271: Shawn McMaster - Superman of Magic

Shawn McMaster wanted to fail...and he did. Soooo, I guess he...succeeded???

Shawn was a reluctant guest performer on "America's Got Talent". He wanted to present his unique act once and not move forward to the next phase in Las Vegas. How it all began and what happened is the subject of part of this podcast.

I had hoped to chat with Shawn at the 2015 MAGIC Live! convention but our schedules conflicted and we never made that happen. Shawn was an associate editor of MAGIC Magazine and now serves as one of the contributing writers. Like many professional magicians, he is a corporate entertainer having worked aboard cruise ships, and in theaters in Las Vegas and off-Broadway, and a frequent performer at Hollywood's Magic Castle. He is an interesting person with a creative on-stage character/routine.

It's an odd presentation, but maybe even more odd for Nick Cannon who joins Shawn McMaster as his assistant.

In the first half of this podcast, Shawn relates the story of his experience of performing on America's Got Talent. During the second part of our chat, he talks about acting in a couple of movies, the creation of his signature effect (as Superman on stage), the ethics of stealing someone's creative idea.

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270: Apollo Robbins on the Other Side of the Record

When Gregory Wilson opened the can of worms on episode 268, I guess I expected to give voice to the other point of view. But I did not want to be the "Jerry Springer" or "Maury Povich" of the magic world and pit magicians against each other who happen to have a "beef" with the other for "stealing" intellectual property. i still do not want to perpetuate animosity and derision in our community. In fact, I would rather open the floor to discussion about what constitutes thievery versus what is open to "fair use" in the magic world.

Apollo Robbins was at the epicenter of Gregory's accusations and his side needed to be heard. Shortly after the release of Greg's podcast, I spoke with Apollo. He was reluctant at first but after we chatted a bit, he agreed to publicly air his position and left to live on the information highway. But it was with the proviso that The Magic Word Podcast seek out first-hand accounts from those who were mentioned and have their own stories to defend.

So, I want to begin this week with the hope and promise of trying to fairly and diplomatically look for the truth, whatever that is and wherever that may lead. It could be that no one is right or wrong, it is just a matter of one's construct of reality. I will try to contact those mentioned by Greg to see if they will be willing to go on record to present "proof" that Greg was demanding or at least to tell their side of the story. In the end, you can make up your own mind on who and what you believe.

I like the idea of trying to emulate the idea of the wildly successful podcast series, "Serial". While I will not copy their format, I do want to try to get people to speak on the record about the accusations as they relate to Gregory Wilson and, more importantly, to reveal a subject that should be aired in our magic community: theft versus entitlement. You can follow and/or add to the discussion on Twitter by using the hashtag #MagicCereal

Hailed as the greatest pickpocket in the world, Apollo Robbins studies the quirks of human behavior as he steals your watch. In a hilarious demonstration, Robbins samples the buffet of the TEDGlobal 2013 audience, showing how the flaws in our perception make it possible to swipe a wallet and leave it on its owner's shoulder while they remain clueless.

Magicians' Valhalla

Although the list below is not exhaustive, it does reflect the names of many well-known (and some lesser known) magicians, spouses and assistants who passed on in 2015. Some may not be as well-known to you, but they were my personal friends (hey, it is my blog!). If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, then it would behoove you to do a little online search of what these people have contributed to our craft. If you have someone you think was overlooked, then please post the name in the comments below on this blog.

Those whose names are highlighted were featured or interviewed here on The Magic Word Podcast. You can click on their name to revisit and listen to their voices again.

Claude E. Crowe, Jr.

Amy Dawes

Tim Deremer

Andrea “Andi” Diamond

Dean Dill

Tony Econ

Don England

Lee Grabel

Michael A. Hilburger

Gary D. Jennings

Douglas R. Kornegay

Stan Kramien

René Lavand

Ron London

Father Cyprian Murray

Woodrow “Woody” R. Pittman, Jr.

John J. Randall aka “Johnny Aladdin”

Barrie Richardson

Edward S. Solomon

Donald F. Stiefel

Daniel Waldron

Scott Weston, aka Cashetta

It's not too late to order your 2016 Magic calendar and help support The Magic Word!

Click on the button below to help support The Magic Word Podcast with your PayPal donation and become a Friend of The Magic Word. You can make a one-time donation or pledge regular donations through PayPal. Just set it and forget it and enjoy the podcasts knowing that you are a Friend of The Magic Word. Thank you for your support!

269: Socializing with Murray Sawchuck

I spoke with Murray Sawchuck about this time last year when he was just moving from the Aladdin Hotel & Casino to his new showroom at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Murray is such a multi-faceted guy that I knew we would have to have him back again to chat about another aspect of his public life.

Murray has created the moniker and brand of "Celebrity Magician" and for good reason. He has been seen on hundreds of television programs in the U.S. but it hasn't come easily. Murray works every day at keeping his name and brand in front of the public. He uses the free social media that we all have available to us, but he uses it more efficiently than most. With one of his YouTube videos getting over 40MM hits, i consider him a master of the social media.

Murray just completed his first year at Planet Hollywood and will soon be introducing his new assistant, April, to the act in January 2016.

After being confronted by an officer for drinking in public, Murray uses a little bit of magic to make the champagne bottle disappear and save him from being arrested!

Murray talks about how he has used social media (like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to his benefit and how you can also gain notoriety that could launch you to a celebrity status. In the podcast, Murray mentions a streaming video that was recorded in a guy's apartment and streamed live on Facebook. If you want to view that video, then you can view it here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1025052227514977&id=183634181656790

Murray will be hosting a Master Class in Las Vegas on February 19, 20 and 21, 2016 (limited toi 21 people) teaching many of his social media techniques and more. You can get more information at http://MurrayMasterclass.com

He also discusses his recent break-up from his wife, Chloe, who has apparently been seen with Criss Angela round Las Vegas.