The Legend of "Pop" Haydn

[Scott Wells]

There are a few magicians who have found the secret of success in finding their on-stage character. This often takes years of experience and trial and error. Whit Haydn developed his "Pop" Haydn character over time and lives the part on and off stage. Many actors research "back stories" of their on screen/stage roles so they are more believable. They know how their character would respond if the "live" and understand their "lives", either real or fictional.

In the case of "Pop" Haydn, there is a richly textured back story that is an incredible tale. So much so that I think it could make for an interesting movie. This week on The Magic Word Podcast, Whit talks about the development of his character, who he is, where he came from, and why he does what he does. The people he "knew" (like Nikola Tesla, Soapy Smith, and others) is fascinating and I know you'll enjoy the tales, too.

I sat down with Whit at the I.B.M.convention in Grand Rapids, MI this past July where we talked at length about "Pop" Haydn. You can watch a video of his on stage performance from that convention, see some photos, read the blog, listen to the podcast online, and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... -pop-haydn

Also, on an unrelated note, the past weekend was the 73rd annual Texas Association of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) convention in Houston, TX. Although there were less than 250 registrants, it was an outstanding event. I would rank it an eight out of ten on a scale of one to ten) of the past 30+ T.A.O.M. conventions I've attended. Listen to the podcasts and hear why:

Day One: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... om-day-one
Day Two: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... om-day-two
Day Three: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/sco ... -day-three

[MagicbyAlfred]

Thanks for making this available Scott, as you have done with numerous other luminaries. Pop Haydn, what a great character and performer! When Michael Finney (speaking of great performers) introduced Pop at the IBM comedy magic event, he noted how Pop (a/k/a Whit by birth) had invented the Pop character and in so doing, literally reinvented himself. It's amazing to think how he conceived of this believable character and it suits him so perfectly. The best example I've ever seen of Robert-Houdin's observation, "A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician."