On the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing, Ireland's only escapologist is preparing to contact the legendary illusionist's spirit from an old shoe shop in Limerick.

This week Joe takes a Ramble down south to meet Steve Spade, the Irish Houdini.  The conversation starts with card tricks at weddings and dodgy hypnotists and ends with a plan to contact the dead.

Steve's built a career on escaping things that could kill him. The kind of stunts that have genuinely ended other magicians' lives.

He talks Joe through how he got into it, the injuries along the way, and the unwritten code escape artists live by.

There's also a wedding proposal at a magic awards ceremony, a Houdini pair of handcuffs treated like a family heirloom, and a seance planned in an old Limerick shoe shop to mark 100 years since Houdini died.

Joe, for his part, remains deeply unconvinced by magic in general and is still trying to figure out how his uncle took off his finger. Explicit.  

On the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing, Ireland's only escapologist is preparing to contact the legendary illusionist's spirit from an old shoe shop in Limerick.This week Joe takes a Ramble down south to meet Steve Spade, the Irish Houdini.&nbsp; The conversation starts with card tricks at weddings and dodgy hypnotists and ends with a plan to contact the dead.Steve's built a career on escaping things that could kill him. The kind of stunts that have genuinely ended other magicians' lives.He talks Joe through how he got into it, the injuries along the way, and the unwritten code escape artists live by.There's also a wedding proposal at a magic awards ceremony, a Houdini pair of handcuffs treated like a family heirloom, and a seance planned in an old Limerick shoe shop to mark 100 years since Houdini died.Joe, for his part, remains deeply unconvinced by magic in general and is still trying to figure out how his uncle took off his finger. Explicit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This is Ramble, a podcast where Joe McGucken immerses himself in the crazy world of  each guest, capturing on-location interviews with people from the fringes of society, people from weird subcultures, hobbyists, sports people, celebrities and anyone in between.  Joe is only interested in hearing a good story. The problem is, Joe is highly unqualified. With  zero journalistic credentials and a naive optimism, Joe is perpetually out of his depth. But  there’s a charm to it all. Driven by a genuine, relentless curiosity, he fumbles his way through  these raw encounters and reflects on the madness back in the studio, relying entirely on his  own pure inquisitive, nature and the extreme patience of his guests.

This is Ramble, a podcast where Joe McGucken immerses himself in the crazy world of each guest, capturing on-location interviews with people from the fringes of society, people from weird subcultures, hobbyists, sports people, celebrities and anyone in between. Joe is only interested in hearing a good story. The problem is, Joe is highly unqualified. With zero journalistic credentials and a naive optimism, Joe is perpetually out of his depth. But there’s a charm to it all. Driven by a genuine, relentless curiosity, he fumbles his way through these raw encounters and reflects on the madness back in the studio, relying entirely on his own pure inquisitive, nature and the extreme patience of his guests.

Ramble with Joe McGucken

Ramble with The Irish Houdini

Joe took the boys to see Matilda at the Bord Gáis. The lead got sick, the safety curtain came down, and an eight year old understudy walked out in front of a sold out house and stole the show.

That sets Joe off on a Ramble through the strange world of child stardom. A chance encounter with the original Matilda talking about intimacy at a variety show in New York. The militant casting rules for a Matilda, and its fleeting nature for the child actors. West End wages of sixty quid a show. The Oliver orphans doing ten o'clock finishes for twenty pounds, and three Billy Elliots sharing one Tony Award.

Also: a Jobsbridge internship, a TV station that ceased to exist before the course finished, and a considered assessment of the McGucken boys prospects after Star Camp. Explicit. 

Joe took the boys to see Matilda at the Bord Gáis. The lead got sick, the safety curtain came down, and an eight year old understudy walked out in front of a sold out house and stole the show.That sets Joe off on a Ramble through the strange world of child stardom. A chance encounter with the original Matilda talking about intimacy at a variety show in New York. The militant casting rules for a Matilda, and its fleeting nature for the child actors. West End wages of sixty quid a show. The Oliver orphans doing ten o'clock finishes for twenty pounds, and three Billy Elliots sharing one Tony Award.Also: a Jobsbridge internship, a TV station that ceased to exist before the course finished, and a considered assessment of the McGucken boys prospects after Star Camp. Explicit.&nbsp;

Ramble On Matilda and Child Stardom 

Shane McLoughlin holds eight world records for pulling incredibly heavy vehicles, and he does it all while missing a leg.

After a freak accident involving a heifer leaving him with gangrene, Shane endured 78 operations over a period of 10 years before finally telling his surgeons to just take the leg off. 

Instead of going easy on himself, he became a paralympian and eventually pivoted his focus to pulling trucks and other heavy vehicles like a 1000 tonne passenger Ship. Shane is currently on a mission to get amputee truck pulling recognized at the upcoming Paralympics. Joe can barely muster the energy to walk to the bathroom without losing breath, so trying to wrap his head around a man who trains by casually dragging parked lorries off the side of the road left him feeling more than a little out of his depth. 

Joe sits down in Shane’s home in Monaghan to discuss his unbelievable threshold for pain, his upcoming attempt to pull the actual Polar Express train in New York, and his ongoing beef with the Guinness Book of Records. It is a fascinating look at pure, stubborn defiance and what happens when you completely refuse to let anyone tell you what your limits are.  Explicit. 

Shane McLoughlin holds eight world records for pulling incredibly heavy vehicles, and he does it all while missing a leg.After a freak accident involving a heifer leaving him with gangrene, Shane endured 78 operations over a period of 10 years before finally telling his surgeons to just take the leg off. Instead of going easy on himself, he became a paralympian and eventually pivoted his focus to pulling trucks and other heavy vehicles like a 1000 tonne passenger Ship. Shane is currently on a mission to get amputee truck pulling recognized at the upcoming Paralympics. Joe can barely muster the energy to walk to the bathroom without losing breath, so trying to wrap his head around a man who trains by casually dragging parked lorries off the side of the road left him feeling more than a little out of his depth. Joe sits down in Shane’s home in Monaghan to discuss his unbelievable threshold for pain, his upcoming attempt to pull the actual Polar Express train in New York, and his ongoing beef with the Guinness Book of Records. It is a fascinating look at pure, stubborn defiance and what happens when you completely refuse to let anyone tell you what your limits are.&nbsp; Explicit.&nbsp;

Ramble With A Truck Pulling Amputee

During World War II, Nazi and Allied soldiers played golf together in Kildare.  In this episode of Ramble On, Joe takes us through the back nine of a surreal moment in Irish wartime history.



What starts as Joe's disdain for the sport of golf somehow evolves into a fascinating narrative about Nazi soldiers who crash landed in Ireland, were given daily parole to attend local dances, visit the cinema, and play a few rounds at the Royal Curragh. Naturally, Joe finds himself in the rough along the way. Casually crediting the construction of the Ballymun flats to Nazi compensation for accidentally bombing the Five Lamps.



But his enthusiasm for the sheer absurdity of it all is infectious. He uncovers a strangely polite chapter of history, exploring everything from foiled escape attempts involving ladders smuggled inside golf bags to Axis and Allied troops casually exchanging holiday gifts.



It is a captivating look at how some stranded soldiers managed to turn international conflict into an extended countryside holiday.  Explicit. 

During World War II, Nazi and Allied soldiers played golf together in Kildare. In this episode of Ramble On, Joe takes us through the back nine of a surreal moment in Irish wartime history. What starts as Joe's disdain for the sport of golf somehow evolves into a fascinating narrative about Nazi soldiers who crash landed in Ireland, were given daily parole to attend local dances, visit the cinema, and play a few rounds at the Royal Curragh. Naturally, Joe finds himself in the rough along the way. Casually crediting the construction of the Ballymun flats to Nazi compensation for accidentally bombing the Five Lamps. But his enthusiasm for the sheer absurdity of it all is infectious. He uncovers a strangely polite chapter of history, exploring everything from foiled escape attempts involving ladders smuggled inside golf bags to Axis and Allied troops casually exchanging holiday gifts. It is a captivating look at how some stranded soldiers managed to turn international conflict into an extended countryside holiday.&nbsp; Explicit.&nbsp;

Ramble with The Irish Houdini

Ramble with Joe McGucken

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