S01E9. Magical Scams w/ Mark Philip Lichtenstein

Wow, wow, wow. Who knew that magic could be so intense and controversial? We sure didn’t. That was until magician Mark Philip Lichtenstein joined us in the studio to explain some classic magic tricks to us. Big hint on where this podcast is headed: Caity does NOT like getting tricked. Mark reached out to us when he heard about the premise of our show, yet when he arrived in our studio he was a bit hesitant to tell his secrets, which was a huge tease for us. Guess that old adage is true. Also, he wouldn’t admit that magic in general is a wholesale scam, even though HE was the one who reached out to US, a podcast about scams. Anyway, he teaches us some tricks and we look at a very outdated website together and make fun of one of the guys and perhaps that was maybe mean and we should have edited that out, but you know what? We think it paints a picture! We’re all about painting pictures. We’re like the Bob Ross of podcasting: Pod Ross. CoINCIDENTALLY: Sue is visiting the Magic Castle in LA this week, which, unfortunately, will not happen before this podcast comes out, but it’s kind of a weird coincidence, don’t you think? It’s like magic. The Magic Castle is this 55 year-old club for magicians in the Hollywood Hills that is invite-only and has dinner, shows, and an extraordinarily strict dress code. Like, very strict. The website even goes as far as to specify that rompers are not permitted. Now, that’s kind of a sweeping generalization, don’t you think? Rompers have come a long way and, these days, can be incredibly formal. Just step into a Madewell! We’re torn on the concept of a dress code. On one hand, it’s like: don’t you dare tell me what to do/wear/act because you’re part of the patriarchy, and, on the other hand, it’s like: people don’t act right and they certainly don’t dress right. Just go to your local mall and you’ll see dozens of teens in pajamas. …And now we’ve become crabby old men telling kids to get off their lawns. BUT SERIOUSLY. People need to dress right and then we won’t need dress codes! No flip-flops at work! No pajamas at the Magic Castle. How hard is that? Also, something we learned from Mark is that there are very few female magicians. Ladies: this is an untapped market for you and possibly a wise career choice! But if you think about it, magic is super patriarchal. Like, a man stands on stage and tries to control your entire experience, including the way you think and feel. It’s designed to gaslight you and make you second-guess yourself. That’s probably why we got so fired up in the studio! The patriarchy really stinks! Bad! Anyway, if you would like to experience some of Mark’s magic in person, you can find Mark Philip Lichtenstein at https://magician.nyc/ See ya next week! Our Patreon, social media channels, and more! Send us your scams! scamwowpodcast@gmail.com Or call: 347-509-9414 DISCLAIMER: We are comedians and this is satire. C’mon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices