482: Les Arnold - More Inspired

Les Arnold has one of the funniest magic parody acts on the scene today. He works with his daughter (known as “Dazzle”) and has appeared four times on “Masters of Illusion” TV show (to date). Les was one of the early members of the legendary “Long Beach Mystics” in Long Beach, California and was a shop teacher until retirement when he converted his part time job as a performer to full time. During his formative years, Les built many illusions and developed his stage act today known as Les Arnold and Dazzle.

You can catch Les Arnold appearing at the Magic Collectors Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 20-22, 2019 and also at the I.B.M. Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona on July 10-13, 2019.

Les Arnold and Dazzle Full Act on Masters of Illusion

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:02:50 - Les Arnold talks about his early beginnings with the Long Beach Mystics, how he developed his act “Les Arnold and Dazzle” act with his daughter, and how he keeps focused on what material works best for his character/act.

01:05:23 - Product Review: “Mint-O” from Vanishing, Inc. - a mint (Lifesaver or Polo circular mint) magically penetrates onto the cord of a set of headphone. Very visual with three different methods. Recommended.

01:08:00 - Product Review: “Snapped” from the Other Brothers - wrapped candy (i.e. Airheads, Hershey bar, etc. - some flat, wrapped candy) automatically, quickly and visually vanishes behind your wallet, deck of cards or other similarly sized item. Recommended.

01:10:40 - Product Review: “Fully Automatic Card Trick (FACT)” by Caleb Wiles - A seriously, fully automatic card trick that the volunteer does in his hands. There are instruction cards in the deck that the volunteer will follow to make this a “hands off” trick for the magician. It will take time to remember the set-up, but highly recommended.

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355: Bill Smith - The Man Behind the Illusions

Former Long Beach Mystic, Bill Smith, has been a long time resident on Las Vegas and doesn't consider himself as a creator so much as he is a builder. He has seen a lot of magicians come and go. For ten years, he was a stage hand for Harry Blackstone, Jr. and traveled across the U.S. including his Broadway show. He also has some strong beliefs on building from original plans rather than building rip-offs.

As part of the Las Vegas Chronicles, one of the visits was to the illusion fabrication warehouse of Bill Smith's Magic Ventures where his crew was busy building props for upcoming shows. For more info on Magic Ventures, visit his website at: http://www.magicventures.com/

To hear our chat with Bill Smith, visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/bill-smith

Bill Smith talks about his migration to "Sin City" as magic began to flourish. He talks about magic he has been involved with from Caesar's Magic Kingdom to the current big shows on the Strip. He also talks about working with Stan Allen in the magic shop in Los Angeles and his early attempts at building. Bill started out as a performer and gradually moved into building. He also chats about how he met Harry Blackstone, Jr. and how he starting working for him including a lot of behind-the-scene stories with Harry. Some of Bill's best memories are from his attendance at Abbott's Get Together.

We then have a good discussion about rip-offs of illusions, ethics, rights, YouTube, China, lack of creativity, and more. He now laments the lack of new, original illusions coming on the market today.

330: Bob Schulien on "Schulien's" Bar Magic

Schulien's was one of the legendary magic bars in Chicago that thrived throughout most of the 20th century. At the soul of the restaurant was its owner, Matt Schulien. Chicago-style magic was born here where the magic came fast and furious as drinks were served and the motto was "GTFM" (Get The F'ing Money).

In this podcast, Robert "Bob" Schulien, the grandson of Matt Schulien worked at Schulien's under his father who was heir to the bar and who encouraged Bob to perform magic for the patrons. He was told that people came to the bar not only for food and drink but also for the magic. They expected magic and so Bob became the "designated magician by default". Other magicians later came to work and perform at Schulien's (like Al James and Chuck Morris) until it closed on January 27, 1999. There is an excellent article online that tells its history at The Chicago Bar Project.

Bob carries on the tradition of bar magic each week at The Chicago Magic Lounge along with a bevy of prestidigitators who entertain every Thursday and Saturday night. You can listen to a previous episode with the owners/managers that was broadcast #213: Chicago Magic Bars and Lounges

Chicago Magic Lounge quickly became 2015's speakeasy for many professional traveling magicians. Not only to perfom but also relax by enjoying the camaraderie of fellow Chicago magicians, as well as honing their craft. I've been collecting fun behind the scenes video and photos taken over the first year of shenanigans at the CML.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:04:36 - Bob Schulien talks about the early years of his grandfather Matt Schulien's Bar in Chicago from its earliest days until it finally closed. Bob regales us with many stories about his grandfather and the magic and pranks he used to perform for and on his customers.

00:56:45 - "Brother Paul" West invented a new product called the CellGrasp which makes it easier to hold you mobile phone while taking selfies. This is a product I keep on my cell phone all the time and I find indispensable. He also has a special offer to listeners of The Magic Word Podcast.

01:03:54 - "Flaming Coffee" by SansMinds is a visual stunner that takes the Fire Wallet to a new level. Recommended with reservations. Also, not available to those under 19.

01:07:49 - "The Deceased" by Jamie Daws is a creepy, dark and bizarre bit of magic that could have your audience feeling the goosebumps. This is a :Living or Dead" test that is well made and can be carried around in your wallet to creep out people at a moment's notice. Recommended.

Order a CellGrasp and receive your choice of any one of Brother Paul's five downloads from his website. Order two CellGraps and receive two free downloads. Oder three, and...well, you get the idea.

Order your copy of this book and help The Magic Word Podcast through your purchase.