223: My Week at the Magic Castle 2015 - Part Four

This week we again enter the Magic Castle and whisper "Open Sesame" into the ear of the owl on the bookcase, the sliding panel opens to where we greet and we talk with friends both old and new.

This week we sit down at the bar with one of the Magic Word listeners (and a "Friend of The Magic Word) and his wife to talk about magic in his life; a quick chat with Chris Philpott (creator of "The 100th Monkey"; a few reminisces with Milt Larsen, widely known as the "builder" of The Magic Castle; a stroll to breakfast with Paul Vigil; then another magician/mentalist named Paul from Salt Lake City, Paul Draper, talks about mentalism and showmanship; and, Christian Cagigal talks about his one man show and a new film project that is getting some traction around the U.S. You can view a "teaser trailer" of the film below.

NOW AND AT THE HOUR (Teaser Trailer) from Ersatz Film on Vimeo.

00:02:28 - Daniel WIll and his wife, Judy, are my first guests as we join them in the main bar, with "Irma the Invisible Piano Player" is playing in the background. He talks about his involvement in magic with the Boy Scouts organization.

00:07:09 - Chris Philpott, creator of the 100th Monkey effect, happened to walk by just as I completed my chat with Daniel and Judy Will. We talked about his product and its popularity. I was able to catch him with Steve Valentine for a quick "elevator conversation" before they had to rush to be seated for the show in the Palace.

00:09:04 - Milt Larsen talks about his radio broadcast on CRN "Hear Them Again" plus the building of the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts plus the recent changes in the name and usage of "The Magic Castle"

00:30:29 - Paul Vigil, talks about his most recent effect he is working on for his show, the "Q&A Act" and his thoughts on disclaimers.

00:39:38 - Paul Draper, talks about how to practice new routines and break them into your act.

01:04:30 - Christian Cagigal talks about his new documentary entitled "Now And At The Hour" chronicling his one-man magic show and how it was developed based on his life with his father who was a Viet Nam veteran with PTSD.

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Click on the picture above to visit the Penguin Magic website for more information on this fantastic trick.

Steve Spill's new book was launched at The Academy of Magical Arts on May 12, 2015. Order your copy from Amazon (and support The Magic Word) by clicking on this graphic.

The Night Before Christmas graphic 2.jpeg

132: The Night Before Christmas

During this year's MINDvention in Las Vegas, several of the attendees agreed to read the Clement Clarke Moore classic poem, "The Night Before Christmas". It was a fun project that includes voices that many magicians will instantly recognize and others you may have to play back a second or third time to believe who it is. This is a short podcast but offered with good wishes for you to enjoy the best of the holiday season.

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.

Magic & Martinis Thursday

On Stan, on Docc, on Kerry and Banachek. On Jeff, on Chad, on Lupe, Bob and Paul(s). Cheers, one and all and to all a good night!

127: MINDvention 2013 - Day Three

The final day continued with exciting activites beginning with one of the best lectures of the convention by Docc Hilford. Lots of great ideas with sound thinking interspersed with humor. After lunch, Cashetta was attired in traditional garb (sans the cocktail dress and make-up) as he talked about development of his character. Nest, Danny and Robert assembled the "Dream Team" of authorities on the the Q&A (Question and Answer) for a panel discussion: Bob Cassidy, Jon Stetson, Michael Weber and Ross Johnson. Of course there was a lively question and answer period.

The afternoon lecture was another treat by a mentalist, (nee Psychic) who rarely attends conventions let alone lectures or performs. John Riggs gave us some real insightful and commercial ideas and material for "readings" and billet work. The evening show, "Masters of Mentalism" was hosted by the hit performer from the previous evening's show, Cashetta. John Riggs opened with some interesting routines using five volunteers. It was interesting that he seated them all on stage but used each for individual effects rather than all in one effect.

Bob Cassidy read the minds of several volunteers from the audience who were unsuspecting "muggles" from the casino who thoroughly enjoyed the show. Docc Hilford closed the show with some very entertaining mentalism using a book test with two volunteers. Danny and Robert closed the convention by presenting Bob Cassidy the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:08 - Paul Vigil talks about magic and mentalism and whether he considers himself as a magician or a mentalist.

00:07:33 - Michael Chaut and Jon Stetson talk about Monday Night Magic (in New York City) and the Mystery Lounge (in Boston, MA), respectively. To see who is on the performance schedule for Monday Night Magic, then visit their website at: http://magicalnights.com/ You can check out the Mystery Lounge (Boston's Original Cabaret) at: http://mysterylounge.com/Home.html

00:19:24 - Jeff McBride talks about his Masterclasses with MINDvention as well as other Masterclasses he hosts. More info at http://www.magicalwisdom.com/

00:29:30 - Andrew Goldenhersh enjoyed this convention and tells us some of what he's been up to in Japan.

00:40:50 - Danny Archer breathes a little easier as he gives us a recap from his perspective as a co-organizer. He also gives us the dates for next year's event: October 11-13, 2014.

00:46:00 - John Riggs talks about being a psychic in the Bible Belt of America plus a glimpse of some unpublished material from "The Messiah Complex Part 2" which may never see print. Listen to find out why. John make fine handcrafted products for serious mentalists. If you are interested, then contact him at JohnRiggs@comcast.net and request a link to his secret website.

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Thanks to Christopher Rose @MindControlArt who suggested that I have my own Twitter account. So now you can follow The Magic Word at @MagicWordPod