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Eshly wrote:You are wrong about Mentalism.
Once the story of 'Its body language', or 'intuition' is gone, what else is there? There is NO other explanation we have, and so nothing to entertain with, just a series of tricks.

Found out about the berglas effect yet?

Eshly wrote:

Psychics are dead. There is a reason Derren Brown regularly says he is NOT psychic, because it makes him more popular. If people knew he was infact faking his abilities, then he would not be able to perform at all.

Not really. In fact, there's a whole bloody TV station dedicated to nothing but psychics on Sky. It's called Psychic TV (creatively). I was talking to one of the guys that works on it last Saturday night. It appears that business is good. If the interest in psychics is dead, I'd like a bit of that death juju please. The reason Derren Brown says he is not psychic is because he wants to fool people into believing his body language/psychology angle.

Eshly wrote:Once the story of 'Its body language', or 'intuition' is gone, what else is there? There is NO other explanation we have, and so nothing to entertain with, just a series of tricks.

Erm.. of the top of my head: hypnotism, dark matter, voodoo/witchcraft, alien technology, time travel, techniques of the old time carnies, blah blah blah.

Eshly wrote:
Once the story of 'Its body language', or 'intuition' is gone, what else is there? There is NO other explanation we have, and so nothing to entertain with, just a series of tricks.

Ever heard of The Grey Man? He gives no explanations for what he does and simply allows the audience to make up their own minds.


On a similar note, what do others think of the work of Mr Escoffey?

There are lots and lots of ways that you can present mentalism as Paul has said. I personally like to make myself out to be a New Agey, hippy character getting my vibes from crystals and pendulums. You don't have to go down the psychology route, the possibilities are endless if you think about them.

themagicwand wrote:[ there's a whole bloody TV station dedicated to nothing but psychics on Sky

In fact, there are several other channels where 'live' psychics (it would be far more fun if they were dead!) will take your premium rate call and do readings for you. Add to that the 'Scooby-Doo' antics of Yvette Fielding and others in various forms of Most Haunted plus John Edward and his contemporaries and there are a hellova lot of 'paranormal' type programmes on UK TV one way or another. They must all be financially viable otherwise they'd swiftly be elbowed for something else.

Can I poınt out that Psychıcs are a bıllıon DOLLAR industry.

Notice the word dollar. I have never ever seen or heard of a psychic in Britain that did not live in a Caravan. (No offence to anyone who may live in a Caravan, but I hope you see my point)

In American 63% claim to believe the world is under 10,000 years old and the majority of people believe in Angels and UFO's. It is not hard to convince such people, as a society, of psychic phenomina.

I do wish we had a psychic or two here in Britain on tv, but if we do, I and my friends and family have never seen nor heard of him/her. It seems to me that if you call you'reself a psychic in Britain, people WILL want to heckle and expose you, and you will not be as popular as you could be with the 'psychological' explanation route. The psychological route has another advantage, in that people THINK they know the explanation, and so do not go looking for exposure. Its lovely when in a pub I have a cockey bloke who saw Derren Brown who is trying to convince his friends I am tricking them with subtle wording. And yet no one I know of has ever heard of John Edward.


While it is possible to be a psychic in Britain, I cannot think of a sucsessful psychic in Britain. I also dislike the idea of calling myself psychic, as I am very skeptical myself onjust about everything.





EDIT:

I have been accused of a lack of imagination for agreeing with Paul Stockman in that, if the Psychological explanation is removed, then there is nothing left that is mysterious for the British; we are too intelligent and synical to believe in the psychics, and if we see someone just performing tricks without any explanation, our first stop is google.


May I ask, if I have such a lack of imagination, then what route would you take which does not fit into one of those three catagories?

Eshly wrote: I cannot think of a sucsessful psychic in Britain.

Uri Geller? Not British of course, but lives and has made his home in England.

Derek Acorah & Colin Fry? Not psychics technically, but mediums.

Mystic Meg for crying out loud.

These people are as succesful (if not more so) than Derren Brown.

Eshly wrote:
May I ask, if I have such a lack of imagination, then what route would you take which does not fit into one of those three catagories?

I would suggest you use either "the techniques of old time Carnies" or "mass hypnosis" or claim that putting your volunteers into a hypnotic state of mind allows them to access the creative part of their mind, which then allows them to succesfully divine the number etc.

My current interest is in Project Stargate. Miles of scope there. But you'll have to do your research. It isn't hard - just put "Project Stargate" into Google.

Eshly wrote: I have never ever seen or heard of a psychic in Britain that did not live in a Caravan. (No offence to anyone who may live in a Caravan, but I hope you see my point)

Ooh, I'm on a roll!

http://www.psychic-tv.com/

http://www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/mosthau ... ex-new.php

http://www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/living- ... e-dead.php

http://www.davidwells.co.uk/

http://www.threemediums.co.uk/

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 799599.ece

Please note: I do not endorse mediumship and/or psychic ability.

I do already claim to use 'the techniques of victorian psychics' in addition to body language to explain my stunts, this allows me to do all tricks, including such things as a seaonce if I wished.

But there are limits on what people will believe, BEFORE they go and try and find the real methods.

Eshly wrote:I do already claim to use 'the techniques of victorian psychics' in addition to body language to explain my stunts, this allows me to do all tricks, including such things as a seaonce if I wished.

Any videos of any of this?

Eshly wrote:
But there are limits on what people will believe, BEFORE they go and try and find the real methods.

Let them try and find the methods all they want. Just because some guy on the internet says its done by having a swa*i doesn't mean that's how you do it. People may say to me "Oh it's all just cold reading isn't it?" I reply that yes, maybe some people can get away with cold reading, but as you've just experienced, what happens with me goes a lot deeper than just mere cold reading. They then nod sagely and agree. I'm lying of course. It's cold reading. But why should they know that? And they have no idea what cold reading really is.

Same with a na*l wri*er. Them: "You're not using a na*l wri*er are you?" Me: "Oh, I've heard of those! Must be very difficult to use though! No, as you can see, nothing funny on my thumb at all."

People will believe anything. Ask Hitler or P.T.Barnum. I think the real problem is that you doubt your own abilities and suspect that you will be found out. Lose the fear.

tell me this, when/if you perform for someone, be it at a bus stop, a toilet or a morgue - if you tell them your explanation of what you can do before you do anything, and make it interesting...you can perform in any style you choose...as long as you are consistent...

you can define things on your own terms...

we can't help with anyone's lack of imagination or anything else though...you have to find your own inspiration somewhere...rather than do something 'cos someone else told you to...it shouldnt work like that...

watch films, read books, research online...

the problem with the psychological route in the way a lot of people go with, if you think about it logically it doesnt make any sense at all...if you can duplicate someone's drawing "cos you've studied 1000s upon 1000s of random drawings people have made and by instantly defining someone's character, you know what they're going to draw..."

then all you're really saying is..."I'm playing the averages"

Eshly, have you ever delved much into the occult or New Age circles? There are many, many people in this country who work as full time psychics, I've got two friends who do and do rather well out of it. I also think that you'd be amazed at how many people do believe or at least accept the possibility of the existance of psychic ability.

I don't know why you think that everyone's out to figure out your methods. Some people will buy the psychic story and some people wont but whatever they believe 99% of people will take it for what it is and that's entertainment. People aren't out to expose methods like some people seem to think, most of them really couldn't care less.

i would also say that people should be coming to see "you", and not the big wooden box you may perform an illussion with...

you can tell the same story in many different ways...