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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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438: Andy Dallas - Escaping From The Ordinary

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Andy Dallas is an interesting character whom  many of you should know as a Past President of the Society of American Magicians (2006-2007) but he is also a world renown hypnotist, lecturer, and escape artist. In his early career, Andy performed the "usual" escapes from chains, handcuffs, locked trunks, upside down straight jackets, manacles and more. But he also escaped from many unique, creative and original escapes including his "Triple Death Trap"

Andy is also known as a collector of carnival con games that you can't win and old, mechanical pinball/pachinko games. But in recent years he is best known as the owner and proprietor of the Dallas & Co. Costumes & Magic in Champaign, Illinois. And for my money, he has the best handling and presentation of the iconic "Zombie" ball of anyone in the world.

Owner of Dallas & Co., Andy Dallas balances magic acts and his Halloween and magic store. He conjures up his colorful past as an escape artist.
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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:08:31 - Andy Dallas talks about his career as an escape artist, his brick and mortar magic shop and his unique collection of carnival con games..

01:15:49 - Product Review: Box Office by Jeremy Marouani - a prediction effect from 100 movie titles attractively displayed on ten different post card sized cards. Recommended with reservation.

01:21:22 - Product Review: Klik by Agus Tjui - using your phone or a spectator's phone to take a picture of a "wrong" card is shown to be the correctly selected card when viewed on the phone. Recommended.

01:25:45: - Unbound by Darryl Davis = a gimmickless, impromptu version of the Invisible Deck using a shuffled deck in play that can be yours or a borrowed deck. Sleights are required so not a beginner trick, but very effective and clever. Recommended.

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

Tagged with Andy Dallas, brick and mortar, magic shop, escape artist, S.A.M..

August 2, 2018 by Scott Wells.
  • August 2, 2018
  • Scott Wells
  • Andy Dallas
  • brick and mortar
  • magic shop
  • escape artist
  • S.A.M.
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389: Alan Howard - Passing the Torch

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This episode is entitled "Passing the Torch" because Alan Howard will be the next Editor and Chief of the M.U.M. journal for the Society of American Magicians. The "torch" will be passed from Michael Close and, to continue the analogy, Alan is a juggler so he is used to passing torches...literally.

We had the opportunity to chat with Alan Howard when he was in Houston for the memorial service for long time friend, John Moehring. Alan traveled from Florida just for this special occasion to honor his friend, and former Editor of the M.U.M.

John Moehring died on July 9, 2017, just ten dies shy of his 75th birthday. Tragically, his life was cut short by Parkinson's Disease. A memorial service was planned for August 26th in Houston, Texas. But due to Hurricane Harvey, the service was delayed until October 14, 2017.

John Moehring "Celebration of Life" Slideshow produced by Gary Plants.

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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:05:55- Alan Howard reflects on his friendship with John Moehring then talks about his work as a juggler, his work as an editor for "Juggle" magazine, and his upcoming job as the new editor for M.U.M. magazine.

00:35:27 - Charlie Randall, of H&R Magic Books, reflects on his friendship with John Moehring.

00:44:02 - Product Review: "MoneyMorphosis" is a "self-folding bill" effect where the bill morphs into an origami butterfly. Recommended.

00:50:38 - Product Review: "Cool Beans" by Paul Brook - loyalty cards from coffee chops that have stamps and built-in mentalism tricks. Recommended.

00:53:32 - Product Review: "Loyalty" by Paul Brook - key fob tags with bar codes and company names and logos which you can predict. Clever ideas on this one. Recommended.

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 Alan Howard, M.U.M., Michael Close, John Moehring, Charlie Randall, H&R Magic Books, S.A.M., Society of American Magicians.

October 19, 2017 by Scott Wells.
  • October 19, 2017
  • Scott Wells
  • Alan Howard
  • M.U.M.
  • Michael Close
  • John Moehring
  • Charlie Randall
  • H&R Magic Books
  • S.A.M.
  • Society of American Magicians
  • 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
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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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Thanks to all of you listeners, The Magic Word Podcast and our newsletter (or “podletter” as I call it) has been recognized by FISM and received nominations in two categories. Please click on one of the graphics above and cast your vote to help push us on to victory in Turin, Italy, this summer! Thank you!

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.”

Do you have a comment or suggestion for The Magic Word Podcast? Click on the SpeakPipe logo and leave a short audio message for Scott. It’s fast, easy and fun. Send a “shout out” today and who knows? Your message may be heard on an upcoming podcast!

This week's episode is in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Magic Castle Juniors group and her feature article in VANISH Magazine and precedes Diana's induction to the Los Angeles Tribune Global Magicians Hall of Fame.
 #losangelestribune
Connie Boyd was a successful stage magician in Las Vegas and now is an author and producer. But she is a strong advocate for Women in Magic. She is our guest this week on The Magic Word Podcast  https://share.google/dHcDjJ177mCTlBmnT
#magicalwomen #m
This week on The Magic Word Podcast, "The Good Liar" Brian Curry from the Washington, D.C. area. #comedy #washingtondc #magicduel
Joe Monti was one of the creative minds and producers behind the early seasons of “Mind Freak with Criss Angel” and he has also fooled Penn & Teller. Listen to this week’s podcast episode at: https://themagicwordpodcast.com/909-
This week on The Magic Word Podcast, a chat with Christian & Katalina who have been performing their Mind Tripping Show in Indianapolis for 16 years.  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/908-christian-and-katalina
#indianapolis #m
This week we feature an episode about two magicians 🎩 🎩 who share ideas on how to find your own theatre to perform in, plus learn how to work with a magic partner on stage. Visit the website for more information:  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.co
What a great, action-packed, adrenaline-laced, fast-paced movie. I recommend watching part one (Dead Reckoning) to catch up from where we left off two years ago. Best to see this on the big screen. Recommended!
Eric Leclerc joins us from Canada this week to talk about comedy and his experience being the compere (emcee) at the Blackpool convention 2025. #ericleclerc #canadianmagician #comedymagic #mikehammer https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagi
This week's episode is in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Magic Castle Juniors group and her feature article in VANISH Magazine and precedes Diana's induction to the Los Angeles Tribune Global Magicians Hall of Fame.
 #losangelestribune
Connie Boyd was a successful stage magician in Las Vegas and now is an author and producer. But she is a strong advocate for Women in Magic. She is our guest this week on The Magic Word Podcast  https://share.google/dHcDjJ177mCTlBmnT
#magicalwomen #m This week on The Magic Word Podcast, "The Good Liar" Brian Curry from the Washington, D.C. area. #comedy #washingtondc #magicduel Joe Monti was one of the creative minds and producers behind the early seasons of “Mind Freak with Criss Angel” and he has also fooled Penn & Teller. Listen to this week’s podcast episode at: https://themagicwordpodcast.com/909- This week on The Magic Word Podcast, a chat with Christian & Katalina who have been performing their Mind Tripping Show in Indianapolis for 16 years.  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/908-christian-and-katalina
#indianapolis #m This week we feature an episode about two magicians 🎩 🎩 who share ideas on how to find your own theatre to perform in, plus learn how to work with a magic partner on stage. Visit the website for more information:  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.co What a great, action-packed, adrenaline-laced, fast-paced movie. I recommend watching part one (Dead Reckoning) to catch up from where we left off two years ago. Best to see this on the big screen. Recommended! Eric Leclerc joins us from Canada this week to talk about comedy and his experience being the compere (emcee) at the Blackpool convention 2025. #ericleclerc #canadianmagician #comedymagic #mikehammer https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagi

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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