231: FISM Italy - Prelude

The 26th World Championships of Magic is about to get underway...tomorrow. But first, let's learn a little about FISM and how it's judged and more about the point system and more, plus hear from a few friends I met while waiting to check in at the registration desk.

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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:59 - Craig Mitchell is joined late in our chat by Shawn Farquhar.

00:09:19 - Peter Rogers and Raymond Crow

00:20:40 - Aaron Crow

00:23:27 - Paul Daniels

00:31:14 - Boris Wild

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211: Nick Lewin - A Brit Under the Brim

British born Nick Lewin has been in America for over 40 years but only recently found his way to the great state of Texas where he and his wife, Susan, reside in the state's capital city of Austin. Most of you know Nick as a regular contributor to Alan Watson's "New Zealand eZine" and as the co-editor for the fantastic, FREE digital magazine for magicians, "Vanish". But you may not know that he was the first afternoon show in Las Vegas performing two shows for six days a week for five years at the Maxxim Hotel & Casino. When he left, Mac King took his spot as Nick moved on. Nick has been, and remains. a popular cruise ship entertainer. He even wrote a book on the subject entitled, "Cruise Magic 101".

Nick's mentor and friend was Billy McComb from whom he learned a lot. He was also influenced by Maurice Fogel and Ken Brooke. After moving to Los Angeles in the 1970's and settling near the Magic Castle, he continued to learn from and befriend many of the magical "luminati".

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Nick recently traveled a short four hour drive to Houston where he lectured to our local magic group and spent some time behind the microphone to chat about his life. Nick shares tons of interesting stories right from the start of our conversation including funny memories with Maurice Fogel, Billy McComb and more. He also talks about his early years in Las Vegas, working cruise ships, hanging out at the Magic Castle with Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, and more. If you enjoy stories about the "old guys" and the "old days", then you will enjoy this look back at some of our magic history. Plus he gives us some performing tips along the way that are well worth the price of this podcast.

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). You can download or listen to the podcast through FeedPress by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

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Join us for another episode as a few magicians dine and chat. There is a little magic talked about in this episode, a little...okay, very little. Just another boring dinner with David Stone and Martin Cox and a few local Houston magicians.

#207: Paul Daniels, Part 2 - There's More to Say

In this final installment of our two part podcast, Paul moves on from his reminiscences about his days in television to talk about a variety of other subjects. Along the way we not only hear some great stories but also get several gems of knowledge and a couple ideas for tricks, too. This conversation could have gone on for quite some time longer so I sincerely thank Paul for being so gracious with his time. And I should thank his wife, Debbie, too, for I'm sure that she was busy putting away Christmas decorations all by herself as Paul talked with me all the while never complaining or shouting for him to get off the phone and help.

Paul recently completed a four DVD set  called "Bravura" covering his full act including his chop cup routine, electric chairs, egg, lemon & walnut and more. This is a complete and thorough explanation of everything and is a great legacy for many generations of future generations of magicians to study.

The full version of one of my favourite magic tricks by one of my favourite magicians :)

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In this second part of our discussion, Paul talks about the disposition of his magic collection and give us several stories of working for the Royal family, his recreation of Max Malini at the Edinburgh "Fringe Festival", his fingertip accident with a table saw, magic club politics, and more. At 76 years of age, Paul continues to present a live touring show each year in small theaters around the U.K. Along the way throughout our chat, Paul offers some great tips on performing.

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.

Paul Daniels will be one of the featured performers at this year's Magi-Fest in Columbus, Ohio. It is getting down to the wire for last minute registration for Magi-Fest. Be sure to click on the banner above for more information and to register today.

The complete legacy from Paul Daniels, complete with performance of his act, explanations and interviews with his wife, Debbie McGee and many other magicians.