416: Magic In The Big Apple

In this podcast, we enjoy a chat about some of New York City's (NYC) rich heritage of magic with David "Silly Billy" Kaye, Herb Scher, and Richard Cohn. Richard Cohn is a scholar on Coney Island and on magic in NYC in general. He tells us about the history of some of the old local magic shops (like Tannen's, Martinka's, Holden's and others) plus stories about Al Flosso in Coney Island, Houdini, magic on Broadway, and "magic" things to do and see in the City today. If you plan to visit "The Big Apple" and looking to find a little magic, then I recommend you check out Herb's website for magical things to do, see and enjoy. Click Here to visit Herb's "Magic in New York Blog" for more information.

Herb Scher and David Kaye are involved with producing this year's 109th annual "Salute to Magic" which is open to the public and happens this Saturday night, April 14, 2018 at 7:30 at Fashion Institute of Technology’s Haft Theatre ( 227 West 27th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue) This is sponsored by the S.A.M. Parent Assembly #1 which is one of the nation's oldest and longest running annual magic shows.

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.. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here And remember, you can listen through your Amazon Echo by just saying, "Alexa...Play the Magic Word Podcast".

Click on the graphic above for more information on the 2018 Salute To Magic

373: John Cox is Wild About Houdini

John Cox is passionate about one prestidigitator...Harry Houdini. You could say he is "Wild About Harry". At least he says that. For nearly seven years, John has maintained a daily blog about Houdini. Who would have thought there is that much information to be found on a daily basis about Houdini? Well, there is new stuff being revealed more regularly than you could ever imagine.

I first met John Cox when I was the "Medium" for the "Official Houdini Seance" in 2012 when we enjoyed the hospitality of our host, Arthur Moses, noted Houdini collector. You can hear Part One of our chat by Clicking Here and Part Two Here. We became fast friends because of not only our mutual interest in Houdini, but also Sherlock Holmes and James Bond plus an avid film fanatic in general.

While in Hollywood performing at The Magic Castle in 2017, I stopped by the apartment of John Cox, noted Houdini collector and blogger. Be sure to visit his blog at http://WildAboutHoudini.com for daily updates on all things Houdini.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:04:26 - John Cox talks about his obsession and his blog and some of the more interesting things he has posted over the years.

01:07:58 - Product Review of "Conjuror At The Table - A Master Course in Restaurant Magic" by Al James and available through Magic, Inc.

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

Don't let the title of this graphic fool you. The correct URL is WildAboutHoudini.com

More information and to order your copy from Magic, Inc., click the image above.

352: Geno Munari and Houdini in Las Vegas

Geno Munari, owner and proprietor of Houdini's Magic shop, is a successful entrepreneur who has permeated so many corners of our art that many may not know his full reach. From publishing to creating to manufacturing to marketing to radio to...well, the list goes on and on.

Geno is a rather reclusive individual preferring his anonymity and staying out of the spotlight (in fact, he preferred that I not take a photo of him), but this week we explore the life of this fascinating man and his development into one of the "lesser known" titans of our industry. Before our chat, Geno took me on a tour of his headquarters but I was not allowed to record a video of the interior. But suffice it to say that this is quite an impressive operation complete with a workshop, warehouse, several printing presses, offices, and even a full-functioning, 24/7 radio studio, KIYQ which broadcasts not only to the downtown Las Vegas area, but also online (where you can listen by Clicking Here), and of course, a complete brick-and-mortar magic shop.

With this podcast, I hope to shine a light on Geno and one Houdini's so that you have a fuller appreciation of the magnitude and scope of his acumen and business.

Geno talks about his good friend, Jimmy Grippo, and the documentary he is working on and the book he published, "The Magic of Jimmy Grippo" which covers many of the routines Jimmy wanted to teach while protecting his "pet" effects. I found it interesting that Union Boss, Jimmy Hoffa, was so impressed with the magic of Jimmy Grippo that he planned to build a casino for him to work. He talked about the history of his work in gaming and what lead to the development of Houdini's.

He has strong beliefs about brick-and-mortar magic shops and why he is still in business. He also talked about how he came to use and trademark "Houdini's" and his relationship with Sid Radner.. Towards the end of this podcast, Geno talks about a new movie that revives the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theory. Very interesting revelations and updates.

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

416: Magic In The Big Apple

373: John Cox is Wild About Houdini

352: Geno Munari and Houdini in Las Vegas

The Magic Word