129: David Gabbay - The San Francisco Treat

Born in San Francisco, David Gabbay moved to Los Angeles many years ago and made his home near the famed Magic Castle where he is a regular performer. He talks extensively about The Castle, some of his favorite magicians who perform at the Castle. He also talks about what he looks for in the climax of his tricks, his mentor (George Millward), his experience of seeing his first magic show, recording your performance, and the importance of paying attention to details in your performance. David is very good at taking commonly performed effects (such as Three Fly, Ramsay's Cylinder and Coins, etc.) and putting his own touches and additions that make it uniquely personalized to him.

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Magic & Martinis' Thursday

Not exactly martinis (scotch, actually) but cheers anyway.

128: Magic Link to a JFK Conspiracy Theory

On the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, people are still fascinated with conspiracy theories of who was behind the tragic event that changed history. Walter "Zaney" Blaney has a piece of the puzzle that only adds to the thousands of questions that are still unanswered.

He relates an interesting story that involves Tom Palmer (aka Tony Andruzzi), Al Sharpe and Jack Ruby. Hmm, very interesting. You be the judge. I am only a reporter.

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Magic & Martinis' Thursday

Well, today (21 November) is my birthday, so, Cheers! If you want to give me a gift (and you don't want to hit the "Donate Now" button above), then please leave a nice comment and a five star rating on iTunes for The Magic Word Podcast Thanks.

This is some of my memorabilia (sans martinis) that I saved as a kid after the JFK assassination.

127: MINDvention 2013 - Day Three

The final day continued with exciting activites beginning with one of the best lectures of the convention by Docc Hilford. Lots of great ideas with sound thinking interspersed with humor. After lunch, Cashetta was attired in traditional garb (sans the cocktail dress and make-up) as he talked about development of his character. Nest, Danny and Robert assembled the "Dream Team" of authorities on the the Q&A (Question and Answer) for a panel discussion: Bob Cassidy, Jon Stetson, Michael Weber and Ross Johnson. Of course there was a lively question and answer period.

The afternoon lecture was another treat by a mentalist, (nee Psychic) who rarely attends conventions let alone lectures or performs. John Riggs gave us some real insightful and commercial ideas and material for "readings" and billet work. The evening show, "Masters of Mentalism" was hosted by the hit performer from the previous evening's show, Cashetta. John Riggs opened with some interesting routines using five volunteers. It was interesting that he seated them all on stage but used each for individual effects rather than all in one effect.

Bob Cassidy read the minds of several volunteers from the audience who were unsuspecting "muggles" from the casino who thoroughly enjoyed the show. Docc Hilford closed the show with some very entertaining mentalism using a book test with two volunteers. Danny and Robert closed the convention by presenting Bob Cassidy the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:08 - Paul Vigil talks about magic and mentalism and whether he considers himself as a magician or a mentalist.

00:07:33 - Michael Chaut and Jon Stetson talk about Monday Night Magic (in New York City) and the Mystery Lounge (in Boston, MA), respectively. To see who is on the performance schedule for Monday Night Magic, then visit their website at: http://magicalnights.com/ You can check out the Mystery Lounge (Boston's Original Cabaret) at: http://mysterylounge.com/Home.html

00:19:24 - Jeff McBride talks about his Masterclasses with MINDvention as well as other Masterclasses he hosts. More info at http://www.magicalwisdom.com/

00:29:30 - Andrew Goldenhersh enjoyed this convention and tells us some of what he's been up to in Japan.

00:40:50 - Danny Archer breathes a little easier as he gives us a recap from his perspective as a co-organizer. He also gives us the dates for next year's event: October 11-13, 2014.

00:46:00 - John Riggs talks about being a psychic in the Bible Belt of America plus a glimpse of some unpublished material from "The Messiah Complex Part 2" which may never see print. Listen to find out why. John make fine handcrafted products for serious mentalists. If you are interested, then contact him at JohnRiggs@comcast.net and request a link to his secret website.

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Thanks to Christopher Rose @MindControlArt who suggested that I have my own Twitter account. So now you can follow The Magic Word at @MagicWordPod