835: Mark Jensen - Marshalling a Collection

Mark Jensen is not a name you may (yet) be familiar with, but his story of collecting is one among hundreds, if not thousands, of those of us who have found a niche where we can enjoy the history of our art by just looking at our walls or across the room to see the collectible relic. His story represents those collectors who have a passion for a particular area of our vast art. His friendship with the late Marshall Brodien led to him ultimately being the “caretaker” of Marshall’s magic collection. There are others who are notable magic collectors who gather magic from our rich history (like Chip Romero who specializes in collecting all things related to Doug Henning) plus other ephemera and props from some of the magic celebrities of yesteryear.

Mark Jensen lived in the Chicago, Illinois, area and grew up watching the Bozo Show on television that featured Wizzo the Wizard (Marshall Brodien). Later Mark found that he lived rather close to Marshall and developed a friendship with the late wizard. In this week’s episode, Mark talks about that friendship and some of the stories that Marshall shared with him. Mark also talks about some of the other things in his collection (like items from “The Great Buck Howard” movie) and his passion for science fiction plus suggestions on how others might begin their own collecting.

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 Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly 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.

Links for this week’s podcast:

Academy of Magical Arts - The Magic Castle https://www.magiccastle.com/

Simon Helberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Helberg

Ed Alonzo https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0022303/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_ed%2520alonzo

Jason Siegel https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781981/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4_tt_0_nm_8_q_jason%2520siegel

Larry Wilmore https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932831/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_5_nm_3_q_larry%2520willmore

Todd Robbins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Robbins

Bozo Show https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bozo_the_Clown

Marshall Brodien https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Brodien

The Academy of Magical Arts - The Magic Castle https://www.magiccastle.com/

Texas Association of Magicians https://taom.org/

740: P.T. Murphy - Big Fish in a Small Pond

This episode hopes to inspire you to dream it, make your dream a reality, then follow your dream. Patrick P.T. Murphy was doing well in Chicago and performed regularly with David Parr in the Chicago Magic Cabaret. But ten years ago the stars aligned which took him three hours away to a tourist destination to Northeastern Illinois where he began performing in a small theater with his own one-man show. Sometimes it’s best to “buck the norm” and become a big fish in a small pond.

If you are more of a visual person, then you will enjoy this video of our conversation recorded via Zoom.

This is the original 1947 black and white version of “Nightmare Alley” which differs a bit from the 2021 and well worth your attention to view.

P.T. shares some personal stories about his magical life and his brushes with magic celebrities like Bill Malone, Tony Andruzzi, Paul Harris, David Roth, Ricky Jay, Eugene Burger and others. Plus he talks about the magic dealer scene in Chicago. We also talk about making a dramatic change in his life by picking up and moving his family and belongings three hours northeast of Chicago where he has become recognized by Trip Advisor as the top attraction in the small pond of Galena, Illinois.

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

Nightmare Alley was discussed in this week's episode. To order your copy of the book and also help The Magic Word Podcast with your purchase, please follow this link.

733: Jeanette Andrews - For Art's Sake

How does one explain art? Art means something to each beholder. Art is an experience unique to each of us. What some like, others may not like, or just be lukewarm to the concept. Such is the experience of our audiences. Some like what we do while others may not. In some cases they may not even understand what we are trying to communicate. But for the most part, most magicians don’t have a message or concept they are trying to get across to their audiences. Moreover, most of us just try to “entertain” with our magic without thinking of what deeper messages we could be exploring or displaying.

Our guest this week, Jeanette Andrews, is what I would call a true “artist” in the sense that she thinks deeply about the aesthetics of her props and the message she wants them to convey. More than just the visual of the staging, she also gives attention and importance to the accompanying music selections. She has also tapped into a heretofore rather unexplored target market of art patrons of museums and galleries.

In her early years in Chicago, Jeanette was heavily influenced by her mentor, Eugene Burger. She tells about some of the great advice he taught her and how it influenced her act and career and even her lifestyle. She also discusses her act and how she incorporates art into her act. Her act is more like looking at art in galleries as she creates striking poses and slowly displays each piece she touches and incorporates into her show.

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

This book is the one recommended by both Eugene Burger and Jeanette Andrews for all travelers.

If you are interested in the history of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois, then you might enjoy this fascinating look at history of the Exposition and the first serial killer in the U.S. (H.H. Holmes) who clouded the event.