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YEAH the show was great But what made it that one class better for me was when he explained how the 'Influential' trick was done. First time round, I thought that the clip show at the end where he was saying the hidden words was a fake and that it wasn't really from the actual show, but from the repeat I was everything unfold, almost like a preparation for the future.

Another thing, I thought that the show was clever and it made me more interested by him explaining the last effect. Like he said, if he didn't explain it to us, most of us would have thought that 'Magic boy here slipped a piece of paper at the end and it was all a trick, a fake'. I would have spent weeks figuring out if he had done some sort of sleight-of-hand, or some kind of gimmick. Because he explained it, it made the whole trick even more amazing (it sounds stupid but I thought the effect was better after I knew what was happening? )

Jack what have you against Nyman

lindz wrote:Jack what have you against Nyman

I think you have misenterprited me, I was simply making comment with what you said: 'maybe it was scripted as he was going normal timing before the glass effect and if it was scripted it was a stroke of genius on the part of whoever added that sublety.'

That sounds very much like the work of Andy Nyman to me and he did direct the show. I actually agree with you, and am a big Nyman and Derren fan.

Nyman's a cheeky bu**er, I love his stuff. For some reason I didn't manage to get into the performance section of Get Nyman but trying the material out is great fun.

As for Derren I think merdc and cardshark have summed up the effect of the show on laypeople quite nicely.

Sorry Jack i did misenterprit you i thought you meant stinks of Nyman in a bad way but now you have corrected me i can see what you mean.

I only managed to see this last night but, comparing it with the stage tour last year, I'd still say it was a wee bit better live than on TV. There's something about all this which TV can't capture and I guess it's the atmosphere. Derren is different on stage compared to how he appears in the Channel 4 Tricks of the Mind programmes and he just sees to be having far more fun when performing live. He certainly knows how to play an audience and it struck me as very significant that when he was preparing for the glass walking bit, the whole audience were utterly silent in anticipation yet all he was doing was taking his socks off!

Having said all that, the prog was still first rate entertainment even if we can manage to figure out how some of the effects were achieved. I just wish someone had recorded the previous tour, the one with the séance themed second half, it would have been a worthy addition to any magician's DVD/Video library. Roll on May 2007 when he's on tour again!!

Mandrake wrote:comparing it with the stage tour last year, I'd still say it was a wee bit better live than on TV.

I enjoyed it more on TV. However, I think this is entirely down to personal reasons - like missing several minutes of the show trying to find my way back from the toilets in Milton Keynes theatre's baffling maze of staircases and, more generally, nerves. I so wanted it to go well that I was jittery throughout the live show; far more nervous, I'm sure, than Brown himself. For example, as the climax built, the audience member had been asked how many bits of newspaper he wanted to have taken from the pile on the table. He said 8 (or something), Brown flowing beautifully at this point and clearly about to move to the next part, asked, 'Do you want to change your mind?' The bloke paused for a second and replied, 'Yes.' And said 11 (or something). Now, I wasn't worried that the whole thing would collapse because Brown couldn't cope with this, but it tripped up the rhythm somewhat. (Brown, by the way, said, 'Oooooo... K,' with a slight, wry laugh in his voice that I took to indicate he was thinking, 'You annoying bu**er,' and then it carried on as before, only up to 11.) It's like your getting to the end of your routine, having so, so carefully choreographed the pace and tension, when someone pipes up, 'Sorry - could I just check who ordered the chicken?'

Anyway, on TV I was comforted that nothing hellish would befall Brown, and so I was able to relax and enjoy the wonderful contruction of it even more.

bronz wrote:Nyman's a cheeky bu**er, I love his stuff. For some reason I didn't manage to get into the performance section of Get Nyman

Do you me you couldn't get into it, um, 'mentally', or you couldn't get that one of the three DVDs to play?

bronz wrote:As for Derren I think merdc and cardshark have summed up the effect of the show on laypeople quite nicely.

It's amazing the leeway he's given (well, creates for himself by being so engaging). I was listening to (obviously lay)people during the interval at the live show and a common comment was, 'Well, some of his stuff is just tricks, but...' and then awe and enthusiasm for all the stuff they'd concluded wasn't. I'd imagine that these people, with another mentalist, would regard with narrow-eyed, competitive distrust everything he did, once they'd figured out the purely magic method for one thing he'd done. Here the reaction was more 'overwhelming belief in what was being claimed unless clearly shown to be overwise' of the kind you hear about with supporters of spiritualists when shown that something was faked: 'Right, OK. I'll accept that was faked, then. But everything else...'

I wish you could bottle that.

Not owning a TV I asked my parents to record this so I could watch it today when I visited them to wish them a happy new year. This they dutifully did (bless them).
Three minutes in the dulcit tones of Nick Berry singing Heartbeat suddenly burst in, Derren disappeared and was replaced by some mindnumbing nostalgia about 60's policemen!!! Yes my mother has managed to record over it.. Can I blame this on some subliminal persuasion of Mr Brown in an attempt to prevent me seeing it? Or has Heartbeat, in an attempt to increase it's hold over the population, employed his techniques and controlled my mum? Or was this just some amusing ruse of Mr Brown's and if I dare to watch further one of the dubious policemen turns out to be the man himself?

Inquiring minds want to know...

The other point about the TV version was the totally inappropriate timing of the commercial breaks - b*ggered up the smooth flow on at least 2 occasions .

Just as a side note, and it really is just a general niggle of mine, when I go and see any kind of live show I don't expect to suddenly be told I'm part of the entertainment. If I was the person who caught the monkey the third time, I'd definitely throw it on. I know a lot of people who would be downright uncomfortable in that situation, too. I know it's a great way of generating a random spec, but maybe a mechanism whereby people throw it on until someone catches it who wants to join in would be better.

Tomo wrote:when I go and see any kind of live show I don't expect to suddenly be told I'm part of the entertainment.

It's especially embarrassing in Amsterdam. But anyway, yes, I too like to stay firmly in my seat and, with 'comedians' especially, abhor the whole notion of yanking someone out of the audience to use for entertainment. With mentalism, however, there's no real way around using audience members: 'I will think of a number, which I will then guess,' is, in some ways, even less impressive than the X levitation.

On Get Nyman Nyman talks a lot about how magicians often complain of how hard it is to get members of the audience up to assist. His basic argument is: 'Considering the way many magicians treat members of the audience who come on stage, he's not surprised that no one wants to get up.' And his response is that he always treats them with respect, assures them that he is not going to embarrass them, and - if they really don't want to get up - doesn't goad or mock them into it, but moves on to someone else.

The trick that impressed me the most was when he somehow predicted the surname of the first person that a girl had a crush on.

It was baffling because she was only asked to think of the name. No tricks or gimmicks, he just wrote the name and then she said it!

HOW?!

imi_kamoze wrote:HOW?!

That's yer actual magic, that is...

imi_kamoze wrote:The trick that impressed me the most was when he somehow predicted the surname of the first person that a girl had a crush on.

It was interesting the little bit (you know, that little bit) that was kept in with this trick. It could easily have been edited out - it was in the film of The Gathering, I think, and in the TV shows. I wonder what the thinking behind the decision to have it remain in was. It simply intrigues me to ponder on that.

I saw the filmed show live in London. It was just as great to see it on TV as well as being there. I saw Derren's other tour that he did a couple of years back too.

One thing I've always loved is his quick wit. Also, if you go and see him live, he gets quite ratty with the audience if they start murmuring. Adds to the atmosphere.

BTW, after the show, I had a pint (of course!) and saw Derren walk past the pub with Marvin & David Berglas.

Also, if you DID miss the TV show - try Channel 4's new 'On Demand' service... It's on there (for a small fee) as is Paul Zenon's "Tricky Christmas" from 1999.

Enjoy!