MINDvention 2021: Bigger, Better...and Virtual!
I have very fond memories of MindVention. Every time I went, I learned something new...met old friends and made new ones. That's what conventions are all about, right? I've written about my first day at the first MV. I was standing in the Dealer's Room...not quite sure what to do with myself...and this gravely voice sounds from behind me: "You David Thiel?"
I turned around to see Bob Cassidy looking at me. I just stood there. Cassidy is a legend -- arguably one of the most influential mentalists of our time. I had no idea what to say. I'd chatted with Bob on a site call the Magic Cafe...but I was blown away that he a) knew who I was and b) went looking for me.
"C'mon," says he. "I'll let you buy me a drink."
That's how it started. I actually bought him a LOT of drinks over the years (he liked rum and coke) and he went from mentor to friend...to good friend as the years passed.
MindVention was always an enchanted place to me. Truly magical things happened there. So when I heard that it wouldn't be happening in Vegas as it had for so many years it was one of the many things that make me sigh. THEN it was announced that MV was coming back in 2021 with the single biggest collection of lecturers ever. Look at this list of presenters:
- Richard Osterlind
- Banachek
- Pete Turner
- Colin Cloud
- Keith Barry
- Looch
- Marc Paul
- Kennedy
- Guy Bavli
- Amir Lustig
- Haim Goldenberg
- Me
The convention takes place inside your computer in the comfort of your own home from January 16th to the 18th. Details are here.
A Last Word from Richard Osterlind
"It is interesting that, as one gets older, a dichotomy develops inside one's brain. On the one hand I feel as young and vibrant as I did 30 or 40 years ago; doing shows, creating effects, and always thinking of what I can do tomorrow. On the other hand, part of my brain says to me that this can't go on forever..."
That's how "Inside My Mind" -- the last book of its kind from the very prolific Richard Osterlind begins. The 'of its kind' being referenced here are his thoughts and essays about the business of performing in the mystery arts. The Principals of Mentalism is a classic. So are the Field Manuals,The Osterlind Approach to Contact Mind Reading and Cold Reading and so many more.
But even among those books, "Inside My Mind" is different. Osterlind isn't lecturing from a stage. He's sitting across from you, sipping a cup of coffee and answering the questions you've had over the years with a charming honesty that will make you smile...even as you feel just a twinge of sadness because it also smacks of a good friend who is getting ready to say good bye.
The first chapter is called "My Story." Here is the tale of a kid falling in love with the spotlight. First as a drummer in a college cover band...and then as a magician doing stag parties for $300 a pop. This led to a gig at a restaurant...and then a power agent...and then booking after booking...those classic mentalism recordings and...well...you know the rest. It was a fascinating read and painted a picture of a guy with a clear vision of where he was going. This is the place where Richard steps off of the stage and shows you how who he was makes him who he is. (Does that make sense?)
In the second chapter "On Magic" you sit beside the "no where near famous yet" Osterlind as he contemplates magic and the things that give the effect power as well as the things that downgrade a miracle to a "trick." There's a lot to think about and as Richard -- a lifelong fan of magic -- shares his thoughts on what goes into building an effect that transcends reality.You get a sense of how this mind processes information...how it contemplates making something good better and making something better into something that is truly miraculous.
The third chapter "On Mentalism" is a frank no-frills discussion on what separates magician-think from mentalist-think. In Osterlind's opinion, "If you believe mentalism is magic with a mental theme, you wind up with all kinds of preposterous plots. They may be baffling but they sure are not mentalism and the audience won't believe you are a mind reader but rather, just clever." In this chapter he quotes Annemann. He references Kreskin. Dunninger and more. Each example is accompanied with a razor sharp POINT. This chapter could stand as a book all on it's own.
"Old Versus New" is the fourth chapter and it deals with the changing face of the mystery arts.Y'know: Houdini, YouTube, Dunninger...and a three page dissection of a packing box escape by a magician I've never heard of. What did come through loud and clear was the way Osterlind reacted to, thought about, speculated on, dissected and thoroughly processed what he'd just seen. This was a spellbinding (pun intended) process to sit through. I can honestly say that there were thoughts shared about this magician's act that had an impact on the way I think about aspects of my act. I am still not sure how Osterlind did that...
"One on One" may be the single best essay on how to perform FOR an audience that I have read by anyone...anywhere. If you have seen Osterlind perform live or on one of his DVDs you already have a clear understanding of how he treats an audience...how he works a room...how he makes his performance work for an audience of one or one thousand. The secrets he shares are worth the price of the book ten times over. I won't discuss them here...but if you perform, you really need to read this essay.
The professor comes back in the chapter called "Scripting and Blocking." This is information on how effects are presented to an audience. Does he follow a script? Does he follow an outline? Does he wing it? How does he stand...how does he position his volunteers? What's the deal with chalkboards, anyway? This would not be an Osterlind book without at least one nuts and bolts offering.
The next two chapters "Being Real" and "Being Your Own Person" are fascinating thoughts on keeping mentalism -- and yourself as a performer authentic and relatable. There's great advice here for the new performer just finding his or her way through the mentalism development jungle. But there's also some brilliant thinking...outstanding options...pure gold nuggets for experienced performers as well. These are the chapters I've read over twice now...and am still getting rewarded with new insights each time. These are among the most frank chapters in the book.
"Fame" is the last full chapter. It deals with what most people think success is and how it differs from how Osterlind defines it. His conclusions will surprise you.
I sat quietly for a few minutes after finishing this book and just thought about what I'd read. I thought about the guy who wrote it.
You cannot possibly discount the impact Richard Osterlind has had on mentalism. I would still be schlepping from show to show with my prized arm chopper under my arm had it not been for a chance encounter with the DVD series Osterlind did on the 13 Steps. It was my first encounter with real mentalism and I clearly recall sitting in my den with my mouth hanging open. In that instant I fell in love with mentalism...and joyfully jumped off of the magic battleship I'd been on for close to 20 years and into the mentalism dingy.
I still remember that moment: sitting in my den as Osterlind introduced me to the 13 Steps and wondering who this guy REALLY was. Effect followed effect and by the time I was done with the DVDs my brain ached. "WHO IS THIS Osterlind GUY?" Now I know him a little better.
Thank you, Richard. Thank you very much indeed.
"Inside My Mind" rates ten billets out of ten billets for me.
That's how "Inside My Mind" -- the last book of its kind from the very prolific Richard Osterlind begins. The 'of its kind' being referenced here are his thoughts and essays about the business of performing in the mystery arts. The Principals of Mentalism is a classic. So are the Field Manuals,The Osterlind Approach to Contact Mind Reading and Cold Reading and so many more.
But even among those books, "Inside My Mind" is different. Osterlind isn't lecturing from a stage. He's sitting across from you, sipping a cup of coffee and answering the questions you've had over the years with a charming honesty that will make you smile...even as you feel just a twinge of sadness because it also smacks of a good friend who is getting ready to say good bye.
The first chapter is called "My Story." Here is the tale of a kid falling in love with the spotlight. First as a drummer in a college cover band...and then as a magician doing stag parties for $300 a pop. This led to a gig at a restaurant...and then a power agent...and then booking after booking...those classic mentalism recordings and...well...you know the rest. It was a fascinating read and painted a picture of a guy with a clear vision of where he was going. This is the place where Richard steps off of the stage and shows you how who he was makes him who he is. (Does that make sense?)
In the second chapter "On Magic" you sit beside the "no where near famous yet" Osterlind as he contemplates magic and the things that give the effect power as well as the things that downgrade a miracle to a "trick." There's a lot to think about and as Richard -- a lifelong fan of magic -- shares his thoughts on what goes into building an effect that transcends reality.You get a sense of how this mind processes information...how it contemplates making something good better and making something better into something that is truly miraculous.
The third chapter "On Mentalism" is a frank no-frills discussion on what separates magician-think from mentalist-think. In Osterlind's opinion, "If you believe mentalism is magic with a mental theme, you wind up with all kinds of preposterous plots. They may be baffling but they sure are not mentalism and the audience won't believe you are a mind reader but rather, just clever." In this chapter he quotes Annemann. He references Kreskin. Dunninger and more. Each example is accompanied with a razor sharp POINT. This chapter could stand as a book all on it's own.
"Old Versus New" is the fourth chapter and it deals with the changing face of the mystery arts.Y'know: Houdini, YouTube, Dunninger...and a three page dissection of a packing box escape by a magician I've never heard of. What did come through loud and clear was the way Osterlind reacted to, thought about, speculated on, dissected and thoroughly processed what he'd just seen. This was a spellbinding (pun intended) process to sit through. I can honestly say that there were thoughts shared about this magician's act that had an impact on the way I think about aspects of my act. I am still not sure how Osterlind did that...
"One on One" may be the single best essay on how to perform FOR an audience that I have read by anyone...anywhere. If you have seen Osterlind perform live or on one of his DVDs you already have a clear understanding of how he treats an audience...how he works a room...how he makes his performance work for an audience of one or one thousand. The secrets he shares are worth the price of the book ten times over. I won't discuss them here...but if you perform, you really need to read this essay.
The professor comes back in the chapter called "Scripting and Blocking." This is information on how effects are presented to an audience. Does he follow a script? Does he follow an outline? Does he wing it? How does he stand...how does he position his volunteers? What's the deal with chalkboards, anyway? This would not be an Osterlind book without at least one nuts and bolts offering.
The next two chapters "Being Real" and "Being Your Own Person" are fascinating thoughts on keeping mentalism -- and yourself as a performer authentic and relatable. There's great advice here for the new performer just finding his or her way through the mentalism development jungle. But there's also some brilliant thinking...outstanding options...pure gold nuggets for experienced performers as well. These are the chapters I've read over twice now...and am still getting rewarded with new insights each time. These are among the most frank chapters in the book.
"Fame" is the last full chapter. It deals with what most people think success is and how it differs from how Osterlind defines it. His conclusions will surprise you.
I sat quietly for a few minutes after finishing this book and just thought about what I'd read. I thought about the guy who wrote it.
You cannot possibly discount the impact Richard Osterlind has had on mentalism. I would still be schlepping from show to show with my prized arm chopper under my arm had it not been for a chance encounter with the DVD series Osterlind did on the 13 Steps. It was my first encounter with real mentalism and I clearly recall sitting in my den with my mouth hanging open. In that instant I fell in love with mentalism...and joyfully jumped off of the magic battleship I'd been on for close to 20 years and into the mentalism dingy.
I still remember that moment: sitting in my den as Osterlind introduced me to the 13 Steps and wondering who this guy REALLY was. Effect followed effect and by the time I was done with the DVDs my brain ached. "WHO IS THIS Osterlind GUY?" Now I know him a little better.
Thank you, Richard. Thank you very much indeed.
"Inside My Mind" rates ten billets out of ten billets for me.
A NEW Gathering Place (and eBook) for Mentalists
This news item has been more than six months in the making.
A new website called Mind Gems Brain Trust has just opened. Not only can you get one on one mentoring from some of the top names in mentalism (see the names below) -- but you can also get your hands on an eBook featuring a selection of essays and routines from the MGBT faculty. These contributions include:
This 142 page eBook is designed to challenge you. It's designed to excite you. It's designed to revolutionize the way you look at the performance of mentalism.
You can get it here.
ISo what are you waiting for? :)
A new website called Mind Gems Brain Trust has just opened. Not only can you get one on one mentoring from some of the top names in mentalism (see the names below) -- but you can also get your hands on an eBook featuring a selection of essays and routines from the MGBT faculty. These contributions include:
- Richard Osterlind sends a routine that celebrates a classic from Corinda...but even better, he also shares his thinking on the process he uses in updating the classics so they blow away modern audiences
- Marc Salem sent in two routines: the first is a 'can't miss' lie detector routine that will make you smile...the second is a very special effect that blends an organic method with an absolute killer reveal
- Paul Prater, known for his groundbreaking work in bizarre mentalism, shares an essay that will challenge you to take your cold readings into a whole new dimension. These thoughts will challenge you, no matter whether you are a pro, semi pro or perform mentalism for the love of it
- TC Tahoe, bestselling author and award winning performer, wants you to consider in two outstanding presentations. This is a masterclass in storytelling and the presentation of mentalism. One will send chills down your spine and the other will make you smile.
- Jheff contributes the very commercial "Starminder" -- a powerful celebrity themed routine...and a list of ten gems for performing performing professional mentalism
- David Thiel teaches you how to use body language to know how your volunteers (or anyone else) is feeling about you, how to choose the right volunteer for the right effect and how to make your mentalism relevant for your audience...no matter what audience you are performing for.
- Sheree Zielke, theatrical director, offers exercises on how transition from magician to mentalist. And if you are already a performing mentalist, Sheree shares invaluable direction on exercises and questions that will help you be more effective.
- Christopher Taylor, the mind behind some of the most innovative releases in mentalism, shares an exciting option for the classic Free Will effect. This contribution is a memory making blend of outstanding storytelling and diabolical method.
- The legendary Lee Earle shares a full essay that covers a lot of ground: how to perform more effectively, how to make reveals with impact...how to do the kind of show people will remember. This is an essay YOU will remember.
- Atlas Brookings, author of the bestselling Train Tracking book and many other effects is ready to challenge you with one of the most groundbreaking essays we've ever read on performing powerful mentalism and defining who you are as a mentalist.
- Kennard Chandler is a performer you may not be familiar with. He's been quietly making a living as s full time performer for decades. He contributes a bulletproof memorized deck effect...and another routine using an Open Billet Box
- Tony Razzano -- past president of the PEA and a member of the legendary New York 13 -- shares his thoughts on doing readings. Tony has done literally thousands of readings and what he has to say about the process, about the way to treat the sitters will open your eyes to how the shut eyes operate.
This 142 page eBook is designed to challenge you. It's designed to excite you. It's designed to revolutionize the way you look at the performance of mentalism.
You can get it here.
ISo what are you waiting for? :)
A Remarkable New "Something" From Ian Rowland
Why am I sitting in a park, surrounded by people hunting Pokemons typing a review in my phone? Because it's just not right to have just read something this good, this diabolically clever...this complete mastery of word smithing and keep it to myself.
This is the propless miracle so many new offerings are trying to be.
What is it? A sure fire never miss method for winning ANY 50/50 bet. I mean simply that it can't miss. Your spectator can choose any pair of things: shapes, celebrities, seasons, colors...ANYTHING.
Let's say they choose shapes. You take a piece of paper and secretly draw a shape on it. You give it to your spectator and have him place his hand on top of it. You never touch it again. You ask him to name either of two shapes (circle or triangle for example) and as HE unfolds the paper it provides proof that that you did, indeed,know which choice he was going to make before he did. And it simply cannot miss. Ever.
I don't want to risk revealing the method by describing more detail. So I won't.
This isn't a basic bar bet either. Rowland has created a pro worthy routine that, in the proper hands, will create a literal onstage miracle. I'm excited about this...really excited. I know it's a great design because my mind is already bubbling over with different ways this system can be used.
I am not sure it's a good bet for mentalists who are newer to the art. I suspect the effect is much stronger with solid audience management and absolute stage control. But I am betting it's going to be like no prop napalm in the right hands.
It costs the equivalent of 27 American dollars .but I think it would be cheap at five times the price because this lovely idea is something I'm going to USE. It's really that good. To be clear: I don't know Ian personally, although I respect his work. I bought my copy. I've read it twice now (it's an eBook of less than 40 pages) and I cannot detect a single flaw in the script or effect design.
As far as I am concerned...50:50 Fantasia is the best mentalism release of the year. And it's been a very good year. You can more information here.
5 billets out of 5 from me.
This is the propless miracle so many new offerings are trying to be.
What is it? A sure fire never miss method for winning ANY 50/50 bet. I mean simply that it can't miss. Your spectator can choose any pair of things: shapes, celebrities, seasons, colors...ANYTHING.
Let's say they choose shapes. You take a piece of paper and secretly draw a shape on it. You give it to your spectator and have him place his hand on top of it. You never touch it again. You ask him to name either of two shapes (circle or triangle for example) and as HE unfolds the paper it provides proof that that you did, indeed,know which choice he was going to make before he did. And it simply cannot miss. Ever.
I don't want to risk revealing the method by describing more detail. So I won't.
This isn't a basic bar bet either. Rowland has created a pro worthy routine that, in the proper hands, will create a literal onstage miracle. I'm excited about this...really excited. I know it's a great design because my mind is already bubbling over with different ways this system can be used.
I am not sure it's a good bet for mentalists who are newer to the art. I suspect the effect is much stronger with solid audience management and absolute stage control. But I am betting it's going to be like no prop napalm in the right hands.
It costs the equivalent of 27 American dollars .but I think it would be cheap at five times the price because this lovely idea is something I'm going to USE. It's really that good. To be clear: I don't know Ian personally, although I respect his work. I bought my copy. I've read it twice now (it's an eBook of less than 40 pages) and I cannot detect a single flaw in the script or effect design.
As far as I am concerned...50:50 Fantasia is the best mentalism release of the year. And it's been a very good year. You can more information here.
5 billets out of 5 from me.
New Book for Professional Performers from Richard Osterlind
I have carried little notebooks with me since I was a teenager. These notebooks used to be the cheap silver coil kind you can buy for a dime (okay...you COULD buy them for a dime back in the olden days when a whole family shared one phone and it was nailed to the wall) and I have graduated these past years to Moleskines. The idea is that every time I hear something wise that I want to remember...song lyrics...a quote that resonates with me...when I want to capture a routine or an idea for an article or even a book...I snap the elastic back, flip the notebook open and write.
Since I have a love/hate relationship with longhand -- but am completely convinced that there's this wonderful alchemy that is sparked when pen touches paper -- whatever I choose to take the time to put into that notebook is IMPORTANT to me. It takes both time and effort to scrawl what I really mean to remember.
Why start a review off with this? Because my notebook was opened time and again as I read through this little 114 page book. Usually the scratching sound of my pen on the paper was accompanied by mad muttering along the lines of "geez...this is good...and/or the ever popular "holy crap!") There are eight entries in my Moleskine from this little book -- and will probably be many more as I read through it again.
What is it? Seventeen little chapters on how professional mentalists get the job done. A lot of it is common sense: dress well, shine your shoes, comport yourself like a mentalist ALL the time and try to avoid blowing your nose on the client's shirt. (That last one is mine.)
There's common sense and there's the kind of "performer sense" that you only acquire by going out and reading minds for a living. The operative words in that last line are "for a living." This isn't a book about wowing the guys at the next magic club meeting. This is pure 24 carat instruction for those who do this for a living -- or plan to. There are notes on everything from how to handle social media to how to connect with a corporate client. This wee book offers reams of real world information on how to do corporate shows and how to move effectively in those circles.
If you are considering making the leap to full time performing, you need this book.
If you are thinking about doing corporate shows, you need this book.
If you want the unvarnished bare knuckle advice of someone who has been doing mentalism for 40 years...you need this book.
No. The book isn't for everyone. It's not supposed to be. If those three statements above don't describe where you find yourself right now, you have no reason to buy it. But if even ONE applies to you -- or is part of your career plan -- just try not to sprain your finger as you hit the BUY button.
Time and time again I found myself nodding along with the advice Osterlind shares. Many of these are the thoughts I've had myself as I perform...but do not have the eloquence to deliver with such precision.
This is not a "trick" book. No methods are shared. It's a book for pros and anyone who aspires to be a pro. If that describes you, have a look: www.osterlindmysteries.com
And please don't think that this post is part of the "hype machine." Please don't. It's not. It is true that Richard is a very good friend. But I happily paid for my copy and, if you know me, you also know that there's no way I would post anything about this book that I didn't completely believe. I am sharing my honest thoughts with you because I see this as one of the top resources on the planet for professional mentalists. Period. (Exclamation point.)
This little $35 treasure gets five out of five billets from me. Simply outstanding.
David
Since I have a love/hate relationship with longhand -- but am completely convinced that there's this wonderful alchemy that is sparked when pen touches paper -- whatever I choose to take the time to put into that notebook is IMPORTANT to me. It takes both time and effort to scrawl what I really mean to remember.
Why start a review off with this? Because my notebook was opened time and again as I read through this little 114 page book. Usually the scratching sound of my pen on the paper was accompanied by mad muttering along the lines of "geez...this is good...and/or the ever popular "holy crap!") There are eight entries in my Moleskine from this little book -- and will probably be many more as I read through it again.
What is it? Seventeen little chapters on how professional mentalists get the job done. A lot of it is common sense: dress well, shine your shoes, comport yourself like a mentalist ALL the time and try to avoid blowing your nose on the client's shirt. (That last one is mine.)
There's common sense and there's the kind of "performer sense" that you only acquire by going out and reading minds for a living. The operative words in that last line are "for a living." This isn't a book about wowing the guys at the next magic club meeting. This is pure 24 carat instruction for those who do this for a living -- or plan to. There are notes on everything from how to handle social media to how to connect with a corporate client. This wee book offers reams of real world information on how to do corporate shows and how to move effectively in those circles.
If you are considering making the leap to full time performing, you need this book.
If you are thinking about doing corporate shows, you need this book.
If you want the unvarnished bare knuckle advice of someone who has been doing mentalism for 40 years...you need this book.
No. The book isn't for everyone. It's not supposed to be. If those three statements above don't describe where you find yourself right now, you have no reason to buy it. But if even ONE applies to you -- or is part of your career plan -- just try not to sprain your finger as you hit the BUY button.
Time and time again I found myself nodding along with the advice Osterlind shares. Many of these are the thoughts I've had myself as I perform...but do not have the eloquence to deliver with such precision.
This is not a "trick" book. No methods are shared. It's a book for pros and anyone who aspires to be a pro. If that describes you, have a look: www.osterlindmysteries.com
And please don't think that this post is part of the "hype machine." Please don't. It's not. It is true that Richard is a very good friend. But I happily paid for my copy and, if you know me, you also know that there's no way I would post anything about this book that I didn't completely believe. I am sharing my honest thoughts with you because I see this as one of the top resources on the planet for professional mentalists. Period. (Exclamation point.)
This little $35 treasure gets five out of five billets from me. Simply outstanding.
David
"Contact Mind Reading: The Osterlind Approach"
This is a bit of a tough review to write. It's certainly not because of the quality of the product. And it's not because I don't see CMR as THE closest thing you can possibly get to real mind reading...because I do. And it's not because I'm completely bias, having written the introduction to the book. And it's not because Richard is a good friend of mine. None of these things would influence me to write what I'm about to write. If you know me, you know that's true.
It's a tough review to write because I KNOW that this is one of the true gems of mentalism. It's a 24 carat, 100 proof -- utterly impossible feat to present to audiences. It's impossible for them to deconstruct because, once they have seen there's no stooge, that nothing is written down...that no words are spoken -- there can be no possible answer other than they've just seen literal miracle of mind reading.
Remember: The performer genuinely has no idea what object the spectator is simply thinking of...or where an object has been hidden. The spectator is literally just THINKING of the object/location and the performer, doing nothing more than holding their hand, is about to attempt an impossible location.
I was first blown away by CMR when Osterlind showed it to his Master Class in Las Vegas. And I DO mean "blown away" as in chin-hitting-the-desk-and-a-brain-vibrating-with-"what the heck???" I fell instantly in love with the IDEA of this. I shrug when I see the endless methods of ACAAN or the majority of other "holy grails" -- but when I actually SAW this, I knew I was witnessing something utterly extraordinary.
So why is this a tough review to write? Give me a second and I'll explain.
For your fifty bucks, you're going to get a little book. My pre-release PDF is 39 pages. Stacking this up against the other monster volumes on CMR (many of which I read in my frenzy to learn) it looks...well...small. Tiny, actually. Why? There's no filler. There's no self-indulgent pontification. No blah blah. There's just basic follow-the-instructions-and-you'll-be-able-to-do-this kinda writing. Step by step.
You're paying for a method...and learning that method from a guy who has done this for decades.
It's an effect...a demonstration that will leave your audience absolutely gobsmacked.
So why is this a tough review to write? Hmmm.
Two reasons. First: the people who are looking for "chango presto" mentalism -- stuff that works right out of the box, are in for a disappointment. Osterlind says some people have picked this up almost instantly. I believe him. But it took me a very long time and an astonishingly large number of failures and a pile of old fashioned hard work to even get to the point where I'm 50% confident with CMR. It hasn't been easy for me to learn. On the flipside, I wasn't learning from this book, because the book hadn't been issued yet.
This is the first in a series of books that Osterlind is aiming at the performing pros. It's not lightweight stuff. He makes a lot of assumptions about the reader in this book -- primary among which is that the reader already has a solid grounding in mentalism and is beyond needing the basics explained to him.
The second reason: CMR is quite literally...well...beautiful. From a presentation perspective, it's a symphony. I mean that. I would hate for this to become the "flavor of the week" with the "I do magic AND mentalism AND balloon animals in my show" set. When I was writing back and forth with Osterlind about this book, I urged him to put a hefty price tag on it...or to do it as a "very limited release" -- and he wouldn't hear of it. To me? It's worth ten times the asking price. Maybe more. Seriously. You want to talk "ultimate gimmick free and completely propless" mentalism? This is it.
But real gems deserve attention...and this is one of them. For some performers, what's in these pages will transform their act and revolutionize them as mentalists. Others will read it, sort of try it...and put it into the drawer. Then they'll moan about having spent fifty bucks on it. So here's your guide for whether or not you should pick this one up: IF you find your imagination stirred...and your heart beating just a little faster at the whole new world that opens up for you with CMR -- rush to hit the PayPal button now. Sprain your finger doing so, if necessary.
If, however, you're sorta kinda interested in knowing how this thing works, save your money.
This product gets six out of five billets from me. It is a modern-day masterpiece.
It's a tough review to write because I KNOW that this is one of the true gems of mentalism. It's a 24 carat, 100 proof -- utterly impossible feat to present to audiences. It's impossible for them to deconstruct because, once they have seen there's no stooge, that nothing is written down...that no words are spoken -- there can be no possible answer other than they've just seen literal miracle of mind reading.
Remember: The performer genuinely has no idea what object the spectator is simply thinking of...or where an object has been hidden. The spectator is literally just THINKING of the object/location and the performer, doing nothing more than holding their hand, is about to attempt an impossible location.
I was first blown away by CMR when Osterlind showed it to his Master Class in Las Vegas. And I DO mean "blown away" as in chin-hitting-the-desk-and-a-brain-vibrating-with-"what the heck???" I fell instantly in love with the IDEA of this. I shrug when I see the endless methods of ACAAN or the majority of other "holy grails" -- but when I actually SAW this, I knew I was witnessing something utterly extraordinary.
So why is this a tough review to write? Give me a second and I'll explain.
For your fifty bucks, you're going to get a little book. My pre-release PDF is 39 pages. Stacking this up against the other monster volumes on CMR (many of which I read in my frenzy to learn) it looks...well...small. Tiny, actually. Why? There's no filler. There's no self-indulgent pontification. No blah blah. There's just basic follow-the-instructions-and-you'll-be-able-to-do-this kinda writing. Step by step.
You're paying for a method...and learning that method from a guy who has done this for decades.
It's an effect...a demonstration that will leave your audience absolutely gobsmacked.
So why is this a tough review to write? Hmmm.
Two reasons. First: the people who are looking for "chango presto" mentalism -- stuff that works right out of the box, are in for a disappointment. Osterlind says some people have picked this up almost instantly. I believe him. But it took me a very long time and an astonishingly large number of failures and a pile of old fashioned hard work to even get to the point where I'm 50% confident with CMR. It hasn't been easy for me to learn. On the flipside, I wasn't learning from this book, because the book hadn't been issued yet.
This is the first in a series of books that Osterlind is aiming at the performing pros. It's not lightweight stuff. He makes a lot of assumptions about the reader in this book -- primary among which is that the reader already has a solid grounding in mentalism and is beyond needing the basics explained to him.
The second reason: CMR is quite literally...well...beautiful. From a presentation perspective, it's a symphony. I mean that. I would hate for this to become the "flavor of the week" with the "I do magic AND mentalism AND balloon animals in my show" set. When I was writing back and forth with Osterlind about this book, I urged him to put a hefty price tag on it...or to do it as a "very limited release" -- and he wouldn't hear of it. To me? It's worth ten times the asking price. Maybe more. Seriously. You want to talk "ultimate gimmick free and completely propless" mentalism? This is it.
But real gems deserve attention...and this is one of them. For some performers, what's in these pages will transform their act and revolutionize them as mentalists. Others will read it, sort of try it...and put it into the drawer. Then they'll moan about having spent fifty bucks on it. So here's your guide for whether or not you should pick this one up: IF you find your imagination stirred...and your heart beating just a little faster at the whole new world that opens up for you with CMR -- rush to hit the PayPal button now. Sprain your finger doing so, if necessary.
If, however, you're sorta kinda interested in knowing how this thing works, save your money.
This product gets six out of five billets from me. It is a modern-day masterpiece.
A NEW Offering from Bob Cassidy
C'mon. Be honest. Wouldn't you like to be Bob Cassidy for just ONE day? You know he's going to walk into Jack's Pub at MindVention next month and immediately be surrounded by guys wanting his opinion on...well...everything, people buying him an endless supply of his beloved rum and Cokes...
He drops little nuggets of forehead slapping "why didn't I think of that?" thoughts here at the Café and over at the Master Mindreader's Workshop. Personally I freely admit, without the slightest ounce of duplicity, that he's changed the way I perform mentalism. I know I'm not the only one.
So when Cassidy says he's going to share the routine he closes his show with, there's this expectant silence because people are listening.
Does he levitate David Copperfield using only the power of his mind? Does he read a 22 digit number an audience member is simply thinking of? Does he actually manage to divine the phone number of that lovely kilt-clad waitress in Jack's?
Nope.
Cassidy closes his show with...a card trick.
Did I hear a disbelieving..."Um...What?" from out in Internet-land?
You heard me: the closer of the Cassidy show isn't 4DT. It's a card trick.
A...card...trick?
Nah. Actually it's not a "trick" at all. It is an utterly stunning-remarkably-easy-to-do memory routine where the performer says he's going to memorize half of a preshuffled deck of cards and, using only his memory...will hand half the deck to one volunteer and half of the deck to the other volunteer...and proceed with lightning accuracy to say which guy is holding which card. Presumably, the performer is relying on a perfect recollection of the 26 cards he saw to eliminate the 26 he didn't see.
The volunteers prove Cassidy is correct by tossing the cards to the floor of the stage. And as he goes through the routine, he's saying the name of the cards faster and faster and the cards are raining down on the stage like they've been shot out of a card fountain. Cassidy is actually naming the cards faster than the volunteers can find them. It's very funny, sort of spooky, extremely visual and a triumphant demonstration of a master memory.
The package is made even better for we, the visual learners, because it includes a couple of outstanding private recordings of the method required and Cassidy performing the effect in front of a live audience.
I'll be honest: I've never been thrilled by "feats of memory." It smacks of the performer standing on-stage and showing off. And done badly, I expect that's exactly what this routine could become. But the nuances Cassidy teaches and the richness of his instruction transform this effect into a thing of real world wonder. It's suddenly about showing the audience a remarkable performer doing something remarkable.
It's also the very definition of "packs small and plays big" since all you need carry is a single deck of cards and then, during the performance, fill the stage with energy, flustered people and cards flying through the air.
I can see this effect playing beautifully on the largest stage or in an intimate setting. It's intense. It's funny. It's utterly brilliant.
At the very least, investing in this manuscript will deliver a masterclass in how to design a routine and how a masterful performer takes something potentially mundane and makes it into an ovation inspired miracle.
Cassidy's Master Card Memory is a gem. A treasure.
Five billets out of five. Absolutely no question.
You can get it here. It will cost you just under $40.00.
Brand NEW From ParaLabs: The Paranormal Wallet
MindVention is less than a month away as I write this.. And I'm SUPPOSED to be working on my lecture and finalizing my lecture notes, but there was a knock on the door. Who should be standing there but a courier! "I wonder what he could be bringing?" I asked myself...even though I was already making excuses as to why the notes and lecture could wait for an hour or two. I knew what he was bringing me.
It's a never ending area of fascination to me how a grown man can be instantly put into to a kid-on-Christmas-morning mindset by an unopened package.
So I nodded coolly at Sheree and, with suitable dollops of dignity, I made my way into the Sanctum Sanctorum, (okay...my den) where I ripped that puppy open and got my first look at my new Paranormal Wallet.
When I first heard about the Paranormal Wallet, I found out it was like a ParaPa* in a wallet. Of course, I love ParaPa*s. Imps are a very big part of my shows -- close-up and on stage. Since ParaP*ds have always delivered razor sharp imps, I own five of them -- and they are in constant use.
And that clears up the first misconception about what the PN Wallet is NOT. It's NOT a pe*k wallet, unless you consider getting your pe*k after the paper's left the wallet and is in the spectator's pocket on your own time to be a 'p*ek."
For your $250, you get:
* A handmade VERY soft and thin walled wallet. This is a high end item. You'd expect to find it at a quality men's shop.
* A couple of envelopes, one of which is prepared with that extra something inside the wallet
* Two more special somethings so that you can prepare your own...special...thing. (This is a tough review to write, because I don't want to give anything away. Either you know what I mean when I say "imp" or you don't. If you have no idea what an "imp" is, let me explain: it's a little guy about three feet tall who frolics in the forest.) Anyway, these special somethings will allow you to prepare your own..special somethings...
* A small pack of ParaLabs ESP Cards which can be prepared
* A small supply of Post-It Notes (Note to North Americans -- these are not exotic tough-to-find-cause-they're-European Post It Notes. These are available everywhere.)
* A mini Stabilo fiber tipped pen that is ready to go. (It fits neatly into a little holder in the wallet -- which made me smile. Stuff that just fits and is well thought out just makes me happy.)
* A number of extra envelopes for the envelope routine
There are no instructions because a private instructional video has been prepared to show you all the cool stuff your new toy will do. This is a video you'll probably have to watch a couple of times before you really get it...but if you're used to ParaPa*s it's not difficult to pick up.
Let me talk about ParaP*ds for a second. If you have one, you know the brilliant secret of how you can be looking right at the imp in front of 2,000 people and no one has any idea what you're doing. (That makes me smile too, by the way.)
And you're going to hear a lot about how clever the method for getting your look is. Here's an example: your spectator writes their word/secret/picture on a post-it note in your wallet. They take the paper and hide it. You draw a couple of envelopes out of the wallet and ask them if they'd be more comfortable putting their note into an envelope. Chances are they say 'no' -- and you put the envelopes back into the wallet. By the end of this process, you know their secret. (Either you get that or you don't. If you don't...well...an imp is this little guy frolicking in the woods.)
It's brilliant. Seamless. Virtually angle-proof with the proper management. There are two other ways to get the information you need. One is Colin McLeod's idea. The other is a delayed reveal concept involving the enclosed ParaLabs ESP cards. But all three work much the same way and each is truly seamless.
I've prepared a little something on the back of a billet so that I can do an interesting version of a Drawing Dupe -- and when I tested it out the you-know-what was perfect. So was the envelope method. I'll be taking it out for a spin at a show later tonight...but I don't see any problems because it's essentially a ParaP*d in a wallet.
The imps are, as expected, simply perfect. The ONLY thing I am going to be utterly anal about for a while is ensuring that I put the right things in the right places facing the right way...if you know what I mean.
The wallet was designed from the ground up by ParaLabs. I have a place for credit cards. I have Post It Notes for "stuff I have to remember" and a pen to write with. I also have a compartment that will keep my billets nice and neat until I need them -- and another place for my business cards. It really is a thing of beauty and I can see myself using it for many years to come.
A couple of thoughts: it would have been nice to have a flap somewhere in the wallet where the you-know-what could be hidden -- actually built into the wallet. And the marker IS a Stabilo -- common in Europe and not so common here -- and it's a mini size. Why might this be an issue? I will have to find a North American skinny mini fiber tipped marker (or find the actual mini Stabilos on the net) that will fit into the holder in the wallet. I haven't even started looking yet. There's no way a mini-Sharpie is going in there, though.
But those really are minor quibbles. Using Post-it-notes means I'm never going to worry about needing a specially punched paper. The pe*k really IS invisible when done properly. The imps are perfect in all three of the places I tested them.
When you think about it -- I've got imps and billets -- enough material for a big chunk of performiing loaded into a package I plan to use as my everyday wallet.
I won't know for sure until I've worked with this in performances. But on the face of it, the Paranormal wallet is another home run from ParaLabs. It's not expensive at all when you think about what it is...and the quality of the product and the brilliance of the methods AND the VARIETY of possibilities it offers...and the fact that it's going to be a part of my walking-out-of-the-house stuff for years to come.
I love this thing.
It's a never ending area of fascination to me how a grown man can be instantly put into to a kid-on-Christmas-morning mindset by an unopened package.
So I nodded coolly at Sheree and, with suitable dollops of dignity, I made my way into the Sanctum Sanctorum, (okay...my den) where I ripped that puppy open and got my first look at my new Paranormal Wallet.
When I first heard about the Paranormal Wallet, I found out it was like a ParaPa* in a wallet. Of course, I love ParaPa*s. Imps are a very big part of my shows -- close-up and on stage. Since ParaP*ds have always delivered razor sharp imps, I own five of them -- and they are in constant use.
And that clears up the first misconception about what the PN Wallet is NOT. It's NOT a pe*k wallet, unless you consider getting your pe*k after the paper's left the wallet and is in the spectator's pocket on your own time to be a 'p*ek."
For your $250, you get:
* A handmade VERY soft and thin walled wallet. This is a high end item. You'd expect to find it at a quality men's shop.
* A couple of envelopes, one of which is prepared with that extra something inside the wallet
* Two more special somethings so that you can prepare your own...special...thing. (This is a tough review to write, because I don't want to give anything away. Either you know what I mean when I say "imp" or you don't. If you have no idea what an "imp" is, let me explain: it's a little guy about three feet tall who frolics in the forest.) Anyway, these special somethings will allow you to prepare your own..special somethings...
* A small pack of ParaLabs ESP Cards which can be prepared
* A small supply of Post-It Notes (Note to North Americans -- these are not exotic tough-to-find-cause-they're-European Post It Notes. These are available everywhere.)
* A mini Stabilo fiber tipped pen that is ready to go. (It fits neatly into a little holder in the wallet -- which made me smile. Stuff that just fits and is well thought out just makes me happy.)
* A number of extra envelopes for the envelope routine
There are no instructions because a private instructional video has been prepared to show you all the cool stuff your new toy will do. This is a video you'll probably have to watch a couple of times before you really get it...but if you're used to ParaPa*s it's not difficult to pick up.
Let me talk about ParaP*ds for a second. If you have one, you know the brilliant secret of how you can be looking right at the imp in front of 2,000 people and no one has any idea what you're doing. (That makes me smile too, by the way.)
And you're going to hear a lot about how clever the method for getting your look is. Here's an example: your spectator writes their word/secret/picture on a post-it note in your wallet. They take the paper and hide it. You draw a couple of envelopes out of the wallet and ask them if they'd be more comfortable putting their note into an envelope. Chances are they say 'no' -- and you put the envelopes back into the wallet. By the end of this process, you know their secret. (Either you get that or you don't. If you don't...well...an imp is this little guy frolicking in the woods.)
It's brilliant. Seamless. Virtually angle-proof with the proper management. There are two other ways to get the information you need. One is Colin McLeod's idea. The other is a delayed reveal concept involving the enclosed ParaLabs ESP cards. But all three work much the same way and each is truly seamless.
I've prepared a little something on the back of a billet so that I can do an interesting version of a Drawing Dupe -- and when I tested it out the you-know-what was perfect. So was the envelope method. I'll be taking it out for a spin at a show later tonight...but I don't see any problems because it's essentially a ParaP*d in a wallet.
The imps are, as expected, simply perfect. The ONLY thing I am going to be utterly anal about for a while is ensuring that I put the right things in the right places facing the right way...if you know what I mean.
The wallet was designed from the ground up by ParaLabs. I have a place for credit cards. I have Post It Notes for "stuff I have to remember" and a pen to write with. I also have a compartment that will keep my billets nice and neat until I need them -- and another place for my business cards. It really is a thing of beauty and I can see myself using it for many years to come.
A couple of thoughts: it would have been nice to have a flap somewhere in the wallet where the you-know-what could be hidden -- actually built into the wallet. And the marker IS a Stabilo -- common in Europe and not so common here -- and it's a mini size. Why might this be an issue? I will have to find a North American skinny mini fiber tipped marker (or find the actual mini Stabilos on the net) that will fit into the holder in the wallet. I haven't even started looking yet. There's no way a mini-Sharpie is going in there, though.
But those really are minor quibbles. Using Post-it-notes means I'm never going to worry about needing a specially punched paper. The pe*k really IS invisible when done properly. The imps are perfect in all three of the places I tested them.
When you think about it -- I've got imps and billets -- enough material for a big chunk of performiing loaded into a package I plan to use as my everyday wallet.
I won't know for sure until I've worked with this in performances. But on the face of it, the Paranormal wallet is another home run from ParaLabs. It's not expensive at all when you think about what it is...and the quality of the product and the brilliance of the methods AND the VARIETY of possibilities it offers...and the fact that it's going to be a part of my walking-out-of-the-house stuff for years to come.
I love this thing.
Something NEW from Neal Scryer
I kept telling myself that I need another book like a need (another) hole in my head. I've been happily reading and rereading -- feasting, actually -- on some of the great books of last year. Many of them are listed here. Each time I re-open a book I've already been through, I often wonder what I was thinking the last time I read it since there seems to be so much stuff that I never noticed before.
So when Stevens Magic began trumpeting the arrival of a NEW Neal Scryer book, I resolutely put my figurative fingers into my ears and told me very firmly in my strongest grown up tone, that I did ABSOLUTELY DO NOT NEED another freakin' book. I reminded me that I've told myself time and again that my job is to refine the act I'm currently doing. End. Of. Discussion....Period.
But there were several intriguing ideas in the sales material including some very wonderful pendulum stuff...and I am a sucker for intriguing ideas and pendulum stuff. So I ordered it.
Full disclosure? Neal is one of my closest friends in the performing community. But having said that, I have to add that I view all potential material with a commercial eye. I'm interested in what will work for the corporate audiences I am hired to entertain. Much of Neal's repertoire tends to carry a very heavy "psychic" flavor, which isn't my style.
I completed my first reading of this book in less than an hour. (Strictly Scryer is a wee book -- 97 pages.) But the initial read gave me a pleasurable hour that started off with a sterling introduction written by Pete Turner. This is followed by a very strong routine built around twelve roses, three audience volunteers and no-miss "readings" about what questions they may have in mind, along with which color rose they would freely select. This, friends, is a solid routine. As with many of Scryer's routines, there's a very simple off-stage something that makes it "go."
There's four pages of fascinating thinking about a new routine featuring the Center Tear.
Then I hit page 63 and read a quiet little pendulum routine called "The Power of Love." It's so simple that I had to read it twice. So powerful...so diabolically brilliantly deceptive...so completely foolproof...that I am hard at work on re-designing it to fit me. I also have a palm sized red mark in the middle of my forehead in the "why didn't I think of that?" spot.
As I read the other chapters...significant discussions of PATEO...the use of Stooges...some fascinating spins on a Confabulation routine...I realized how much ground Neal covers in this relatively tiny book.
I also realize that Neal may, in fact, be an alien. At the very least, he sees a different world than the rest of us. His ideas...his thinking is...just plain DIFFERENT. It's fascinating to peek out at the world through his eyes.
I remember discussing this with Neal on one chilly New York afternoon. We were talking about his books and how he's a "psychic" kinda guy and how those of us who weren't...well "psychic kind of guys"...might handle the ideas he presents. He looked at me for a long time and didn't say anything (which is MOST unusual for him) -- then he shrugged and told me that an idea is like a seed. You take it, plant it...work with it and after a while it comes to life as something beautiful and completely new.
There are a ton of good seeds in this book for more conventional mentalists who choose to look beyond the heavy-duty "psychic" package they come in. There's the trademark uber-simple Scryer method and completely out of the box thinking about stuff you may have already considered.
Is my head buzzing with new concepts? Let's just say that I have some great seeds to plant.
So when Stevens Magic began trumpeting the arrival of a NEW Neal Scryer book, I resolutely put my figurative fingers into my ears and told me very firmly in my strongest grown up tone, that I did ABSOLUTELY DO NOT NEED another freakin' book. I reminded me that I've told myself time and again that my job is to refine the act I'm currently doing. End. Of. Discussion....Period.
But there were several intriguing ideas in the sales material including some very wonderful pendulum stuff...and I am a sucker for intriguing ideas and pendulum stuff. So I ordered it.
Full disclosure? Neal is one of my closest friends in the performing community. But having said that, I have to add that I view all potential material with a commercial eye. I'm interested in what will work for the corporate audiences I am hired to entertain. Much of Neal's repertoire tends to carry a very heavy "psychic" flavor, which isn't my style.
I completed my first reading of this book in less than an hour. (Strictly Scryer is a wee book -- 97 pages.) But the initial read gave me a pleasurable hour that started off with a sterling introduction written by Pete Turner. This is followed by a very strong routine built around twelve roses, three audience volunteers and no-miss "readings" about what questions they may have in mind, along with which color rose they would freely select. This, friends, is a solid routine. As with many of Scryer's routines, there's a very simple off-stage something that makes it "go."
There's four pages of fascinating thinking about a new routine featuring the Center Tear.
Then I hit page 63 and read a quiet little pendulum routine called "The Power of Love." It's so simple that I had to read it twice. So powerful...so diabolically brilliantly deceptive...so completely foolproof...that I am hard at work on re-designing it to fit me. I also have a palm sized red mark in the middle of my forehead in the "why didn't I think of that?" spot.
As I read the other chapters...significant discussions of PATEO...the use of Stooges...some fascinating spins on a Confabulation routine...I realized how much ground Neal covers in this relatively tiny book.
I also realize that Neal may, in fact, be an alien. At the very least, he sees a different world than the rest of us. His ideas...his thinking is...just plain DIFFERENT. It's fascinating to peek out at the world through his eyes.
I remember discussing this with Neal on one chilly New York afternoon. We were talking about his books and how he's a "psychic" kinda guy and how those of us who weren't...well "psychic kind of guys"...might handle the ideas he presents. He looked at me for a long time and didn't say anything (which is MOST unusual for him) -- then he shrugged and told me that an idea is like a seed. You take it, plant it...work with it and after a while it comes to life as something beautiful and completely new.
There are a ton of good seeds in this book for more conventional mentalists who choose to look beyond the heavy-duty "psychic" package they come in. There's the trademark uber-simple Scryer method and completely out of the box thinking about stuff you may have already considered.
Is my head buzzing with new concepts? Let's just say that I have some great seeds to plant.
The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy Volume 2: Fundamentals
When I initially read the first volume of "The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy" -- I admit that I didn't really understand it. I was fairly new to mentalism at the time and frankly, I lacked the performing chops to really grasp what I was reading. That changed with each subsequent reading. I've been through that book five times since and each time I understand more.
The most recent re-reading took place on an airplane to Vegas for MindVention. As I finished it, I clearly remember sitting quietly, looking out the window and feeling like that guy in the old Memorex ads -- the one who is sitting in an easy chair in front of a speaker with his hair getting blown back by the power of the sound. I felt overwhelmed...and genuinely grateful.
I'd decided to read it on the airplane, because I knew "The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy, Volume 2: Fundamentals" was going to debut at MindVention (where Cassidy got a lifetime achievement award, by the way.)
I'd prepaid in advance and, as Jheff was just finishing his set-up in the dealer room, I had my copy.
MindVention runs on great teaching, sleep deprivation and good friends. I'm telling you this because at the end of each day, I'd sit down with this book and read something wonderful.
There are over 400 pages in this masterwork -- and it's classic Cassidy. What does that mean? You get many of the classic routines Bob Cassidy is known for like Fourth Dimensional Telepathy and an absolute classic discussion of Q and A. But you ALSO get some of the most precise thinking on mentalism anywhere. Cassidy knows what he's talking about and it shows in chapters like "Working It" and "Staging It" -- both about the presentation of mentalism. Both are worth the price of the book alone. You get the brilliant Fundamentals -- which really needs to be required reading for anyone considering mentalism.
There's too much in this book to detail here. WAY too much.
What am I saying? If you're just getting started in mentalism you need this book. If you've been performing mentalism for years -- you need this book. If you want to sit quietly and listen to one of the unquestioned masters of mentalism share some mind blowing, career creating material -- you need this book. It is, bar none, one of the very finest works on mentalism anywhere. It is literally a masterwork.
I suggest you read it carefully. It's well written and has an engaging style. But that means it's very much like sitting and talking with Bob. I've learned that some of the most useful things he has to share are delivered in an offhanded way. He'll throw off a gem hidden within a comment or two and then wait to see who was paying attention.
Pay attention to this book. It's literally a gift to the community.
In an age where some ebooks sell for hundreds of dollars -- this one will set you back around $60. Trust me: you can't make a better investment in your career than The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy Volume 2: Fundamentals. You can get it here.
From me it's got five billets out of five -- and I'd give it six if that weren't mathematically impossible.
The most recent re-reading took place on an airplane to Vegas for MindVention. As I finished it, I clearly remember sitting quietly, looking out the window and feeling like that guy in the old Memorex ads -- the one who is sitting in an easy chair in front of a speaker with his hair getting blown back by the power of the sound. I felt overwhelmed...and genuinely grateful.
I'd decided to read it on the airplane, because I knew "The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy, Volume 2: Fundamentals" was going to debut at MindVention (where Cassidy got a lifetime achievement award, by the way.)
I'd prepaid in advance and, as Jheff was just finishing his set-up in the dealer room, I had my copy.
MindVention runs on great teaching, sleep deprivation and good friends. I'm telling you this because at the end of each day, I'd sit down with this book and read something wonderful.
There are over 400 pages in this masterwork -- and it's classic Cassidy. What does that mean? You get many of the classic routines Bob Cassidy is known for like Fourth Dimensional Telepathy and an absolute classic discussion of Q and A. But you ALSO get some of the most precise thinking on mentalism anywhere. Cassidy knows what he's talking about and it shows in chapters like "Working It" and "Staging It" -- both about the presentation of mentalism. Both are worth the price of the book alone. You get the brilliant Fundamentals -- which really needs to be required reading for anyone considering mentalism.
There's too much in this book to detail here. WAY too much.
What am I saying? If you're just getting started in mentalism you need this book. If you've been performing mentalism for years -- you need this book. If you want to sit quietly and listen to one of the unquestioned masters of mentalism share some mind blowing, career creating material -- you need this book. It is, bar none, one of the very finest works on mentalism anywhere. It is literally a masterwork.
I suggest you read it carefully. It's well written and has an engaging style. But that means it's very much like sitting and talking with Bob. I've learned that some of the most useful things he has to share are delivered in an offhanded way. He'll throw off a gem hidden within a comment or two and then wait to see who was paying attention.
Pay attention to this book. It's literally a gift to the community.
In an age where some ebooks sell for hundreds of dollars -- this one will set you back around $60. Trust me: you can't make a better investment in your career than The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy Volume 2: Fundamentals. You can get it here.
From me it's got five billets out of five -- and I'd give it six if that weren't mathematically impossible.
Your Mother's Back SMALLER and BETTER Than Ever!
There are times when a product comes out that is so utterly "useable" and so devastatingly designed that it can go instantly into a performers repertoire. It doesn't happen often...especially with me. I'll spend anywhere from a few weeks to a year working on a routine for a new prop in close-up before ever putting it into my show.
It's certainly not the case with MOABT PE.
Initially, I wanted this item purely for walkabout. Since MOABT 2 has been a staple in my stage shows since I purchased it, I really liked the idea of being able to use it in close-up settings. Buying it was a "mentalist no-brainer." (Yup...pun intended.)
But it's much more than a close-up prop.
What do you get?
A paperback book that looks perfectly ordinary. It's designed to look like a murder mystery from a small publishing house. Not suspect at all, perfect right down to the bar code. (Yes, it'll fit into your jacket pocket.)
Not only do you get all the power of MOABT in a pocket sized edition -- you also get what I've long considered the second best book test on the market: Becker's brilliant FLASHBACK system.
Isn't that enough to justify the cost by itself?
But this edition goes one better -- because you get all of this at HALF the COST of the regular MOABT.
It doesn't get any better. This isn't a prop -- it's a gift to the whole mentalism community, with all the good stuff from MOABT and so very much more. Need I say it again? HALF THE COST.
There's no reason this can't play as powerfully onstage as the larger MOABT will. There's also no reason both of these great book tests can't be presented in the same show. The fish*ng and reveal need to be unique for each book -- but if you've worked with MOABT, you know that's no problem.
I love this item. LOVE it. Ted could have charged me more for this than the original Mother -- and I would still feel I got a bargain. Seriously brilliant..."use it in every show"....over the moon DELIGHTFUL prop.
If you pick it up from ProMystic you will also get an exclusive routine from Michael Weber.
From me the MOABT Pocket Edition gets six billets out of five.
It's certainly not the case with MOABT PE.
Initially, I wanted this item purely for walkabout. Since MOABT 2 has been a staple in my stage shows since I purchased it, I really liked the idea of being able to use it in close-up settings. Buying it was a "mentalist no-brainer." (Yup...pun intended.)
But it's much more than a close-up prop.
What do you get?
A paperback book that looks perfectly ordinary. It's designed to look like a murder mystery from a small publishing house. Not suspect at all, perfect right down to the bar code. (Yes, it'll fit into your jacket pocket.)
Not only do you get all the power of MOABT in a pocket sized edition -- you also get what I've long considered the second best book test on the market: Becker's brilliant FLASHBACK system.
Isn't that enough to justify the cost by itself?
But this edition goes one better -- because you get all of this at HALF the COST of the regular MOABT.
It doesn't get any better. This isn't a prop -- it's a gift to the whole mentalism community, with all the good stuff from MOABT and so very much more. Need I say it again? HALF THE COST.
There's no reason this can't play as powerfully onstage as the larger MOABT will. There's also no reason both of these great book tests can't be presented in the same show. The fish*ng and reveal need to be unique for each book -- but if you've worked with MOABT, you know that's no problem.
I love this item. LOVE it. Ted could have charged me more for this than the original Mother -- and I would still feel I got a bargain. Seriously brilliant..."use it in every show"....over the moon DELIGHTFUL prop.
If you pick it up from ProMystic you will also get an exclusive routine from Michael Weber.
From me the MOABT Pocket Edition gets six billets out of five.
The Latest Greatest Option from ProMys*ic
This is going to be a little difficult for me to write about. There are several reasons for this: first -- this is an open forum and I don't want to be passing out information that ideally should ONLY be going out to performers. So if I am a little vague on some of the things I'm about to write...or if you see a "*" where there SHOULD be a letter, please understand that it's only there to foil search engines.
Second -- PM products (see below) are usually reserved for the serious performers and collectors. They tend to be more expensive and significantly more exclusive. You don't see many ads for these props. Most people find them through word of mouth from other performers. (Or here. You're welcome.)
Third -- I don't want to give away any aspects of how they work. That's not my place. I'll content myself with outlining the effect...along with a ringing personal endorsement that PM props have performed flawlessly for me in literally hundreds -- maybe thousands of performances over the years. They have not failed me. Not once.
Having said ALL that, I want to introduce you to the little wonder pictured on the upper left. It's the newest offering from ProMyst*c called "Inside Ou*." I had the opportunity to talk with the very clever Craig Filicetti about this in the early design stages. There were lots of conversations with me and many others...about what In*ide Out should be -- and when it needed to do.
What is it? The spectator sees a cube about 1.2 inches on each side. The effect: the spectator can choose any one of six options on a cube. They can make their selections while the performer's back is turned. They can cover the cube with their hands, put a cup over it...put it into a bag and the performer knows which selection they've made. The performer never needs to see the cube. He simply knows for SURE which selection the spectator has made. Does that sound like real mind-reading? It's as close as you are going to get.
No assistants. No cameras, no sneaky peeks...none of that. He simply knows. If you're familiar with a PM creation called MultiDimensiona* you're wondering what's new here....because THAT is a description of MD.
Inside Ou* is a lot like MD with several key differences:
* The cube OPENS to reveal nothing but air. This lends itself to routines that involve putting things INTO the cube...and ensuring two "hits" off the top by usingCenter Tea*s, Im* Pads, small props like rings etc. (See? I told you I was going to be vague.) As if the added dimension of being able to put something INTO the cube weren't enough...
* Inside O*t comes with OPTIONS. You can easily change the tiles on the sides of the cube. Pictured above are the EMOTION tiles. But there is also a set of COLORED tiles...and best of all a set of blank white tiles -- so you can design ANY routine you desire. You can now feature six different client products at a trade show, or customize the cube for routines built for children...or gifts for brides at weddings...anything you can imagine. (I've had a series of tiles built around Life Milestones.)
* Perform close-up, parlor or on-stage. (Mind reading is mind reading, right?) I plan to break my Inside Out cube in at a smallish show tomorrow night and, if it performs the way I hope it will -- I'll also be doing it on grandstands in front of lots of people before the month is out.
All the props that come out of PM are hand-made. That means the effects are quickly sold out -- and interested parties will have to get onto a waiting list for most of them. Is it worth the wait? It always has been for me -- and I own a number of PM products. Is it worth the investment? That's up to you. You're going to be shelling out over $500 for this if you don't already own any PM props.
But I haven't been this excited about the possibilities offered by a new prop in a long time. So I wanted to tell you about it. You're welcome.
Second -- PM products (see below) are usually reserved for the serious performers and collectors. They tend to be more expensive and significantly more exclusive. You don't see many ads for these props. Most people find them through word of mouth from other performers. (Or here. You're welcome.)
Third -- I don't want to give away any aspects of how they work. That's not my place. I'll content myself with outlining the effect...along with a ringing personal endorsement that PM props have performed flawlessly for me in literally hundreds -- maybe thousands of performances over the years. They have not failed me. Not once.
Having said ALL that, I want to introduce you to the little wonder pictured on the upper left. It's the newest offering from ProMyst*c called "Inside Ou*." I had the opportunity to talk with the very clever Craig Filicetti about this in the early design stages. There were lots of conversations with me and many others...about what In*ide Out should be -- and when it needed to do.
What is it? The spectator sees a cube about 1.2 inches on each side. The effect: the spectator can choose any one of six options on a cube. They can make their selections while the performer's back is turned. They can cover the cube with their hands, put a cup over it...put it into a bag and the performer knows which selection they've made. The performer never needs to see the cube. He simply knows for SURE which selection the spectator has made. Does that sound like real mind-reading? It's as close as you are going to get.
No assistants. No cameras, no sneaky peeks...none of that. He simply knows. If you're familiar with a PM creation called MultiDimensiona* you're wondering what's new here....because THAT is a description of MD.
Inside Ou* is a lot like MD with several key differences:
* The cube OPENS to reveal nothing but air. This lends itself to routines that involve putting things INTO the cube...and ensuring two "hits" off the top by usingCenter Tea*s, Im* Pads, small props like rings etc. (See? I told you I was going to be vague.) As if the added dimension of being able to put something INTO the cube weren't enough...
* Inside O*t comes with OPTIONS. You can easily change the tiles on the sides of the cube. Pictured above are the EMOTION tiles. But there is also a set of COLORED tiles...and best of all a set of blank white tiles -- so you can design ANY routine you desire. You can now feature six different client products at a trade show, or customize the cube for routines built for children...or gifts for brides at weddings...anything you can imagine. (I've had a series of tiles built around Life Milestones.)
* Perform close-up, parlor or on-stage. (Mind reading is mind reading, right?) I plan to break my Inside Out cube in at a smallish show tomorrow night and, if it performs the way I hope it will -- I'll also be doing it on grandstands in front of lots of people before the month is out.
All the props that come out of PM are hand-made. That means the effects are quickly sold out -- and interested parties will have to get onto a waiting list for most of them. Is it worth the wait? It always has been for me -- and I own a number of PM products. Is it worth the investment? That's up to you. You're going to be shelling out over $500 for this if you don't already own any PM props.
But I haven't been this excited about the possibilities offered by a new prop in a long time. So I wanted to tell you about it. You're welcome.
My NEW Favorite Old Book
I work primarily in the corporate market in hospitality suites and on-stage. Every once in a while I get an email from someone asking me to recommend a book that would give them good advice about performing for this market. So far, I've pointed them toward two excellent books: Bob Cassidy's Fundamentals of Professional Mentalism and Ken Weber's Maximum Entertainment.
They're both very good resources for beginning and experienced mentalists alike. They force the reader to take a hard look at what they do and why they're doing it. But they don't actually deal specifically with the corporate market, which is a very unique animal.
I'd never even heard of Mentalism, Incorporated until I heard Hickok's interview in Ben Cummings' performance expanding project called Conversations With Mind Readers. Hickok was talking about the importance of a show theme ("Check" I thought), the specifics of the corporate culture ("Double Check" I thought) and the critical importance of knowing why you do what you're doing. ("Checkmate" I thought finally and placed my order.)
I read a lot of books and my philosophy is that if I can take ONE thing away from the reading, that I've gotten my money's worth. But there are a pile of things in Mentalism, Incorporated that made me smile.
This is a hardcover book, first published in 2002. It's a 184 page journey wherein Hickok takes his whole act apart. He explains why he puts certain effects into his show and why he presents them in a specific order. There's hard thinking about presentation and bang-on advice about how to present a more effective show (little considerations like ensuring the audience can hear you...and see what you're doing) and best of all some "reflection" questions at the end of each chapter that make you think about what you're doing on-stage -- and how a few tweaks can make that whole process stronger.
Chapter Three: Eight Guidelines for Performing Mentalism to Corporate Audiences is worth ten times the price of the book in solid real-world information alone. No kidding. It's bare knuckles talk about what works for real performers in front of real corporate audiences.
The bulk of the book is a line by line, move by move walk-through of Hickok's whole act, effect after effect. While, personally, I didn't find most of the effects to be something I'd adopt myself, what I DID find useful is the thinking that went into their presentation. Hickok is a master of presentation...of the rhythm of a show. I found myself sitting there constantly reading things that made me go "Hmmmm."
There's no marketing information. Hickok is booked through agencies. There's just a nuts and bolts analysis of a venerable corporate mentalism show. That's where the real magic is found. This guy THINKS about what he does...and he has the unusual ability to share why he does what he does in a succinct and entertaining manner. He reveals everything...and lists all the resources in the appendix at the back.
It's drawn glowing reviews from names like Banachek, Becker, Karmilovich, Richardson and Riggs. Me too.
If you're looking for a working man's view of performing for the corporate audience...THIS is the one.
And yes...I know I'm roughly a decade behind the actual release date...but I reserve the right to be excited about it. Cause I am.
They're both very good resources for beginning and experienced mentalists alike. They force the reader to take a hard look at what they do and why they're doing it. But they don't actually deal specifically with the corporate market, which is a very unique animal.
I'd never even heard of Mentalism, Incorporated until I heard Hickok's interview in Ben Cummings' performance expanding project called Conversations With Mind Readers. Hickok was talking about the importance of a show theme ("Check" I thought), the specifics of the corporate culture ("Double Check" I thought) and the critical importance of knowing why you do what you're doing. ("Checkmate" I thought finally and placed my order.)
I read a lot of books and my philosophy is that if I can take ONE thing away from the reading, that I've gotten my money's worth. But there are a pile of things in Mentalism, Incorporated that made me smile.
This is a hardcover book, first published in 2002. It's a 184 page journey wherein Hickok takes his whole act apart. He explains why he puts certain effects into his show and why he presents them in a specific order. There's hard thinking about presentation and bang-on advice about how to present a more effective show (little considerations like ensuring the audience can hear you...and see what you're doing) and best of all some "reflection" questions at the end of each chapter that make you think about what you're doing on-stage -- and how a few tweaks can make that whole process stronger.
Chapter Three: Eight Guidelines for Performing Mentalism to Corporate Audiences is worth ten times the price of the book in solid real-world information alone. No kidding. It's bare knuckles talk about what works for real performers in front of real corporate audiences.
The bulk of the book is a line by line, move by move walk-through of Hickok's whole act, effect after effect. While, personally, I didn't find most of the effects to be something I'd adopt myself, what I DID find useful is the thinking that went into their presentation. Hickok is a master of presentation...of the rhythm of a show. I found myself sitting there constantly reading things that made me go "Hmmmm."
There's no marketing information. Hickok is booked through agencies. There's just a nuts and bolts analysis of a venerable corporate mentalism show. That's where the real magic is found. This guy THINKS about what he does...and he has the unusual ability to share why he does what he does in a succinct and entertaining manner. He reveals everything...and lists all the resources in the appendix at the back.
It's drawn glowing reviews from names like Banachek, Becker, Karmilovich, Richardson and Riggs. Me too.
If you're looking for a working man's view of performing for the corporate audience...THIS is the one.
And yes...I know I'm roughly a decade behind the actual release date...but I reserve the right to be excited about it. Cause I am.
The Most AMAZING Tossed Out Deck STYLE Effect On The PLANET!
With the exception of the Invisible Deck, I hate card tricks. I really do. I did magic for 20 years and now all I need to see is the word "CARD" in an effect description and I'm already thinking "NEXT." There are a couple of good reasons for this. First -- I am profoundly sick to death of card tricks. I honestly couldn't care less about the number where a certain card will be found, etc. Second -- most card tricks simply aren't good mentalism.
But Bruce Bernstein's brilliant Psi-Deck IS both shut-their-mouth amazing and absolutely perfectly designed three stage mentalism.
In the grand tradition of alerting you to stuff that's-been-out-a-while-but-is-new-to-me-so-I-figure-you-NEED-to-know-about-it...Iet me tell you why the PSI-Deck has become one of my favorite secret weapons of these past few months. In no particular order:
Here's why: the performer can't look at one specific spectator and say "You're visualizing the Seven of Clubs" and the next one "Ace of Diamonds" etc. That bugged me enough that I quit performing TOD and went onto other stuff that didn't annoy me.
About the time I was discovering Bruce Bernstein's classic book entitled Unreal (which you REALLY should have) I saw a product on his site called the "PSI-Deck." Here's the skinny: The deck is fanned. All the cards are different. The mentalist puts a rubber band around the pack and hands it to Spectator Number One who flips through it, glimpses a card and hands it back. THEN the mentalist gives the pack to Spectator Number Two and the process is repeated.
His brow furrows. Sweat from mental effort pours down his face as he looks at Spectator Number One and asks him to visualize the card. The effort....draining his...very...lifeforce. "You saw the Seven of Spades," he mentalist finally announces. Spectator Number One faints away from pure shock.
The mentalist steps over the body and looks at Spectator Number Two. He asks her to visualize her card. She does. More brow furrowing. More sweating. "You saw...the Four of Hearts," announces the mentalist. EMTs rush onstage with a stretcher and an oxygen mask to whisk the surprised-into-unconsciousness Spectator Number Two into a waiting ambulance.
The mentalist looks at Spectator Number Three and smiles reassuringly. "Let's try something different with you," he says. "Let me see if I can possibly influence your choices...choices you don't even know you're making."
"Am I gonna pass out?" asks Spectator Number 3. "Cause I have to go to work in the morning."
"Probably not," the mentalist reassures him. "Would you hold this for me?"
The mentalist passes the spectator a sealed envelope. He fans the cards again and shows the spectator that they are, in fact, all different. He deals them one by one into the spectator's hand face down.
"I want you to listen carefully for that internal voice," says the mentalist as he slowly continues to deal the cards. "The instant you hear it, I want you to say STOP."
Eventually the spectator says "STOP!"
The mentalist pauses. "Do you mean the card in my hand...or the one I just set down? You DO have a free choice."
(I will often insert a waggling left eyebrow at this juncture...just to increase the tension.)
The Spectator points a trembling finger to the card in his hand.
"Are you...quite sure?" asks the mentalist. (Waggle waggle.) "You MAY change your mind if you like."
The spectator can change his mind...or not. (It doesn't matter.) The mentalist displays the card selected by the spectator. It is a Three of Hearts.
"All the cards were different. You could have stopped me at any one of them," the mentalist says. "Is that...correct?" (Half a waggle here...because the poor guy looks like he couldn't possibly take a full one.)
The spectator wipes sweat from his upper lip. His eyes dart from the card in the mentalist's hand to the envelope he is holding.
"Open it," says the mentalist.
A soft moan escapes the spectator, who is slowly shaking his head as he considers the implications. With trembling fingers he opens the envelope. A single card falls out. It's....a THREE OF HEARTS!
Okay, So it's not ALWAYS this dramatic. But that's a fair description of what the spectators and the audience will see. The Psi-Deck really is dead easy to perform and it's designed by one of the world's most brilliant thinkers on mentalism. It's not cheap -- but you're getting an absolute top quality effect that WILL blow the doors off of every audience that has a pulse.
I've used this in hospitality suites and in front of large audiences. It's been done close-up. It's played to teenagers and executives. The PSI-Deck has blown them all away. And all I have to do is put a rubber band around a deck of cards and concentrate on my routine. It's simple...it's powerful and it's direct. It's become one of my favorite things. You can find it here. Don't be put off by the price. How much SHOULD a miracle cost anyway?
But Bruce Bernstein's brilliant Psi-Deck IS both shut-their-mouth amazing and absolutely perfectly designed three stage mentalism.
In the grand tradition of alerting you to stuff that's-been-out-a-while-but-is-new-to-me-so-I-figure-you-NEED-to-know-about-it...Iet me tell you why the PSI-Deck has become one of my favorite secret weapons of these past few months. In no particular order:
- It plays well on a huge stage, close-up or parlor.
- The system is so diabolically simple that your involvement is limited to remembering to put a rubber band around a pack of cards.
- It answers every single weakness in the traditional Tossed Out Deck Routines
- It will get laughs...and gasps
Here's why: the performer can't look at one specific spectator and say "You're visualizing the Seven of Clubs" and the next one "Ace of Diamonds" etc. That bugged me enough that I quit performing TOD and went onto other stuff that didn't annoy me.
About the time I was discovering Bruce Bernstein's classic book entitled Unreal (which you REALLY should have) I saw a product on his site called the "PSI-Deck." Here's the skinny: The deck is fanned. All the cards are different. The mentalist puts a rubber band around the pack and hands it to Spectator Number One who flips through it, glimpses a card and hands it back. THEN the mentalist gives the pack to Spectator Number Two and the process is repeated.
His brow furrows. Sweat from mental effort pours down his face as he looks at Spectator Number One and asks him to visualize the card. The effort....draining his...very...lifeforce. "You saw the Seven of Spades," he mentalist finally announces. Spectator Number One faints away from pure shock.
The mentalist steps over the body and looks at Spectator Number Two. He asks her to visualize her card. She does. More brow furrowing. More sweating. "You saw...the Four of Hearts," announces the mentalist. EMTs rush onstage with a stretcher and an oxygen mask to whisk the surprised-into-unconsciousness Spectator Number Two into a waiting ambulance.
The mentalist looks at Spectator Number Three and smiles reassuringly. "Let's try something different with you," he says. "Let me see if I can possibly influence your choices...choices you don't even know you're making."
"Am I gonna pass out?" asks Spectator Number 3. "Cause I have to go to work in the morning."
"Probably not," the mentalist reassures him. "Would you hold this for me?"
The mentalist passes the spectator a sealed envelope. He fans the cards again and shows the spectator that they are, in fact, all different. He deals them one by one into the spectator's hand face down.
"I want you to listen carefully for that internal voice," says the mentalist as he slowly continues to deal the cards. "The instant you hear it, I want you to say STOP."
Eventually the spectator says "STOP!"
The mentalist pauses. "Do you mean the card in my hand...or the one I just set down? You DO have a free choice."
(I will often insert a waggling left eyebrow at this juncture...just to increase the tension.)
The Spectator points a trembling finger to the card in his hand.
"Are you...quite sure?" asks the mentalist. (Waggle waggle.) "You MAY change your mind if you like."
The spectator can change his mind...or not. (It doesn't matter.) The mentalist displays the card selected by the spectator. It is a Three of Hearts.
"All the cards were different. You could have stopped me at any one of them," the mentalist says. "Is that...correct?" (Half a waggle here...because the poor guy looks like he couldn't possibly take a full one.)
The spectator wipes sweat from his upper lip. His eyes dart from the card in the mentalist's hand to the envelope he is holding.
"Open it," says the mentalist.
A soft moan escapes the spectator, who is slowly shaking his head as he considers the implications. With trembling fingers he opens the envelope. A single card falls out. It's....a THREE OF HEARTS!
Okay, So it's not ALWAYS this dramatic. But that's a fair description of what the spectators and the audience will see. The Psi-Deck really is dead easy to perform and it's designed by one of the world's most brilliant thinkers on mentalism. It's not cheap -- but you're getting an absolute top quality effect that WILL blow the doors off of every audience that has a pulse.
I've used this in hospitality suites and in front of large audiences. It's been done close-up. It's played to teenagers and executives. The PSI-Deck has blown them all away. And all I have to do is put a rubber band around a deck of cards and concentrate on my routine. It's simple...it's powerful and it's direct. It's become one of my favorite things. You can find it here. Don't be put off by the price. How much SHOULD a miracle cost anyway?
Was the Magician's Choice Tamed in 2006?
I know...I know...this isn't a NEW product. And yup...I know this is on a NEWS page. A former reporter like me SHOULD know that "news" usually means CURRENT.
Docc Hilford's E-Voque is pretty old. Guys on The Magic Cafe were talking about this very product back in 2006. I also understand that this is now 7 years later -- which is a lifetime in terms of magic or mentalism products. But if you haven't heard of it before...you'll thank me. I promise.
I recently got a copy of E-Voque. So it's new to me. And I have been delighted by it. Having performed E-Voque several times in hospitality suites, I can tell you in all honesty: it's worked perfectly. It's "da bomb" of forces.
What is it? I expect you're familiar with the mechanism for the Magician's Choice. It's a system for "forcing" the audience member to choose one specific object from several. If you're like me, you thought it was the most remarkable idea EVER when you first learned it. And...as you progressed in performing, you slowly found it clunkier and clunkier. Since there are so many other methods for getting the job done, most of us just kind of stepped away from the MC.
So what makes E-Voque so cool? It's bullet-proof and utterly deceptive. There's not a clunky bone in E-Voque's whole body. And you can perform in anywhere...anytime...with exactly ZERO prep. Let me tell you a bit about it:
The effect, as written, involves two spectators, seven objects and the back of your business card.
Spectator Number One chooses seven random objects and lines them up. Spectator Number Two secretly writes ONE of the seven objects down on the back of a business card. You and Spectator One eliminate the objects until only one is left. And guess what? Yup. When Spectator Two reveals what was written on the back of the business card, it matches the one item chosen "completely at random" by Spectator One.
I know. It rates a 10 for method and a resounding C+ (my former elementary school teacher's way of saying "meh") for effect. (So far...but wait for it.)
Obviously, I can't talk about the method...and I rather expect most of you can put the pieces together if you think about it hard enough. But the strength of E-Voque isn't solely about the method. It's about the nuance. It's about the subtlety. It's about using words in a way that make the effect seamless. At it's core, it's really just a system you can adapt to a myriad of different presentations.
It is the infinite possibility of E-Voque that has me so excited. THINK about what's possible when you can force any one of a number of objects with 100% seamless confidence. (Hilford says you can do 25 objects or more...but why? Seven makes the point and keeps the routine from going on...and on...and on and your audience from dozing off.)
Consider the basic concept: One spectator chooses an object which matches the object "freely" chosen by another spectator. In the routine, Docc uses various items: a wine glass, a pen, a watch etc. But consider for a minute how powerful it would be to use pictures of 7 different travel destinations instead? Famous people? Character traits? Dark personal secrets?
Now consider how strong this routine could be if you do away with the spectator who makes a prediction...and have the "chosen" word/name/place appear on a Spirit Slate...or the pages of a previously blank "detective's notebook?" How about revealing the "secret location" on the back of Osterlind's Daley Slates?
Instead of "forcing" a random object you could be kicking off a seance routine...or a bizarre magic effect. You could be forcing a page in a book test, kicking off a murder mystery effect...or presenting the client's featured product at a trade show.
What about if the effect features photos with numbers on the back...and the identity of the person in the "chosen" picture has been mailed in advance to the head of the organization you're performing for in advance and opened only on the night of your performance. See? I told you the possibilities were endless.
I'm thinking variations of this could play as strongly on-stage as in close-up -- and will absolutely blow them away in a parlor show. Think about it.
Don't under-rate the power of a sure-fire force. Docc Hilford certainly didn't. I absolutely love this thing. Which is why I'm telling you about it. You will find it here. E-Voque will cost you $25.00. Considering what you get...this is probably the best buy of 2006.
Docc Hilford's E-Voque is pretty old. Guys on The Magic Cafe were talking about this very product back in 2006. I also understand that this is now 7 years later -- which is a lifetime in terms of magic or mentalism products. But if you haven't heard of it before...you'll thank me. I promise.
I recently got a copy of E-Voque. So it's new to me. And I have been delighted by it. Having performed E-Voque several times in hospitality suites, I can tell you in all honesty: it's worked perfectly. It's "da bomb" of forces.
What is it? I expect you're familiar with the mechanism for the Magician's Choice. It's a system for "forcing" the audience member to choose one specific object from several. If you're like me, you thought it was the most remarkable idea EVER when you first learned it. And...as you progressed in performing, you slowly found it clunkier and clunkier. Since there are so many other methods for getting the job done, most of us just kind of stepped away from the MC.
So what makes E-Voque so cool? It's bullet-proof and utterly deceptive. There's not a clunky bone in E-Voque's whole body. And you can perform in anywhere...anytime...with exactly ZERO prep. Let me tell you a bit about it:
The effect, as written, involves two spectators, seven objects and the back of your business card.
Spectator Number One chooses seven random objects and lines them up. Spectator Number Two secretly writes ONE of the seven objects down on the back of a business card. You and Spectator One eliminate the objects until only one is left. And guess what? Yup. When Spectator Two reveals what was written on the back of the business card, it matches the one item chosen "completely at random" by Spectator One.
I know. It rates a 10 for method and a resounding C+ (my former elementary school teacher's way of saying "meh") for effect. (So far...but wait for it.)
Obviously, I can't talk about the method...and I rather expect most of you can put the pieces together if you think about it hard enough. But the strength of E-Voque isn't solely about the method. It's about the nuance. It's about the subtlety. It's about using words in a way that make the effect seamless. At it's core, it's really just a system you can adapt to a myriad of different presentations.
It is the infinite possibility of E-Voque that has me so excited. THINK about what's possible when you can force any one of a number of objects with 100% seamless confidence. (Hilford says you can do 25 objects or more...but why? Seven makes the point and keeps the routine from going on...and on...and on and your audience from dozing off.)
Consider the basic concept: One spectator chooses an object which matches the object "freely" chosen by another spectator. In the routine, Docc uses various items: a wine glass, a pen, a watch etc. But consider for a minute how powerful it would be to use pictures of 7 different travel destinations instead? Famous people? Character traits? Dark personal secrets?
Now consider how strong this routine could be if you do away with the spectator who makes a prediction...and have the "chosen" word/name/place appear on a Spirit Slate...or the pages of a previously blank "detective's notebook?" How about revealing the "secret location" on the back of Osterlind's Daley Slates?
Instead of "forcing" a random object you could be kicking off a seance routine...or a bizarre magic effect. You could be forcing a page in a book test, kicking off a murder mystery effect...or presenting the client's featured product at a trade show.
What about if the effect features photos with numbers on the back...and the identity of the person in the "chosen" picture has been mailed in advance to the head of the organization you're performing for in advance and opened only on the night of your performance. See? I told you the possibilities were endless.
I'm thinking variations of this could play as strongly on-stage as in close-up -- and will absolutely blow them away in a parlor show. Think about it.
Don't under-rate the power of a sure-fire force. Docc Hilford certainly didn't. I absolutely love this thing. Which is why I'm telling you about it. You will find it here. E-Voque will cost you $25.00. Considering what you get...this is probably the best buy of 2006.
The NEWest Billet Tear
You folks know I try to keep you up to date on the latest "stuff" you ought to know about...even if it has nothing to do with pendulums, right? And I think you ALSO know that I simply wouldn't endorse something unless I REALLY felt it was a product you might be interested in.
The Dr's Billet Tear is one of those "things." The "Dr." in question is Dr. Bill Cushman -- one of the most innovative thinkers in mentalism. You read his fine routine "Dr. Bill's Bend" in our second book: Pendulum Magic: Routines for Mystery Performers. It was later released as a stand-alone routine and turned the mentalism world on its ear. Many performers picked it as the 'best of the year" and we are delighted to have brought it to you.
I really liked Dr. Bill's Bend. But I am absolutely blown away by the utter simplicity...the sheer brilliance of The Dr's Billet Tear. It's a concept even Richard Osterlind, the designer of the Perfected Center Tear, is excited about. Here's my review:
Bill was kind enough to send me this ebook recently...and I've only just had a chance to study it.
I'm using the term "study" in the context of saying that "I looked at it until I felt I had a good enough understanding of the method that I could try it myself...and then I DID try it myself and it worked." Sometimes the "study" phase takes me days. In the case of this effect -- it was a mere matter of hours.
The Dr.'s Billet Tear is the simplest, most effective dead-simple BRILLIANT method of getting your pe*k ever. It's going to revolutionize the methods of every paper tearing mind-reader on the planet.
This is profusely illustrated simplicity. There are even crystal clear videos that show the effect from the audience perspective AND the performer's perspective. (The visual learners of the world thank you.) You simply couldn't ask for more, right?
But there IS more: A fascinating essay on when to get your pe*k, a section of very helpful tips (which should be applied to any effect), a wonderful routine that would be easily adaptable to MANY presentations called "7 Deadly Sins" -- which appeared in Mind Index (?).
But one of the real gems of the ebook is at the back. "Justifying Your Gaze" is an essay on when to p*ek and when not to pe*k. Great food for thought.
In the same way AN opened the "eyes" of performers everywhere, The Dr.'s Billet Tear is a stroke of genius that is a true gift to the performing fraternity...or at least performers who are smart enough to know how powerful this is going to be.
Five billets out of five, Bill.
Classic work.
The Dr's Billet Tear is one of those "things." The "Dr." in question is Dr. Bill Cushman -- one of the most innovative thinkers in mentalism. You read his fine routine "Dr. Bill's Bend" in our second book: Pendulum Magic: Routines for Mystery Performers. It was later released as a stand-alone routine and turned the mentalism world on its ear. Many performers picked it as the 'best of the year" and we are delighted to have brought it to you.
I really liked Dr. Bill's Bend. But I am absolutely blown away by the utter simplicity...the sheer brilliance of The Dr's Billet Tear. It's a concept even Richard Osterlind, the designer of the Perfected Center Tear, is excited about. Here's my review:
Bill was kind enough to send me this ebook recently...and I've only just had a chance to study it.
I'm using the term "study" in the context of saying that "I looked at it until I felt I had a good enough understanding of the method that I could try it myself...and then I DID try it myself and it worked." Sometimes the "study" phase takes me days. In the case of this effect -- it was a mere matter of hours.
The Dr.'s Billet Tear is the simplest, most effective dead-simple BRILLIANT method of getting your pe*k ever. It's going to revolutionize the methods of every paper tearing mind-reader on the planet.
This is profusely illustrated simplicity. There are even crystal clear videos that show the effect from the audience perspective AND the performer's perspective. (The visual learners of the world thank you.) You simply couldn't ask for more, right?
But there IS more: A fascinating essay on when to get your pe*k, a section of very helpful tips (which should be applied to any effect), a wonderful routine that would be easily adaptable to MANY presentations called "7 Deadly Sins" -- which appeared in Mind Index (?).
But one of the real gems of the ebook is at the back. "Justifying Your Gaze" is an essay on when to p*ek and when not to pe*k. Great food for thought.
In the same way AN opened the "eyes" of performers everywhere, The Dr.'s Billet Tear is a stroke of genius that is a true gift to the performing fraternity...or at least performers who are smart enough to know how powerful this is going to be.
Five billets out of five, Bill.
Classic work.
The Scryer Classics -- Re-released!
There's no question that two of the most powerful cutting edge mentalism books of the decade were released by the mysterious Neal Scryer. They came out in very limited numbers and the entire mentalism fraternity moaned softly as they sold out.
The books? The Practical Psychic's Little Black Book and The Practical Psychic's Little White Book. They have been out of print for years and have sold for insanely high prices when they go up for private sale.
Now Stevens Magic, in an exclusive deal with Scryer, is re-releasing BOTH of those books in one volume. The pre-order price is $165 -- which is about a third of the price that some of the volumes have sold for privately.
This isn't the stuff you show at the Magic Club. This is designed by Scryer to be the "real" work, It's loaded with ideas that blend mentalism effects with...well..."real" psychic readings. (It is, after all, called the Practical PSYCHIC'S book.)
Only a handful of people know who Neal Scryer really is...but you'd recognize his real name if you heard it. And, in the interest of full disclosure -- I need to tell you that Neal's a good friend of mine.
These books contain a very different kind of thinking. It could justifiably be termed "genius." You WILL have a reaction to these books. It's impossible NOT to feel something as you finish reading. Scryer has a very special something.
If you're a "reader" and you don't have these books you need them. If, like me, you don't do readings but are interested to know what "real" psychics are up to...and how they think...you'll enjoy these books. If you're a performer looking for a few killer-dead-easy routines -- you should consider these books. You'll find them here.
The books? The Practical Psychic's Little Black Book and The Practical Psychic's Little White Book. They have been out of print for years and have sold for insanely high prices when they go up for private sale.
Now Stevens Magic, in an exclusive deal with Scryer, is re-releasing BOTH of those books in one volume. The pre-order price is $165 -- which is about a third of the price that some of the volumes have sold for privately.
This isn't the stuff you show at the Magic Club. This is designed by Scryer to be the "real" work, It's loaded with ideas that blend mentalism effects with...well..."real" psychic readings. (It is, after all, called the Practical PSYCHIC'S book.)
Only a handful of people know who Neal Scryer really is...but you'd recognize his real name if you heard it. And, in the interest of full disclosure -- I need to tell you that Neal's a good friend of mine.
These books contain a very different kind of thinking. It could justifiably be termed "genius." You WILL have a reaction to these books. It's impossible NOT to feel something as you finish reading. Scryer has a very special something.
If you're a "reader" and you don't have these books you need them. If, like me, you don't do readings but are interested to know what "real" psychics are up to...and how they think...you'll enjoy these books. If you're a performer looking for a few killer-dead-easy routines -- you should consider these books. You'll find them here.
The Jinx...Re-Imagined by Cassidy
You won't have been in mentalism more than ten minutes before you start hearing two legendary names: Annemann and Corinda. Corinda's classic book, 13 Steps to Mentalism, is actually an assembly of pamphlets he issued about various aspects of mentalism. Most of us were introduced to the equally brilliant work of Theodore Annemann through "Practical Mental Effects." These were all culled from another much longer work -- a series of magazines called "The Jinx." (You've heard of The Jinx, right?)
As you go down the list of the "latest greatest" effects of today you're going to see many ideas that trace their inspiration directly back to these two books in one way or another. I've worked my way through them...and here's the truth: since they were both written a LONG time ago, they have a style I have always found just a little dense to wade through.
Yup. That's a terrible admission, isn't it? I'm not dissing these classics. They are full of wonderful ideas and brilliant concepts...but they can, at times, be very difficult to follow. I remember spending close to a day, trying to visualize how Annemann's Devil Device would actually look, for example. (The notion of actually making one? Nope. I couldn't even master the "ash tray project" in shop.)
Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone like Bob Cassidy -- one of the most influential mentalists of this century -- went through the Jinx and reinterpreted the one of the most influential mentalists of the last century -- and gave us his perspective on Annemann's concepts? Let's consider, for a second, one of the first Annemann creations: "Two Papers and a Spectator." Candidly? This confused the heck out of me when I read it. Here's a very brief excerpt of how Cassidy sets about explaining it:
"Annemann prefaces his description of this routine with the observation that it seems confusing in print. He’s right. And it is a lot more confusing and busy than a typical Annemann routine because, I believe, the method he gave was almost definitely NOT the method that he used. I have tried to re-write Annemann’s description to make it a bit more clear...."
What follows unveils a gem of a routine. And that's what you get in issue after issue of Bob Cassidy's Guide to the Jinx.
I asked Cassidy, who could work on pretty much any project he chose, why this concept has captured his attention.
"It's been like reliving the history of mentalism," he says. "It's also brought back so many memories of my own development as a mentalist, as well as fond recollections of the many contributors to The Jinx who I had the pleasure to meet many decades ago."
You guys probably know by now that I won't draw your attention to e a project I don't believe in. But I'm loving this series...it's rich with ideas and inspiration. Seriously. This has been an obvious labor of love for Bob Cassidy. His respect for the material shines bright in every issue. You get Bob's discussion in one file and high quality PDF's of the Jinx issues he's discussing. It's a combination that has given me some wonderful evenings. I mean think about it: This is Bob Cassidy sitting down with Ted Annemann and chatting. For ten bucks?
Cassidy says there are two effects that stand out for him as Annemann's greatest creations:
"Pseudo-Psychometry and Fourth Dimensional Telepathy," he says. "While the latter doesn't appear in The Jinx, many of the subtleties that made their way into my own version of the effect were inspired elaborations of ideas that appeared throughout the magazine.
"Pseudo-Psychometry, like 4DT, because of its simplicity of method, directness of effect, and because it is a perfect example of what Annemann meant when he observed that we should always ask ourselves, 'What would a real mind reader do?'"
You can have a look at Bob Cassidy's Guide to the Jinx here.
As you go down the list of the "latest greatest" effects of today you're going to see many ideas that trace their inspiration directly back to these two books in one way or another. I've worked my way through them...and here's the truth: since they were both written a LONG time ago, they have a style I have always found just a little dense to wade through.
Yup. That's a terrible admission, isn't it? I'm not dissing these classics. They are full of wonderful ideas and brilliant concepts...but they can, at times, be very difficult to follow. I remember spending close to a day, trying to visualize how Annemann's Devil Device would actually look, for example. (The notion of actually making one? Nope. I couldn't even master the "ash tray project" in shop.)
Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone like Bob Cassidy -- one of the most influential mentalists of this century -- went through the Jinx and reinterpreted the one of the most influential mentalists of the last century -- and gave us his perspective on Annemann's concepts? Let's consider, for a second, one of the first Annemann creations: "Two Papers and a Spectator." Candidly? This confused the heck out of me when I read it. Here's a very brief excerpt of how Cassidy sets about explaining it:
"Annemann prefaces his description of this routine with the observation that it seems confusing in print. He’s right. And it is a lot more confusing and busy than a typical Annemann routine because, I believe, the method he gave was almost definitely NOT the method that he used. I have tried to re-write Annemann’s description to make it a bit more clear...."
What follows unveils a gem of a routine. And that's what you get in issue after issue of Bob Cassidy's Guide to the Jinx.
I asked Cassidy, who could work on pretty much any project he chose, why this concept has captured his attention.
"It's been like reliving the history of mentalism," he says. "It's also brought back so many memories of my own development as a mentalist, as well as fond recollections of the many contributors to The Jinx who I had the pleasure to meet many decades ago."
You guys probably know by now that I won't draw your attention to e a project I don't believe in. But I'm loving this series...it's rich with ideas and inspiration. Seriously. This has been an obvious labor of love for Bob Cassidy. His respect for the material shines bright in every issue. You get Bob's discussion in one file and high quality PDF's of the Jinx issues he's discussing. It's a combination that has given me some wonderful evenings. I mean think about it: This is Bob Cassidy sitting down with Ted Annemann and chatting. For ten bucks?
Cassidy says there are two effects that stand out for him as Annemann's greatest creations:
"Pseudo-Psychometry and Fourth Dimensional Telepathy," he says. "While the latter doesn't appear in The Jinx, many of the subtleties that made their way into my own version of the effect were inspired elaborations of ideas that appeared throughout the magazine.
"Pseudo-Psychometry, like 4DT, because of its simplicity of method, directness of effect, and because it is a perfect example of what Annemann meant when he observed that we should always ask ourselves, 'What would a real mind reader do?'"
You can have a look at Bob Cassidy's Guide to the Jinx here.
So What's Richard Osterlind REALLY Like?
Okay. I KNOW this is a news page...but, having been a reporter for many years in my previous life, I know that news is whatever people are interested in. And I know a lot of mentalists are interested in in Richard Osterlind. He was into mentalism before mentalism was cool -- which is over 30 years on the stage.You know how mentalists say they "perform for Fortune 500 companies"? Richard really does. He's regularly booked by some of the biggest outfits in the world.
He's behind Osterlind Mysteries, which releases finely crafted props and books. He's a two-time contributor to our Magic Pendulum series (Pendulum Plus and the foreword to "Masterworks"). He's also a friend of mine.
We'd made arrangements to meet Richard and his wife Lisa for dinner. We were sitting in the hotel lobby waiting and two people approached us. One looked familiar -- a slender guy with sorta spiky hair, wearing a long coat and white sneakers, with a scarf knotted around his neck New York style. He looked at me and smiled. Lisa is his wife, a personable blond with a thick Kentucky accent.
"David," he says, still smiling. I feel like he's done this many times in many cities. For just a second I have a sense of what it must be like for him. How many hotel rooms? How many relative strangers? How many hotel lobbies?
"I love it," he tells me later that night, when I ask him about life on the road. "Lisa and I travel all over the world. We meet wonderful people. We just love the whole thing."
I notice that he smiles nearly every time he talks about his wife of twelve years. They have a palpable connection and they touch each other often.
"We met on the internet," Richard tells us. "Lisa's marriage was ending...so was mine. We talked and talked--"
"My friends told me he was probably an ax murderer or something," Lisa says. They look at each other and laugh.
"I had a show in Kentucky," says Richard. "She was there. I kept flying her out to my shows after that. It was cheaper to just marry her after a while."
They laugh and the sound is easy and comfortable. I'm thinking that if you want to understand Richard, you have to understand his powerful link to Lisa. They are completely and absolutely married. They talk in the shorthand committed married couples have. There's an easy feeling between them.
Richard tells me about a Florida lecture tour he's planned for later this year. He and Lisa are driving the whole way...and they're looking forward to taking a road trip together. Yup. Wanting to spend hundreds of hours together in a car with someone else means you really have to like them. That's the sure sign of a happily married couple, I think. (My mind strays back to a six week road trip through Alaska Sheree and I made to celebrate our 25th anniversary.. I completely understand how Richard and Lisa feel and it warms me a little more toward them.)
"What do you do when you're not doing mentalism?" I ask. "What do you do for fun?"
"Shooting," he says. No hesitation.
"Pictures...or--"
"Guns," he tells me. He talks for a while...okay a LONG while...about a fascination with firearms. Lisa sighs and smiles. (She doesn't quite roll her eyes.) Richard talks about the second amendment and his absolute opposition to the anti-gun movement in the States. He talks about Obama (he's not a fan.) He talks about assault rifles. He asks me about Canadian gun regulations and listens intently as I tell him. (I am a gun guy too...so we have a lot to discuss.)
Lisa is a scrapbooker and so we drop Lisa and Sheree off at a scrapbooking store. Richard and I go across the street to a gun shop in West Edmonton Mall. He looks at the prices and speaks with complete authority about the types of guns...and about how they are considerably less expensive in the States...when you can get them.
We stroll through the mall. Richard wants to see the replica of the Santa Maria and as I take him there, the topic changes instantly from guns to mentalism. (Topics have a way of doing that with Richard.) Suddenly he's telling me about the newest product coming out of Osterlind Mysteries. It's an effect where spectators choose cards with six numbers on them. From across the room, the performer knows every number on each card.
"What do you think?" Richard asks me. His attention is almost a physical force. I get the uncomfortable sensation that he is ready to Completely Listen To Whatever I Say. Oh crap.
I make a non-committal noise. The truth of the matter is I hate number based effects. I don't like magic square routines...Add-a-Number acts bore me to death. I think numbers are sterile. Unless there's some reason to do a routine with them, I'd rather avoid them entirely....and have thus far.
I see that Richard is still looking at me expectantly. He actually wants to know what I think. I sigh. You can't just tell someone...especially a famous someone...that their routine is of absolutely no interest...can you? Well...yeah. You don't lie to people you respect. (Well...I don't.) So I tell him exactly what I think of number based effects.
He stops walking for just a second, stands stock still and looks at me. "Well y'see...making the numbers meaningful is what it's all about," he says. He begins explaining to me all the things that can be done with six random numbers...and what they can represent. "Let me tell you how it works," he says. He's oozing enthusiasm as he talks. I notice that sometimes his brain moves faster than his mouth and I have to ask him to slow down and explain it again.
As he talks, his eyes are always roving, bouncing like pinballs from thing to thing. He's warming to the subject and he's outlining a system that sparkles with a very unique genius. By the time he's done, I am of the opinion that he's the kind of thinker who doesn't have a mind that sits still. Ever.
We head back to the scrapbooking store.
"You think Sheree bought something?" asks Richard.
"Oh yeah," I say. "She did. How about Lisa?"
"Nope," says Richard. "I doubt it."
Sure enough...we drive up and there's Sheree with a large bag and Lisa standing patiently...holding nothing. Score two points for the mentalists.
Lisa tells Richard that there's a machine in the store she really likes...and they go in together to have a look. One minute he's eyeing guns...the next he's in a scrapbooking store carefully examining a machine that would be a mystery to most men on the planet. Welcome to being married, I think. Richard tells Lisa she should just buy it. She's not convinced and they mull the decision over. In the end she decides to think about it.
Being with Osterlind in person is like being swept up in a genial whirlwind. He bristles with affable charm, entertaining stories and a lightning wit, but there's also an aspect of him that is always watching, always evaluating...always processing. Always thinking.
We talk about all kinds of things: how he managed to make the leap from a guy working at a Sunday buffet to a globe-trotting mentalism star. (Yeah...I know that's what you'd like to hear about. Another time. I promise. That stuff's for another project.) We talk about inspiration and novel ways to routine effects. We talk about what it feels like to re-interpret Annemann and Corinda...about venturing out into the DVD field on his own...about why he parted with his agent of 25 years. We talk about many things.
Richard and Lisa have been awake for nearly two days with just a smattering of sleep. They are both maybe just a little punchy. I'm driving the car, Sheree is beside me. Richard is directly behind me. I tell Richard that a mutual acquaintance asked me to say hello to him. So I do.
There's this long pause from the back seat. Then one soft word, plaintive and sort of confused sounding: "Hello." That unexpected single word makes us burst out laughing.
We wind up in a restaurant called Soda Jerks...a 50's theme place where you can build your own burgers with outlandish toppings. Osterlind chooses potato chips for his. Sheree goes for chocolate coated bacon. Lisa goes for a burger on a sourdough bun and I choose mayo. (Am I a wildman or what?)
During the meal, we give Richard a gift. I've said many times that I wouldn't be a full time mentalist without him...and I mean it. He opened the 13 Steps to me when I was an increasingly bored comedy magician and helped me fall in love with mentalism. He helped with the first Magic Pendulum book without any hesitation. Many of his props are mainstays in my show. I close my act with his Mental Epic board. I use my own version of his clipline and a variation of his Bank Night. I owe the guy....and I like him too.
His gift is the pendulum he's holding at the top of this article. Sheree spent a couple of hours on it between midnight and 2 a.m. It features a lead cut crystal lustre...probably from the 1880's in New Orleans. It hung in a hotel ballroom there. The hold is an antique key and the chain features bohemian crystal and jade beads. It sparkles.
"If you don't like it," says Sheree, "Just let me know. It's okay."
She doesn't really know Richard. She photographed him at MindVention...but I know she is always concerned that her pendulums be good match for the person they go to.
"It's important that it be a good fit, " she begins. She stops talking when Richard looks up and smiles. It's a seriously toothy kid-on-Christmas-morning smile. "Are you kidding?" he says. "I love it. I LOVE it."
He is examining the pendulum with great care, holding it up to the light, watching the colors refracting through the crystal. He's still smiling...but I can see the wheels turning again. Turning and turning. Always turning.
That's Richard Osterlind.
He's behind Osterlind Mysteries, which releases finely crafted props and books. He's a two-time contributor to our Magic Pendulum series (Pendulum Plus and the foreword to "Masterworks"). He's also a friend of mine.
We'd made arrangements to meet Richard and his wife Lisa for dinner. We were sitting in the hotel lobby waiting and two people approached us. One looked familiar -- a slender guy with sorta spiky hair, wearing a long coat and white sneakers, with a scarf knotted around his neck New York style. He looked at me and smiled. Lisa is his wife, a personable blond with a thick Kentucky accent.
"David," he says, still smiling. I feel like he's done this many times in many cities. For just a second I have a sense of what it must be like for him. How many hotel rooms? How many relative strangers? How many hotel lobbies?
"I love it," he tells me later that night, when I ask him about life on the road. "Lisa and I travel all over the world. We meet wonderful people. We just love the whole thing."
I notice that he smiles nearly every time he talks about his wife of twelve years. They have a palpable connection and they touch each other often.
"We met on the internet," Richard tells us. "Lisa's marriage was ending...so was mine. We talked and talked--"
"My friends told me he was probably an ax murderer or something," Lisa says. They look at each other and laugh.
"I had a show in Kentucky," says Richard. "She was there. I kept flying her out to my shows after that. It was cheaper to just marry her after a while."
They laugh and the sound is easy and comfortable. I'm thinking that if you want to understand Richard, you have to understand his powerful link to Lisa. They are completely and absolutely married. They talk in the shorthand committed married couples have. There's an easy feeling between them.
Richard tells me about a Florida lecture tour he's planned for later this year. He and Lisa are driving the whole way...and they're looking forward to taking a road trip together. Yup. Wanting to spend hundreds of hours together in a car with someone else means you really have to like them. That's the sure sign of a happily married couple, I think. (My mind strays back to a six week road trip through Alaska Sheree and I made to celebrate our 25th anniversary.. I completely understand how Richard and Lisa feel and it warms me a little more toward them.)
"What do you do when you're not doing mentalism?" I ask. "What do you do for fun?"
"Shooting," he says. No hesitation.
"Pictures...or--"
"Guns," he tells me. He talks for a while...okay a LONG while...about a fascination with firearms. Lisa sighs and smiles. (She doesn't quite roll her eyes.) Richard talks about the second amendment and his absolute opposition to the anti-gun movement in the States. He talks about Obama (he's not a fan.) He talks about assault rifles. He asks me about Canadian gun regulations and listens intently as I tell him. (I am a gun guy too...so we have a lot to discuss.)
Lisa is a scrapbooker and so we drop Lisa and Sheree off at a scrapbooking store. Richard and I go across the street to a gun shop in West Edmonton Mall. He looks at the prices and speaks with complete authority about the types of guns...and about how they are considerably less expensive in the States...when you can get them.
We stroll through the mall. Richard wants to see the replica of the Santa Maria and as I take him there, the topic changes instantly from guns to mentalism. (Topics have a way of doing that with Richard.) Suddenly he's telling me about the newest product coming out of Osterlind Mysteries. It's an effect where spectators choose cards with six numbers on them. From across the room, the performer knows every number on each card.
"What do you think?" Richard asks me. His attention is almost a physical force. I get the uncomfortable sensation that he is ready to Completely Listen To Whatever I Say. Oh crap.
I make a non-committal noise. The truth of the matter is I hate number based effects. I don't like magic square routines...Add-a-Number acts bore me to death. I think numbers are sterile. Unless there's some reason to do a routine with them, I'd rather avoid them entirely....and have thus far.
I see that Richard is still looking at me expectantly. He actually wants to know what I think. I sigh. You can't just tell someone...especially a famous someone...that their routine is of absolutely no interest...can you? Well...yeah. You don't lie to people you respect. (Well...I don't.) So I tell him exactly what I think of number based effects.
He stops walking for just a second, stands stock still and looks at me. "Well y'see...making the numbers meaningful is what it's all about," he says. He begins explaining to me all the things that can be done with six random numbers...and what they can represent. "Let me tell you how it works," he says. He's oozing enthusiasm as he talks. I notice that sometimes his brain moves faster than his mouth and I have to ask him to slow down and explain it again.
As he talks, his eyes are always roving, bouncing like pinballs from thing to thing. He's warming to the subject and he's outlining a system that sparkles with a very unique genius. By the time he's done, I am of the opinion that he's the kind of thinker who doesn't have a mind that sits still. Ever.
We head back to the scrapbooking store.
"You think Sheree bought something?" asks Richard.
"Oh yeah," I say. "She did. How about Lisa?"
"Nope," says Richard. "I doubt it."
Sure enough...we drive up and there's Sheree with a large bag and Lisa standing patiently...holding nothing. Score two points for the mentalists.
Lisa tells Richard that there's a machine in the store she really likes...and they go in together to have a look. One minute he's eyeing guns...the next he's in a scrapbooking store carefully examining a machine that would be a mystery to most men on the planet. Welcome to being married, I think. Richard tells Lisa she should just buy it. She's not convinced and they mull the decision over. In the end she decides to think about it.
Being with Osterlind in person is like being swept up in a genial whirlwind. He bristles with affable charm, entertaining stories and a lightning wit, but there's also an aspect of him that is always watching, always evaluating...always processing. Always thinking.
We talk about all kinds of things: how he managed to make the leap from a guy working at a Sunday buffet to a globe-trotting mentalism star. (Yeah...I know that's what you'd like to hear about. Another time. I promise. That stuff's for another project.) We talk about inspiration and novel ways to routine effects. We talk about what it feels like to re-interpret Annemann and Corinda...about venturing out into the DVD field on his own...about why he parted with his agent of 25 years. We talk about many things.
Richard and Lisa have been awake for nearly two days with just a smattering of sleep. They are both maybe just a little punchy. I'm driving the car, Sheree is beside me. Richard is directly behind me. I tell Richard that a mutual acquaintance asked me to say hello to him. So I do.
There's this long pause from the back seat. Then one soft word, plaintive and sort of confused sounding: "Hello." That unexpected single word makes us burst out laughing.
We wind up in a restaurant called Soda Jerks...a 50's theme place where you can build your own burgers with outlandish toppings. Osterlind chooses potato chips for his. Sheree goes for chocolate coated bacon. Lisa goes for a burger on a sourdough bun and I choose mayo. (Am I a wildman or what?)
During the meal, we give Richard a gift. I've said many times that I wouldn't be a full time mentalist without him...and I mean it. He opened the 13 Steps to me when I was an increasingly bored comedy magician and helped me fall in love with mentalism. He helped with the first Magic Pendulum book without any hesitation. Many of his props are mainstays in my show. I close my act with his Mental Epic board. I use my own version of his clipline and a variation of his Bank Night. I owe the guy....and I like him too.
His gift is the pendulum he's holding at the top of this article. Sheree spent a couple of hours on it between midnight and 2 a.m. It features a lead cut crystal lustre...probably from the 1880's in New Orleans. It hung in a hotel ballroom there. The hold is an antique key and the chain features bohemian crystal and jade beads. It sparkles.
"If you don't like it," says Sheree, "Just let me know. It's okay."
She doesn't really know Richard. She photographed him at MindVention...but I know she is always concerned that her pendulums be good match for the person they go to.
"It's important that it be a good fit, " she begins. She stops talking when Richard looks up and smiles. It's a seriously toothy kid-on-Christmas-morning smile. "Are you kidding?" he says. "I love it. I LOVE it."
He is examining the pendulum with great care, holding it up to the light, watching the colors refracting through the crystal. He's still smiling...but I can see the wheels turning again. Turning and turning. Always turning.
That's Richard Osterlind.
Are you booked for MindVention 2013 Yet?
Sheree and I are booked already for MindVention 2013. That nifty little link will take you to the MV page on Facebook. This seems to be the place where news is released. Here are some of the highlights about the upcoming convention:
* Our friend BOB CASSIDY is going to be the guest of honor. You KNOW what that means: great fun in Jack's Pub as well as a lifetime award going out to one of the most influential mentalists of our time. Good on you, Bob! I'll be the first on my feet when you get that well deserved standing ovation for your outstanding contributions to the Art over the years.
* Other confirmed guests: Jerome Finley, Bruce Bernstein (who wrote one of the finest books in mentalism today "UNREAL") and sleight of hand wizard Paul Vigil. If you know Danny Archer, you know there are many more surprises coming. We'll keep you posted here. But check out the Facebook page.
*Our own Sheree Zielke has again been brought back as the official photographer of the event. (You DID know she's an accomplished photography pro, right?) You can see many of her amazing images of past performers (and register) right here. Her shots of Colin McLeod and George Tait's butt are the stuff of legend.
If you're serious about mentalism, this is the place for you. Great people, a laid back atmosphere, outstanding dealers and the kind of lectures that make you go "Ohhhhh!"
A brief taste of MV 2012 is below, if you want more information!
* Our friend BOB CASSIDY is going to be the guest of honor. You KNOW what that means: great fun in Jack's Pub as well as a lifetime award going out to one of the most influential mentalists of our time. Good on you, Bob! I'll be the first on my feet when you get that well deserved standing ovation for your outstanding contributions to the Art over the years.
* Other confirmed guests: Jerome Finley, Bruce Bernstein (who wrote one of the finest books in mentalism today "UNREAL") and sleight of hand wizard Paul Vigil. If you know Danny Archer, you know there are many more surprises coming. We'll keep you posted here. But check out the Facebook page.
*Our own Sheree Zielke has again been brought back as the official photographer of the event. (You DID know she's an accomplished photography pro, right?) You can see many of her amazing images of past performers (and register) right here. Her shots of Colin McLeod and George Tait's butt are the stuff of legend.
If you're serious about mentalism, this is the place for you. Great people, a laid back atmosphere, outstanding dealers and the kind of lectures that make you go "Ohhhhh!"
A brief taste of MV 2012 is below, if you want more information!
Mindvention 2012 is a WRAP!
I'd planned on trying to do a day by day diary again this year. But you know something? It simply wasn't possible this year. MV started early in the morning and ran through to the early hours.
This year was remarkable. We're done for 2012 except for one final "Masters of Mentalism" show in about an hour. So I thought to myself "Self? Wouldn't YOU be interested in what happened at MV this year..like...if you weren't there?"
So here goes...in no particular order...the Cool and/or Interesting stuff that happened this year:
1) First what there WASN'T. Bob Cassidy (who fuels the majority of the sales at Jack's Pub via his friends, followers and fans) wasn't here this year. There was some kind of dental emergency. ProMyst*c, which made my wallet moan softly in pain last year with the release of the eWallet brought out a new rec***ver this year. But no new "gotta have it thingie." Tony Chris couldn't talk the US border people into letting him come into the US...so he couldn't show either.
2) Much of the buzz centered around Colin McLeod's new much talked about Zen...a reputedly remarkable method for getting a word...any word from any spectator...made its debut. I bought one (like...duh) for the special pre-issue price of $80 -- which also included his lecture notes. I have only read Zen over once...but my initial reaction is "holy cra*" -- this thing rocks. Amazing thinking and assembly of a bunch of stuff you already know. He is only issuing 250 of these. The price for the manuscript is $100.
Colin didn't demo it, because he thought people would figure the systems out. I think he was right. But this is going to be devastating. I'm pumped about it. (Can you tell?) I'll post some more about that later.
3) Israel sent an amazing contingent of wonderful people. The highlight for me was Ray Zaltsman who has some of the most commercial routines I've seen in ages. He's amazing with billets and comedy...and blending the two into one seamless package. He's one of my new favorite performers. Wonderful work, innovative routines and fresh thinking.
4) Speaking of comedy, Max Krause had a way of building thought sparking routines with a laugh out loud concept. In his portion of the show, he did a murder mystery that killed off a certain Las Vegas performer who shall remain nameless-but-often-has-his-fingernails-painted-black. Innovative thinking from a guy with a sincere penchant for fresh thinking. I spent a lot of time talking with Max and he's passionate...a delight to talk with and PDF (pretty darn funny).
5) I'd never heard Kenton Knepper speak before. There's passion in this guy...a real passion for mentalism and building meaning into his routines. I am still really thinking about what he presented. The Reader's Digest version: We as humans exist inside ourselves as well as in the Outside World. The key to kolossally killing mentalism is connecting with the inner beings of the audience. The philosophy of mentalism and connecting to the audience was fascinating. (I know that sounds pat...but gimmie a break. I'm running on about seven hours sleep over the past three days.)
6) Patrick Redford (aka George Tait) was a great surprise...to me. I loved his thinking about comedy and mentalism and the innovative ways they are blended to create something amazing. Seriously fresh thinking about mentalism. In the final show Colin announced that his word reveal was on George Tait's bottom. George a.k.a. Patrick Redford (when he was looking for a stage name he chose "Patrick" -- which is his middle name -- and Redford as in the California Redford) obligingly bared his bottom and sure enough -- the chosen word "FLASH" was scrawled there.
7) Germany's Satori's did an ASTOUNDING "I'm not sure what it was...but it was very cool and heavily discussed in the pub afterward" routine. No one knew how he accomplished this. Think about it: the guy had dough on his eyes, cotton and bandages over that...with none of the conventional...umm...methods of seeing available to him. He stood with his back to chalkboards and read 20+ strings of numbers and he wasn't looking up or down...and if he had been it still wouldn't have helped. Watching this was like peeking back into time. Gentler gentlemanly mentalism. It was a beautiful thing. Elegant.
8) Eric Dittelman was there as well. You'll remember him as the semi finalist MENTALIST on America's Got Talent. He is exactly the same on stage and off. A very nice, well spoken guy. He talked about the influence AGT had on his career (He went from cold calling for work to getting called...and is now booked well into next year) and did a wonderful smash and stab routine featuring WALDO (of the Where's Waldo books) -- which I thought was a brilliant innovation.
9) The SECOND EFFECT CURSE. Presenter after presenter had their second effect fall apart. It happened over and over...always the second effect. I won't say who these presenters are (because you KNOW who you are)...but I WILL say that , personally, I would have just deleted the second effect from my show.
A little information about next year: I'm told that Bob Cassidy is going to be a guest of honor next year. He'll receive lifetime achievement award. I'd like to see that.
Danny said they are also considering a mentalism competition...and he DID announce the dates: November 10, 11 and 12th.
Sheree was MindVention's official photographer for the second year. (You guys knew she was a pro photographer as well as a downright spiffy pendulum designer, right?) She did awesome work. Have a look at her candid portraits of Colin and Satori here.
You can also see postings and photos from the other attendees.
MV is a one of a kind convention. I was really blessed to be here.
This year was remarkable. We're done for 2012 except for one final "Masters of Mentalism" show in about an hour. So I thought to myself "Self? Wouldn't YOU be interested in what happened at MV this year..like...if you weren't there?"
So here goes...in no particular order...the Cool and/or Interesting stuff that happened this year:
1) First what there WASN'T. Bob Cassidy (who fuels the majority of the sales at Jack's Pub via his friends, followers and fans) wasn't here this year. There was some kind of dental emergency. ProMyst*c, which made my wallet moan softly in pain last year with the release of the eWallet brought out a new rec***ver this year. But no new "gotta have it thingie." Tony Chris couldn't talk the US border people into letting him come into the US...so he couldn't show either.
2) Much of the buzz centered around Colin McLeod's new much talked about Zen...a reputedly remarkable method for getting a word...any word from any spectator...made its debut. I bought one (like...duh) for the special pre-issue price of $80 -- which also included his lecture notes. I have only read Zen over once...but my initial reaction is "holy cra*" -- this thing rocks. Amazing thinking and assembly of a bunch of stuff you already know. He is only issuing 250 of these. The price for the manuscript is $100.
Colin didn't demo it, because he thought people would figure the systems out. I think he was right. But this is going to be devastating. I'm pumped about it. (Can you tell?) I'll post some more about that later.
3) Israel sent an amazing contingent of wonderful people. The highlight for me was Ray Zaltsman who has some of the most commercial routines I've seen in ages. He's amazing with billets and comedy...and blending the two into one seamless package. He's one of my new favorite performers. Wonderful work, innovative routines and fresh thinking.
4) Speaking of comedy, Max Krause had a way of building thought sparking routines with a laugh out loud concept. In his portion of the show, he did a murder mystery that killed off a certain Las Vegas performer who shall remain nameless-but-often-has-his-fingernails-painted-black. Innovative thinking from a guy with a sincere penchant for fresh thinking. I spent a lot of time talking with Max and he's passionate...a delight to talk with and PDF (pretty darn funny).
5) I'd never heard Kenton Knepper speak before. There's passion in this guy...a real passion for mentalism and building meaning into his routines. I am still really thinking about what he presented. The Reader's Digest version: We as humans exist inside ourselves as well as in the Outside World. The key to kolossally killing mentalism is connecting with the inner beings of the audience. The philosophy of mentalism and connecting to the audience was fascinating. (I know that sounds pat...but gimmie a break. I'm running on about seven hours sleep over the past three days.)
6) Patrick Redford (aka George Tait) was a great surprise...to me. I loved his thinking about comedy and mentalism and the innovative ways they are blended to create something amazing. Seriously fresh thinking about mentalism. In the final show Colin announced that his word reveal was on George Tait's bottom. George a.k.a. Patrick Redford (when he was looking for a stage name he chose "Patrick" -- which is his middle name -- and Redford as in the California Redford) obligingly bared his bottom and sure enough -- the chosen word "FLASH" was scrawled there.
7) Germany's Satori's did an ASTOUNDING "I'm not sure what it was...but it was very cool and heavily discussed in the pub afterward" routine. No one knew how he accomplished this. Think about it: the guy had dough on his eyes, cotton and bandages over that...with none of the conventional...umm...methods of seeing available to him. He stood with his back to chalkboards and read 20+ strings of numbers and he wasn't looking up or down...and if he had been it still wouldn't have helped. Watching this was like peeking back into time. Gentler gentlemanly mentalism. It was a beautiful thing. Elegant.
8) Eric Dittelman was there as well. You'll remember him as the semi finalist MENTALIST on America's Got Talent. He is exactly the same on stage and off. A very nice, well spoken guy. He talked about the influence AGT had on his career (He went from cold calling for work to getting called...and is now booked well into next year) and did a wonderful smash and stab routine featuring WALDO (of the Where's Waldo books) -- which I thought was a brilliant innovation.
9) The SECOND EFFECT CURSE. Presenter after presenter had their second effect fall apart. It happened over and over...always the second effect. I won't say who these presenters are (because you KNOW who you are)...but I WILL say that , personally, I would have just deleted the second effect from my show.
A little information about next year: I'm told that Bob Cassidy is going to be a guest of honor next year. He'll receive lifetime achievement award. I'd like to see that.
Danny said they are also considering a mentalism competition...and he DID announce the dates: November 10, 11 and 12th.
Sheree was MindVention's official photographer for the second year. (You guys knew she was a pro photographer as well as a downright spiffy pendulum designer, right?) She did awesome work. Have a look at her candid portraits of Colin and Satori here.
You can also see postings and photos from the other attendees.
MV is a one of a kind convention. I was really blessed to be here.
A Great NEW Project from ParaLabs
This bit of news has nothing to do with pendulums...and everything to do with a) Great Mentalism b) A Wonderful Project and c) A Spectacular Resource for working performers.
"SECRET IMPRESSIONS 2012" is the second edition of the "impossible-to-purchase-at-any-price" resource for those of us who use Impress*on Devices. The list of contributors reads like a Who's Who of mentalism: John Riggs, Marc Salem, Looch, Dr. Bill Cushman and many, many more.
The whole project is designed to raise money for children in need and ALL profits go directly to the charity. Is that seriously cool or what? My copy is already on order.
Head over here to find out more about Secret Impressions. I fearlessly predict it will be IMPOSSIBLE for you not to order it once you've seen the material it contains...and given a little thought to exactly where your money will be going. You can place your order on this page and then settle back and wait for a little magic to appear in your post box.
This project is the brainchild of Thomas and Ranier a couple of my favorite people. They run ParaLabs. They have created, among other things, the ParaPad. For my money, it's the finest ID (Impressi*n Device) on the market. I don't do a single show without mine. I have three of them. (Who are you calling obsessive?) My point? These guys know Impress*on Devices. So do the people they've gathered contributions from.
Take a minute to take a look at Secret Impressions 2012. You won't be sorry. (October 12/12)
"SECRET IMPRESSIONS 2012" is the second edition of the "impossible-to-purchase-at-any-price" resource for those of us who use Impress*on Devices. The list of contributors reads like a Who's Who of mentalism: John Riggs, Marc Salem, Looch, Dr. Bill Cushman and many, many more.
The whole project is designed to raise money for children in need and ALL profits go directly to the charity. Is that seriously cool or what? My copy is already on order.
Head over here to find out more about Secret Impressions. I fearlessly predict it will be IMPOSSIBLE for you not to order it once you've seen the material it contains...and given a little thought to exactly where your money will be going. You can place your order on this page and then settle back and wait for a little magic to appear in your post box.
This project is the brainchild of Thomas and Ranier a couple of my favorite people. They run ParaLabs. They have created, among other things, the ParaPad. For my money, it's the finest ID (Impressi*n Device) on the market. I don't do a single show without mine. I have three of them. (Who are you calling obsessive?) My point? These guys know Impress*on Devices. So do the people they've gathered contributions from.
Take a minute to take a look at Secret Impressions 2012. You won't be sorry. (October 12/12)
Introducing: "Storied" Pendulums!
The pendulum to the left is called "Time Traveler." It was designed by Sheree Zielke with a specific idea in mind. While it's true that this pendulum can accept a load AND has been created with large audiences in mind -- there's more to its 'story' than meets the eye. We're trying something new. Several of our new pendulum designs come with stories attached to them, stories that are designed to spark your imagination -- stories designed for that specific pendulum. You can see examples here ...but our idea is to blend the design with the concept behind the design...and leave the rest up to you. Sheree's story about how the "Time Traveler" came to be is detailed. But it doesn't touch on why there is an image of the Eiffel Tower in the bob, or why the clock stopped at 1:34. (Certainly this could be used as a force or a revelation...but what OTHER purpose could it serve within the context of your presentation?) What's significant about the number 24? Could it be the location of a tarot card? Take these concepts and blend them with the story....or use the story as the basis of your own presentation. Or build something new. We are always looking for interesting components for our pendulums, things that offer the professional performer the broadest possible spectrum of choices to choose from. Let us know what YOU think of this, okay?  |
MindVention 2012: Las Vegas, Nov 11-13
 "M" is for Mentalist. Photo by Sheree Zielke taken at MindVention 2011
Are you ready for the next MindVention reunion in Vegas? David and Sheree will be there. After attending the 2011 event, they knew they would have to be at the next one. (Read about David's take on the 2011 conference.) David will be there chatting with old friends, making new friends, and absorbing the wisdom being shared by topnotch presenters. And Sheree will be there taking photographs and making pendulums. Just click the link and tell Danny we sent you! MindVention 2012 (Rooms are really cheap at the Palace Station hotel, but avoid the Courtyard. Get a Tower room. Just sayin'.) |
"Not so new" News...
This is where we post the latest news about what's been going on here at Magic Pendulums. Of course if you want the inside track and regular discounts...just add yourself to our mailing list at the bottom of this page.
We produce quality pendulums for professional performers. And we offer resources: the finest materials we could find ANYWHERE for performers who use pendulums to entertain. That's it! Take a few minutes to tour through these pages. We have information on how pendulums work, how they are built -- the many options available to you and the different applications they offer. You may also want to join our Mailing List (that great boxy thing to the right) to keep up on the latest designs and resources. Fill out our contact form to the right. As our gift to you, for signing up, along with EACH pendulum sold, we offer a FREE gift --- an introduction to pendulums for entertainers by Pablo Amira. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It's been several hundred hours in the making...but "Pendulum Magic: Routines for Mystery Performers" is finally here. Routines by Bob Cassidy, Dr. Bill Cushman, TC Tahoe, Paul Prater, Paul Voodini and Mauricio Jaramillo are featured here. These are all routines from working pros -- routines you will USE. We're very excited about this one. Can you tell? As Pablo Amira noted in his review --"Routines" is designed for people who have a good working knowledge of pendulums, although there IS instruction on their basic use. If you're NEW to using pendulums -- or are thinking about including them in your act , or you just want to know what the fuss is about -- check out our first book. It's here. If you'd like both of them, consider buying the bundle at a reduced price. Where else can you get a masterclass from names like Richard Osterlind and Bob Cassidy in one package? |
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Zoltar is here!
Do you share our fascination with the ZOLTAR fortune telling machine? It made Tom Hanks BIG...but it's been on boardwalks and arcades for decades. There's just something....about this device.
We've done a series of three "Hand of Zoltar" pendulums. Each is striking -- and all are in very limited supply: only two of each design will ever be issued. The Hand of Zoltar is just first in a series of new pendulums you'll find popping up here. Before long, you'll be seeing "Ivy Rose" -- a turn of the century theme pendulum that comes with a very spooky back-story...and has been gimmicked to allow you to slip a billet in. We're putting the finishing touches on the package right now. It will be showing up here within the next few days. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ We've just concluded negotiations to bring TRYBIL to Magic Pendulums! This is one of the RGB ("Really Great Books") with contributions that read like a who's who of mentalism. You NEED to see this video of what you can do with a multi bob pendulum. It will blow you away -- as will the entire ebook, which contains information and outstanding routines on single pendulums as well. We're seriously excited about this. |
New Pendulums?
We have been getting some email from you asking about new designs...and why it sometimes takes a while to get new products onto this site. The answer is quite simple: everything we do is hand-designed. You don't see it until we're certain it's simply excellent.
We also build custom designs and that takes a lot of time to do as well. The products we build here are offered as a service to the performing community. Our motivation isn't the money...it's excellence in design and concept. We want our pendulums to be the finest on the market. That's why we'll never mass-produce...or rush any design. It also means that what we do isn't for everyone. It's not supposed to be for everyone. Our products are for professional performers and serious collectors. The issue we are finding is that, since everything we do is hand-made in limited quantities, that they don't last long. You folks buy them up almost as fast as we can make them. This is great for us...but it DOES mean that we sell out very quickly -- especially on the hot designs. (Have a look at our Pendulums Pages...) It also means that each person who purchases one of our pendulums is getting something that is wonderful AND rare. |
'Sold Out'? Seriously???
Looking in on us...and seeing "Sold Out" on many of the pendulums? There are three things, we'd like to share about that:
1) We produce very limited editions. Some are one of a kind. We produce a maximum of three of each design. That's how you can TELL your pendulum is unique. (Isn't it kinda spiffy to KNOW you own something genuinely rare?) 2) We had no idea these would sell as quickly as they have. I mean we loved them...but apparently you folks do too. This is the reason Sheree and I keep smiling. 3) We are building many more: fresh designs with some amazing components. They'll be posted here as we complete them. But they sell out very quickly. Please check back with us on a regular basis! Have you considered a Custom Design? Something specific for YOU? Check out this page. |
Pirate Gold Pendant