633: 2021 Austin T.A.O.M. - Prelude Report

Thursday September 2, 2021

11:30 - Unveiling of Houdini Way in Kingsland, Texas, the first and only street in Texas named after the famed magician.

12:30 - champagne reception at home of Trixie Bond and Mark Axford following the street sign unveiling

8:00 - Esther’s Follies featuring Ray Anderson

On Friday morning September 3rd we had a LIVE virtual tour of Houdini artifacts from the University of Texas, Ransom Center, Austin, Texas presented by Dr. Eric Colleary. This very special “kick-off” for the Texas Association Of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) was open to all at NO COST and a unique opportunity to see some of the collection that few ever get to see in their lifetime. The Ransom Center houses an amazing collection of Houdini ephemera including papers, documents, correspondence, and artifacts associated with the magician, escape artist, business man, aviator, author, and actor popularly known as Harry Houdini. Dr. Colleary took us through an assortment of memorabilia with stops along the way as responded to your questions.

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 - Scott Wells explains what’s going on today prior to the official start of the TAOM

00:05:56 - Trixie Bond talks about the ceremony we are about to see

00:08:24 - official unveiling ceremony for the first street in Texas named for Houdini with Mark Axford, Scott Wells, Kent Cummins, Bertil Fredstrom and Trixie Bond

00:29:16 - Bill Winters gives us a preview of his talk about Walter Gibson that he will deliver at the Collectors Meeting tomorrow morning

00:32:31 - Ray Anderson answers some questions after Esther’s Follies

00:39:36 - Michael Ammar joins us in the back seat of a car with road noise and other conversations but he talks about “Discover Magic” and what he has been doing in recent years and currently.

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..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

632: Rick Thomas - Big Cat on the Porch

No trip to Branson, Missouri, would be complete without seeing the amazing stage show of Rick Thomas. Among the many honors presented to Rick Thomas include the coveted “Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts and Magic’s highest recognition "Illusionist of the World" by the World Magic Awards. Thomas has also been featured on numerous national television specials including the NBC series "The World’s Greatest Magic" and “Masters of Illusion” on the CW plus other appearances on MTV, FOX, TLC, Animal Planet, the History Channel plus his own special on ABC.

Rick has completed five world tours covering over 50 countries, including sold out performances at Caesars Colosseum, headlining the Sydney Opera House in Australia and performing both on Broadway and Las Vegas.

Few entertainers have succeeded in Las Vegas like Rick Thomas. His show ran consecutively for 15 years in the most magnificent theaters on the Las Vegas Strip, performing a staggering 600 shows a year. He is honored to have received the Key to the City of Las Vegas and also titled the most successful show for families in its history.

In this podcast, you will get to know the man behind the illusions and the cats. Though Rick no longer works with big cats on stage, he is still committed to helping this endangered species. He chats about working with big cats and the dangers. He also talks about his career in Las Vegas and around the world that has landed him “softly” in Branson where he may end up retiring…if there is such a thing for a world class illusionist.

631: 2021 Magic Collector Expo - Day Three

Saturday August 21, 2021

10:00am – 11:00am Dealer Room Open

11:00am – 12:30pm Expo Session #3 hosted by David Sandy with Richard Hughes, Gabe Fajuri and Les Arnold

12:30pm – 2:30pm Dealer Room Open

2:30pm – 4:00pm Expo Session #4 hosted by Lance Rich with Bill Schwartz, Retonio and Lance Rich

6:30pm – 7:00pm Cocktail Half Hour

7:00pm – 9:30pm Fabulous Las Vegas: Dinner & Show hosted by Mac King with Retonio and Natalie, Les Arnold, Lance Rich and David Sandy and closed by David Goldrake

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 - Ron Anderson tells his heartfelt feelings about seeing the Copperfield museum

00:07:43 - Stan Allen talks about this convention and MAGIC Live which didn’t happen this year. Also, we mentioned the talk by David Charvet but had forgotten the name of the person who became “Alexander, the Man Who Knows”. The name we were trying to think of was Claude Alexander Conlin.

00:31:50 - Bill Smith is the organizer of this event and sits down for a short chat about this and next year’s event which will be in Austin, Texas

00:39:35 - David Elliott gives his experience of this convention and visiting the Copperfield museum

00:46:14 - Lance Rich talks gives a brief history of magic in Las Vegas then he and David Sandy talk about the Collector’s Corner they did online for the past year.

633: 2021 Austin T.A.O.M. - Prelude Report

632: Rick Thomas - Big Cat on the Porch

631: 2021 Magic Collector Expo - Day Three

The Magic Word