#zaney

There is a big house out in the middle of the Texas desert. One of the few homes still standing, built long before the draught. The Walker family had flaunted their wealth with it. Now the once proud house was breaking down. Kept together by state money, teenagers paid in sweet tea, and the constant scheming of the last remaining descendant of the Walkers, the Warden of Camp Green Lake.

And aNOTHER ship kid

Wayne Alan’s Washington D.C. experience ranges from working at the magic shop that sold magic tricks to President George H. W. Bush to magic performances in front of audiences in homeless shelters, parties at the homes of prominent Washington politicians, and several national TV appearances. He has consulted for David Copperfield and Criss Angel. He was one of the pioneers in the trade show magic field working alongside Eddie Tullock, Mike Rogers, and Dick Ryan, among others. In 1982 he was presented with a Gold Medal at F.I.S.M. in the category of Grand Illusion.

There is so much to cover in Wayne Alan’s life that we could have talked for much longer. But this conversation gives you a good overview, along with some great stories, about this professional magician who, in his early 70’s, is far from hanging up his top hat and wand.

Magicians cannot perform without props. The equipment one uses on stage says a lot about the performer. And the quality and craftsmanship of a good fabricator can make any magician look like a million dollars on stage. Ray Lum is one of those fabricators who resides in Las Vegas and works with all of the greats and the soon-to-be greats. Inspired and mentored by the late Tommy Wonder, Ray Lum carries the tradition of fine quality magic props.

This week Ray Lum talks about his invention of the Gumball Machine (which he calls the “Lumball Machine”) and the controversy surrounding the dual creators coming out separately but not knowing about the other’s invention. He also talks about his friend and mentor, Tommy Wonder, and how they met and how Ray carries on the tradition of quality craftsmanship using new technology and materials.

During a recent trip from Houston, Texas, to Michigan, I had the opportunity to sit down for an in-depth conversation with one of magic’s creative thinkers, Sean Bogunia. Although he might be best known to you as the creator of the Ultimate Dancing Hank (in a Bottle), he prefers for that not to be his seminal legacy. He has many other creations to his credit that are in the working repertoires of professional magicians and he has even more that he is working on to bring to the magic community. He is a performer and creator who has consulted with many top magicians.

In this week’s episode, Sean talks about a pivotal moment in his life that led him to follow magic as a full time professional and never look back. He also tells many “behind the scenes” stories about some of his creations and the people he worked with and some of those whom he showed his ideas. A usually quiet and reserved person, Sean opened his heart and soul in this podcast unlike he had ever done before. In fact, he states that this is only the second interview that he has ever given. This episode contains perhaps more stories than any other that we have broadcast. I am certain that you will get a lot out of this week’s “longer than usual” episode.

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

The name of Daniel Summers has come up on more than one occasion on this podcast. So, I thought it is time that we talk with this person who started as a ventriloquist, then became a cruise ship performer, college entertainer, hypnotist, “phone room” marketer, creator and builder. Dan is all of these plus a pretty nice guy and friends to many in the magic world. His original illusions are performed all over the world by all of the top illusionists including David Copperfield, Greg Gleason, Hans Klok and others. He has had feature articles published about him in VANISH Magazine and in MAGIC Magazine, but it is high time that you get to hear his voice.

Dan talks with us this week about how his career could have taken a different turn had he decided to take the job of Cruise Ship Director. He also talks about his life on cruise ships in the early years, his work in theme parks, creating illusions, building illusions, telemarketing “phone rooms”, and helping Joanie Spina in her final days.

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

Looking for rare, out of print, signed books? Perhaps you might find what you’re looking for at The Magic Book Shop. They also sell new books, too. And if you have a book or a collection of books you are looking to sell, then contact Eric Citron for a quote. Plus you get a 15% discount off all of your book purchases when you use the promo code on checkout: magicword