359: Andrew Goldenhersh - Not A Hare Out Of Place

This podcast with Andrew Goldenhersh was recorded in February 2017 just after he received word about his nomination for "Close-Up Magician of the Year" for the Academy of Magical Arts. Of course, the awards banquet has now come and gone and he did not take home the award. This year it went to Richard Turner.

This podcast has been held back pending the completion of the Las Vegas Chronicles series of podcasts that have been running for the past three months. Andrew has been an influential force in the craft and business of magic, not only as a performer and creator but also as a consultant. He has so much to offer and the advice he offers in this podcast can help you (and me) become a better performer.

Andrew Goldenhersh, award-winning magician from the Magic Castle in Hollywood, performs at Pop Haydn's Shindig in North Hollywood. Aug 18, 2016. http://pophaydn.com http://www.goldenhands.com/

Andrew Goldenhersh, AMA Parlor Magician of the Year, visited Houston and stopped by to record a podcast for The Magic Word. This video was streamed LIVE via Facebook and includes about 15 minutes of additional footage at the end that was not part of the audio podcast.

Andrew Goldenhersh talks about his many years of being a "bridesmaid and never a bride" meaning that he was nominated by the Academy of Magical Arts but it took ten years before he won his first AMA award. He also talks about his influences, scripting, side show stunts, creativity, developing his act and character, and how he came about meeting and working with actor Jason Alexander ""George Castanza" from "Seinfeld").

He goes on to talk about how he learned to perform in Japanese and why he needed to learn another language, but more importantly, how he came to tighten up his script.He also chats about the importance of silence, pauses and taking beats in your act that heightens the performance. His unconventional idea on how to handle hecklers is a real gem, too.

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This book by Raj Madhok was briefly mentioned during the podcast and available for only $15.00 through Vanishing, Inc. Magic. Click on the graphic above for more information..

251: Day One - T.A.O.M. Convention 2015

The first Day of TAOM 2015 was only a few hours long, but what a few hours it was! If you are anywhere near Austin, then you should get here immediately! This has been a great day to kick off another great convention. Thirteen dealers from around the world (from Germany to Oregon and Japan to Ft. Worth, Texas) we have it all. The afternoon kicked off with a nice dealer's show followed by an outstanding lecture by Jay Scott Berry.

the evening Masters of magic evening show was hosted by Robert Baxt and featured Ken Scott, John Carney, Paprika, Bob Fitch, Mark Merchant and Peter Samelson. After the show, Peter Samelson gave a lecture followed by another lecture from Randi Rain. Then Brian Brushwood presented "Scam School Live" with some guests from previous episodes making guest appearances like David Rangel and Diamond Jim Tyler.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:11 - Scott and Don Wiberg (Past International President of the IBM) talk in the car about the upcoming convention. This is Don Wiberg's first TAOM convention.

00:06:11 - President, Trixie Bond talks a bit about her expectations for the convention and some of the surprises in store for registrants.

00:09:47 - Oscar Munoz and Ken Scott talk about school shows and library shows and how they differ.

00:18:52 - Fumio Inagaki, seven time winner of TAOM's Comdy Award, talks about his invention of the bar code (UPC) gag.

00:29:40: - Walter "Zaney" Blaney has had a long road to completing his dream of building the perfect vanishing bird cage. Here you can hear his woes that will hopefully end with good news soon.

00:50:44 - Ventriloquist Mark Merchant talks about being topical in his scripting that makes him asuccess on cruise ships

010:58:55 - Mandy Nicot tells us about the surprise wedding she and Roger had at the FFFF convention earlier this year.

01:01:21: Brian Brushwood is the podcaster for Scam School and host of Life Hackers on the discovery Channel. He is also more than just a close friend. Brian is like one of my own children. Find out why in this chat..

A Daily News Blog for Magicians capturing the magic news from around the world and putting it at your fingertips.

T.A.O.M. Photos from Day 1

Friday kicked off with a great lecture by Joe Givan and Carol Massie. Then as more people arrived, the house was packed for Joshua Jay's lecture. After a dinner break Oscar Munoz hosted the evening show with Bob Smith and Chip Romero. There was a brief interval followed by a well produced stage contest that made way for the official, late night opening of the Dealers' Room that was flooded with eager magicians looking to find the newest and best "Holy Grail" trick. The Texas Collector's met while Ben Jackson hosted a party in the Skyline Ballroom with impromptu close-up magic and kareoke with CJ Johnson.

Fumio was one of the guests I spoke with on the podcast posted elsewhere on The Magic Word. He competed in the Comedy category on Friday night having already won in three previous TAOM contests. In the video clip below, he reprised one of the bits from one of those award winning acts. Here he uses my wife, Kathy, to assist him as the other half of "Fumio and Juliet".