950: Jeff McBride - Grand Master

There are those few in our craft of magic that are well-known, but few who are as universally respected as Jeff McBride. Founder of the Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas, Jeff has transcended to the pinnacle of our industry. Having been awarded nearly every conceivable trophy and accolade in the magic community, Jeff continues to build and personally contribute to the coterie. Jeff continues to perform and teach around the world and he has embraced technology to supplement his methods of sharing magic, too.

Jeff’s magic pedagogy reflects modern methods of sharing with our community in recognition that we all learn at different levels and speeds. This week he talks about how he doesn’t create new acts or routines for his students, but rather shapes and directs the students’ existing skills that leads to an improved show that is uniquely their own. Jeff also discusses the creation of his “Wonderground” performance venue in Las Vegas that encourages magicians to flex their creative muscles.

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.

Jeff McBride talked extensively about the importance of storytelling. So, it is appropriate that we recognize the recent passing of a master story teller who has shared more with the magic community than most know, including Tannen’s Magic Camp, where young magicians learned the importance of a good story in strengthening their magic. Hiawatha Johnson was a magician, writer, editor, musician, singer, dancer, choreographer, actor, director, composer, teacher, professor, historian, designer and playwright. He will be sorely missed by the community. Aloha, my friend.

126: MINDvention 2013 - Day Two

What an amazing, full day of more activities and fun. The scheduled lecturer was canceled because of some passport problems, but was replaced with three outstanding performers: Chad Long, Patrick Redfern and Bill Abbott. After lunch we had a 30 minute lecture by Allison Campbell who talked about being a trade show mentalist followed by another mini-lecture by Paul Vigil who shared an excellent performance piece that he rarely presented but received the most response from his audiences. The brevity of their lectures was because of the extra time that was given to Jheff and Bob Cassidy for an another excellent lecture.

After a dinner break we were treated to a hilarious, R-rated show by Cashetta, a drag queen psychic, who held back nothing. In less than 60 seconds I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. The fun continued into the evening after his/her show with the Bob Cassidy Roast featuring his good friends telling off-color jokes and stories from Bob's past. Jon Stetson was the host of the roast and included funny/rude stories by Lew Wymisner, Ken Weber, Cashetta, Michael Weber, Jheff, Ross Johnson, and Docc Hilford.

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:00:11 - Chris Carter talks about working the college campus shows and his creation of the "Anniversary Waltz" card trick

00:11:28 - Eric Citron talks about his upcoming mentalism convention called the East Coast Mind Jam next March 28-30, 2014. This will be an honor for his lifetime of magic and as the owner of Tannen's Magic in New York. More information on this convention can be found at: http://eastcoastmindjam.com/

00:16:36 - Stan Allen gives us a little recap of his MAGIC Live! convention from this past summer and some feedback from the attendees plus maybe a look ahead at what he plans for the next one.

00:20:22 - Chad Long talks about the creation of his character and development of how his stage persona came into being.

00:33:03 - Docc Hilford advises us why and how we as entertainers should tip (provide gratuities) to others and the importance of doing it. He also tells us what he is up to for the next few months. you can order Docc's products by visiting http://DoccHilfordProducts.com

00:52:52 - Paul Draper carries on with the discussion begun in yesterday's panel regarding Magic and Mentalism and whether it can be mixed in the same program. Paul will be traveling on a lecture tour of northeastern U.S. He will be represented by Megan Tholen who will coordinate his trip. If you are interested in hosting his lecture, then please contact Megan at PaulDraperManagement@gmail.com

01:01:32 - In the Dealers' Room, Losander tells why he is a dealer at the MINDvention. When you think about it, the efects that he sells not only look like magic, but they can be presented as mental feats of power to bend physical nature. For more information on his prodcucts, visit http://www.Losander.com

01:04:15 - Lupe Nielsen just returned from the Los Angeles Conference of Magic History and she gives us an update of what happened there at that very exclusive event.

01:11:32 - Pete Poskiparta is a radio host in Finland where he performs mind reading over the radio. He also does voice overs for films in his country.

01:28:20 - Eric Dittelman gives us a follow-up of our conversation last year about America's Got Talent and what happened during the interim in his life including an appearance on the TV show, "Ellen" last April. You can follow Eric on Twitter at @EDittelman and on Facebook Fan Page at http://www.Facebook.com/EDittelman

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.

122: The Jon Stetson Dinner Experience

"Better than 1,000 days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.." - Japanese proverb.

Jon Stetson passed through Houston for a private engagement. While here, we met for some serious steak and serious conversation. The conversation starts off with a little noise in the background but that diminishes after about 20 minutes so please be patient. We talk about the importance of being yourself and finding magic/mentalism that is right for you. He also talks about the three most important "self" awards: self-reliance, self-respect, and self-awareness (know who you are). These are some important points that every one of us can benefit from and put into practice. He gives us some solid, real life examples and great stories.

Jon quotes Dai Vernon who said: "the greatest travesty in magic in the past century is the trivialization of magic based on contrived presentations." We discuss the meaning and impact of that quote. Among the many subjects, Jon also talks about why he attends select magic conventions, how he transmogrified from magic to mentalism, restructuring mentalism shows from looking like one prediction after another prediction, Tuesday Night Magic which he helped co-found, and he talks about one of his heroes, Ross Johnson, ethics in magic (buying versus stealing), among so many other topics.

During our chat, Jon talked about teaming up with Bob Kohler to present a Mentalism Performance Workshop after the MINDvention in Las Vegas in November. This Workshop will cover intensive Q&A training, new market opportunities, character development, unpublished routines, and more. This workshop will be presented on November 13-15, 2013. For more information, Click 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.