Svengali

Gregory Wilson joins us to draw a parallel between secret agents and magician. Check out our instagram @svengali.life for his complete list of overlaps! Not only that, but we also go deep into the problem of truth!

Dr. Lawrence Hass gives some very enlightening thoughts from a philosopher's perspective on many of the topics that this podcast has previously discussed including: morality, deception, art, and more!

The creative genius Calen Morelli gives us a glimpse into his life, and how he goes about creating magic. Calen also explains his new philosophy on optical illusions, and why they are so interesting to him.

Zabrecky joins us to explore some serious topics such as: why do we create? How do you perform a seance in a moral way? And how do you express yourself through a character?

This week we analyze the psychology of being likable and charismatic with Scott Alexander. Are these personality traits that can be practiced? Or do they come naturally? What does it even mean to be likable?

Ren and Javier dive deep into the world of shamanism and religion to explore the roots of magic. We find ourselves asking "are we really aware of what magic is capable of"?

Bizzaro joins us to talk about why it is that some people stick with magic, and others don't. What is it that makes magic such a strange and interesting art form? Bizzaro's creativity notes can be found here: http://www.smappdooda.com/bullet/bullets.pdf

Rocco gives us insight into some of the important teachings of Slydini and shares his thoughts about the importance of using something bigger than yourself as your reason for making magic.

COVID-19 will have wide spread effects. Magic is an art, and art informs society. It is our duty to do what we can to use magic as a tool to help reduce the panic surrounding the virus. This week Ren and Javier break down how we might be able to do this.

Jeremy Griffith shares his thoughts on what separates magic from other art forms, and why it's so hard to make meaningful magic. Jeremy suggests that magic has a distinct ability to induce the sensation of numinousness. Never head of that word before? Don't worry neither had we!

Ren and Javier recount some of their favorite magic related stories. Ren reveals his past life as a criminal master mind when he used his knowledge of magic to con his friends to get free candy.

Ian Frisch, author of Magic is Dead, lets us pick his brain about his unusual journey into the world of magic. Ian tells us the story of how joining The 52 has changed his life, and how magic is a new lens that he can now see the world through.

Jeff McBride drops a knowledge bomb on us! Jeff McBride is truly a master magician. He joins us this week to cover a wide range of topics including: magic as an art form, and how to learn.

Xavior Spade talks about the ethics of using YouTube as a platform for sharing magic tutorials and why its okay to not be a professional magician.

Geraint Clarke joins us to share his thoughts on how to market yourself in a way that overcomes the stereotype of magicians. Geraint also offers some insightful ideas on the topic of meaning, and why we should be thinking more about our performances.

What does it mean for something to be true? Is this a topic that artists should even be concerned about? Join us this week as we attempt to tackle some of these very important questions.

We kick off the new year with an episode about education. We discuss questions about whether or not there's a place in higher education for magic, and what a magic class might look like. Regardless of our thoughts, it seems clear that education is necessary for making magic more meaningful.

Josh Burch joins us this week to offer some important insight into the industry side of magic. Josh talks about how to be happier with the effects you buy and some transitions that are taking place within the industry.

This week we talk about the mission of Svengali. If anything is going to change in regards to magic being viewed as an art, its going to require the power of the collective. Nobody can change the stereotype of magicians by themselves. This needs to be a community effort.

This week we are joined by Paul Draper who offers some valuable insight into the history of magic, the morality of deception, and whether or not magic should be considered a form of art.

Edwin Disla joins us this week to talk about how belief can be used to reach new heights in magic. By believing in the impossible we can push the boundaries and create cutting edge magic.

This week we take a deep dive into the world of comedy and magic. These are two art forms that are commonly paired together, our conversation revolves around whether or not this is a good thing.

This week we explore how morality fits into magic. Deception can be a very powerful tool for creating art, but it should be used with great caution. Join us as we attempt to explore this immensely complicated topic.

This week we invited a laymen on to continue our discussion about the aesthetics of magicians. We hear some opinions of how the public perceives magicians and continue our search for answers.

Join us for the second episode of the Svengali podcast. Today we get into a more philosophical discussion about the ever changing aesthetics of magicians. We examine how the traditional rabbit/top hat aesthetic of magicians is changing, and whether or not that is a good thing for the progression of the art.

Episode 01 of the Svengali podcast! Join us as we talk about how we got into magic, and where this podcast will be going in the future. You can stay up to date with us on instagram @svengali.life