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by **themagicwand** » Oct 16th, '11, 00:07

ej16 wrote:Mentalism withot a gimmick. Where. If anyone does find mentalism without a gimmck please get in touch

Thanks
Ej16

www.readerofminds.co.uk

by **TonyB** » Oct 17th, '11, 00:27

I always disliked the Grey Elephants in Denmark thing, ever since I first encountered it (in an editorial in Ring Magazine by legendary boxing writer Bert Sugar). I just thought it was way too obvious.

Then two years ago I was asked to perform at a charity auction for a cancer charity. Unfortunately I was performing in Lapland the same day, so I faxed in instructions to the MC, who read them live as they came through the fax machine. We did the Elephant in Denmark. I thought it was a bit of a joke, and included plenty of irony and gags in the faxes I was sending. But the audience loved it, and it got a great reaction.

Two months later I was home and working as a consultant on a play about a wannabe magician. I had limited time to train the actor, and we needed something extra. In the pub one night I did Elephants and the director loved it. So we wrote it into the play, and night after night it was one of the best bits in the play.

There is a lesson there. We might all look down our noses on it, but our audiences know less than us, and love it.

Having said that, my favourite propless bits are still palm reading and impromptu hypnosis, which I find people are fascinated by.

by **jon_kent** » Oct 17th, '11, 08:40

Just to agree with the above post i disliked any of these tricks that involved maths as i thought it was obviously fixed by all the adding and multiplying but since i tried this a few days ago after reading it i've had some great reactions with this.

Works well if you txt it to your mates as well lol

by **mark lewis** » Oct 17th, '11, 10:09

Odd that nobody has even mentioned contact mind reading. Oddly enough I contributed to a very important book on the subject which is quite remarkable considering that I know nothing about it. It is amazing, however, what you can do with a bit of research. Mind you the chances of said book being published seems to get slimmer every day. Still, I recommend contact mind reading as you won't get a lot of competition with it.

As for the centre tear I cannot agree with the negativity regarding it. I do it and find it perfectly effective and even remarkable. I do have a reason to take back the billet and tear it up but I don't think it matters a toss if you don't. I always roll my eyes at magicians who think you always have to have a reason for everything. You don't, except on the odd occasion and this isn't one of them. I have also seen Paul Pacific make good use of it and he always seems to stun people with it. He has a reason for the writing and tearing but I don't think it matters a toss if he didn't.

by **UndergroundSvengali** » Oct 17th, '11, 22:44

playing with Confabulation effects never fails.

by **Craig Browning** » Oct 18th, '11, 14:51

TonyB wrote:I always disliked the Grey Elephants in Denmark thing, ever since I first encountered it (in an editorial in Ring Magazine by legendary boxing writer Bert Sugar). I just thought it was way too obvious.

Then two years ago I was asked to perform at a charity auction for a cancer charity. Unfortunately I was performing in Lapland the same day, so I faxed in instructions to the MC, who read them live as they came through the fax machine. We did the Elephant in Denmark. I thought it was a bit of a joke, and included plenty of irony and gags in the faxes I was sending. But the audience loved it, and it got a great reaction.

Two months later I was home and working as a consultant on a play about a wannabe magician. I had limited time to train the actor, and we needed something extra. In the pub one night I did Elephants and the director loved it. So we wrote it into the play, and night after night it was one of the best bits in the play.

There is a lesson there. We might all look down our noses on it, but our audiences know less than us, and love it.

Having said that, my favourite propless bits are still palm reading and impromptu hypnosis, which I find people are fascinated by.

I actually produced an elephant at a fund-raiser one evening with a Danish flag draped across its' back and a huge map set on the interior of the box, it went over quite well (I still a recovering Illusionist back then).

I once had posted in this same thread the issue of Muscle Reading or more specifically, all modes of Ideomotor exploitation. Even now, a good number of the top performers in our craft use this method to a significant degree. It could be argued that this is the purest form of true Mentalism given the theatrical history of the stunt and how it gained in popularity; the combination of this, mnemonics, billets and swami with a hint of mesmerism is what Mentalism was well into the early years of the 20th century when Houdini's Inquisition became a big money game and more and more magicians started replicating the Spiritualists & Psychics by way of magic trick technology, most of which is what we call "Mental Magic" now days -- obvious trickery with a PSI/Parnormal-like theme.

About the only thing we could add to this original arsenal would be the Psychologically & Demographic based techniques that have been popularized since the 1970s by Max Maven, Kenton Knepper and later by Banachek. Fact is, these are methods that were known to and hinted at by the old timers but kept somewhat close to the vest. I have a couple of 1950s/60s manuscripts that refer to such things, which is well before Max or anyone else went into any kind of detail around the technique. Then again, I believe a couple of 20th century pioneers in human behavior and sociology were pointing out such things in around this mid-century era as well.

by **TonyB** » Oct 19th, '11, 01:50

You certainly went big on the Elephant bit!

I had certain ambitions when I began studying magic and mentalism. First was hypnotism, and I am happy with my progress there. Next was cold reading and Q&A. Significant progress has been made. The final two legs will be contact reading and a good two-person code. Then I can retire happy, with the show I dream of.

But nothing beats the immediate impact of a good reading. Whether it be one on one or on a stage, it is the best mentalism effect without a gimmick.

by **jkroll** » Oct 23rd, '11, 09:08

Ye old magic square, simple but effective and doesn't require a gimmick.

by **Lawrence** » Oct 23rd, '11, 09:22

1CR. Simple As!

by **Lord Freddie** » Oct 23rd, '11, 10:31

jkroll wrote:Ye old magic square, simple but effective and doesn't require a gimmick.

The Magic Square - leave your audience bored and unimpressed with a Suduko demonstration!
I have seen the vacant and unimpressed faces of an audience when they have been subjected to a Magic Square...
The only people that think this is in anyway entertaining are those that read books more than they perform to real people.

by **Lawrence** » Oct 23rd, '11, 10:39

Lord Freddie wrote:
jkroll wrote:Ye old magic square, simple but effective and doesn't require a gimmick.

The Magic Square - leave your audience bored and unimpressed with a Suduko demonstration!
I have seen the vacant and unimpressed faces of an audience when they have been subjected to a Magic Square...
The only people that think this is in anyway entertaining are those that read books more than they perform to real people.

You, in particular, would love 1CR and ILC; we should discuss.

by **Vanderbelt** » Oct 23rd, '11, 12:07

Lawrence wrote:
Lord Freddie wrote:
jkroll wrote:Ye old magic square, simple but effective and doesn't require a gimmick.

The Magic Square - leave your audience bored and unimpressed with a Suduko demonstration!
I have seen the vacant and unimpressed faces of an audience when they have been subjected to a Magic Square...
The only people that think this is in anyway entertaining are those that read books more than they perform to real people.

You, in particular, would love 1CR and ILC; we should discuss.

it's true, I think Freddie would wet his sequinned pants at the ILC

by **Lord Freddie** » Oct 23rd, '11, 12:37

Do tell more!!

by **Beardy** » Oct 23rd, '11, 13:18

Lord Freddie wrote:Do tell more!!

Trust me - it's right up your street!!!

by **Lawrence** » Oct 23rd, '11, 14:07

Beardy wrote:
Lord Freddie wrote:Do tell more!!

Trust me - it's right up your street!!!

Filth!

Freddie. PM me if you're interested in a sample!

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The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

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Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

Re: The best mentalism effect WITHOUT a gimmick.. EVER..?

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