Vale illusionist ‘amazes’ audiences on his world trip

The Glamorgan GEM - Friday 22 Jan 2010

AN illusionist from the Vale is amazing people with his mind-reading abilities as he continues a globetrotting world tour that will take up to a year. Tom DeVoe, a former pupil of Cowbridge Comprehensive School, who lives in the village of Aberthin, began his journey, which he called the ‘Without Borders World Trip’, on August 13 last year – his 21st birthday. Tom told The GEM: “To travel the world doing what I love, performing for people across the globe, is the most challenging, exciting venture I could ever have imagined.” He started in London, but his itinerary takes in India, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and the USA. He is currently in Singapore and astonished a local journalist and photographer from ‘The New Paper’ with his mind-reading abilities, by correctly guessing which numbers they were thinking of, and confidently predicting which word they would pick out of President Obama’s autobiography, Dreams From My Father. Germaine Lim, the impressed journalist, reported: “The word was ‘goat’. Can it get any more random? “I bet DeVoe, who is in town to perform his Mind Illusion Show, probably knew my darkest secrets the moment I said ‘hello’!” Tom has also made his mark in India. “I performed in Delhi for Fever104FM, a Virgin-owned radio station, reading the minds of the DJ and callers to the show. “By the time the show was over, there was a huge crowd of people waiting outside the studio to see me. “The boss of the station pulled me into his office and asked me about what I do, and even asked me if I would go with him to a meeting of his main rival stations’ bosses to read their minds!” Tom uses psychology, suggestion and what he describes mischievously as “more devious methods” to read minds and baffle his audience. While in India, he was also featured in one of the country’s leading newspapers. Tom said: “I was featured in the Hindustan Times, a major Indian newspaper, opened in 1929 by Mahatma Gandhi. “With a readership of 6.6 million people, it is the second largest English-language newspaper in India. “I was also on CNN’s News and Entertainment shows in India. “In Hong Kong, I performed for social groups, the British Council of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong, receiving a beautiful engraved metal plate from the University as a mark of thanks. “I spent Christmas with friends in Singapore, and have had a great time – it has been 32 degrees C outside, so there was no chance of a white Christmas for me. “While I’m here, I’ve been working with a large entertainment agency that was involved with the recent Formula 1 race in Singapore.” He completes his world trip in August. Tom’s adventure can be followed on tomdevoeworldtrip.blogspot.com