826 - Mike Miller - Talent Booker

More than a magician, Mike Miller, Past National President of the S.A.M., also books talent for many magic conventions including the S.A.M. convention, Abbott’s Get Together, Super Sunday, and many others. He scours the world looking for unique acts to book. He has a good eye for spotting up-and-coming performers before they “hit it big” on the international scene. The best way to be seen by Mike is by competing and performing in other magic conventions. For several years, Mike also booked acts for a multi-city tour of China. Today he regularly performs at the Smoke & Mirrors Theater in Philadelphia while still searching for convention acts. As a result of his untiring efforts in helping magicians around the world, the Academy of Magical Arts will present a Special Fellowship to him at the awards banquet on May 17, 2024.

If you are more of a visual person, then perhaps you might enjoy watching our interaction during our Zoom conversation.

In this episode, Mike Miller talks about his career as a talent booker and how Hank Moorehouse shaped his life. He talks about how he goes about finding unique acts and how he learned to be a stage manager, too.

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741: Steve Aldrich - A Long Strange Trip

This episode is dedicated to those who remember the past and for those who want to learn more about our rich history. This week we travel back in time in our Grateful Dead VW bus and visit with magician and co-founder of the Foan Family Circus, Steve Aldrich. It was a simpler time when magicians were experimenting with new presentations and popular music of the time. It was at the height of Doug Henning’s popularity who was considered by some as a “Hippie Magician”.

Steve Aldrich also performed magic at the famed Tower Bar in Snowmass at a time when Doc Eason was still a waiter Steve and his band of merry men (and a woman) surprised and entertained magicians with their “tongue in cheek” original presentations of their “Foan Family Circus” at many magic conventions during the late 1970’s to early 1980’s. So what happened to the group? That and more will be the topic of discussion in this week’s episode.

If you are more of a visual person, then you will enjoy this video of our conversation recorded via Zoom.

Steve talks this week about the formation of the Foan Family Circus, their original presentations and music, their performances at magic conventions (one of which won them the Senator Crandall Comedy Award at Abbott’s Get Together), plus the origins of magic at the Tower Bar starting with Bob Sheets then passed down to Steve Aldrich and Steve Spill.

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

419: 2018 Obie's F.F.F.F. Day Two

Thursday, April 26
10:00-5:00 Registration open (closed during lectures and shows)
10:00 Dealers’ Room opens (closed during lectures and shows)
10:00-11:00 4F Shop open
11:00 Edouard Boulanger Lecture
12:30 Lunch: on your own
1:30 2nd Show: Friends Old & New (MC: Gary Morton)
3:30 3rd Show: Magical Moments (MC: Joe M. Turner)
5:30 Supper: on your own
7:00-7:45 4F Shop is open
8:00 Pit Hartling Lecture
10:30 Hospitality Suite (Crystal Room) opens -- Free Donuts, Coffee, Soda
12:00 Dealers’ Room closes

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:17 - Friend of The Magic Word, Terry Greenwood, talks about this convention and we review yesterday's gala.

00:04:39 -Rick Wilcox and Erick Olson chat about their respective magic theaters, plus their different perspectives of this convention...this is Erick's first time here and Rick has been here 17 times.

00:13:11 - Denis Behr, from Munich Germany, talks about his recent award from the Academy of Magical Arts

00:19:20 - Glenn Brown is on the Board of Directors of Obie's 4F convention and he puts together the PDF eBook (electronic program) and acts as a registration person.

00:26:30 - Past National President of the S.A.M., Brad Jacobs, tells us about upcoming S.A>M. conventions and why he attends this one, too.

00:30:57 - Obie O'Brien, the "Head Forker", talks about some of the history of this convention.

00:49:53 - Rocco Silano, last year's Guest of Honor. talks about what makes this convention so special to him. And next year's Guest of Honor, Mike Powers, stops by for a brief chat, too.

01:00:11 - Bob Little talks about being the Guest of Honor for the recent S.A.M> Parent Assembly "Salute to Magic"

01:07:06 - Ricky Smith and Steve Himmel are a couple of the "young Turks" who talk about this convention plus Ricky talks about working with Bill Kalush.