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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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964: Dan Stapleton - On Cruise Control

Dan Stapleton is one of those magicians who has seen it all and now in his 60’s could easily set his remaining days on “cruise control” for the rest of his life; however, that is not who he is. He was a cruise magician for 23 years and served as a cruise director, too. Early in his career, he performed in Circus World where he got his chops at performing illusions. But his passion and goal was always to work on Main Street in Disney World as a demonstrator in the magic shop. That opportunity came to him and he loved his days doing it. He also appeared on America’s Got Talent [sic] where he was summarily dismissed, but he has a good story about that. In his semi-retirement he has managed a resort hotel in Orlando and now coordinates the Florida State Magic Collectors conferences.

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Dan has so many stories that they would fill a book. He has recounted many of them in VANISH Magazine over the years in his column. But this week he shares some of those stories, and more, as he opens up about his experience being voted off of AGT yet how even today, it still helps him book shows. He chats about the status of magic on cruise ships, magic conventions, and more.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly Stitcher) by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here. If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

This week’s sponsor is the S.A.M. Parent Assembly #1 Salute to Magic. Please click on the graphic above for more information.

Tagged with Dan Stapleton, Cruise ships, Disney World, Bev Bergeron, magic demonstrator, Steve Martin.

April 23, 2026 by Scott Wells.
  • April 23, 2026
  • Scott Wells
  • Dan Stapleton
  • Cruise ships
  • Disney World
  • Bev Bergeron
  • magic demonstrator
  • Steve Martin
  • Post a comment
Comment

963: Joe Eddie and Betty Fairchild - Playing Fairs

For many decades, Joe Eddie and Betty Fairchild were “road warriors” traversing the country to perform at state and country fairs. They toured with assistants and even a big cat that kept them on the road over 40 weeks out of the year. At one point, they had a residency in Las Vegas at the Riviera with their big show. Now retired from trouping and performing, Joe Eddie has retired to Florida where he builds quality hand-made props and cases for professional magicians.

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In this week’s episode, Joe Eddie gives us a walking tour of his workshop during the first half hour of our chat. Then Betty joins us during the last half to enliven the mood and share stories from the road from her perspective. I think one of the best stories they shared is the one about the inspector who “inspected” their big cat during a break at one of their shows.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly Stitcher) by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here. If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Tagged with Paul Richards, Joe Eddie Fairchild, Betty Fairchild, Bubbles, magic builder, State Fair, Las Vegas, John Bundy and Morgan, circus, Marty Hahne, William Rausher.

April 16, 2026 by Scott Wells.
  • April 16, 2026
  • Scott Wells
  • Paul Richards
  • Joe Eddie Fairchild
  • Betty Fairchild
  • Bubbles
  • magic builder
  • State Fair
  • Las Vegas
  • John Bundy and Morgan
  • circus
  • Marty Hahne
  • William Rausher
  • 2 Comments
2 Comments

962: Paul Richards - Magic Trends

Magic dealer, creator, consultant, lecturer, and performer, Paul Richards joins us this week as we talk about a treasure chest full of topics. Paul has been at the epicenter of innovation first as a brick and mortar magic shop owner, then online dealer, coordinator of one day magic events, as well as a well-known and highly respected magic dealer. He is often seen at all of the large magic conventions like Blackpool, MAGIC Live!, Magifest, and others.

As a result of being in the forefront of magic innovation, keep that in perspective as you listen to this week’s episode. You will see some trends that have started and perhaps get some idea of where we’re going…at least from Paul’s perspective. But you can use your own precognitive powers to prognosticate what the future of magic will bring us. This is just your “leaping off” place.

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Paul has recently returned from the Blackpool magic convention in England and has a lot to say about that event But he also attends many other conventions throughout the year as a dealer and he gives us his perspective on their differences. He was the creator of the “Real Magic Roadshow” that featured a handful of magic creators in a sort of one day mini-convention. He also talks this week about his Elmwood Magic Shop which was a brick and mortar shop in Buffalo, New York, and the future of these storefront shops versus online sellers.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly Stitcher) by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here. If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Tagged with Paul Richards, Penguin Magic, Colin Eleazer, Mark Mason, Blackpool Magic Convention, Magic Road Show, brick and mortar.

April 9, 2026 by Scott Wells.
  • April 9, 2026
  • Scott Wells
  • Paul Richards
  • Penguin Magic
  • Colin Eleazer
  • Mark Mason
  • Blackpool Magic Convention
  • Magic Road Show
  • brick and mortar
  • 1 Comment
1 Comment
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

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Dan Stapleton - On Cruise Control After a lifetime of performing magic at Circus World and aboard cruise ships (and even being a cruise director) then a magic demonstrator in Disney World, and a memorable performance on America's Got Talent, Dan Stap
Joe Eddie and Betty Fairchild - More Than Fair - After decades of performing at state and county fairs across the country (including a year of residency at the Riviera in Las Vegas), Joe Eddie and Betty Fairchild have retired to Florida where Joe Edd
Paul Richards - Magic Trends - Magic Dealer, creator, lecturer, producers, and performer, Paul Richards joins us to talk about the current state of conventions, brick & mortar shops, & more. #magictrends #magic #blackpool #magicconventions #m
The Magic Word Podcast: #961 - Michael Breggar - Everything Matters - Long time friend and columnist for The Linking Ring journal, Michael is a clever writer, author of many books and tricks, and very funny guy. #thelinkingring #magic #playingcards #
John Guastaferro - Leading With His Heart - A man of many talents, John works with a philanthropic board that raised millions of dollars for cancer research in children. He has also just released the third in a trilogy of seminal books on card tricks
Dale Carnegie - The Magic Detective Dean Carnegie is a magic performer and the host of The Magic Detective podcast that features deep dives into the lives of well-known to arcane magicians from the past. He is also an accomplished artist featuring pi
John Midgley - Therapist with a Paintbrush - Past National S.A.M. President, John Midgley, is a licensed therapist who is also an accomplished magician and graphic artist. #graphicart #graphicartist #comicbooks #magic #magician #societyofamericanmagi
Jason Bird - Strolling Through Time - Jason Bird was one of the strolling magicians in the legendary Caesar's Magical Empire (1996-2002) and today has written a book about strolling magic. #caesarspalace #caesarsmagicempire #magic #strollingmagic #au
Dan Stapleton - On Cruise Control After a lifetime of performing magic at Circus World and aboard cruise ships (and even being a cruise director) then a magic demonstrator in Disney World, and a memorable performance on America's Got Talent, Dan Stap Joe Eddie and Betty Fairchild - More Than Fair - After decades of performing at state and county fairs across the country (including a year of residency at the Riviera in Las Vegas), Joe Eddie and Betty Fairchild have retired to Florida where Joe Edd Paul Richards - Magic Trends - Magic Dealer, creator, lecturer, producers, and performer, Paul Richards joins us to talk about the current state of conventions, brick & mortar shops, & more. #magictrends #magic #blackpool #magicconventions #m The Magic Word Podcast: #961 - Michael Breggar - Everything Matters - Long time friend and columnist for The Linking Ring journal, Michael is a clever writer, author of many books and tricks, and very funny guy. #thelinkingring #magic #playingcards # John Guastaferro - Leading With His Heart - A man of many talents, John works with a philanthropic board that raised millions of dollars for cancer research in children. He has also just released the third in a trilogy of seminal books on card tricks Dale Carnegie - The Magic Detective Dean Carnegie is a magic performer and the host of The Magic Detective podcast that features deep dives into the lives of well-known to arcane magicians from the past. He is also an accomplished artist featuring pi John Midgley - Therapist with a Paintbrush - Past National S.A.M. President, John Midgley, is a licensed therapist who is also an accomplished magician and graphic artist. #graphicart #graphicartist #comicbooks #magic #magician #societyofamericanmagi Jason Bird - Strolling Through Time - Jason Bird was one of the strolling magicians in the legendary Caesar's Magical Empire (1996-2002) and today has written a book about strolling magic. #caesarspalace #caesarsmagicempire #magic #strollingmagic #au

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