613 - Franz Harary - Think BIG!

This “long overdue” conversation with mega-illusionist, Franz Harary, is a very special edition. Franz is truly an international star of magic and his work has kept him busy for decades. In this episode Franz is finally taking a “breather” and relaxing so we can talk about his passions and career. We cover a lot of territory from creativity to the cosmos. He also shares some “never-before-told” stories and tips for stage performers that he has not discussed before now.

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

Franz Harary begins this episode talking about his passion for all things related to outer space, which might explain why one of his earliest illusions was to vanish the space shuttle. He also talks about international touring, working in outdoor coliseums and his time in Asia performing at his own theatre in Macau. Of course, he also shares some stories about some of the celebrities he has worked with from Janet and Michael Jackson to…well, you can’t get much more “celebrated” than the King of Pop!

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601 - P.A.N. on Scott Alexander

As we kick off the 601st episode of The Magic Word Podcast, we welcome not one, but three guests this week, all of whom toured and worked closely with the late magician and dealer, Denny Haney. Scott Alexander authored a new biography of Denny called, “Collected Wisdom” which not only talks about his life but also describes in detail some of the tricks that made his reputation. Also joining us the week is Malcolm “Puck” Puckering and Alain Nu both of whom have made their own unique mark in our magic community after learning so much from their mentor, Denny.

“Collected Wisdom” contains many stories from the collected lives of Scott, Puck and Alain, But in this week’s podcast, they also share a few additional recollections that were not included in the book.

You can also enjoy this podcast on YouTube where the video of our conversation was recorded. In that video you can enjoy a couple videos that were shown during the recording of this episode but deleted in this audio portion.

Click on the picture to visit the website for more information on how to purchase your copy of “Collected Wisdon”

This week’s podcast video on YouTube.

548: Jamie Allan - the iMagician

Jamie Allen is known as the iMagician and the “High Tech Houdini” who brings magic into today’s age using modern technology. His stage show is unlike traditional magic shows and even some of the classics in magic (i.e. sawing in half, sub trunk, and the zig-zag) have all been updated with original twists and video introductions that give some entertaining and historical background on some of those effects. He also uses Augmented Reality (A/R) to perform some of his close-up effects that are projected on the big overhead screens.

Jamie talks about what it’s like performing magic in today’s age with interest in high-tech and how he develops magic for today’s world and today’s audiences. He also talks about the “stigma” associated with performing on cruise ships ,traveling with a stage show, the changes in venues and audience’s tastes in the U.K. He also talks about the changes in the cruise ship industry as it affects magicians.

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