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”.

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”.

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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

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

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.

617: U.K. Kid Show Magicians

Kids are kids the world over and they all love magic. But there are some subtle differences in how and where magic is presented to children in the U.S. versus how it's done in the U.K. This week we chat with family and children show entertainers from the U.K. about these differences and some of their challenges (i.e. taking the tube and/or train in London between shows) and how they brand themselves by using memorable names for their characters.

Listen this week to our chat with Martin "Mr. Biscuit" Cox, Dave "Magic Dave" Allen and Paul "Colonel Custard" Megram as we hear how it's done "across the pond."

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

This week, Paul Megram, Dave Allen and Martin Cox represent a small sample of the complex and multi-levels of children’s show magicians in England. Someone could easily make a podcast devoted to just the kid show industry in the U.K. by featuring a different entertainer each week, but that’s not what The Magic Word Podcast is about. So please enjoy this 35,000 foot (or 10,668 meters) overview of this lucrative industry and accept our apologies if we have left out you as a guest or topics that you think we should have discussed.

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