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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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909: Joe Monti - One of the Men Behind the Man

Often we don’t know nor recognize those who work behind the scenes and spotlights. But they are the ones responsible for making the person in front of the curtains or camera look good. As they say, “it takes a village” and that is especially true for “stars” who make it on television and stage. One such person that is a “go-to” consultant is Joe Monti. When Criss Angel got his television deal for “Mind Freak”, Joe was one of the first people Criss called. As time went on and it became apparent how valuable Joe was, he also assumed the role of “producer”. Joe continues to this day to consult for magicians as well as performing for high profile corporate clients. He has even fooled Penn & Teller on their show, “Fool Us”.

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My friendship with Joe Monti goes back nearly 40 years from when we performed together at Houston’s Magic Island. It was good to catch up with a long-time friend this week as he shared many stories about what he has been doing during those years. He has a few “behind the scenes” stories to tell about working with Criss Angel plus his experience on “Penn & Teller Fool Us”.

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 Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly 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.

PLEASE NOTE: These events are THIS SATURDAY June 14th, 2025. For more information on the New York Magic Conference, please visit: https://newyorkmagicconference.com and to learn more about the Salute to Magic and purchase advance tickets, please visit: https://salutetomagic.com

Tagged with Joe Monti, Criss Angel, Mind Freak, Magic Island.

June 12, 2025 by Scott Wells.
  • June 12, 2025
  • Scott Wells
  • Joe Monti
  • Criss Angel
  • Mind Freak
  • Magic Island
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876: Chris Blackmore - Looking Back at Lahaina

Chris Blackmore was a regular performer in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, at Warren & Annabelle’s. That is, up until the devastating fire in August 2023. The fire destroyed homes and businesses and was responsible for the deaths of over 100 people. Lives were forever changed in an instant. Warren & Annabelle’s was a premier destination dinner theater that featured magic and was one of the highest rated, most visited sites in Hawaii

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This week, Chris talk about his experience in Lahaina as the fires started, grew, and eventually overtook the city. His perspective as “boots on the ground” are chilling yet insightful. His recollections of the halcyon day of Warren & Annabelle’s are recounted here, too.

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 Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly 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.

Tagged with Chris Blackmore, Dana Daniels, DisneyWorld, Magic Island, Warren & Annabelle's, Warren Gibson, John George, Lahaina Hawaii.

December 26, 2024 by Scott Wells.
  • December 26, 2024
  • Scott Wells
  • Chris Blackmore
  • Dana Daniels
  • DisneyWorld
  • Magic Island
  • Warren & Annabelle's
  • Warren Gibson
  • John George
  • Lahaina Hawaii
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676: Ed Alonzo - In The Library

While I was in Los Angeles to work on “Masters of Illusion” TV series, Ed Alonzo found time to sit in the library of the Magic Castle to chat about his career. As a former member of the Long Beach Mystics and the Magic Castle Junior group, Ed launched successful careers as both a magician and an actor having major roles in many television series including “Saved By The Bell.” He also went on to work with Britney Spears on her worldwide concert tour where he interacted with her on stage in his character as a magician.

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In this week’s episode, Ed covers a lot of territory in a short hour podcast. He talks extensively about the Magic Castle and his love and dedication to the clubhouse. He also talks about his time as a youth as he was trying to “find his character” when he was a member of the Long Beach Mystics and the Magic Castle Juniors. He tells how he transitioned into acting but never lost his love for performing magic, which he still does to this day having just completed the taping of Season Nine of “Masters of Illusion.” By the way, he talked about running for office on the Academy of Magical Arts: he won the election and is now on the Board of Directors. Congratulations, Ed.

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

Towards the end of the episode, Ed talks about being on “The American Life” podcast with Ira Glass and David Kestenbaum as they talked about “The Lady Vanishes” or, David Copperfield’s vanish of the Statue of Liberty. Ed was part of the team that worked with David on this illusion and this episode goes into detail about the effect. The podcast website for this episode is HERE. “The Lady Vanishes” is the second part of this episode entitled “The Magic Show” and Ed Alonzo’s part comes very near the end at around time stamp 00:53:00.

Tagged with Ed Alonzo, The Magic Castle, Doug Henning, Owens Magic Supreme, Dirk Arthur, Long Beach Mystics, Kevin James, comedy magic, Siegfried and Roy, Saved By The Bell, Britney Spears, Statue of Liberty, David Copperfield, Neil Patrick Harris.

April 21, 2022 by Scott Wells.
  • April 21, 2022
  • Scott Wells
  • Ed Alonzo
  • The Magic Castle
  • Doug Henning
  • Owens Magic Supreme
  • Dirk Arthur
  • Long Beach Mystics
  • Kevin James
  • comedy magic
  • Siegfried and Roy
  • Saved By The Bell
  • Britney Spears
  • Statue of Liberty
  • David Copperfield
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • Post a comment
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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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Travel Breather in the Eye of the Storm - We are between two (actually three) major events: FISM, Abbott's Get Together and MAGIC Live! Last week was a full week of FISM reports. Next week we travel to Colon, Michigan for Abbott's Get Together then i
Rome may not have been built in a day, but we tried to see as much of it as we could in an afternoon.
Another beautiful day in Umbria visiting #Assissi and #Perugia #Italy
More time near the Tuscan sun. But this time we traveled south to Umbria where we visited #Bevagna #Montefalco and #Spello
More time under the beautiful Tuscan sun with a visit to Montalcino and Montepulciano for wine tasting and exploring. Now staying in a monestary. #italy
Travel Breather in the Eye of the Storm - We are between two (actually three) major events: FISM, Abbott's Get Together and MAGIC Live! Last week was a full week of FISM reports. Next week we travel to Colon, Michigan for Abbott's Get Together then i
Another delightful day under the Tuscan sun in Siena and other cities I can't spell, but enjoying the sun, the food, the wine, and the culture. And the Gelato is amazing. #gelato #siena #italy
A tour of the Chianti Classico region. Two wineries and a sunset Tuscan dinner followed by, of course, gellato. #chianti
From Turin to Parma where we tried the music,  cheese, prosciutto,  wine, and Gelato. #parma

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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