619: Eric Colleary PhD - In Front of the Bookcase

This week we travel to Austin, Texas where one of the world’s largest collection of Houdini ephemera resides. Dr. Eric Colleary is our guest who is the Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center, an international humanities research library, archive, and museum. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre Historiography from the University of Minnesota and an all-around great guy. The title “In Front of the Bookcase” for this week’s episode comes from the massive bookcase (and its contents) once owned by Houdini that now is owned by the University.

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

In this conversation, Dr. Colleary tells us about how this Houdini collection came to Austin, Texas and what is in the massive collection. There are some interesting stories in this week’s episode told about Houdini and Eric also debunked a few myths around parts of this collection.

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611 - Jack Brutus Penny and Shaun Rivera - In The Cards

Why are magicians fascinated by playing cards? This week week have two separate conversations with two diverse people (one a creator and the other a collector) from two sides of the planet. Jack Brutus Penny is from England but lives in Japan where he is a teacher by day and a writer and playing card designer by night. Back in the U.S., Shaun Rivera is a magician in America’s heartland (Kansas City) who has a passion for collecting playing cards. This week the creator collides with the collector in an episode where we explore how cards are developed all the way to the retail buyer/collector.

For more information on Jack Penny’s Kickstarter campaign, please visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jackbrutuspenny/sensu

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

Jack Brutus Penny starts off our episode this week talking about the development, design and thought that goes into creating a new playing card. He talks about the card stock, printing, design, and marketing of his playing card creations that gives us some real insight into what goes into bringing these beautiful cards to collectors. Next we hear from Shaun Rivera who has amassed a collection of over 5,000 decks of playing cards. Find out this week how he started and why he continues his “obsession.”

598: Tim Wise - The Genie is Out!

Las Vegas-based magician, Tim Wise, talks about 3-D printing, working with David Copperfield, leaving school to tour with Dennis Loomis, hosting Jeff McBride's "Wonderground", Abra.TV and more. Tim has so many stories that it was hard to keep this podcast to one hour as we could have easily spent the entirety of our conversation on any one subject.

Tim discusses how he came to become The Genie, thanks in large measure to Jeff McBride. But his humble beginnings in magic take him back to his teenage years when he basically “ran away with the circus” and pursued a career on the road touring with Dennis Loomis. Tim talks about that experience near the end of this episode that alone could have filled this whole episode with stories.

This week’s podcast video on YouTube.

619: Eric Colleary PhD - In Front of the Bookcase

611 - Jack Brutus Penny and Shaun Rivera - In The Cards

598: Tim Wise - The Genie is Out!

The Magic Word