804: Murray Sawchuck - Our Annual "Murray Christmas" Episode

It’s that time of year again when we visit with our Las Vegas correspondent, Murray Sawchuck. .Our chat with Murray has become a holiday tradition here on The Magic Word Podcast. It’s always good to catch up with Murray and see what he’s been up to in the ever-evolving land of wonder that is Las Vegas. Shows, people and buildings come and go like flickering lightning bugs. Murray also keeps a full calendar of dates not only in Vegas with his daily show at the Tropicana’s “Laugh Factory,” but also across the U.S. as he travels from coast to coast performing in comedy clubs and for corporate dates.

This year Murray recaps some of the happenings in Las Vegas during this past year, plus gives us some tips on what to see and do when visiting “Sin City.” He also talks about his second television comedy special and what social media he has been using, what’s current ,and problems with “shadow banning.”

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LEE ALEX PRESENTS... "CHRISTMAS BANDANA 2023" - NEW DESIGN FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!

It even SMELLS like Christmas!

The Christmas Bandana 2023 measures approximately 20 x 20 inches (50cm x 50cm) and features TWO 'NO SNAG' POCKETS making switches and transformations easier than ever.

The secret pockets in the Christmas Bandana 2023 allow you to exchange items at ease. Display the bandana empty on both sides and fold it into a bag. One item placed within the folds of the bag can easily transform to another item previously hidden in the SECOND pocket. After the transformation the bandana can once again be shown to contain nothing!

It’s not too late in the holiday season to order one for yourself. It is a trick that can be handled and easily learned by beginners, but seasoned pros love it, too. For more information or to order yours direct from Penguin, please visit: https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S36489

Order the Christmas Bandana from your favorite magic dealer or direct from Penguin Magic at: https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S36489

803: John McLaughlin -The Intersection Between Spy Craft and the Craft of Magic

It was a hot and muggy night in Warsaw, unusual for this time of the year. Sitting at the bar was a man nursing a beer. No one noticed his unkempt appearance or the bulge in his jacket pocket. As the bartender rang up another transaction, a young man wearing a ball cap swung open the door. A quick sideways glance was given to the stranger who strode over to take a seat at the bar. The young man ordered a beer then turned and quietly said, “Erdnase.” After a few uneasy moments that seemed like an eternity, the man reached into his pocket. He pulled out a deck of cards and suddenly…it was magic time.

That could have gone in a completely different direction and oftentimes it does in the world of spy craft. This week we chat with the former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.), John McLaughlin. There is an overlap and kinship in the keeping of secrets both as spies and as magicians, though one doesn’t control the balance of life and death in their hands. John is an American Intelligence Officer who served as Deputy Director of the C.I.A. under President Bill Clinton and then briefly as the Acting Director of the C.I.A. under President G.W. Bush then retired in 2004. McLaughlin currently serves as a Senior Fellow and Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C

While attending the 2023 S.A.M. convention in New Orleans, John and I had a chance to have a long conversation about some of the declassified operations in the C.I.A., “Project Mincemeat”, the “War Magician” (Jasper Maskelyne), the similarities between spies and magicians, and the local magic scene in Washington, D.C.

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

Click on this link to see information and prices for other ways of reading/hearing "The War Magician", i.e. digital, audible, paperback and hardback.

802: Dick Stoner - Trade Show Pioneer

At 93 years of age, Dick Stoner was a pioneer in performing magic at trade shows and a magic shop owner since the 1940’s. It is because of people like Dick that other magicians have been successful trade show performers. Certainly many of us are figuratively standing on his shoulders. But not only that, Dick has owned and operated Stoners Funstore in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 1949. There are few brick and mortar shops that have been around that long.

While attending the 2023 Abbott’s Get Together, I had the chance to sit down with Dick Stoner to record this week’s chat. He attends this convention somewhat regularly, but doesn’t stay more than a day, so it was hard to catch him. In this episode we chat about his magic store as well as his career as a trade show magician. He also reminisces about some of those with whom he worked like Johnny Thompson, Eddie Tullock Bud Dietrich and other trade show titans.

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