Showing posts with label # interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label # interview. Show all posts

21 May 2018

The Magic Word with Scott Wells

For those of you who don't already know, Scott Wells hosts a podcast for magicians.

Recently, he's published a few which may be of interest to you!

From "410 - Carisa Hendrix - Getting Uncomfortable" on The Magic Word Podcast:
Carisa Hendrix is a magician who is on the rise. Oh, also, she happens to be a woman. She is one of the new breed who I believe is one of the "Stars of Tomorrow" as she pursues her dreams on stage. Most young people I see today seem to be involved in close-up and entertaining small groups of people, but few true entertainers are comfortable on stage in front of a large audience. Carisa is one of that rare breed.

She suggests that we should step out of our comfort zone and try new things that stretch our boundaries and move into new, perhaps uncomfortable, areas that will make us better performers and people. She says that artists should practice "moving towards the place of greatest discomfort and just sitting in that space." She suggests that magicians should not be afraid to fail.

On another matter, there was quite a bit of controversy about her July 2017 cover on VANISH Magazine. She addresses it quite well and succinctly on her blog.

Read more and listen to podcast.



From "423: Neil McNally - The Doug Henning Project" on The Magic Word Podcast:
Neil McNally is a passionate man. He is most passionate about Doug Henning and he hosts a weekday blog called "The Doug Henning Project". Who could imagine that there would be that much to reveal about this iconic figure. We recently "hit a nerve" with the podcast #415 with Chip Romero as that episode was one of our most downloaded podcast. So, it was a natural thing to chat with the webmaster of "The Doug Henning Project" so those who are interested in Doug Henning could learn even more. Neil is not a performing magician though he is taking lessons at The Magic Castle. But his passion is history and collecting of Doug Henning. He is also producing a documentary on Doug Henning and will soon be crowd funding his project.

Read more and listen to podcast.


And one from the archives.

From "201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician" on The Magic Word Podcast:
Murray Sawchuck recently completed two and a half years at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. On December 20, 2014, he will begin a new afternoon show at Planet Hollywood's "Sincity Theater" along his wife, Chloe, and his partner, Lefty. Murray will add illusions to his comedy magic show plus bring in different aspects of his other appearances on television such as "Pawn Stars" and other shows.

During our conversation, Murray talked about his upcoming appearance on Hallmark's Home & Family morning talk show. After you have listened to the podcast, then be sure to come back to watch this video. The other two videos below are from a couple of his appearances on "America's Got Talent" (sic).

Read more and listen to podcast.








[With thanks to The Magic Demon for sending this along.]

15 March 2018

Random thoughts about "The Science of Magic" on CBC's "The Nature of Things"

Updated at 9:30am to add links to: 

"The Science of Magic" boasts an extraordinary list of participants, which include: Julie Eng, Ronald Rensink, Jay Olson, Gustav Kuhn, Anthony Barnhart, Amory Danek, Matthew Tompkins, Thomas Strandberg, Billy Kidd, Tom Stone, Thomas Fraps, Pit Hartling, and Juan Tamariz.
Had I known it was possible to do university level research involving the magician's force, mind-reading MRIs, or magic beans*, I may have reconsidered the focus of my post-secondary education.

I am, however, on the ball enough to jump at a chance to take an advance peek at (and ask questions about) "The Science of Magic," a documentary that examines these subjects and more!

Tune in to "The Science of Magic" on CBC’s "The Nature of Things" on Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 8PM (8:30 NT). The documentary will also be available to watch online at cbc.ca/natureofthings on Friday, March 16 from 5:00 pm EST.
When Donna and Daniel Zuckerbrot from Reel Time Images (who brought us  "Dai Vernon – The Spirit of Magic," "Max Maven: a fabulous monster," "The Houdini Code,"' and "Jeff McBride: a magickal life" among other titles) realized how much research was going on in the field of science and magic, they knew they had to investigate it further.
 
"You can see that the real question about our film 'The Science of Magic' isn’t why we wanted to make it, but rather, how could we not have?"
-- Donna Zuckerbrot

Julie Eng's reaction to being brought on board the project?
"I was thrilled. I have known the Zuckerbrots for many years and I am a big fan of their work."

  "The idea of using magic as a mechanism for study into how we think, and how we perceive the world is fascinating for me.  It was a huge honour to be asked to be the 'magical guide' for this film."

"Magicians don't have supernatural powers. Instead what they do is exploit very powerful and often very surprising limitations in human cognition."
In "The Science of Magic," the Zuckerbrots along with magical host Julie Eng, take us across Canada, the US, and Europe to visit with scientists using magic as an investigative tool in their exploration of cognition and behaviour.  (Pay close attention to catch cameos by Daniel Zuckerbrot, David Ben, and magic enthusiast Ari.)

The show is full of fascinating insights sure to capture the attention of those who like to be entertained by magic, those who perform magic, as well as those who are interested in psychology and behaviour.  There are even opportunities to participate in on air magic tricks!  From the press release:
"... viewers are able to feel the power of magic from the comfort of their homes and experience some of the psychological principles these tricks reveal (including ‘magicians choice,’ and choice blindness,' ‘failure to see,’ ‘change blindness,’ inattentional blindness, as well as the ‘aha’ moment)."

I'm not too proud to admit that on more than one occasion Julie had me right where she wanted.  I was also properly schooled by Anthony Barnhart.



On the other hand, I did well with Ronald Rensink's challenge and some of the other ones too!

Julie also teaches a coin trick that even I could master, with a little practice.




"We take these principles that magicians know, we bring them into the lab and we try and figure out how they work."
It is humbling (and a bit disconcerting) to discover, as the press release describes, that "we sometimes don't see what's right under our noses," "we see tricks that fool us despite nothing actually happening," and that "we can be blind even to our own choices."

"We were all surprised at how magical the science was. It was astonishing to realize that we don’t see what we think we are seeing, that our memories are as slippery as our perceptions, that who we are — even our deeply held beliefs can change without us knowing. Like good magic the science left us with a feeling of wonder."  
-- the Zuckerbrots


For some behind the scenes photos have a look at the Reel Time Images Facebook page, Instagram account, or Twitter feed.  I look forward to hearing Daniel's thoughts at his Browser's Bash mini-talk.
During the making of the documentary, Julie said she was pleased to learn that "old magic tricks that I have known and have performed since I was a child can still have a deep and profound affect on people, particularly with the right presentation."


There are a variety of real world applications to the knowledge gained:
  • Work on "how small distractions can blind drivers" can help improve driver safety.  ("Driver looked but failed to see" is an actual category of accident!)
Anthony Barnhart's studies showing how "off beats" work across sensory systems, help me better understand my habit of turning off my radio when I'm in a situation that requires my full attention.
  • Suggestion-based treatments have promising uses in the medical field.
  • The Zuckerbrots noted that Rensink's findings with respect to 'change blindness' "seems to underlie film editing.  It is apparently the reason why you don’t notice the change of pictures, from wide shot to close up for example, while you are watching a film."  
  • In addition to psychology benefiting from the insights discovered using magic as an investigative tool, the Zuckerbrots observed that "some magicians believe they have already gained from what they’ve learned from psychologists.  Tom Stone is a great example, he certainly credits work he did with experimental psychologists as having changed his own performance in fundamental ways."
  • Julie posits that "... from learning how intention and actions (movement) can help create smoother technical manipulation, to how it can mask the most technical sleight… is useful."  After all, she continues,
"If we can use science and technology to work out the perfect angle for speed skaters to maximize physics to their advantage, why can we not benefit from learning more about human behaviour and cognition to advance our field?"

"Each of these areas can bring a lot of insights to magicians to heighten the “magic" experience for audiences."


Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know about the show? 

"We hope they find watching it as interesting and as much fun as we did making it." 
-- the Zuckerbrots

"Bring their eyes and ears (and to be prepared to have fun!)"    -- Julie Eng
I certainly had fun learning and I'm sure you will too!  (As the scientific field evolves, I hope they'll film a second part.)

Tune in to "The Science of Magic" on CBC’s "The Nature of Things" on Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 8PM (8:30 NT). The documentary will also be available to watch online at cbc.ca/natureofthings on Friday, March 16 from 5:00 pm EST.



--
* Maybe they're really magic. Who knows? **
** With apologies to Stephen Sondheim.







02 February 2018

Ryan Joyce interviews Joan Caesar

From Magic Masterclass:
Video profile and podcast with Joan Caesar, a retired teacher, magician and internationally recognized influencer in the world of magic.

In the podcast we talk about:
  • As a judge for the largest magic conventions in the world, Joan shares her perspective on what makes a great magic act.
  • We talk about her life as a magician.
  • We talk about women in magic and why it’s hard to be a woman in magic.
  • Why Joan founded the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM)
  • Which world-famous magician was Joan’s motivation to put Canada on the international stage for FISM (the Olympic’s of Magic)
Read more and listen to interview.

30 January 2018

Mayce Galoni on "What's so funny?"

The following was sent to me by a reader who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.
Hamilton-born, Vancouver-based 23 year old stand up comic Mayce Galoni was recently the featured guest on Vancouver Co-op Radio's (CFRO) "What's So Funny"? (Live broadcast: Sunday, January 21st, 2018). The very funny and very likable Galoni got his start performing as a strolling restaurant magician while still a very young teenager. A graduate of the Sorcerer's Safari, he transitioned to comedy when he started writing jokes for his magic act.

The podcast of the hour long broadcast will soon be available here:
www.wsf1027fm.blogspot.com and/or at www.coopradio.org. Check it out!


From What's So Funny?:
Our first guest of 2018 makes his semi-debut tonight. It's the New Faces edition of What's So Funny? tonight. Well, Newish Faces. Standup comic Mayce Galoni isn't even 25 but he's making quite a name for himself, even before he moved here last year from Hamilton. He's actually from a place called "Binbrook" that I don't even think is a real place, so we'll just say Hamilton because that's where he started out.

Read more and listen to podcast.

14 December 2017

Billy Kidd in GeniiOnline

From the article "Canadian Magician Billy Kidd wants her work to speak for itself" by Chloe Olewitz on Dec 1 from GeniiOnline:
To Kidd, the question of women in magic is a source of frustration. She’s not convinced that the lay audience is even aware that there are fewer female magicians out there, and she’s not sure she cares. “It’s never affected my career, it’s never affected me getting gigs, it’s never affected my audience,” Kidd said. Meanwhile, she does take issue with the push to turn non-magical pretty women into magicians for nothing more than the money-making novelty of putting a female on the bill. “I sometimes think I’m sexist against my own sex,” she admits.

Kidd doesn’t promote herself as a female magician—she is a magician, what else is there to talk about? “Take anyone who’s not a performer and make them famous because of that one little gimmick, their ego will completely explode. And it hurts the people who do put all that time and effort in, because they deserve it. They deserve the spotlight more in that regard,” Kidd says. She believes that sexism is more a fabric of our society today than it is specific affliction in the magic community, and she’d rather not draw so much attention to the topic. “The whole topic just segregates us even more. If your magic is strong enough, your magic should speak for itself.”

Read more.

11 December 2017

Shawn Farquhar on why the world needs magic

At the end of the post, check out the "What's So Funny?" podcast with Shawn.

Watch the 2015 video on The Society of American Magicians YouTube channel:
Shawn Farquhar has been entertaining audiences around the globe for over two decades. His magic has been seen on Television shows like the X-Files and Highlander, in Motion Pictures like Spooky House and the Fly II, for corporate clients like IBM and Konica, and on the most luxurious cruise vessels such as Norwegian Star and Radiance of the Seas.

Shawn is a Life Member of The Society of American Magicians and the Dean of the largest Assembly in Canada and is the 2014-2015 International President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and immediate Past President of the Canadian Association of Magicians.





From What's So Funny?:
Everyone knows Shawn Farquhar is a master magician. One of the absolute best. He's fooled Penn & Teller twice. He's a 2-time world champion of magic. He's the former president of IBM! No, not that IBM; the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He travels the globe most of the year but he dreams of one day being able to open up a little magic theatre here in his home province. Hey, but did you know this: Shawn started out performing comedy magic with comedians like Brent Butt and Ian Boothby and Ian Bagg in comedy rooms around BC. He tells us about the time he tried his act without the magic part. And he's got tons of other great stories, too. Plus we play a round of Talk About, a game show he and his wife were contestants on way back when. We could have gone on for another hour easily.

Read more and listen to podcast.


24 November 2017

Five minutes with Shawn Farquhar (at Magi-Fest)

Not to be confused with my series of "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews.


From Magi-Fest:
Magi-Fest: You have performed at virtually every major convention around the world. We’re HONORED to have you at Magi-Fest. You have also organized dozens of conventions yourself. What, in your mind, is the secret ingredient to a great convention?

Shawn: I love magic conventions! I think it is the one place, other than the stage, where I truly feel at home.  No two conventions are ever the same, and what sets them apart is the vision of the organizers.  Some convention have become stale as they stick to “working formulas” while others try new things that sometimes fail.  I’d rathe be at one that tries new things and fails as they are far more exciting and fresh. The one thing all great conventions have in common is talent that is approachable.  I don’t go to a convention to see the act do their signature routine, since I can watch that on YouTube or their DVD. I go to the convention to experience them as performers.  On and off stage.  The chance to rub shoulders, ask questions and hang out is what makes a convention special for me.  I have seldom left a convention without feeling inspired and motivated.

Read more.


19 October 2017

Montreal: Dr. Amir Raz to talk about hypnosis, magic and placebos in medicine

Dr. Amir Raz will be giving his lecture, "The Placebo Effect," on his Oct. 23 lecture at this year’s Trottier Public Science Symposium “Mind Matters: The Body-Mind Connection.”

From the article "Trottier Symposium speaker Dr. Amir Raz on hypnosis, magic and placebos in medicine" McGill Reporter:
Before he was a psychiatry professor and researcher, Amir Raz was a magician — and the two occupations aren’t as different as you might think. As Canada Research Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention, Dr. Raz is interested in deception and how people’s physiology is influenced by their expectations of what is about to happen.

Read the interview.

17 October 2017

Ottawa and Toronto: Wes Barker

If you get the chance, go see Wes Barker, recently awarded the honour of "Variety Act of 2017." 

At the end of the month, you can catch Wes at 'Magic Monday' in Ottawa.  Mid-November he'll be in Toronto (info at bottom of the post).

Regular reader and guest poster, The Magic Demon, has also let me know that Wes was recently featured on the podcast "What's So Funny?"  (The link can be found at CoopRadio.org, Sunday night at 11pm.)  As an aside, I've also been informed that Sunday Oct 29th at 11pm to midnight Pacific Time, CFRO  100.5 FM Vancouver will feature an hour long live interview with  Shawn Farquhar.

A quick reminder that Wes will be in Burnaby this weekend as part of "M.


From the Magic Monday Facebook event:
Magic Monday is thrilled to present two amazing, world-reknowned performers!
All the way from Vancouver, the man who fooled Penn & Teller, the incredible Wes Barker! Joining him on stage from Toronto, the extraordinary European clown and mime stylings of Kate Mior! Special Guest host this month is Steve the Magic Reindeer!

 Don't miss this one of a kind showcase, and like last month this show is certain to be a sell out! So get your tickets now.



From the Rec Room Toronto's Facebook event:







12 October 2017

Ty Reveen on CFJC Midday

A reminder that Ty Reveen is on his BC Autumn tour.  Locations and dates can be found at the Facebook page of Reveen The Legend Continues.


From the CFJC Community YouTube channel:

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27 September 2017

Shin Lim in the Boston Globe

From the Boston Globe article by Dan Morrell:
Toward the end of magician Shin Lim’s “Dream Act” routine, his hands slowly rise to his head, palms up. Just as the accompanying dramatic orchestral music swells, he opens his mouth, expelling a cloud of smoke and revealing a folded playing card that had been inexplicably moving between both of his hands and his vest pocket.

Fellow magician Don Greenberg watched Lim, then 23, perform this act in July 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida, as part of a competition run by the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Greenberg had helped organize similar events for the brotherhood in the past, but this time he was there as a spectator. He and his wife, Sharon, were part of a group of more than two dozen audience members and two contest judges gathered in a Hyatt conference room to watch Lim. Greenberg had seen Lim perform in national competitions for years and had always thought he had good hands. But he was struck by this routine — Lim’s precise movements, his intensity, the crescendos of the music. It was cinematic. At the moment that Lim put his hands to his head, released the smoke, and revealed the card, Greenberg looked over at his wife. Her eyes were welling up with tears. Oh, my God, he thought, she’s crying. How the hell did that happen? You don’t expect someone to make your wife tear up with a just deck of cards.

Read more.

07 September 2017

The Magician James Randi on the Importance of Skepticism

From Holy Koolaid's YouTube channel:
James Randi, the legendary magician, skeptic, and paranormal debunker talks about the importance of scientific skepticism and how his work as a magician has shaped the way he views the world. James "The Amazing Randi" has spent decades in show business as a magician, but as a psychic investigator and debunker of the paranormal, Randi stresses the fact that it's all an artful deception and not supernatural at all - earning him the nickname "An Honest Liar." In this interview, James Randi discusses his work as a magician and the importance of being skeptical.








14 August 2017

CBC interview with Matt DiSero

An interview from August 2016, where Matt thinks he said something that upset a listener.


From the CBC:
For Matt DiSero, the magic came first—and then the comedy followed.

His uncle was a sword-swallower and fire-breather who first introduced him to magic. Matt credits performing in comedy clubs with the help he needed to hone his funny magic act.

Read more and listen to interview.

11 August 2017

Mahdi Gilbert to be interviewed at Living Maths

From the Twitter feed of Living Maths:
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07 July 2017

Billy Kidd in the Irish Examiner and on the Irish Times Women's Podcast

Billy Kidd will be performing in Dublin, July 7-9, and Cork on July 15 and 16.

From the Irish Examiner:
Billy Kidd’s previous experience as a professional actor and classically-trained musician informs her career in magic.

“I saw a magician perform at a street festival and I was instantly hooked. I didn’t know how it was done, but I knew I wanted to do it,” she says.

In 2008, Kidd left Canada for Britain, where she was mentored by the legendary street magician, Gazzo. Did she find it hard to break into the male-dominated world of magic?


Read more.

From Billy Kidd's Twitter feed:


24 June 2017

Toronto: Jason Palter at The Wicket

Check out these videos of Ken Margoe and Jason Palter on Humble and Fred Radio.  You can catch Jason Palter at The Wicket tonight (details at the end of the post)!


From the Humble and Fred Radio Facebook page:

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Also from the Humble and Fred Radio Facebook page:


From the Canada's Magic Facebook page:

07 June 2017

The Doug Henning Project interviews John Cox

From Wild About Houdini:
Neil McNally's new blog The Doug Henning Project is going strong with terrific interviews with Milt Larsen, John Gaughan, and Jim Steinmeyer. This week Neil is sharing a multipart interview with, gasp, me!
So only after you finish reading Neil's interview with those far more interesting and deserving members of the magic community, check out my blather. Neil and I did have a great time conducting this interview over Friday Lunch at the Magic Castle.
Read more and listen to interview.

30 May 2017

ReginaCadabra in the CBC

To learn more about ReginAcadabra (featuring: Chester McBain, Chris Funk, David Merry, Doug Arden, Jeff Richards, Keegan Duck, Paul Romhany, Richy Roy, Sean Watson, and Shawn Farquhar), visit ReginAcadabra.com


Watch Tracy Fahlman and Brent Kloeble talk about the upcoming ReginAcadabra event on CTV News.


From CBC News:
Brent Kloeble has high hopes for the new ReginaCadabra Magic Festival, which makes its debut July 26 in the city.

Kloeble, who is the chairman of the event, hopes the festival gains enough momentum to become an international attraction.

"It's an exciting event for Regina. There's nothing really like that around here," Kloeble said.

"We can make this a big tourism event," Kloeble said of the family-friendly festival, which will feature 10 performers throughout the week. "We know people will travel in to come see it."

Read more.


From the ReginaCadabra Twitter feed:

26 May 2017

James Harrison in The Barrie Examiner

From The Barrie Examiner:
Magic is in the air and the fingers of James Harrison.

The Barrie magician has taken pick-pocketing to new heights over the past several years and he will be performing at two shows this weekend at the Mady Centre for the Performing Arts, including one the family and especially for kids.

"The family show will still be entertaining for grown-ups. but the themes will be more generic. It will be my fun and light-hearted, entertaining kind of show," said Harrison, who will be doing some pick-pocketing at both shows, but the family show will be more like an Oliver Twist version.

"I don't ever make fun of the kids, but parents are fair game," he said. "And the kids love that."

Read more.

22 May 2017

Luc Langevin on "Trucs & Cie"

From Luc Langevin's Twitter feed:
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