909: Joe Monti - One of the Men Behind the Man

Often we don’t know nor recognize those who work behind the scenes and spotlights. But they are the ones responsible for making the person in front of the curtains or camera look good. As they say, “it takes a village” and that is especially true for “stars” who make it on television and stage. One such person that is a “go-to” consultant is Joe Monti. When Criss Angel got his television deal for “Mind Freak”, Joe was one of the first people Criss called. As time went on and it became apparent how valuable Joe was, he also assumed the role of “producer”. Joe continues to this day to consult for magicians as well as performing for high profile corporate clients. He has even fooled Penn & Teller on their show, “Fool Us”.

My friendship with Joe Monti goes back nearly 40 years from when we performed together at Houston’s Magic Island. It was good to catch up with a long-time friend this week as he shared many stories about what he has been doing during those years. He has a few “behind the scenes” stories to tell about working with Criss Angel plus his experience on “Penn & Teller Fool Us”.

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.

PLEASE NOTE: These events are THIS SATURDAY June 14th, 2025. For more information on the New York Magic Conference, please visit: https://newyorkmagicconference.com and to learn more about the Salute to Magic and purchase advance tickets, please visit: https://salutetomagic.com

852: MAGIC Live! 2024 Convention - Day Four Report

Wednesday, August 7th

(Pre Convention Activities)
24 hours Mystque Lounge, Jackson Square

9:00 a.m. Information Booth, KIosk (11:00 p.m.)
10:00 a.m. Registration, Bienville G (10:00 p.m.)

10:00 a.m. General Session for red lanyards, Showroom (Noon)

11:00 a.m. The MAGIC Shop, Mardi Gras (6:00p)

11:30 a.m. Out to Lunch, Esplanade (1:30p)

2:15 p.m. Focus Sessions for red lanyards (3:15)

Structure and Perception, St. Charles Miguel Angel Gea
World’s Greatest Con, Bienville G Brian Brushwood
Close-up Clinic, French Quarter

3:30 p.m. Focus Sessions for red lanyards until 4:30 pm (see above)

Live Tonight!

Hidden Cabaret, Showroom 5:30, 7:25, 9:30 p.m.
Farewell Party, Mardi Gras 10:00p – 1:00 a.m.
Souvenir Program Handout, Mardi Gras 10:00p – 1:00a

Time stamps for this episode: updates will be posted after I get some sleep

00:00:18 –

851: MAGIC Live! 2024 Convention - Day Three Report

Tuesday, August 6th

24 hours Mystique Lounge, Jackson Square

9:00 a.m. Information Booth, Kiosk 11:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. General Session for red lanyards, Showroom (Noon)

11:00 a.m. The MAGIC Shop, Mardi Gras (6:00p)

11:30 a.m. Out to Lunch, Esplanade (1:30p)

2:15 p.m. Focus Sessions for red lanyards (3:15p)

Acting for Magicians, French Quarter with Chris Philpott & Steve Valentine
Share the Awe, St. Charles with Javi Benitez
Magyver of Magic, Bienville G with Christian Engbloom

3:30 p.m. Focus Sessions for red lanyards until 4:30 p.m. (see above)

Live Tonight!

Documentary Live: The Juniors, Dauphine 5:15, 7:50, 10:15 p.m.
The Little Big Show, Esplanade 5:35, 8:10, 10:35 p.m.
Close-up Experience, Bienville H 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 p.m.
In Concert: Tanto, Dauphine 6:30, 9:05, 11:30p
Penguin Magic Podcast, St. Charles 7:00, 8:30, 10:00p

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:20 – Matt Alexander shaved his beard just for the Sunday night costume party. That was quite a commitment. We then summarized some of events that led up to today.

00:20:59 – Armando Lucero is enjoying this convention by visiting with friends and introducing some of them for their presentations. He shared some of the memories of past events.

00:23:31 – John Kippen is a Knight of the Magic Castle and is one of the regular performers there. He has been buying some a lot of magic here and telling us what memories are being created at this convention. He particularly liked Jon Armstrong. He also gives us a tip on how to handle an audience members who might be playing on their phone during your show. He also talks about his Friday Zoom meetings that was started during COVID and continues to this day.

00:31:27 – John Cox was one of the outstanding presenters at this convention as he talks about the book he is working on about Houdini’s life that was taken from his travel diary from 1897-1899.

00:41:22 – Morris Herzberg talks about our long-time friendship which is what this podcast is all about: renewing old friendships.

00:46:30 – Joey Martinez, Entertainment Director at Nashville’s House of Cards, talks about that venue and how has been doing. We also summarize one of the shows at this convention and how much we enjoyed it.