536: Mahdi Gilbert - Finding Inspiration

This week we feature a conversation that has been in queue for a few months but is a wonderful, inspirational episode to end the year and prepare for a new year. Mahdi Gilbert is a Canadian magician and inspirational speaker who has been slowly gaining attention on the international scene. His manipulation skills are amazing when you consider that he has no hands or feet, much like the 17th century German magician, Matthias (Matthew) Buchinger. Mahdi hosts his own podcast called “The Caged Canary” on the BeforeMagic.com website that is well worth hearing.

In this conversation, we talk about what “being on television” does for your career (or not) such as “Penn & Teller Fool Us” and “America’s Got Talent”. He also talks about working in China, working with tech companies in developing aids for those without hands, and a little history lesson about Matthias Buchinger. He also talks about how he has overcome his challenges and learned to type, play the piano, and more. He also talks and inspires corporate executives and youth groups in his talks. He discusses how he was bullied as a child and taken advantage of and beaten up and what he did to adapt and react.

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 or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

535: Michael Godard - An Artist's Perspective

As creative magicians, we should always look to other creative types outside our art to see what “makes them tick.” I recently traveled to Las Vegas and sat down in the home of the number one leading artist in worldwide sales, Michael Godard. As stated on his website, the decision to become a full-time painter came later in his life, after stints as a mechanical engineer, commercial illustrator, caricature artist and successful entrepreneur. Nothing came easy…he fought his way into an art career, inventing his own one-of-a-kind style. His martini art features olives, grapes and other frisky characters busily expressing Godard's slightly off-kilter point of view. With plenty of talent to challenge the 'serious' artists, Michael Godard took his own path instead, and chose to "learn all the rules, and then break them".

During our conversation on The Magic Word Podcast, Michael Godard was a wonderful guest and he gave us a tour of his mansion.

“G” as he likes to be called by his friends, has earned this reputation through hard work and an original brand and an incredible eye for marketing. I thought it would be interesting to see what makes an artist “tick” and what spurs his creative juices and see what similarities we as magicians have with our performing art to what he as an illustrative artist does. We had a fun and enlightening conversation that will surely inspire you to be more creative, too.

534: James Dimmare's Martinis and Magic

When it comes to internationally known “dove workers” in our art, one name that is always mentioned, Dimmare. James Dimmare performs an elegant act that has been widely acclaimed as unique, creative and simply brilliant. He currently resides in Las Vegas where he has a weekly show at The Mint. He recently moved from The Thunderbird with his “Martinis and Magic” show that does not feature him performing doves. Instead, James presents a comical, interactive retro-type show that involves audience participation, some silent bits, and lots of talking and even a stage illusion!

One of the greatest Magic Manipulators of all time with or without Doves.The one, the only DIMMARE

Dimmare at Cosmo's Magic Theater in Colorado Springs Sept, 21 & 22

This week The Magic Word Podcast went on location to Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas where we sipped martinis and smoked cigars as we chatted about dove magic, care and handling of doves, working in Las Vegas showrooms and other international cities, and Dimmare even talked about the mob in Canada. There are a lot of interesting, entertaining and educational stories in this week’s episode.