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734: Magifest 2023 - Day One Report

Thursday 26th January 2023

5:00pm - 8:00pm

Dealer’s Room Open

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Charles Greene Historical Lecture.

Presenting his groundbreaking research on one of magic’s most elusive figures, Charles Greene will recount the unusual life story behind Ionia. Ionia was a pioneering figure in the world of magic—all the more difficult in her era because of great biases against female performers. She astounded the world and then…disappeared from public view. Greene has uncovered what happened, and how she lived the remainder of her life. This talk will feature many of the astounding visuals we associate with Ionia, including several newly uncovered images. 7:00pm - 7.45pm

Michel Huot Lecture

The creator of the hit trick “Socks” is making his Magifest debut with a lecture packed with unusual, non-card parlor material. Mr. Huot comes from Quebec, and he will astound people with his unique, creative brand of magic. 8:00pm - 9pm

Mark James Show

Straight from a successful tour of the UK, Mark James has a truly “parlor” magic show–a rarity in these times. You’ll be amazed and delighted by his high energy approach to the classics, and you’ll be amazed by the clever twists along the way. 9:00pm - 9:45pm

Youth Program Welcome Event

We invite all young magicians (and guardians) to attend this welcome party. You’ll meet our directors, a couple of our headline performers, and get insider tips on how to make the most of Magifest as a young person. There may even be a surprise or two… 9:30pm - 11:00pm

Peter Turner Show and Lecture

Hailing from the UK, Peter Turner is a radical, disruptive performer and thinker who has taken the mindreading community by storm. He will perform and then speak on his powerful, unique approach to mentalism.

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Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Early morning departure from Houston to Columbus. Thank you, Andy Lacky, for the Dunkin’ Donuts gift card! It helps keep my eyes open for the 5:30 a.m. departure.

00:04:58 - Lance Burton and Gwyn Auger chat about his old Kentucky home

00:11:45 - Francois Xavier aka FX discusses this as his second Magifest and why he returned to see some stars of magic

00:16:04 - Nancy Anderson tells why she enjoys the podcast and some of her favorite episodes plus a chat with two other Chicago magicians, Scott Levens and T.J. Tang

00:19:35 - David Williamson is from Ohio and talks about the Magifest and his childhood memories of attending this event, plus what he’s been doing during COVID. He gives lessons through an online community at https://www.sleight.school/

00:22:52 - Jim Krenz is one of the many employees with Vanishing, Inc.

00:27:38 - Mark James is one of the performers who will also be lecturing this weekend.

00:33:14 - Charles Greene III will kick off the convention with his talk about his historical book, Ionia and his journey to uncover her story.

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

Posted in Convention Report and tagged with MagiFest, Columbus Ohio, Lance Burton, Gwyn Auger, Francois Xavier, Nancy Anderson, David Williamson, Jim Krenz, Mark James, Charles Greene III.

January 26, 2023 by Scott Wells.
  • January 26, 2023
  • Scott Wells
  • MagiFest
  • Columbus Ohio
  • Lance Burton
  • Gwyn Auger
  • Francois Xavier
  • Nancy Anderson
  • David Williamson
  • Jim Krenz
  • Mark James
  • Charles Greene III
  • Convention Report
  • Post a comment
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350: Hammer Time with Mike Hammer

For the past five years, Mike Hammer has been packing them in while headlining in his own theater in the Four Queens Casino and Hotel on Fremont Street, downtown Las Vegas.  Mike has his own style, and it works for him. He is the "Don Rickles" of magic with a rather abrasive approach where he actually insults his audience...and they love him! The night I visited his show, the room was packed and afterwards I overheard some saying this was a repeat visit to enjoy his show. Two people had paid for return visits to watch his show over 30 times!

Some of you might remember seeing Mike on "Penn and Teller Fool Us" with his outrageously memorable performance using a blow up doll. If not, then you can view the video here on this blog.

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In this podcast, we cover a lot of territory from how he developed his act, working in Las Vegas, routining, trick selection, getting out of bad situations when things go wrong, and keeping his performances fresh. This was a fun and funny podcast that includes a lot of sound advice with some great behind-the-scenes stories.

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. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Tagged with Mike Hammer, Four Queens Casino, Las Vegas, Fielding West, Johnny Thompson, Penn & Teller Fool Us.

March 30, 2017 by Scott Wells.
  • March 30, 2017
  • Scott Wells
  • Mike Hammer
  • Four Queens Casino
  • Las Vegas
  • Fielding West
  • Johnny Thompson
  • Penn & Teller Fool Us
  • Post a comment
Comment

The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

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