Discourse in Magic

This week Ben Earl joins Jonah to discuss practice, sleight of hand, and approaching magic as an art. Alongside being a skilled sleight of hand artist, Ben is also an author and founder of Studio52. Ben’s interest in magic started when he stumbled across Expert Card Technique at his local library. The book was his glimpse into an underground subculture that he knew he needed to learn more about. H...

This week Jonah is joined by R. Paul Wilson to discuss scams, the ties between magic and film, and the exposure of magic. Alongside being a magician with a vast knowledge of cons and scams, Wilson is also an author and filmmaker.  At eight Wilson was hooked on magic after seeing his first trick. Around the same time, he watched his first film about scams. Since then, his life has been intertwined...

Javi Benetiz joins Jonah this week to discuss movement, meaning and the importance of experiencing life. Javi is an award winning sleight-of-hand magician from Spain, who brings his passion for life into his magic.  The moment that drew him into magic, Javi recalls, happened when he was four years old; his father did a colour change that has stuck in his memory ever since. Between seeing Tamariz o...

While in Spain, Jonah sat down with Fernando Figueras to discuss presentation, honesty in magic, and being a magic coach. Alongside being known for his rich and emotional presentation style, Fernando is also a magic coach who focuses on developing magicians’ practical performance skills.  At nineteen, Fernando was attending university for computer engineering. When he began to develop an interest...

Jonah has returned from Spain and, as souvenirs for his listeners, has brought back a number of episodes with some amazing Spanish magicians. First up is Juan Rubiales, who sat down to discuss mentors, bringing emotion into your magic, and loving yourself. Alongside being a skilled magician, Juan is also a talented caricature artist.  After being shown a magic trick at fourteen, Juan decided to pe...

While Jonah’s away in Spain, Ben Train has infiltrated Jonah’s computer (he really needs a less obvious password). Instead of his original list “10 Weird Facts About Jonah,” Ben has decided to give you some tips on how to start your own show. So, without further ado:  Build a Team: You can’t run a show alone! Find like minded individuals who want to help create and run the show.  Find the Show’s P...

It’s a minisode this week! Jonah recently sat down with math tutor Vanessa Vakharia on her podcast, Math Therapy, to work through his math-related traumas. If you hate math, this is the perfect podcast for you! If you’re interested in hearing the full episode or still need more math therapy, you can find the full episode list on the Math Guru website . You can even find the homework Jo...

Boo! To celebrate Halloween, Jonah dug through the annals of magic history to find you a frightening magic story. His research led to the following clip of Eugene Burger recounting the tale of one woman and her haunted dollhouse. So lock your doors, shut off your lights, and prepare to be spooked by The Dollhouse of Millie Riggs. The following clip was taken from “Spirit Theater Presents: Ha...

Jonah sits down with Ryan Hayashi this week to talk about finding a personality, magic competitions, and the ins & outs of television magic. Ryan is a hobbyist sleight-of-hand magician with a number of competition wins and television performances under his belt. At the age of eight, Ryan’s uncle gave him a magic kit for Christmas. While the other kids around him eventually lost interest...

This week Jonah sits down with Michael O’Brien to talk collaboration, developing material, and making effects relatable for your audience. Michael is a sleight of hand magician known for his work with the linking rings. At the age of six, Michael remembers receiving the Jawbreaker Magic Set and putting on shows alongside his friends for their families. Once he was in high-school though, his...

Brian Brushwood joins Jonah this week to talk creating content, finding a niche, and failing until you succeed. If you’ve searched for magic on YouTube, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Brian’s channel Scam Nation. Alongside being a Youtuber, Brian is a magician, a podcaster, a comedian, and an author – really, he just loves to share stories. Brian’s jou...

Welcome to Magicians Appetizer #6 Hi, Jonah here! This week I read an excerpt from an upcoming project that is available for preorder about the most important thing to do when going pro. The most important thing to do when going pro is to pick your target audience . In this episode I traces out exactly what that means, and why many magicians fail by falling into the ‘all purpose magician&#82...

Curtis Kam joins Jonah this week to discuss coin magic, thinking about your audience, and finding interesting plots. Although known for his coin work, Curtis is a well-rounded magician and writer who takes a unique approach to his presentations. He also once opened for a volcano. Curtis didn’t start magic with a magic kit. His journey began at the age of eleven when his parents had him tag a...

Jonah is joined by Anastasia Synn this week to discuss biohacking, the future, and the shocking side of magic. Anastasia is a biohacker, magician and stunt performer with 26 implants in her body that she uses in her performances and day to day life. Anastasia’s journey into magic began after seeing Chris Angel’s special on TV. His special led her to seeking out a magic store and purcha...

Jonah is joined by Pit Hartling this week to explore creating magic,  counting tricks, and making presentation decisions. Pit is a German magician who brings his own take to sleight of hand card magic. At the age of ten, there were a series of small moments that built his passion for magic. He discovered a wooden magic set in his aunt’s basement; he saw the German magician, Marvelli, perform...

This week the Amazing Johnathan joins Jonah to talk about comedy, magic and earning your chops. Johnathan is a worldrenowed comedy magician known for his shocking humour and twisted magic tricks.  After wandering into a magic store in his hometown, Johnathan’s interest in magic began. Not being the most popular kid at his school, magic helped him stand out among his peers. It would be his spoon be...

Jonah sits down with Jimmy Ichihana this week to discuss community, embracing your interests, and bringing card magic to the stage. Jimmy is a sleight of hand performer from Florida who has performed at the Magic Castle and has appeared twice on Fool Us. While Jimmy grew up in New York, his love for magic began in California where his uncle showed him a card trick that fooled him badly and cemente...

This week, Jonah sits down with Ray Anderson to discuss putting on a show, developing a character, and keeping your material fresh. Ray has been a featured performer with the long-running variety show, Esther’s Follies, for 20+ years. By mixing parody with grand stage illusions in an intimate setting, Ray brings a unique approach to magic. Ray’s journey into magic began like most; he r...

You had questions, Jonah has answers! Recently, Jonah asked listeners via social media and the mailing list to send in any questions they have regarding magic to be answered on this week’s episode. If you have a different take on the questions or if you didn’t get a chance to ask, please reach out to Jonah as he’d love to hear from you! Thank you to everyone who sent in questions...

Jonah is joined by Mario the Maker Magician this week to discuss bringing value to your show, learning to be a flexible performer, and instilling passion into your magic. Mario is a children’s show performer who uses D.I.Y robots, handmade props and a slapstick performance style to show that magic can be found in anything. At seventeen, Mario left him with his dog Cloudkicker to hitchhike ac...

This week, Jonah sits down with Stuart MacDonald to discuss storytelling, effective methods for practicing, and what to consider when changing your act. In 2017, Stuart made history at the IBM-SAM Combined Convention where he claimed all 5 top awards with his unique performance. If you haven’t seen the performance, we highly recommend watching it before listening to the episode: https://www....

Jonah is joined by Jamy Ian Swiss this week to discuss persona, creativity and the importance of learning the classics. Alongside being a dedicated, lifelong student of magic, Jamy is a prolific writer, sleight of hand artist, and magic historian.  Growing up as a shy, introverted child, Jamy was often introduced to new hobbies by his parents in an attempt to bring him out of his shell. His first...

Jonah serves up another bite-sized episode this week, giving you the motivation you might just need to hear.  

Does the blank page scare you? Do you constantly find yourself deleting and retyping the same thing, only to repeat the process? Do you wish the computer could just read your mind and write the script you want for you? In this bite-sized episode, Jonah addresses writer’s block and offers an easy strategy to start writing your magic script.

Jonah sits down with Adam Rubin this week to discuss creativity, writing, and applying magic to other aspects of your life. Alongside being a magician, Adam is the Director of Puzzles for Art of Play, a #1 New York Times best selling picture book author, and an ex-creative director in advertising. Adam’s journey into magic started  when his friend repeatedly fooled him with a trick involving...