305: Lance Burton - Second Act

Lance Burton has retired and he's almost ready to return to his old Kentucky home back on the farm. But first, he has some "fish to fry". Lance completed a lifelong dream of producing, directing and starring in an independent film which he titled, "Billy Topit". He no longer performs magic nor travels far from his Las Vegas home but prefers his time with "more important needs" of abandoned pets.

While this podcast was being recorded, we tried a new Facebook feature of LIVE broadcasting. This allows viewers to ask questions in real time and be part of the podcast. This was the first time Lance had used this function and you can sense his childlike wonder and fun of trying something new. This was a really fun chat. Part way through the podcast/recording, my iPad battery died so we switched to Lance's iPhone and broadcast through his Facebook page. Needless to say, he has tons more fans of his Facebook page than we do. As a result, within a few minutes we had about 150 people online and quickly saying "hi" and asking questions. Over then next week, there were over 5,000 views of that video. If you would like to watch the video, it is included here in the blog, but the entirety of the audio portion is in this podcast.

A Las Vegas magician who performs at children's birthday parties convinces the woman of his dreams to be his assistant, while the local Mob guys try to make him disappear permanently! -BILLY TOPIT MASTER MAGICIAN billytopit.com

Here is a short video of Lance Burton's adventure in late May 2016 at The Wild Rose Independent Film Festival. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Billy Topit Master Magician!

Lance edited this travelogue and posted it on his Facebook page and discussed it on The Magic Word Podcast

On July 3, 2016, while attending the 88th I.B.M. convention in San Antonio, Texas, Lance Burton joined Scott Wells on the microphone to record a podcast for The Magic Word. This video was recorded on Facebook using their Live Streaming feature.

Lance talks about working with youth who want to learn magic, the development of his own Gold Medal winning act for the I.B.M. competition in 1980, working in Las Vegas, his work with pet adoptions, and his retirement from magic. But he talks mostly about his newest project, "Billy Topit" and trying to get this independent film into wide distribution.

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Click on the graphic above for more information on Lance Burton's movie, "Billy Topit"

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226: John Gaughan - Magic's Builder

As an epilogue to my six part series from Hollywood, I offer you this special podcast featuring John Gaughan, magic's premiere illusion builder. It was such a thrill to spend time in his workshop and magic salon where we talked about magic, magicians past and present, and illusion building. Then the special guided tour of his salon was quite impressive, too. I recorded the tour with my iPad and posted the videos on YouTube which are linked in this blog.

For those few magicians in the world who may not have heard of John Gaughan as well as those who do know him, I'm certain that all of you will learn something about one of magic's greatest illusion builder.

This podcast came in response to a listener who suggested that if ever I had the opportunity, then I should interview John Gaughan. So, when I knew that I was going to be traveling to the Los Angeles area, I contacted John well in advance to schedule a convenient afternoon when he could spend time and show me his workshop. I was delighted that he was in town and not off somewhere around the world installing or consulting but would actually be in town and have time to chat. I know you will enjoy this podcast as well as the videos.

Antonio Diavolo, the mechanical trapeze artist created by Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), performed by John Gaughan and Ricky Jay.

John talks about his roots as an illusion builder when he first worked with Leo Behnke and others on Mark Wilson's "Magic Land of Allakazam" when he was just a prop painter. His progression to becoming a master craftsman and woodworker is fascinating. And he talks about some of the illusions he has built for many of the celebrated magicians over the past 50 years. He also talks about what makes for a good illusion and some of his failures. He concludes with a look into the future with where magic and grand stage illusions might be headed.

If you have not yet made your reservation for your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency for the Jacksonville convention which takes place July 15th - 18th, 2015, your time is running out! After June 15th, the convention rate of only $99 will end, and th… — If you have not yet made your reservation for your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency for the Jacksonville convention which takes place July 15th - 18th, 2015, your time is running out!

After June 15th, the convention rate of only $99 will end, and there will be no guarantee of availability of additional room reservations.

If you are planning on attending the Jacksonville convention which promises to be a fantastic event, register for the convention, and MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION NOW!!!!

You can register for the convention here: https://www.magician.org/convention/online-registration

You can make your hotel reservation here: https://aws.passkey.com/g/20902549 or by calling the Hyatt Regency directly at 1-800-421-1442.

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#201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician

Murray Sawchuck recently completed two and a half years at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. On December 20, 2014, he will begin a new afternoon show at Planet Hollywood's "Sincity Theater" along his wife, Chloe, and his partner, Lefty. Murray will add illusions to his comedy magic show plus bring in different aspects of his other appearances on television such as "Pawn Stars" and other shows.

During our conversation, Murray talked about his upcoming appearance on Hallmark's Home & Family morning talk show. After you have listened to the podcast, then be sure to come back to watch this video. The other two videos below are from a couple of his appearances on "America's Got Talent" (sic).

Murray and his baby Chihuahua Kahlua do a magic trick for the Emmy Nominated show Home & Family. www.murraymagic.com

Why is Murray considered a "Celebrity Magician"? Hear what he has done and what he is doing in and around Las Vegas and on television and determine for yourself if you think he deserves the title. Breaks happen, but as they say, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity." Murray works hard to find opportunities to promote his brand so you could say he is one of the luckiest guys in the business.

Among many other topics discussed in this podcast, Murray talks about how he got his first break to headline his own show in Las Vegas and how it evolved to the new show at Planet Hollywood. He talks about contracts, "two-wall" versus "four-walling" a venue in Las Vegas, working on "America's Got Talent", "Pawn Stars", "Wizard Wars", "Extreme Escapes", advice from Marvin "Mr. Electric" Roy, using social media to your advantage, and more. He also gives us an idea of what a typical day in his life is like. He also talks at the end about his favorite charity, Children of the Night", rescuing children from prostitution, which draws attention to one of the least visible charities out there. He is one busy guy!

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. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

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Register before January 15, 2015 and save $100. Or reserve your spot with a $50 deposit with the balance not due until February 15, 2015.

305: Lance Burton - Second Act

226: John Gaughan - Magic's Builder

#201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician

Magic & Martinis & Murray Thursday

The Magic Word