807: Kerry Pollock - Wireless Wizard

Kerry Pollock came into magic and comedy in a very interesting way. With a background in engineering, he developed a professional act as he created so many products that are now used by top professionals. He is the “go to guy” when magicians need something different and all original. He is also the creator of the game show “Bonk.” Kerry now owns and manages his own comedy club called “Comedy Magic Cabaret” in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Wow, is this week’s episode full! Kerry tells stories from his years of working at Houston’s Magic Island in the 1980’s when he created “Kate & Edith” to creating magical effects for Warren & Annabelle’s in Lahaina, Hawaii, to other electronic creations made for private homes (like Giovanni Livera and Bruce Averbook as well as magic celebrities like Mac King) to what he’s doing in his comedy club in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

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215: Brad Henderson, the Esoteric Escamoteur - Part One, Magic As Art

Brad Henderson spends a lot of time thinking about the "art" of magic and how to present it as such. He is well-known in our community as a trick reviewer, magic historian, professional mentalist, author of "The Dance", Mystery School staff member, and curator of the Richard Garriott magic collection.

I have known Brad for many years and although we only live about 259 miles apart (he in Austin and I in Houston...Texas is a big State) we rarely have time to sit down and talk...I mean really talk. So this time when I recently visited Austin (where I was the auctioneer for the annual Austin Magic Auction and Brad was a guest auctioneer), I made time to sit down with him and chat. I'm glad we did because I was able to capture "lightning in a bottle" with this podcast. There was so much covered in our chat that I decided to divide it into two parts so you, the listener (and I), can more easily digest the incredible volume and depth of the material, and perhaps come back for a second listen.

In this first of this two part podcast, our discussion focuses on magic as an art and how we should aspire to make every performance an art and not be a "hack" performing tricks for the sake of the trick. He is an advocate and believer that our performances should be about emotion and creating memorable experiences. This is a rather deep and theoretical discussion that may not be for everyone in that it contains neither trick explanations or stories. But the content is gold. I will suggest you listen for a great performing tip on Kerry Pollock's "Kate and Edith" that is worth the price of admission.

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108: MAGIC Live! 2013 - Day 3

Day three was another fun and exciting day that began with the Opening Session hosted by Justin Flom A highlight of the show was Xavier Mortimer's incredibly innovative routines. He is currently featured in the Cirque du Soliel show here in Vegas, "Michael Jackson One".. But it was Wayne Dobson being interviewed by Jeff McBride which received a standing ovation.

00:00:07 – Tom Vorjahan, Daniel Herron and Eddie Wade give a recap of the Documentary Live 1 show from last night that featured the Long Beach Mystics hosted by Stan Allen and Mike Caveney. It featured David Deeble, Victor and Diamond, Michael Weber, Dana Daniels, Mark Kalin and Jinger, Armando Lucera, Kevin James, and James Hamilton (as Alexander Hamilton).

00:08:33 – I give a short review of the General Session that was hosted by Justin Flom and featured Master Payne, Bill Abbott, Xavier Mortimer, and Wayne Dobson being interviewed by Jeff McBride.

00:13:00 – I chatted with random people dining at the In ‘N Out and how much they enjoy this place. It is one of my regular, mandatory places to dine while in Las Vegas.

00:15:02 – Simon Coronel talks about creativity and how he developed his routine.

00:26:00 – Photo time with Criss Angel

00:26:50 – David Hira talks about this convention and conventions in general and their appeal to different age groups.

00:34:45 – Scott Hunstler was one of the winners on the Sunday night Welcome Party. He talks about what he won. Mark Weidhaas, S.A.M. Past President, and Errol Lipschitz, from Vancouver, talks about their experience of this convention.

00:39:56 – We viewed the documentary about Ricky Jay’s life, Deceptive Practices. Here I get to talk with a few people who know Ricky and have a perspective and opinion on the movie. It isn’t anything like Siskell & Ebert, but I think you will enjoy this discussion by Peter Samelson, Tim Felix and Jon Stetson.

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807: Kerry Pollock - Wireless Wizard

215: Brad Henderson, the Esoteric Escamoteur - Part One, Magic As Art

108: MAGIC Live! 2013 - Day 3

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