The Magicians’ Podcast

Ep 100 - David Copperfield

The 100th episode and season finale features an epic 2 hour interview with the greatest magician of all time David Copperfield in an interview unlike any you will have ever heard before. He discusses his childhood before magic, his early influences, the man who discovered him and his TV specials including The Statue of Liberty vanish. David also talks about his tours of the UK and how hard the British press were on him personally, the development of The Death Saw illusion, his strongest memories of the thousands of shows he has performed and also talks in detail about the incredible new magic in his current show which plays twice nightly at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This is the podcast of all podcasts!

Ep 99 - Chris Kenner

The second in our trio of interviews is with David Copperfield's Executive Producer Chris Kenner. In this interview Chris discusses his thoughts on creativity in magic and the overuse of that particular word. He also talks about his generosity towards young magicians and why he doesn't give them advice. Chris also shares the story of his first meeting with David Copperfield and how he made his way up the ranks to his current position. He talks about why the Tornado of Fire TV special was David's last and also shares an anecdote about a disagreement with the boss in a high pressure environment. 

Ep 98 - Homer Liwag

The first of our trio of interviews looking at the David Copperfield brand sees Richard sitting down with Homer Liwag, David's Co-Director. Homer has worked for David for nearly 25 years and he designs many of the stage props, lighting and video in the show. He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the son of an artist. Homer has an incredibly artistic eye which shines through in his magic and cinematography. In this interview Homer shares the story of how he went from a working close-up magician working in a themed magic restaurant to sitting on the stage in Las Vegas surrounded by all of David Copperfield's props in a matter of hours. Homer also gives us an amazing insight into one of the teams real secrets, their attention to detail.

Ep 97 - Teller

One of the worlds greatest living magicians takes to the podcast hot seat to discuss his incredible life. Teller discusses in detail some of the duo's most famous pieces and also talks about how important chat shows were to their rise to fame. He also speaks candidly about their special relationship with the UK, how he feels about modern day Las Vegas and he also shares his thoughts on exposure and The Magic Circle. Also he faces the difficult talks of choosing some of his favourite acts who have appeared on Fool Us.

Ep 96 - Mac King

Mac King's contract at Harrah's on The Strip in Las Vegas began in January 2000, his show is the longest running magic show in a single venue in Las Vegas history. In this episode Mac tells us why he thinks he has had such a long uninterrupted run, he shares the techniques he uses to stay in the moment in every show despite the relentless repetition. He also talks about his friendship with Lance Burton and how two Las Vegas headliners came out of the same magic club in Louisville, Kentucky. Mac also talks about his deal with Harrahs and how his show survived the recession in 2008. 

Ep 95 - Nathan Burton

Las Vegas Headliner Nathan Burton takes to the hot seat for an insight into his longevity on The Strip with his comedy magic show. Nathan's show is rare for something so large in Las Vegas in that it is still to this day a family run business. He gives us an insight into the creation of two of his most famous illusions the toilet illusion and the microwave of death and also discusses his experience as a contestant on season one of America's Got Talent. He also discusses his first trip to Vegas, how the tiniest details can make the biggest difference to your show and how after many years of working non stop he is now finally finding the perfect balance of work, family and good health.

Ep 94 - Wayne Dobson

Wayne Dobson takes to the podcast hot seat to discuss his incredible rise to fame, his encounter with Tommy Cooper, the Royal Variety performance and his three TV series for ITV called A Kind of Magic. Wayne also talks candidly about the bitter blow his career took when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the peak of his run and why he decided to hide the diagnosis for as long as possible. He also gives us a sneak peak into his autobiography which is nearing completion and also shares one of his legendary practical joke stories.

Ep 93 - Kevin Quantum

Kevin Quantum is a Scottish magician from Edinburgh who was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary called Faking It. He was studying for a PHD in Physics when he was set the task of faking it as a magician in front of a panel of professionals. Kevin succeeded and was bitten by the magic bug deciding shortly after to put his PHD on hold and try a career as a professional magician. Initially he took the logical route into professional magic of performing close-up magic at corporate events and weddings however having the Edinburgh Fringe on his doorstep took him to the stage soon after. In this interview Kevin discusses why he thinks performing close-up magic was bad for his mental health, how he took his stage shows from Edinburgh to the Adelaide and Perth festivals in Australia and also discusses his passion project The Edinburgh International Magic Festival. 

Ep 92 - Keelan Leyser

The BBC discovered Keelan Leyser’s talents at a young age, he was the subject of a documentary aged just 14 and was hotly tipped to win The Young Magician of the Year. In fact he didn’t make the final and in this interview he discusses how the hype around his talent at such a young age was a detriment to his progress. He went on to forge a career as a quick-change artist with his girlfriend Charlotte and in this interview gives an amazing insight into this corner of our industry that so few perform. He also discusses the difficulties of working with your partner and what he did when the bubble burst and the act stopped being booked. He also talks in detail about his new foray into technology and iPad magic and his recent move across the Atlantic to Las Vegas.
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Ep 91 - The Twins

Gary and Paul (AKA The Twins) began their professional careers working as illusionists and spent many years working on cruise ships. They were once tipped to win BGT by Amanda Holden and in this episode explain why their involvement in the show fell through. After this they diversified their careers into supplying special effects to theatrical shows and pantomimes and have built up an incredible portfolio of enormous special effects that wow over 35 panto's each Christmas in the UK at the largest theatres including The London Palladium. Most interestingly they have also developed a practical and safe way of flying celebrities, double decker buses and a horse and carriage over the heads of the audience in the stalls, in this interview they provide a sneak peak into the development of this spectacular illusion.
Also this week Richard talks to The 2019 Young Magician of the Year Adam Black minutes after he is awarded the title at The Magic Circle headquarters.