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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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971: Judge Gary Brown - Wand in a Million

Gary Brown is a U.S. District Judge from New York, but he knows a con man when he discovers one. His recent revelations about Claude Alexander Conlin who had several aliases, but is most well know among magicians as “Alexander, the Man Who Knows.” Judge Brown has written several scholarly books about the history of magic including an innovative book, “Wandcraft” as well as “The Inventive Magicians Handbook.” His monograph on Alexander was published in Bill Kalush’s “Gibecière".

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This week, Gary tells us why wands are important to magicians and why we should use them. He also tells us some delightful stories about Al Flosso, the Coney Island Fakir. He then tells us a bit about what he uncovered about Alexander’s very shady and polygamy ridden career as he narrowly escaped the law by traveling from one State to another. He also talks about the non-existent silver mines that he sold over and over again.

Wand in a Million
Scott Wells with Judge Gary Brown
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Tagged with Judge Gary Brown, Al Flosso, magic wands, Alexander, The Man Who Knows, Claude Alexander Conlin, Titanic Thompson, Arnold Rothstein, Larry Hass, Dave Cresey, George Robinson, Penn & Teller Fool Us.

June 4, 2026 by Scott Wells.
  • June 4, 2026
  • Scott Wells
  • Judge Gary Brown
  • Al Flosso
  • magic wands
  • Alexander
  • The Man Who Knows
  • Claude Alexander Conlin
  • Titanic Thompson
  • Arnold Rothstein
  • Larry Hass
  • Dave Cresey
  • George Robinson
  • Penn & Teller Fool Us
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953: Bob Yorburg - Crafty Pioneer

Depending upon how you look at it, time passes either slow or fast. It was nearly 50 years ago that we began learning magic in a whole new way: video. Prior to that, most magic was learned through books, magazines, lectures, or through an apprenticeship that was passed on from one magician to another. In some ways it seems that our evolution moved slowly from video tape to where we are today with digital images.

In the late 1970’s, Bob Yorburg, went into the studios and recorded a two volume VHS set where he taught close-up magic. It wasn’t long after that before others ran through the door. I was one of those who watched that video set over and over and learned many of my early routines from Bob. He transitioned from one character to another before he found his true passion, refurbishing old magic props, carving Punch and Judy dolls, and working on band organs.

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This week Bob Yorburg tells us about how he came to produce those first video tapes, plus his work as the first Burger King in New York. He apparently worked in many other commercials besides the hamburger giant and he has some great stories. As mentioned, his passion is now carving carousel animals, carousel band organs, Punch and Judy dolls, and is respected and awarded in that field.

Crafty Pioneer
Scott Wells and Bob Yorburg
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Tagged with Bob Yorburg, Slydini, Jay Marshall, Burger King, Mark Wilson, video, Al Flosso, Punch and Judy, Bill Schmeelk, Wellington.

February 5, 2026 by Scott Wells.
  • February 5, 2026
  • Scott Wells
  • Bob Yorburg
  • Slydini
  • Jay Marshall
  • Burger King
  • Mark Wilson
  • video
  • Al Flosso
  • Punch and Judy
  • Bill Schmeelk
  • Wellington
  • Post a comment
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416: Magic In The Big Apple

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In this podcast, we enjoy a chat about some of New York City's (NYC) rich heritage of magic with David "Silly Billy" Kaye, Herb Scher, and Richard Cohn. Richard Cohn is a scholar on Coney Island and on magic in NYC in general. He tells us about the history of some of the old local magic shops (like Tannen's, Martinka's, Holden's and others) plus stories about Al Flosso in Coney Island, Houdini, magic on Broadway, and "magic" things to do and see in the City today. If you plan to visit "The Big Apple" and looking to find a little magic, then I recommend you check out Herb's website for magical things to do, see and enjoy. Click Here to visit Herb's "Magic in New York Blog" for more information.

Herb Scher and David Kaye are involved with producing this year's 109th annual "Salute to Magic" which is open to the public and happens this Saturday night, April 14, 2018 at 7:30 at Fashion Institute of Technology’s Haft Theatre ( 227 West 27th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue) This is sponsored by the S.A.M. Parent Assembly #1 which is one of the nation's oldest and longest running annual magic shows.

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Magic In The Big Apple
Scott Wells, David Kaye, Richard Cohn and Herb Scher
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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.. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here And remember, you can listen through your Amazon Echo by just saying, "Alexa...Play the Magic Word Podcast".

Click on the graphic above for more information on the 2018 Salute To Magic

Click on the graphic above for more information on the 2018 Salute To Magic

Tagged with Salute to Magic, David Kaye, Richard Cohn, Herb Scher, Al Flosso, Coney Island, Emil Jarrow, Houdini.

April 12, 2018 by Scott Wells.
  • April 12, 2018
  • Scott Wells
  • Salute to Magic
  • David Kaye
  • Richard Cohn
  • Herb Scher
  • Al Flosso
  • Coney Island
  • Emil Jarrow
  • Houdini
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

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Judge Gary Brown - U.S. District Judge Gary Brown is also a magician, lecturer, author, and historian. This week he talks about many of his passions including wands, Al Flosso, and Alexander, the Man Who Knows. #magicwands #magic #alexanderthemanwhok
Doug Gorman - Let Me Tell You A Story - Doug Gorman takes a back seat to no one. Quite literally, he is the driver for Richard Turner as they traverse the country. Doug is a professional magician and creator of close-up props and stories for the biza
Bob Bengel - The Dream Job - For many years, Bob Bengel held an enviable job as a full time employee of Hitachi playing golf and performing magic at all their trade shows. #bobbengel #magic #tradeshow #tradeshowmagic #hitachi #golf
Magic Collector Expo 2026 - Daily Report Daily reports from the Expo in New Jersey featuring conversations with organizers, talent, speakers, dealers, and more. #newyork #newyorkpubliclibrary #magiccollector #magiccollectorexpo #magicconvention #magi
I am so excited to be in the Class of 2026 being awarded with the honor of the Milbourne Christopher award. The ceremony is still months away, but I just couldn't wait to share this announcement.
Bill Malone - Bill Malone - Comedy close-up magician, Bill Malone, talks about his career, learning magic, working in bars, trade shows, his health, and his upcoming book. #comedymagic #billmalone #tradeshowmagic #chicagomagic #malonesmagicbar
You never know who you'll meet in an elevator. Thanks to Boris for snapping this great selfie at the recent F.F.F.F. close-up convention.
Judge Gary Brown - U.S. District Judge Gary Brown is also a magician, lecturer, author, and historian. This week he talks about many of his passions including wands, Al Flosso, and Alexander, the Man Who Knows. #magicwands #magic #alexanderthemanwhok
Academy of Magical Arts annual awards banquet in Hollywood  #magiccastle #amaawards2026
Doug Gorman - Let Me Tell You A Story - Doug Gorman takes a back seat to no one. Quite literally, he is the driver for Richard Turner as they traverse the country. Doug is a professional magician and creator of close-up props and stories for the biza Bob Bengel - The Dream Job - For many years, Bob Bengel held an enviable job as a full time employee of Hitachi playing golf and performing magic at all their trade shows. #bobbengel #magic #tradeshow #tradeshowmagic #hitachi #golf Magic Collector Expo 2026 - Daily Report Daily reports from the Expo in New Jersey featuring conversations with organizers, talent, speakers, dealers, and more. #newyork #newyorkpubliclibrary #magiccollector #magiccollectorexpo #magicconvention #magi I am so excited to be in the Class of 2026 being awarded with the honor of the Milbourne Christopher award. The ceremony is still months away, but I just couldn't wait to share this announcement. Bill Malone - Bill Malone - Comedy close-up magician, Bill Malone, talks about his career, learning magic, working in bars, trade shows, his health, and his upcoming book. #comedymagic #billmalone #tradeshowmagic #chicagomagic #malonesmagicbar You never know who you'll meet in an elevator. Thanks to Boris for snapping this great selfie at the recent F.F.F.F. close-up convention.

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

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The Magic Word Podcast was nominated for TWO categories in the new ONLINE MAGIC competition at the 2025 World Championship of Magic (FISM) in Turin, Italy. One was for the Best Magic Podcaster and the second for the Best Magic Newsletter. You may already listen, but you are missing out on the other half if you haven’t yet subscribed to our weekly podletter!

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