355: Bill Smith - The Man Behind the Illusions

[Scott Wells]

Bill Smith has been a long time resident of Las Vegas but longer still, he has been a performer and illusion builder. He does not consider himself to be a creator like Jim Steinmeyer, Dan Summers or John Gaughan, but more of a builder. And his illusions are built to last. Forged in the furnace of the Long Beach Mystics, Bill first learned to perform then build and eventually found his calling as being behind the scenes. He gets more satisfaction by seeing his illusions being used on stage than he does by actually being on stage with them. For over a decade, Bill also toured with Harry Blackstone, Jr. and in this week's podcast, he shares some marvelous stories of his work and travels with Harry.

Bill also talks about his early years with the Long Beach Mystics, attending and performing at Abbott's Get Together, and he has some firm beliefs and ideas on ethics in magic and rip-off illusions.

You can see some of the photos I took in his Beckett Studio, read the blog, listen to the podcast online and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... bill-smith