IMHO, this is precisely the reason Geller should be on the list. For a long moment in our history, you would have been hard-pressed to find an American who didn't think he was the real deal. After watching him bend keys on television, viewers were checking their keys AT HOME to see if they had bent- as Geller warned them they might. To this day, many perceive him as genuine. Therefore, if he does not possess true psychic ability, then he is indeed one of the top five mentalists.

-Annemann
-Banacheck's
-Max Maven
-Geller
-Deddy Corbuzier

I don't see the point in these types of discussions. Just like those top 100 TV shows.

I note that the title of this topic is "The 5 most INFLUENTIAL mentalists in HISTORY" and NOT (caps mine for emphasis) the 5 most popular, not the 5 best, not the top 5 current, etc. Based on their historical impact and/or influence on the art of mentalism, my choices would be:

Hanussen (he certainly influenced world history)
Dunninger
Annemann
Corinda
Kreskin

There are others that would be close, but the stated limit is 5

Bryce, there really is no "point" to these discussions, no goal as it were, other than to get a cross-section of which great mentalists OTHER mentalists find the most influential, which IMHO is interesting and entertaining in and of itself. To see names like "Chan Canasta" or "Deddy Corbuzier" on peoples' lists is important, as it urges us to perhaps further examine that person's work. I most likely would not have considered them, as theirs are not the first names that come to mind, but their influence cannot be denied.

Dick, as far as this thread being about "influential" mentalists, I don't believe you'd see the fascination with PK work today without Geller. Even his approach to mentalism; the way in which it is presented, has been absorbed by us all.

Why would anyone put a mentalist whom nobody other than mentalists know on a list of this type?

Ask the man on the street who Ted Annemann was, and he will draw a blank. Ditto Corinda.

Hanussen might get some recognition, especially in Europe. Kreskin, Dunninger and Geller certainly would.

I agree wholeheartedly, Bill. That being said, the criteria was never clearly established. There are those like Kreskin, Dunninger and Geller who were influential in the meta-sense, but then there were also those such as Annemann, Corinda and Koran, who were indeed influential in the microcosm of our specialized field.

It all depends on who the topic is on: If it is of the most "influential" towards the general public, yes. If it is most "influential" to those in the field, then the list would be different.

Tony

The Illuminati are influenced by the Shadow
The Public are influenced by the Callow
The Fox Sisters may be more a cornerstone
Than Annemann, Dunninger or Blackstone.

An interesting thing about the mentalism field
Is that digging up its roots will yield
Bizarre, Spiritual and Shamanistic seeds
More than any standard magician's deeds.

I would list amongst the top five across the ages,
The Oracle of Delphi and the bone casting sages,
The inventors of Wadjet and the I Ching
and the creator of the Zoltar machine thing.

This insanity was brought to by Sybl and Sons - your Mental Catering Service - special: brainburgers $5 for a dozen

On 2008-09-04 17:29, Dr Spektor wrote:




What he just said.

DOC, YOU'RE HOT!!! MUSE RULES!!!!

The fact that a number of prominent and, yes, influential names were omitted from my list is not intended to belittle their contributions or influence on the art. IMO the reason our various lists differ so widely from one to the others is more a reflection of the vargaries of the words used in posing the question than anything else. Does "influential" imply contributions to the development of the art or name recognition (certainly one interpretation of influence)? If name recognition, does it mean recognition within our small community or the public at large? No doubt Kreskin and Geller are among those enjoying the highest public name recognition although Kreskin is more familiar to those 40 and older, Geller to those under 40. Many 20-somethings might be more apt to mention Criss Angel, but how many of us would identify him primarily as a mentalist? The sheer volume of Max Maven's contributions to the literature probably exceeds Annemann's and Corinda's combined and undeniably has been and continues to be a major influence on the art but I'd hazard a guess that despite his striking appearance his name enjoys much higher recognition within our community than without. Geller is probably better known to the public as 'the guy who bends keys" than anything else. Is bending keys really mentalism? Gil Eagles' name is little known outside of the corporate world where he is one of the premiere performers. I'd match his Q & A act against anybody's, but I bet only a handful of those reading this forum have ever heard of him. Mark Salem, Derren Brown and Banachek are certainly among the top contemporary performers, but it may be premature to assess their "historical" influence; e.g., will their names immediately spring to mind 60 years from now, as Dunninger's or Kreskin's does today? Each of us has offered his own list based on the meaning each of us attaches to the words "most," "influential" and history.

Because each of us views the world through his own lens, each list is the "right one" in the eyes of its author.

Well put!!!

In no particular order

Walt Disney
Orson Welles
Richard Bach
Aldous Huxley
L. Ron Hubbard

Geller as standby

MUSE ROX!