352: Geno Munari and Houdini in Las Vegas

Geno Munari, owner and proprietor of Houdini's Magic shop, is a successful entrepreneur who has permeated so many corners of our art that many may not know his full reach. From publishing to creating to manufacturing to marketing to radio to...well, the list goes on and on.

Geno is a rather reclusive individual preferring his anonymity and staying out of the spotlight (in fact, he preferred that I not take a photo of him), but this week we explore the life of this fascinating man and his development into one of the "lesser known" titans of our industry. Before our chat, Geno took me on a tour of his headquarters but I was not allowed to record a video of the interior. But suffice it to say that this is quite an impressive operation complete with a workshop, warehouse, several printing presses, offices, and even a full-functioning, 24/7 radio studio, KIYQ which broadcasts not only to the downtown Las Vegas area, but also online (where you can listen by Clicking Here), and of course, a complete brick-and-mortar magic shop.

With this podcast, I hope to shine a light on Geno and one Houdini's so that you have a fuller appreciation of the magnitude and scope of his acumen and business.

Geno talks about his good friend, Jimmy Grippo, and the documentary he is working on and the book he published, "The Magic of Jimmy Grippo" which covers many of the routines Jimmy wanted to teach while protecting his "pet" effects. I found it interesting that Union Boss, Jimmy Hoffa, was so impressed with the magic of Jimmy Grippo that he planned to build a casino for him to work. He talked about the history of his work in gaming and what lead to the development of Houdini's.

He has strong beliefs about brick-and-mortar magic shops and why he is still in business. He also talked about how he came to use and trademark "Houdini's" and his relationship with Sid Radner.. Towards the end of this podcast, Geno talks about a new movie that revives the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theory. Very interesting revelations and updates.

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351: Wild, Wild Fielding West

Fielding West has been "wowing them" in Las Vegas for decades having worked and rubbed shoulders with some of those with glitz and glamor (like Frank Sinatra and Jerry Lewis among others) who made Sin City the entertainment mecca it has become today. Moreover, he was once roommates with another local magician, Lance Burton, and their friendship endures today. He and Johnny "The Great Tomsoni" Thompson continue to collaborate on the scripts for magicians performing on "the Strip" today as well as on television shows.

Winner of multiple awards from the magic community, Fielding West has been a guest on The Magic Word in the past but with all too brief of conversations as we caught each other in the hallways between magic convention activities. His conversations have spawned more comments and requests from listeners who would like to hear from from this icon of the Las Vegas magic community.

Today, Fielding focuses a lot of his time on coaching people to become better speakers and entertainers. He not only performs magic shows but also he is in demand as a keynote speaker these days.

Fielding West gives us a short tour of his magic memorabilia in his home.

Congratulations to Fielding West and to Luis Piedrahita who were the recipients of the "Performing Fellowship" presented at this year's Academy of Magical Arts awards show. Fielding talked about what a great honor this was and how he was excited for his buddy, Lance Burton, to be the one presenting it to him.

In addition to talking about his honor, Fielding tells some great stories about working in Las Vegas with some of the greats (both in and outside of magic), he gives some advice on performing. But most of all, this was just a fun chat with a good friend. Pour yourself a beverage of your choice and enjoy sitting in the corner and eavesdropping on our conversation. You'll love it!

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350: Hammer Time with Mike Hammer

For the past five years, Mike Hammer has been packing them in while headlining in his own theater in the Four Queens Casino and Hotel on Fremont Street, downtown Las Vegas. Mike has his own style, and it works for him. He is the "Don Rickles" of magic with a rather abrasive approach where he actually insults his audience...and they love him! The night I visited his show, the room was packed and afterwards I overheard some saying this was a repeat visit to enjoy his show. Two people had paid for return visits to watch his show over 30 times!

Some of you might remember seeing Mike on "Penn and Teller Fool Us" with his outrageously memorable performance using a blow up doll. If not, then you can view the video here on this blog.

In this podcast, we cover a lot of territory from how he developed his act, working in Las Vegas, routining, trick selection, getting out of bad situations when things go wrong, and keeping his performances fresh. This was a fun and funny podcast that includes a lot of sound advice with some great behind-the-scenes stories.

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. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here