Raised in Chicago, Bill Malone discovered magic after a visit to a magic shop when he was seventeen.  Little did he know that this would eventually lead him to become a pupil of the legendary Ed Marlo and that he'd become one of the most popular performers working the magic bar scene in the Windy City.  Bill i s a recipient of the Merlin Award and has been featured on many network magic television specials.  Today, Malone is known for his many creative contributions to classic bar magic and is recognized for his versions of  such effects as the bill in lemon, card under glass, and Sam the Bellhop. In this episode of the "Spirit of Magic Podcast," Bill talks about the many great magicians that have inspired him and the people that he works with today to keep the creative juices flowing.

We mix things up on this episode of This Week in Magic by inviting two totally different performers to join us on the podcast.  Doc Eason is one of the most expereinced bar magicians living today. He's performed in Snow Mass Colorado for more than 27 years, with a lengthy stint at John Denver's Tower Restaurant Magic Bar.  In addition, Doc was the recipient of the Academy of Magical Arts first every award for "Bar Magician of the Year"  in 2005. In 2008, they also named him Close-up Magician of the Year.   When he was 17, Levent was  awarded 1st Prize in the Stage Magic competition at the IBM National Convention. He never looked back, immediately taking a resort booking, performing on cruise ships and in theaters around the world. He is a noted creator of magic tricks and a magic lecturer as well as a vaudeville historian.  His most recent project is "Levent's Ultimate Guide to the Billiard Balls" in which he explores every aspect of this historic routine and recreates Cardini's famous presentation of the effect. 

Beating a Dead Horse is  a story of fathers and sons. It is laugh-out-loud funny, honest, touching, and offers revelations along the way. Jay's son, Alexander “Sandy” Marshall, spent more than three years researching and writing about his maverick father. Beating a Dead Horse chronicles Jay's journey from his staid middle class upbringing in Abington, Massachusetts to his memorable performances on Broadway, television (14 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show), New York's Palace Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, the London Palladium, opening for Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas, traveling the world, and becoming the Dean of the Society of American Magicians. On this episode of "The Spirit of Magic," Sandy joins us to talk about his dad and the research that went into this book.

It's a quiet evening at the Magic Newswire with Chase Goforth and myself hosting our special guest on this episode, Denny Haney. A graduate of the Chavez College of magic, Denny returned to Vietnam to entertain the troops after serving three tours and being discharged.  He toured the world with a stage show and was one of the highest paying  magic acts in the country. In 1990, Denny retired from the road and opened  the Denny & Lee Magic Studio in Baltimore.  Over the years, I have had had a chance to talk with Denny on many and varied topic and have always been impressed with his frankness and his opinions on magic. I hope that you enjoy what is sure to be one of many chats that we'll have with Denny on "This Week in Magic!"