458: MagiCuba 2018 - Day One Update

Schedule - Wednesday November 7, 2018

12:00 - 6:00 p.m. All-Day Magic at Cereceria Antigo Aimecen de la Madera y Tobaco in Habana Vieja (“Cerveceria”) - essentially, a craft brewery

3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Registration/Information Desk (Hotel Nacional)

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Welcome Reception (Hotel Nacional, Sala 1930)

8:00 p.m. Magic, Rum & Cigar Dinner at Hotel Sevilla (Extra Event)

10:30 p.m. Late Night Magic @ Salon Rojo

12:00 a.m. Nightcap @ Hotel Nacional Terrace

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:51 - Peter Rogers tells what attracted him to travel from Australia for this festival

00:06:12 - Chris Korn will be one of the performers and lecturers at this event

00:09:06 - Chris Gartner is a listener of The Magic Word Podcast ans was enticed to attend

00:12:19 - Jon Stetson is one of the hosts and organizers of MagiCuba and talks about some of the challenges facing the event. During the end of our conversation we are greeted by Asi Wind, Mitch Praver and Eric Mead.

00:24:56 - At the evening opening party, we chat with Ashley and Michael Trixx about this convention and others he has recently attended.

00:28:50 - Scott Wells recaps the evening “Cigars and Rum dinner” extra-cost event.

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334: A Magical Christmas Carol

Over the past year, I have attended a LOT of magic conventions. During those events, i have tried to update you with what was going on each day with daily updates from the organizers, talent, registrants, and dealers plus sometimes a little "color" background outside of the hotel.

But while I had some of my guests "cornered" for a few minutes, I asked them to do a reading of the classic story, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. As many of you don't know, Dickens was a bit of a conjurer himself having performed during the summer of 1949 in a coastal resort off of the Isle of Wight purveying prestidigitation to those on holiday in the area. He was known as the “Rhia Rhama Rhoos - the Unparalleled Necromancer" and reportedly performed many unusual tricks including making playing cards magically burst into flames, transporting a woman’s watch from inside a wooden box and into the middle of a loaf of bread, and even cooking a steaming hot plum pudding in a gentleman’s top hat.

But prior to his venturing onto the stage to prestidigitate, he had already written many of his well-known novels including one published in 1843 which would become the iconic classic and perennial treatise on the holiday, "A Christmas Carol".

So here I present you this year's audio greeting card with great gratitude to all of my guests who participated in this project and also to all of you who regularly listen to The Magic Word Podcast. Happy Holidays!

As a little added treat for you this holiday season, here is a video I filmed and edited in 1985. Magician Scott Wells is visited by "three foreign" visitors who want to learn magic. In this video, Scott performs close-up, stand-up and stage magic for his guests. He also gives magic lessons to his guests; however, these instructions have been edited out of this public video.

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Looking for something magical to buy througn Amazon.com? Then please visit the Amazon website to shop and help support The Magic Word Podcast.

331: Mike Pisciotta - Magic Castle Mixologist and Mystifier

Mike Pisciotta defeated all odds and stiff competition to win the "Close-Up Magician of the Year" from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle). He regularly performs in the Hat and Hare Pub in the "dungeon" of the Castle where he mixes drinks and magic in equal measure. But from time to time, he also performs new material in the Close-Up Gallery.

I recognize that Mike may not be as well-known to the international magic community as he rarely travels or performs outside of Los Angeles, except for his recent Texas lecture tour. But this is one of magic's "jewels" who you need to meet and know.

Esquire Channel's Best Bars in America Episode on LA Speakeasies Featuring The Magic Castle with a special erformance by Mike Pisciotta.

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:02:11 - Mike Pisciotta talks about his surprise as being nominated for the AMA award and his further surprise win, his move from Colorado to Los Angeles and how he took over as the bar magician at the Castle, his inspirations to do bar magic, working with drunks at the bar, developing his act, his creative process, tips on getting TIPS, and more.

00:51:40 -Christopher Talbat's "Bowled Over" is a bowling ball production from a gift bag. A wonderful effect for birthday parties, parlor or stage. Recommended.

00:55:35 - Chris Philpott's "The End of My Rope Trick" is a great cut-and-restored rope trick that can be done impromptu or with gimmicks. This DVD teaches you how to do it both ways plus use other items like wire, string, crepe paper streamer, and even a string of pearls. 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

Order your 2017 Magic Calendar and help support The Magic Word Podcast.