592: Romany - Diva of Magic - Dealing With It

From England, Romany talks about the arc of her career that brought her from the dreams of a young girl to seeing her name in lights on the grand stage. It has not all been a “bed of roses” and she has dealt with hardships, heartbreak and mental issues. From a nine to five job with British Telephone to performing the streets then to Las Vegas and cruise ships, Romany has had quite a life. Or should I say she “is” having quite a life as she is far from finished. One thing she did finish is her book, “Spun Into Gold” which is a nice promotional piece about her life but also containing advice for young girls like her who suffer(ed) from weight gain and shape issues that can lead to bulimia.

In the early part of this week’s episode, Max Maven drops in to give us his prediction of what we might expect in 2021 as it relates to Covid and “getting back into the world.”

In this episode, Max Maven kicks off the New Year with his prediction for 2021 regarding Covid. In the main part of this episode, Romany talks frankly about her bulimia and gives advice for young women to heed to avoid falling victim to this disorder.

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Romany shares her life story in this autobiography on the secret life of a female magician. Order through Amazon by clicking on this graphic and helping The Magic Word through their Affiliate Program.

Hail and Farewell

to magicians who left us this year.

2020 was not a kind year in general, but in particular, I had more magic friends pass away this year than any other. Perhaps it was the anxiety of the pandemic or the pandemic itself, or it could be that as I’m getting older, so are my friends. Although the list below is not exhaustive, it does reflect the names of many well-known (and some lesser known) magicians, spouses and assistants who passed on in 2020. Some may not be as well-known to you, but they were my personal friends (hey, it is my blog!). If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, then it would behoove you to do a little online search of what these people have contributed to our craft. If you have someone you think was overlooked, then please post the name in the comments below on this blog.

Those whose names are highlighted with a “hot link” were featured or interviewed here on The Magic Word Podcast. You can click on their name to revisit and listen to their voices again.

Roy Walton

Bob White

Fred Wood

Orson Bean

E. Raymond Carlyle (Ed Fowler)

Chuck Lehr

Dennis W. Wilson

Joan Lawton

Norm Nielsen

Harvey Rosenthal

Roy Horn

Nick Ruggerio

Louis Falanga

Brad Jacobs

Marvyn “Mr. Electric” Roy

Ramon Galindo

John Mendoza

Ger Copper

Howie Schwarzman

James “The Amazing” Randi

Ken Klosterman

Paul Cummins

Klingsor

Greco

Chuck Baker

Bob Rossi

Charles Pecor

Roger Siegel

Jack White

Walter “Zaney” Blaney

Matthew Field

David Maas

Bev Bergeron

Al Cohen

John Star

591: At Home for Christmas with Murray Sawchuck

This has been a tough year for the entire world but particularly for “gig” workers…like magicians. And Las Vegas seems to employ the most magicians per square mile than any other place on earth. So, what was this past year like in Las Vegas? What is it like now? And what does the future look like? Well, this week we “return to Vegas” for our annual holiday visit with “Celebrity Magician”, Murray Sawchuck. Murray is currently the only magician working on the Las Vegas Strip, according to The New York Wire. Click Here to read the article.

In this episode, Murray speaks frankly about what has been going on in Vegas and in particular how his business has been affected, how he handled it, what he did, and what he’s doing. But he also tells us a bit about what has been happening during this slow “rollout” for Vegas shows and showrooms.

590: Charles Greene III - Collector, Baker, Magic Maker

This week I reconnect with an old friend who used to live and perform in Houston , Texas, before moving to our nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C.. Charles Greene III was the single busiest restaurant performer in the early 1980;s in Houston with about a dozen restaurants per week. He literally wrote the book on working magic at restaurants. He then launched a successful career in trade shows which has been his “bread and butter” for many years that has taken him around the world. Along the way he got involved with collecting vintage magic posters and has become a noted baker of baguettes.

During our conversation this week, you can hear some noise in the background as Charles prepares his baguettes for the oven. He also tells us some of the steps he is going through before they are popped into the oven. During our conversation, Charles talks about his trade show work, his travels, his background in becoming an expert in magic posters, and his work on publishing a book on Ionia.