Broken Wand :: Amazing Johnathan

The world of magic became much poorer this week with the passing of one of the best, Max Maven.  I was honored to have had the opportunity to meet and speak with Max on numerous occasions and always came away a little better from the experience.  As one of my early guests on the podcast, Max set the bar very high for all those to follow. I am sharing that first chat again here for those that are still reeling from the loss and for those that are somehow not familiar with his work.  From his Twitter feed on Nov. 2, 2022: I made my life about words, reading them and writing them. I wish I had a more elegant way of telling you all that I love you. I had a good run, made wonderful friends, shared many laughs, and I learned a great many things. I learned that magic allows us to be so much bigger than we are. I learned we should be kind to one another and forgive people for being flawed and prideful. The one thing I know is that we can all do better, and I think we will. 

From numerous sources, we have sadly learned of the passing of the Amazing Johnathan. According to Rolling Stone, "An exact cause of death was not immediately given, though Johnathan — born Johnathan Edward Szeles — had previously revealed he had been diagnosed with a heart condition. Szeles’ wife, the performer Anastasia Synn, confirmed her husband’s death, telling the Review-Journal he died in his sleep Tuesday night." In remembrance, I am reposting my conversation with him from just before his annual Halloween Party in 2008. Johnathan, it will be hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.  

My guest on this episode of the Magic Newswire's "Spirit of Magic" podcast is more than just an amazing performer, he's a respected thinker and creator in the art of magic and mentalism. Banachek was also a part of the now famous Project Alpha hoax in which he convinced scientists from Washington University that he was actually demonstrating paranormal abilities. Banachek is now a sought after consultant and performer who has worked with such performers as Criss Angel and Penn & Teller to develop material for their acts. Join us in this episode as we talk about his notorious history in the art and the 75th Anniversary of the Jinx released by Genii Magazine in October.

The James Randi Foundation has today announced that "The Amazing Randi" had died at the age of 92, saying simply that its founder succumbed to “age-related causes” on Tuesday.  Randi joined us on this episode of the "Spirit of Magic" podcast before appearing as a featured performer at the 100th Anniversary Salute to Magic show in New York City. Randi began his career as a mentalist and magician before becoming known as a scientific sceptic challenging those who claim to have paranormal abilities. He gained fame in this field after an ongoing feud between himself and Uri Gellar in the mid to late 1970's. Randi himself rejected the title of "debunker" preferring instead to be seen as an investigator in the field of pseudo-science. He was also the author of many books on the subjects of the paranormal, skepticism and the history of conjuring. Randi talked with me about his career in these varied fields and about his motivation as a paranormal skeptic.

Today we lost yet another true luminary in the world of magic, Marvyn Roy, better known to many as Mr. Electric."  Marvyn and Carol Roy performed the "Mr. Electric" Act for over fifty years. Mr. Electric toured the world during the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. Marvyn & Carol were featured at  Radio City Music Hall, the London Palladium, the Latin Quarter, Gorky Park in Moscow, the Ed Sullivan Show and the Hollywood Palace. Whether working hotels, ice shows, floor shows, night clubs, theaters, arenas or amusement parks, Mr. & Mrs. Electric led a life that most magicians only dream of experiencing. Marvyn 95. I interviewed Marvyn in 2009 and hope that you will enjoy remembering him along with me by revisiting this interview.   In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dai Vernon Foundation. 

Dorothy Dietrich is one of the world's foremost female magician and  escapologists. She was the first woman to catch a bullet in her mouth.  Dorothy  is also the first woman to perform a straitjacket escape while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope  and has been referred to as on of the "eight  most noted magicians of the late twentieth century."  Dick Brooks is a world class entertainer of both comedy and magic and helped to found FAME which later became the Society of Young Magicians within SAM. Together, they created New York's famous Magic Townhouse and gave many magicians their first job during the fifteen years that it was in operation. Brooks & Dietrich now operate the famous  Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA.

It goes without saying that the magic community is still reeling from the loss of one of our mentors, the amazing Johnny Thompson. It was because of him that I put together this interview with him and some of Charlie Miller's students and friends. The original description of this interview follows: "Seconds, bottoms, the pass, Malini, Vernon and so much more. Charlie Miller is one of those names that is often mentioned in the context of modern card magic. In that same context, he is one of those technicians that I think that many of us know too little about. I hope that this conversation with some of his closest friends does something to rectify that. In this episode of the Magic Newswire's "Spirit of Magic" podcast, our good friend Johnny Thompson is joined by two other legends in magic, Harry Riser and Bob White. I am only there to guide the conversation, but what an amazing conversation it was! Enjoy and learn!"  We miss you sorely Johnny!

Here is another redo of a prior episode of the podcast. This one highlights a non magician, Gary Vaynerchuk.  Gary has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Time, has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Ellen. He also makes regular appearances on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and the major network news outlets. Vaynerchuk has been described as "the first wine guru of the YouTube era", "the wine world's new superstar", and by Rob Newsom, a Washington State wine maker, "outside of Robert Parker, probably the most influential wine critic in the United States".  Gary is also a best selling author of three books focused on the concept of personal branding and the power of social media and the internet in doing so.  He joins us on the Magic Newswire to discuss his latest book "The Thank You Economy." Gary says, "I feel that we're living through the biggest culture shift of our time. The internet, itself, is 17-years-old. It's just hitting the social part of its life. It's just like growing up. As you get to 13, 14 and 15, you want to go out and go to parties. That's what's happening right now! The internet is growing up." Find out why this should matter to you!

"Some demented magician would take over a movie theater at midnight on Saturday. He'd choose creepy tricks and return-of-the-dead patter and the show would climax with him producing a monster, like a mummy, who would stagger into the audience as the lights went out. All the teenagers would clutch their dates and scream and giggle," he adds, "and take advantage of the darkness to have a great time." This is the Teller's description of the Midnight Spook Shows that served to inspire he, Todd Robbins and Johnny Thompson as they collaborated to deliver the off-Broadway production, "Play Dead." Somehow, magic and mystery are combined to bring joy to the audience by scaring them to death and we talk about how that's possible!

Both Johnny & Pam Thompson Joined us for a rip roaring chat on an episode of This Week in Magic and it is a great one to listen to while thinking of him. Rest Easy my friend!