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.

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621: Chris "Saul Ravencraft" Walden - A Bizzarist Comes Out

Chris Walden, from “Keep Austin Weird” Austin, Texas, is a professional entertainer who has won a comedy award from the Texas Association of Magicians; however, he soon realized that was not who he was. As he continued his journey of introspection, he came to the realization that his path was going to be as a “bizarre” entertainer. For those not familiar with this term, the internet defines a bizzarist as: “One who is a magician but uses storytelling and word play to a much greater degree, and less emphasis is placed on the manual dexterity of the performer or the complexity of his equipment.” As a result of his life’s journey, he is now known as “Saul Ravencraft.”

In this week’s episode, Saul Ravencraft talks about his journey to “find himself” that might prove inspirational to some listeners who are questioning their identity and character. Along the way, Saul talks about his short-lived live, online paranormal radio show, The Shadow Hour, and some of the interesting guests he had on the show. He also discusses the Museum of the Weird in Austin, Texas, plus a little about his mentor and friend, the late Ed Solomon aka “Denomolos”.

619: Eric Colleary PhD - In Front of the Bookcase

This week we travel to Austin, Texas where one of the world’s largest collection of Houdini ephemera resides. Dr. Eric Colleary is our guest who is the Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center, an international humanities research library, archive, and museum. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre Historiography from the University of Minnesota and an all-around great guy. The title “In Front of the Bookcase” for this week’s episode comes from the massive bookcase (and its contents) once owned by Houdini that now is owned by the University.

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

In this conversation, Dr. Colleary tells us about how this Houdini collection came to Austin, Texas and what is in the massive collection. There are some interesting stories in this week’s episode told about Houdini and Eric also debunked a few myths around parts of this collection.

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

621: Chris "Saul Ravencraft" Walden - A Bizzarist Comes Out

619: Eric Colleary PhD - In Front of the Bookcase

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