779: MAGIC Live! 2023 Convention - Day One Report

Sunday, August 6th

(Pre Convention Activities)
24 hours Mystque Lounge, Jackson Square
10:00 a.m. Registration, Bienville G (10:00 p.m.)

10:00 a.m. Photo Badges Dauphine F (10:00 p.m.)

LIVE Tonight!

7:30 - 11:30 p.m. Welcome Party, Esplanade

7:30 - 11:00 p.m. The Magic Shop, Mardi Gras

11:00 - 11:30 p.m. Grand Prize Giveaway, Esplanade

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 – Scott is at the Chicago airport between Abbott’s Get Together in Colon, Michigan, and MAGIC Live! In Las Vegas. He chats briefly about the differences between the two. Joining Scott is Trixie Bond.

00:08:25 – The first stop in Las Vegas was In ‘n Out where Nick Altieri joins Scott for his first visit to this burger joint

00:11:28 – Marc DeSouza talks about this convention plus Michael Close talks about this year’s taping of Penn & Teller Fool Us this season.

00:17:11 – Dana Daniels left Luigi (his bird) as we chat about Dai Vernon and the Magic Castle

00:20:57 – Paul Stone talks about the tour of Siegfried and Roy’s home that he gave

00:25:25 – Julie Eng will be the emcee for the opening general session tomorrow. She gives us a sneak preview of some of the upcoming activities.

00:29:42 – Bill Walsh (from Australia) chatted with us in New Orleans and now we catch up to hear what he did during the week that Scott attended Abbott’s. He attended three different magic shows including Asi Wind, which he discusses in this chat.

00:32:57 – Producer of Monday Night Magic (MNM), Michael Chaut, touts this convention plus updates us about MNM. Michaell also introduces us to Sterling Lee who is the President of the Parent Assembly #1 in New York. Then Jade joins us for a chat about this convention. Also joining us for a surprise talk is Criss Angel, then we meet and shat with Grady from Florida who is a listener of the Podcast. Finally we wrap up with Larry Wilson who tells us about his new podcast, “How to Talk to Humans”

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774: S.A.M. 2023 Convention in New Orleans - Day Four Report

Wednesday, July 26th

9:00 AM SAM EVENT 6: Basic Training Boot Camp Session “Thurston Lecture Hall”

SYM Youth Academy “William Andrews Classroom”

10:00 AM Registration for 2024 Dallas - Vieux Carre Foyer

10:30 AM Lecture 5: David Charvet: History Comes Alive “Thurston Lecture Hall”

11:00 AM EXHIBITORS Open “Kellar Exhibitor Hall”

12:00 PM Registration for 2024 Dallas Closes Vieux Carre Foyer SYM Youth Academy Ends “William Andrews Classroom”

1:30 PM SAM EVENT 7: King Cake Surprise Bonus event “Thurston Lecture Hall”

3:30 PM Lecture 6: Pro Close-Up 2 with R. Paul Wilson and Friends “Thurston Lecture Hall”

4:00 PM EXHIBITORS Close “Kellar Exhibitor Hall”

7:00 PM Bus pick up at hotel 8:00 PM SHOW 7: GALA SHOW: Tina Lenert & Friends
Featuring Ardan James, Mike Caveney, Jorge Blass Houdini Theater at the Jesuit

9:30 PM Bus pick up at Jesuit 10:30 PM PARTY 4: SAM Finale Party TBD

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 – at Mother’s Café, we chat with Charlie Randall (H&R Magic Books) and Scott recap a little of what went on at the convention yesterday. But Charlie recaps some of the highlights from the previous evening’s show.

00:07:52- Peter Rogers, from Sydney, Australia, talks about why he and a few other mates from “down under” travel from Australia.

00:18:03 – Bill Walsh, another friend from Australia, sits next to Scott on the bus traveling to the evening show. He tells us what he and the rest of the group plan to do between New Orleans and Las Vegas for MAGIC Live!

00:26:23 – Craig Mitchell traveled from South Africa and tells us what and who he likes about this convention.

00:34:50 – Back at the President’s Party, Ian Kendall, from Scotland, talks about his workshop that he presented earlier in the day, plus his views on this convention.

00:44:00 – Michael Dardant resides in New Orleans and was an integral part of planning this convention.

400: David Berglas - International Man of Mystery, Part One

David Berglas has an affect on me.

Okay, that is corny. But it is true that he has influenced and inspired more magicians and mentalists in the world than can be counted. Not only has he changed how we look at magic, David Berglas has significantly changed magic on television.

The BBC called him the “Godfather of TV Magic”. Born in 1926, Berglas escaped to Britain from Nazi Germany at age 11. He first became interested in Magic in his 20’s and studied psychotherapy at university before becoming a professional magician in 1952. His groundbreaking TV show in 1986, “The Mind of David Berglas” paved the way for all others to follow up to this very day. He is the author of several books including, "The Berglas Effects" and "The Mind & Magic of David Berglas", among others. And he is an multiple award winner of several prestigious organizations and is the Past President of The Magic Circle.

Subscribe To My Channel and Get More "How Magic Changed TV" Videos. If you can not find some of our episodes, please switch to another country. Some videos blocked by the country. The most are the US.

I was part of a momentous meeting organized by Spyros Melaris in 2002 when he arranged a dinner meeting with David Berglas and his wife, Ruth, with Banachek and his wife, Heidi, and me and my wife, Kathy. It was a wonderful, memorable dinner with Banachek sharing his spoon bending to David and magic talk late into the evening. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, no photos of that evening exist except those in our minds.

It was at that first meeting that we all became good friends and I am glad that we could get together again for this podcast where David talks about his beginnings in magic, work both in front of and behind the cameras on television and film, plus lots of stories about celebrated names of magicians, most of whom are long since passed.

Magicians' Valhalla

Although the list below is not exhaustive nor in any particular order, it does reflect the names of many well-known (and some lesser known) magicians, spouses and assistants who passed on in 2017. Some may not be as well-known to you, but they were my personal friends (hey, it is my blog!). If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, then it would behoove you to do a little online search of what these people have contributed to our craft. If you have someone you think was overlooked, then please post the name in the comments below on this blog.

Those whose names are highlighted were featured or interviewed here on The Magic Word Podcast. You can click on their name to revisit and listen to their voices again. David Oliver put together a video of some names and dates of passing of these (and others) in a YouTube video. Click Here to see that video.

Phil Messina

Daryl Easton (Martinez)

Bob Cassidy

Jim Zachary

Ed Thomas

Jessica “Shedini” Moore

George Kovari, Jr.

"Chuck" Kirchner

John Moehring

Eugene Burger

Tom Jones

Eddie Gibson