In these podcasts, I interview talented magicians from around the world—performers, creators, and innovators who are shaping the future of magic. I aim to ask thought-provoking questions that lead to meaningful discussions, offering you unique insights you won't find elsewhere. If you enjoy the conversations, I’d love for you to visit our website and explore some of the products we offer. www.MichaelClose.com
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Asi Wind is a world-class performer and creator. He is also an author and a talented watercolor artist. I spoke with Asi about his background (both magically and artistically), the performers who inspired him, and his creative/problem-solving process. We spoke for seventy minutes, and could certainly have gone on for far longer.
My guests this month on Conversations with Close are Jamy Ian Swiss and Peter Samelson. I’ve known Jamy for more than forty years; while I haven’t known Peter as long, he is a very close friend. Both are superb magicians. Our discussion about Geoff was wide ranging and often emotional. When you listen to it, I think you’ll gain a greater appreciation for Geoff and his magic.
I’m a big Ben Seidman fan. He’s funny, he’s smart, and, because he has a profound interest in designing material that will entertain and deeply fool any audience, we have common ground when we discuss conjuring. In this edition of Conversations with Close, Ben and I discuss his background, his magic and comedy inspirations, and his approach to creating routines. We also dig into his new book,…
For more than thirty years, Christopher Carter has been one of the busiest performers on the college circuit and has been in demand as a corporate entertainer and keynote speaker. His effect Cold Fusion, published in the Linking Ring in 1990 was adapted by Doc Eason and became one of close-up magic’s most popular effects: Anniversary Waltz. Chris’s new book, In the Spotlight, will be published…
Aurelio Paviato is my guest on this month’s Conversations with Close. Aurelio is a well-established, fulltime pro in Italy; he performs at corporate functions and has his own one-man show, Storie di un Artigiano di Illusioni . He is a past FISM champion in close-up, and has had a long association with such greats as Arturo Ascanio, Juan Tamariz, Roberto Giobbi, and others of the Escorial group. I…
In this installment of Conversations with Close, my guest is the man who, as a writer, editor, and/or publisher, is responsible for many of the most important magic texts published in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. If you have read, studied, enjoyed, and benefitted from books like The Vernon Chronicles, The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, Carneycopia, the Card College series…
Gary Plants is an old friend; we met more than forty years ago at one of Joe Stevens’ early Desert Magic Seminar conventions. Gary is an extraordinary technician, a magic scholar, and an enthusiastic magic hobbyist. Occasionally, he lectures at magic conventions, and lately he has been doing more public performing. Gary is also a collector with a focus on magic photographs and private…
Mick Ayres has had a fascinating and varied career with the Walt Disney Company, working as a magician, storyteller, and musician. Like many performers, his world was upended by the Covid pandemic. But Mick found a new stage at the thirteen Marriott Resorts scattered across Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. For years, Mick shared his expertise in act construction, scriptwriting, and character…
For more than fifty years, Allan Ackerman has been a major creative force in the world of card magic. Starting with Magic Mafia Effects in 1970, Allan has produced a body of work that showcases his ability to create seamless, baffling routines for magicians of all skill levels. Allan’s last big book of card magic, Las Vegas Kardma, was published way back in 1994. Fortunately for all of us who love…
Steve Reynolds is a creative and prolific card magician. He lives in New Orleans, the city his mentor, Jon Racherbaumer, also calls home. Steve was greatly influenced by the magic of Ed Marlo; his manuscripts and videos reflect this passion. (His video series, The Marlo Roadmap , provides illuminating insights into the core concepts that underlie Marlo’s techniques.) Over the years, our paths had…
