337: Danny Archer - Smoke and Mirrors

Danny Archer is making a big leap in the magic business. He is developing a new theater (called "Smoke and Mirrors") under the auspices of Magical Arts Center with a magic shop component, plus he will be offering magic lessons and eventually host seances. Essentially he has a four "S" strategy: Stage, Shop, School and Seance. In this podcast, Danny talks about the development of this new venue plus his previous work in the Colorado ski resort and his dissolution of his business partnership with Gregory Wilson.

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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 2016. Every year is hard when our friends' names appear here, but for some reason, it seems that this year was particularly difficult with many legendary names disappearing into the sands of time and annals of our rich history.

Some of these names 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 art. 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.

Robert George Allen

Paul R. Fried

Harry Riser

Earle J. Christenberry, Jr.

Laura J. Eisele

Kenneth (Ken) Edward Fletcher

Paul F. Osborne

Stanley (Stan) B. Adair

Carl Raymond (Ray) Eyler

Robert (Bob) W. Follmer

Abner (Abb) Pope Dickson, Jr.

Majestik Magnificent

James “JC” Doty

Franz “Tihany” Czeisler

Paul Daniels

Irene Larsen

Thomas “Tom” B. Mullica

Abel Pabόn

Barrie Richardson

James (Jim) M. Patton

Jerry Mentzer

Joanie Lehr

Ed Harris

Billy Godfrey

Peter P.T. Marucci

Douglas (Doug) J. Nieland

Muhammad Ali

Richard A. Amon

Robert “Bob” F. Brown (click on his name for a video lecture by Bob from the 1983 I.B.M. convention in Hawaii)

Carl R. Macan

Congratulations to Jon Barr who won the contest from last week's blog (December 22, 2016)

280: And In His Corner...

As we wind down the #MagicCereal on this podcast and before Gregory Wilson returns to present his final comments, I thought it only appropriate to give voice to friends and business associates who know Greg best. They wanted to share their stories which radically conflict with those presented by the many who have already been given broadcast time to defend their accusations against Greg.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:03:00 - Dave Gripenwaldt talks about his 20+ year friendship and collaboration with Gregory on various projects and how they have worked together on Coffeehouse Conjuring and many other projects.

00:15:04 - Erik Casey (creator of "The Poker Test") and attests to the fact that he shared his idea for this with Gregory who offered nothing but encouragement that led to this effect getting marketed. And to this date, Greg has not accepted any remuneration for his assistance with the entire process (creative, marketing or otherwise). Erik is writing up the story on his blog which you can read by Clicking Here.

00:27:37 - Thom Peterson, The Amazing Guy, has been a long time friend of Greg's and seen and heard him in his creative mode. Thom talks about his experiences that attest to Greg's honesty.

00:41:44 - Danny Archer, business partner with Gregory in the Secret Source magic business, talks about why and how he became associated with Greg despite those who tried to dissuade him and tried to discourage him from going into business. Danny tells first hand stories about Greg's truthfulness, honesty and always choosing to do the right thing.

Cologne, Germany - The global boom in mentalism has been taking place for a number of years. Many magicians are now incorporating mentalism effects into their performances. Many others are seeking information on how they can add mentalism effects to… — **Cologne, Germany** - The global boom in mentalism has been taking place for a number of years. Many magicians are now incorporating mentalism effects into their performances. Many others are seeking information on how they can add mentalism effects to their shows. The Mind Summit catered to everyone from novice to expert who has an interest in the field of mentalism.

235: FISM Italy - Day Four

It may have been a little overcast outside, but the weather and the magic was perfect in the convention center. After viewing the stage competition from 8:30 to 12:30, I got to walk around the dealers a bit more, chat with friends, and attend a couple lectures. And of course, it was Thursday which meant magic and Martinis in the evening with friends at the bar.

After watching Luke Jermay's one man show, was the evening gala featuring: Cyril Takayama and Eun Gyeol Lee as co-MC's with Mike Chao, Topas, David Kaplan, Tony Frebourg, Alberto Giorgi, Rob Zabrecky, Sos & Victoria and Samuel.