#187 - Kevin James, The Inventor

Kevin James has been called many things, performer, creator, manufacturer, world traveler, author, lecturer, producer and all around great guy. But what he's perhaps best known for is his moniker he has been tagged with for The Illusionists world tour: Inventor.

Certainly Kevin has had his share of inventing original, commercial tricks he has released like "Living Hand", "Floating Rose", "Snow" and "Bowl-A-Rama", among many others. He has won the "Parlour Magician of the Year" from the Academy of Magical Arts and competed in the second season of "America's Got Talent" (sic) where he advanced to the semi-finals. Kevin was also on CBS TV on "World's Greatest Magicians at the Magic Castle". He had a three year run in Paris' Crazy Horse, a multi-year contracts in Las Vegas with the Riviera in "Splash" and at the Greek Isles Casino "The World's Greatest Magic Show".

In this podcast, I caught up with Kevin before his tech rehearsal for his performance at the 2014 Texas Association of Magicians convention in Ft. Worth, Texas. We sat in the quiet theatre before the construction and hub-bub started and talked about The Illusionists world tour, his creations and his process for creating and his association with Gaeton Bloom, his experience on "America's Got Talent" (sic) and advice for others considering an audition. He also talked about some of his performances around the world and his early upbringing and association with the Long Beach Mystics.

This is a very insightful and thorough look at Kevin's magical world and career. Join us as we look through the eyeglasses of Kevin James.

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. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Can't get enough magic podcasts? Why eat alone? Enjoy these irregular podcasts as I take my microphone along and record conversations over lunch, dinner or drinks. It's raw, unedited, something different and fun! Enjoy "Meals with Magicians".

#186 - Day 4 - T.A.O.M. 2014 Ft. Worth, Texas

This is a wrap of the 2014 convention with little to do (actually the only scheduled activity for the day) was the lecture by Diamond Jim Tyler, author of "Pocket Full of Miracles" and the "Bamboozlers" series/ He had a good attendance of nearly 150 people despite the fact that most of the registrants were checking out of the hotel and hitting the road. It was their loss because Diamond Jim delivered a thoroughly entertaining and instructive lecture full of commercial ideas and tricks.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:34 - 2015 T.A.O.M. President, Trixie Bond, talks about the unique theme of next year's T.A.O.M. convention. You can get more details at: http://taom.org/2015/

00:13:25 - Former Entertainment Diector for Houston's Magic Island, Scott Hollingsworth, talks about some history of the Magic Island and his assessment of its future.

00:29:19 Steve Bedwell hasn't performed or lectured at a magic convention in over a dozen years. It's great to see him back and in top form. Visit his website to join his free newsletter at http://SteveBedwellMagic.com

#185 - Day 3 - T.A.O.M. 2014 Ft. Worth, Texas

As a belated update on the events on Day Three (now that my hands are better following carpal tunnel surgery), Dana Daniels delivered his "first ever" lecture for magicians at a magic convention. It was well done and covered a lot of interesting territory with "Finding the Funny", a lecture on how to find humor to put into your act. It was interspersed with anecdotes about his magical career. The afternoon had additional lectures that were well attended (and received) by Davd Chandler, Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyeds, and Master Payne. The close-up competition was featured as part of the afternoon activities, too. Before the school busses departed to whisk us away to the final night show, Master Payne presented a hilarious PowerPoint Presentation followed by the Contest Awards. A highlight of the evening gala show was Kevin James full 45 minute stage show complete with his full crew.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:34 - Dana Daniels talks about comedy

00:14:39 - Davie Rangel talks about his presentation for the close-up competition and why people should compete. This chat was conducted before the presentation off awards during which we learned that he won for senior close-up.

00:26:40 - T.A.O.M. Contest and Award Chairman, Bob Emory talks about the importance of contests and how it helps one's growth in the craft.

00:34:10 Past President of the T.A.O.M., Bill Irwin gives us a wrap of the convention from his perspective.