Gazzo (magician)

Gary "Gazzo" Osbourne
Gazzo performing the cups and balls in Key West, Florida
Born	(1960-03-23) March 23, 1960 (age 65) United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	Street magician, lecturer, author
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	Street magic; comedy magic; cups and balls
Notable work	Phantoms at the Card Table (2002); Phantoms at the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp (2004)
Website	Official website (archived)

Gary "Gazzo" Osbourne (born 1960) is a British street magician. Osbourne moved to the United States in the 1980s, where he befriended Walter Irving Scott, also known as The Phantom. He was entrusted with Scott's biography and life's work at card cheating and sleights. ^{[1] [2]}

Health and recovery

Gazzo suffered a stroke on 21 March 2023 while performing at Mallory Square in Key West, Florida, two days before his 63rd birthday. ^[3]

Lectures

At the 2025 FISM World Championship of Magic in Turin, Italy, Gazzo was billed to perform street magic, deliver a 90-minute lecture, and serve as a guest judge for the Street Performer Competition. ^{[4] [5]}

Publications

He has published several magic-related books, manuscripts and DVDs. ^[6] * "Street Cups and Balls". Conjuring Archive. Retrieved 16 October 2025. – a book co-authored with Simon Jackson and Gazzo Macee (2004) focused on Gazzo’s street performance techniques. * Close, Michael (December 2004). "Gazzo's The Art of Krowd Keeping (review)". MAGIC. 14 (4): 40. – review of The Art of Krowd Keeping, a book about Gazzo’s crowd-management methods by Danny Hustle and James E. Wells.

Videos and lectures

Gazzo has released several instructional videos and lectures on magic performance, many of which are distributed by Penguin Magic and Vanishing Inc.: * "At the Table Live Lecture – Gazzo". Penguin Magic. Retrieved 16 October 2025. – a 2016 lecture including live footage from his performance at the Magic Castle. * "Gazzo LIVE: Tricks for the Street". Penguin Magic. Retrieved 16 October 2025. * "Gazzo LIVE ACT (Instant Download)". Penguin Magic. Retrieved 16 October 2025. * "Gazzo Live Lecture". Vanishing Inc. Magic. Retrieved 16 October 2025. * Lovick, John (February 2007). "Gazzo's Street Cups DVD (review)". MAGIC. 16 (6): 46.

Appearances

Gazzo appeared on the seventh episode of Penn & Teller: Fool Us , where he performed his rendition of cups and balls for Penn & Teller to win an opportunity to open their show in Las Vegas. Though the duo knew how the trick was done, they praised Gazzo for his rendition of the trick, stating that he did it "perfectly" and "better than us". ^[7]

References

1. Britland, David & Gazzo. (1 October 2002) Phantoms at the Card Table Oldcastle/High Stakes Publishing. (Hardcover) 256p. ISBN   1-84344-003-2
2. Britland, David & Gazzo. (25 March 2004) Phantoms at the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp Philadelphia: Running Press. (Paperback) 256p. ISBN   1-56858-299-4
3. "Magician Gazzo suffers stroke during performance in Key West". Key West Chronicle. 23 March 2023.
4. Fernandez, Adrian (21 April 2025). "Big News! Gazzo will be a Guest Judge at FISM Street Performer Competition". Facebook. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
5. "Gazzo – FISM Italy 2025". FISM Italy 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
6. "GAZZO". Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
7. "Gazzo-Comedy Magician on Fool Us with Penn & Teller". Metacafe. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.