How Magicians Think: Overcoming Obstacles

The final episode of this podcast is filled with special guests and plot twists, all in the service of answering this simple question: how do magicians create their illusions? And beyond this question, another arises: are there tips and tricks magicians can share with us to help us in our own creative pursuits. Jay speaks with Freakanomics co-founder Steven Levitt who shares how magic expands the mind to enhance your work. Andy J. Pizza, artist, illustrator and podcast host, talks magic and editing as part of the creative process.

Staged suicides. Beheadings. Shootings. This episode is all about magic that goes wrong. You’ll learn about a magician who was burned alive, another who was shot onstage, and still another who was blown to bits. And as Joshua recounts these strange tales from magic’s history, we approach a deeper philosophical question: why do we as audience members like to watch people risk their lives for us?

Magic historians have consistently overlooked the significant contributions Black magicians have made to the craft. Perhaps no magician in history has a more fascinating backstory than Henry “Box” Brown. Born into slavery, Brown mailed himself to freedom in a box, and then became an accomplished touring magician. To help us recount Brown’s fascinating life, Jay enlists Henry’s biographer, Rory Rennick.

There have been many movies made about magic--The Prestige, The Illusionist, Hugo, Now You See Me, Scoop--and in this episode Joshua makes a compelling argument for the very best one. Magic scholar Jamy Ian Swiss disagrees, and makes a different case. Cinematographer Larry Fong (Lost, 300, Watchmen, Kong: Skull Island) takes us behind the curtain and shares the parallels between magic and filmmaking. Then Mike Elizalde, Hollywood’s preeminent special-effects designer, shares how being an amateur magician has helped him create some of cinema’s scariest monsters.

Houdini was a marketing genius, but how great a magician he was is a source of contention among magic’s greatest scholars. Joshua creates a grudge match between Houdini’s most fervent supporters and detractors. We’ll hear from illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, Houdini biographer Joe Posnanski, and magic historians Jamy Ian Swiss and Mike Caveney, as they give their take on the enigmatic Houdini.

It’s definitely Teller. The shorter, silent half of Penn & Teller never speaks onstage, but we’re delighted to present this engaging conversation with magic’s most erudite scholar and performer. Teller creates magic with purpose, and he speaks in detail about what makes for a successful partnership. Joshua dials in on the creative process with Teller, who is candid and thoughtful about how he approaches his craft. His insights will prove invaluable to anyone who wants to elevate their work.

Joshua Jay speaks with Abbey Albani, a magician’s assistant who plummeted 12 feet while floating above a stage and broke her back. Joshua also talks with Mahdi Gilbert, an accomplished sleight-of-hand artist...born without hands. And Richard Turner also speaks with us, one of the world’s finest card magicians...and also blind. This is an episode about seeing beyond limitations and succeeding despite enormous obstacles. Bring a tissue and tune in. Let this episode serve as your spiritual nourishment for the week.

We’re not saying who, but unless you live in Spain (hint, hint), you probably haven’t heard of him. Joshua traveled to the south of Spain to be with the Maestro of magic--a living legend widely regarded as one of the greatest magicians of all time. This is an episode about the role love plays in pursuing any craft. When it intersects with curiosity and hard work, you can master anything.

Remember those old Masked Magician specials? They were some of the highest-rated television events of the 90s: a guy in a striped mask revealing some of magic’s most enduring classics. The Masked Magician seemingly vanished when the shows were finally canceled. We tracked him down in rural Brazil, where he now resides. In his first public interview in 25 years, the elusive Masked Magician gets candid with Jay in this conversation, which takes some unexpected and bizarre turns. This is an episode about exposure, and why it matters to the craft of magic.

When you see a great magician, it all looks so smooth and elegant. It’s what you don’t see that fools you. Often magic is just science in disguise. Joshua speaks with Professor of Public Understanding Richard Wiseman about the benefits of magic. Then Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macnick share precisely what happens in our brains when we’re fooled. Finally, Jay explores how science is helping magicians create better miracles.