900: Dan Sperry - The Anti-Conjuror

With this episode we celebrate the 900th episode of The Magic Word Podcast. Every 50 episodes we like to present a special guest who is well known throughout our worldwide magic community. And who better for this episode than Dan Sperry. He was a regular member of The Illusionists who toured the major stages of the world from Sydney, Australia, to Broadway in New York City. He has headlined in nightclubs, Las Vegas casinos, and performing arts theaters. For many years he has appeared on Masters of Illusion television show as well as many other TV shows. Now residing in Florida, he continues to travel the globe, but when at home, he enjoys (believe it or not) performing for children’s birthday parties.

In this week’s episode, Dan shares his story of how he developed his act and his character. He tells us about his early journey as he worked with doves and learned from some of the true masters like Joseph Gabriel that developed into a residency at a casino in Las Vegas. He toured Canada with Murray Hatfield as he honed his dove act and began to settle into his Shock Illusionist persona. He also talks about developing his talking act that led to work with the Illusionists and television appearances.

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893: R. Paul Wilson - Another Uncanny Scot

One of the advantages of attending magic conventions in the U.S. is that often times the organizers book magicians who reside outside the U.S. thus bringing them closer to our doors, and in this case, our microphone. R. Paul Wilson currently resides in Glasgow, Scotland, and has the same name as another Uncanny Scot who wrote the book under the same title; however, Paul prefers to go by the initial of R. rather than as Ron or Ronald, in part so as to avoid confusion. But Paul has certainly made his own way in our community and being known not only for his card prowess, but also for his cinematic abilities behind the camera.

In this week’s episode, Paul talks at length about his passion for film plus the current project featuring the life of the legendary Juan Tamariz. He has spent innumerable hours with the master studying and filming him over they years. But there are many life lessons that R. Paul has learned along the way during his 50+ years on this planet, many of which he shares in this extended episode.

822: Pat Fallon - Magically Delicious

From Dublin, Ireland, Pat Fallon joins us as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a little early this week. Pat is a performer of the highest rank, Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star. He is a stage performer as well as performing close-up and his venues are weddings, corporate trade shows, children’s parties, and grand theaters across Great Britain. Pat usually stays within the borders of the U.K. but is known outside his country for his lectures and creativity and good sense of humor.

In this episode, Pat tells us how Ireland celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, also he chats about working at weddings in Ireland and why he doesn’t like performing aboard cruise ships.