475: Jamy Ian Swiss with Stan Allen and Tom Gagnon - Three-Fer

While attending the 2019 MagiFest, I posted daily updates for each of the three days of the event and featured short conversations with talent, registrants, dealers, and organizers. Two of the conversations were longer than I normally like to include with such updates but shorter than the usual one hour of content for a “normal” podcast. So this week we feature the two conversations that were each less than a half hour but make for a satisfying hour podcast filled with different subject matter and points of view.

Jamy Ian Swiss has developed perhaps the most compact, amazing, and practical "Card on Ceiling" ever published, and now he shares the work on video for the very first time - a method you will carry with you every day, always ready to perform this unforgettable feat at a moment's notice. Visit our Online Magic Shop: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/magic-store/5rf6keh5dqmz7z6h241rolotrp30dj

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:02:44 - First up was a conversation I was having with Stan Allen about the upcoming MAGIC Live! convention then we started talking about critics in our craft and the lack of good critics. As fortune would have it, Jamy Ian Swiss was walking by when we cornered him to talk about giving advice and constructive criticism. How fortuitous.

00:26:38 - Later that evening (much into the late night actually), we had a conversation with Tom Gagnon who talked about his projects both old and new and his passion for continuing to learn and move forward with innovative card ideas. He also talks about his friendships and passing relationships with notable magicians like Ed Marlo and Jon Racherbaumer.

01:03:11 - “Card on Ceiling” by Jamy Ian Swiss: This DVD includes three different versions created and used by professionals including Scotty York, J.C. Wagner and Jamy Ian Swiss. On this DVD Jamy includes the history of the trick, nods to those who have made it a signature piece of their shows, performances of all three methods by Jamy at the W.C. Fields Bar at the Magic Castle, plus a thorough explanation of the methods of each. It also includes a great idea by Jamy for having this effect always ready and where and how to hide the “secret stuff”. Excellent. This is a “must-have” for anyone wanting to perform this trick. Highly 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 or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

474: House of Cards

The House of Cards in Nashville, Tennessee is one of the newest magic-themed restaurants/nightclubs in the U.S. This week we take a trip to the House of Cards and talk with Joey Martinez, Director of Operations for the club. Joey was formerly the Floor Manager at Hollywood’s Magic Castle and many of you recognize him as the friendly face who would always greet you at the front door. He now does that from his new location in Tennessee.

This club offers fine dining and excellent magic in an underground, well-appointed club that reminds you of what a “Speak Easy” must have been like in the Prohibition Days. Although they are still going through a few “growing pains” as they decide how best to feature the close-up magic without impeding either the wait staff or the guests, the food is outstanding and the quality of the acts is equally wonderful. They seem to have found a good balance between the food and the magic so both complement each other.

Music City is now home to a magic dining experience you have to see to believe: hidden beneath Broadway, down a winding staircase, sits House of Cards.

Time stamps for this episode:

00:06:00 - we talk with Jill, our server, who gives an overview of what to expect after our dinner, what we should see and what we should do.

00:16:41 - Joey Martinez talks about his transition from the Magic Castle to the House of Cards and some of the ideas he brought along and has been instituting here in Nashville.

00:42:36 - “Maxell’s Signature Opener” by the Other Brothers. A golf pencil transposition to a Sharpie. This is a quickie and a goodie. Easy to do and extremely visual. Great for walk around and restaurant magicians. Highly recommended.

00:45:50 - “Monte Test” by Anthony Stan. A “modern twist” on an old classic, the three card monte. You start our dirty but end up clean (always the way to go). It is a little “fiddly” and requires some practice. I think the original three card monte and some of its variations are better. Recommended with reservations.

00:50:37 - “Buyer’s Remorse” by George Iglesias and Twister Magic. A receipt turns into cash in the blink of an eye. Also described on the online instructional video is a clever way of tipping your server. Not just a variation of Pat Page’s “Flash Cash”, this is a fun gimmick that you can (and should) carry with you for an instant trick. The patter makes complete sense, too. Highly 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 or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here. If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

473: Tom Vorjohan on Tipping, Tricking and Twisting

Tom Vorjohan has a world of experience and freely shares it with other magicians. Tom currently serves as a Board Member on the Board of Trustees for the I.B.M. But professionally he has worked as a restaurant magician for decades. He works at multiple venues each week that affords him with tons of experience. He knows how to entertain and knows the difference between “doing tricks” and “entertaining”. He really knows how to bring the FUN. In addition to magic, Tom is also an award winning balloon sculptor along with his balloon-atic partner, Daniel Herron who have twisted balloons for hotels, conventions and cruise ships. Tom had an ongoing column in M.U.M. for many years.

475: Jamy Ian Swiss with Stan Allen and Tom Gagnon - Three-Fer

474: House of Cards

473: Tom Vorjohan on Tipping, Tricking and Twisting

The Magic Word