395: Andre Kole and Company

According to Genii's "Magicpedia", Andre Kole is an American magician and inventor of magical effects. He is also a committed Christian and is a public speaker for the evangelical group Campus Crusade for Christ International. But more than than, I know him as a friend and creative genius. He has received numerous awards in and outside of the magic community. One such accolade I remember him receiving was the "Guest of Honor" when the I.B.M. hosted its annual national convention in Phoenix, Arizona in 2013. That convention was covered by The Magic Word Podcast.

Regrettably we did not get a chance to chat with Andre then when his health was better. Now it seems that it is hard for him to remember and recount his life's adventures. But in this week's podcast, we do get to hear from him briefly as we talk with his son, Tim Kole, and other friends, Les McKinney and Craig Greenwood.

Andre Kole performing one of his early creations with his son Tim. This footage is of a program in April 2010. Different music was dubbed over the actual performance music.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:06:15 - Tim and Andre Kole talk about the disposition of their illusions. They are indexing all of their illusions to put up for sale.

00:21:00 - Les McKinney talks about cruise ships, getting "flight time", developing an act, packing small and playing big,listening to your audience, and selecting volunteers.

00:41:39 - Craig Greenwood tells us a few "stories form the road" after working with Andre Kole for 35 years around the world.

00:47:39 - Product Review: "Sonic Stab" DVD by Loki Kross (Sansminds) - a modern day update of the classic card sword stab using...smart phone ear buds. Different and recommended with reservations.

00:51:16 - Product Review: "Moving Home” DVD and gimmick (Sansminds) - the home button on an iPhone visibly moves from one end of the phone to the other. Recommended but requires home made gimmick and “pocket management”.

00:55:34 - Product Review: "Intro to Sponge Balls" DVD by Michael Dardanelles - good information for those wanting to learn sponge ball magic. Not really great production value of the video, but good quality information, tips, tricks, moves and full explanations. Recommended for beginners.

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394: David Charvet - History Comes Alive

David Charvet is a noted historian of our art and well-known for his uncanny portrayal of the late Harry Blackstone, Jr. David is not only a performer and historian, but an author of several books including biographies of Alexander, Willard the Wizard, Emil Jarrow and others. He has trouped with Stan Kramien and worked with many of the greats in magic showbiz. You can hear David's scholarly talk about Willard the Wizard that he gave to a select group at the recent T.A.O.M. convention by Clicking Here. His talk begins at about 00:27:00 into the podcast.

"Divided We Stand: The Story of Sawing a Woman in Half" at MAGIC Live! David Charvet recreates Harry Blackstone Jr.'s Buzz Saw Illusion. August, 2011 at the Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas. Assisted by Melanie Kramer, Bill Smith, Allen Bracken and Ron Anderson. Hosted by Mike Caveney.

Time Stamps for this podcast

00:05:45 - David Charvet talks about Harry Blackstone, Jr., Willard the Wizard, Ade Duval, Stan Kramien, Peter Reveen, Doug Henning, Mark Wilson, Emil Jarrrow, and more legendary greats from the past.

01:15:08 - Product Review "Fall" by Banachek and Philip Ryan. A psychokinetic Sharpie that falls of its own accord. Recommended.

01:21:30 - Product Review "Jumping Gem Pen - Eye Exam" by Jeff Prace. A cute use of the Paddle Move using a couple Bic Pens with writing on them.

01:24:38 - Product Review "Nitrate" by Cameron Francis. A variation on Max Maven's "B-Wave" that is a winner. A multi phase close-up, walkaround trick that I highly recommend.

01:27:14 - Product Review "Gift Card" byt Constantinos Pantelias - A "Gift Card" clipped to a playing card but when the paper clip is removed, the playing card has changed.

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Buy your 2018 Magic calendar from Amazon by following this link and help support The Magic Word Podcast

393: Justin Flom - Social Media Sensation

Justin Flom started his career with a seven year stint in Branson, Missouri and losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. But not discouraged, and thanks to the prompting of Shawn Farqhuar to go from large to small (that is, illusions to close-up), Justin posted a video of the "Soldiers Deck of Cards" that went viral (with over 5MM views and counting) and led to his many appearances on "The Ellen Show" and a variety of other chat shows then to his association on "Wizard Wars" to his current work for large corporations.

A Veterans tribute with just a pack of cards and a beautiful ending. This video has over 5MM views!

Magician Justin Flom performed some magic right in front of Ellen and her audience that was unreal! You simply won't believe your eyes.

In this podcast, Justin Flom talks about his early work in Branson, MO; the development of his "Soldiers Deck of Cards"; being "discovered" by the Ellen Show producers; performing on other talk chows; working on Wizard Wars and how he and Rick Lax pitched the show to the TV executives; some great stories about the trials and tribulations behind the scenes of what happened to "Wizard Wars" and other television shows; and, his take and recommendations on how to become a social media superstar that leads to bookings.

We have Brain Scan in stock but it will be months before Mona Lisa will be availalbe again. Please watch our Magic Store for when it becomes available again.