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| Topic: Best Mentalism effect you've ever seen? |
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| Whether it be the one that seemed the fairest, had the best presentation, or was what introduced you to mentalism what is the most mind boggling mentalism trick you've ever seen? My personal all time favorite still has to be the lottery ticket illusion by Nate Staniforth. |
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| The buttons by DB has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Even after learning the secret, I admire him for the presentation and making it so believable. It fooled me SO bad when I first saw it. |
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Real Telepathy, by Patrick Froment. I drew a bottle on a piece of paper, over the phone. He then was able to divine what I drew, without any questions. It's the purest effect I know. |
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Mystery chocolate box by Paul Shirley. The best mentalism routine I've ever seen. involve the whole audience, funny, entertaining and so strong! I heard Derren Brown tried to buy it but Paul said no. |
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[quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Richtofen wrote: Mystery chocolate box by Paul Shirley. [/quote] I can't seem to find any references to it on Google. Do you know where I might be able to see it performed? |
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[quote]On Aug 17, 2014, NeilMcCauley wrote: [quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Richtofen wrote: Mystery chocolate box by Paul Shirley. [/quote] I can't seem to find any references to it on Google. Do you know where I might be able to see it performed? [/quote] ..and you shouldn't if Paul doesn't want it released. |
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[quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Mindpro wrote: [quote]On Aug 17, 2014, NeilMcCauley wrote: [quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Richtofen wrote: Mystery chocolate box by Paul Shirley. [/quote] I can't seem to find any references to it on Google. Do you know where I might be able to see it performed? [/quote] ..and you shouldn't if Paul doesn't want it released. [/quote] To be fair there are many performances out there that magicians don't want to reveal but still post a video of them performing the trick for audiences can't imagine why he wouldn't post one unless the method was that obvious to other magicians after watching it, which I can't imagine is true if Darren brown wanted to buy it. |
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| Stop it Richtofen! :eek: |
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One of my all time favorites for "Entertainment" value was on the Eric Samuels, 'Acts of Astonishment' stage show demo. Participant thought of a song, then Eric went to the drums and played the main part of the song! :-) Don't care how he done it, but I really enjoyed the performance ! (Of course, there was other instruments on stage to chose from !) Have not had the pleasure of seeing Paul's effect...But, I do like Paul ! |
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[quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Mindpro wrote: ..and you shouldn't if Paul doesn't want it released. [/quote] Interesting non-sequitur. I agree, by the way. I simply asked if there was a performance of it, not whether it should or shouldn't be shown against the inventor's wishes. |
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| Maybe it's the long island iced tea I've been drinking, but this thread is hilarious. Also, Paul Shirley is an underrated genius and a truly nice guy. Although it does disturb me to hear how much people enjoy his chocolate box. |
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I don't know if there is any video, I saw his stage show " blu tongue here come the song dingo" twice. After his show when he comes and talk to the audience he has also one of the best piece of close-up mentalism I've ever seen! A multiple drawing duplication with 6 people with a crazy ending! |
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The first Mentalism effect I think I ever saw was maybe the one that had the strongest impact on me as a young magish: Scott Creasey (creator of the BIP book amongst other things) showed me Mental Yarn after a magic club session once and I had zero clue. Zero clue. I didn't want to know, I just thought it was the best. I remember what I picked, where we were stood in the room, everything, and that was maybe 11 years ago. Not very ginormous or spectacular but it was the first time I'd had MY mind read. I loved it and it opened my eyes to the possibility of doing this stuff. Phill |
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For me it has to be Reminiscence by Derren Brown. The whole routine is a master class in structure of effect and performance. The thought that has gone into that routine is unbelievable. All the subtle gestures and inflection in words were so well thought out. "The Pure Effect" Myke X |
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In Silence performed by Arnold Furst second choice are all Pendulum demonstrations where the performer is not in direct contact with the Pendulum |
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[quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Galileo wrote: Whether it be the one that seemed the fairest, had the best presentation, or was what introduced you to mentalism what is the most mind boggling mentalism trick you've ever seen? My personal all time favorite still has to be the lottery ticket illusion by Nate Staniforth. [/quote] The best I've seen on video or television - Experiment With Books (Canasta) Best I've witnessed as a spectator - Reminiscence (Brown) Best I've experienced as a participant - Name Divination (Turner) |
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| I saw a guy predict which poker chip someone would choose out of red, blue, yellow, or green. That was pretty impressive I think. |
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| Hey Martin, I agree on the Peter Turner name reveal. He hit me with that and I was totally blown away. That was the best effect I have ever experienced :-). |
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For me best as a participant was Pete Turners ACAAN followed by his name reveal. Watching Pete perform for layman is a real joy too. Watched him do his PK touches for a couple on Friday night, followed by an uncannily accurate reading. Watching the spectators reactions was very entertaining and he actually got a booking out of it. Mark |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Myke Phillips wrote: For me it has to be Reminiscence by Derren Brown. The whole routine is a master class in structure of effect and performance. The thought that has gone into that routine is unbelievable. All the subtle gestures and inflection in words were so well thought out. "The Pure Effect"[/quote] Totally agree ! |
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| For me it has to be Larry Beckers some total and Bob Cassidys card calling on the Penguin lecture. |
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It was an effect Phil Goldstein performed at the Magic Circle. It involved the corners being torn from ESP cards and the assisting spectator picking the correct torn corner. It seemed so utterly fair and it was also a joy to watch such a masterful presentation. Even to this day, I remember some of the patter and great lines used. (And if anyone knows where this particular effect of Phil's has been written up, I'd like to know. It's a real gem.) |
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| I still remember my reaction when I first saw Neil Staniforth's Lottery Illusion on his performance DVD and the impact it made on me so that would be my choice |
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| Thanks for all the great responses guys! |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Martin Pulman wrote: [quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Galileo wrote: Whether it be the one that seemed the fairest, had the best presentation, or was what introduced you to mentalism what is the most mind boggling mentalism trick you've ever seen? My personal all time favorite still has to be the lottery ticket illusion by Nate Staniforth. [/quote] The best I've seen on video or television - Experiment With Books (Canasta) Best I've witnessed as a spectator - Reminiscence (Brown) Best I've experienced as a participant - Name Divination (Turner) [/quote] Just looked up the peter turner performance of his name reveal and wow that effect is killer I can't imagine how crazy that would feel if you were the spectator he chose to do it on. |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Myke Phillips wrote: For me it has to be Reminiscence by Derren Brown. The whole routine is a master class in structure of effect and performance. The thought that has gone into that routine is unbelievable. All the subtle gestures and inflection in words were so well thought out. "The Pure Effect" Myke X [/quote] +1 |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Galileo wrote: Just looked up the peter turner performance of his name reveal and wow that effect is killer I can't imagine how crazy that would feel if you were the spectator he chose to do it on. [/quote] In all honesty-and I'm frightened of seeming ridiculous here- when Peter said my friends name it was as if the world stood still for ten seconds. My whole understanding of the universe was thrown into confusion. Mad as it sounds! But we forget the power that mentalism can have on a participant. I performed a similar clean effect for a friend the other week and I saw the same look of wonder and even fear in her eyes that I had felt. It was all the more gratifying for having previously undergone the experience myself. |
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| For me the best mentalism effects I've seen (and my favorites to perform) are Mr. Cassidy's Name/Place Routine and 4th Dimensional Telepathy, because they just look like the real thing and it's very hard to figure out by lay people, and even magician and other mentalists. |
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Another vote for Nate Staniforth's Lottery Illusion. It was what inspired me to create my own version. Jamie |
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| I think what always impressed me about the lottery ticket illusion was not only how quickly he pulled it out of his wallet but also how freely it was displayed by the cameras and that he even had a spectator standing right next to him and let them look at it so closely. |
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It's impossible to name just one, so here it goes: James Brown - Cerebral Steal with a thought of word Bob Cassidy - 4DT Derren Brown - Medallion Effect in the Enigma show Peter Turner - Isabella's Star Luke Jermay - Touching on Hoy |
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I would have to agree. I have said it a million times. Bob Cassidy's 4DT is the perfect thing. His Name / Place a close second. There are many other incredible pieces of Mentalism out there, but if I could only do one, 4DT without thinking twice. Now if everyone would just STOP using his patter verbatim ... :applause: |
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| I know- I laugh ever time I hear someone saying my lines wrong. :) |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Martin Pulman wrote: [quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Galileo wrote: Just looked up the peter turner performance of his name reveal and wow that effect is killer I can't imagine how crazy that would feel if you were the spectator he chose to do it on. [/quote] In all honesty-and I'm frightened of seeming ridiculous here- when Peter said my friends name it was as if the world stood still for ten seconds. My whole understanding of the universe was thrown into confusion. Mad as it sounds! But we forget the power that mentalism can have on a participant. I performed a similar clean effect for a friend the other week and I saw the same look of wonder and even fear in her eyes that I had felt. It was all the more gratifying for having previously undergone the experience myself. [/quote] Yep, that's pretty much how I felt from that one. The whole way home and for a few weeks after that I kept thinking 'what the hell did he do to me' I even wondered had I been hypnotised, drugged or something even more crazy. Getting mentalismed like that does not happen too often but it is a great reminder of why we do what we do. Sea |
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[quote]On Aug 17, 2014, Galileo wrote: what introduced you to mentalism? [/quote] I had my mind read... As a teen, while frequenting my local shop, an unknown older gentleman read my mind. I don't remember the MO (CT, drawing dupe, etc.) I don't remember the reveal. He could have been famous, I don't remember. I remember having my mind read...... And thus started my journey......some guy read my mind. Bryn |
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| The first time I saw Richard Osterlind's Magazine Test! |
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For me, I have to agree with mr cassidy's name/place routine, one of the strongest pieces of mentalism you can perform. I do also have some love for OOTW. First time I saw that many moons ago, had me completely fooled. I now always do Paul Harris's version and it is astonishing the reactions you get. Simon |
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| At this point I think HARD COPY THOUGHT BROADCAST by Callahan is my favorite. Completely strong on many levels. |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Martin Pulman wrote: [quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Galileo wrote: Just looked up the peter turner performance of his name reveal and wow that effect is killer I can't imagine how crazy that would feel if you were the spectator he chose to do it on. [/quote] In all honesty-and I'm frightened of seeming ridiculous here- when Peter said my friends name it was as if the world stood still for ten seconds. My whole understanding of the universe was thrown into confusion. Mad as it sounds! But we forget the power that mentalism can have on a participant. [/quote] Same thing happened to me. It's a weird and wonderful feeling. |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, sbays wrote: Bob Cassidy's 4DT is the perfect thing. His Name / Place a close second. [/quote] Here's the fascinating thing about the subjectivity of art: In my perspective, I prefer the name/place. I like the directness, I like the speed and pacing, and from a technical perspective I find the method more appealing (because I like bold mentalism, and it was this sort of balls-in-hand method that first drew me to the wonder of "in their heads" effects. No jokes about what else was drawn from my balls-in-hand, please). BUT... having said that, it's not about me. It's about the audience, and what THEY like. |
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1. Train Tracking 2. Touching on Hoy 3. Osterlinds watch routine 4. PT billitless name reveal 5. DB 'Zoo/Pearly gates' reveal with the 2 marketing men |
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[quote]On Aug 19, 2014, C.J. wrote: BUT... having said that, it's not about me. It's about the audience, and what THEY like. [/quote] Interesting. |
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| I have to say that the only effect, that I have personally witnessed, that blew me away the most was 8th manoeuvre By Luke Jermay. |
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Where can I find this Peter Turner name reveal at? thanks |
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| Use the search function? Search for Peter Turner, you'll be busy for days. |
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| Yes I have done this. But does the "name reveal" have a name to it? |
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[quote]On Aug 19, 2014, chado158 wrote: Where can I find this Peter Turner name reveal at? thanks [/quote] Bigger fish 2 |
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| Bigger fish 2 or his penguin live lecture |
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It's in Bigger Fish 2 and I think it may be on the free form mentalism DVD. It's not on his penguin lecture. Personally I wish Pete kept it to himself. The actual experience was about as close to real mind reading as you are ever going to get. The explanation removes that sense of awe and wonder. Sometimes it better to not know. Mark |
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[quote]On Aug 19, 2014, Mark_Chandaue wrote: It's in Bigger Fish 2 and I think it may be on the free form mentalism DVD. It's not on his penguin lecture. Personally I wish Pete kept it to himself. The actual experience was about as close to real mind reading as you are ever going to get. The explanation removes that sense of awe and wonder. Sometimes it better to not know. Mark [/quote] Yeah sorry my apologies I guess he only performs the effect on his lecture and doesn't actually explain how it works. |
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I limited my list to effects I've witnessed or experienced personally. There's simply too many effects, in general, to name! Some of the best mentalism effects I've ever seen, personally would be: Rick Maue's Group Dynamic - The first time I saw this, I was absolutely floored. Simple and brilliant. Can't ask for more. Alain Nu - ACAAN - Best version I have ever witnessed (and taken part in), hands down. You want direct? Someone named a number, I named a card - someone else came up, opened the deck, and dealt the cards. Alain stood off to the side of the performing area the entire time. I know ACAAN isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy the plot, and this was the best performance I've seen. Colin McLeod - I don't know what the name of the routine is. It was the closer for his one-off New York show. I was quite thrilled to be the spectator for it. It was the single best PERFORMANCE I've ever been witness to. Funny, amazing, confounding - with a finale that literally blew the roof off of the building. Easily the best mentalism performance I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. |
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[quote]On Aug 19, 2014, Demitri wrote: I limited my list to effects I've witnessed or experienced personally. There's simply too many effects, in general, to name! Some of the best mentalism effects I've ever seen, personally would be: Rick Maue's Group Dynamic - The first time I saw this, I was absolutely floored. Simple and brilliant. Can't ask for more. Alain Nu - ACAAN - Best version I have ever witnessed (and taken part in), hands down. You want direct? Someone named a number, I named a card - someone else came up, opened the deck, and dealt the cards. Alain stood off to the side of the performing area the entire time. I know ACAAN isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy the plot, and this was the best performance I've seen. Colin McLeod - I don't know what the name of the routine is. It was the closer for his one-off New York show. I was quite thrilled to be the spectator for it. It was the single best PERFORMANCE I've ever been witness to. Funny, amazing, confounding - with a finale that literally blew the roof off of the building. Easily the best mentalism performance I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. [/quote] that ACAAN sounds like the holy grail practically. |
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| My two are Chan Canastas book test with Mike Parkinson and Derren Browns version of Korans Medallion. Chan for having balls of steel and showing a master thinking on his feet, and Derren for showing how a simple effect can be turned into true theater with the right framing. Both beautiful mentalism for different reasons. |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Alexxander wrote: It's impossible to name just one, so here it goes: James Brown - Cerebral Steal with a thought of word Bob Cassidy - 4DT Derren Brown - Medallion Effect in the Enigma show Peter Turner - Isabella's Star Luke Jermay - Touching on Hoy [/quote] Another for Derren Brown's Medallion Effect, very moving, extremely baffling (to laymen) and pure theatre. Not been topped since. Andrew |
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I agree that the medallion effect on the recording of Enigma is brilliant. It is an object lesson in the importance of acting skills for a mentalist. Derren seems to mean every word and the shifts between humour and gravitas are extraordinary. Anyone wanting to know why Derren is streets ahead of almost all of the competition need only watch that routine. |
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| Old School: Kuda Bux. Everything he did seemed totally believable. Plus he had that cool name. |
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[quote]On Aug 19, 2014, C.J. wrote: [quote]On Aug 18, 2014, sbays wrote: Bob Cassidy's 4DT is the perfect thing. His Name / Place a close second. [/quote] Here's the fascinating thing about the subjectivity of art: In my perspective, I prefer the name/place. I like the directness, I like the speed and pacing, and from a technical perspective I find the method more appealing (because I like bold mentalism, and it was this sort of balls-in-hand method that first drew me to the wonder of "in their heads" effects. No jokes about what else was drawn from my balls-in-hand, please). BUT... having said that, it's not about me. It's about the audience, and what THEY like. [/quote] Amen on both points. |
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It was about 25 years ago. I can still see it happening in my mind, and I became a different man because of it. It was called, Synchronicity III. Sheer brilliance! |
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| Derren Brown's The Oracle Act in Evening of Wonders. Brilliantly performed. |
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As you can tell by the posts to the question posed, the question should have been "what/who was the best mentalism performance you've ever seen?" My point is it is really not about the effect as much as the performer and the presentation. To me this is one of the greatest misconceptions in our art. We are not truly impressed or impacted by the trick or effect, but in reality the presentation and execution of the performance by the talent/personality. |
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Also while I think of it, derren's 10p routine was one of my favourite routines ever to perform. While I could, of course! Simon |
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[quote]On Aug 23, 2014, Mindpro wrote: As you can tell by the posts to the question posed, the question should have been "what/who was the best mentalism performance you've ever seen?" My point is it is really not about the effect as much as the performer and the presentation. To me this is one of the greatest misconceptions in our art. We are not truly impressed or impacted by the trick or effect, but in reality the presentation and execution of the performance by the talent/personality. [/quote] I completely second that there is a reason Derren Brown, Peter Turner, and Bob Cassidy keep coming up |
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[quote]On Aug 23, 2014, Mindpro wrote: As you can tell by the posts to the question posed, the question should have been "what/who was the best mentalism performance you've ever seen?" My point is it is really not about the effect as much as the performer and the presentation. To me this is one of the greatest misconceptions in our art. We are not truly impressed or impacted by the trick or effect, but in reality the presentation and execution of the performance by the talent/personality. [/quote] I think that's true up to a point, but the impact of store bought effects on AGT performed by, on the whole, mediocre talents suggests that a brilliantly designed effect can have a huge impact, despite any limitations of the person performing it. What I think is interesting is how many of the effects chosen as favourites here were created by the person performing them. It would seem the singer and his own song is stronger than the singer doing a cover version. It's just a shame so much of mentalism is cover versions. |
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| Yeah, I agree. But then those will chime in with the same old "well there's only so many premises in metalism". To that I say yeah, but look how many great songs have been written using the same three chords! |
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| How about comedy? After all, there are only seven basic joke forms. |
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| Or the seven basic plots in narrative literature. We're 2,000 years away from Gilgamesh yet still we're thrilled by new films, plays and novels. I wonder which mentalism effects will be released in 4014? And will we know the solution to the Berglas Effect by then :) |
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[quote]On Aug 23, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: How about comedy? After all, there are only seven basic joke forms. [/quote] Long Island Iced Tea = perfect mix of five basic spirits... :lol: |
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Actually, there is really only one joke that matters: [youtube]8gpjk_MaCGM[/youtube] |
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| I think a layperson would be best to answer the initial question. |
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| The problem, though, with having a layperson answer, would be that the average layperson has probably only seen one or two mentalists in his/her entire life. |
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| Http://capitalogix.typepad.com/.a/6a00e5502e47b288330154339b275d970c-pi |
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| Gotta love Monty python |
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[quote]On Aug 24, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: The problem, though, with having a layperson answer, would be that the average layperson has probably only seen one or two mentalists in his/her entire life. [/quote] Agreed. Maybe a lay mentalism enthusiast could answer. But maybe this person would be drawn to his or her preferred performer regardless how strong other performers are. |
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| I've got to say that I never met a "lay mentalism enthusiast!" But I agree that laymen would just generally pick the only one they probably ever saw in person. |
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| Most laypeople will opt for "the guy" they've seen do some Mind Reading on TV. A by product of this for some will be to actually go & see this guy live if he comes to their town. |
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| When I was working out a blindfold routine, I thought that I knew all, or at least most of the published methods. Then, Kuda Bux had me put his blindfold on him. What he did with the blindfold on, completely blew me away. It was as if he had vision from every angle. I don't know if time has distorted my memory, and I am now envisioning it from a layman's perspective, but it was totally amazing. |
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| Yeah some people out there have devolved some pretty ingenuis blindfold methods that blow me away too sometimes. |
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| As a teenager in the late nineties, the magic society I was a member of had Andy Nyman perform at our annual dinner. He opened with the Tossed Out Deck and completely blew me away. His whole act was fantastic but that initial experience of the TOD and the wonder I felt really stayed with me. |
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All three happened at Mindvention but different years: Jeremy Weiss's legendary ACAAN Looch's inexplicable (and unpublished) Influence routine and Marco Fida's mythic Contact Mind Reading |
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[quote]On Aug 25, 2014, dmoses wrote: All three happened at Mindvention but different years: Jeremy Weiss's legendary ACAAN Looch's inexplicable (and unpublished) Influence routine and Marco Fida's mythic Contact Mind Reading [/quote] Yeah I remember seeing some of the promo videos for influence after it first came out and it blew me away too. |
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| Sorry this is a little off topic but certainly worthy. There was a few of us in Howie Schwartzman's room at the Washington Hilton for the IBM Convention in 1977. This is by far the best trick I have ever seen period. Howie retired to bathroom and ask us to give him 5/10 minutes and then come into the bathroom. We went in there and he was totally gone. No windows, no closets, no drop ceilings, no other doors. He was just gone. It was an amazing thing. After we all walked out, here comes Howie. |
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| James Dean used to do the same thing. I have read about it in one of Jon Racherbaumer's Magic Magazine columns. |
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| I like the one with the 21 cards best... |
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[quote]On Mar 12, 2015, Steven Conner wrote: Sorry this is a little off topic but certainly worthy. There was a few of us in Howie Schwartzman's room at the Washington Hilton for the IBM Convention in 1977. This is by far the best trick I have ever seen period. Howie retired to bathroom and ask us to give him 5/10 minutes and then come into the bathroom. We went in there and he was totally gone. No windows, no closets, no drop ceilings, no other doors. He was just gone. It was an amazing thing. After we all walked out, here comes Howie. [/quote] Ken Allen did the same thing at the Statler during the 1952 SAM convention in Boston. |
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| I was fooled by the majority of effects presented in Max's VideoMind. I still think it's one of the best resources available for mentalists. |
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"Tres" (which includes my signature "no touch" version of PK Touches) is the best I've ever seen. ;-) Just kidding. I would say that Derren Brown's effects are definitely up there. Also, the Watch effect by Osterlind is quite impossible. Finally, Jerome Finley's work is very impressive as well and quite impossible to backtrack. -Vlad |
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A "Brainbuster" TV show special effect by Dunninger, a drawing duplication of what an airline pilot had drawn in real time in the cockpit, while flying some hundreds or thousandsof miles from the theater! Everything Dunninger did impressed me, but that is the only one specific effect that I have never forgotten. :thumbsup: :applause: |
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[quote]On Mar 12, 2015, DocBenWiz wrote: A "Brainbuster" TV show special effect by Dunninger, a drawing duplication of what an airline pilot had drawn in real time in the cockpit, while flying some hundreds or thousandsof miles from the theater! Everything Dunninger did impressed me, but that is the only one specific effect that I have never forgotten. :thumbsup: :applause: [/quote] A close second would be, Al Koran doing his Medallion effect on an Ed Sullivan Sunday night TV show,..never forgot that and at the time had no idea how it was done. |
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| So I'm new to the concept of mentalism but it appears on this thread that the Lottery Illusion by Nate Staniforth falls under this category. I think his trick is definitely one of the craziest I've seen in this realm. I am so curious how anything like that can be done! |
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[quote]On Aug 23, 2014, Stunninger wrote: Derren Brown's The Oracle Act in Evening of Wonders. Brilliantly performed. [/quote] Yes. So many of his pieces over the years could be chosen really, as they are masterclasses of performance, expertise and creativity, but the Oracle Act is brilliantly done - such a powerful and dramatic piece. Mind-boggling stuff. Best, Francis |
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Derren Brown's The Oracle Act in Evening of Wonders for me too. Derren Brown is my model of what a mentalist should look/be/say/do. But I love when performance pieces change the way I look at something. Docc Hilford's Para Opticalism is what made me include several versions of Card Calling in my repertoire (I never used it before that). Most recently, Jan Foster's "Under Test Conditions" made me come-up with a different way to achieve the same thing, with 2 additional advantages. So it's hard to me to define what I would consider the "best" thing I've ever seem. It could be taken as best performance, best plot, best method... or simply the thing that changed you the most after you watched it. Who knows... In my case it was a very slow progress. The more I digged, the bigger the excitement. But if I had to name a single effect, it would have to be a Q&A style act. This can be done with questions, pictures, cards, objects, etc... even nothing at all. |
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I once completely impressed myself by knowing my own mind. Didn't last more than a few seconds though. |
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| Enigma finale is amazing. In its simplicity it is a perfect example of entertainment and its climax kills! |
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| Ugggh. More one-sentence carpet bombing to reach 50 posts... |
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[quote]On Aug 18, 2014, Galileo wrote: I think what always impressed me about the lottery ticket illusion was not only how quickly he pulled it out of his wallet but also how freely it was displayed by the cameras and that he even had a spectator standing right next to him and let them look at it so closely. [/quote] I agree with others, Nate's Lottery Illusion really made an impression on me. And when I went through his instructions for this, I was just mind-blown. |
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| Nothing blew my mind more than the first time I saw Richard Osterlind's watch routine! A thing of real beauty :) |
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I saw Chan Canasta 40 years ago on Israeli TV diing the book test. Then I saw him live. Until today no one does it like he did. I started traditional mentalism in 1986 and could understand most of the plots but in 1992 Tim Conover came to Israel and killed everyone with his newspaper prediction. Lior |
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| The first time I saw Kreskin do his Q&A on TV. Then when I saw Richard Osterlind do his Q&A. Not having any idea at the time how this was done, both performances utterly amazed me. Both Kreskin and Osterlind seemed to possess the power to perceive thoughts from anyone in the audience. I will always remember the truly magical feeling this gave me. |
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Maybe this will sound weird, since people here mention extremely grand effects, like the Oracle an Q&A and such, but my favourite effects in mentalism are a little geeky and involve simple objects. This effect that Derren Brown does, specifically at 2.40, when there is a whole room of objects and someone picks one object and then DB shows them the prediction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2yHH_xFdR8 I just love this effect. I have no idea how he did it, but the aesthetics of this kind of performance are just speaking to me. You know, the wonder of raw choice. The spectator walking around this museum of items. I really like that. |
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| I saw Osterlind once when he was on fire with his Q&A and it was epic. |
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I think a better litmus test would be to ask the wives or husbands of mentalists what the best they had seen was. Also, a lot of these answers are references to things people have read and/or seen on television. If we limited it to what we'd seen live it would be a very different story. For me personally, considering what I've seen live, Kreskin's Halloween show was fantastic. His hypnosis segment and the cmr at the end were amazing and his Q and A was enlightening. I can imagine how much more impactful it would be if I wasn't in the know as well. Outside of this, Jon Stetson is the Mentalist I've seen more than others, and even though I've seen him many many times I remain completely engaged. Also, Gil Eagles' blindfold routine was fantastic. Add in things I've seen on video and it's very hard to narrow down. But, a video comes to mind that I can't seem to find because it was in German and I don't remember the name of the performer. Basically he told a story with a woman on the other side of a table, she had an object in a box and his revelation of the object was the climax. But, during the routine hypnosis was shown in a few different ways. It was just beautiful. If anyone knows what I'm talking about it would be great to have a link to that video again. After that I agree that there are many Darren Brown performances that are just amazing. Going back to my childhood, when Copperfield did the Berlin Wall confabulation I saw that live and it convinced me he had powers. James Mapes also has a great pilot show he did involving past life reductions through hypnosis that I also was particularly amazed by. Seems for me that the most impressive Mentalism I've experienced or seen involved hypnosis in some way. Of things I've only read about Gellar's design duplications for the US governments psychic research projects are mind blowing. I have no idea how that worked, and I'm onen to the possibility that it's legit. I think as soon as a Mentalism demonstration creates that possibility there is nothing stronger. I'll ask my wife what the most impressive she has seen was and report back. :nose: :dancing: |
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For everyone who hasn't seen the video Stuart is referring to: https://www.facebook.com/123257274398249/videos/1352618298128801/?hc_ref=SEARCH |
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This is a good point. Live things are extremely different. A well made magician's choice can blow your mind. In a way, a good live performance, especially done for you, is like a multiplier of experience. But then one of the things that still seems to be a truism - is that most people often have never seen a magician live, let alone a mentalist. |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, Alexxander wrote: For everyone who hasn't seen the video Stuart is referring to: https://www.facebook.com/123257274398249/videos/1352618298128801/?hc_ref=SEARCH [/quote] This is incredibly performed and filmed. A work of art. |
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| Those annoying little animated guys on the bottom of my post are a mystery to me... |
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| Thanks for the link Alexander! |
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| Jermay's QA act is the most realistic performance of mentalism in its purest form, IMO. |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, jstreiff wrote: Jermay's QA act is the most realistic performance of mentalism in its purest form, IMO. [/quote] I agree. Luke's performance at Mindsummit two years ago was probably the best thing I've ever seen. Also thank you, Stuart and Louigi, for your nice comments about my video. I appreciate them very much. All the best, Axel |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, jstreiff wrote: Jermay's QA act is the most realistic performance of mentalism in its purest form, IMO. [/quote] Is it available |
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A psychic managed to guess my birth name upon meeting me even though she was introduced to me by my stage name. "I don't know you as a Philemon; I know you as [redacted]." I still have no explanation to how she knew. |
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Are you sure, Steven? Luke published a lot of Q&A material. I am not sure this version was amongst it. Also, besides the method: no one could perform it like he did. For me it was a perfect piece of theatre. Mysterious, exciting and a little bit scary. |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, Philemon Vanderbeck wrote: A psychic managed to guess my birth name upon meeting me even though she was introduced to me by my stage name. "I don't know you as a Philemon; I know you as [redacted]." I still have no explanation to how she knew. [/quote] Your parents named you "redacted" 😱 No wonder you go by your stage name. I was in a huge hall where a man had some 300-400 ordinary people bend flatware with only their minds. It was movingly brilliant. |
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| I think Steven was asking if it is available, not saying that it is. |
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Ah, sorry... My mistake. |
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I saw earlier in this thread about PT's billetless name guess...it was published in bigger fish 2 but that is sold out everywhere...anywhere else this was published? Thanks Sleepy |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, SleepyMagic wrote: I saw earlier in this thread about PT's billetless name guess...it was published in bigger fish 2 but that is sold out everywhere...anywhere else this was published? Thanks Sleepy [/quote] Don't Peter Turner sell something like this. |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, SleepyMagic wrote: I saw earlier in this thread about PT's billetless name guess...it was published in bigger fish 2 but that is sold out everywhere...anywhere else this was published? Thanks Sleepy [/quote] I believe a version is also available in Freeform Mentalism. I don't know if it's the same as I am not familiar with the Bigger Fish one. Rex |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, Alexxander wrote: For everyone who hasn't seen the video Stuart is referring to: https://www.facebook.com/123257274398249/videos/1352618298128801/?hc_ref=SEARCH [/quote] As I was reading Stuart's question, this video came to my mind. Didn't remember that it was Axel or where I could find it, but knew that it had to be this video. As a dutchman I normally find the german language has a bit of a hard tone to the ear but Axel's voice and pacing together with the music almost made it a poem! Thank you for posting this video again. |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, RexDeash wrote: [quote]On Apr 16, 2017, SleepyMagic wrote: I saw earlier in this thread about PT's billetless name guess...it was published in bigger fish 2 but that is sold out everywhere...anywhere else this was published? Thanks Sleepy [/quote] I believe a version is also available in Freeform Mentalism. I don't know if it's the same as I am not familiar with the Bigger Fish one. Rex [/quote] Thanks....i reckon if it was the same as the one in bigger fish 2 it would have been in the ad copy of freeform mentalism? Sleepy |
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| When I was in China, an old woman guessed my zodiac sign and my favorite book without me doing anything at all. I'm not even sure it was a trick... |
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| Creepy... |
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[quote]On Apr 18, 2017, Kai wrote: When I was in China, an old woman guessed my zodiac sign and my favorite book without me doing anything at all. I'm not even sure it was a trick... [/quote] you were in China! |
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Is anybody esle aware of where you can get PT's billetless name guess that was taught in bigger fish 2 (which is now unavailable)? Sleepy |
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| Jermay's Mind |
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[quote]On Apr 16, 2017, Axel wrote: [quote]On Apr 16, 2017, jstreiff wrote: Jermay's QA act is the most realistic performance of mentalism in its purest form, IMO. [/quote] I agree. Luke's performance at Mindsummit two years ago was probably the best thing I've ever seen. Also thank you, Stuart and Louigi, for your nice comments about my video. I appreciate them very much. All the best, Axel [/quote] Are you saying that the Q&A act you are referring to is different than the one on Jermay's Mind that jstreiff seems to be referring to? Can you speak to what's different about it from a viewer's perspective? |
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| Jermay's Q&A is the best thing ever. |
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[quote]On Apr 18, 2017, SleepyMagic wrote: Is anybody esle aware of where you can get PT's billetless name guess that was taught in bigger fish 2 (which is now unavailable)? Sleepy [/quote] There are many, more modern and updated versions in my volume 12 "Prop-less" mentalism of the name divination - They are a collection of my favourite effects. Pete x |
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[quote]On Apr 19, 2017, Peter_turner wrote: [quote]On Apr 18, 2017, SleepyMagic wrote: Is anybody esle aware of where you can get PT's billetless name guess that was taught in bigger fish 2 (which is now unavailable)? Sleepy [/quote] There are many, more modern and updated versions in my volume 12 "Prop-less" mentalism of the name divination - They are a collection of my favourite effects. Pete x [/quote] Thanks! Will check that out !! Sleepy |
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| I have not read this entire thread but can't believe that nobody has mentioned the Piddingtons? |
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[quote]On Feb 20, 2020, Papa Legba wrote: I have not read this entire thread but can't believe that nobody has mentioned the Piddingtons? [/quote] But if you've not read it all, how do you know? 🤪👍🤘🏻 |
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[quote]On Feb 20, 2020, IAIN wrote: [quote]On Feb 20, 2020, Papa Legba wrote: I have not read this entire thread but can't believe that nobody has mentioned the Piddingtons? [/quote] But if you've not read it all, how do you know? 🤪👍🤘🏻 [/quote] We're talking about mentalism.😜👍 |
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I think that Derren Brown made me change my path and start doing mind reading and influence, Peter Turner too, for me it was like real magic. One effect that I loved was one from Paul Vigil where he predicted a 3 digit number, is on fool us. |
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[quote]On Apr 18, 2017, Kai wrote: When I was in China, an old woman guessed my zodiac sign and my favorite book without me doing anything at all. I'm not even sure it was a trick... [/quote] This is fabulous. I’m curious where this happened for you. |
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| And other thing that made me trasition into mentalism was seeing PT perform his card stuff, amazing stuff. |
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I think that Derren Brown made me change my path and start doing mind reading and influence, Peter Turner too, for me it was like real magic. One effect that I loved was one from Paul Vigil where he predicted a 3 digit number, is on fool us. |
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| For me, it could be a lot of things by Banachek and his Drawing Dupe tops the list with PK. Entertainment value of John Archer’s Blank Knight is considerably unshakable. I love it! ✨ |
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I don't know about the best effect. But the best one's performing for me are Derren Brown & Peter Turner for sure. There presentations are excellent. |
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For me it was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-VYn6gUBFE&feature=youtu.be CT |
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I have to say that it was one of two experiences. The first could have been presented as a mentalism effect but wasn't. It was around the early 1980's and I didn't even think about magic or mentalism in those days. They didn't mean anything more to me than origami or (shudder) juggling. I was at a street performer festival and this ragged man in a cheesy costume did the Invisi*le Deck. He did it badly -- but I remember standing in the audience with my mouth open. HOW DID HE DO THAT??? I went back every day to watch him. (I wasn't stalking him...I was INVESTIGATING...ok?) I watched my pet theories get shot down one at a time. He didn't have 52 decks of cards. The volunteers weren't plants...etc. I was utterly baffled. In the olden days there was no internet. So I wound up at a magic shop -- a middle aged man who ran a special events company -- asking the owner to sell me that trick. He refused because he said I wasn't worthy of that effect. He was right. And THAT encounter led to a relationship as close as possible to a magic mentor. I still perform the ID today. You could say that seeing that effect changed my life because it did. The other effect left me quite literally gobsmacked. Richard Osterlind had invited me to attend his workshop in Vegas after one MindVention. So I went and he chose me as the volunteer for a CMR demonstration. First I hid an object. In a pocket. In a guy's jacket. In the middle of the room. Since I was the volunteer I KNOW I wasn't helping him and I wasn't a plant. But he took my hand in his and went RIGHT to that guy. That pocket. That object. I was obsessed with that effect for months. I nagged Richard into doing a book about it. I worked on it for a long time and finally put it into my show. But I still fondly remember the utter wonder the first time I saw it. David |
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[quote]On Feb 28, 2020, Christopher Taylor wrote: For me it was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-VYn6gUBFE&feature=youtu.be CT [/quote] I liked it, but pretty sure got it figured out. Thanks for sharing. S |
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[quote]On Feb 28, 2020, Christopher Taylor wrote: For me it was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-VYn6gUBFE&feature=youtu.be CT [/quote] Nice, that's a great idea of how to present it for television. |
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[quote]On Feb 29, 2020, David Thiel wrote: I have to say that it was one of two experiences. The first could have been presented as a mentalism effect but wasn't. It was around the early 1980's and I didn't even think about magic or mentalism in those days. They didn't mean anything more to me than origami or (shudder) juggling. I was at a street performer festival and this ragged man in a cheesy costume did the Invisi*le Deck. He did it badly -- but I remember standing in the audience with my mouth open. HOW DID HE DO THAT??? I went back every day to watch him. (I wasn't stalking him...I was INVESTIGATING...ok?) I watched my pet theories get shot down one at a time. He didn't have 52 decks of cards. The volunteers weren't plants...etc. I was utterly baffled. In the olden days there was no internet. So I wound up at a magic shop -- a middle aged man who ran a special events company -- asking the owner to sell me that trick. He refused because he said I wasn't worthy of that effect. He was right. And THAT encounter led to a relationship as close as possible to a magic mentor. I still perform the ID today. You could say that seeing that effect changed my life because it did. The other effect left me quite literally gobsmacked. Richard Osterlind had invited me to attend his workshop in Vegas after one MindVention. So I went and he chose me as the volunteer for a CMR demonstration. First I hid an object. In a pocket. In a guy's jacket. In the middle of the room. Since I was the volunteer I KNOW I wasn't helping him and I wasn't a plant. But he took my hand in his and went RIGHT to that guy. That pocket. That object. I was obsessed with that effect for months. I nagged Richard into doing a book about it. I worked on it for a long time and finally put it into my show. But I still fondly remember the utter wonder the first time I saw it. David [/quote] Where can I find this please? |
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[quote]On Jan 20, 2021, kleqy wrote: [quote]On Feb 29, 2020, David Thiel wrote: I have to say that it was one of two experiences. The first could have been presented as a mentalism effect but wasn't. It was around the early 1980's and I didn't even think about magic or mentalism in those days. They didn't mean anything more to me than origami or (shudder) juggling. I was at a street performer festival and this ragged man in a cheesy costume did the Invisi*le Deck. He did it badly -- but I remember standing in the audience with my mouth open. HOW DID HE DO THAT??? I went back every day to watch him. (I wasn't stalking him...I was INVESTIGATING...ok?) I watched my pet theories get shot down one at a time. He didn't have 52 decks of cards. The volunteers weren't plants...etc. I was utterly baffled. In the olden days there was no internet. So I wound up at a magic shop -- a middle aged man who ran a special events company -- asking the owner to sell me that trick. He refused because he said I wasn't worthy of that effect. He was right. And THAT encounter led to a relationship as close as possible to a magic mentor. I still perform the ID today. You could say that seeing that effect changed my life because it did. The other effect left me quite literally gobsmacked. Richard Osterlind had invited me to attend his workshop in Vegas after one MindVention. So I went and he chose me as the volunteer for a CMR demonstration. First I hid an object. In a pocket. In a guy's jacket. In the middle of the room. Since I was the volunteer I KNOW I wasn't helping him and I wasn't a plant. But he took my hand in his and went RIGHT to that guy. That pocket. That object. I was obsessed with that effect for months. I nagged Richard into doing a book about it. I worked on it for a long time and finally put it into my show. But I still fondly remember the utter wonder the first time I saw it. David [/quote] Where can I find this please? [/quote] THis? https://osterlindmysteries.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=95 |
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I don't think that this qualifies as "mentalism", but more as "comedy mentalism"? Anyway, the first Fool Us act from Jandro is one of the greatest predictions I have ever seen. |
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The Revelation by Dean Dill absolutely fantastic never fails to get a huge reaction absolutely fantastic. Good magic to all, Eric |
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Just asking, not challenging ... is "huge reaction" the measure of "best mentalism effect?" (or any performance?) Is the immediate response of any kind the best measure? But, for an entertainer, what else? I was once told the only person that had to be impressed was the booking agent. Me, I like the response I got 40 years after the performance. |
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| Berglas effect lol :) |
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| Psi-Grafico7 |