On Jun 5, 2018, Mindpro wrote:
I don't know a mentalist that doesn't take advantage of these things that happen in nearly every show.

Perpetuating the Myth

A quick diversion before we move into the next set of routines.

Perpetuating the myth or creating a mythical history is something that I learned about many years ago from reading the books of Tony 'Doc' Shiels.

In 'The Cantrip Codex' published in 1989, Sheils writes:

Quote:

"Celebrated psychics such as Uri Geller and Matthew Manning are masters of the reputation enhancing opportunism and the exploitation of 'happy accidents', coincidence and objective chance".

I love the concept of 'objective chance', a key element of surrealist ideology which basically deals with unexpected and unpredictable moments when strange elements encountered in everyday life combine to produce a kind of mystical insight.

But for our purposes taking advantage of unexpected and unpredictable moments when NORMAL, rather than STRANGE elements, encountered in everyday life combine and adding those elements to a mentalism routine, makes it possible to take a basic effect and launch it into the miracle class.

It is this sort of opportunism that can help to create an almost mythical reputation.

And all we need to do in order to take advantage of opportunism, is to put ourselves in the right place at the right time and refine our observational skills.

On Jun 5, 2018, Scott wrote:
Minimalistic, Metaphysical, Mentalism.

On Jun 5, 2018, Mr. Woolery wrote:
In Tony Shiels’ book, he went on to describe an incident at a pub in which he took credit for a light falling from the wall, I think. As I recall, he offered to pay for the damages. They didn’t take his money, but that level of apparent sincerity must have been very convincing.

Patrick

On Jun 5, 2018, Jerskin wrote:
What's your new book called Scott?

On Jun 6, 2018, Senor Fabuloso wrote:
Having established that it's a good idea to take credit for those things that happen around us, would in not be advantageous to milk these incidents for publicity? While occasionally I hear about a psychic causing something to happen on the news or in the papers, I would think we are under using these incidents to really make names for ourselves in the biz and beyond?

I am not a big fan of formal pre-show work, by which I mean clip-boarding people pre-show to gather information, or forcing items which later, using dual reality, appear to be merely thought of, Instead I prefer to gather titbits of information by observing my audience before the show begins.

I call this 'Observational Pre-show' and it can be as complex as working a room during mix and mingle pre-show drinks, or as simple as remembering an overheard name, or part of a conversation as you walk from one table to the next during a table-hopping performance.

On Jun 5, 2018, innercirclewannabe wrote:
Always,and the more you perform the more these situations will present themselves. Remember some people will always try and find meanings to everything if it gives their own perceptions validation.