354: Robin Leach - Lifestyles of Magicians

Robin Leach has long been associated with his catch phrase "Champagne Dreams and Caviar Wishes" as he hosted the long running television show, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"  which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic details. But Robin is also a "magic fan" who clearly loves and has a deep respect for magic and he is friends with many of the local magicians. Believe it or not, he is an honorary member of The Magic Circle. He also has a rather impressive collection of magic books in his library.

I saw Robin Leach at last year's MAGIC Live! who was trying to be inconspicuous as he chatted with Stan Allen. I later asked Stan about Robin's association with magic which led to this podcast. As a long time resident of Las Vegas and immersed in the lifestyles of local celebrities, Robin has a unique perspective on the history and evolution of the magic scene. I felt that he would make a perfect guest for the podcast to hear an "outsiders" perspective of magic, magicians, and the role they have played in making Las Vegas what it is today. I was not disappointed.

Today at age 75 his life hasn't slowed down. I was lucky to get an hour and a half of his time during the week I was in Las Vegas because of his tremendously busy schedule including his weekly vlog (video log) on You Tube, LuxeVegas.

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Our discussion opens with Robin talking about making and enjoying a "proper" cup of tea. He then talks about his passion for magic and how he believes it needs to have a much higher ranking among the performing arts. He then chats about having been a guest of Bob Harbin and becoming an honorary member of The Magic Circle. He then goes on to talk about his favorite magician, Bill Malone. He also enjoyed watching Ricky Jay live in his Broadway performance, "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants".

He then talks about the evolution of magic on the Las Vegas "Strip" including from Norm Neilsen, Channing Pollock, Siegfried and Roy, Lance Burton, David Copperfield to Penn & Teller, Criss Angel and Amazing Jonathan to the newest show on the Strip, Jarrett & Raja. Although he sings the praises of many magicians, he is not a fan of hypnotists, and he also has advice for Mac King and Xavier Mortimer. Ultimately, he believes there are too many magicians in Las Vegas today though the art of magic still survives. He then shifts to talking about how hard it is to work in New York City but Monday Night Magic has proved to be the exception.

He concludes by giving us his three "D's" of show business: Dedication, Discipline and Diligence.

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325: How Garrett Thomas Looks At Magic - Part Two

More than a performer and consultant, Garrett Thomas is an artist. Brought up in an artist family, he talks this week about how he views magic, how it should be presented (i.e. without comedy), and the fallacy in some commonly held axioms (i.e. "a magician is only an actor playing the part of a magician," and "for those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't believe, no explanation will suffice.")

Garrett also tells us about his earliest memories of going to the Forks Hotel and Eddie Fechter plus his current work at a variety of restaurants in and around Buffalo. He also tells some interesting stories about David Blaine and how he became associated with him.

Tribute to the magic of Eddie Fechter at the Forks Hotel.

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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:56 - Garrett Thomas picks up where we left off from Part One where he continues talking about "Astonishment" then going further into how he looks at magic as an art and that he doesn't feel that comedy should be used in his presentations. He also talks about performing at the famed Forks Hotel outside Buffalo, New York (former home of the annual F.F.F.F. convention) and his consulting work with David Blaine.

01:04:05 - "Chardistry" DVD by Daniel Chard - ten tricks are performed and explained on this DVD that include tricks for the beginner to the advanced (easy to do to knuckle-busting). Recommended.

01:08:19 - "Jump" by Jordan Victoria is a utility gimmick that can be inserted into your Ambitious Card routine or utilized for other startling effects. Poor production value in the online video, but otherwise recommended.

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

Click on the banner above to check out some of the tricks that have been reviewed on The Magic Word Podcast.

Congratulations to Tony Baronio, Robb Peffer and Shaun Rivera who won a FREE deck of cards for the "Anniversary Waltz". Thank you to 60+ people who registered for this contest.  Be sure to enter this week's contest for a FREE set of Loops by Yigal Mesika.

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.

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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.

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

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.