Dynamo has been busy on the press junket promoting his new title The Book of Secrets, but the magician took some time to have a longer chat with Square Mile. The feature piece covers various stages of the performer’s career to date, including the great story of how he came to his stage name.

He was chosen to perform at the Society of American Magicians’ Houdini Centennial as a virtual unknown. The act was so compelling that card magician Aaron Fisher stood up and yelled, “This kid’s a f****** dynamo!” He spent the rest of the week being referred to as “the Dynamo kid” and the name stuck.

“Obviously I lost the ‘effing’ part,” he said. “It kind of works. And it sounds a bit cooler than Steven.”

Dynamo also talked about the inspiration from his grandfather, his early efforts in building a YouTube channel and learning to film magic, and burning all the copies sold of his UnderGround Magic DVD from his bedroom. He also waxes philosophical about what he wants his audience members to take away from a performance:

“Magic’s an emotion that someone feels when they witness something amazing. It could be a shared experience, which is what I try to make my magic about. I want it be an experience that we share together.”

Read the whole interview here.