615: Shaun Jay - Bright Ideas

The future of magic lies in the hands of our youth. This week we prove that the next generation of magicians is in good hands and going in the right direction as we speak with Shaun Jay. Shaun was on the cover of the M.U.M. journal in 2020 and has appeared on the “Masters of Illusion” on the CW Network. He is involved in making magic and magical things. And he respects the history, inspiration and mentorship of those with more years of experience.

Shaun has his own podcast which is totally different from The Magic Word Podcast but worth your time to explore. See his “Making Magic with Shaun Jay” podcast video interviews at: https://YouTube.com/shaunjaymagic or you can listen here: http://bit.ly/makingmagiconapple

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

This week Shaun talks about his path on how he got on the national network television show, “Masters of Illusion” and he discusses some of the things he has made such as his wristwatches that are pieces of art, plus he talks about how he developed his act. For more information on his 3D design and prop making, please visit: https://utilitygaffs.com

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376: Day Three - 2017 MAGIC Live!

Day Three was the second full day of activities, and depending upon the color of your lanyard holding your badge, determined whether one attended the morning General Session or two of the three Focus Sessions. I had the red lanyard which meant that I attended the General Session in the morning which was again capably hosted by Jonathan Levitt and Julie Eng. Their guest were interesting and entertaining and included Jonathan Goodwin, Levent, David Williamson and Richard Turner.

The Focus Sessions were okay, too, but the evening show was first "In Concert with John Archer" who gave a one hour comedy performance then I finally got to see the Thayer 49 Puzzle Boxes. This is the hardest thing to describe in writing but was for me one of the highlights of the convention. And for those reading this blog who may still be at the convention, I don't want to spoil it for you but will tell more in tomorrow's report.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:17 - Mark Mason just arrived from holiday in Germany in order to be a dealer here at MAGIC Live!

00:03:31 - Everybody's funnyman, Bill Malone, is not part of the convention this year but just hanging out and he tells a funny story.

00:09:20 - John Bannon has a new fourth DVD coming out to complete his "Move Zero" series.

00:14:09 - We go into the dealer's room and chat with Erin Wimmer with Bicycle Cards and she tells us about some new cards coming out soon plus some decks that were made just for this convention.

00:19:46 - Gabe Fajuri has another auction this coming Saturday at Potter and Potter Auctions

00:23:11 - Master Payne is not performing this year so he is enjoying being a general registrant this week. He also talks about Mystery School and Eugene Burger.

00:28:26 - Brent Braun from Penquin tells us about the newest tricks available from Penguin plus talks about the Magic Expo.

00:32:09 - Levent talks about photography

00:35:15 - Richard Hatch tells us about the newest publication about "Expert at the Card Table"

#204: 2014 Year of Magic in Review

It's that time of the year when we try to "put the band back together" and chat with members of the hosts from the MagicNewswire.com podcast, "This Week in Magic". Trying to get a time to arrange everyone's schedule is like "herding cats". So, due to work and health conflicts, this year we have David "Silly Billy" Kaye and Cameron Ramsay join Scott Wells to discuss what went on in the magic world this past year.

To supplement our chat about Magic on TV, here is a little up-to-the-minute information that I read on IndieWire.com after our chat:

"Magic is in the air, or at least on the airwaves. "Masters of Illusion" did well enough for CW last year to make an order for 13 more episodes materialize – and that's after being canceled by MyNetworkTV in 2009. It joins the network's other magic show, the British ITV production "Penn & Teller: Fool Us," as well as magic programs gaining traction on basic cable. TruTV's "The Carbonaro Effect" will be back for a second season, while "Wizard Wars" returns to Syfy in January for six additional episodes. Even shows that don't have magic as a focus are shuffling it into the deck: "American Masters" is kicking off a new season January 23 with an episode about master magician Ricky Jay, and Nat Geo's "Brain Games," regularly tosses a sleight-of-hand artist into the mix."

Of course this is from a personal perspective of the guest on this podcast and does not include a lot of things you perhaps found to be more relevant. But we hope you enjoy our chat.

Instead of bouncing all over the globe, we try to stay on topic with an agenda that includes: magic on television; live touring magic shows; magic conventions; notable passings, and; predictions for 2015.

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Magicians' Valhalla

Although the list below is not exhaustive, it does reflect the names of many well-known (and some lesser known) magicians, spouses and assistants who passed on in 2014. If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, then it would behoove you to do a little online search of what these people have contributed to our craft. If you have someone you think was overlooked, then please post the name in the comments below on this blog.

Aldo Colombini

Scott Lewis

Dave Madden

Montecore (S&R’s tiger)

Jeff Busby

Judge Arnold Drennen

Robert “Bob” Knigge

Robert L. “Bob” Bluemle

Stella P. Coward (wife of Noel Coward)

John T. Fedko

Robert “Bob” W. Klamm

Alan Alan