436: Current Events

Lots of has been stuff that has been happening over the past few weeks. This week I try to cover a lot of it including my four week road trip (3,200 miles, eight states, 50 driving hours and visiting hundreds of friends) including a visit to a new brick and mortar magic shop. This past week was also the international competitions of FISM in South Korea. So this week we also chat with Stuart MacDonald who competed in General Magic and paced eighth in the world (first among U.S. competitors).

Penn & Teller Fool Us Stuart MacDonald #PennandTellerFoolUs season 4. More videos on his channel : https://www.youtube.com/user/StuMagic/videos

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:16 - I talk a little about his 3,000 mile road trip from Houston, Texas to Illinois to Michigan to Wisconsin to Oklahoma then back again. I call it my REBIRTH TOUR: over 3,200 miles, eight states, 50 hours on the road, and visits with dozens of family and friends, old and new. Each one helped me through the grieving process after my wife's passing. BTW, Kathy Wells joined me on this trip, too. I carried her ashes in the car with me for the trip.

First I drove straight for 14 hours in one day from Houston to Central Illinois to visit my mother-in-law and my wife's family where I mixed some of Kathy's ashes with her father's. I then drove to nearby Champaign, IL to see Andy Dallas and record a podcast from his magic shop.

Then it was on to Chicago to spend time with Don Wiberg and recorded a podcast about the Chicago Magic Round table members. Of course, a trip to Chicago had to include a trip to Magic, Inc. and saw Pedro Nieves Bosque, Ryan Plunkett and Lion Fludd. Don Wiberg and then over to the new Chicago Magic Lounge where I was given a first class tour by John Sturk and saw my friend, Jeff Bibik work behind the bar. Don and I then saw an entertaining one-man show by David London.

From Chicago I set my car towards Grand Rapids, Michigan with a side trip to Albanese Chocolate Factory in Indiana. Lots of great magic and friends at the IBM Convention in Grand Rapids too numerous to mention. But it was great seeing friends who supported me and gave me a hug, which I sorely needed.

After the convention it was back to Chicago and a visit with my fraternity brother and a groomsmen from my wedding 43 years ago, Jack Petersen and his wife, Linda Geeve Petersen. The following day I drove to the Wisconsin Dells to see a fantastic theater and show by my friend, Rick Wilcox and his wife Susan.

After lovely breakfast with the Wilcoxes (and a scone recipe from Susan), I drove to Oklahoma for a great visit with Doug Anderson and his wife Patti Beth. I then took a morning drive to nearby Tulsa to have lunch with Steve Lancaster. Before leaving Oklahoma, Doug took me to the small village of Locust Grove where Clark B. May operates the Rabbit in Hat Magic Shop and Theater.

From Oklahoma, I traveled to Dallas to visit with my son, Nick Wells, Jamie Wells and my grand daughters. Then after a few days, it was time to return to Houston.

I want to sincerely thank all of my friends and family for opening their doors and hearts to welcome me and help me on this "Rebirth Tour". I feel refreshed and ready to take on the world again. Lots of great stuff coming up for which I am truly thankful for and know it will be nothing but good!

00:06:16 - Clark B. May talks about his new brick and mortar magic shop in Locust Grove, Oklahoma and his plans for opening a theater in the back and a restaurant, too.

00:33:22 - Stuart MacDonald just returned from competing in the world championships (FISM) in Busan, South Korea where he ranked eighth in the world. He talks about preparing for the competition and his experience at FISM.

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357: Timo Marc - An Unexpected Visitor

Timo Marc is an award winning magician from a small town near Stuttgart, Germany. He happened to be in Las Vegas overlapping my visit there. We tried all week to get together and due to conflicting schedules and his short bout with the flu, we nearly missed each other. But on the last night of my stay, we met up at the Orleans hotel and recorded this delightful chat.

Timo is a winner of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix plus recipient of the Siegfried and Roy "SARMOTI" Award, too. He travels the world with his "shadow act" but often stays in Germany where he is a frequent performer in a the local city theatre.

In this podcast, Timo Marc talks about the German equivalent of "America's Got Talent [sic]" TV show and why it isn't good for professional nor amateur in Germany. He also talks about developing his stage act, performing in FISM contests, working in Macau with Franz Harary, meeting his "heroes" like Rudy Coby, and his long-standing friendship with Christian and Katalina Painter.

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

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.

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

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