Notice to iTunes Subscribers: New Link on iTunes for The Magic Word

I have fully migrated my page to Squarespace from the defunct Posterous. This has necessitated the transition of my podcasts on iTunes to a new link.

For those of you who are subscribed to The Magic Word on iTunes, please make sure that you are directed to the new link so you can download the latest podcasts. If the last one you see is "My Morning With Murray - Part Two" then you have the old link because there have been many podcasts uploaded since then. You can search the iTunes store (under "Podcasts") for The Magic Word or Scott Wells under Arts/Performing Arts to locate the feed. Or you can go to the site through the internet by visiting: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/magic-word-for-magicians-about/id635943641

Please update your subscription today. And while you are there, I would sincerely appreciate your help by adding your comments and rating on my podcasts. In the transition to the new feed on iTunes, I lost all of the ratings and comments so I must begin anew. Your five star ratings and encouraging words for me to continue these free podcasts would be greatly appreciated.

John Shryock was joined by Ben Jackson in this special podcast.

097: John Shryock, Magical Captain of Land & Sea

John Shryock is a "favorite son" and good friend of Houston magicians. He and wife, Mari, regularly performed at The Magic Island for many years in its "hey day". But today when John is not with his wife and two daughters, he is either entertaining aboard cruise ships or performing at Warren & Annabelle's in Maui, Hawaii. While recently touring the continental U.S. with a somewhat abbreviated lecture schedule, John stopped through Houston for a couple nights. He and Fred Becker put on a show for Top Talent Productions on Saturday night that brought down the house. Well, they actually brought the audience to their feet not once but twice for standing ovations. A local veteran magician reported that it was the best magic show he had seen in years. On Sunday, John traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana to lecture for Chip Romero and their magician's group. He then returned to Houston on Tuesday where he had a gala "welcome home" reception with many of the old Magic Island magicians coming out to rekindle old friendships and enjoy his lecture.

in this podcast, John talks about his work at sea and on land including Warren & Annabelle's and the now defunct Caesar's Magical Empire in Las Vegas. He also talks about character development and the importance of music in one's act. Some of this material is from his lecture so podcast listeners get a sneak peek at some of his lecture material.

As a bonus for this episode, local magician and multiple award winner,, Ben Jackson joined us. He also talked about character development and some "behind the scenes" preparation for his recent appearance as a contestant on NBC's Today Show with David Copperfield. He also gave us an overview of his T.E.D. talk he presented on "Simplicity vs. Complexity" using magic to demonstrate his points. That interesting talk is all on the video link below in this blog.

This podcast turned out to be quite enlightening and lots of fun well into the wee hours of the morning.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here then right click to save the file. You can also download the MP3 media file directly from the RSS feed by Clicking Here.

Some of the "old crew" who worked together when John was a frequent visitor to The Magic Island. From left to right, Scott Hollingsworth (former Entertainment Director), Scott Wells, Phil Kampf, John Shryock, Frank Price and Jamie Salinas.

Random Photos from 2013 F.F.F.F.

A wink is as good as a force to a horse, of course, of course. Geoff Williams finds a willing (?) volunteer who would stand still long enough to pick a card.

Anson from Taiwan blew us away with his manipulation skills. producing colorful cards both small and large.

Ines from Spain delighted the audience with her masterful skills of sleight-of-hand and misdirection as part of the Saturday afternoon kickoff show.