133: Magic Year in Review - Putting the Band Back Together

In this podcast, I am joined by most of the old gang from "This Week in Magic" that was part of The Magic Newswire: Dodd Vickers, David "Silly Billy" Kaye, and Cameron Ramsay. Chase Goforth was "under the weather" and unable to join us on this podcast.

Many have wondered what Dodd Vickers has been doing since his hiatus from The Magic Newswire and his plans for the future of the website. The movie business in Atlanta, Georgia has certainly kept him busy but he has not neglected The Magic Newswire. Some exciting things are in store that include The Conjuring Arts Center. David Kaye has been touring a lecturing abroad throughout Europe and Africa during this past year. David talks at length about the College of Magic and the important work they are doing for the youth in Africa. Be sure to check out their website to see how you can help. Cameron has been performing, attending lectures and working with Andrew Mayne's new television show.

At time stamp 00:40:24 we kick off our discussion of what has happened in the world of magic including magic in the movies, magic on television, live theatrical magic productions, magic conventions, and more. We also mentioned a few names of those magicians who have passed on during this past year.

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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 2013. 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.

Magicians' Valhalla

Scott B. “Scotty” York, Jr. (DOD – December 28, 2012)

Imam Hossain (DOD – December 2012)

Kees Schoonenberg

Louis W. Chaudet

Robert “Bob” Steiner

William P. “Bill” Miesel

Harold F. Puff

Alexander Adrion

Maurine B. Christopher

Jerry C. Schnepp, Sr.

David Ball

Deyip J. Louie

Hans Moretti

Peter J. Reveen

Dr. Robert A. “Bob” Escher, Jr.

Johnny Lonn (Bjorn Lonnqvist)

Dennis R. Loomis

Vinicio Raimondi

Gene “Phantini” Grant

Amos Levkovitch

David L. Bendix

Richard A. “Dick” Staub

Richard W. “Rick” Walker

Albert Ching

Bart Whaley

Jon LeClair

Burton S. Sperber

Madren Elbern “John” Calvert

Gladys Simoneaux Christenberry

Gertrude Smith

C. Parker Swan, III

Monica Roucau

Roland Hill

Karl Norman

Roderick William "Rod the Hop" Dee

Last vestiges of Christmas cookies to be eaten as we ring in the New Year. Cheers!

082: Part 5 - The End of the World/Year Podcast

We conclude this “End of the World” podcast by featuring three more magicians. You can pick up our chats at the following time marks:

00:00:00 – Eric DeCamps had success with producing his one man show, Pure Magic – A Performance of Contemporary Conjuring. In this chat, Eric talks about how he put his show together and gives advice and suggestions for those who might be interested in producing and marketing their own show. http://www.ericdecamps.com/

0:24:18 – Craig Mitchell jumped into the magic convention business with both feet and made a big splash with his immensely popular IMX conventions in Las Vegas. His next sojourn into the magic convention scene will be “adventurous” to say the least. Here we talk about magic conventions and what might be the secret of success in organizing such events. We also talk about the importance of youth to our art and his six year program in the College of Magic and how we can sponsor an underprivileged student. http://www.sponsorastudent.co.za/

00:47:02 – Paul Draper, mentalist, anthropologist and speaker, brings it all home with his research and perspective on the Mayan (or is it Aztec) calendar and the end of the world.

I want to sincerely thank each of my friends for taking the time out of their day (or night) during this busy season to chat with me for this very special podcast. Please join me by showing them your appreciation and listening to their thoughts, advice and prognostications…and visiting their websites where you can drop them a “thank you” email.

Happy Holidays to all of you from The Magic Word.

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042: The Session 2012

Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin hosted the second annual Session convention in Cheltenham, U.K. on January 14-15, 2012. This is billed as the "U.K.'s Only Close-Up Magic Convention" and this year featured some really "knock-out" talent like Chris Kenner, Dani DaOrtiz, Wayne Houchin, Michael Vincent, Eric Jones, Christian Engblom, and many, many others.

Alex Rangel and Alan Rorrison attended this year's event and they talk about the experience on this episode of The Magic Word. And what an experience it was! Listen to their description of some of the greatest sleight-of-hand guys around plus what's new and what's hot. They also chat about the intimate seminar experience that must have been awesome. After listening to this podcast and if you want to learn more and don't want to miss next year's event, then visit their website at: http://www.sessionconvention.com/

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