The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual the difference between doing professional work versus just dabbling in mentalism. This is why the term "bold" is so important in mentalism. If there are two ways to do something, one bold, direct and right out in the open and the other hidden under a bunch of procedures designed to bury the secret, bold works better every time. It gets right to the point and is far more mysterious if you perform competently. There are no loopholes or gaps for the audience to fill in later if the effect is outlandishly direct. Therein lies the rub. You have to have nerves of steel to perform that kind of mentalism competently. That is the number one rule of the art that too many have forgotten and try to circumvent. 49
CHAPTER 10 WORKSHEET List all the parts of your show that might be confusing to the audience. Can they be simplified? 50
11 Composing Your Show My best advice for anyone designing their mentalism show is, after you have seen what others are doing, and absorbed what they have accomplished, forget about it! Start buying DVDs of movies, especially science fiction and fantasy films, that contain the extra features showing how the movie was designed and made. Then get yourself some paper and begin to make a storyboard of how you want your show to look. Decide first on how long you want your act to be. A one- hour show is by far the most common length. 99% of all my stage shows are that long. Then decide how many sections there should be in your show. Remember the golden rule: odd numbers work and even ones do not. I suggest following Tarbell's ageless advice and make your show into a five- part one (see The Tarbell Course in Magic, Volume 3, Lesson 34 - Routining a Magic Show) Next decide on what effects you want for each section of your show. Please, do not base this choice on available marketed items! Again, forget about that. That is why I advised studying extra feature discs for movies. Mentalism is an art and a craft. The art part is creating ideas that you believe would be mysterious and fantastic without any regard as to how to accomplish them. The craft part is making it happen. Challenge yourself to dream up exactly what you would do if you really were blessed with powers of ESP. Don't worry about the "how" part at this point - that will come later. Again, actually write down a script and draw up a sto51
Richard Osterlind ryboard showing the way you want your show to look including action pictures of you with your props, table(s) and other furniture, volunteers on stage showing their positioning, what you are wearing, and even pictures of how you will look holding up predictions, objects used, etc. Also note when you will bring people on stage, when you will take them off, if you are going to use any music or sound effects, when there will be laughs and certainly, above all else, note what kind of mood each section of the show should produce. This is exactly the procedure movie producers follow every day. An author composes a story with no limitations other than his imagination. Storyboards are then created to show how each step of the action should look. Then, the producers and technicians have to move in and devise ways to make the dream into a reality. Finally, the actors have to assume the roles and bring it all together. Just like movie making, the creation of magic and mentalism should follow this same procedure. After you have determined just what you want your show to look like and what you want to be able to accomplish, if you can find equipment on the market that fills the bill, great. If not, you have to set about creating it yourself. Let me assure you, if you can do that, the feeling of accomplishment you will gain will be worth the effort tenfold. I suspect that if you really follow this outline, you will be more likely to purchase utility props and hidden gimmicks rather than ready-made effects complete with routines. Understand, I am not saying that all the props you own and all the knowledge you have gained from reading books and watching DVDs is useless or invaluable - just the opposite. All of that was your education which hopefully extended into a post-graduate degree. Now you must take all of that knowledge and make your own movie. Your job is to create a new and different show that no one else has ever done and which fits you like a well-tailored suit. It may seem like a huge task in front of you that 52
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual might take months to complete, but it will be well worth it. Remember, if you do it right, you will have an act you can use the rest of your life. This procedure is exactly what I did some 35 years ago and the show I created is still the one I use today. Although I have changed bits and pieces over the years, and you should certainly expect to do that with your show, the basic outline and effects contained are the same. I have used it in every conceivable venue you could imagine. In the following chapter, I will give an overview of that show to explain the reasoning behind each part. This is my show, of course, and it fits me perfectly. You goal is to create your own. 53
CHAPTER 11 WORKSHEET Make a basic storyboard of your show. Use this as a guideline for a more detailed layout. 54
12 The Osterlind Show I have performed this act for over 35 years. With just a few minor changes, it appeared on Volume 1 of my Mind Mysteries DVD series. I later began my Guide Book series with a complete dissertation of most of the lines and actions contained in it. The DVD and book are still readily available. My purpose in discussing the act is not to seek accolades or show how clever I am. Rather I want to dissect it to show the type of thinking that went into creating it so that you can consider similar ideas as a possible guideline when fashioning your own show. The overall structure was based on the Kreskin/Dunninger type show. I chose that as a working model because of its success over many decades. The organization of the individual routines was designed around the Tarbell suggestions in "Routining a Magic Show:' The actual effects, although based on tried and proven routines, were still all original to a degree and the props were designed to fit the flavor of the act. Before beginning, I would just like to mention one important point. I walk into the audience a number of times during my show. Some advise against doing this. I disagree. A mentalism show is different than any other. It is the most interactive type of performance possible so it is natural to get closer to the audience than in other entertainments. I purposely try to break down the barrier between them and me. I want the show, even if it is in a huge auditorium, to feel like one big room. Most of the action does 55
Richard Osterlind take place on stage, but there is a small amount of spillover into the audience. From the audience standpoint, all that is seen on stage is a small table containing a blackboard, writing pad (ThoughtScan), some pencils, piles of small cards, envelopes and a magazine. The catalog case sits on the floor next to the table. The props are minimal. My first effect is my Bank Night routine. I chose this for a very specific reason. Just like late night comics come out and do an opening monologue to get things rolling and get some laughs, I wanted to come out on stage, have fun with the audience and get them to like me. I figured games are always entertaining. Think of the times you have been at some sort of meeting and they have a raffle. Everyone gets in a good mood and jokes around. The thought that there will be some winners embraces the entire audience and they are always cheerful. I wanted to start my show in a light-hearted manner and this seemed like the perfect way to do it. The structure of this show is like a carefully written novel. There will be many mood changes, lots of variety, and surprises. I am going to be on stage for an hour or more. There is no rush to get to a huge mystery. Bank Night allows me to come on stage and begin without having to ask for volunteers to join me. I never liked the idea of bringing someone up on stage at the beginning of the show. You are likely to meet with a lot more resistance that early on and, from a theatrical standpoint, it is far more effective to not share the stage for your first number. This opening routine gives the audience a chance to know who I am and appreciate my style of working. It is meant to portray me as clever, but friendly - sly, but likable. I appear to be trying to outwit the audience, but in a way that is obviously humorous and good-natured. All my lines are well rehearsed and there are a lot of small laughs. As the routine progresses, I encourage the action to take the 56
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual course of the old TV show "Let's Make a Deal" with the audience shouting out to the last contestant. I want fun, but controlled fun. All during the game, there is a lot of humor as I try to influence each person, but when I do win at the end, there is always a slight moan. Within moments, however, I leave the last member with four lottery tickets. That always gets a round of applause and instantly changes the mood. It tells the audience I am aware of how they feel and have planned out a much better ending than me simply winning. But then, when I tell her she can only keep one ticket and has to give away three of them, the mood changes again as the audience realizes it still is not over and I have left her with yet another choice! Besides getting a huge laugh, it tells the audience I am full of clever surprises and this now takes the action happening in the beginning of my show into the future! See, even though I have just started, the results are going to extend into the next day when the lottery drawing takes place. It leaves the feeling that I may be doing good things for somebody long after I am gone! It has the "flavor" of a mentalism show. I consider this to be a priceless routine! At the end of Bank Night, I go into the audience to stand right in front of my last contestant. I want to be in her face when I say, "I seem to be rather lucky when it comes to choosing these tickets. Last year, I gave away over $54,000 and, when I choose these numbers - I felt really good about one of them! Please give all my contestants a big round of applause!" This gets a huge laugh when I leave her standing there to decide which one to choose. Not only do I have a killer finish for the routine, but I am now standing in the audience. I use that opportunity, after the applause dies down, to suddenly turn to a man seated nearby and get him up on stage. It is the perfect segue into the second part of my show. There is no break in the action and there are no dead spots. Remember, ev57
Richard Osterlind ery minute you are on is still time. To leave places in your show where nothing is happening looks amateurish, but to routine your show so that everything flows smoothly, as demonstrated here, makes you look like the master of the situation. You are far more likely to keep total control of the audience when you seem to know exactly what you are doing every moment. I call for a round of applause for the man I chose as I lead him onto the stage. That makes two big applause cues within seconds of each other. Getting the audience used to applauding conditions them to do so throughout the show. They must be programmed to react spontaneously! My second routine is Card Calling. When I begin the segment, I talk about being banned from a number of casinos. Since Bank Night is almost a type of gambling routine, this makes perfect sense. I know the audience is wondering whether or not I am kidding about these casino stories. I don't really care if they believe me or not as I am setting the stage for another change in mood. As I said previously, I don't look upon Card Calling as a card trick. It is a pure demonstration of mind reading. The spectator grabs whatever cards he wants, I give the rest of the cards to an audience member to examine, I stand across the room with my back turned, have him mix the cards, concentrate and I name every card! To a lay person, those are impossible conditions and the fact that I not only call out the cards he is holding, but apparently the ones he chooses to randomly think of seems to leave no other explanation other than I can read his mind. I can tell you, after doing this for years, the mood of the audience instantly changes to one of, ''Are you kidding? Is this real?" I should make the point, to answer all those "green room" criticisms, the playing cards, even the jumbo-sized playing cards, are never called into question. They represent what is used in casinos and what I am doing represents the power to make a lot of money! The jumbo cards also give 58
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual me the opportunity to explain how some of my shows are in rooms seating over 4000 people. Little asides like that have a cumulative effect on building my prestige. By the time I am finished calling out all the cards, I can feel the audience looking at me with a new respect. They might have thought my whole show would be made up of games like Bank Night, but now they are realizing there is some serious stuff going on here. I dismiss the spectator back to his seat and retrieve the rest of the cards. They go right into my case. That ends my second segment. My Watch Routine comes next. I created this routine for a number of reasons. One of those was prop consideration. I wanted variety both in my effects. and props. Even if you do entirely different effects with the same items, such as pieces of cardboard, it gets boring. Every part of my show looks different. The Watch Routine allows me to talk about how I create my material and to name places I have performed. Again, I am trying to subtly tell the audience I am a pro and not some guy from down the street they brought in! Magicians often criticize Kreskin for too much name dropping. I don't think like that and I hope you don't either. He is the proven master and does what he does for a reason. I pay attention. Local guys can make fun of him while they make $200 a show once every two weeks and he makes $10,000 every night. Even though I designed this routine to be a little more involved, its plot is not at all complicated. One person thinks of a time, I read their mind, and then make another person stop turning a borrowed watch to the same time. It is easy to follow and doesn't tax the audience's attention in following a complex plot. (That last point is something a lot more mentalists should think about!) I like the staging of this number. By placing each lady on my left and right, the three of us can take up any size stage. I want you to stop and appreciate that for a moment. The size of your show does not mean how big your equip59
Richard Osterlind ment is. It is how you "use" the stage. In my first number, I am alone, reaching out to audience members. In the second routine, I have a man on stage with me and we are separated by some distance. It is bigger. For this number, I have two ladies flanking me on both sides, taking up most of the stage. See, each routine is getting bigger. That is by design. Also by total intent is the growing impossibility and latitude of every routine. In Bank Night, each participant has a very limited part to play - they simply pick a number. With Card Calling, the volunteer is given more leeway in choosing the cards and concentrating on them, but the routine still has short parameters for the spectator. With the Watch Routine, however, those conditions are greatly expanded. Person number one can choose whatever time she wants. There are no limitations. Likewise, person number two can stop spinning that face-down watch whenever she chooses - total freedom. The choices grow greater while the interaction between the spectators and performer becomes more intimate. The "texture" of the Watch Routine becomes one of more difficulty yet more personal at the same time. You might want to think of comparing the act so far with the way a well-written novel progresses and develops the main character. Like a good book, my first three routines are there not only to be entertaining, but to fully develop who I am as a performer. By the end of the Watch Routine, the audience has a pretty complete idea of what I am all about. If you have seen me do this routine live, or on a DVD, you know there is a lot of interaction and fun that goes on with my helpers, but I also want you to notice that at no time do I ever use suggestive language or take liberties with the two ladies. There are no double entendres or subtle sex talk that so many magicians and mentalists are fond of using. These performers do themselves more harm than they can imagine. Most of these guys don't even look sexy and 60
-The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual really deserve a slap in the face. A momentary laugh does not compensate for the deep resentment they create. That is why, so often, a volunteer will say to you, "You aren't going to embarrass me, are you?" It is pitiful. My next routine is ThoughtScan. This message reading act has been my bread and butter for most of my career. There is nothing stronger I could ever hope to do. For me, it is the epitome of mind reading. Because it is so strong, I am very careful in leading up to it. After the previous routine, when my two helpers have left the stage, I explain how most people find what I am about to do the most interesting and exciting part of my show. (That is true.) I then pass out the cards, pencils and envelopes to the audience to write down personal information. Instead of jumping into the act, which I could do immediately, I tell the audience I am going to try some simple psychological tests with all of them. I do just that with verbal tests involving playing cards, numbers and the like such as the 37/68 routine. Since I am not presenting these tests as some type of super-mental miracle, but rather just simple experiments, I don't act as though I am performing blockbuster effects. I take it lightly. I have to tell you, however, that simple as these routines are, worked on a large audience, the reactions can be far greater than you might imagine. Even though the choices are limited, it is great to watch how overwhelmed some people get! I often hear screams of, "Oh my God!" when they hit. The idea behind these tests is far more meaningful than simply a time killer to do the necessary work for ThoughtScan. It again changes the "texture" of the act. Suddenly, regardless of where anyone is located, I am now reaching out to them, not just the volunteers on stage. I can apparently influence them even while they are sitting in their seats in the back of the room. It is the perfect precursor to the ThoughtScan routine A more recent addition to my show is my now-famous 61
Richard Osterlind (infamous) snail joke! It is almost a moaner, but it really is quite clever. Those who have heard it will know what I am talking about, but the reason I want to discuss it is very, very important. I have just finished with my psychological tests. I announce that even some jokes are psychological and I have one. I tell them only half the people who hear it will actually get it! I then tell the joke and finish with the punch line. Some people start laughing right away, some after a second or two, and for some, it takes them about ten seconds to get it. It is very funny to see how long the intervals are and that becomes a funny bit itself as some people start laughing at the ones who took longer to understand it! But then, just as the laughter is dying down, I say something like, "By the way, who is thinking of the name Arnold?" and the I go right into my ThoughtScan act where I start calling out names, dates, numbers and other very personal information! Now let me ask you, have you ever been reading a novel and the storyline is nice and sweet, perhaps with the hero and his woman making tender love, and the chapter ends. You start reading the next and it begins with something like, "John didn't even know what hit him when the sniper round tore through his body! He was dead before he hit the ground!" It stuns you into an entirely different frame of mind. Novels and movies do this all the time. They bounce your moods around left and right. Stephen King is great for doing that kind of thing. That is the intent of the snail joke. I want to bring the audience back down from the mysteries they have been seeing to a normal state of mind. I want them to forget about me reading people's minds or sending thoughts into their heads. I want them to mellow out and let down their guard. Then, just like in a fine musical piece, where a slow section ends with a sweet, sustained chord that makes you 62
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual close your eyes and want to dream, only to be followed a second later by a thunderous chorus complete with tympani and trumpets that seems to shake the earth, I want to jolt my audience into a state of shock as I start telling anyone and everyone their most secret thoughts! The snail joke raises the level of my ThoughtScan act tenfold because if its counterbalance in the show. It is the adagio before the allegro; the comedy interlude before the battle scene. Do you understand now why I consider it to be as important as any of the actual routines? Having reached out to the entire audience with the previous psychological tests, they are conditioned to the idea I can hit on anyone at anytime. The feeling created with ThoughtScan is that I am telling people information they did and didn't write down. Since I am jumping around from one spectator to the next, choosing people in all parts of the room, every person is sitting there in anticipation of possibly being called next. About halfway through ThoughtScan, I will often go into the audience and continue by getting right in front of the people I am reading. Again, because they are in different parts of the room, I am often moving from one area to the next sometimes running as the excitement builds. It conveys the feeling I am being drawn to them as I pick up on their thoughts. The atmosphere becomes almost surrealistic as I dash from person to person, sometimes reading two at a time, and act as though I can hardly contain myself as their thoughts spill out of my mouth! It actually becomes physically exhausting for me by the time I really get into it. This fourth section of my show is obviously the most memorable. I won't say it is the most important as, I hope you can see by now, every part of the act is dependent on the rest, but ThoughtScan is, by far, the ultimate type of mind reading I can do. Nothing else comes as close to looking as pure. The length of this segment of my show can last as long at 15 minutes. 63
Richard Osterlind As I finish the last reading, I slide my ThoughtScan board into my case at the same time I am inviting a lady onto the stage with me for the last effect. Nothing else is left on the table except for the blackboard and magazine. I now come to the closer or fifth section of the act. Because no telepathic experiment can top ThoughtScan, I created a sort of prediction/mind control effect with my Magazine Test. I make a prediction on the other side of my blackboard. The lady freely selects a page in a magazine. I have her put the magazine behind her back and draw a circle somewhere on the page. I ask her to bring it forward and name the word she has targeted. She hesitates and then names a word. At my prompting, she admits she changed her mind from another word. I then turn around the blackboard and show that I not only got the word she chose, but the other word she almost chose. There seems to be no way I could possibly have known that and the audience is always stunned. You can see it on Mind Mysteries and on the promotional video on my website. Some of the attributes of this routine are that the test uses a different prop - a magazine. It is the only "book test" in my show. It is also the only test of precognition. I use the back side of the blackboard I had used for the watch routine. It shows the audience that once again, I have everything carefully planned out including even how much space I will need to write on. The blackboard has two sides and I use it twice. For this last number, I go back to having just one person help me. It is easy to handle that staging and keep the effect very direct. At the end, after I finish, I can quickly send her back to her seat during the applause. As she walks off, I drop my blackboard into my case, turn and give my thank you to the group over the applause. The clapping is still going on and the amazement is still sinking in from the Magazine Test so, standing there, with my arms outstretched, I usually get a standing ovation. 64
-The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual And, as you can see, the only thing left on stage is my case, which I can actually grab as I walk off. The feeling I want to leave the audience with, at the end of the entire show is, "Is there anything this guy can't do? I thought I had seen everything, but now this is even more amazing!" The Magazine Test is meant to be the final convincer. If there was any thought before that somehow this is all a trick, this wipes that away. If people have been trying to theorize what mental abilities, such as telepathy or clairvoyance, I might have, the Magazine Test clouds up even that line of thought. There is no solution. That is why I designed it to be my closer and why it has been for over 35 years. When I sat down to put this act together, I had no idea where it would go and what effects I would create. I had a basic overview of what I wanted, but it was only when I began putting it down on paper did the particulars start to fall into place. The action of writing it all down clarified in my mind how it would look. Drawing up the storyboards gave me ideas on what type of equipment I would need, where I should keep it, and how I needed to ditch it. Drawing in the spectators showed me what kinds of routines I needed to get the right number of people involved. Seeing pictures of the props told me what to look for in variety and seeing myself drawn holding up a blackboard showed me where I needed to stand and where I needed to position my helpers on stage. I hope you can now appreciate how much thought went into creating this show. I wanted to point out all the different aspects of staging, tempo, mood changes, stagecraft and audience control that make the act foolproof and professional. I want you to see how things that look spontaneous were actually carefully crafted to achieve the maximum effect. There is no part of it I have not thought about time and time again, for many years, trying to improve. I hope I have given you many thoughts to consider as you build your own show. 65
CHAPTER 12 WORKSHEET List the effects in your own show and determine if they create an interesting plot. Be aware of mood, staging, audience appeal, degree of difficulty and theatrical professionalism. 66
13 Be Careful of Who You Take Advice From I can assure you that if you are in this business any length of time, you will be offered all kinds of advice from many different people. Some of it will be great advice, some of it not. When I was first starting out in my career, I had a number of magicians warn me not to take up mentalism because it was too boring and I would never get any work. Another magician later told me not to become a full-time performer because I didn't have what it takes. Still another one warned me that I shouldn't sign with the manager who later took me all over the world doing corporate shows. On the other hand, that very manager, who almost never offered me any suggestions, once said to me, "You know, Richard, when you do that mind reading thing of yours, why don't you have the people in the audience stand up so that everyone else can see them?" Now that was great advice! When I think back, with just a few notable exceptions (like Art Emerson), almost all the best advice I ever got came from non-magicians. If you really want to get a handle on what is important in a show, I would suggest you make every attempt to see other types of entertainment as often as you can. Live theater, Broadway shows, variety shows and concerts are just a few. Try to talk to the people involved in these productions and ask what is important to them. Chances are you will get valuable advice that you would never hear from magicians or other mentalists. 67
Richard Osterlind I also make it a point to ask businessmen I meet whether they ever go to meetings and what kind of entertainment they have at those events. I find out the kind of act they saw, how long the show was, how entertaining it was, and other particulars. I also inquire about legitimate speakers such as sports figures, politicians, authors and other talent they might have seen. See, this is my real competition, not other mentalists. I learn a lot from this feedback about how the business world works and what they like. If you want to be a professional, you have to hang out with professionals. Just being in the company of people who are at the top of their game will teach you all kinds of important rules about success. Perhaps the most important is - there is no room for nonsense. These people's time is so valuable to them they can't afford to waste it. They need to be constantly productive and that is a good lead to follow. If you compare that to the amount of drivel that goes on in the magic community, the contrast is stunning. Think of how much time some magicians spend posting on the magic forums when they could be doing something creative. Meeting planners are also great to spend time with. All they care about is that your act is good and appropriate for their client. After that, it is all business. Advice will come flying your way a mile a minute about the really important stuff needed in succeeding, not what type of nail writer you use. Another reason to stay clear of magicians is because of jealousy. If you have any success at all, there will be some who will put you down or try to steal your work. You will never get any helpful advice from someone who thinks they deserve success more than you. Other types of entertainers, on the other hand, don't look at you as competition and will be much more sincere. Always listen to the lay audience and understand what they are saying. Remember, to us in the business, it seems as though magicians and mentalists are everywhere. The real fact is the average person has probably never seen a 68
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual mentalism show in his life. He may never have even seen a live magic show. All the news that seems important to us in the magic community is nonexistent for them. It means nothing. That helps you to put things in perspective. After all is said and done, you have to let your own feelings guide you. Only you can know what you want for yourself and the right path to achieve it. Once you are sure of your goals, look for those who have achieved similar ones and learn from them. 69
CHAPTER 13 WORKSHEET List good advice and bad advice you have received in your professional career. 70
14 Do Mentalism for the Right Reason The reason I got into mentalism was The Amazing Kreskin. When I was a young man, he was everywhere on television. He had his own series. He was a guest on Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Johnny Carson and a host of other shows. I fell in love with what he was doing! One time, he might ask a person to put objects on facedown cards and they matched what was printed on them. Another time, someone put colored balls in glasses and the same color sticker was on the bottom of each glass. He once controlled what key to pick to open a lock from a phone booth, in the freezing cold, miles from the studio. And, of course, the personal readings he gave on each show were absolutely spectacular! I loved all the different possibilities in demonstrating mentalism. The plots and methods were wonderful and I wanted to do that myself. I was already performing as a magician and was becoming quite successful. I had my weekly Marriott gig. I was also doing two or three stag parties a week and some corporate work and private parties. However, I made up my mind to become a mentalist and only a mentalist. When I was ready, I did it overnight. It was not easy. Clients had booked me to do magic and now I was suddenly a mentalist. I had to convince them to give me a chance with this new show. At the Marriott, I suddenly had to figure out how to begin doing mentalism at tables when so many people who came every week loved 71
Richard Osterlind my magic. Guys running stag parties had to be persuaded to still hire me. Mentalism was relatively unknown back then and many clients thought I might come in and be a fortune teller! Time and time again, I had to explain what my new act was like and why it would be wonderful. All I could do was plow through the change and deal with each situation as it arose. I never went the mentalism route because I thought I could make more money performing. I never changed my act so that I wouldn't have to carry around large props. I didn't do it so that people would look upon me with awe and even a little fear. I did it because I grew to love mentalism! I love all aspects of the art itself, not what it can do for me or my career. I was like a person who likes pop music suddenly discovering jazz and really falling in love. I am telling you this because, over the last few years, I have been lecturing at magic clubs and conventions. I am meeting many people who want to become mentalists. Some of them, however, want to do it for the very reasons I have just outlined above. They think they can make more money. They want to be able to walk in with just a small case. They want to look and act like a person with superhuman powers that everyone will admire. They want to become mentalists for all the wrong reasons! Look, it is hard enough to make a living as any type of entertainer. Without sounding egotistical, I am a pretty smart guy. I could easily have gone into a lot of other fields to have a steady job, have my health insurance paid for, gotten a retirement fund, and all the rest. Instead, to this day, I have to work constantly at my business. Nothing is guaranteed and every day presents new challenges. It is not always an easy life. The only reason I still do it, after over 40 years, is that I am still in love with mentalism! The only reason anyone should ever become a mentalist is for love of the art. Therein lays a lot of the problems in today's world. Magic has become big business. People write books, invent 72
-- The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual tricks, and make videos just to make money. There is nothing wrong with that if your initial goal is to create great material and then sell it for a reasonable price. However, if you set out just to make money and that is your only objective, you are selling out your art. There is no love there and you can't ever hope to do anything meaningful. Please examine your motives. I am not trying to tell anyone what to do, but I can assure you, if you aren't doing mentalism because you love it, you will never be really happy. It will just be another job. 73
CHAPTER 14 WORKSHEET Write a short essay explaining why you do mentalism. 74
15 Make It Look Real As you can tell from the last chapter, I am very passionate about mentalism. I literally eat, sleep and live thinking about it. So understand, when I voice a criticism, I am not directing it to any particular person, but rather to what is done to the art itself. For instance, if I loved classical music and heard an orchestra play a great piece badly, I would be upset. Knowing how wonderful it should sound, it would offend my sensibilities. Likewise, if I see mentalism performed poorly, it makes me cringe knowing that something that could have been so good was ruined. The biggest mistake I see poor mentalists make all the time, and some of these people are supposedly pros, is to not act out their character properly. They seem to have no realization of what they are supposedly doing. Instead, they just go through the steps without any regard for realism. Now, some may say that each entertainer has his own character. I say no! If an actor does a bad job with his acting, no one would ever say, "It's OK. That's his character'.' Bad is bad - period! There is a right way to act like you are mad. There is a right way to act like you are happy. There is a right way to act like you are surprised and there is a right way to look like you are getting a thought. It may be different for each person, but a director in a movie would certainly know whether or not an actor was conveying the emotion he is supposed to be feeling. How often have you seen a mentalist tell someone to think of a word and then start running through the alpha75
Richard Osterlind bet, A, B, C, D, E, F, etc., and then say, "OK. You are thinking D;' without even seeming as though he was working? Or, have you watched a mentalist ask someone to think of a number and then immediately pick up a blackboard and write something down without so much as a twinge in their face or a look of concentration? When did they get the thought? How did they get the thought? Do you think a director in a play would be happy with that acting? If you want to know the way a real actor would look playing the part of a mentalist, you can easily see. Take out your copy of The Great Buck Howard. Go to the end where Buck finds his money the second time after being examined by the doctors. Study John Malkovich's face and actions as he moves through the crowd. His acting is stunning and the drama is intense. Look at his movements and expressions. You can almost feel him thinking. It is an incredible lesson. That is how a great actor plays the part of a mind reader! Please try this exercise. Try to remember what you had for dinner four nights ago. Really do it. I'll wait. Did you crease your brow and look around as you first figured out what day of the week that was? Then, did you look up or down or both as you tried to remember what you were doing that day and where you were? Did you frown a bit or squint while thinking? Finally, did you change your expression and relax as you pieced everything together including remembering what you ate? If someone were studying your face during this little test, wouldn't your expressions have told a story? If you can go through all that to simply recall something that happened a few days ago, how much more should your face show if you were plucking someone's inner thoughts out of the air? Don't you think that action should look awesome? Your acting can work wonders in your performances. Let me tell you there have been plenty of times, when I was working a trade show, that I had skeptics approach me. Perhaps some young lady was dragged over by her friends 76
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual telling her, "This guy will read your mind!" I would begin my center tear with this person sporting a big smirk on her face. I would ignore that expression and stare into her eyes, burning in the fact that I was delving into her skull. I would see that sneer slowly dissolve away as I intently peered into her very brain. The grin would be gone by the time I finally called out the name she had written. Their mouth dropped open and a stunned look replacing the mocking expression. You can only do this if you really believe in what you are doing and act it out to the hilt. That ability is worth more to you than learning 100 new peeks. You see, this kind of thinking is the true secret of mentalism. 77
CHAPTER 15 WORKSHEET List examples of professional actors you admire and how you can use those skills in your show. 78
-16 It's All About Perception D o you like the cover of this book? Does it look like a real Army field manual? When we decided on the title for this book, and a unique theme to use, I went to my local Army store to see what real field manuals looked like. They didn't look anything like this book. Most were a simple tan color with limited printing that could have been the instructions for a new lawnmower. We searched the Internet and found a lot of pictures, but not one that had the camouflage look. Neither did any have the type of lettering that we thought looked like what a field manual should have. Even the "weave'' of the cover is really in the printing, not the material. To the average person, however, this book looks more like an Army field manual than a real Army field manual! That is what mentalism is all about. Often, if you actually did things in the fairest manner possible, it wouldn't play well theatrically. Stage mentalism needs to have the proper drama, timing, and routining to be effective. Realism is only as real as the audience perceives it to be real. Real is not an absolute in our business. Some mentalists act as if it were important to get every single detail in their effects so perfect they could be tested at Duke University. They worry about the most foolish things. In my Bank Night routine, after three people have opened their envelopes and it is down to me and one last person, I say, "Sally, do you realize what has just happened here? Your chances of having the $100 bill in your envelope have just increased from 20 percent to 50 percent - but so 79
Richard Osterlind have mine!" I get a great laugh and people think that is very clever. Would you believe a thread started on the Magic Cafe debating whether or not that statement was mathematically correct? I couldn't believe it! I wanted to scream, "Are you crazy?" Another time, a person criticized my Alpha Mental Routine because of the prediction ending. His argument was that, if at the end of the routine, I prove I knew where they would cut the paper, then the earlier choice of words would have been known to me and so it was really not that effective. Again, what are they thinking? Take a look at the routine on the Live Without a Net! DVD and see how it plays for yourself Does anyone really believe an audience reasons that way? Given the "half factor" discussed earlier, you are lucky if they even get the whole plot. That is why it is so necessary to be direct, even if at times, like the cover of this book, you are better off to create the perception of reality rather than the actual reality. Neither is it necessary to try to tie up every loose end in your show. Let me direct you again to one of my favorite topics, the bonus discs of movies. There is often a "deleted scenes" section. When you watch these cuts, they are usually very good and would seem to be important to the movie. The producers, however, cut them out because they didn't move the plot along or they convoluted the action. As a matter of fact, far more footage shot in most movies winds up on the cutting room floor than what ends up on the screen. The final perception is all that matters. How often have you read "insightful" remarks such as, "Why do they have to write something down?" or "No one uses slates anymore:' or "I don't use playing cards because they will think I am a magician:' or "No one believes you can really read their mind:' I could go on and on. Yet, the perception of the audience at the end of a professionally-presented mentalism show is that guy on stage can really read minds! 80
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual As long as your effects are powerful and straight to the point, a whole lot of procedure will be accepted along the way and even forgotten after the climax. If you can look into a person's eyes and tell them their mother's maiden name or hold up a large blackboard and show the same word on it as the one a spectator circled in a magazine behind their back, that is what they will remember. You did it! In mentalism, the result far outweighs the road to getting there. No mentalism routine is absolutely flawless and there are always trade-offs using different approaches. A purist may say the best way to do a book test is to hand over a book and tell the person to open it anywhere and think of a world. Then the mentalist names the word. As far as I know, there is no method available that will accomplish that test exactly as described. The closest way to achieve it might be the MOABT. Even with that, there are a few wrinkles to get over such as restricting the size of the word chosen and knowing another important piece of information. All mentalism secrets have some snags to deal with. Still, it is a great routine and, with the proper presentation, it seems to accomplish the goal. The key word here is "seems:' Frankly, any good book test, performed with a high degree of skill, will seem to accomplish that goal. A good presentation of the Hoy Book Test will do so as well as Larry Becker's Flashback and a host of others. They all leave the impression that if a volunteer simply thinks of a word in a book, you can read their mind and name it. Again, that is all that matters. Instead of striving to find some incredible new method to perform the perfect book test, the mentalist would be much better advised to make any of the current book tests perfect! The wonderful thing about creating and performing mentalism is the ability to take mundane reality and turn it around, flip it, and play with it to change it into the reality you need. That is the real skill we all need to master. 81
Richard Osterlind It's achievable because, as a theatrical entertainer, you have control of the conditions of your act and the way you present it. You need to prove everything is fair and leave no doubt that you aren't cheating. That opens up a world of possibilities. Take the Hoy Book Test, for instance. Instead of assuming the method is restrictive, you need to turn it to your benefit and the believability of the routine. Your line of reasoning might be something like, "I need you to open to any page in that book, but some of you might think the page number could somehow be psychological and that something I said might lead you to think of a certain number. I want to ensure that the page is totally random and also make sure you might not turn to a page you had seen before or look for a particular page for one reason or another. To be fair, it has to be random! So, I will take another book, look away, and flip through it. When Jane tells me to stop, whatever page number she stops at will be the one we use. That way, no one could know it ahead of time and there is no way I could have set anything up:' Continuing, to get them to think of the first word, or last, or whatever, you might say, "OK, page 197. Open your book there. I need you to concentrate on just one word. Let's use the last word on the page because it will be easier for you to just look at that one and not anything below if' If you present these words with authority, and true belief in what you say, the audience won't even question your logic. You can manipulate any procedure with the excuse of making it totally fair, or random, to help the volunteer concentrate better or any other reason you can dream up. An extreme of this strategy can be seen on my Mind Mysteries DVD where I perform the Test Conditions Card Trick. That is an absurdly simply idea made into an impossible mental miracle because of the presentation. Many magicians and mentalists were stunned by that effect when the series first came out. Every part of the routine seems devised to can82
-The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual eel out any solution, but it is the very action of making the effect "test conditions" that opens the door to the solution. You have to have the ability to see a problem from different angles and deal with it. Effects that try to be "too pure" are often extremely limited in the final outcome. A trick that relies on clever word games to direct the spectator verbally may only lead to a very limited choice that does not play as being very spectacular. The audience might even possibly think it was just a clever guess. On the other hand, a more traditional method that relies on a switch, peek, or other standard mentalism tool can lead to a culmination that is totally impossible from the audience's standpoint. Again, result far outweighs method and, if the audience perceives the effect to be pure, it is. 83
CHAPTER 16 WORKSHEET What do people say you did in your show? Is it accurate? List ways to improve what they perceive. 84
17 They Will Remember What They See Years ago, when I was doing table work at the Sunday brunch at the Farmington Marriott in Connecticut, a businessman and his wife had really enjoyed my performance. At the end, I handed him a business card. He responded, "Thank you, but I don't think my company can hire you. All our meetings are big with over a hundred people and they have a big stage. They could never see what you do:' I was a bit taken back and then went on to explain that I had another act for exactly that kind of stage show and I would be an appropriate entertainment, but it taught me a very important lesson. People will remember what they see and think that is all you do. We are all so used to the different aspects of our business that we take for granted things we shouldn't. We know, for instance, that even though a working magician might have a kids' show, he almost always has a different show for adults and we assume everyone should realize that. Don't! A lay person is very apt to think, after seeing The Amazing Jake at a children's birthday party, that Jake would come in and do the same show for the officers from U.S. Bank and Trust! That would not be beneficial for Jake's business. If you sometimes work at comedy clubs, where the normal language of the acts can be quite vulgar and offensive, before you fall into that category yourself, you should be very aware of the fact the audience will take for granted that 85
Richard Osterlind is the way you always talk. A potential client sitting in the club might very well put you down as inappropriate for any event he might need entertainment for. Worse yet, word might get back to booking agents and meeting planners that you work dirty. It is up to you, but long ago, I realized I could be seriously hurting my career with any bad language and so, I never work blue, regardless of my surroundings or the way everyone else was behaving - either the acts or the audience! No one will ever take offense that you don't swear, but some will because you do. Why would you not play the odds? The same holds true with the type of act you present. I know a lot of entertainers have a magic show, a mentalism show, a hypnotism show, and on and on. What you do is your business, but I know for a fact that anyone seeing you at one performance will think that's all you do. What's more, the better you do it, the more that idea will get locked in. The very thing you work so hard to achieve - a good show - makes it more likely they will think that act is your specialty and what you do best. For myself, I only do mentalism and hypnotism and I only do the hypnotism show as an adjunct to my mentalism show. I never do it alone and only perform it as the second part of a two-hour show. I do not want to be known as a hypnotist only. That is not my gig. I am a mentalist. There is still more to consider. There's an old saying that an amateur does a lot of effects for the same audience while a professional does a few effects for a lot of audiences. Here is an add-on to that thought. A professional can only do his "/\' material since that may be the only material his audience sees. Since a pro is mainly concerned about getting work, every performance, regardless of where or when, could be a showcase. Why would you want to risk harming your reputation doing subpar work? I am very careful about what routines I do for anyone. Gone are the days when I would throw in a new trick I just 86
-The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual learned in order to do something different. I always make good and sure that any new material I perform is of the highest caliber and as good as anything already in my act. I hope you now see the importance of what I spoke about earlier about working surrounded and being able to transition from a close-up show into stage material. If I am doing a show, and the group builds to a larger crowd, I don't want to try to entertain them by stretching closeup material into something it's not. How can that be good? If it is a stage-sized audience, then I suddenly need to do stage material. And, not just any stage material, but my best stage material. Why would I want anyone to see anything less than my best? Imagine you were somehow transported back in time for one hour to be at a performance by Max Malini. How amazing would that be? What would you want to see? How would you feel if you didn't get to see him produce a block of ice from under his hat? How would you feel if all he did was sponge balls before you were whisked back to present time! Even the thought of that sounds absurd. Why do you think Malini went to such elaborate lengths to be able to perform his masterpiece anywhere and at any time? How often would he walk around with that block of ice hanging off his back under his good coat, dripping and probably making him freeze for an hour or more? How much work went into getting the ice secretly set up in the first place? What about paying off some local boy to get it for him and then keep quiet? Would you go through those kinds of gyrations for your act? Malini was a pro. He thought of himself as the greatest magician in the world. He knew that people expected him to be the best at all times and he gave it to them. Bert Reese is another of my favorite legends. Like Malini, he traveled around the world to perform for presidents, kings, and the most prestigious people, including famous scientists such as Thomas Edison. There are many stories of 87
Richard Osterlind skeptics trying to debunk him. He never shied from a challenge and was always ready to show what he could do, and that was always his best. When you consider that he gained this kind of fame using a few pieces of paper and the oneahead principle, it has to give you pause. Can you imagine the nerves of steel Reese must have had? Another important consideration for a professional is the logicality of his show. If you can look into a person's eyes one moment and just name their thought, why would you have to go through a long series of steps later to achieve similar results? That doesn't make much sense. I am very aware of this factor and that explains why I construct my effects the way I do. I always loved Ray Grismer's What's My Sign, but I had trouble dealing with the anagram questioning for one person after I had just done something direct like my center tear. That's why I developed my Zodiac Revolution. It seemed logical to me that if I were trying to guess six people's zodiac signs simultaneously, a few questions would seem reasonable in order to sort out all these different thoughts. The degree of difficulty in this case is the number of people I am using, not the latitude of the information. Then, getting one person's exact birthday at the end of the routine completes the impossibility. Likewise, in my Alpha Mental Plus, it is the kicker at the end that explains the logic for doing it at all. In this case, the type of questioning is not really that far removed from directness, but if getting the word were all I did, I wouldn't do the routine. It would lack the punch of the rest of my show. The killer ending makes up for it. Clip Line is one of the most direct effects in all of mentalism. So, for me, the ending justifies a bit of diversion leading up to it. There is a mindset that will handle all of what we talked about in this chapter. Every time you perform, treat it as if it were the most performance of your life! I don't care if you are doing something new for your wife, a quick effect 88
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual for a friend at lunch, or giving a children's message at your church. Do it with absolutely everything you have to offer. Act like you are auditioning for a television special or for a show paying you millions of dollars. Just do your best! There is a huge side benefit for listening to this advice. I know that often, in the past, I would get a new idea or read a new effect and want to try it out right away. I didn't put enough thought into it or didn't practice the moves enough or didn't block it out correctly and therefore blew it. Then, I got discouraged and walked away from a potentially great effect. Don't ever do that. Besides making yourself feel miserable because of a failed performance, you will be learning how to be bad. If you can condition yourself to put in the time, thought and effort beforehand, you will be much more careful about actually performing new material. You will give it the professionalism all your work should have. 89
CHAPTER 17 WORKSHEET List those effects you consider to be your strongest. Are you always ready to do them? 90
18 Theatrical Distance This is always a very touchy subject. I want to give you the very best advice I can here as this matter can make or break your career. You will find, if you haven't already, that with all your hard work in promoting yourself (the website, business cards and brochures, promotional videos, and even live auditions in offices), what will bring you the work - and the best work - are your personal relationships with your clients. When I look back and think of whom I have hobnobbed with - top politicians (even a president!), sports stars, TV personalities, movie stars and CEO's of major corporations - I am amazed. I am even more amazed to think they wanted to be with me as much as me with them. After all, we mentalists are very special people who anyone would want to call a friend! You develop personal relationships with your clients. It is this kind of relationship that makes a person in power say to their meeting planner, get me Richard Osterlind for this company party. I want him! When that happens, you are in like Flint. There is no competition, no power trips from underlings, no fuss and no problems. It is golden. This situation can be instantly reversed, however, if you say or do the wrong things. You might be the boss's best friend, but you can jeopardize that status if you don't follow a few rules. Maintain your theatrical distance. You are a show business star. No matter how friendly you are with your client, 91
Richard Osterlind you are part of a world he is not. That means it is a real good thing not to eat dinner before the show with him or the rest of the company. Stars don't eat in front of their audiences. They don't eat, go to the bathroom, fix their hair, or any other normal human things the rest of humanity does. They are stars. If they do these types of things, they do so in some invisible, private world behind the scenes. (If you have to go, ask one of the waiters or hotel managers where the restroom is!) Stars never talk about anything too personal with their client. They don't share their political or religious views, they certainly never mention how much money they have, how big a house they live in, or what kind of car they drive. Stars only talk in very basic ways about their families and private lives to the client. General information like having a loving wife and beautiful children is fine, but stars cannot discuss any personal problems, tragedies, or conflicts of any sort. They cannot voice any disappointments in their lives or ever talk about failures. Stars absolutely never ask clients for any type of favor. As close as you may feel to your client, you do not ask for legal advice, discounts, or to borrow his car. Here is one that, up to now, I was the only living person in the world to know. A star's personal space is exactly one and one half times the size of anyone else's. Live by this rule and share it with no one. A star always smells good. In the side compartment of ยท my case is a box of Altoids and a bottle of Drakkar Noir. However, remember that the use of these items can never be seen by anyone. Stars always smile at their clients. Stars are special and are always happy living in their Utopias. If you don't smile, you may be a fake star. Stars never stand around with nothing to do, especially while everyone else is eating or a meeting is going on. You find a quiet, secluded place to go to rather than look like 92
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual someone out of place. At times, when there was nowhere to go, I have secretly gone outside and sat in my car for an hour. Also, stars do not play with their smartphones! For the sake of all that is holy, leave it in your car! Finally, and most importantly, stars do not ever see their client embarrass himself! This one is the one that can do you in. Pay attention. The only thing that would be even worse than you getting drunk in front of your client would be him getting drunk in front of you! The next morning, when he wakes up embarrassed with a hangover and remembers you were there and saw it, you are finished. If you are at an event, and heavy drinking is going on and things start to get a little out of hand, gict out of there! If your show is over, explain you need to get some sleep. Then leave. Clients always accept the need for stars to sleep. It is never questioned. 93
CHAPTER 18 WORKSHEET List things to do and not do that you have learned from your own experience. 94
19 They Are Not Really Volunteers Anumber of times you have heard me use the term "volunteers" in this book. Actually, for me, there are no such things. I would never, ever ask for a volunteer. If you want to lose control of your show, and possibly hand it over to someone who can ru_in it, asking for a volunteer is the best way to do it. Never request one and really stay clear of anyone who is insistent on being one. The average person does not want to be a volunteer. Most people would prefer to stay in their nice, comfy seats and watch other people get up on stage. So, when you see someone who is really anxious to help, something is wrong. They are either drunk, harbor some resentment towards you, or are some kind of wannabe star who wants to shine while taking you down. They are trouble and, make no mistake, the worse of the lot are women. I would rather deal with ten pain-in-the-neck men than one such woman! The only surefire way I have ever found to avoid the problem is to choose my own "volunteers" and to do so in a surprising way so that no one sees it coming. In my own show, for instance, when I am finished with my Bank Night routine, I am in the audience. After my last line, and when the applause dies down, I turn to a man sitting close by and say, "Do you ever play cards?" Whatever he says, I respond, "Good! Thanks for volunteering!" and suddenly take him by the hand and lead him up to the stage. He is up there before he knows it and the audience is laughing. I realize even then, you can get people who are trouble. 95
Richard Osterlind You want to use your good discretion, of course, in picking ordinary-looking audience members who appear to be a bit shy or reserved. I am not suggesting you intimidate anyone, but you do want them to feel a little out of their safety zones on stage. A person like that usually just wants to do what they need to do and get back to their seat. They rarely act up. Your attitude has everything in the world to do with theirs. As I mentioned earlier, I cannot stand performers who embarrass volunteers or set them up as the butt of jokes. No wonder so many people are reluctant to be part of a show. If you treat your guests with outstanding courtesy, and really pay attention to them when they talk, it will go a long way in winning them over. My own opener, Bank Night, is great for that. It gives me a chance to deal with people from the stage. I am safe and they are safe and yet I can still interact with them. Although it is a fun routine, it still shows the audience I never go for cheap laughs at anyone's expense. I deal with four separate people before I ever get that first man on stage. And, when I do get him up, I make sure to treat him with every bit of respect I can muster. I try to talk to him before I begin the stunt and even joke around with him if possible. Notice I say "with" him. If we can strike up a relationship, I am more than happy to give him the spotlight as long as he is not a threat. Frankly, some of the funniest lines I now use have come from my volunteers. As the show moves on, and the audience can see no one is ever embarrassed, their trust will grow. Usually, by the time I get into my Watch Routine, I have no fear of anyone acting up. Frankly, things are usually going so well, and everyone is having such a good time, that if anyone did make trouble, the audience would tend to put them down. The most potent weapon to have at your disposal is the confidence of the audience. More than once in my career, I have had someone sudd,nly b'com' ' P"' fnc no ':'"" wlmt.omc in the ,;h
The Professional Mentalist's Field Manual When that happened, rather than use any of those terrible "heckler stoppers" (those authors should be shot for writing that junk!), I have just stopped talking and waited for the audience to respond. If the person keeps on going, you will almost certainly have other people shut them up. If they don't, you can use the ultimate heckler stopper. Just turn to the audience looking hurt and say, 'Tm so sorry;' as though you feel bad they had to deal with this. They will get that person to quiet down even if they have to drag him out! Let me leave you with one last word of caution. Don't be too quick to assume someone is a heckler. Some people might say something from their seats that is not anything bad. Make sure you listen before you jump to any conclusions. They may just be telling you your zipper is undone! 97
CHAPTER 19 WORKSHEET How do you get "volunteers"? Can you improve your method of doing that? 98