435: Curt Miller - Making Plans

Curt Miller is not a name well known in the magic community. But when corporate audiences are looking for a guaranteed good "closer" for their company meetings, illusionist Curt Miller is the one they call. That's why he is not so well known among magicians...he is out there working rather than attending magic meetings and conventions. And for the past ten years, Curt has been performing a huge illusion show at the Moody Gardens Resort on Galveston Island. It is so big that it takes his entire year to prepare.

Behind The Scenes 2 - The Curt Miller Magic & Comedy Show 2016 from Curt Miller on Vimeo.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:04:16 - In this podcast, Curt talks about his beginnings at Houston's Magic Island plus Scott gives us an update on the status of Houston's Magic Island reopening this Fall. Curt then gives us his step-by-step process in planning each year's holiday event in between his other shows throughout the year.

01:12:34 - Product Review: The President's Choice from SansMinds - a miniature card of a selected card is "caught" in the "mouth" of President George Washington on a U.S. one dollar bill. Recommended.

01:17:02 - Product Review: Feel 'N Seal by Peter Eggink - a new deck is opened, a card removed and instantly the card box is resealed. A switch is involved, but the apparent "emptiness" of the box indicates that it is the "same box". Not recommended.

01:20:56 - Product Review: Sharpshooter by Jonathan Wooten from SansMinds - the spectator finds their card with a rubber band. Small DIY required, but very easy and commercial. 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 or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here.. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

303: What's App with Carl Andrews

Carl Andrews hails from Indianapolis, IN but lived and performed in Hawaii for eight years and now resides in North Carolina.

Carl talks about the old "Illusions" restaurant in Carmel, IN that was a magic themed restaurant that featured now well-known magic "names" like Michael Close, Homer Luwag, Chris Kenner, plus guests like Eugene Burger, Charles Greene III and others. We also talk about magic-themed restaurants.

Video clip from Carl Andrews Mental Comedy Show carlrandrews.com

A brief message about Audio Ape, the best audio companion for Show Cues.

During our discussion, Carl and I talked about an app by Max Krause but could not remember it's name. The app Carl was talking about during the podcast was Mental Killer and it's only available on the iPhone. To see some of the products offered by Carl Andrews, please visit his website at: http://www.carlandrews.com/products.html You can help both Carl and The Magic Word by purchasing his book through Amazon by clicking on the link below in this blog. And if you want to learn more about ShowCues, then visit the Conjuring Cabinet website then order it through the iTunes App store for $89.99.

BTW, during this podcast, I was trying to remember the name of a spy-themed bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After this podcast was posted, John Graybeal, a Friend of The Magic Word, reminded me that the name of the place is the Safe House. Thanks, John. It is unquestionably one of the coolest places I've ever visited!

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 Carl's book, "Magic From Maui" that includes all of the effects on his DVD of the same name, and more! Lots of great ideas and tricks for performing Restaurant Magic. It is just as fresh and relevant aas the day it was published in 2003.

Thank you to the Friends of The Magic Word whose financial support helps pay for the shipping of these prizes.

Click the banner to visit The Magic Word online magic store. Help support us with your purchases.

139: Kevin Spencer - The Healing of Magic

One of the highlights of the 2013 MAGIC Live! convention was the talk given by Kevin Spencer. More than an illusionist, this peripatetic prestidigitator is also a "healer". Well, maybe not in the traditional sense, but he has the ability to help heal by using magic. Specifically, over the past few decades, Kevin has been working with therapists around the world and teaching them "simple" magic tricks to use in their physical therapy sessions.

Kevin's short talk made an overwhelmingly positive impact on everyone present. His stories and video brought tears to nearly everyone in the audience as we could see the emotional and long lasting impact "just a little trick" does for those who are physically impaired. And his story about the autistic child...well, he relates this story again in this podcast.

In this podcast, Kevin talks about his career, the impact Doug Henning and later Jim Steinmeyer had/has on his performance and life. After you learn a little about who Kevin is, then you won't find his story surprising toward the end of this podcast as he talks about his true passion: the healing of magic.

You can visit his website to find out more about The Healing of Magic by Clicking Here or read an online article by Clicking Here.

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.

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

I found my new magic van for Magic & Martinis' (M&M's) Thursday!