350: Hammer Time with Mike Hammer

For the past five years, Mike Hammer has been packing them in while headlining in his own theater in the Four Queens Casino and Hotel on Fremont Street, downtown Las Vegas. Mike has his own style, and it works for him. He is the "Don Rickles" of magic with a rather abrasive approach where he actually insults his audience...and they love him! The night I visited his show, the room was packed and afterwards I overheard some saying this was a repeat visit to enjoy his show. Two people had paid for return visits to watch his show over 30 times!

Some of you might remember seeing Mike on "Penn and Teller Fool Us" with his outrageously memorable performance using a blow up doll. If not, then you can view the video here on this blog.

In this podcast, we cover a lot of territory from how he developed his act, working in Las Vegas, routining, trick selection, getting out of bad situations when things go wrong, and keeping his performances fresh. This was a fun and funny podcast that includes a lot of sound advice with some great behind-the-scenes stories.

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. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

349: Nathan Burton - The Other "Burton" in Town

With Lance Burton closing the doors on his show at the Monte Carlo Casino in 2010 , that left Nathan Burton as the only person on "The Strip" with the same last name (though no relation). Nathan Burton has been headlining on "The Las Vegas Strip" since 2006 and continues today in his theater in the Miracle Mile Shops (the old "Steve Wyrick Theater") attached to Planet Hollywood. A fast action illusion show, his performance is perfect for families who visit Las Vegas but still has plenty of glitz and showgirls for adults.

Featuring all the elements of a big stage magic show, combined with the Vegas production show feel, Nathan Burton: Comedy Magic is one of the biggest magic shows on the Strip. This magic show is perfect for all ages and features some of the most outrageous illusions you will ever see.

In this podcast, Nathan talks about developing his show, performing in Las Vegas and television and on the road, plus how he deals with pre-show jitters. This abbreviated chat was cut a little short due to it being Valentine's Day and his date with his wife, so he had to cut our early.

00:04:15 - Nathan talks about working in Las Vegas

00:20:26 - Eric Citron from The Great American Magic Company talks about new products just released including "Mr. Golden Balls", "Bang On 2.0", and "Insta-Change".

00:25:31 - Nathan returns to talk about magic conventions, his early act, trick selection, creativity and handling "Jitters" before the show.

00: 42:02 - Product Review - "Decisions" by Alakazam U.K. and Mozique - high recommendation

00:45:23 - Product Review - "Sherlock'oin" by Thomas Riboulet and Anthony Stan - high recommendation

00:51:43 - Product Review - "Silk to Chocolate" by Sean Yang - recommended

00:54:20 - Product Review - "Opus" by Nefisch - recommended

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. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

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348: Gary Darwin's Natural Selections

Gary Darwin has been in Las Vegas for over six decades when he first moved there in his teens. Since then, Gary has kept about every magic item he could put his hands on over the years. Some might call him a hoarder while others might call him a shrewd collector. Gary started his magic club 51 years ago and it's still going strong. He also talks about the evolution of Las Vegas from the days when the Mafia ran the town to when he (as a youngster) was a "manipulation magician" all the way to this day when several magicians rule the Strip. Gary has a mental repository of one-liners that he reels off with ease throughout our chat.

During my visit to record a podcast with Gary Darwin, he showed me around his home which is a magic museum in and of itself. You just need to watch your step so you don't accidentally step on some treasure. You can hear the podcast at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/gary-darwin

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. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

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Order yours now from The Great American Magic Company.. Available March 20, 2017. With MOVE you cause the clip from a pen to detach from the cap and move along the body of the pen. You then magically restore the clip back onto the cap and hand the pen back out to be examined!!

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