482: Les Arnold - More Inspired

Les Arnold has one of the funniest magic parody acts on the scene today. He works with his daughter (known as “Dazzle”) and has appeared four times on “Masters of Illusion” TV show (to date). Les was one of the early members of the legendary “Long Beach Mystics” in Long Beach, California and was a shop teacher until retirement when he converted his part time job as a performer to full time. During his formative years, Les built many illusions and developed his stage act today known as Les Arnold and Dazzle.

You can catch Les Arnold appearing at the Magic Collectors Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 20-22, 2019 and also at the I.B.M. Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona on July 10-13, 2019.

Les Arnold and Dazzle Full Act on Masters of Illusion

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:02:50 - Les Arnold talks about his early beginnings with the Long Beach Mystics, how he developed his act “Les Arnold and Dazzle” act with his daughter, and how he keeps focused on what material works best for his character/act.

01:05:23 - Product Review: “Mint-O” from Vanishing, Inc. - a mint (Lifesaver or Polo circular mint) magically penetrates onto the cord of a set of headphone. Very visual with three different methods. Recommended.

01:08:00 - Product Review: “Snapped” from the Other Brothers - wrapped candy (i.e. Airheads, Hershey bar, etc. - some flat, wrapped candy) automatically, quickly and visually vanishes behind your wallet, deck of cards or other similarly sized item. Recommended.

01:10:40 - Product Review: “Fully Automatic Card Trick (FACT)” by Caleb Wiles - A seriously, fully automatic card trick that the volunteer does in his hands. There are instruction cards in the deck that the volunteer will follow to make this a “hands off” trick for the magician. It will take time to remember the set-up, but highly recommended.

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355: Bill Smith - The Man Behind the Illusions

Former Long Beach Mystic, Bill Smith, has been a long time resident on Las Vegas and doesn't consider himself as a creator so much as he is a builder. He has seen a lot of magicians come and go. For ten years, he was a stage hand for Harry Blackstone, Jr. and traveled across the U.S. including his Broadway show. He also has some strong beliefs on building from original plans rather than building rip-offs.

As part of the Las Vegas Chronicles, one of the visits was to the illusion fabrication warehouse of Bill Smith's Magic Ventures where his crew was busy building props for upcoming shows. For more info on Magic Ventures, visit his website at: http://www.magicventures.com/

To hear our chat with Bill Smith, visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/bill-smith

Bill Smith talks about his migration to "Sin City" as magic began to flourish. He talks about magic he has been involved with from Caesar's Magic Kingdom to the current big shows on the Strip. He also talks about working with Stan Allen in the magic shop in Los Angeles and his early attempts at building. Bill started out as a performer and gradually moved into building. He also chats about how he met Harry Blackstone, Jr. and how he starting working for him including a lot of behind-the-scene stories with Harry. Some of Bill's best memories are from his attendance at Abbott's Get Together.

We then have a good discussion about rip-offs of illusions, ethics, rights, YouTube, China, lack of creativity, and more. He now laments the lack of new, original illusions coming on the market today.

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?

482: Les Arnold - More Inspired

355: Bill Smith - The Man Behind the Illusions

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

The Magic Word