569: Joe Stevens - Magic Dealer Trailblazer

Joe Stevens opened Stevens Magic Emporium in 1973 and over the decades has been a trailblazer introducing new ideas and concepts now ingrained into our magic landscape. His Greater Magic Video Library set the standard for professionally presenting magic instruction on video. He also created the GeMiNi Network in the 1990’s which was the forerunner of every magic forum we see and use today. He also instituted the Wichita Conclave that moved to Las Vegas where it became the Desert Magic Seminar with big dollar prizes and trophies from Siegfried & Roy. These are but a few of the innovations developed by Stevens Magic Emporium and they still thrive as a brick-and-mortar magic shop plus a successful online presence guided by the next generation of the Stevens family, Mark Stevens.

There was so much to talk about this week but Joe only had a limited amount of time to chat. So unfortunately we never got around to talking about the GeMiNi online magic forum that used to be a “dial-up” service in the early days of the internet. Some of that content is still available on their website, including some of my offerings. We also talked briefly about Nick Ruggerio, former co-owner of Collectors’ Workshop. Since we recorded this episode, unfortunately Nick has passed so I never got a chance to have him on the podcast.

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361: Terry Herbert - A Right Jolly Old Elf

Terry Herbert is most noted as a children's entertainer based in the U.K. but he is so much more than that. In this podcast, Terry talks about working with children and how close-up magic developed into what it is today in England. Pour yourself a cup of tea as you sit back and enjoy this podcast. It is full of great stories about some of the English magic legends and a "trip down memory lane".

Terry Herbert - Live on stage at the "Meet The Magic Circle 2007". www.jacksharpe.co.uk

Selected originals (offcuts, selected scenes, out-takes, rushes) for story 'The Piddingtons Keep Millions Guessing' - 50/10 Material for newsreel story - extra shots. A radio thought transference act. Various shots of the this act. Mainly shots from the BBC Radio studio in Piccadilly in London.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:06:15 - Terry talks about working with children and the how he came to star in one of the earliest "hit magic videos" on teaching how to entertain children. He also talks about the state of performing close-up in England today and what is in his current stand-up routine for adults. We chat about mentalism in the U.K. and it was interesting to find that Terry has done quite a bit of study on the history of "The Piddingtons" which he discusses here on the podcast. Terry talks about his friends Ken Brooke and tells stories about Tommy Cooper and other U.K. legends.

01:14:17 - Product review of "Horoscope" by Chris Congreave and Magic Tao - a volunteer reads their horoscope from a magazine page in your wallet that also has a playing card printed on the page which matches the card and astrological sign on the card also in your wallet.

01:22:16 - "Sparks" by JC James. Thirteen effects, routines and moves (mostly card sleights) that are mostly ideas that can be incorporated in your routines.

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341: Houdini-Opoly with Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich

Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz own and operate the Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They have both led extraordinary lives and worthy of talking more about their Houdini museum, the Houdini seance, and the former Magic Townhouse in New York City. They talk about all these things but the purpose of this particular podcast is to help the magic world learn more about their newest project, "Houdini-Opoly"

They have been working on this board game for over two years and with the Kickstarter campaign now being fully funded just before this podcast was released. So not it's on to meet their "stretch" goals to pay for the "enhancements". Thanks to your support, it appears that it will be in production soon this year. The Magic Word Podcast is selective in providing a platform for promoting individuals or pet projects. But this is one I support and think is of particular interest to our community. But even if you choose not to support the cause and buy a game, the rest of our chat is interesting as we talk about the old Magic Townhouse in New York City and why it closed and the museum moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. We also discuss the Houdini seance and the museum.

Help the Kickstarter Campaign and get your "one of a kind" collectible Houdini board game. You can't escape the fun!

Click on the graphic above to visit the site for more information on Houdini-Opoly

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The contest is over and we congratulate Pat Darienzo who won a copy of Danny Archer's eBook. — The contest is over and we congratulate **Pat Darienzo** who won a copy of Danny Archer's eBook.