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409: Walter "Zaney" Blaney - Surprise 90th Birthday Party

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This week we have a unique podcast. Join along with The Magic Word as we attend a Surprise Party (or rather Surpri"Z"e Party with the "Z" for "Zaney") held a week after his actual February 11th birthday. This was hosted in the home of one of his three daughters, Shannon, who lives across the street from Walter. Walter's eyesight is not what it used to be and he has to nearly be right up on you before he can recognize you.

We had a few surprises for the guests, too, including the presentation of an I.B.M. Presidential Certificate, a baritone horn performance by one of Walter's relatives, a couple of songs by his grand daughter, a banjo performance, and a Skype call by one of his admirers who couldn't make it...David Copperfield.

Several dozen of Walter's relatives and closest friends surprised him with a party one week after his actual birthday.

David Copperfield pays tribute to Walter "Zaney" Blaney at the dedication of the Walter Blaney Exhibit at the David Copperfield Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas. http://www.walterzaneyblaney.com

View fullsize David Hinkin Presenting the I.B.M. Presidential Citation to Walter
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View fullsize Walter, Daniel Summers and Tim Drake
View fullsize Mallory, Walter's grand daughter
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View fullsize Mark Holstein, Walter and Su Holstein

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:03:45 - Walter is surprised.

00:06:40 - David Hinkin presents Walter with a special Presidential Citation from Bob Patterson, International President of the I.B.M.

00:08:51 - Tim Drake and Daniel Summers talks about putting this together plus the special exhibit Tim created in David Copperfield's museum.

00:12:41 - Walter's daughter, Becky Blaney, invites us into the living room.

00:13:03 - Jeff Lanes talks about the S.A.M. awards that have been conferred on Walter.

00:14:50 - Walter "Zaney" Blaney talks about being surprised and enjoying the celebration

00:19:44 - David Copperfield joins us on Skype to pay homage to Walter.

00:30:28 - Scott Hollingsworth, Entertainment Director of the former Magic Island, talks about when Walter was in his "hey day" and the development of his Ladder Levitation.

00:35:24 - Walter's daughter and professional magician, Becky Blaney, talks about her dad and what it was like growing up with him.

00:40:03 - Mark Holstein chats about Walter being a pioneer in the trade show business with Marshall Brodein.

00:45:35 - Product Review - Project Swiss Army by Brandon David and Chris Turchi. A gimmicked deck of cards and card box does a variety of amazing thing. Recommended.

00:49:30 - Product Review - NeoMix by Jim Krenz. Specially printed cards used for the conclusion of an "Oil and Water" routine. Recommended.

00:53:34 - Starlight by Chris Perrotta. A beam of light from a borrowed mobile phone shines through a selected card and the card's value is seen as a spotlight through the card. 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

Be sure to use the promo code of: themagicwordpodcast when registering and receive a #100 discount through February 28, 2018.

Be sure to use the promo code of: themagicwordpodcast when registering and receive a #100 discount through February 28, 2018.

Tagged with Walter "Zaney" Blaney, David Copperfield, Becky Blaney, Mark Holstein, Scott Hollingsworth, Tim Drake, Daniel Summers.

February 22, 2018 by Scott Wells.
  • February 22, 2018
  • Scott Wells
  • Walter "Zaney" Blaney
  • David Copperfield
  • Becky Blaney
  • Mark Holstein
  • Scott Hollingsworth
  • Tim Drake
  • Daniel Summers
  • Post a comment
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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.
View fullsize Matt Schulien
View fullsize Sandy Marshall (Jay's son), Bob Schulien and Pedro Nieves Bosque
View fullsize Bobby with his father, Charlie Schulien
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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 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.

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

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

Tagged with Bob Schulien, Schulien's, Chicago magic bar, Chicago magic history, Al James, Heba Habe Al, Bill Weimer, Don Alan, Chuck Morris.

November 10, 2016 by Scott Wells.
  • November 10, 2016
  • Scott Wells
  • Bob Schulien
  • Schulien's
  • Chicago magic bar
  • Chicago magic history
  • Al James
  • Heba Habe Al
  • Bill Weimer
  • Don Alan
  • Chuck Morris
  • Post a comment
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213: Chicago Magic Bars & Lounges

Chicago has a rich history of magic bars within the city limits as well as in the outlying areas. The "hay day" of magic bars in Chicago ended around 1998 with the closing of the last magic bar. But Joey Cranford and John Sturk are pumping new life into an old concept with the new nightclub/theater called "Chicago Magic Lounge". This will be a recreation of the early 20th century, prohibition era lounge one night each week on the upper part of Chicago.

Bill Weimer is a local magician who was an integral part of the Chicago magic bar scene from the 1970's through the 1990's. He worked seven of the nine or so Chicago-land magic bars. He has a lot of stories about these clubs in their glory days and in fact, wrote a book about his experiences called "Now You See Them, Now You Don't".

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00:03:18 - Joey Cranford and John Sturk talk about the newest venture that will open on March 5, 2015, The Chicago Magic Lounge. They talk about their vision of the Lounge and what they hope will happen. They will also encourage local magicians to come and hang our and create a "magic lab" where performers can try out new stuff.

00:40:56 - Bill Weimer talks about the history of Chicago-land bars from his perspective of one who has been there and done that having worked at seven of the nine or so magic bars within the city's boundaries over a 20 year period. Bill wrote the book on bar magic entitled "Now You See Them, Now You Don't". In this podcast, Bill shares some of the stories from his book and his perspective as a working performer.

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.

Open Thursday Nights at 8:00

Open Thursday Nights at 8:00

Order your copy of Bill's book at his website http://www.magicbarbook.com/

Order your copy of Bill's book at his website http://www.magicbarbook.com/

Tagged with Bill Weimer, John Sturk, Joey Cranford, Now You See Them Now You Don't, Chicago, Chicago magic bar, Chicago Magic Lounge.

March 5, 2015 by Scott Wells.
  • March 5, 2015
  • Scott Wells
  • Bill Weimer
  • John Sturk
  • Joey Cranford
  • Now You See Them Now You Don't
  • Chicago
  • Chicago magic bar
  • Chicago Magic Lounge
  • Post a comment
Comment
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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My son, Nick, received stem cells today for his leukemia. That means that today is his new "birthday." Let's hope and pray that this treatment works this time. 🤞
And then this happened! I was surprised at AbraCORNdabra with this award. Thank you for recognizing and appreciating my efforts. #abracorndabra2025 #tinybubbles
Three days of reports from AbraCORNdabra in Des Moines, Iowa featuring chats with organizers, registrants, dealers, and talent like @jekiyoo #stevedaly #alschneidermagic @samelsonmagic #abracorndabra2025 #desmoines #magicconvention
IYKYK Happy Mother's Day. Celebrating our annual pilgrimage with Kathy at my side, in spirit.
Daily podcast reports on the Magic Collector Expo from Las Vegas featuring chats with talent, organizers, dealers, and registrants. #lasvegas #theorleans #magic #magicconvention #davidcopperfield #magicwordpodcast https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/
Livin' it up in Las Vegas at the Magic Collector Expo. #magiccollectorexpo2025 #davidcopperfield #jeffmcbride #charlesgreeneiii
Join us for our very special 900th podcast episode this week featuring @dansperry who is universally known in the magic community having performed with The Illusionists and often appearing on television plus casinos, theaters, and stages around the w
Daily reports from the 4F convention in Buffalo,  New York.  The original close-up magic convention, invitation only, with some of the best close-up workers in the world. #ffff #fechtersfingerflickingfrolic #ffff2025 #cheektowaga #magicwordpodcast #m
My son, Nick, received stem cells today for his leukemia. That means that today is his new "birthday." Let's hope and pray that this treatment works this time. 🤞 And then this happened! I was surprised at AbraCORNdabra with this award. Thank you for recognizing and appreciating my efforts. #abracorndabra2025 #tinybubbles Three days of reports from AbraCORNdabra in Des Moines, Iowa featuring chats with organizers, registrants, dealers, and talent like @jekiyoo #stevedaly #alschneidermagic @samelsonmagic #abracorndabra2025 #desmoines #magicconvention IYKYK Happy Mother's Day. Celebrating our annual pilgrimage with Kathy at my side, in spirit. Daily podcast reports on the Magic Collector Expo from Las Vegas featuring chats with talent, organizers, dealers, and registrants. #lasvegas #theorleans #magic #magicconvention #davidcopperfield #magicwordpodcast https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/ Livin' it up in Las Vegas at the Magic Collector Expo. #magiccollectorexpo2025 #davidcopperfield #jeffmcbride #charlesgreeneiii Join us for our very special 900th podcast episode this week featuring @dansperry who is universally known in the magic community having performed with The Illusionists and often appearing on television plus casinos, theaters, and stages around the w Daily reports from the 4F convention in Buffalo,  New York.  The original close-up magic convention, invitation only, with some of the best close-up workers in the world. #ffff #fechtersfingerflickingfrolic #ffff2025 #cheektowaga #magicwordpodcast #m

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

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