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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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900: Dan Sperry - The Anti-Conjuror

With this episode we celebrate the 900th episode of The Magic Word Podcast. Every 50 episodes we like to present a special guest who is well known throughout our worldwide magic community. And who better for this episode than Dan Sperry. He was a regular member of The Illusionists who toured the major stages of the world from Sydney, Australia, to Broadway in New York City. He has headlined in nightclubs, Las Vegas casinos, and performing arts theaters. For many years he has appeared on Masters of Illusion television show as well as many other TV shows. Now residing in Florida, he continues to travel the globe, but when at home, he enjoys (believe it or not) performing for children’s birthday parties.

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In this week’s episode, Dan shares his story of how he developed his act and his character. He tells us about his early journey as he worked with doves and learned from some of the true masters like Joseph Gabriel that developed into a residency at a casino in Las Vegas. He toured Canada with Murray Hatfield as he honed his dove act and began to settle into his Shock Illusionist persona. He also talks about developing his talking act that led to work with the Illusionists and television appearances.

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 Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly 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.

Tagged with Dan Sperry, The Illusionists, Masters of Illusion, Derek Hughes, Suzanne the Magician, dove magic, World's Greatest Magic, Las Vegas, Hank Moorehouse, Joan Caeser, Gay Blackstone, Paul Kozak, Jeff Hobson, Roy Shank, Brett Daniels, Rudy Coby, Joseph Gabriel, Murray Hatfield.

May 1, 2025 by Scott Wells.
  • May 1, 2025
  • Scott Wells
  • Dan Sperry
  • The Illusionists
  • Masters of Illusion
  • Derek Hughes
  • Suzanne the Magician
  • dove magic
  • World's Greatest Magic
  • Las Vegas
  • Hank Moorehouse
  • Joan Caeser
  • Gay Blackstone
  • Paul Kozak
  • Jeff Hobson
  • Roy Shank
  • Brett Daniels
  • Rudy Coby
  • Joseph Gabriel
  • Murray Hatfield
  • 1 Comment
1 Comment

767: Randy Wakeman - I've Been Around for a Long, Long Years

Randy Wakeman has been around for many decades and was often seen lecturing and performing at magic conventions. Nonetheless, I have always seen him as an “underground” magician who appeals to the true sleight-of-hand experts. He is one of those guys who has “been there, done that, has the t-shirt” as he was one of the regular performers about the Chicago Bar Magic Scene before the turn of the last century. He has written several books on magic (card magic mostly) and is still relevant in our community as a performer, teacher and author.

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While at the recent Senior Tour close-up convention in St. Louis, The Magic Word spoke with Randy as part of the convention report content. He was preparing for a workshop, so we didn’t get a chance to go in-depth as I had wanted. But we agreed to get together at the 4F convention in Buffalo a couple months later. True to his word, we sat down to complete our chat which results in this episode. The content of our chat in both places was a little disjunctive, so the editing required us to put the second conversation first then plug in the chat in St. Louis and finish with our talk while in Buffalo. This sounds more confusing that it actually is, but I know you will understand and enjoy our chat.

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

Tagged with Randy Wakeman, Jon Racherbaumer, Jay Marshall, Ed Marlo, Bill Malone, Penn & Teller, Chicago magic bar, magic exposure, Luis De Matos, Pat Page, Del Ray, Simon Lovell, Jim Ryan, Eddie Fechter, Gary Plants, Mac King, Heba Haba Al.

June 29, 2023 by Scott Wells.
  • June 29, 2023
  • Scott Wells
  • Randy Wakeman
  • Jon Racherbaumer
  • Jay Marshall
  • Ed Marlo
  • Bill Malone
  • Penn & Teller
  • Chicago magic bar
  • magic exposure
  • Luis De Matos
  • Pat Page
  • Del Ray
  • Simon Lovell
  • Jim Ryan
  • Eddie Fechter
  • Gary Plants
  • Mac King
  • Heba Haba Al
  • 1 Comment
1 Comment

728: Behind the Camera at Masters of Illusion Season 9 - Part Two

It takes a village to produce a successful television series, and the village that produces “Masters of Illusion” has been successful year after year as they go into their ninth season on the CW Network. Last week we released the first of this two part series which gives listeners a peek into the lives of some of those who were involved in the making of this year’s series. We continue this week as we complete the episodic series with more conversations and more insight.

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This week we start the episode featuring a chat back stage with Lucy Darling (in full character, of course). Next we catch a few minutes with the “Man of Steel”, the emcee of MOI, none other than television’s Superman, Dean Cain. Then we hear from as well as visiting the dressing room of “the Conjurors” from the U.K., Matthew Pomeroy and Natasha Lamb. We hear from one of the few mentalists on the show, Wayne Hoffman, then we sit down for a bite to eat with Jonathan Levit. One of the unexpected pleasures I experienced was getting to consult with one of the performers, Mai Wynn as I taught her a few close-up and stand-up routines to use on the show. We wrap this two part episode with a visit with the Executive Producer, Gay Blackstone, who finally took a breather after the two week shoot to talk about this year’s experience.

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

Tagged with Masters of Illusion, Dean Cain, Lucy Darling, Carisa Hendrix, Mai Wynn, Wayne Hoffman, Jonathan Levit, The Conjurors, Matthew Pomeroy, Natasha Lamb.

December 15, 2022 by Scott Wells.
  • December 15, 2022
  • Scott Wells
  • Masters of Illusion
  • Dean Cain
  • Lucy Darling
  • Carisa Hendrix
  • Mai Wynn
  • Wayne Hoffman
  • Jonathan Levit
  • The Conjurors
  • Matthew Pomeroy
  • Natasha Lamb
  • Post a comment
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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Thanks to all of you listeners, The Magic Word Podcast and our newsletter (or “podletter” as I call it) has been recognized by FISM and received nominations in two categories. Please click on one of the graphics above and cast your vote to help push us on to victory in Turin, Italy, this summer! Thank you!

In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

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Livin' it up in Las Vegas at the Magic Collector Expo. #magiccollectorexpo2025 #davidcopperfield #jeffmcbride #charlesgreeneiii
Join us for our very special 900th podcast episode this week featuring @dansperry who is universally known in the magic community having performed with The Illusionists and often appearing on television plus casinos, theaters, and stages around the w
Daily reports from the 4F convention in Buffalo,  New York.  The original close-up magic convention, invitation only, with some of the best close-up workers in the world. #ffff #fechtersfingerflickingfrolic #ffff2025 #cheektowaga #magicwordpodcast #m
Keith Fields and Lady Sarah - And the Winner is... I.B.M. co-chair of the Contest Committee, Keith Fields and his wife, the Lady Sarah, provide advice, suggestions, and reasons for entering contests. They also talk about their “Magic Soiree&rdq
David DaVinci - Vitruvian Magician - Thrillusionist, David DaVinci, has reinvented the classic style stage magician into a thrilling superstar of the stage. #illusionist #birds #birdmagic #magician #thrillusionist #parrots #ringling @thrillusionist
R. Paul Wilson - Another Uncanny Scot - From Glasgow, Scotland, R. Paul Wilson is a noted filmmaker and expert at the card table. He has appeared in many TV shows and consulted on major films both in the U.K. and in the U.S.A. #film #filmmaker #docum
Livin' it up in Las Vegas at the Magic Collector Expo. #magiccollectorexpo2025 #davidcopperfield #jeffmcbride #charlesgreeneiii Join us for our very special 900th podcast episode this week featuring @dansperry who is universally known in the magic community having performed with The Illusionists and often appearing on television plus casinos, theaters, and stages around the w Daily reports from the 4F convention in Buffalo,  New York.  The original close-up magic convention, invitation only, with some of the best close-up workers in the world. #ffff #fechtersfingerflickingfrolic #ffff2025 #cheektowaga #magicwordpodcast #m Keith Fields and Lady Sarah - And the Winner is... I.B.M. co-chair of the Contest Committee, Keith Fields and his wife, the Lady Sarah, provide advice, suggestions, and reasons for entering contests. They also talk about their “Magic Soiree&rdq
Moontower Comedy Festival: Genius + Poison Magic Week at the Hideout Coffee Shop in Austin, Texas #magic #zabrecky #derekhughes #nickdiffatte #comedy #austincomedy
David DaVinci - Vitruvian Magician - Thrillusionist, David DaVinci, has reinvented the classic style stage magician into a thrilling superstar of the stage. #illusionist #birds #birdmagic #magician #thrillusionist #parrots #ringling @thrillusionist
R. Paul Wilson - Another Uncanny Scot - From Glasgow, Scotland, R. Paul Wilson is a noted filmmaker and expert at the card table. He has appeared in many TV shows and consulted on major films both in the U.K. and in the U.S.A. #film #filmmaker #docum

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

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