614: Rob Lake - A Pool of Knowledge

Great things come from the Midwest. Sometimes, great BIG things, like stage illusionist, Rob Lake. Following his inspiration of Doug Henning and his mentorship of Kirby VanBurch, Rob has taken his stage illusion show across the country and indeed, around the world having performing in casinos, arenas and theatres in London, Japan, the Bahamas and from coast to coast in the U.S. This week Rob talks about his incredible journey while paying tribute to those who got him to where he is today with a look at where he hopes to go in the future.

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube. Please subscribe to our channel while you are there.

This was the video screen production on America’s Got Talent [sic] that was discussed on the podcast.

In this week’s episode, Rob Lake talks about how he almost “blew off” performing on America’s Got Talent [sic] and a (now funny) anecdote about Joe Exotic (The Tiger King) who used his name and nearly ruined Rob’s reputation. He also discusses his performances abroad and what it takes to transport such a large illusion show across the country.

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491: Thom Peterson - The Amazing Guy

Thom Peterson really is an Amazing Guy. His life has been filled with magical adventures on land and the high seas. His lecture repertoire is nothing less than first class with every item a real “worker’s” dream Thom currently resides in the U.K. where he works the corporate and cruise ships markets. His thinking behind every effect is thorough and he squeezes every ounce of laughter and entertainment out of every effect. He recently traveled across the U.S. on a nationwide lecture tour and some told me that his lecture was the best they’d seen…not this year, but EVER! It was that good!

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

358: Mat Franco - Magic Reinvented Nightly

Winner of Season 9 of "America's Got Talent [sic]" (AGT). Mat Franco has a successful show on the Las Vegas Strip for the past year and a half in the newly remodeled Linq Casino and Hotel, which was the former Imperial Palace. His show is unlike any other on the Strip and pulls from many of the popular tricks he performed on AGT. The name of his show "Magic Reinvented Nightly" is the perfect title because, without giving away any surprises, every show is different but...oh, darn it, I really can't say any more. But I do recommend the show. It is done with pure skill and personality. The focus is not on the props, dancers or music but focused on the performer himself. And he is riding high on the success of his TV appearances. I know that his show will have "legs" and should remain popular for many years to come.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:04:50 - Mat Franco talks a lot about his experience on America's Got Talent [sic] television show. He obviously had a completely different experience than all the other magicians who preceded him. We also chat about his new show at the Linq Hotel and Casino (which is owned by Caesar's). He also tells about his years performing on the college circuit, his early inspirations, trick selection, timing, nervousness, developing his character, bad decisions along the way, creating his vision of the show, and more.

01:12:46 - Product review of "Matrix Pad Reloaded" by Richard Griffin. Effect: a Post-It notepad is shown. Four spots are drawn in each corner of the pad with a Sharpie. One by one with a rub of the finger, the spots visibly assemble to one corner. The top sheet can be peeled off and given to a spectator. Highly recommended.

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614: Rob Lake - A Pool of Knowledge

491: Thom Peterson - The Amazing Guy

358: Mat Franco - Magic Reinvented Nightly

The Magic Word