I'm back from a slightly longer than anticipated winter break with a fascinating interview with Aaron Alexander. Aaron is not really a mentalist or magician, but I think calling him a mystery artist would be fair. Even after talking to him for an hour, I'm still not quite sure how to describe his work, other than to echo his own description that it's about trying to help others experience real magic.

The conversation is really fascinating and definitely covers some new ground for the podcast. I found it it really thought provoking and I think you will too.

You can check out Aaron's work here:

https://peinventory.wordpress.com/

This week I chat with Eric Samuels. Eric is a full time performer as well as a creator of products for the mystery arts community. You may have recently seen him on Penn and Teller's Fool Us. Eric is a very smart and funny guy and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed the conversation!

You can see Eric's products here:

https://mentalismtools.com/

(Password is shared in the interview, near the end)

For more content and good karma, become a patron!

https://www.patreon.com/mysteryarts

This week I speak to long time professional mentalist Jan Forster. We have a nice relaxed chat and learn about his journey from a youngster with an interest in magic, to an award winning manipulator, to the acclaimed mentalist that he is now.

Jan's Penguin lectures and downloads:

https://www.penguinmagic.com/magician/jan-forster

His site (in German):

janforster.de

Also - Mystery Arts Podcast now has a Patreon page! Subscribe now and get instant access to exclusive bonus content. The first Patreon exclusive bonus episode is live now.

https://www.patreon.com/mysteryarts

Mentalism legend Lee Earle joins me for a wide ranging conversation. We learn about his history and his transition (via Seance) from a 'magicomedian' to the mentalism mastermind that we all know him as.

We get some great business tips, insight into the creative process, and much more. He's as fiery and opinionated as ever, and I'm sure you'll enjoy listening!

The 2019 Mindvention episode! Whether you weren't able to make it and want the cliff notes, or you did go and just want to pretend you're still there, here is my Mindvention wrap-up. This episode is just me blabbing solo, so if you're a new listener, make sure to check out my past episodes featuring interviews with interesting people.

All music in this episode is written and produced by myself.

After braving blackouts, fires, nearby evacuations, and just a little procrastination, I'm happy to be back with a great new episode. This week I talk to Maarten Willemse, one of the top corporate entertainers in The Netherlands! Maarten is a great guy and has a really unique success story. If you are a Magic Cafe reader, you might already be familiar with him– but here on the podcast, he's finally 'Unmasked'.

You can see his website here:

https://maartenwillemse.nl/

Scott Creasey is my guest this week! Scott is a long time professional performer as well as a gifted creator and author. Scott has a sterling reputation in the mystery arts community as someone who releases extremely solid material, and I've been a fan of his work for years.

We hear his origin story, some stories from the mystery arts trenches, his transition from magic to mentalism, and much more. Scott also gives a sneak peek into some exciting upcoming releases.

You can check out Scott's work at his website:

https://www.mentalmagicism.com/

This week I chat with Matt Pulsar, a Psychic Entertainer and international man of mystery. Matt shares his history and we get into some of the more slippery slope stuff where mentalism meets psychic work.

Some of Matt Pulsar's work can be found here:

https://www.stevensmagic.com/?s=Matt+Pulsar&post_type=product

No review this week since the pod was running late and I still haven't finished Drew Backenstoss' book.

The mid-interview music break is a guest artist this episode. Thanks to fellow magi Jason Smith and his project 'Night's Bright Colors'. The song is called 'The Art Of Misdirection' and you can learn more about Jason here: https://www.nightsbrightcolors.com/

A fun and freewheeling conversation with Drew Backenstoss. Drew is a talented performer and creator and an all around great guy. We covered a lot of ground yet somehow only got through about half of my planned interview questions... That's how much I enjoyed the chat, I know you will too.

In the review section, I cover the somewhat controversial 'The Surprise' by Think Nguyen.

You can check out Drew's Excellent book 'Architect Of The Mind' here:

http://www.mindofandrews.com/aotm.html

Another entry in the mentalism history series, this one is about the one and only Robert Nelson. Bob in a lot of ways represents a bridge from the spiritualists I spoke about in episode 2 and modern mentalism.

In the review segment, I talk about Scott Creasey's "Hanussen's Demise".

https://www.mentalmagicism.com/store/p26/hanussens-demise.html