(FORTUNE Magazine) – Benjamin Levy doesn't forget colleagues' names at inopportune moments. He doesn't call his boss' wife "Charlene" when he means "Cheryl." He is, in other words, not like you. In his new book, Remember Every Name Every Time, the longtime magician shares the methods that help him, night after night, perform an even more impressive feat: delivering the first names of as many as 150 guests at high-end corporate events. Levy, who boasts clients like Michael Bloomberg and Henry Kravis, talked to FORTUNE after a recent performance.

Q: How did you do that?

A: (Long silence.) I'm motivated. For that 20 seconds that I meet you, there's no one else in the entire world who matters to me.

Q: What are you thinking about?

A: I'm soaking you in. And I am paying attention to your face. My technique connects your name to your face.

Q: How?

A: When I'm looking at your face, I'm randomly picking a feature--maybe you have big ears, maybe you have an unusual hairline. Then I try to verbally articulate something about that feature in my head. I might say, "This is the most normal-looking nose I've ever seen."

Q: Then what?

A: I morph the name into something I can visualize. What is a Paul? Paul doesn't mean much. But for me, every Paul I meet reminds me of the word "pole," like a ten-foot pole. So if I've spent a little time looking at Paul's ears, I would picture his ears being whacked by a ten-foot pole. The next time I see him, suddenly--almost magically--it happens: I see those ears, and they're [being] smacked with a pole! Therefore this man is Paul. He's not Steve--because there's not a stove.

Q: Why do CEOs hire you?

A: When you can tell someone their name when they least expect it, you're tapping into all sorts of deep emotions--feelings of being understood. Quite a few of my clients feel they are better leaders because of it.

Q: Any business leaders who are known for great name recall?

A: Sam Walton was known for remembering the names of his employees. Of course, he also had them wear name badges with three-inch-high letters.

Q: What's the most names you've ever memorized?

A: I was on a cruise with 450 people aboard the ship. I met nearly everybody over five hours. And I stood on the gangplank at the end, saying goodbye to each person by name. Of the 450 people, I probably got 325.

Q: A lot of my brain seems to be filled with rock lyrics from the '70s and '80s. Is there any way to free up that space for more useful stuff?

A: You don't have to drain it. You've got the greatest computer in the world right in your head.

Q: Have you ever forgotten your wedding anniversary?

A: Sure. The title is Remember Every Name Every Time, not Remember Every Date Every Time.