622: Michael Chaut - Monday Night Magician

Michael Chaut is one of the co-producers of Monday Night Magic in New York City. After 25 years, it is the longest running magic show in NYC. In this week’s episode, Michael shares the history of Monday Night Magic along with a brief history of some of the other magic venues and performers during the 20th century in NYC.

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540: 2020 S.A.M. Update Days One and Two

Schedule of Events - Friday, January 17

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM REGISTRATION Conference Center Prefunction

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Magic Endowment Fund Meeting Martinkas Backroom

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM LECTURE: Bruce Kalver Tech Tricks Live Houdini Theater

9:30 PM – 11:00 PM Youth Protection Training & Certification Martinkas Backroom

11:00 PM – 11:30 PM V1.1 Podcast Convention Kickoff Martinkas Backroom

Schedule of Events - Saturday, January 18

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM REGISTRATION Conference Center Prefunction

8:30 AM – 10:30 AM SAM Council Meeting Thurston Lecture Hall

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM EXHIBITORS Open Kellar Exhibitor Hall

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM New Conventioneer Orientation Houdini Theater

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Convention Grand Opening / Welcome Houdini Theater

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EXHIBITORS Showcase Houdini Theater

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Conference Conversation & Interview Houdini Theater

Featuring: The Dean of American Magicians: George Schindler

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM GALA SHOW Houdini Theater

“Dedicated to Johnny Thompson Tank You Berry Much!”

Stephen Bargatze, Ice McDonald, Gustavo Raley, Paul Vigil, Yukihiro Katayama

(Open Seating)

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EXHIBITORS Kellar Exhibitor Hall

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM BUSSES to the LINQ Carson Tower Lobby

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Mat Franco – Magic Reinvented Nightly The LINQ

(Group A Ticket)

7:00 PM – 11:00 PM Hi Roller / Brooklyn Bowl (On Your Own) The LINQ

9:30 PM – 11:00 PM Mat Franco – Magic Reinvented Nightly The LINQ

(Group B Ticket)

9:30 PM – 12:00 AM BUSSES to Golden Nugget Pickup at The LINQ

Time Stamps for this Podcast:

00:00:15 - leaving Houston and flyiing my Magic Carpet (Southwest Airines) to Las Vegas.

00:03:53 - Alain Nu talks about his new (Nu) show in Las Vegas then Elliott Hitchcock joins us, too.

00:10:03 - Luke Dancy talks about living in Las Vegas and working for Murphy’s Magic Supplies

00:15:36 - Scott Land discusses his puppet workhops in Las Vegas

00:22:12 - James Dimmare in Frankies Tiki Room

00:28:51 - Daisikai with SEO Magic

00:29:11 - Lupe Nielsen talks about her woodworking, posters and Norm

00:34:34 - Guest of Honor for this year’s convention and Dean of the S.A.M. magicians, George Schindler

00:45:53 - Jon Dorenbos talks about his path since America’s Got Talent

00:51:03 - Steve Bargatze, International VP of the I.B.M., talks about the upcoming I.B.M. convention in Pittsburgh, PA

00:55:10 - Stan Allen talks about being a past Guest of Honor at the S.A.M. convention plus what’s happening in Vegas

01:00:36 - Bob Portillo talks about Alain Nu’s new show that was discussed earlier in the podcast.

01:03:19 - Dan Sclare and TOm Vorjohan talk about Life Membership in the S.A.M.

354: Robin Leach - Lifestyles of Magicians

Robin Leach has long been associated with his catch phrase "Champagne Dreams and Caviar Wishes" as he hosted the long running television show, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic details. But Robin is also a "magic fan" who clearly loves and has a deep respect for magic and he is friends with many of the local magicians. Believe it or not, he is an honorary member of The Magic Circle. He also has a rather impressive collection of magic books in his library.

I saw Robin Leach at last year's MAGIC Live! who was trying to be inconspicuous as he chatted with Stan Allen. I later asked Stan about Robin's association with magic which led to this podcast. As a long time resident of Las Vegas and immersed in the lifestyles of local celebrities, Robin has a unique perspective on the history and evolution of the magic scene. I felt that he would make a perfect guest for the podcast to hear an "outsiders" perspective of magic, magicians, and the role they have played in making Las Vegas what it is today. I was not disappointed.

Today at age 75 his life hasn't slowed down. I was lucky to get an hour and a half of his time during the week I was in Las Vegas because of his tremendously busy schedule including his weekly vlog (video log) on You Tube, LuxeVegas.

Our discussion opens with Robin talking about making and enjoying a "proper" cup of tea. He then talks about his passion for magic and how he believes it needs to have a much higher ranking among the performing arts. He then chats about having been a guest of Bob Harbin and becoming an honorary member of The Magic Circle. He then goes on to talk about his favorite magician, Bill Malone. He also enjoyed watching Ricky Jay live in his Broadway performance, "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants".

He then talks about the evolution of magic on the Las Vegas "Strip" including from Norm Neilsen, Channing Pollock, Siegfried and Roy, Lance Burton, David Copperfield to Penn & Teller, Criss Angel and Amazing Jonathan to the newest show on the Strip, Jarrett & Raja. Although he sings the praises of many magicians, he is not a fan of hypnotists, and he also has advice for Mac King and Xavier Mortimer. Ultimately, he believes there are too many magicians in Las Vegas today though the art of magic still survives. He then shifts to talking about how hard it is to work in New York City but Monday Night Magic has proved to be the exception.

He concludes by giving us his three "D's" of show business: Dedication, Discipline and Diligence.

For more information on this and the other Nick Trost books in this series, please visit Steve Bryant's Little Egypt Magic, March 2017 edition.

622: Michael Chaut - Monday Night Magician

540: 2020 S.A.M. Update Days One and Two

354: Robin Leach - Lifestyles of Magicians

The Magic Word