732: Mac King and Joel Hodgson - Comedy Giants

Lightning in a bottle. I don’t know how else to describe what we experienced in this week’s episode. While at Abbott’s Get Together in Colon, Michigan, this past year we sat down for a chat with the dual winners of the Senator Crandall Comedy Award, Mac King and Joel Hodgson. All of you know Mac King as the longest running comedy headliner in Las Vegas. And many of you might know Joel Hodgson as the creator of “Mystery Science Theater” TV show, but fewer of you might remember him as a comedy magic performer having appeared on Saturday Night Live among many other television appearances.

Mac and Joel split the Sen. Crandall Comedy Award at the 1989 Abbott’s Get Together so it was funny (no pun intended) that it happened again in 2022. There career paths began as comedy magicians but both took dramatically different directions with their careers, Mac going to Las Vegas and Joel pursuing television. In this week’s episode they reflect on their humble beginnings in the early days of comedy clubs and how they developed their talents that led to their separate and successful careers. There is a lot of talent and advice packed into this episode.

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731: Tim Ellis and Nicholas J. Johnson - Magic Myth Busting

From Australia, Tim Ellis and Nicholas J. Johnson “bust” some of the commonly held beliefs of most magicians. Many of you know Tim Ellis as the FISM Award Winning magician who works cruise ships and lectures around the world. But in this episode we also introduce you to Nicholas J. Johnson who is a well-known and respected author, a magician, an expert in scams and cons and hosts a podcast called “Scamapalooza.” In this episode, Tim, Nicholas and Scott chat about ten things that many magicians believe to be true. But are they in based on fact and in practicality?

1 – Kids are the most honest audience

2 – The classics are classics for a reason

3 – It’s more important to be entertaining than original

4 – A good magician doesn’t need a lot of props

5 – Be yourself

6 – Always dress one step better than your audience

7 – Learn a couple of tricks well

8 – Perform at every opportunity

9 – It’s fun to be fooled/People don’t want to know how it’s done

10 – When approaching guests, don’t tell them you’re a magician

If you would like to view our conversation, then please watch this YouTube video.

There are obviously many other topics that could have been covered, but within our one hour, self-imposed guidelines, the ten “myths” were all we could cover within our time limit. If you think there are additional topics that you would like to hear discussed by our Aussie panel, then please send your suggestions to scott@themagicwordpodcast.com

If you like podcasts (and I think you do), then I think you will enjoy listening to Nicholas’ podcast “Scamapalooza.”) Just click on the graphic above to visit the website; however, you can find it in iTunes and most other places wherever you get your podcasts.

Hail and Farewell

to those in our Magic Community who left us this past year.

Although the list below is not exhaustive, it does reflect the names of many well-known (and some lesser known) magicians, spouses and assistants who passed on in 2022. Some may not be as well-known to you, but they were my personal friends (hey, it is my blog!). If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, then it would behoove you to do a little online search of what these people have contributed to our craft. If you have someone you think was overlooked, then please post the name in the comments below on this blog.

Those whose names are highlighted were featured or interviewed here on The Magic Word Podcast. Some are full episodes while others are brief conversations at conventions. Check the Timestamps to go to the chat with some of these individuals. You can click on their name to revisit and listen to their voices again. But for now, we say, “Aloha, my friends.”

Jerry O’Connell

Presley Guitar

The Amazing Jonathan

Van McGee

David Hinkin

Haruo Shimada

Rick Burcher

Chuck Fayne

Martin Lewis

Sal Manfredo

Aye Jay

Mark Raffles

Earl Nelson

Andre Kole, aka Bob Gurtler

Max Maven, aka Phil Goldstein

Martin Cox

730: Seth Kramer - Floor Show

While in Quebec City, Canada, or F.I.S.M. we had a chance to sit down with trade show magician, Seth Kramer. With decades of experience behind the tradeshow booth, Seth know haw to deliver a corporate message in his “floor show”. He also is adept at close-up in hospitality rooms and corporate cocktail parties with the occasional stint of performing in restaurants.

Seth Kramer has a great set of lecture notes about trade shows that is a “must have” for any working or wanting to work trade shows. The “Confirmation Letter” or “contract” that is part of the notes is worth the price of the notes. You can Click Here to visit or go to: https://www.trafficstoppers.com/handbook/