The Magic Word Podcast

Scott Wells
  • 4.6 (156)
  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Scott Wells is a full time professional magician who has traveled around the world where he has met, worked with and become friends with some pretty cool people. Enjoy listening to these podcasts with magicians talking about their magic, magic conventions and what's going on in the magic scene today.

  1. 3d ago

    986: Dan Harlan - Cosmic Thinker

    One of magic’s most creative minds, Dan Harlan, joins us this week. No doubt many of you have his “Card Toon” card trick or have watched him on Penguin Live videos or perhaps on the Tarbell Course of Magic on video. Maybe you once subscribed to The Minotaur which he co-published with Marv Leventhal. His life and career hasn’t all been roses and indeed had many bumps along the way. Currently he hosts MagiCon - The Mystic Tower convention in Raleigh, North Carolina plus he continues to create and perform. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Dan Harlan is quite candid about his successes and shortcomings as he openly shares many stories in this week’s episode. We learn that Dan doesn’t like card tricks and he tells us why. He also reveals a long time secret that Majoke was co-authored by him and Scott Alexander. He talks about the time it took to create and film “Every Trick in the Book” of Tarbell. Dan also tells us about his years with Penguin and other creative projects that hold his attention. Cosmic Thinker Scott Wells with Dan Harlan Download 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.

  2. Aug 6

    985: MAGIC Live! 2026 - Day Four

    ScheduleWednesday, August 6th  24 hours          Bicycle Lounge, St. Charles 9:00 a.m.               Information Booth, Kiosk (9:00p) 10:00 a.m.             General Sessions, Showroom, (Noon) 10:00 a.m.             Focus Sessions (11:00a) 11:00 a.m.             The MAGIC Shop, Mardi Gras, (2:00p) 11:15 a.m.             Focus Sessions (12:15p) 11:30 a.m.             Cafe Live!, Esplanade K/L (2:00p) 12:15 p.m.             Lunch Break (2:15p) 2:15 p.m.               General Session, Showroom (4:15p) 2:15 p.m.               Focus Sessions (3:15p) 3:30 p.m.               Focus Sessions (4:30p)   Live Tonight! 6:00, 9:00 p.m. - Live Onstage!, Showroom 10:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. - Farewell Party, Mardi Gras 10:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. - Souvenir Program Handout, Mardi Gras View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Time stamps and guest names for this episode: 00:00:15 – Jamie Salinas and Scott give a recap of the previous day’s activities, plus a review of some Vegas shows. 00:09:53 – host of the Wednesday night General Session, Ben Barnes, talks about his experience at MAGIC Live! 2026 plus the Chicago magic scene (since he is the Entertainment Director of the Chicago Magic Lounge) plus his recent recording for Masters of Illusion television show. 00:17:03 – Griffen Barry basically grew up in Dean Dill’s barber shop. The close-up magic experience at MAGIC Live! featured a look back in history at Dean’s shop and what it was like. Griffen gives us a bit more context. 00:30:34 – Mark Doetsch, from Chicago, is a regular attendee at MAGIC Live! and we chat about the morning’s General Session. 00:40:58 – Lance Rich was the Director for the General Sessions. He tells about some of the acts and what he did to make everyone look good. 00:54:03 – We do a wrap-up of MAGIC Live! with the organizer, Stan Allen, who can finally sit down to relax and reflect. MAGIC Live 2026 Day Four Report Scott Wells with Salinas, Barnes, Barry, Doetsch, Rich and Allen Download 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.

  3. Aug 5

    984: MAGIC Live! 2026 - Day Three

    ScheduleTuesday, August 4th  24 hours          Bicycle Lounge, St. Charles 9:00 a.m.               Information Booth, Kiosk (9:00p) 10:00 a.m.             General Sessions, Showroom, (Noon) 10:00 a.m.             Focus Sessions (11:00a) 11:00 a.m.             The MAGIC Shop, Mardi Gras, (6:00p) 11:15 a.m.             Focus Sessions (12:15p) 11:30 a.m.             Cafe Live!, Esplanade K/L (2:00p) 12:15 p.m.             Lunch Break (2:15p) 2:15 p.m.               General Session, Showroom (4:15p) 2:15 p.m.               Focus Sessions (3:15p) 3:30 p.m.               Focus Sessions (4:30p)   Live Tonight! 5:45, 7:10, 9:00, 10:20 p.m.  The Close-up Experience, Bienville G 6:15, 8:00, 10:00 p.m. In Concert: Dani Daortiz, French Quarter 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. Curiosities Exhibit, Dauphine 7:00p – Midnight - Bicycle Lounge Cash Bar, St. Charles View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Time stamps and guest names for this episode: 00:00:14 – Matthew Alexander joins me for breakfast as we break down yesterday’s first full day of activities. 00:16:31 – A Magic Castle favorite, Howard Hamburg, joins us to tell us stories about the Castle and his dear friend, Dai Vernon. 00:29:22 – Stephen Bargatze talks about the morning’s General Session that was hosted by Pat Hazell that concluded with a panel discussion of several performers who had appeared on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. 00:41:29 – Alex Boyce was one of the presenters in the General Session. Twenty years ago, Lance Burton interviewed Channing Pollock on stage. This year, the young dove worker, Alex, interviewed Lance Burton. 00:47:22 – Kyle Purnell is one of the young “up and coming” magicians who recently quit his job to become a full-time magician and creator. He has several clever items on the market and loves creating. 00:53:53 – Local close-up magician, Mickey Silver, chatted about the local scene. 00:59:35 – Trade show performer, Scott Tokar, and Fair performer (State and County fairs), Frank Thurston, talk about how they enjoy meeting up each year and reconnecting at MAGIC Live! 01:07:22 – Genii Editor, Will Houston, talks about his new role as the editor of Genii after having been the editor for the Magic Circular for so many years. 01:11:21 – Adam Blumenthal, proprietor of Tannen’s tells us about his shop, the magic shows that are run from there, plus Tannen’s Magic Camp. MAGIC Live 2026 Day Three Report Scott Wells with Alexander, Hamburg, Bargatze, Boyce, Purnell, Silver, Tokar, Thurston, Houstoun, and Blumenthal Download 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.

  4. Aug 4

    983: MAGIC Live! 2026 - Days One and Two

    ScheduleSunday, August 2nd  24 hours          Bicycle Lounge, St. Charles  10:00 a.m.             Registration, Bienville G (10:00p) 10:00 a.m.             Photo Badges, Dauphine F (10:00p)  Live Tonight! 7:30 – 11:00 p.m. -  The Zombie Ball, Esplanade  7:30 – 11:00 p.m. - The MAGIC Shop, Mardi Gras  11:00 – 11:30 p.m. - Grand Prize Giveaway & Costume Awards, Esplanade  Monday, August 3rd 24 hours           Bicycle Lounge, St. Charles 9:00 a.m.               Information Booth, Kiosk (9:00p) 10:00 a.m.             General Sessions, Showroom, (Noon) 10:00 a.m.             Focus Sessions (11:00a) 11:00 a.m.             The MAGIC Shop, Mardi Gras, (6:00p) 11:15 a.m.             Focus Sessions (12:15p) 11:30 a.m.             Cafe Live!, Esplanade K/L (2:00p) 12:15 p.m.             Lunch Break (2:15p) 2:15 p.m.               General Session, Showroom (4:15p) 2:15 p.m.               Focus Sessions (3:15p) 3:30 p.m.               Focus Sessions (4:30p)  Live Tonight! 6:00, 8:00, 10:15 p.m. - Comedy Live!, Showroom 12:30, 5:45, 7:10, 9:00, 10:20 p.m. - The Close-up Experience, Bienville G 6:15, 8:00, 10:00 p.m. - In Concert: Dani Daortiz, French Quarter 7:00 p.m. – Midnight Bicycle Lounge Cash Bar, St. Charles View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Time stamps and guest names for this episode: 00:00:26 – At the Austin airport and preparing to depart on the red-eye for Las Vegas. Join us as we have a cup of coffee and get excited about the upcoming convention. 00:05:12 – The first registrants I ran into were Nick and Jason Altieri, brothers from Boston. This was Jason’s first MAGIC Live! convention. 00:09:26 – the opening night party had a zombie theme. Everyone was encouraged to dress as a zombie. To Stan Allen’s surprise, many more dressed appropriately than he expected. The first couple we chatted with was Meadow Perry who was dressed as Glenda the Good Witch from “The Wizard of Oz” and Michael Dardant, who was the Wicked Witch. Okay…maybe not everyone kept the “zombie” theme. 00:15:53 – Harrison Greenbaum has a whole separate agenda when he visits Las Vegas. Many come and see shows. He comes and performs in the shows as a “one off.” Harrison will also be the host of the Tuesday night comedy show for MAGIC Live! 00:21:02 – we get some different convention perspectives over breakfast with Charlie Randall, Bill Flanagan, John McLaughlin, and Bruce Averbook. 00:31:50 – one of the dealers, Jeff Scanlan (Impossible Bottle) tells us how the convention is going from the perspective of a dealer. Spoiler alert: it’s going very well. 00:35:54 – one of the organizers, Rory Johnson, opens the first morning General Session with an overview of what this year’s convention theme. (BTW, this was an authorized recording even though we were not allowed any video nor audio recording of the convention.) 00:40:01 – Jef

  5. Jul 30

    982: Scott Tokar - Keeping His Head Well Above Water

    For many years, Scott Tokar has been helping clients at industrial shows across the country and indeed, across the globe. He structures trade show programs to engage, educate and entertain and sending the corporate message to everyone who passes by his booth. He co-authored Special F-X with Harrison Carroll that teaches magicians how to engage with hospitalized patients using magic. He also dabbles in photography and enjoys taking stills of friends. Scott also owns a booking agency for trade show magicians. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize This is a link to Amazon where you can see what equipment that Scott Tokar uses for his trade show work. This week Scott gives us some tips and advice on booking trade shows and on the importance of networking. If you are a hobbyist photographer, he also give us some tips on the kind of camera he uses. During our discussion, Scott mentioned the compact sound equipment he carries. Here is a link to seeing what he uses: https://tinyurl.com/Trade-Show-Sound-Equipment Keeping His Head Well Above Water Scott Wells with Scott Tokar Download 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.

  6. Jul 23

    981: Tobias Beckwith - Managing Expectations

    Tobias Beckwith used to manage Jeff McBride and Marco Tempest, just to name a couple “names” in our magic community. He has worked on Broadway with some of the most iconic plays such as “Oh, Calcutta” and “The Fantastiks” among others. He was one of the early staff teachers at the McBride Mystery School as it was formed and of course, was close friends with Eugene Burger, among others. Tobias has authored several books on production and direction and are well worth you inspection. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize This week, Tobias shares some stories about the formation of the Mystery School, plus working behind the scenes of many of the great magic shows over the past few decades. He discusses the differences between being an agent and a manager, and why magicians should consider getting one. Managing Expectations Scott Wells with Tobias Beckwith Download 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.

    981: Tobias Beckwith - Managing Expectations

  7. Jul 16

    980: Alan Bursky - Pulling No Punches

    In 1973 Alan Bursky burst on the comedy scene in a big was when he was just 17 and being the youngest comedian to ever perform on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. He was also involved in booking entertainment in the early days of the Magic Island. But long before that when he was growing up in New York, he developed a friendship with David Kotke aka David Copperfield. Later while on the comedy circuit, he befriended Freddie Prinze who starred in “Chico and the Man” television series. He was a roommate with Freddie for a while. He also booked Steve Martin and Rodney Dangerfield, among many other notable comedians. Now he is preparing for going back out to sea doing comedy on cruise ships. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize This week, Alan and Scott Wells chat in a room at the Magic Hotel in Hollywood, next to the Magic Castle. Throughout our chat, Alan kept looking/scrolling through his phone as he looked for old photos to back up many of the stories he shares in this episode (which are posted here on the website.) Among the stories, he tells us about attending Hugh Hefner’s parties in the Playboy mansion, he also shares some inside stories from the Magic Castle and gives us a personal glimpse of David Copperfield’s personal life. Pulling No Punches Scott Wells with Alan Bursky Download 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.

  8. Jul 9

    979: Just Alan - Finding Real Magic

    Just Alan owned a magic shop near Woodstock, New York, for over 40 years. During that time he worked on his Zen archery, meditation, and relaxation. His search for real magic in his early years took him to India where he followed his heart and the stars as he was led to understand what is important in life. Also during the past several years, he studied with Jeff McBride, he entered magic contests, and he recently wrote a book, “Just Alan Not Just Magic.” View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize In our conversation this week, Just Alan, talks about how he came to open a magic shop and why it was located in upstate New York. He also talks about developing his relationship with Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger. He continues by telling the inspiration behind his “Three Treasures” presentation of Professor’s Nightmare. Towards the end of our conversation, Just Alan shares how he traveled to India and found real magic. Finding Real Magic Scott Wells with Just Alan Download 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.

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4.6
out of 5
156 Ratings

About

Scott Wells is a full time professional magician who has traveled around the world where he has met, worked with and become friends with some pretty cool people. Enjoy listening to these podcasts with magicians talking about their magic, magic conventions and what's going on in the magic scene today.

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