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.

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

Buy your 2018 Magic calendar from Amazon by following this link and help support The Magic Word Podcast. Remember, while you are browsing Amazon after clicking this link, then ALL of your Amazon purchases will go towards helping The Magic Word Podcast. Thank you for your support!

139: Kevin Spencer - The Healing of Magic

One of the highlights of the 2013 MAGIC Live! convention was the talk given by Kevin Spencer. More than an illusionist, this peripatetic prestidigitator is also a "healer". Well, maybe not in the traditional sense, but he has the ability to help heal by using magic. Specifically, over the past few decades, Kevin has been working with therapists around the world and teaching them "simple" magic tricks to use in their physical therapy sessions.

Kevin's short talk made an overwhelmingly positive impact on everyone present. His stories and video brought tears to nearly everyone in the audience as we could see the emotional and long lasting impact "just a little trick" does for those who are physically impaired. And his story about the autistic child...well, he relates this story again in this podcast.

In this podcast, Kevin talks about his career, the impact Doug Henning and later Jim Steinmeyer had/has on his performance and life. After you learn a little about who Kevin is, then you won't find his story surprising toward the end of this podcast as he talks about his true passion: the healing of magic.

You can visit his website to find out more about The Healing of Magic by Clicking Here or read an online article by Clicking Here.

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. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

I found my new magic van for Magic & Martinis' (M&M's) Thursday!

102: 2013 I.B.M. Convention - Day 1

The first official day of the convention was not filled with too many activities. Part One of the stage competition began in the afternoon with nearly two dozen competitors. The placement of the stage contest in the afternoon is much better than in the mornings. The afternoon lecture was on quick change (outfits) by Valerie. The autograph session and welcome party was in the evening which included a free poster to all attendees that had pictures of all the talent. This was a great way to see everyone at one time in one place. Following the welcome party was a nice performance from local native, Andre Kole that included his Helicopter Cups, Squeezer and his levitation among other original illusions. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from I.B.M. International President, John Pye. We were then treated to a showing of "Desperate Acts of Magic" followed by a Q&A with the directors, Joe Gold and Tammy Caplan.

Time Stamps for this Podcast:

00:00:10 - Teen magicians Eli Portales, Chase Hasty, and Louis Villamonte talk about their experience with the teen sessions and how much they have learned and are learning. And they give us some of the tips passed on from Lance Burton.

00:12:26 - First International Vice President, Shawn Farquhar, talks about his goals and expectations for what he wants to accomplish when he becomes the International President. He also talks about the health of the organization and the importance of contests and attending magic conventions.

00:34:05 - Co-Producer of Monday Night Magic in New York City, Peter Samelson, chats about some of the things going on in the Big Apple and his inspirations in magic.

00:43:09 - Joe Turner shares some of the most insightful information anyone can hear if you are interested in being a successful corporate magician. He also talks about the Magic Castle cruises with the Crystal Ships. You can read more from Joe Turner by reading his blog at http://TurnerMagic.com/blog To paraphrase "The Most Interesting Man in the World", - I don't follow many people's blogs, but when I do, I read this one.

01:07:12 - Local mentalist (and creator of "Wonder Words"), Kenton Knepper, talks about the robust magic community in Phoenix. Many people don't recognize the depth of knowledge and the notoriety of the local talent that Phoenix has to offer.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here then right click to save the file. You can also download the MP3 media file directly from the RSS feed by Clicking Here.