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MagicbyCarlo Inner circle has squandered his time making 1062 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 03:28, geff mongoose wrote: Tell Tanya I really like the CD and pass along my wishes for success. I'll be leaving for Boston (SAMCON) tomorrow so I'll have to see if I can catch up from the road. I know all about the house frau role with Kathy putting in 12 hour days during internship. Keep the fridge stocked with pre-cooked meals Good luck with the rabble, so far you've only met some of the more polite and respectful folk
Carlo DeBlasio
<BR>Entertainment specialist <BR>and all around fun guy! |
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Necromancer Inner circle Chicago 3076 Posts |
Alain, as soon as I'd heard you were coming to the Café, I had to rush over and wish you well -- but I see the welcoming party got here first!
Here's a softball for you (but hopefully it will provide some insight into the way you approach the magical creative process): what's the single most Alain-like piece of performance material you've done -- it could be in your stage show or on TV, but the one item that you think encapsulates who you are as an artist, why you think it is, and maybe even the struggle it took to make it happen. There, that shouldn't take too long (as I wouldn't want you to risk burning a lasagna or anything). Best, Neil
Creator of The Xpert (20 PAGES of reviews!), Cut & Color, Hands-Off Multiple ESP (HOME) System, Rider-Waite Readers book, Zoom Pendulum ebook ...
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Patrick Redford Inner circle Michigan 1751 Posts |
Alain!
Welcome to the Café. I hope your time here is enjoyable. -Patrick Redford |
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Brian Turntime Special user 671 Posts |
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My show has a couple of soft disclaimers in it and is booked as an "entertainment show". Otherwise, it is a "mystery/mentalism show" which weighs heavily on the mystery ticket. People who come to see my show are taken for a ride in which the line is blurred between magic and mind-science and the pieces are demonstrations of fringe-science concepts like "esp, tele-this, and psycho-that" and are seamlessly woven into the reality of the show. so its like theatre of the absurd-- or am I reaching? Thank you kindly. That makes perfect sense.
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Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Steven Wright |
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Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Seattle, WA 4694 Posts |
Congratulations on getting 4 (!) specials onto TV.
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Alain has a lovely routine, a "back in time" type of concept wherein at the end a previously pocketed wrist-watch "visibly" appears back on his wrist. While I've given only a brief description, and it may read like a Magic effect, in reality it is pure Mind Mystery and has a deep resonance for the audience.
I've always loved this routine of Alain's. - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Alain Nu V.I.P. 256 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 03:45, Craig Crossman wrote: I believe that so long as one can represent their abilities well in a live performance, that even if a demonstration of 'those same abilities' took extra work to do in the TV special, it plays fair. Frankly, people are more amazed at my blindfold abilities in live performance than they are in the TV special anyway. the TV show just demonstrated novel ways of incorporating the concept of "sensing with eyes covered or closed". I wouldn't WANT to perform those effects in a live performance. That stuff doesn't fit into my luggage. As for the concept of little or no editing, it can be done, but it's hader to do since you need the artistry of all performer, director and cameraman in order to make it stylish. Of course, when you're on a go! go! go! schedule, unfortunately very little time gets put into thinking about the artistry of the moment. That's just the way it is sometimes My next TV special will be negotiated with more of my own interests in mind, at least, that's what I heard could happen! ... but to answer your question, Craig, everything you saw in the four TV shows could be presented in a live venue, so for instance, if a corporate client were to call me and say, "i really liked that stunt where you caught the dart out of the air", I would be able to give them a nominal price quote. Quote:
craig sent me richard's post. I wonder if he was talking about me??? ... gee, I hope he won't judge me as the opposition if ever I meet him. he was one of my heroes when I was a kid. anyonee remember those plastic wrapped camirand academy manuscripts? those were the real old school days... peace, alain |
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JamesBiss Veteran user Toronto, Canada 310 Posts |
Bravo Alain!
As I've written to you privately, you've made a wonderful contribution to the world of mentalism through your specials - and at the same time a much wider audience is now hip to your terrific talent! It is with great honour that I can say I've actually performed on stage in Canada and the U.S. with Alain Nu, television star!!! Many of us were not able to see all four specials... What plans are in the air to make them available as tapes or DVDs? I've never tried this, but a buddy suggested that TLC may actually sell some of the programing on tape on request...any thoughts? Cheers and best wishes, James
James Biss
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Alain Nu V.I.P. 256 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 07:37, bloodkin wrote: Bloodkin, Thanks for your kind words-- it means a lot to me. I am planning on planning on planning another special for no specific date as of yet. The mailing list: Those interested in hearing news of re-airings on TLC, up-coming TV appearances, media hype, and the eventual sales of some cool stuff I'll soon be putting out, please contact me through e-mail and in the subject title, write the words, "LIST ME" along with your city and state of where you live. That way, I'll know how to contact you if I find I am in your area, as well as inform you of upcoming notices regarding me and my whereabouts. You will not be constantly spammed by me, as I only will put out quarterly to bi-annual announcements, and your email address is kept safe in my database only. And put my two e-mail addresses on your "friends list" in your email account if you decide to join, so that your computer doesn't see me as a threat if I were to send you bulk message from one of those two addresses. Thanks for your interest! alain Quote:
On 2005-07-05 07:45, Scott Kahn wrote: nice to meet you dr. kahn, my stuff has gotten ridiculously expensive lately, I know. sigh. I want to eventually re-write book in a hardbound format, and I've had a few offers to have this done, but so far have been too busy to see that as a priority. so many other other things need to be worked on, that I haven't even done yet. so the answer is no. I'm sorry to say. but should you ever catch me in person, feel free to ask me any questions. best regards, alain |
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Scott Kahn Special user Clayton, NC 786 Posts |
Alain:
Please call me Scott. Dr. Kahn is way too formal for our Café. It is wonderful to have you here, even if for this brief visit. I'm sorry to hear that your lecture notes won't be re-released. So I'll keep searching. Someone has to have a copy that they are willing to part with. Sigh back. However, I'll be first in line to get your book when that comes to pass. Great job on the television specials. Look forward to talking with you more and maybe even becomming friends in the future. --Scott
Scott Kahn, M.D.
KAHNCEPTUAL CARD MAGIC: MORE DECEPTIVE PRACTICES WITH PLAYING CARDS https://kahnjuring.com/kahnceptual-card-magic/ KAHNJURING: DECEPTIVE PRACTICES WITH PLAYING CARDS https://kahnjuring.com/kahnjuring/ SWINDLES, SCAMS & KAHNS https://kahnjuring.com/swindles-scams-kahns/ |
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slydini62 Special user 939 Posts |
I have a copy of Mr. Nu's note and I cherish them sooo much!! Please don't re-issue them!!
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Alain Nu V.I.P. 256 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 09:31, JTW wrote: Hey JTW, Please tell Kostya his check is in the mail. Ok, let's just talk briefly about the facts of what I was faced with: I didn't know that my deal would result in more than a single one hour special until Dec 2004 when my consultants, the producers and I had our first meeting. Responsibility to create effects for FOUR specials (to shoot approx 80 effects for each episode) was a surprise to all of us. December is also my busiest time of the year. I didn't think that principal shooting would begin so close to the initial signing of the contract, until AFTER the contract was signed-- I thought surely they would give me a few months during Jan/Feb to rehearse and engineer while we'd wait for the weather to get nicer. But no. Principle shooting began on December 27th (just two days after Christmas). Jeepers. Originally the airing of episode 1 wasn't going to be until June 2005. While shooting, we found out it would air on April 24th. Originally we were supposed to have a 28 day shooting schedule. That number was reduced almost 50% to only 16 DAYS. Our goal of shooting the EIGHTY different effects we had to come up with (required/don't ask) in 16 days was the craziest mental marathon anyone can possibly imagine. Man, there was ALWAYS something new I had to be worrying about... Thank "the power of chi and psychic energy" combined that I was able to get all that done in so little time. That, and also back in Decemebr, we came up with most of the material right on the boardroom table of Mike Mathis productions. Bob Fitch, Sam Haine, Allan Hayden, John Riggs, Bob Sheets and me. We didn't know if it worked, since it had never been tested, and we never got a chance to test it. Before I knew it, they were like, "you're on!" and I'd be there doing it for the first time ever on TV. It was pretty intimidating, actually. But in retrospect, even though I feel it would have come out so much better had it been carefully scripted and rehearsed and edited to perfection, I feel that the outcome was really not that bad, actually, and considering that you are really seeing me do it for an audience each time, like it was the first time, (because even if we repeated an effect, those repeats were used for the final footage) I think it really does sincerely document this very chalenging exercise. And since I am not planning on this being my LAST TV special, I feel I have plenty of time now to think about how I'll design th next one, hopefully having more overall control of the shots and my locations on the next go-around. So the answer is, I presented the material to the best of my standing ability faced with the circumstances. The above description pales in comparison to the real brutality of what actually happened during the making of the series. I wouldn't want to get into any more details because it'll just make everything too complicated, but let's put it this way, by mid January I was sporting a very badly sprained right hand, and I had still to do two and a half more episodes. I do a remarkable job of hiding this from the camera throughout the rest of the shooting, but ask ayone who saw me, you just can't bend metal with a hand that sprained-- at least not without psychic energy! My right hand was mostly unuseable throughout the rest of the shooting. peace, alain Quote:
On 2005-07-05 09:58, mysticz wrote: hey joe, I think I covered most of what you are talking about in my message above to JTW. if you have any otheer questions regarding this time please feel free to ask! thanks, alain JTW-- I realized that I didn't answer your question re: character. Well, my character, outside of just an ordinary American-born-Asian dude, is that I have certain powers to do extraordinary things-- seemingly with just the powers of my mind. There is a "trickster" element to the character, in that there are times that it'd seem as if the character were just being a smart ass. Over-the-top, almost absurdist demonstrations of "pyrokinesis" are performed, or the name of an 'old flame' is mysterriously found written on a bathroom wall... real? well reality IS stranger than fiction... But that's my character. A 'performance artist' (if you will) who can seamlessly insert into reality, 'a moment' that something truly out-of-the-ordinary just happened. That's basically what I get paid to do. So there it is, PEACE, Alain Quote:
On 2005-07-05 12:16, Necromancer wrote: Hey Neil, That's a really hard question to answer, actually, because I like to think that everything I do, at least in my regular repertoire, has a large part of who I am in it, in the sense of method, presentation and basic script. Perhaps if you had a more specific question about a specific demonstration? Though I have done away with performing most "magical repertoire", even within the context of what I can do within the confines of my "mental repertoire" I am left with preferences between the ability to: read certain specific and/or simple thoughts, feelings, or sensations of others suggest the choice (or choices) of a decision unbeknownst to the unwitting simulate pk / tk stunts by moving small objects under test conditions bend metal to greater and lesser degrees be a catalyst to impossible demonstrations of synchronicity and finally, sensing my surroundings while blindfolded that would encapsulate the 'six aspects' of what I generally do. I have my favorites within each one. late, alain Quote:
On 2005-07-05 12:37, magicbygeorge wrote: Hi Patrick, Nice meeting you! - Alain Nu Quote:
On 2005-07-05 12:48, Philemon Vanderbeck wrote: thank you philemon, nice seeing you here! peace, alain Quote:
On 2005-07-05 13:28, entity wrote: hi entity, now that's old school nu! invisibility watch. thnx for the memory! ~nu Quote:
On 2005-07-05 15:06, JamesBiss wrote: thanks for your kind word james, can you find someone who has a bootleg copy? peace, alain Quote:
On 2005-07-05 15:50, Slydini62 wrote: thank you mr. 62, you made my day! peace, alain |
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Seance Elite user Talking on the other side with 427 Posts |
Hello Alain,
Are you still performing in the bars around Washington, DC? I seem to remember you doing so. Madam Organ's, I believe, if my memory can be trusted. It was great seeing you perform in person, and I enjoyed your specials. Congratulations and best wishes on your continued success! Dave |
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Alain Nu V.I.P. 256 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 18:17, Seance wrote: I miss that crazy bar-- Adams Morgn was my DC hood. One year on Valentines Day, Tanya and I couldn't get into any of the restaurants in town, because I was too slow on getting reservations, well I decided to try Adams Morgan, (which was totally jammed), but the guy at the parking lot recognized me in my car and gave me his private space, the doorman at The Reef (also sold out for the evening) personally escorted us in, and the manager there sat us in the nicest table where we were served a first class meal. I usually don't impress my wife too much these days, but that evening, I think she liked me a lot. |
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Necromancer Inner circle Chicago 3076 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 17:51, geff mongoose wrote: Hi Alain, You know your repertoire better than I do, so I want you to have complete freedom over the category and effect. If it helps, let me give you three different criteria (so you can choose the game you want to play) -- 1. Out of everything you do, what's the one piece of material that you think says who you are more loudly and clearly than everything else, and sets the standard for everything else you do? What is it about this item that makes you feel that way? 2.Which one piece of material do you perform (or have you performed) that gives you the greatest personal satisfaction? Why? 3. Which piece of material do you perform that was the greatest struggle for you to turn into a performance piece that you are happy with? How long did it take, and what mountains did you have to move to get it right? If you can't pick one, feel free to pick more than one Best, Neil
Creator of The Xpert (20 PAGES of reviews!), Cut & Color, Hands-Off Multiple ESP (HOME) System, Rider-Waite Readers book, Zoom Pendulum ebook ...
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Alain Nu V.I.P. 256 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 18:17, Seance wrote: One more time Dave, Sorry, I got caught up in nostalgia-- no, there are no longer any places I perform on a regular basis. Only larger events from colleges to corporations and the occasional theatre show. However... Have you ever made it out to any of the Wednesday Wizardry (www.wednesdaywizardry.com) shows? If you want mailings to come to you announcing upcoming WW shows (local to DC), e-mail me at alain@justsaynu.com and let me know you want to be on this list. We (Bob Sheets, Mark Phillips and I) have had a lot of great performers showcase there (including Jon Stetson, Steve Bargatze, Paul Gertner, David Oliver, Francis Menotti, Rich Bloch, Darwin Ortiz, Denny Haney, the list is long, man). It's a great night for like $18 a ticket. Our next season starts at the end of September. And I *think* I'll be performing at that one with Sheets and along with one or two other surprise "Mystery Guests." So I hope you'll stay in touch, since you live in the area! ciao for now, alain |
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ShaunRobison Loyal user 255 Posts |
I just thought I should add my hello's and welcomes to Alain.
WELCOME ALAIN!!! It was a good 5 or 6 years ago you came to an Albany NY, NYCAN magic convention. I watched you work and lecture (even with a fever of 101) I wasn't going to miss it. Then you blew me away with one of the greatest stage shows ever. I still remember the balloon and the sigh's from the audeince as the balloon came back for the child on stage with you. I hope to see that again someday!!! Simon Lovell and I spent the night talking with you after the show and it was something I will never forget. Welcome to the Café'. I am sure your presence here will be memorable!! Shaun R.
www.shaunrobison.com
Magic and Illustrations |
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Alain Nu V.I.P. 256 Posts |
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On 2005-07-05 21:25, Necromancer wrote: I'll answer all 3 questions to the best of my ability: 1) with metal bending, people just don't understand how it's possible, and yet somehow in their minds, it's plausible. that's a good loop to end up in. OR another loop: something that is SO impossible that there is simply NO WAY as to how it could be so positively manufactured- as witnessed by seeing any card of 52 stated, appear at seemingly any random number called. or how about guessing (within a few days) a person's exact birthdate-- the astonished looks on their faces-- you see, basically I like ALL interesting concepts, so I don't think of the effects as being indicative of "who I am" necessarily, besides whether or not I can make it resonate enough with my audience, I just like the concepts for what they make other people feel when they are experiencing them. so it's actually quite simple in my way of seeing it: everything I do, I do because I see how it affects people in a certain way. the nice thing is that each separate demonstration affects people in a different way-- that's basically how I set my standard. so it's hard to try and decide which individual piece stands out from the rest (at least in my stage presenatations)-- each separate effect arranged in the context of, say, my live performance, counts off a different feeling or sensation, that combined, helps to create the overall impression of my character. but my character, if I were to have one, is just me. I've made choices (and to some they may appear to be "bland" choices) to try and integrate fully the mentalism (of which I've put my own spin) as seamlessly as possible into simply being who I am. my thinking is, that way, as I continue to grow and evolve as a human being, so does my work and how I do it. imo, that is the only sincere way of expressing this 'art form.' 2) it changes from year to year or sometimes even from month to month. some people might think it's spoon bending, and that's what I know clients will count on seeing when they see me, but it's far from the one that will give me the most satisfaction currently. the piece of material that ALWAYS gives me the most personal satisfaction is usually the one that I'm playing around with right now. currently, I have a few items on my plate-- another blind experiment, and a one-on-one 'challenge' design dupe. all the pieces I perform, I add some pychological "mojo" to put my mark on it. usually it's in the form of some combination of subtleties. the subtleties, and the overall convincingness of the effect is where I ultimately derive the most self-satisfaction. one year at caesars, it was a magic effect with a handkerchief I came up with, a few years before that it was an effect in which practically ALL that happens is flash paper is ignited, four years ago it was pk touches, many years before that it was my work on the impromptu book test. but like most painters or craftsmen (if it's ok to see myself as equal to those categories), I simply cannot choose which one I like the most. usually, it will be for a totally DIFFERENT set of reasons that I choose to work on the "next piece." but I can answer the above question differently-- when I was first asked to meet with discovery, my producer mike and I went together and met with the ceo, along with about 8 other producers and marketing people. bla bla bla, well anyway, so they ask me finally if I'd show them something-- give them a little taste of what I do. so I throw a pack of cards on the boardroom table, and tell them all about the "moon and the cards", and finally ask a woman to name any card. "9 of spades." I ask if she wants to change her mind and she says no. I ask if she'll point to ANYONE ELSE sitting at the table, and she points to another woman. I asked that woman to name a number, and she says 3. I ask if she wants to change her mind, and she says "YES". I say "to what?" and she says 5. well the cards are on the table and I ask her to pick them up and start counting slowly from the top. sure enough (sigh of relief), at the fifth position from the top, she turns it over, and it was the 9 of spades... silence. but you should have seen the look on the exec's face. no one said a word, so finally I go "so did I get the gig?" and everyone snapped back laughing (i didn't think it was funny that they never answered my question tho). later, on the long elevator ride down, mike goes, "yeah the spoons are really tight--- but THAT CARD TRICK... that HAS to be the BEST card trick I have ever seen in my life..." and then I watched as he proceeded to have a melt down trying to figure it out, just repeating over and over, "that has got to be the best (insert explitive) card trick I've ever seen. period." as the elevator doors opened at the bottom, I couldn't contain myself any longer, so I say to him, "mike, it was the best card trick I'VE ever seen." 3) every single piece I do. they're like children. some mature a little faster than others, but all of them take roughly the same amount of time to get to speed. I'd say at by the 3rd time doing it in front of a live audience you get a good idea of what needs to be smoothed out, and then if I'm working on it, by the 10th performance, the idea is usually fairly mature. this is why the TV show was a big pain in the side-- each time was a first take. I was like, "what about that last thing I did?" anyway, the evolution of an effect can also vary depending on how much or little time lapses between performances and rehearsals. every individual piece has its own history of trials and errors, so it's hard to tell which one had the "greatest struggle." the other reason why this question is so hard to answer is because everything we do has a methodical struggle as well as a presentational struggle. I have hundreds of stories that revolve around the various histories of each effect I've worked on, but each one would be its own long drawn out process that would be more interesting shared in person so you can experience the effect and be explained its process in person. otherwise, it just ain't that pretty in print. I hope I've done an ok job anwering (or not answering) your questions, neil. sorry if it was more than what you expected. peace, alain Quote:
On 2005-07-06 00:14, ShaunRobison wrote: Thanks for dropping in, Shaun-- and for all your kind words! I remember that night with crazy Simon! can you remember the joke he told? It had to have been one of the most admirably tasteless jokes I have ever heard, but I can't remember it. Didn't it have something to do with a hedgehog??? Alain We're now half-way to Saturday June 9th-- my cut-off date. Thank you for your kind words, and allowing me this platform to answer your questions. Come Saturday, I will start getting ready to join Bob Fitch at his annual workshop/camp outside of Montreal. Bob was a driving force for me to get through the TV specials, and I recommend his workshop highly to anyone who feels that they are at a point to really get serious with their act. The best of the best go to see Fitch, and I'll be there this year with Gene Anderson, Paul Gertner, Bob Sheets, and a few select others. There may even be an extra opening for someone who has it together enough to move quickly at the last minute-- but you can reach Bob Fitch himself at FITCHMAGIC@aol.com. Bob is one of the most caring individuals a performer could ever meet. All of you need to know this man. word, Alain |
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Necromancer Inner circle Chicago 3076 Posts |
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On 2005-07-06 08:05, geff mongoose wrote: That was great, Alain (terrific any-card-at-any-number story)! And while I know that I'd love hearing your stories in person (coming to Chicago soon?), I think that the story of your process -- how you worked the rough edges off an idea, trying one thing and then another until you arrived at a finished piece -- would be fascinating to read; I hope you'll reconsider and share one such story here. Best, Neil
Creator of The Xpert (20 PAGES of reviews!), Cut & Color, Hands-Off Multiple ESP (HOME) System, Rider-Waite Readers book, Zoom Pendulum ebook ...
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adolphus Loyal user 229 Posts |
It's funny about the name, because I came to the Café a while ago to answer some questions about "Adolphus" and found that the name was already taken - by myself, apparently. I then remembered that I very briefly surfed here a few years before!
Anyway, glad to see you here, Alain. I can attest to Alain's incredible skill, inventiveness and professionalism. While I've only seen his mentalist performances, I subsequently learned that he has also performed and excelled in nearly every other form of illusion, conjury, knucklebusting and legerdemain you can name. He can be a valuable asset here to the Café, so I hope everyone will remember that he is a very busy guy and that he is essentially donating his time here.
"Unlike the mere Conjuror, the Mentalist reaches into that space which a hat normally covers. And from there, he withdraws something more fleeting - and at times, far fuzzier - than any rabbit"
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