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I want to do some street mentalism, would a PSIdeck be good for that? Could someone name a few tricks I could do with a normal deck of cards or some that dont use gimmicks? ALL help appreciated, Matt

Well definitely don't plan on doing any street mentalism for a long time if you're asking for effects. As for self-working card stuff, maybe you should look at some mathematical mentalism. That works very well. But make sure you absolutely learn the effects, and are flawless before you actually go out and perform them. Just give it time I guess.

Oh wait you weren't looking for self-working. There's a section in Corinda's book on card mentalism. Can't say I'm a big mentalist though.

thanks, I guess I could perform some self working tricks as a feat of mentalism. Im good with cards/sleights/flourishes, i just dont know any mentalism tricks.

MagicMatt777 wrote: i just dont know any mentalism tricks.

Mind reading. That's a good one to get you started.

I should tow the company line and suggest you start HERE if you would like to fully submerge yourself in mentalism.

That post, however, seemed a little daunting to me when Talk Magic first found me , so if you'd like to learn some fairly quick but effective mentalism I would recommend Marc Lemezma's 'How to be a Mind Magician' followed by Karl Fulves 'Self-Working Mental Magic'.

Both of which should keep you busy for a while.

Thanks for all the help, Matt

themagicwand wrote:Mind reading. That's a good one to get you started.

The amount of times i've performed a silk vanish during a mentalism set....now i know what i was doing wrong

Trying to do street mentalism. Hmm. You have to realise that all the greats you see on TV performing on the street have an expensive crew behind them sorting out spectators for them. They don't literally walk up to people spontaneously....You also have to remember that your 14 and this isn't something that people will enjoy, especially when they are busy. At best, they will just think your a pesky kid.

I wouldn't delve into mentalism at your age, and i know its annoying, as i thought the same, but you should stick to some good old magic tricks for your friends and family, gain some proper experience there and then slowly take it from there.

I think he should do whatever pleases him. Not to go too far out, but lets just say that Matt is a brilliant mentalist. Why should he stop doing something he's fantastic at? If he wants to work hard and do well, then he can go for whatever he wishes. Telling him to stop doing something that he wants to do can only hurt him, and not help. So Matt, I say still go for it.

Your absolutely right Houdini. But there are certain restrictions for a 14 year old in today's society. I'm not saying stop the mentalism (although from his post it would appear that he hasn't the first clue about it) but maybe don't jump in at the deep end like that. Adults will only dismiss him like that. Learn some magic tricks or mentalism if you'd prefer and perform to people you know, that way you gain the experience you need in this sort of thing.

In no way do i suggest that stop what you love or what you would like to do. I'm just saying don't rush what your doing, your young now, but stick at it!

thanks for the help, I think I'm going to keep practicing my mentalism and perform it for people I know and after I get a lot better try to do it for people I don't know. I know that some people wont appreciate what I do because of my age, but I have actually done a few street tricks (mostly for 13-17 age group) and they liked it, so I think I'm just going to evaluate who I perform for. Once again, thanks for the help, Matt

matt, theres loads of great mental magic that you could do at school with your friends. Now is a great time for you to get into it as you've got loads of people your age to try it all out on.

I wish I'd kept at it when I was your age.

I'm afraid of mentalism. I swear. I bought 13 Steps and tried to read through it but I just don't have the patience. So I respect all you who actually can do it.

HenryHoudini wrote:I'm afraid of mentalism. I swear. I bought 13 Steps and tried to read through it but I just don't have the patience. So I respect all you who actually can do it.

Wonderful... stay afraid and stick to magic tricks IF what you want to do is a street magic set.

I recently read in a book by one of the lesser known Gods in the mentalism world, the the two most inane things to come about in the past decade (there about) is supposed Mentalism done close-up in dinning establishments and sports bars as well as the same contrivance done on street corners; those doing such belittling the art form while likewise placing themselves in the position of not having the more established psychological strengths in position and working to their advantage.

Before you say it... I know that most of you are inspired by the meanderings of St. Derren the Brown as well as those other mature examples of greatness Criss Angel and David Blaine... then again we have all those other gurus to whom you all throw you money like Lord Sankey and the "E" List. All of them reputable authorities I'm certain...

Understand, I appreciate some of the dynamite ideas Jay and others have shared with the community... I also understand that Jay is a Card Worker who is merely exploiting the current trend and gullible nature of the wannabe just like many others are in the things they are peddling... that's just "business" as the say. Because it is "business" and getting you to buy their stuff is important to their own bottom line, they will cosign your masturbative (and selfish) modes of doing pseudo-mentalism outside normal context... outside those conditions that lend to you optimum psychological advantage and thus, demean what you do to being little other than a parlor trick and exposes you as being another arrogant magician insulting folks.

I know what you're going to say... I have people believe that it's real!

Well, I actually was asked to stop doing Sponge Balls at a club for similar reasons... there are folks in this world so desperate to believe in something, that they find a devil under ever stone encountered. My fondest of such scenarios was my own mother, who to this day believes I sold my soul to Satan, because I used to burn a girl alive in the show... even after I showed her how it worked she swore up and down on her bible that it was far more super-natural... go figure

My point is, if you honestly like... LOVE Mentalism and it is the direction you want to go vocationally, why would you want to associate it and yourself with being a cheesy carnival act? Why would you want to be seen on par with the typical sidewalk hustler?

Mark Lewis will back me up on this point... the fact that the psychics are always asked to stay longer at events than the bloody boring card manipulators and finger flingers. We tend to get far more income for our time during and after these events (post event Readings as well as alternate private gigs) than the greater majority of magic buffs can remotely envision. This is a FACT that's been pointed out for decades in the works of Stephan Minch, Robert Nelson, William Larsen, Richard Webster and numerous others NONE OF WHOM stand on street corners or chase people down in the local mall, doing billet gymnastics and worse!

Yes, there are ways to work the sidewalks. I wrote about it in my PSYCHIC TECHNOLOGIES manuscript. The thing is, you are pitching Readings which is something most will have a lame excuse to avoid, the real reason in most instances being that they don't have the brass (belief in their own ability) to pull it off. Even the illustrious Ian Rowland, the man who knows all and exposes all about being a Reader HASN'T and according to those that know the man, COULDN'T make a living working this angle... but then we know of other cynics with a similar past, don't we?

The other reason folks don't do the Reading Pitch is that they don't get to show off, which is really what it's all about (though you'll never get any of them to admit it). They want to show off bending perfectly innocent flatware, stopping watches and making baby flies ooze out of their eyelids rather than create the kind of enchantment and investment true mentalism demands; the kind of stuff that will give you the sort of reputation that in turn sustains you vocationally for as long as you want to ride that wave. You can't EARN that sort of rapport with the public when you lessen the art by staging it in the wrong sort of venue and present it in a manner that is "low" by common perception.

I'm confident I've stepped on a few toes here but ask yourselves why you're taking offense... most people do tend to feel that way when they hear a truth that they are guilty of manipulating.

Craig,

I had written a post asking you to be kind, but decided not to submit it.

Glad to see you have been! I am one who questions why mentalists hit the roof when mentalsim and magic are mentioned in the same sentaence. ( OOPs, just did it, calm down Craig. )

Even I have taken enough in to realise mentalism as street magic just isn't right. Fine, There are exceptions to the rule, with some being able to do it, though they also perform in other situations.

Ok, so I am agreeing with you Craig, so please take this as it is meant.

Mental magic and mentalism are two different things, am I correct?

Some effects are done in a mentalism style, like predictions, devining etc, esp. with cards. They are, however, done in a magic style, rather than mentalism, hence the "mental magic" tag. It is then a natural follow on to do some similar, mental magic effects, without cards.

Do you feel that the public realises the difference?
Is this what annoys mentalists more?
If a magician does mental magic, knows it isn't mentalism, and doesn't portray it as such, would that still be crossing the borders too much for mentalists liking?

In short,

Do you feel that anything that could be described as mental magic, rather than mentalism, should not be used?
Should it be used, but just by magicians, or just by mentalists?
Should both be allowed to use it as a crossover point?

Sorry, off topic.

HenryHoudini wrote:I think he should do whatever pleases him. Not to go too far out, but lets just say that Matt is a brilliant mentalist. Why should he stop doing something he's fantastic at? If he wants to work hard and do well, then he can go for whatever he wishes. Telling him to stop doing something that he wants to do can only hurt him, and not help. So Matt, I say still go for it.

Excellent advice!

See me on Centre Court at Wimbledon next year. I may be 38 in the autumn, and have never played a game of tennis in my life, but I might be brilliant at it, so I should do it, right? If I really want it, it'll happen.

Ever seen that episode of 'Friends' where Monica's rich boyfriend is determined to be a UFC champion and keeps getting the tar beaten out of him? He believes he can do anything he puts his mind to and, of course, he is wrong.

How about this for some positive advice? Take some time to learn about the subject.

Learn some suitable effects really well (that's not just suitable for street performance, but also suitable for you as a performer).

Learn how to present mentalism or mental magic in your style, and those effects in particular.

Understand exactly what you mean by street mentalism, what you hope to achieve with it, what you can actually achieve, and whether any difference between the last two matters (and why). There's already been some golden advice given in this thread on this.

I suspect you mean the 'hit-and'run' style of magic, which I think is pointless without a camera crew. You may be thinking more of a busking type show, which has more potential, but I'm not really sure is the best forum for mentalism.

I'm not saying you have to spend five years in Tibet studying mental techniques under a lama, but have a serious think about why you want to do mentalism, and why you want to perform on the street.