn’t a market. Whilst performing as a young magician, a man in the audience stood up and said: “That kid is just like a dynamo!” And he is – Steven is “just like a dynamo”. Or just Dynamo for short, the stage name by which he has singlehandedly recreated what magic is today.
Like for many others before him, Dynamo’s path has not been exempt from obstacles and self-doubt. Because going all-in requires sacrifice. It requires resilience against storms of backlash. Dynamo took breaks from magic. He fell out of love with it. He doubted himself. But the more he got challenged in his magic, the more it forced him to find new ways to approach it. Finding magic in new places. Learning new things. Grabbing opportunities. Educating himself. Although it took many years before he got his big break, Dynamo stood his ground. It was never about fitting in. It was about being true to himself.
25 years of hard work and not taking “no” for an answer leaves a legacy that equates magic itself with Dynamo. A legacy marked with an understanding of the chances he took and where he came from. He put his heart and soul into revolutionising the art form, and has in the process entranced an entire world.
Steven Frayne (Dynamo) – video transcript
For me, magic's an emotion that you bring out in someone, and we've all got it inside us when we witness something that is inexplicable, that completely blows our mind and kind of makes us change our view on the world.
There's a lot of people who've watch my TV shows over the years and for them, it's like I've had overnight success. But for me, it's been like 25 years of just working at this and that's a long night, 25 years. And there hasn't been like one defining moment. I’ve felt there's been lots of small baby steps and the culmination of hard work and not taking no for an answer.
If you think of magicians, I think of a city like Las Vegas or even maybe like New York and Broadway. But Bradford at the time was a very deprived city. My mum had me when she was about 16 and my father went to jail when I was four. He was a bit of a wrong 'un. I didn't really see or hear from him until I was 19 years old.
I was definitely a misunderstood child. I seemed to be by myself being interested and intrigued by all the things that none of my friends or none of my family would really understand or cared about. I came across magic from an early age. My grandpa showed me magic when I was about 11 years old. And I was fascinated by it. And then I ended up joining the circus. I know that sounds like a really far-fetched thing, you know, the kid that joined the circus, but I really did. But then I remember going back home to where I lived. And when I got to school and stuff, everyone would just laugh at me and mock me and say, “this is stupid”. So I ended up becoming, I guess, quite introverted in my school life.
My nana and grandpa they really did look after me, and my mum did her best at the time, obviously, but she was really young, she was a child herself. So it was kind of my grandparents if I'm honest who did raise me. My grandpa was the father figure that I never had in my life. And, thankfully, everything he passed on to me, somehow I've managed to make it into a career.
When I perform, I do find myself saying things, that when my grandpa used to say to me as a kid, I was like, what are you talking about you old man. Shut up. But everything he said, I realise now, he was like the wisest man I've ever met.
Trying things, not being disheartened if you get it wrong. My grandpa used to try lots of things and get it wrong, and, boy, my nana would tell him how bad he got it wrong. But it never used to stop him, it never disheartened him, he'd always stick with things until the end. And I think that's the biggest thing you need to make it in any industry. You need to have patience and the determination to never give up no matter what gets thrown in your way. If an obstacle gets thrown at you, you've got to go through that obstacle or find a way to go over it. Don't let the obstacle stop you.
It's really important to surround yourself with people that inspire you, people that are way smarter than you. There's that expression "I want to be the smartest guy in the room." But actually, I want to be the least intelligent person in the room. Then I'm surrounded by people who I can learn from. Education is probably the most important thing. The more I became challenged in my magic, in a way, the more it forced me to find new ways to approach it, and reminded me how I know so little about this thing I love so much and I have so much more to learn. That's what keeps inspiring me. No matter how old I get, how much I learn, I'm never too old to be educated.
I want to, hopefully, have inspired a generation of people to believe that they can do anything and that no matter what surroundings they grow up in, or what adversities they have to fight against, that they don't give up, and that if I'm a testament to anything, it's that if you just keep trying and you're persistent with it, and you're determined, you can achieve anything.
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Steven Frayne, better known as Dynamo, became the 'undisputed king of magic'.
He is known for his distinctive street magic as well as creating some of the most spectacular illusions ever performed.
Diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 15 years old, he had half of his stomach removed aged 19, and has dealt with debilitating pain and chronic arthritis for most of his life.
Despite his health challenges, he has continued to push the boundaries of magic and inspire audiences around the world.
