974: Jade - It's Her Time

Last episode we visited with Scott Pepper, the proprietor of the Magic Saloon in San Antonio, Texas. This week we chat with the featured stage entertainer who performed there: Jade. She was the winner of the I.B.M. Gold Medal for Stage in 1990, which is a distinctive honor in so many ways. The Gold Medal and Gold Cups (for close-up) are not awarded every year, but only when a performer is so outstanding and their execution is so perfect, that you cannot deny that it’s the best. Jade has gone on to perform around the world in clubs, aboard cruise ships, on television, in resorts and nightclubs, as well as the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

This week, Jade tells us her journey from a shy magic demonstrator behind the counter in San Francisco to becoming the confident, dynamic stage performer that has defined her career. She also talks about how she developed her act, trick selection, and finding venues in which to perform.

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You can bid on a collector’s edition of this pinball machine at this year’s S.A.M. convention. Or you can visit the auction website at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sam-houdini-pinball-auction and place your bid there. Bidding will end on July 4, 2026.
**One-of-a-Kind Limited Edition HOUDINI 100th Anniversary Pinball.** This is one of the original 100 manufactured by American Pinball and is officially labeled # S.A.M. 001. The machine you are bidding on is brand new, boxed and ready to be delivered to your home, office or business.

This is the 100th anniversary Houdini Pinball Game. It is live now (until July 4, 2026) and bidders do not ned to be attending the convention to participate. I know that the bidding begins at $6,000.

972: Ice McDonald - Ice on Fire

Kenrick “Ice” McDonald is a man who stands on many well deserved accolades. Aside from the many performance awards, he was the first African American to become the National President of the S.A.M. and he has been recognized for his work in the community by being inducted into the S.A.M. Hall of Fame. He served on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) and appeared on multiple television shows across the U.S. and abroad. He has done much to advance the black magicians in our culture today.

This week, Ice is open and honest about his time on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Magical Arts and some of the challenges he faced. He also talks about the way he has handled personal issues like dyslexia. He discusses his work with livestock and touring, plus he chats about his many talks and speeches on the way to ultimately presenting a TED Talk.

960: John Guastaferro - Leading With His Heart

John Guastaferro has his priorities straight. He thinks of others before himself. From his magic career to his professional life as a director on the board of Hundai’s “Hope on Wheels” philanthropic organization. John has just released the third book in his close-up card magic trilogy “The Final Degree.” In these books, John emphasizes how small degrees of change can make a big difference in the effect on your audience. You can see how he puts his work into action when he performs in the Close-Up Gallery of the Magic Castle.

As to his philanthropic activities, John works with this group several months out of the year in helping raise money for cancer research in children. And as if that doesn’t keep him busy enough, he is also an accomplished flamenco-style guitar player.

John Guastaferro as the executive director for Hyundai Hope On Wheels and Genesis Inspiration Foundation, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Guastaferro is responsible for advancing the missions of both foundations while maintaining current successes, driving program growth, developing diversified revenue streams, and building greater community awareness. As you can imagine, that takes a lot of his time throughout the year and we discuss all that in this week’s episode.

John is a regular performer at the Magic Castle and we chat during the first few minutes about what it was like for his first time at working there and how others may overcome their hesitancy of auditioning to perform there. When we recorded this episode, his new book “The Final Degree” was about to be released. It is now available through the publisher, Vanishing, Inc. and other fine magic shops. We also talk a little bit about his passion with the guitar. This flamenco-styiings feature original compositions that can be heard on iTunes and Spotify, among other platforms and I highly recommend listening to it. It is very soothing and relaxing music.

974: Jade - It's Her Time

972: Ice McDonald - Ice on Fire

960: John Guastaferro - Leading With His Heart

The Magic Word