389: Alan Howard - Passing the Torch

This episode is entitled "Passing the Torch" because Alan Howard will be the next Editor and Chief of the M.U.M. journal for the Society of American Magicians. The "torch" will be passed from Michael Close and, to continue the analogy, Alan is a juggler so he is used to passing torches...literally.

We had the opportunity to chat with Alan Howard when he was in Houston for the memorial service for long time friend, John Moehring. Alan traveled from Florida just for this special occasion to honor his friend, and former Editor of the M.U.M.

John Moehring died on July 9, 2017, just ten dies shy of his 75th birthday. Tragically, his life was cut short by Parkinson's Disease. A memorial service was planned for August 26th in Houston, Texas. But due to Hurricane Harvey, the service was delayed until October 14, 2017.

John Moehring "Celebration of Life" Slideshow produced by Gary Plants.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:05:55- Alan Howard reflects on his friendship with John Moehring then talks about his work as a juggler, his work as an editor for "Juggle" magazine, and his upcoming job as the new editor for M.U.M. magazine.

00:35:27 - Charlie Randall, of H&R Magic Books, reflects on his friendship with John Moehring.

00:44:02 - Product Review: "MoneyMorphosis" is a "self-folding bill" effect where the bill morphs into an origami butterfly. Recommended.

00:50:38 - Product Review: "Cool Beans" by Paul Brook - loyalty cards from coffee chops that have stamps and built-in mentalism tricks. Recommended.

00:53:32 - Product Review: "Loyalty" by Paul Brook - key fob tags with bar codes and company names and logos which you can predict. Clever ideas on this one. Recommended.

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364: My Week At The Magic Castle - 2017: Part Three

This podcast runs a little shorter than normal but provides a little local "color" surrounding the Castle. We first travel to Santa Monica to visit with Steve Spill and his "Magicopolis" (video tour below) then back to downtown Hollywood to Musso & Frank Grill which is known for their famous martinis. While there, we uncovered a lot of interesting stories about old (and new) Hollywood celebrities who frequent the bar/restaurant.

Since the conversations are shorter than normal, we have time to review John Bannon's "Move Zero" three DVD set which is for beginners and highly recommended.

Steve Spill, owner and performer at Magicopolis in Santa Monica, CA takes us on a guided tour of the building. For more information on his book, "I Lie for Money", be sure to listen to The Magic Word Podcast episode 218 at https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/steve-spill To hear the latest chat with Steve, live from Magicopolis, then visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/364-my-week-at-the-magic-castle-2017-part-three available after 9:00 a.m. July 6, 2017

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:03:36 - Steve Spill drives us to lunch so we chat with him while he is driving from his theater, Magicopolis, in Santa Monica.

00:13:46 - Ruben Rueda has been a bartender at Musso & Frank Grill for 50 years and has quite a reputation.

00:23:10 - Sonny Bones, one of the servers at Musso and Frank Grill tells us some stories about the iconic restaurant.

00:28:33 - Bobby Caravella, AGM of Musso and Frank Grill expounds on several classic stories about Old Hollywood and those celebrities who have frequented and are frequenting the restaurant.

00:42:27 - Move Zero Vol. One DVD by John Bannon. Click Here for details.

00:50:34 - Move Zero Vol. Two DVD by John Bannon. Click Here for details.

00: 54:05 - Move Zeto Vol. Three DVD by John Bannon - Click Here for details

338: The Presidents' Messages 2017

Jeff Sikora, President of the Society of American Magicians, and Oscar Munoz, President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and Scott Penrose, President of The Magic Circle speak about their vision for their respective organizations during their terms in office plus what more they want to accomplish.

The Magic Circle headquarters hosts a remarkable museum and library dedicated to preserving the craft of magic. The history of magic as an art form has been shrouded in mystery in order to protect secrets, often being handed down verbally and to only a select few, but in The Magic Circle Headquarters this history comes to life with stories and artefacts from some of the most fascinating performers.

http://www.magicsam.com/ The Society of American Magicians is the oldest and most prestigious magic organization in the world. For over a century it has promoted the ideals shared by Kellar, Houdini, Thurston and more than 47,000 others world-wide who have held membership in the society.

Congratulations to Jeroen Wijs who won "The Human Pin cushion Feat" eBook. And thanks also goes to our sponsor, The Great American Magic Company, for offering this prize

If you plan to purchase anything from Amazon.com, then please click through this link. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you will still be able to use that account after clicking through this link. Each purchase will help support The Magic Word Podcast. Thank you, and Happy Holidays!.