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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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952: The Many Faces of Brian Brushwood

Brian Brushwood has been on my radar for the podcast almost since i first began 15 years ago. Since he lives in the Austin area, I always felt I would have time to chat and feature him on an episode. As we approach 1,000 episodes, I'm beginning to shift some guests from the back burner to the front. My son Nick, interned with Brian when he was in the thick of the college circuit in the early 2000’s. That was the genesis of many of the future endeavors taken on by Brian like Scam School, Modern Rogue, and even the World’s Greatest Con which define Brian’s current trajectory.

Brian has been and continues to be a trailblazer in our magic community having begun his his own magic career in 1993. He has since garnered the support and admiration of some of magic’s biggest names including Jeff McBride, and Teller, one half of the Penn and Teller duo, and even David Copperfield.

Since beginning his career in magic, Brushwood has authored six books, including Cheats, Cons, Swindles & Tricks: 57 Ways to Scam a Free Drink; Pack the House: The Ultimate, Ever-Growing Guide to Increasing Attendance to YOUR Campus Events(co-authored with C.J. Johnson); and the Professionals Guide to Fire Eating.

Brushwood has made several TV and radio appearances, including appearances on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Roseanne Show, E! Entertainment Television’s Talk Soup, the WB’s Steve Harveys Big Time, Tech TVs Unscrewed with Martin Sargent, CMTs Most Wanted Live, BBCs The Paul Coyte Show, Westwood One’s “Don and Mike Show,” ABC-TV’s “The Debra Duncan Show, “The Shannon Burke Show” on KJFK-FM, Dudley and Bob” on KLBJ-FM, “The Morning Zoo” on KASE-FM, as well as news affiliates for ABC, FOX, CBS and Time-Warner.

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Brian Brushwood is a magician, podcaster, author, lecturer and comedian. Brushwood is known for the series Scam School, a show where he teaches the audience entertaining tricks at bars so they can "scam" a free drink from their friends. In addition to Scam School, Brushwood hosts Hacking the System on National Geographic Channel and also hosts the podcasts Weird Things, Cordkillers, and Night Attack. Brushwood has been a regular guest on This Week in Tech and previously hosted Game On! with Veronica Belmont on TWiT.

Among the many suggestions and links for you to follow, I heartily suggest you follow The World’s Greatest Con by Clicking Here.

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 Brian Brushwood, World's Greatest Con, Modern Rogue, college circuit, Scam School, social media, NACA, Justin Robert Young.

January 29, 2026 by Scott Wells.
  • January 29, 2026
  • Scott Wells
  • Brian Brushwood
  • World's Greatest Con
  • Modern Rogue
  • college circuit
  • Scam School
  • social media
  • NACA
  • Justin Robert Young
  • Post a comment
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634: 2021 Austin T.A.O.M. - Day One Report

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Friday September 3, 2021

9.30am-11.30am - Collectors Meeting: Bill Winters presents “Walter Gibson, the Man Who Knew the Titans of Magic” and A virtual presentation of the Houdini collection by the Curator Eric Colleary.
Free for all!

12pm-5pm - Registration Desk Open

12pm-5pm - Dealers Room Open

1pm-2pm - Lecture: JD Stewart

2pm - Dealer Show 1

2.30pm-3.30pm - Lecture: Kent Cummins

3.30pm - Dealer Show 2

4pm-5pm - Lecture: Cody Fisher

4pm-5pm - TAOM Board Meeting

5pm-6pm - Dinner Break

6pm-8pm - Dealers Room Open

6pm-8pm - Cocktail Party

6.30pm - Dealer Show 3

7pm - Dealer Show 4

7.30pm - Dealer Show 5

8pm-9pm - Cocktail Gala Show: Brian Brushwood and Justin Robert Young

9.30pm-11pm - Lecture: Michael Ammar

11.30pm-12.30am - S. Ravencraft’s “TAOM after Dark” – Cabaret: Bizzaro & Carisa Hendrix

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Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 - a chat with the Secretary/Treasurer of the T.A.O.M. Mary Cay Gold. She is also the Guest of Honor at this year’s convention

00:12:28 - T.A.O.M. 2021 President, Bertil Fredstrom, chats with us before the convention begins. A rare moment of early contemplation.

00:23:09 - Kent Cummins talks about his monthly magic column and his lecture he delivered this afternoon

00:29:38 - Saul Ravencraft talks about the Bizzarre Midnight Magic Shows coming up for the next three nights

00:37:24 - Ken Dickensheets talks about why sound and light are all so important at magic conventions

00:41:32 - Justin Robert Young tells us about this evening’s show along with Brian Brushwood that replaced Nick Diffatte in the evening’s gala show

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 T.A.O.M., Austin Texas, Mary Cay Gold, Bertil Fredstrom, Kent Cummins, Saul Ravencraft, Ken Dickensheets, Justin Robert Young.

September 3, 2021 by Scott Wells.
  • September 3, 2021
  • Scott Wells
  • T.A.O.M.
  • Austin Texas
  • Mary Cay Gold
  • Bertil Fredstrom
  • Kent Cummins
  • Saul Ravencraft
  • Ken Dickensheets
  • Justin Robert Young
  • Convention Report
  • 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

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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Jason Bird - Strolling Through Time - Jason Bird was one of the strolling magicians in the legendary Caesar's Magical Empire (1996-2002) and today has written a book about strolling magic. #caesarspalace #caesarsmagicempire #magic #strollingmagic #au
Congratulations to my fellow SAG-AFTRA actors who were nominated for the various #ActorAwards and especially to the winners at tonight's ceremony on #Netflix
Magic shows are not the only attraction for magicians to see in Las Vegas. Be sure to visit the Neon Museum where Siegfried & Roy are highlighted and honored among the glitz and lights. #vegas #vegasbaby #neonmuseum #magic #siegfriedandroy #oldve
Magicians used to be part of the side show carnivals, but found new venues to perform. It is a bit more difficult for "freaks" to find work partially because of their lack of social infrastructure and community that magic has. Learn about t
Jay @jayalexandermagic talks about his San Francisco Magic Theater, performing during half-time periods of the NBA games, and a little about the legendary Earthquake McGoon's. #magictheater #sanfran #sanfrancisco #jayalexander #magic
Bob Yorburg - Crafty Pioneer - Magic Video Pioneer, Bob Yorburg, blazed a trail that has led us to where we are today. He is the pioneer of magic instruction videos. He was also the first Burger King magician. Today he carves Punch & Judy dolls,
Enjoy a lively conversation on The Magic Word Podcast with a man who has conquered many venues: college circuit as a bizarre entertainer, TV series host, best selling author, comedian, and social influencer. Hear him on Scam School, Night Attack, and
Jason Bird - Strolling Through Time - Jason Bird was one of the strolling magicians in the legendary Caesar's Magical Empire (1996-2002) and today has written a book about strolling magic. #caesarspalace #caesarsmagicempire #magic #strollingmagic #au Congratulations to my fellow SAG-AFTRA actors who were nominated for the various #ActorAwards and especially to the winners at tonight's ceremony on #Netflix Magic shows are not the only attraction for magicians to see in Las Vegas. Be sure to visit the Neon Museum where Siegfried & Roy are highlighted and honored among the glitz and lights. #vegas #vegasbaby #neonmuseum #magic #siegfriedandroy #oldve Magicians used to be part of the side show carnivals, but found new venues to perform. It is a bit more difficult for "freaks" to find work partially because of their lack of social infrastructure and community that magic has. Learn about t
"I Want to be Like Houdini" by Kent Cummins official book launch.
Jay @jayalexandermagic talks about his San Francisco Magic Theater, performing during half-time periods of the NBA games, and a little about the legendary Earthquake McGoon's. #magictheater #sanfran #sanfrancisco #jayalexander #magic Bob Yorburg - Crafty Pioneer - Magic Video Pioneer, Bob Yorburg, blazed a trail that has led us to where we are today. He is the pioneer of magic instruction videos. He was also the first Burger King magician. Today he carves Punch & Judy dolls, Enjoy a lively conversation on The Magic Word Podcast with a man who has conquered many venues: college circuit as a bizarre entertainer, TV series host, best selling author, comedian, and social influencer. Hear him on Scam School, Night Attack, and

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.

The Magic Word Podcast was selected by MillionPodcasts as one of the Top 25 Magician Podcasts on the web. In fact, it is currently listed as the Number 2 magician podcast!

The Magic Word Podcast was nominated for TWO categories in the new ONLINE MAGIC competition at the 2025 World Championship of Magic (FISM) in Turin, Italy. One was for the Best Magic Podcaster and the second for the Best Magic Newsletter. You may already listen, but you are missing out on the other half if you haven’t yet subscribed to our weekly podletter!

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