912: Diana Zimmerman - The Enchantress

Diana Zimmerman is an enchanting woman in every sense of the word: personality, charm, abilities, looks, intelligence, skill, and so much more. She has led a life of magic like few other women. And she is being recognized for her achievements by being inducted to the Los Angeles Times Global Magicians Hall of Fame on July 9th, 2025. Married at 19 to Dick Zimmerman, magician and creative genius, she performed around the world on television and stage with her one-woman performance. She traveled with a giant gramophone then later switched to a thumb tie and pick pocketing. She developed and still works with the Magic Castle Junior Program (which just celebrated their 50th year) and is the author of several books of fantasy. But she also authored the definitive collector’s edition of the Siegfried and Roy book.

Diana has so many stories that she shares with us this week including her early days working with her then-husband, Dick Zimmerman, then how Cary Grant encouraged her to form the junior program at the Magic Castle, and many stories about the late Siegfried and Roy. She was a close confidant to the illusionists and shares some “behind the scenes” stories from Little Bavaria to “the Incident” that ended their Las Vegas run.

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758: Artem Shchukin - A Peek Behind the Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. Since then and with the advent of the internet and the digital age, Russia has had more and more access to learning magic from the rest of the world. But this week we take a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, to see how Russians learn magic when there are few brick and mortar magic shops, few opportunities for restaurant workers, learning from (mostly) English magic books, and the market for birthday party and wedding magicians, restaurant workers and trade show performers. FISM Champion, Artem Shchukin candidly shares his journey from the circus to the FISM competition.

Artem speaks frankly about how he learned magic from his traveling circus family in Russia then later during lock-down in South Korea and how he developed an award winning, creative magic act. He also answers my probing questions about some of the mysteries in Russia and how people find work as a magician there. For the most part, magic, like many other things, is still kept secret in Russia with little sharing nor congregating at clubs and conventions. Magic is still considered a hobby and not a contributing art to the communal (or Communist) way of life.

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

716: Reza - On The Edge

Reza is changing the landscape of entertainment in Branson, Missouri. Long a tourist destination for tour bus groups, families and the geriatric set, Branson’s demographic is changing. And Reza’s cutting edge show is meeting and exceeding those demands with regularly sold-out shows. Reza is a name that is making impact far outside of Branson. His recent tour and television appearances have astounded over 30 million viewers from around the world on networks such as MTV, A&E, The CW, PBS, Reelz, CX, Fuji, and Telemundo as well as live venues including the Alamodome (San Antonio), Villanova Pavilion (Philadelphia), and Mundo Imperial Forum (Acapulco), to name a few.

Reza shares stories from his career from his beginnings in South Dakota where there were no magic shops and very few other magicians to talk to and learn from in the area. He discusses why he landed in Branson instead of Las Vegas and also about working with Criss Angel.

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

912: Diana Zimmerman - The Enchantress

758: Artem Shchukin - A Peek Behind the Iron Curtain

716: Reza - On The Edge

The Magic Word