Discourse In Magic

Xavior Spade is making waves as one of the highest profile YouTube magicians.  He is using live streaming to connect with an every-growing audience.  Xavior found magic as a young person while growing up in Jamaica, Queens in New York City.  But it was magic that helped him to escape the ghetto.  It was incredible eye-opening experience to be treated as an equal in the magic community.  Eventually, Xavior gravitated to new platforms like Twitch and Discord as a gamer.  Some magic discussions took place on those video streaming services and eventually ended up on YouTube.  The post Modern Magic and Why it Lives Online with Xavior Spade appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Garrett Thomas is an incredible magician, an opinion that was confirmed recently when Jonah saw him perform at the Buffalo 52 magic convention.  Garrett first fell in love with magic because of his father.  His dad was a huge fan of magic and was friends with the bar magician Eddie Fechter. Who had a brilliant way of teaching people.  Fechter taught Garret’s dad a few tricks which were then passed on to young Garrett.  That instilled an obsession in him at a very young age.  His family has a history of addiction and Garrett feels that he funneled that addictive personality into magic.   The post Understanding Magic with Garrett Thomas appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Allan thinks that young magicians should start out by learning from the masters.  It would be foolish to ignore the classics.  Work your way through Card College.  There is enough knowledge there to last a lifetime.  Eventually you will discover two or three pieces that resonate with you.  That will then help you discover what your strengths are. The post Presentation, Effect Selection, and How to Practice with Allan Hagen appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Demian Aditya has become world famous because of his insane escape acts.  Demian first became interested in magic because of David Copperfield who was on TV regularly in his native Indonesia.  The post Becoming a Death Defying Escape Artist with Demian Aditya appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Billy has taken her background as a busker worldwide, regularly performing in Europe and on television. She trained as an actor in Edmonton and was almost totally disinterested in street performing and magic. That is until she saw Nick Nickolas performing at the Edmonton Street Performers Festival nine years ago. The post Busking for Magicians & Earning Your Chops with Billy Kidd appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

On today's episode, Mahdi Gilbert joins us to talk about the state of magic.  He first got into magic as a little kid despite not having much exposure to it.  He didn’t have a TV or internet but he had heard about magicians from other kids at school.  His childhood logic was that if he could learn magic he would be able to do anything.  Everyone told him that he couldn’t do it because he was so small, had a speech impediment and because he was born without hands. The post No Hands, No Feet, No Excuses and No Limits with Mahdi Gilbert appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Lawrence Hass is the Associate Dean of the Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas.  We wanted to invite him on to talk about the theory of magic at its deepest level.  Lawrence has a Ph.D. in philosophy and taught the subject for many years.  As he was finishing his Ph.D. he happened upon a David Copperfield performance on TV.  He immediately started thinking about what Copperfield was doing in a philosophical framework. The post How to Create Magic Out of Tricks with Lawrence Hass appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

You know him from his incredibly popular videos The BC Shuffle and The Instagram Sessions.  Jeremy Griffith has popularized social media magic in a way no one else has. He's developed a new way of performing magic online. The post How to Grow Your Instagram Following for Magicians with Jeremy Griffith appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Jeremy Hanrahan is renowned in the magic community for his secret identity as @GaffGuy52.  He started early and became completely obsessed.  At first, he was a sleight of hand expert before he moved into gaffing.  He started his career selling his gaff decks to Morrisey Magic in Toronto. The post Everything You Need to Know about Gaffing Cards with @Gaffguy52 appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Steve Reynolds is a renowned New Orlean’s card magician who is obsessed with keeping the history of magic alive. But Steve doesn’t have a step-by-step advice about how to become a magician.  He just did it.  He was full of passion and obsessed with learning.  Steve remembers how difficult it was to find information when he was younger.  Steve finds that there are a lot of young magicians that have the right attitude about magic.  But many people are stuck in a bubble of performing only for their friends.  In fact, Steve thinks that if they step out of that bubble and perform for a real audience they are going to be in for a rude awakening. The post Standing on the Shoulders of Giants with Steve Reynolds appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Zack Mirza has created a remarkable career both as a professional animator and a magician.  He has animated a variety of children’s programs and his magic career was featured in the OLN series Illusion of Grandeur.  The post he Artist’s Journey with Zack Mirza appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Harrison Greenbaum is the hardest working man in comedy and magic.  His unique act has landed him slots on Last Comic Standing and America’s Got Talent.  His career started early first as a stand-up comic who occasionally used magic in his sets when the jokes weren’t landing The post A Masterclass in Comedy Magic with Harrison Greenbaum appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Our guest this week is Glenn West.  Glenn is a fantastic magician who started his love affair with magic after being introduced to the craft by his father.  Magic is constant presence in his life though he is not a working magician. Instead, he works as an animator in film and television. The post Crafting Incredible Visuals with Glenn West appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

In episode 69 we sit down with cardist Anna DeGuzman to talk magic, cardistry, content creation and much much more! The post Cardistry, Community, and Content Creation with Anna DeGuzman appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Jason is a rockstar magician. He is a rockstar - The drummer for Sidewise; a crazy metal band, as well as an accomplished and creative magician. Jason dives in with us to ways that you can benefit as a magician even if it isn't your career. The post How to Benefit From Magic When it’s Not Your Career with Jason Dean appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

In episode 67 we sat down with the very brilliant Michael Feldman. Michael is a full time Lawyer as well as a recognized magician. He performs and creates fantastic magic that’s as knuckle-busting as it is baffling. The post The Laws of Magic and How to Give and Take Criticism with Michael Feldman appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Ryan does it all! He's written and performed two of his own magic shows. He's advised and built props for top magicians around the world, and he most importantly  he handcrafts tools (wallets, card clips, close up pads) for magicians looking to up their magic style at REhandcraftered.com  The post How to be Meticulous in Your Craft with Ryan Edwards appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Not all hero's wear capes, and not all magicians live on the stage. Some can be found sitting at the table at the magic shop, shuffling cards, or creating some new magic. The post Falling in Love with Magic Again with Jeff Hinchliffe appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

In episode 63 of the podcast we sit down wit Mark Calabrese to talk about what it takes to make it in magic. Mark is an incredible accomplished performer. With multiple effects released on the magic market, as well as appearances on Wizard Wars and Penn and Teller Fool us. The post Success by Word of Mouth, and Behind the Scenes TV Magic with Mark Calabrese appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

In this episode we sit down with Canadian Comedy Magic Icon Matt Disero. Matt is a hilarious Canadian comedy magician, who has made his way up through the comedy circuit. The post Magic in the Stand-up Comedy Circuit with Matt Disero appeared first on Discourse in Magic.