talkmagic.co.uk

Thanks Craig! Wish I would Have read this sooner!

Thanks a lot for this, very helpful, I've suddenly got a lot more interested in mentalism and reading up a lot about it now and learning what I can.

Hi,
Thankyou for the PDF, its set me on the right path...
Is there any literature out there on Acidus novus and Globus? I have found something, but its over $180!!! Money I dont really have right now...
Can anyone make any suggestions, I'd be most grateful.

Thankyou

The only LEGAL resource is http://www.mevproshop.com

My whole magic spending has come to a halt thanks to Mr Browning!

On his recommendation I have vowed to source Acidus Novus. Trouble is I have to hide away the cash so's the wife doesn't see on the bank statements that I've blown nigh on 100 smackers on instructions on how to read a piece of paper!

I could "just" get away with buying some meaningless piece of magic "GUFF" like a big shiny prop arm chopper or something similar.

I just wish I'd saved up sooner when the pound was actually worth something. As soon as I get more "bang for my buck", maybe I can finally get Acidus Novus (and Globulus (sic) ) and get on with my some proper trivial niff-naff again!

The DVD is excellent and you learn much more than the technique itself.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to compile this, it's brilliant stuff, really helpful.

I've found that lybrary.com has some excellent sources for hard to find material. They are selling original Al Mann manuscripts entitled Acidus Plus, which includes the AN move. Although it may not be as in depth as the "official resource" on this move, its a fraction of the cost for those of us who have very few pennies to spare and who have partners with eagle eyes on the finances! Mine should hopefully be here very soon. I'll keep you posted!

Thaumaturge wrote:I've found that lybrary.com has some excellent sources for hard to find material. They are selling original Al Mann manuscripts entitled Acidus Plus, which includes the AN move. Although it may not be as in depth as the "official resource" on this move, its a fraction of the cost for those of us who have very few pennies to spare and who have partners with eagle eyes on the finances! Mine should hopefully be here very soon. I'll keep you posted!

The Mann notes are ancient history though they are the original published source. I can assure you that the AN technique has evolved significantly and without the Longman CD on said topic, you'll fall a bit short.

I will make notice that I offer two variants to AN in my new eBook "The Reading" based loosely on some of Millard's thinking... and I know that resource is even less expensive than the Mann material

Craig, you are costing me serious pennies, but they are worth every one.
PS1 and PS2 from Banachek are amazing.
MM&M is on its way. 600 pages plus.
I have all of Paul Brook's books and each is a diamond.
It seems that Mentalism is defined by two properties, BOS and incredible subtlety.

I would like to add something of my own.
If I ever write a book, it would be called Going Mental.

I have in my family, something called a "pen moment". I will explain.
My brother and I were walking near Stockport baths with my ten year old son.
There was a fountain playing nearby and I said to my son, "Go and look in the fountain. You will find a pen floating in the water." He duly dashed off and came back clutching a ballpoint pen. Naturally he was intrigued as to how I could have known such a fact.
Of the two endings, I said "That is where fountain pens come from". (Ok, groan why don't you)
This was not an isolated incident.
We lived together in Staines at one time.
I came home one day from work and later he came in from the pub. (Yes, it was quite a few years later)
He said, I have just been playing cards with Vanessa. Guess how much I won?
I replied immediately, "£33".
He was stunned. I was bang on the money.
Why did I say that? Who knows?
I could tell you other stories with the same ending.
How did I do it? Am I psychic? No!
I took a punt, a flyer, and it "hit".
It seems to me that the best mentalism is a bit like that. Going out on a limb and risking a miracle.
Sure, "outs" will help, but having the guts to go for it is more than half the battle.
I read PS1 today and asked my partner to name a number between 10 and 50. I was 2 out at 37, she was impressed. I then asked her to think of a number between 50 and 100. I took Banachek's advice and on her response decided on 68.
I was bang on.

I am a believer.
It just takes practice and nerve.
Mainly nerve.

regards
Mort

Craig what can I say. This is the route I would tell anyone to go if I had the chance. 13 steps is the corner stone to this art. And it's not an easy art. And yes public speaking and acting classes are a must. I wish I'd had this information when I started out.

Airamas wrote:Well while I would have to agree that the recommendations are sound for one wanting to become a mentalist, I'm not sure how just reading the selected works would somehow empower you with the EXPIERENCE needed to become a PERFORMER.

Yes one must have a foundation in the craft to move forward but you will also need Acting, Public Speaking, Theater, and a plethora of other skills to perform and call yourself a mentalist.

You will have to learn to read people so some Psychology would help.

Anyway my point is you can't become a mentalist just by reading GET OUT THERE AND WORK.

That’s all for now.

I totally agree. If you want to be able to "perform" then you have to learn the whole craft before doing so.
You have to learn how things work in order to be able to come across as confident in what your doing.
Reading some books is the easy bit, its perfecting and putting that into practice which is the hardest bit!

Recently I went to a magic show and one of the performers had lost his luggage when flying in from america, I kid you not!
Anyway just to show the brilliance of the performer he did a totally impromptu performance using the things he had around him. It was the best part of the whole show, apart from watching Banacheck (excuse me if ive got the spelling wrong).
Thats what makes a performer good, knowing his craft and being able to produce a brilliant performance even when all seems lost!

Though I agree with what you've stated here I can't help but ponder what that has to do with the topic, which centers on learning the basics; the foundation tools as it were, for being an effective and prepared mentalist.

Yes, one should be able to perform without being overly reliant on all the props but at the same time, one would be a fool to not have rehearsed materials that he/she knows fluidly. Not just their "show" but alternatives that could be done in a pinch.

Frankly, I'm of the mind that most of us only need to know about a dozen solid billet handlings coupled with solid Reading Skills and to be adept at Muscle Reading. Complete careers as well as "empires" have been built on just that much and little other... just ask Kreskin, in that most of his show is just that with a few add-ons here and there.

I'm confident however that anyone that completes the study course outlined in this article would be more than capable of delivering a decent series of demonstrations and even a complete show "at the drop of a hat" in that they will have the knowledge.

Hi Craig,

Seeing that this thread was stickied a few months before Bresslers Switchcraft, I was wondering, if it is a book, you would recommend as a first-year-student supplement to Anneman?

It may be a matter of practice, but I find it difficult to perform the Anneman switch, and I hear good things about Switchcraft.

- CB

Elliott's material is most excellent but I'd not encourage someone brand new to Mentalism to jump into it... there is just simply too much to learn when it comes to "the basics" first; six to nine months down the road however, I can see no wrong in said action. It will allow you to see just how much further you can go with such a simple item but one that prepares you, in some quite literal ways, for a career.

There is one very important point that needs to be said however, when it comes to billet work in particular; you need to cultivate your people skills and ability to "Read" others in that 90% of what you do with billet's is going to, in some way, be a kind of Q&A bit of business. That being the case, you need to have a bit more than a rudimentary study of "Cold Reading" as most know it. But I would caution anyone with less than a year's experience of doing actual Readings using a legitimate system like Tarot, Numerology, etc. to NOT dive into the Ian Rowland or TRADECRAFT books. Start with Lee Earle's Classic Reading, the Bob Cassidy dissertation on the subject and EVERYTHING you can find on the topic by Richard Webster, Ron Martin, Gene Nelson, Enrique Enriquez, Kenton Knepper, John Riggs and Jerome Finley... then if you get bored, you can take a look at my stuff, Herb Dewey and Brad Henderson...

The other two books, the two books that get hyped the most, were composed by authors who've never made a living as a Reader and who have well established bias towards anything that remotely smacks of being Paranormal; these folks aren't "Skeptics" but rather CYNICS and that is a difference that can cost you your soul...so to speak, when it comes to learning how to actually do this particular side of the job.

Yes, I have a bias on the topic as well... I want people to learn things from all sides of the issue rather than insisting that there is just one "truth" based on incomplete information.

Once you know billets and how to do solid Readings, you will never have to worry about your survival, whether it's doing "shows" or table-side Readings, you will have a way of working literally at the drop of a hat and without the headaches tied to agents, bookers, crooked club owners, etc.

Enjoy the journey



Oh, Mort!

I nearly forgot... you mentioned the two Banachek books... PS3 comes out in September of this year, so you need to save up a few more pennies than you'd planned