715: Paul Stone - No Stone Unturned

Paul Stone has been a mainstay in the world of magic without gaining the true notoriety he deserves because of his work behind the scenes. Paul is the driving force behind his company, SHOWSTEALERS LLC. Paul is an experienced Producer of hundreds of Corporate Events and Shows, amongst them in the UK include shows at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Her Majesty’s Theatre and 18 shows at the world famous London Palladium Theatre, including the widely acclaimed ‘Tribute to Siegfried & Roy at the London Palladium’ in 2008. Paul has produced Shows in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, Mirage, Harrahs, Orleans and the Suncoast Hotel & Casino.

The working pros know him and go to him when they need help producing a gala event. Not only a producer, Paul is also a trade show performer and creator of magic tricks such as “Overboard” which is a quality prop with endless possibilities and is in my personal trade show.

In this episode, Paul tells one story after another about Ken Brooke, Paul Daniels, Fred Kaps, Hans Moretti, John Fisher, Wayne Dobson, and so many others. As a producer who works behind the scenes on big events, he has all the great stories. From a young man in Liverpool to a grown man in Las Vegas, Paul has met and worked with all of the top magic names from one side of the pond to the other.

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316: The End of MAGIC Magazine? Plus: Thommy Ten & Amelie Van Tass - Joined at the Mind

First place winners for Mentalism at the 2015 FISM Championships, Thommy Ten and Amelie Van Tass have "wowed" crowds all over the world with their two-person clairvoyant act. Currently starring in "The Illusionists 1903" touring magic show, they were finalists in the 11th season of America's Got Talent (sic) television show.

But topping this podcast, we have a chat with Stan Allen who brings us up to date with the latest "bombshell" announcement. With the August 2016 issue, MAGIC Magazine marked the end of an era with its "last" MAGIC Magazine after publishing 300 issues over the past 25 years. But rather than going out "cold turkey", Stan Allen has a plan to reinvent the magic magazine and publish just 25 more issues over the next 20 months with a new publication: MAGIC Legacy. These will not be available digitally, but only by hard copy and it will be a limited run. So if you don't subscribe, then you may miss out entirely if you think you will "jump in" later.

Thommy Ten and Amelie Van Tass on their first outing on 2016 "America's Got Talent" (sic)

With perfect lightness the Austrian and German Champions of Magic make you discover a fabulous world by their art of mindreading and unique illusions. Smart, bright and charming! Get in contact with Thommy Ten & Amélie today! www.thommyten.com +436766213176

00:01:41- Stan Allen brings us up to date with the latest news and all the details on his new venture: MAGIC Legacy. This limited run publication was announced during MAGIC Live! last week. Many people signed up for the new magazine at the convention, but others will be given the chance to subscribe and to pply the balance of their subscription payment towards a limited time price for MAGIC Legacy.

00:18:17 - Later in this podcast, Thommy and Amelie talk about their experience on "America's Got Talent" TV show and what it's like backstage. They also talk about meeting and starting to work together in Austria. This is a couple who practically finish each others' sentences...but what else would you expect?

Do you like mentalism? Click on the banner above to visit the website for all things "Banachek".

120: John Calvert - Centurian of the World

John Calvert was a featured performer on more than one occasion for the Texas Association of Magicians in Corpus Christi, Texas. Dan Garret was his emcee one time and introduced John as magician, adventurer, actor and legend who's "address is the world." I thought there has never been anyone who so embodied that "mailing address" as John and Tammy Calvert as they traversed the globe in their yacht, called The Magic Castle". Every week they were docked at some exotic destination and made friends wherever they went.

John and Tammy Calvert spread joy and mystery all over the world for so many years until it finally came to an end on September 27, 2013. John was 102 years young. He never stopped giving and loving people and magic. He was passionate about our art. There are many tributes posted elsewhere on the Internet as well as his complete (and summarized) biography. But nothing can come close to the complete life story of John Calvert that was written and published by William Rauscher entitled, John Calvert - Magic and Adventures Around the World.

When John and Tammy came through Houston, Texas in 2009 on one of their lecture tours, they spent a few nights in our home. They were such splendid guests. While here, John sat down with me to record a short account of some of the thing that were outside of his biography, John Calvert - Magic and Adventures Around the World. I edited the video to comply with the then required time constraints of YouTube. I posted a second, more candid, video interview with John where he talked about his family and the secret to his longevity. These videos are linked below, but the audio portion is captured in this week's podcast.

Also included with this podcast is my chat with John's "Boswell", William Rauscher. This was my interview with Bill during the 2011 M.A.E.S. convention.

John Calvert shares some insight on his many years in magic in a brief interview with Scott Wells.

Scott Wells talks with John Calvert who turned 100 years old on August 5, 2011 and talks about his secrets to longevity. Plus a look at him filling in as a stunt double for Clark Gable. These are some out takes from another interview with this incredible man.

When magicians think of the famous magician John Calvert, his wife and assistant, Tammy, comes automatically to mind. The Calverts were inseparable for over 50 years as they traveled the world with the Magicarama illusion show. In recent years they made scores of appearances at magicians’ gatherings, sharing their lifetime of knowledge with others. Although Calvert continued to perform into his 101st year, his health declined in recent months and expenses mounted.

For those who wish to send cards and/or financial gifts to Tammy to help with medical and funeral expenses, she is currently staying with John’s nephew, Fred Calvert, at 4399 Irvine Avenue, Studio City, California 91604.

Friends have also set up a PayPal account for her, ready to receive donations. You don’t have to have a PayPal account to send funds to her. Go to www.PayPal.com. Click on "Send Money.” Enter the following e-mail address “EpicProductions@Juno.com.” Enter the donation amount and click to send to "Family and Friends"..

I understand that the following link will make it easy to send a financial gift to her: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/send-money-online.

What else can you do? Visit www.johncalvertmagic.com and www.johncalvertmagician.com to purchase the video about Calvert’s life and other unique collectors’ items.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:07:05 - John Calvert talks about his magical life

00:16:27 - John talks about his private side: his family and the secret to his longevity

00:21:27 - William Rauscher tells us some great stories about John that were not in the book.

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Magic & Martinis Thursday

Though John Calvert was a teetotaler, that does not preclude me from toasting to his life and legacy. He said he was once approached by the Calvert whiskey distillery about promoting their brand. Despite the financial incentive, John had higher morals and refused the sponsorship. And although he was well-known for his cigarette manipulation act, he never smoked either. He always made a point of saying to his audience after his manip act that he did not advocate smoking and admonished the youth from ever starting the habit.