How Magicians Think

Jan 09 2022 83

How Magicians Think Podcast artwork

The How Magicians Think podcast is a fascinating deep dive into one of the most elusive and secretive performing arts: magic. Join Joshua Jay, one of the world's most accomplished magicians, as he reveals the artistry and obsessiveness of magicians. Jay takes listeners around the globe to speak to the biggest names in magic, always in search of creative techniques and insights that anyone can apply to their own lives and passions. Joshua Jay--a masterful storyteller--will regale listeners with esoteric moments in magic history and quirky secrets of psychology.

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How Magicians Think: Think Like a Magician

Jan 09 2022 34 mins

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 ma

How Magicians Think: Tragic Magic

Jan 02 2022 38 mins

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 th

How Magicians Think: The Greatest Magician You've Never Heard Of

Dec 19 2021 23 mins

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�

How Magicians Think: Magic in the Movies

Dec 12 2021 28 mins

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 ma

How Magicians Think: Was Houdini As Great As Everyone Says?

Dec 05 2021 28 mins

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 th

How Magicians Think: The Smartest Magician Alive

Nov 27 2021 33 mins

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 though

How Magicians Think: Overcoming Obstacles

Nov 21 2021 30 mins

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

How Magicians Think: The Greatest Magician Alive

Nov 14 2021 23 mins

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

How Magicians Think: Magic Exposed

Nov 07 2021 24 mins

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

How Magicians Think: The Science of Magic

Oct 31 2021 29 mins

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 h