Nearly 20 years ago, I used to work with Mercer Helms at Houston's Magic Island. I did the "talking" act and he opened with a silent "bird" act. Too much time slipped away since we last got together. But with the help of Walter "Zaney" Blaney, I reconnected with Mercer and we had a lovely afternoon chat in his apartment in a retirement community here in Houston, Texas.

For those of you who don't know who Mercer is, for over 40 years he toured with the late comedienne, Phyllis Diller, as her opening act. They traveled across the country and in this week's episode, Mercer relates some of the stories (that he can tell publicly) of their exploits together. He also knew and worked with the pickpocket, the late Ricky Dunn. There again he has a lot of stories about him, too.

During our chat this week, there was a worker outside with a leaf blower which adds a little "ambiance" to the listening experience. We stopped for a while to allow them to continue, but it was apparent that their job was going to last much longer than our recorded conversation. So, please accept my apologies if the background noise might be a little disturbing. But I don't think it is too bad.

You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. But for more information and to see some candid photos of Mercer in his home, be sure to visit the website at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scot......er-helms

And while you're at the website, be sure to sign up for our weekly pod-letter.