55 – Magician

Recorded August 3rd. "The magical thinking of orphan boys."  Batman the magician.

[I finally get to do an episode about Batman, so it's long.]

Answers, insights, and commentary on:

* I. Magic and Batman Tradition (25min)

* Houdini the superman

* Zatara in Acton Comics No. 1

* Stage Act similarity

* Perfection of Self

* Working Definition of Magic

* Artful Performance

* Of the Impossible

* Trained by Giovanni Zatara

* Batman's performance

* II. Magic of Movie Making (8min)

* Georges Méliès

* Robert Houdan

* Larry Fong on the illusion of movies

* Terrio, Nolan, Fong

* Fong Super 8 Featurette

* The Wizard

* III. This Batman is a Magician (12min)

* Beautiful Lie

* Mozart of Deception

* Lies and Child Development

* Theory of Mind and Self Control

* Orphan Boys and Magical Thinking

* Many Magic Tricks of This Batman

* Impossibility of Magic and Logic

* It was always a trick

* Disappearing in Belle Reeve

* First and Last Batman scenes

* Lex's Magical Props

* IV. Spellbound (40min)

* Mind the Gap

* Load Up

* Write the Script

* Control the Frame

* Design Free Choice

* Employ the Familiar

* Conjure an Out

* V. Force (20min)

* Magic Words: Luck, Fake, Watching, Force

* Two Meanings of Force

* Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

* Accept the World or Force It... Recognize or Save It

* Free Will and Force, Martha

* Batman Transformed and Self-Deprecating

* The Silent Accusation

* Superman returns

* VI. End Notes (15min)

* Miscellaneous

To learn more:

Beyond Magic | David Blaine

It's A Trap! | Justice League Action

Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man | John Kasson

Secret Life of Houdini | Kalush & Sloman

What is the Art of Magic? | Lawrence Hass

Blaine: How I Held My Breath for 17 Minutes | TED

Super 8: Abrams on Big Lessons of Small Budgets | Hero Complex

Spellbound | David Kwong

The Carbonaro Effect | Michael Carbonaro

AOM #306: Magic Teaches Success | David Kwong

Blaine Shocks Jimmy & The Roots | Tonight Show

Mentalist Lior Suchard Bends Alice Eve's Mind | Late Late Show

The Grift | Maria Konnikova

Ep. 65 - David Berglas | The Magicians' Podcast

Petter Johansson - Decision and Choice Making | Media Evo

Math Magic | VSauce