230 Danny Archer Par for the Course His sealed, initialed, green prediction envelope in full, if slightly inaccessible, view, the Mentalist tees up his opening line, “Golf is a game in which a sphere measuring one and one quarter inches in diameter is placed on a sphere approximately eight thousand miles in diameter. The object is to take a stick in hand and hit the small ball, not the large one.” “Some people,” he remarks as he pulls a small white card from his shirt pocket, “even keep score. On scorecards similar to this, using a pencils like this.” The performer displays a stubby, eraserless pencil. “They have no erasers in order that they may lead us not into temptation. You see, in golf, the lowest score wins.” The mind reader hands card and pencil to an audience participant and instructs, “There are 18 holes to play, each marked with a value called ‘par’, which is the number of times a very good golfer should hit the ball into in order to put it in that hole. Please enter a number from 1 to 10 for any one of the holes, then pass the card and pencil to the next person at your table to do the same, until scores for all 18 holes have been entered.” As the card is being passed, the Mentalist continues, “A higher number of ‘strokes’ is ‘over par’ and a lower number can be parlayed into free drinks at the country club’s lounge. At the end of the 18 holes of play, the number of strokes is totaled. We’ll do that in a moment. The last hole has been played? Good, hand me the score card please.” Looking at the card, the mind reader comments, “A hole-in-one? Thanks. There’s only one other time I got an ace. In my dreams.” The Mentalist indicates the prediction envelope thumbtacked to the wall at one side of the room and asks of someone who has not yet participated in the routine, “Would the gentleman seated near that envelope please detach it and bring it to the stage? You will be in charge of totaling the score. But don’t be apprehensive - you’ll be provided with a calculator.” The arriving participant is handed the calculator and score card and is asked to retain the envelope for the moment. When he has totalled the score, the Mentalist looks over his shoulder and asks, “Well, did we break 100? I guess not. The total is 118. That’s my par for the course.” He removes from the envelope and displays a card which shows a golf ball on a brightly colored green. Imprinted on the white ball is the number 118! The calculator is the key element in this routine, not because it’s gimmicked; to the contrary, it is quite normal. Please turn to PAR, page 231 This routine is fresh from Danny’s current lecture and makes use of some diabolical thinking.
231 PAR, continued It is necessary because it provides the justification for a sneaky switch of score cards! As all attention is on the participant’s retrieval of the green envelope, you are holding the scorecard in your hand as you dip into your open attache case to get the calculator. Next to the calculator is a duplicate scorecard on which you have entered, using several different styles of handwriting, scores which total 118. Just leave the original card behind when you grasp the calculator and new scorecard. Don’t give it a thought. Eliminate any fumbling by standing the calculator and card together, on edge, leaning against another item in your case. The wise performer will construct a small device (such as a block of wood with a slot in it) to ensure a perfect and secure positioning of calculator and card. The scores you enter on the final scorecard must include a 1 and a 10. This gives you the opportunity to comment either on a holein-one or the truly awful 10 when either shows up on the genuine card. After the switch you can ask of your audience, as you look again at the card (remembering the position from the genuine card), “Who is the sadist who entered 10 strokes for the fourteenth hole? Is that from personal experience? I thought so (or not).” Photocopy the scorecards at the right and attach them back-toback for the routine. You can also download the graphics from SYZYGY’s web site: http://www.Lee-Earle.com/SYZYGY.html. Editor’s Note: In a conversation with Larry Becker, another idea for a switch came into play. Purchase an inexpensive calculator which has a folio-style case. Re-attach the calculator to the case with a strip of cloth tape along the bottom left edge only, between the folio’s front and back covers, so it is hinged like a thick page in a book. Stick small Velcro tabs on the back of the calculator at the corners and the matching tabs on the surface of the rear cover. These will ‘lock’ the hinged calculator to the back panel. To keep the card from possibly sliding out of the section behind the calculator, glue a little piece of foam rubber to the center of the panel. Prepare by placing your duplicate score card on top of the calculator and close the case. When it’s time for the switch, pull the calculator out of your pocket and open the folio to the side behind the calculator and drop the first card inside. Close the case (pressing the Velcro tabs to lock everything in place) and hand the calculator to your onstage participant. Presidio Golf and Country Club Hole Distance Par 1 398 yards 4 ___ 2 528 yards 5 ___ 3 379 yards 4 ___ 4 145 yards 3 ___ 5 312 yards 4 ___ 6 363 yards 4 ___ 7 245 yards 3 ___ 8 379 yards 4 ___ 9 491 yards 5 ___ Front 9 36 ___ Hole Distance Par 10 508 yards 5 ___ 11 398 yards 4 ___ 12 453 yards 4 ___ 13 173 yards 3 ___ 14 349 yards 4 ___ 15 182 yards 3 ___ 16 368 yards 4 ___ 17 353 yards 4 ___ 18 524 yards 5 ___ Back 9 36 ___ Front 9 36 ___ Course TOTAL 72 ___
232 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk In a recent correspondance with an inquiring mind, I listed some elements which I feel are critical for success in contemporary Mentalism. I thought it might be helpful if I repeated them here. 1) Mindset is monumental. Contemporary Mentalism is no longer just a subset of magic and conjuring, but has evolved into an art form of its own. It’s not about ‘fooling’ the audience. 2) Premise is pivotal. If you set a believable premise, everything else falls into place. A flawed foundation will encourage your audience to eat you alive. 3) Material is minimal. The less between you and your audience the better. Dunninger is alleged to have said, “Every time you pick up a prop, your price goes down.” 4) Personality is paramount. Nobody likes a phoney. Unless you’re a consummate actor, don’t even think about developing a ‘character.’ Be natural and be real to be successful. 5) Entrepreneurism is everything. All successful Mentalists are first exceptional solo businessmen. No one outside our community of peers knows what a Mentalist is or does. It’s up to us to promote and exploit the opportunities for income. 6) Attitude is all-important. Don’t ‘play’ at it; give it your best or stay off the stage. Mentalism is not easy. It requires effort to craft a presentation worthy of an audience’s attention. 7) Honor your audience. No one really cares what special talents you claim to have developed. Audiences have every right to ask, “What’s in it for me?” Remember, today’s cynical audience is just a breath away from saying, “So what?” 8) Study your stagecraft. You must be an effective communicator, a master of platform skills, and a continuing student of the specific techniques of Mentalism. Anything less is shortchanging yourself. Every now and then a publication written for the ‘real world’ provides content which has immediate applications in our specialized line of work. Such a booklet is Brainwriting! - for Sales by Irene Levitt. It’s about 40 pages, 51/2 x 81/2, staple bound, and packed with quick shortcuts to understanding and applying graphology techniques. For only $9.95, it’s a bargain! Contact Irene at Handwriting Consultants. L.L.C., 8687 E. Via de Ventura - Suite 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 or e-mail to [email protected]. Subscriber Malcom Beard called to inform that the little necklace-vials for perfume (used in Scents and Sense, issue #41) can be obtained from your local Avon cosmetics representative. Jack Dean has introduced Perception, a drawing duplication routine using two vinyl-surfaced, 7" x 9" whiteboards and markers. Your helper sketches, writes a number, or a puts down a word on his whiteboard and you duplicate it on yours. Classic, clean, and minimalist Mentalism, it comes with several handlings. It’s $44.00 postpaid from Stagecraft, 3110 Arrendale St., Memphis, TN 38118. Wise Words: All mystical experience is coincidence - and vice-versa. Tom Stoppard
233 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Herb Dewey Mindblowing Psychic Readings Herb Dewey is an acknowledged master in the art of Cold Reading. Now, he shares his “secret words” with us.
234 (From the Foreword to the book, ‘Mindblowing Psychic Readings’.) I’ve been doing psychic readings for a number of years. It is said we all share the same hopes, fears, dreams and sorrows. But we are also unique. Years ago I read what I consider one of the best books on readings, a book called ‘Passages’ by Gail Sheehy, a book which is not about psychic readings, but rather common psychological patterns we fall into at specific decades in our lives. While doing a reading for a very attractive woman (indeed, she had won a few beauty pageants) I told her things about herself that were strictly based on her beauty. In other words, it would not have been accurate if she was an overweight woman in her forties. In talking to Herb, he too had a specific type of reading he would offer to that same type of person. Not that it was a canned, memorized reading, mind you, but certain things about that person that would probably be about eighty percent accurate. All while tuning into her and genuinely sensing other things about her. That’s where the germ of this book was hatched. I said to Herb, “You know, it would be interesting if a reading could be generated for many personality types. I mean, a female college student’s reading based on her life experiences would be different from that for a married man in his thirties or an Hispanic woman. People’s life experiences are simply different. That’s not to say one is better than another, simply that their backgrounds, the ways they were brought up, make their attitudes, their expectations, their personalities quite separate from each other. Herb Dewey has been doing readings for decades. He estimates he has done over a hundred thousand readings. A hundred thousand readings! And all of them rated between eighty and ninety percent accurate by his clients. Anyone who’s done that many readings has to know what he’s doing. Given a list of typical personality and age types, Herb put together a 15-minute reading for each type. These readings are not meant to replace your own intuitive skills, but rather to compliment them. Use pieces of them to fill in the gaps of your own readings. When your brain begins to shut down after a full day of doing readings, use the enclosed material to get back on track. Another important point – you don’t have to use the entire material in each reading. An imaginative way you can use these words is to combine them. Suppose you’re doing a reading for an overweight married female in her twenties. You can mix parts of the overweight reading and the married 20’s female reading! For a black attractive female who’s married in her 20’s you have three types of readings you can combine to your heart’s content. The possibilities are endless. Now I’ll be ready when I meet a teenage overweight Asian handicapped lesbian! Marc Sky
235 Editor’s Note: These examples are excerpted from much longer and far more detailed readings in Herb’s new book. It is priced at $45.00 + $4.00 postage (overseas airmail is $10.00), and will be available after June 1, 1997 from Mindreaders, P.O. Box 120, Marlboro, NJ 07746. Or call (908) 750-4377. Teenager – Female You’re not fully an adult, yet you think like an adult. You have a tendency of wanting to chum around with people older than kids your own age, who are two-three years older than you, because it is very exciting for a freshman to go out with a senior. I don’t think that you’re truly understood. I think that you are having all this independence put on you. Teenager – Male I would think that, statistically, you probably would stay and work and live and raise a family in the geographic area you are in now. Yet in your mind, you want to be the adventurer, you want to be the traveler, you want to set a new course in your life that has not been set in the past, or go to new places, or different places. As far as work or a career is concerned I believe that probably the second most important decision in your life is what you will do with your career. College – Female If you find yourself in an unusual relationship with a person of a different ethnic or race or religious background, that is probably normal, simply because you are trying to leave your own signature on the universe. You are trying to do things that are different and not do things that are commonplace. You see yourself far more adventuresome, perhaps, than your mother. Much more of a daredevil than your mother and much more outspoken than your mother. College – Male There will always be some potential relationship as far as a female is concerned, and for the most part, you will date girls your age and younger, but there will be one exception to the rule, where this girl is going to be anywhere from four to seven years older than you. There would probably be a relationship there, that she’ll be much more experienced than you in life, but I think that there will be a deep relationship there. 20's Female – Single You are a non-compromising individual, who could be competitive with men, which would lead me to believe that at some point in time you may hold a career position normally held by a male. I don’t see you as weak and you are not the type of individual who gives in or “settles”. There seems to be a confidence factor that you have that others do not. That is not to say that you are aggressive or forceful, but that you would take a calculated risk or take a chance at a job, and would be very successful. 20's Female – Married You would be the one-man woman. You have not needed a multiple of potential relationships. Once you have set your mind on a person, sort of like love at first sight, that’s probably all that you need. In retrospect, you’ve taken a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders, and of course your family would still see you as a young child.
236 20's Male – Single I think that you have the ability to achieve whatever you want to achieve in life. I suspect that ultimately you would own your own businesses, because you’re not going to become rich working for somebody else. I feel you would excel in marketing or in sales. Since, if you’re good in sales or marketing, they are one in the same. You have a likable way about you; you are people oriented. You don’t need a college education, you don’t need a masters degree, you don’t need a Ph.D., you simply have a way about you for getting along with people. 20's Male – Married I would get a feeling that lately there seems to be a great deal more responsibility on your shoulders than there has been in the past. Money seems to be very important to you now, at this point in time of your life. Everybody is going to say to you, you’re too young to be married, you’re just a child yourself, you’ve not developed to your fullest potential, why did you have to marry so young, and thus and so. 30's Female – Single I feel that you have been concentrating a lot more on work lately than personal relationships or socializing. And it seems to me that you are devoting a great deal of time to work in a sense that it’s a comfortable scenario, it’s a comfortable situation because the more that you involve yourself in work, the less you become aware of your purpose in life. 30's Female – Married I don’t believe that you are a manipulator or a game player or into head games or mind games. So obviously you are not a user, you don’t take advantage of those around you, and you don’t step on people’s toes. In many ways you’d be considered reasonably old fashioned. If somebody is going to do you a service or a favor or give you something, it’s important for you to balance the scales. It’s important for you not to be in debt to any other person, but rather to pay back a favor. 30's Male – Single It appears now that when you date a woman more than three times it would indicate that it’s the beginning of a serious relationship because normally you put the woman under a microscope and if you’re not impressed with her body, mind, and spirit, if you’re not impressed with her values or integrity, I really don’t think that you’d hang around. 30's Male – Married Your psychological idiosyncrasies, your desires, your habits, your routines pretty much have been set in place at this point in time. Based on your energy level the most significant thing I can tell you is never settle or compromise. Do not become commonplace, do not be placated into staying in one place within your life. 40's Female – Single You are able at this point in your life to know, or have a knowing, if there is any potential with the person, and you will probably know that within the first couple of minutes. Somebody can show you a photograph of a male, because I believe that there has been some match making or networking done, and you have probably experienced at least one or two blind dates. Continued in Quarterly Supplement #12
237 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Denny Laub Kidz Kardz “I can almost guarantee that if you have a home with children,” begins the Mentalist, “every deck of cards will number between 49 and 51.” When I was a youngster, we often amused ourselves by playing Old Maid, Go Fish, Crazy Eights, or some other simple card game. After extended periods of play, a card may become damaged or missing and we would substitute in its place the Joker, its new suit and value inscribed with a crayon.” The performer asks of the audience, “Have any of you shared a similar experience?” One person among the group lifts his hand. “I recently rummaged through an old box from my attic and found a kid-worn deck of cards,” the mindreader explains. “As I expected, the deck is short by one card. If my memory serves, the missing card was last seen clothespinned to the fender strut of my bicycle, making ‘motorcycle’ noises against the rotating spokes.” Turning to the participant, the Mentalist asks, “My mind’s eye still sees that missing card. Open your mind to my thoughts. See it with me. I’ll give you a hint - the missing card is not an Ace. Which card did I remove from the deck?” After a moment, the participant says, “The Seven of Hearts.” The performer’s jaw drops open, then he recovers, saying, “You are more perceptive than you think. Let me show you what I mean.” He withdraws from his pocket a pack of cards in its case and then removes the cards, placing them in the participant’s hands. He remarks, “You’ll be pleased to note that the Seven of Hearts is missing from this deck. Go ahead, count all of the cards into a face up pile, and see for yourself.” One by one, the participant deals and counts every card in the deck; only 51 cards are present and the Seven of Hearts is missing! “Remember,” reminds the Mentalist, “how, as children, we replaced a missing card?” He opens the card case’s flap and withdraws a face down card and turns it over. It is the Joker - with both indexes crossed out and ‘7-H’ written boldly across its center! Please turn to KARDZ, page 238 Issue # 49 Volume 3, Number 13 Some license was taken with Denny’s original routine, which used folded paper predictions instead of Jokers.
238 KARDZ, continued Begin with two decks of cards. Remove from each deck all the odd numbered black cards as well as the even numbered red cards. These are assembled into one deck while the remaining cards are combined into a second deck. Remove a single card, it doesn’t matter which, from both decks so that there will only be 51 cards to be counted. When you place the decks in your pocket(s) you must remember which deck is EvenRed/ OddBlack and which is EvenBlack/OddRed. When the participant names a card, you simply remove the deck which does not contain his choice. As for the Joker substitute, you require a Swami Gimmick which uses Listo, Scripto, Chinagraph or Crayon lead. Prepare the Jokers by using the same marker to draw an ‘X’ over the index on each corner. Each card case is doubly slit as in the top illustration, allowing one of the Jokers to be inserted in the case so its center section will be available for your thumbwritten entry. The Aviator brand of cards has the ideal box for this purpose. When you remove the deck from the case, hand the cards to your participant for dealing and counting, close the flap and retain the card case. While the cards are being scrutinized and counted, you have ample opportunity to inscribe the value and suit of the ‘missing’ card on the Joker before placing the case, Joker side down, on the table. Of course, it is also possible to pocket-write the card’s identity before you bring the box into view. It’s quite easy because the deck provides a firm surface to support your inscription. Seasoned Swami Gimmick users please note that, while one can make the appropriate entry when the deck is first brought out of the pocket, that’s when the ‘heat’ is greatest. Wait for the ‘offbeat’. For an alternate ‘kicker’, employ pocket card indexes which hold 48 (no Aces, remember?) battered, beaten cards. As the counting progresses, your hand goes to your pocket and retrieves the named card from the index. A nice touch would be to attach an old, worn clothespin to the card before you remove it from your pocket. If you really want to go the distance, locate a kid (who resembles you, as a child), dress him in appropriate clothes, and attach one playing card to his bike’s fender frame with a clothespin. Then take a snapshot of kid & bicycle which clearly shows the card’s identity. Repeat with 47 more cards. Index these photos, instead of cards, for a nostalgic finish. Cut slits here
239 “It would seem,” offers the Mentalist, “that every hotel, inn, motel, guest lodge, and luxury resort has a display of local attractions for visiting tourists. These memorable alternatives bombard our senses with new sounds, fresh tastes, enticing aromas, surprising textures, and fascinating vistas. But often, more than just our five physical senses are stimulated.” Picking up a handful of advertising cards for tourist destinations, he continues, “Here are just some of the many memorable places folks can visit right here in this area. You’d be surprised how many local residents aren’t aware of the variety.” The performer thumbs through the stack of advertising cards, showing come-ons for skydiving, helicopter tours, amusement parks, hot air balloon rides, steamboat cruises, factory outlet shopping, and so forth. “Let’s take a virtual journey,” he offers, “to one of these vacation options.” Approaching a front-row participant, the mindreader demonstrates, “Please lift off a portion of these advertisements, and look at the one on the underside of the portion you’ve taken, like this. I’ll turn aside to lend some privacy.” When the participant has cut the cards, the performer says, “Tune in your senses to everything in the scene you see. Experience in your mind every sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.” The Mentalist sniffs the air and says, “Is that the aroma of popcorn? (Yes.) Do I sense a soft seat, reclined a bit more than usual? (Yes.) And stunningly rich sound effects, too! (Yes.) There’s a six-story high screen and a 14,000 watt Digital Sound System - you’re visiting the IMAX® theatre. (Yes!)” Go to any hotel to pick up your free supply of advertising cards, which should include 20 cards, all different, and another 20 of the same subject. The cards are found near the reception area or at the concierge’s desk. Use a paper trimmer, Exacto knife, or (best yet) a print shop’s precision cutter to slice all the different cards about 2mm narrower than the set of 20 duplicates. Interleave the cards so that every other card is a force card. When one grasps the sides of the pack to cut off a portion, the bottom card will always be one of the wide, force cards. To show the different attractions, hold the pack face up and grasp them with the thumb and fingers on opposite sides. Let a few cards at a time dribble off the bottom of the deck into your other hand. Handled this way, only the faces of the short, indifferent cards will be seen. Steve Michaels Local Attraction The deck of cards described here is a perfect utility force for the final item in a 3-part ‘one behind’ routine.
240 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Wow! The European tour for SYZYGY’s BEST! is history. And, boy, am I exhausted. Counting a short side-trip to Winnipeg & Thunder Bay, Canada, yours truly was ‘on the road’ for almost the entire month of May. But what memories! The incredibly delicious Belgian beer...whisper quiet (and fast) French trains...the aromas of Amsterdam...Flemish bakery treats and Kikkerbilletjer...wine with almost every meal - and no headaches after...the gorgeous Swiss/French/Italian Alps...a musical standing ovation in Bologna...the beautiful Dauphine who was my tour guide/hostess in Kortrijk...pizza & grappa after the lecture in Milan...a tasty fondue in Geneva...the gypsies, pickpockets, and streetwalkers...the clever prediction chest at Select Magic...the fortified clubhouse in Hoboken (Belgium, not New Jersey)...Napoleon’s tomb in Paris...again, the food (every time I opened my mouth, someone stuffed something appetizing inside)...the incredible hospitality which began at a bed & breakfast in Lier and continued straight through to my final day in Europe at the Orly Hilton...and new friends, everywhere! I am blessed. The new lecture video, SYZYGY’s BEST!, Volume 2, is now available. It features a good mix of close-up, cabaret, and stage Mentalism with an 80-minute running time. The VHS tape is priced at $35 for the standard (NTSC) version and $40 for the version in PAL format for overseas viewers (plus 10% for domestic shipping and 20% for postage to foreign addresses). Syzygy subscribers can get a $5.00 discount on the tape if it is ordered when sending in their subscription extensions and ballots (which help choose next year’s lecture material). I’ll extend the deadline through June 15th. It would be interesting to learn if subscribers are making use of the graphic support posted to Syzygy’s Internet site. Give me some feedback so I know whether to continue uploading the material. While you’re browsing the WEB site, check out the schedule for next year’s lectures - it’s filling up far more quickly than ever before. Mentalism is catching on! By the way, lecture audiences already know this, but most of you don’t; whenever dealers send an item to me for review, unless they specifically ask for the product to be returned, it is used as a ‘door prize’ at one of the lectures. Syzygy policy as regards product reviews is quite simple - if I can’t honestly say something nice then I probably won’t say anything at all. Submitting a product for review doesn’t guarantee a mention, but if the item offers good value or something exceptionally clever or comes with a great routine, more often than not it will get some ink. As always, Syzygy accepts no advertising. Syzygy co-op mailings are a service provided to friends in the business, at no charge (other than postage and a few bucks to my teenage daughter for affixing address stickers to envelopes). Wise Words: The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend Henri Bergson Presented by: Lee Earle Taped before a live audience, this video features selected routines from Volume Two of: Anywhere-Whenever An audience participant mentally selects any word from among a dozen or so which are read aloud from a borrowed book. You instantly call out the letters in the word & then reveal it! Bold & Beautiful Prophecy Three people name: Any city in the world; Any movie celebrity and; Any geometric figure. Your predictions, actually written before the show, are read and P v ictu erified by the audience! Participa re S nts how take three postcards from among more than 50. Each mentally places himself in the picture. With no questions or fishing, you instantly describe all three scenes in detail! S D h ream ow sa Design mples from more than 30 simple designs, each drawn on an index card. Ask a woman to describe an image from a recent dream. Not only is her design on one of the cards, her name is written on that card's back! Contents: A Q n u u in n tuple seen volunteer (or even someone in a radio audience) is directed through a series of random choices. You show that you can determine the outcome through the use of verbal control. O T n h e b e "IQ y " Test one, a participant imagines each letter in a word secretly choosen from a list of more than thirty. As he thinks of the letters, you name aloud his word. ©1997 SYZYGY, 2901 N. 55th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85031 U.S.A. Phone 602.247.7323 • Fax 602.247.4665 • E-mail [email protected] Visit us on the Internet at http://www.Lee-Earle.com Camera-ready art included ( ) on the reverse of this insert!
241 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Wolf In Search of Truth Issue # 50 Volume 3, Number 14 “An important survival skill is knowing when it is appropriate to misstate the truth and when it is essential to be totally factual,” asserts the Mentalist. “The candid answer to one’s spouse asking, ‘Am I looking older?’ can be as hazardous as is a false answer to, ‘Where were you on the night of June 22nd?’.” The performer continues, “Even business dealings require situational honesty. Once an agreement is reached, only the facts should be of concern to the signatories. In negotiations, however, each side is expected to conceal its strategy and goals. Those who teach negotiation techniques (and poker) claim it is possible to determine the veracity of a negotiator’s statements. Would you like to see for yourselves?” There are nods around the table. “Each of you probably has a business or calling card,” the mindreader says. “More than likely, only one side is printed and the paper stock is white. We’ll need several different cards of the same type. They needn’t be yours, so if you have collected some from colleagues and clients we can still use them. They must all appear identical when turned printing side down.” After receiving more than a dozen cards from those seated around the table, the performer mixes them and then deals five cards, face down, in a row on the table. To one of the guests he says, “Lift up any one of the cards and read what is printed on it. Thank you. Replace it in the row. Good. Mix all five together so none of us will have a clue as to which one is in your mind, then arrange them in a row again, this time with the faces up.” “Extend your index finger like a pointer,” directs the Mentalist, “and allow me to move it over the row of five business cards. Please focus your mind on the one you read but otherwise do nothing which would betray your thought.” The mindreader guides the pointed finger over each of the five business cards. Finally, he lowers the finger to touch one. It is the very same card the participant read earlier! The test is repeated, again with complete success. While collecting the business cards, secretly place five of them in numerical order, based on the last digit in each card’s phone number. Your shuffle does not disturb the order of the five which are dealt into a row. When your participant reads one, its position within the sequence is noted. After the cards are face up, it’s an easy task to finger the proper one. Wolf is an Austrian who lives in Italy, performs in France, and speaks perfect English. What a combination!
242 An acceptable premise for the wooden block and glass gives new life to an old friend, ‘The Telekinetic Timber’ . “Psychokinesis, or mind over matter,” relates the Mentalist, “is known by its initials, ‘PK’. The search for true PK has examined everything from Ouija boards and table-tipping at parties to experiments on the microgram level in laboratories. Recent research has indicated that there is an amazing connection between poltergeist phenomena and out-of-body experiences.” As he puts in place the paraphernalia for the demonstration, the performer continues, “The purpose of an experiment in PK is to isolate a small object from outside influence such as random breezes, vibrations, and so forth, and then attempt to induce movement in that object employing mental concentration alone. That should explain why we use a heavy support to suspend a tiny weight in the center of such a thick-walled glass. Only the focus of our efforts, the small weight at the end of the thread pendulum, is light enough to be affected by the powers of thought.” After placing the glass, block, and pendulum in position, the Mentalist removes his watch and places it on the table in front of him. He extends his hands to those on either side and asks them to feel for his pulse. In a few moments, both participants indicate that they are counting his heartbeats. “Please take no alarm,” warns the mindreader, “if you feel my pulse flutter or weaken. That is only an indication that my energy is directed outside of my body. Indicate to the others, with the tap of your finger on the table, the rhythm of my pulse. When the heartbeat stops, the pendulum should chime against the glass. Let’s begin...” Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a slow, controlled sigh, the Mentalist-now-Medium closes his eyes and slumps slightly in his chair. The participants holding his wrists tap their fingers in unison as they count his pulse. The pulses in the wrists become unsynchronized; the left-hand participant taps but the other has lost the pulse. A moment passes and the phenomena shifts; it’s the person on the right who feels a steady heartbeat while the left side monitor sits silently amazed. Suddenly, both participants indicate that the Mentalist’s heartbeat has ceased. No heartbeat can be detected. They go for several seconds without feeling a pulse. Please turn to TIMBER, page 243 Dusty Miller The Telltale Timber
243 Dusty Miller regularly performs as ‘The Storyteller’ in Scottish castles for select dinner groups. TIMBER, continued All eyes turn to the tiny pendulum in the glass. Slowly and noiselessly, the wooden block suspending the threaded pendulum tips away from the glass, defying gravity to first move itself totally perpendicular to the table and finally falling to the table with a startling crash! Apparently awakened from his trance by the noise, the Mentalist opens his eyes and allows himself a secret smile. One of the most annoying properties of the self-tipping prop sold as The Telekinetic Timber is the lack of consistent timing. The nature of the hidden mechanism makes it sensitive to temperature; the warmer the environment the more quickly the movement occurs. It’s impossible to create a well-rehearsed routine because the timing can change depending on the ambient temperature! Variations in the angle at which it is placed multiply the deviation. Because of the pulse-taking business, the presence of a wristwatch on the table is no longer a concern. Obviously, you’ve removed it to make finding your pulse easier and to be of help in timing your heartbeat. Of course, just before your performance, you have also timed the tipping timber so you know within 3 or 4 seconds how long it takes to make the plunge. As you slump in your chair, your eyes flutter closed, but not so much you can’t see the sweep second hand of your wristwatch. Begin your final pulse-stopping about ten seconds before the tip. Look for a small, but fairly heavy, thick sided, pilsner style glass for this setup. Use a very lightweight thread to suspend the weight as a pendulum. The weight should just take the curl out of the thread. Remember, it operates against the center-of-gravity shift in the timber, so keep it as light as possible. Attach the thread at the base of the timber with a thumbtack and loop the pendulum thread over the top of the block and into the glass. Because the dangling weight must be centered within the glass, you are insured of consistency when leaning it against the timber; it will always be placed at the exact same angle. That makes your timing much more accurate. Make a double pulse stopper by attaching two small 1.5 inch rubber balls to elastic loops, worn as shown in the diagram. Position the balls outside your armpits until you are ready to begin. They won’t show under a jacket. Immediately prior to the performance, you can easily adjust the balls into position against the arteries under your arms while placing a pen in your inside coat pocket. A slight inward pressure stops the blood flow and the wrist pulse. Make the adjustments very subtle; the people holding your wrists can easily feel any purposeful movements of your arms.
244 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Not long ago, a subscriber e-mailed to ask about a term used in describing one of the routines published (Whenever-Anywhere, issue #36, page 171). He was unfamiliar with the concept of a progressive anagram. Since there may be others who would like to know, I’ll repeat my response here. A progressive anagram is a methodology which allows one to build a special word set from letters in an ordered list, starting with a word which contains the first letter. The next word is built using the first two letters in the key list while the following word uses the initial three letters, etc.. So the list A, T, E, R, N, S, O, I, L would generate the words a, at, ate, rate, rante(d), astern, treason, notaries, & relations; a progressive anagram. Most schemes substitute longer words for those which have fewer than 5 letters, adding letters not on the recited list to build those longer words (for example - the ‘d’ in ‘ranted’). Such a list might be: (key letters in CAPITALS): plAyground, calculATor, dynAmiTE, TREAdmill, ouTlANdER, bRAiNSTEm, TREASON, NOTARIES, & RELATIONS. One additional word, which does not have the first key letter in it, for example, ‘birthstone’, is added to the top of the list. In a routine using a progressive anagram, it is critical that we conceal the fact that the participant is selecting a word from a limited universe. To that end, entire books have been published in which the text contains only short words (5 or fewer letters) except for those from the key list. What looks like a free choice, “Pick any challenging word - 6 letters or more - from this book” is really a force from a short range of possibilities. In performance, once a word is selected, the performer recites a series of letters (the key letter list) which he ‘perceives’ to be in the target word. Each time the respondant answers in the affirmative, the performer continues. When given a “No,” he stops and gives the word which contains all the letters recited up to that time. If the “No” comes on the first word (because it doesn’t contain an ‘A’), he knows the selected word is ‘birthstone’. Should he recite “A, T, E, R...” and be told that the selected word doesn’t contain an ‘N’ then ‘treadmill’ is the choice. Next week is the annual Meeting Of The Minds, the annual conclave of the Psychic Entertainers Association, held this year in Minneapolis. I’ll be there - renewing old friendships and making new ones; observing the state of our art; sharing scotch and cigars with others of discriminating taste; presenting the SYZYGY’s BEST!, Volume 2 lecture for the final time; and even encouraging potential contributors to share the ‘good stuff’ with Syzygy’s readers. You’ll get a full report in the next issue. Wise Words: Life is a great, big canvas; throw all the paint on it that you can. Danny Kaye
245 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Dave Arch Turning the Tarot Issue # 51 Volume 3, Number 15 “The Tarot cards,” explains the Mentalist to his tableside guest, “are best known for their use as an oracle in telling fortunes.” He spreads the cards he holds face up on the table and continues, “There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana and each is associated with certain aspects of life, such as love, money, and health. This card for example (pointing to the Judgement card) relates to accountability while The Sun is an indicator of happiness. Others relate to intuition, caution, transformation, protection, uncertainty, and so forth. Which one do you choose to be your ‘destiny’ card?” The reply is, “The Tower.” Gathering the cards and spreading them face down in front of his participant, the reader continues, “We’ll only use half of them, so pull eleven cards out of the row, please.” The helper complies. Putting the unused portion aside, the performer says, “In Numerology, one’s name is reduced to a simple number which indicates one’s personality and purpose. It’s equally interesting to combine the best elements of both Tarot and Numerology. What is your name?” The answer is, “Susan.” “We will use your name to provide a structure for your reading, Susan,” says the Mentalist. Moving one card from the top of the packet to the bottom for each letter in the name, he spells S-U-S-AN, stopping on the fifth, “N”, card and placing it face up on top of the packet. He delivers a short reading based on that card then repeats the name spelling and card moving, beginning with the just interpreted top card which remains face up. Each time Susan’s name is spelled, the card representing the final letter is turned face up. After spelling, moving, and turning ten cards, the reader remarks, “Make a wish; if the final face down card is the one to which you were earlier drawn, your wish will likely come true.” The last card is turned over - it is her ‘destiny’ card, The Tower! Using the above procedure, if her name has ten or fewer letters, the original top card of the eleven used will always be the final one turned face up. Cull her ‘destiny’ card to the top when you gather the cards for your face down spread. If she pulls it into her pile, note its position so you can bring it to the top; discard the other pile. If it remains in the spread, her pile becomes the discards. It is the segmented reading you deliver which provides the entertainment; the final revelation makes it memorable.
246 Bruce Bernstein Emergency Mentalism Prior to the performance, the Mentalist distributes dozens of his business cards to members of the audience. Participants are asked to write several types of information on their cards - a question they wish answered, a simple drawing, a number between 1 and 1000, a fantasy, etc., and then sign their names or initials. One member of the audience is asked to collect and retain the cards for the performance. During the show, that person brings the stack of cards to the platform. They are shuffled and placed in full view, written side down, on a table. The performer asks his helper to take the top card. He is asked to describe the nature of the writing on the card. “It’s a three-digit number,” he says. “There is a book on the table, right there next to the pile of business cards,” mentions the mind reader. “Use the numbers on that card, in any order, to make up a page number. Then turn to that page in the book.” The performer accurately spells out the first or last word on the page, describes the scene set in the first paragraph, or duplicates the illustration on the page! “Take the next card,” instructs the Mentalist. “In general, what is the type of information written there?” The participant replies, “A question has been written.” The performer requests, “Fold that card in half, so the writing is on the inside, and then hand it to me, please.” Taking the card in hand, the Mentalist leaves the stage as if being pulled by the folded card until he stops in front of one member of the audience, who is handed the card. He is asked, “Did the question find the questioner?” The reply is, “Yes.” Whereupon the Mentalist fully answers the question, as verified by the participant. A third card is selected. “It bears a design,” remarks the onstage helper. The mind reader picks up a drawing pad and pen, sketching a few quick strokes on the top page. As he continues, he says to the participant, “Please take the pad and pen on the table and reproduce that drawing full size.” When both drawings are complete they are compared - they are identical! The Mentalist tears the page bearing the drawing from his pad, walks into the audience and hands it to one of those seated nearby. “Is that a replication of your thought?” he asks. “Yes,” is the reply. Bruce reminds us that, on a technical level, this routine’s method is quite simple but it will take a fair dose of performing savvy to make it play. In other words, it is a perfect vehicle for the presentation of Mentalism. Please turn to EMERGENCY, page 247
247 EMERGENCY, continued Take a stack of 20 or so of your business cards and trim their long edges about 2mm. This makes the cards slightly narrower. Another half-dozen or so are also trimmed, but on a slight angle on a line from one corner to a point about 2mm in from the edge on the opposite end, along the long edge of the card. This makes those cards into “strippers”. When they are mixed in with the others, they are easily located and pulled (“stripped”) out of the pack in a cutting motion thus bringing them to the top of the pack. Each of the tapered cards is also marked as in Pseudo Psychometry. Nail nicks, pencil dots, or altered postal code numbers are the standard methods to mark and identify them. During your preshow walk among the audience distributing cards, give the marked cards to persons you will remember, suggesting to one of them, “Make a simple drawing.” To another you instruct, “Write a three digit number.” For each marked card you distribute, you request a different simple task. After all the cards have been handed out, ask one person to gather them (after a decent interval) and bring them to you. When he complies, take them in order to turn all of them writing-sidedown. Give the pack a cut to bring the tapered cards to the top. That’s when you ask your helper, “Do you have anything to keep these in?” As he looks into your eyes to reply to your question, palm the tapered cards (it’s really very simple since there’s no heat on you). Reach into your pocket to get an envelope and deposit the copped cards there. Hand the envelope to your helper, asking him to place the cards inside. He’ll bring them on stage when you ask. With the held-out cards safely in your pocket, retreat to a private spot and memorize the information written on them. Because they are marked you know exactly which person supplied each piece of information. For any three digits, there are only six possible combinations which could be a page number (i.e.: 148, 184, 481, 418, 814, 841), probably fewer if your book has under 300 pages. Take a few moments backstage to memorize the contents of each page. Depending upon which section of the book is open, and perhaps whether he’s looking at an odd or even numbered page, you know which response to make. When your helper brings the envelope onstage it’s a simple matter to add the held-out cards before you give the packet a riffle shuffle or two. One cut brings the tapered cards back to the top. Editor’s note: I’ve added a couple of presentational angles to the routine as it was written in “Psy-Kicks”. To get a copy of this outstanding and highly recommended 56 page, spiral bound book, ($30.00 + $2.50 postage) order directly from Bruce Bernstein at 773 286-3645. He will give you an address to which you send your check. Bruce shares this routine from among the twenty published in his brand new book, “Psi-Kicks”.
248 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk I write this column as I am flying home from the 1997 Meeting of the Minds, the annual conclave of the Psychic Entertainers Association held this year in Minneapolis, MN. What a weekend! The first order of business is to acknowledge the creative efforts of a living legend in our craft, Al Mann, who pointed out that one of the routines in the now-retired SYZYGY’s BEST! Volume 2 lecture, The Bold & Beautiful Prophecy, is quite similar to an item in his Tesseract manuscript published several years prior. I am convinced that the likeness is a case of coincidental development, but the official record should reflect Al’s earlier application of the Tossed Out Deck principle as applied to written predictions. While the subject is at hand, you are encouraged to contact Mr. Mann for a catalog of his extensive (and exclusive) line of books and manuscripts; they are a treasure trove of information to be found nowhere else. His phone number is 304.947.7730. Recipients of this year’s Dunninger Award for Excellence in the Performance of Mentalism are Jeff and Tessa Evason. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of seeing this charming couple light up the stage will agree that the award is in deserving hands. A kaleidoscope of convention recollections: Marc Salem’s incredible newspaper revelation which had all of us guessing; Charles Pecor center stage, Southern style; Bruce Bernstein’s return to the lecture scene in cerebral style; Banachek’s boundless energy; a towering, smiling dynamo named Gary Kurtz; gracious hospitality personified in Chuck and Betsy Hickok; Joe Marino - a class act; Richard Webster surprising us with entendre times two; Blair Robertson’s hypnotizing delivery; Dick Steiner soaring to the top of the charts (with a billet); the blind, breathless Dave Arch (and Max). And more, and more. To those absent from the above recounting, please take no offense. There were so many talents and friends and there is truly so little time and space. I can say without fear of successful contradiction that not only were this year’s performances and lectures the best mix in my tenyear memory of the P.E.A. but also the quality of the membership is rising as well. To those who would apply for admission to this select group, be warned - the bar has been raised. If you wish to partake of the delights described, start building your Curriculum Vitae now. “Knowing someone” is no longer sufficient to achieve membership. If you’re seriously interested in becoming a member of the Psychic Entertainers Association, contact Doug Dyment for a membership packet at 415.647.7754. Start early - it ain’t easy. Just a hint to sweeten the tease - the convention for the year 2000 will be held on my home turf, Phoenix (Scottsdale, actually), Arizona. I personally promise it will be the event against which every future (and past) M.O.T.M. will be compared. You’ll want to be there. Wise Words: Magicians search for new methods; Mentalists pursue new effects; Psychic Entertainers strive for greater relevance. Pascal de Clermont
249 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Issue # 52 Volume 3, Number 16 Jack Dean The Fool That Tricked Einstein “It is said,” begins the Mentalist, “that certain gamblers can look at a deck of cards and tell if there are any missing. Gypsies are said to have the same skill in detecting the worth of a pocket full of change.” The performer hefts a canvas banker’s bag from within his case and sets it on the table. After pulling open the drawstring top, he withdraws a handful of coins, trickles them back into the bag, and states, “Silver dollars. One of you will have a chance to take a handful home.” Looking out over the audience, the mind reader asks, “Who wants a chance for free money? Raise your hands, please. The largest hand gets to bring its owner on stage.” A participant is welcomed to the platform and introduced to the audience, “The terms of this deal are simple – you reach into the bag and grasp as many of the coins as you can hold in one hand. Then I’ll take some, too. I’ll tell you exactly how many coins you hold or you can keep your handful and mine. Interested?” The participant reaches into the bag for a mammoth handful of coins, followed by the Mentalist who takes a smaller number. He compares his closed fist to that of the participant, then counts his coins one at a time. “You have twice as many coins as I do, plus 3,” claims the performer. “I have 12. Double that is 24, plus 3 is 27. Let’s count.” The participant has exactly 27 coins! “The silver proved elusive, but you’ll take home the gold,” says the Mentalist, giving the participant a small bag full of ‘gold’ covered chocolate coins. The real coins weigh one ounce each; enough are in the bag for it to weigh exactly 100 ounces. Small metal washers are sewn into the bottom of the bag make the weight exact. After you take your small handful of coins, the bag is placed on a concealed digital tenpound postal scale (found in office supply stores). Add your coin count to the number of ounces shown on the scale; deduct that total from 100 to learn the participant’s coin count. A wording similar to that in the Koran presentation is used to obfuscate the issue by blurring the presentations together. This is a designed sequel to Koran’s “Jackpot Coins – The Trick That Fooled Einstein”.
250 Andy Leviss Roll Tape! “Like it or not,” begins the Mentalist, speaking to his house-party guests, “television, has become the most ubiquitous medium, and perhaps the most powerful, on the planet.” Displaying a copy of the current TV Guide®, the performer continues, “With the addition of cable and satellite reception, there are now dozens of choices for every hour of the day; so many, in fact, that often we must videotape one interesting program while watching another, live.” He inserts a VHS cassette in the video cassette player. “Sometimes, we record a program to keep in our personal video libraries, as is the case with this video tape. “I was away from home not long ago when I taped one of my favorite programs,” explains the mind reader. “Does anyone have an idea of what that show might be? No, not PSI factor or The X Files, but those might be good guesses. Perhaps someone’s intuitive response might be more accurate.” The performer removes his wristwatch and asks one guest to stand next to him for a moment. He pulls out the winding stem of the watch and spins it, showing the participant how easily the hands are turned to set the time. “Hold the watch face down and give the crown a few turns,” directs the Mentalist, “until no one can know where the hands have moved. When your intuition directs, push in the stem to set the watch.” The helper complies. “That time will be used to select a program from among these listings,” the performer explains. “TV is built around half-hour time segments, so if the watch indicates a time in the middle of a segment, such as 3:17, then we’ll use the 3:00 o’clock listing to find that program. If the time is, for example, 11:59, backtrack to the start of that segment, the 11:30 time block. Clear? “And now a day of the week. As I’m riffling the TV Guide’s pages, please say, ‘Stop’ to select a day.” The mind reader slowly flips through the pages, stops when asked, and shows the selected page to his helper. “Is your time segment on this page?” asks the Mentalist. “No? How about the next page? The next?” When the participant acknowledges that a page displaying his selected time segment has been found, the performer rips the page out of the booklet and hands it to him, instructing, “Select a program which is broadcast in the half-hour segment your intuition guided you to, tell us the title, and push ‘play’ on the VCR.” The participant browses the listings and says, “Star Trek.” He pushes the ‘play’ button. The television screen flickers to life and the sound track is heard, “Space - the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise...” Please turn to TAPE, page 251 Andy has a unique way of looking at old methods through fresh eyes. Not bad for someone still in high school!
251 TAPE, continued A combination of methods forces the selection of the pre-taped program. Many wristwatches which do not have a day/date function, some of the Swatch brand watches come to mind, have stems which pull out to two detents. The second click-stop engages the mechanism to move the hands; the first click-stop, otherwise reserved for setting the date, does nothing. You show your participant how to spin the stem to adjust the hands and how to push in the stem to set the time. Your demonstration places the hands in position to force the time of your television segment. When you hand the watch to him face down to be set to a random time, the stem is pulled to the first detent; spinning the stem burns calories but doesn’t alter the time set on the watch. Locate a page in your TV Guide which has, in a column next to the bound edge and at the bottom of an even-numbered page, only one listing for a particular half-hour segment. Make sure that page does not have the chart for the entire prime-time schedule. You may need the patience to search through a few weeks’ issues until coincidence favors you with an appropriate selection. Videotape that program and, if you wish to perform the routine more than once, purchase additional copies of the TV Guide. To force a page place, between your force page and the prior page, a thick coin at the bottom of the booklet as close to the binding (spine) as it will go. Hold the booklet by the bottom corner, squeezing the coin to hold it in place. The coin forms a natural ‘break’ in the pages. With your other hand, pull the pages (by the outside edges) toward you and let them riffle off your fingers toward the participant. When he says, “Stop” you release all the pages before the coin. A little practice to get the timing right makes this a very easy task. (Editor’s note: Thanks to Christopher Caldwell for reminding me about this clever ruse.) Open the booklet at the forced pages as if you are curious about where you were stopped. You’ll have ample opportunity to allow the coin to slip into your hand. Show the left page of the opened TV Guide to your participant and ask him if he sees a program in his selected (forced) time segment on the page. He won’t, because you stopped at the pages prior to that spot. Point to the right page and ask again. Once more, he’ll not see the proper time segment. Turn the page. At the bottom of the left, even numbered, page is your force program. When your participant indicates he’s found a listing at the appropriate time, tear out the page and hand it to your participant. Ask him to select any program running in the appropriate time segment. The audience doesn’t know his choice is restricted to only one program.
252 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk The preceding week has been a very exciting one. Seven members of the renowned Six and One-Half (a.k.a. the Desert Brain Storm) travelled as a group to Sacramento and spent four days with Mike Maxwell (of A-1 Multimedia) videotaping a three-volume anthology of killer Mentalism, featuring performances and explanations from Larry Becker, Docc Hilford, Mark Strivings, Christopher Caldwell, Kenton Knepper, Gene Urban, and yours truly, Lee Earle. It is scheduled for release this winter. Remember the challenge idea mentioned a few issues back in which a premise would be given to several of the round-table groups around the country to see whose implementation is the most creative? Well, here’s the first round: Method - Five table tennis balls in an opaque crepe bag. One ball is spray painted matte black. When the balls are mixed by massaging the bag with one’s hand, four of them are naturally slippery but the painted ball’s surface is not, so it’s simple to detect by feel when the ‘black ball’ is removed by a participant. Take it from there. The deadline for submitting routines is September 30, 1997. The newest SYZYGY’s BEST! lecture, Volume 3, debuts in San Antonio, TX on Wednesday, July 23rd (contact Ted Dearinger for info, 210.366.4068) and moves on to Tyler, TX for Friday, July 25th (contact Bruce Thompson, 903.876.4825). If you’re in the area, come on by, I’d love to see you there. As I travel around the world with these lectures, I am continuously asked about SYZYGY’s demographics. Specific data will remain closely held, but the following information may prove interesting. After the U.S., the countries with the greatest number of subscribers are (in descending order): the U.K., Canada, Germany, Italy, Australia, France, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Israel, Japan, Norway, Argentina, The Bahamas, Denmark, India, Netherlands Antilles, Portugal, Republic of China, Scotland, South Africa, and Switzerland. I can’t release data about specific subscribers, so please don’t ask. SYZYGY has plans afoot to produce and promote a touring, weekend workshop for aspiring professionals and others who want to move their performances up to the next level. Each event will focus on Mentalism-specific platform skills, promotion & booking, and positioning in the marketplace. I have had early discussions with some potential presenters who are experts in their fields and the early outlook is promising. Our intention is to provide a highenergy, first-class weekend which will set a new standard for the profession. Registration fees will be commensurate with “real world” seminars and will be subject to a money-back guarantee. The event could ‘hit the road’ in the Summer of 1998, with a maximum of 12 dates available, one per month. If you’re interested, get in touch; I have a hunch the schedule will fill up quickly. Wise Words: Where would we be without rhetorical questions? Anonymous
253 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Herb Dewey Mindblowing Psychic Readings, II 40's Male – Single You would be compatible with a woman that has had a failed marriage behind her, and that has either one or two children, and the reason that this relationship would succeed is because you are the good guy, you see, and you’re going to heal the wounds, you’re going to not be abusive if she has been with somebody who has been abusive in her past, that you are not going to take advantage of her, and that you probably would make the commitment to her. 40's Male – Married I would sense that you’re at a point in your life now where perhaps you are not in as great physical shape as you were ten years ago. You have become more organized, more practical and more independent and more expressive, and probably more disciplined than you were as a younger person. I would see you perhaps falling into the category of being a work-a-holic. That you find that your wife thinks that you do not give her as much quality time as you should. You are more involved in work and making money and cultivating a cash flow, then you have been at any other time. 50's Female – Single I would sense that you will not go through life alone. It appears to me that you pretty much have come to some conclusions that you may well be alone in life, but I don’t think that is what the universe has in store for you. The reason I say that is you are more attractive than you give yourself credit for. Probably more well-balanced. You are a lot wiser than you were 10, 20, 30 years ago. That you are not a manipulative lady, you are not a game player, you are not a trouble maker. These minireadings, continued from Quarterly Supplement #11, are sampled from Herb’s newest book.
254 50's Female – Married You probably have been told that you have a green thumb and that you can grow anything. That you have a problem with keeping the weight off, and perhaps now that you are not as thin as you used to be. People see you as very charming, an excellent hostess, that you are not vain, that you are not looking at yourself in the mirror all day, that you don’t try to dress like you’re 20 years old, people around you have a genuine respect for you. 50's Male – Single You are creative, self-expressive, and I would suspect that you are more disciplined at this age than you were at 40 or 30 years old. You are probably more in touch with yourself. And obviously you’ve reached the conclusion that you pretty much will determine your own destiny. 50's Male – Married You feel that your health is probably OK. You’ve got the personality, you’ve got the brains, you’ve got the charm, your personality seems to be that you are smooth, easy going, that you don’t lose your temper easily, that you are able to debate different issues, that you are able to pretty much see both sides of whatever situation exists. 60's Female – Single You’ve been your own person, you’ve set your own hours, you do pretty much what you want to do and you certainly don’t want to be dependent on your children. You don’t want to be dependent or co-dependent on other people around you. You go through life and the fact of the matter is that most of the men that you meet at church or at social gatherings probably do not impress you. 60's Female – Married You see yourself as a person that has been transformed from a younger woman into an older woman. Again, the typical late bloomer. You are now more capable of taking chances than you would have as a child. You are more outspoken now than as a teenager, and continually would wonder is that all there is? Is that all there is in my life? It seems that you do not have the amount of romance in your life that you once had. 60's Male – Single I would think that it’s fair to say you have overcome obstacles within your life. You have a way of seeing things clearly. That you have overcome health issues, that you’ve overcome financial issues, so in some ways its reasonable to say that you are your own person. Your personality is not likely to change. Your self-esteem, your self-confidence, is not likely to change. 60's Male – Married You try to fight the biological aging process by acting younger, being younger, and wondering is this all that there is? You’ve been the married person. You know your mate probably better than any other person knows her. It’s not been a totally easy marriage. It’s had its ups and downs. There are no relationships born in Heaven. Overweight – Male or Female I perceive you to be a decent individual and usually I can tell if somebody is an overeater.
255 Usually I can tell if someone is really doing themselves a great deal of damage by impulsive eating or compulsive eating. I really don’t sense that with you. I feel that what has happened is that your subconscious mind has sent a message to your conscious mind for you to put on some weight. And it will be sort of like insulation, if you will. It is sort of like a protective security blanket. By being overweight it may keep you safe. Handicapped – Male or Female Handicaps are there. It’s almost like a negative seed that has been planted in your mind. If you’re told as a young person that you’ll never accomplish anything. Well, perhaps you won’t accomplish anything if you absorb that negativity. The word handicap has different interpretations and there are many different elements relative to handicap. Asian – Female Your mother probably didn’t want you to marry until you were 30 years and probably have no more than one child, and hopefully that would be a boy child. I would feel that somehow, I would sense in your language your name would be the name of a bird, I don’t know if that would be a hummingbird, or that would be a whippoorwill, or a nightingale, but I think that somehow your ethnic first name would be a derivative of a bird. Hispanic – Female You have an above-average way of presenting yourself. You seem to be neat, clean, well-groomed, articulate, and I would sense a lot of books around you which would indicate an education. But I also would feel, and I am not sure if I am sensing from your voice or from your touch or just the essence of you, but I feel that you are going to accomplish many things in your life that perhaps you don’t think are possible. Physically Attractive Female You will always intimidate males and they will always see you as having an invisible chip on your shoulder. It’s reasonable to say that no man shall own you, possess you or control you. No man is going to have you jump through hoops at the count of three. You are not the typical bombshell with no education. You are educated and certainly the major issues in your life would be men. And if nine out of ten men do not impress you the one that does would be the challenge. Gay or Lesbian My belief is throughout your life, you’ve had to overcome adversity. I think you’ve always been sort of outside the loop, on a different mental level then people around you. Very rarely have you been understood completely as far as who you are and what you’re all about. You will have faced a great many obstacles within your life, a great deal of adversity within your life Black Female I feel that when you are dealing with your main man it is a monogamous relationship. You’d go to hell and back for the right person. As long as there is no physical abuse or mental abuse or emotional abuse, you would do whatever is possible to keep the relationship happy. You would probably live with him before you marry him. He may not be the typical male to send roses. I don’t sense that he likes to send flowers or would be a great communicator relative to the affectionate things that some people say.
256 Editor’s Note: These readings (and those in QS #11) are excerpts from Herb’s book, Mindblowing Psychic Readings (available from Mark Sky, 732.750.4377). To illustrate the incredible depth in Herb’s readings, here’s a full-length example, reduced to fit the page. 40’s Female – Single I would feel that regardless of the amount of men that you have experienced in your life, I would still see you as the one-man woman. Through no fault of your own you have attracted men, or magnetized men to you, that didn’t deserve you in the first place. You are able at this point in your life to know, or have a knowing, if there is any potential with the person, and you will probably know that within the first couple of minutes. Somebody has shown you a photograph of a male, because I believe that there has been some match making or networking done, and you have probably experienced at least one or two blind dates. And it’s just not worked out. The analogy I would like to create with you, it’s sort of like the lady that’s trying to have a baby, trying to have a baby, trying to have a baby, and she tries forever and she can’t have a baby, she decides on adopting a child and then she gets pregnant. There is a similar chemistry going on here because you will meet your soulmate when you least expect to meet him. You will meet him at a place where you would not have ordinarily gone. It will be a last minute decision in going to this place, and this male is going to be unlike the male that you would normally date. By that I mean, if you normally date lets say brown eyed Italians, normally, at least in my mind they look Italian, and maybe Hispanic, but if you normally date that type, your soulmate will end up having blue eyes and blond hair and conversely I think the opposite is true as well. I think that you have become frustrated. Everybody looks at you, especially family members, that wonder if you’re going to be married. I would suspect that you have a failed marriage or a long term relationship behind you, or an engagement that was broken. You don’t like being around drinkers or alcoholic types, so that you have a tendency not to want to go to the clubs and the bars, because all you meet there are losers that want to know your Zodiac sign and then is it your place or mine? You have become somewhat more selective. You’ve been spending a great deal more time relative to your work situation. Biologically you would be within the body of a younger woman, I would sense from your energy that you are young at heart. You keep yourself young in that way. You probably attract younger men to you as well. You have had the opportunity of dating 23 or 24 year old males. But there seems to be a bit of a generation gap where they are still into partying and you’ve been there and you’ve done that, you know. It would be somewhat of a different philosophy, and for some reason lately you have been thinking about children or babies. I would see you as a mother, I don’t know if that would be biological or adopted, but I would see you as a mother. I further believe the next nine years for you are going to be happier than the previous nine years. What you have learned in looking back in relationships... any relationship that you’ve had, you have learned something about yourself. Not necessarily about the other person, but something about yourself as far as what the ground rules are, what the parameters are, what you allow, what you don’t allow, and over these last nine years that you have achieved a great deal of independence. You have transformed into a much stronger person. You have become not so much judgemental, but you have been able to show excellent judgment. You have become self-reliant. You’ve always been intelligent, you are discriminating, and that it is interesting to me that you will attract men in your life to you, and there are going to be an assortment of different types of males. The type of male that you are best compatible with is somebody that is a nurturer, a big brother, gentle ben, teddybear type individual that will not try to press your buttons or pull your strings, rather would be a counterpart, a male counterpart of you. My first impression of you that you have a great deal of nervous energy, that you are not as relaxed as you should be, your mind is going in different places. You seem to be very, very expressive, that you are able to be... your self esteem and self confidence is good. I don’t believe you would ever be the wild woman, you seem to be cultured, you seem to be refined, and you have the equivalent of higher education. You are certainly very, very feminine. In that way, you probably couldn’t be the bad guy if you tried to be. Because of your nervous energy, when this nervous energy is not used up, you make impractical decisions, that you then become a dreamer, and there has got to be some physical outlet for this nervous energy, either through exercise or through walking, or aerobics or dancing, something to break the pattern. And someone once said, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Somehow I feel that from the energy I get the name John. That seems to be somehow to be significant, J. in your life. As far as your future is concerned, you seem to be community oriented, you probably will volunteer some of your time to help others. You want a mature relationship with a man that has already sown all of his oats, a man that is not going to go to the clubs, is not going to go out with the guys, and put their friendship above your friendship. I don’t mean to allude to the fact that you’re high maintenance in a relationship, but you need a full time relationship, not part time. My sense is you have gone that route before. You are intensely sensual, so once a man has experienced you romantically, I doubt very much if he would want to go on to another woman. But I believe that you must find balance within your life, because I think the energy that you give out is not always returned. That you are always giving to another person, and you are not getting that back. I don’t feel that you are obsessed with love, because you are different in many ways now than when you were a younger woman. It is nice to have love and companionship, and you’re looking for the fire works, and the sparks, and the electricity, and I feel that would be a male in your life who has been a friend. Who cares for you very much, yet you cannot bring yourself to be in love with this person, because all the necessary components are not there. And I think with this male is somebody that you see frequently and perhaps on a day to day basis as far as a working situation, but he would see you as a fantasy, or he would see you as his female counter part or soulmate, and he would share with you his feeling for you. But it seems, it is almost like an Oriental paradox, where you pursue the male that is tied up with somebody else and this male pursues you, and you may even have a love or a fondness for him, but certainly this male that pursues you currently, you are not in love with. Yet, logically he could probably provide for you, the material things within your life and give you the emotional security. Probably what is lacking is any lust, sensuality, eroticism, or passion because with you being a very passionate woman, as far as past lives are concerned, I think that you have been around during the time of the Egyptians, and during the time of the Ancient Greeks. You would probably make an excellent detective, I think you have an investigative mind. I don’t think that you miss much. You will enter into an area of affluence in your life, and prominence, and you will be well known in your community simply because you’re community oriented. You are family oriented, and you really should be in a marriage, not being single. Over this next few months, my feeling is that the person you will marry you will meet on a weekend, either a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. You will experience things with this man that you wouldn’t ordinarily experience. If it would take you three months to become intimate with a man, normally in a relationship, because you put certain restrictions on the relationship, when you meet this love of yours, this future love, you could be with him three days, or three dates, and be intimate with him, because he’ll be different than those around you. The most significant thing about him is going to be his eyes. He would be able to look right through you, and I think the touch of his hand is going to create a great deal of chemistry, so that he’ll be different than any other person. You will feel inspired by being with this person. He is not going to be a person that is going to be attention getting, he is not going to be a loudmouth, a flamboyant male. He will be a person that has been cut loose by another woman, or he would cut loose himself from another woman, because he’s been in a relationship or had a wife that cheated on him, and I sense that he found his wife in a compromising position with another man. Where this man that you are going to marry is a man of honor, he needs fidelity, he needs loyalty in the woman he would be with. He is not particularly concerned with how much you weight or what your measurements are, but rather what goes on inside of you. You have a tendency of intimidating men that come into your aura, you want to be reasonably cautious, because I say to you, that when you meet a man that is going to be a little bit shy, or a little bit blushing, or a little bit reluctant, if you cultivate this new relationship, it will end up in marriage. I don’t believe it’s going to be a long-term courtship. Once the two of you have experienced each other, I would think within a three month period of time, the dialogue will be living together within a time frame and then married. And I assume that if you live with a guy for six months and you haven’t poisoned him with your cooking, I suspect that it could be a long term relationship. So exciting things that are going to happen within your life, but know this, in your next relationship or in the relationship that you are currently in, that is going to turn into marriage. You will be the leader, you won’t be the follower. I think you will be the teacher, not the student. You will be in control and not controlled. So it will be somewhat different than any other relationship that you have had. As far as the person is concerned, I would see him to have a sensitivity, a mellowness about him, where he would not be aggressive and take charge. So in that regard, if this man would ask you out to dinner on a Saturday evening and you comply, he probably would assume that you would chose the place to have dinner. He will be not so much dependent on you, but rather he would want you to be the one to make decisions in the relationship. Doesn’t mean he’s weak, and doesn’t mean he’s afraid, he has always been searching for a strong woman, and you are going to be the woman for him. So this is in your future. And what you must do is cut the cord to any relationship that is based on just physical pleasures, and cut the cord to any dead end streets, and cut the cord to any losers and you have to clean up your act a little bit, because I think you are still dealing with a little excess baggage from the past. You have got to wipe the slate clean now, and then basically move on in life and prepare yourself for the future, because it’s going to be a happy life and I would see you in a marriage. It’s going to be to a man who’s got the mind of a computer, or the mind of an engineer.
257 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Issue # 53 Volume 3, Number 17 Dick Steiner The Ziploc Gizmo “Prior to the program,” reminds the Mentalist, “I asked several volunteers to write numbers between 100 and 700 on pieces of paper which were subsequently collected.” He holds up a large, clear plastic bag of the type which has an interlocking, zipper style seal at the top. It is filled to half its capacity with hundreds of small slips of paper. Speaking to someone near the front, the performer holds open the top of the bag and continues, “I figured this is the best way to arrive at a random figure, fairly selected and in view of everyone. Please reach in and grab a small handful of the numbers.” When the participant does as requested, the bag is zipped closed and is given, along with a sizeable paperback book, to a second person in the audience. The performer asks, “The numbers drawn from the bag represent random pages in your book. As our first helper reads aloud three or four of those numbers, please turn to the corresponding pages. You must feel comfortable that not only are the numbers randomly selected but also that each page is different.” The participants do as requested, satisfying everyone of the fairness of the procedure. Addressing his remarks to the person with the book, the mind reader continues, “Now that you’ve been left holding the bag, reach into it and select one slip of paper to determine which page in the book we’ll use. Turn to that page and gaze at what you see printed there. At that point, the Mentalist is free to reveal the page’s contents because, despite the open handling, the number is forced. Two plastic bags are used. One bag is modified by cutting off its “zipper” at the top. Slide the trimmed bag into the uncut bag, ensuring a nice fit with no wrinkles. The top edge of the inner bag should be just below the outer bag’s closure strip. Lay the nested bags flat and turn the top of the outer bag down, as if rolling up a sleeve or a cuff. This exposes the top edge of the inner, cut bag. A length of clear sticky-on-both-sides tape is applied to the top edge of the cut bag, running from one side to the other. Please turn to GIZMO, page 260 You can’t beat a utility device which is not only easily constructed but inexpensive as well.
258 Gregory Albright Practice Contact “The subconscious,” begins the Mentalist, “constantly directs the cognitive mind toward an implanted goal. Those who have a focus for their efforts will almost always achieve their desires while persons with no projected vision, are doomed to wander randomly through life, hoping to hit a target at which they are not aiming. “I would be delighted to provide a simple illustration of the inner focus principle,” he continues, “if someone here at the table will assist.” One person indicates he would like to participate. The performer warns, “When you first observe what we do, and certainly in the retelling after, you may be tempted to describe what we accomplish as a ‘card trick’. Please look deeper for the real message of this demonstration.” He spreads a deck of cards face down before the participant and asks, “Pull one of them out of the spread and note it’s unique identity. I’ll turn my head aside as you show it to everyone.” The participant does as instructed. “Slip your target image, the one you are looking at and remembering, back in among the others,” instructs the mind reader. “Then gather all the playing cards and mix them well.” As this takes place, the performer turns to face the participant. He spreads the shuffled pack in a face up arc in front of the volunteer. “Extend your index finger and position your arm so it swings comfortably over the entire spread of playing cards,” directs the Mentalist. For us to be successful, you must concentrate on the location of your image in the spread. Take a moment to spot your card. I will place my hand lightly on yours, moving it back and forth slowly over the spread. In your mind only say to me, ‘This way. Over here!’ and mentally guide me in the proper direction. When your finger is over your card, think to me, ‘Stop! Go down.’.” Adding action to his instructions, the Mentalist, his eyes closed, takes the participant’s wrist and slowly moves the helper’s index finger back and forth over the spread of cards, narrowing the arc of movement until he lowers the extended digit onto one playing card. It is the card in the participant’s mind! You’ll never have a better opportunity to practice your muscle reading skills. With your eyes closed, move his hand back and forth beginning with tiny initial movements. Feel the subtle resistance when you edge his hand away from his point of focus and sense how much more easily his finger moves in the right direction. Your participant must honestly concentrate on the card’s location. It is also crucial that he has an investment in the successful outcome of the demonstration; that means you share the credit. If he infers a challenge you are certain to have difficulties. Your backup method is simple – use a marked deck to learn his card’s identity (just before you turn your head aside). This routine is presentationally similar to the one in issue #51, pg.241. They make a great ‘one-two’ punch.
259 Banachek A M-I-N-D for This & That Taking pen in hand, the Mentalist writes a different letter of the alphabet on the faces of four of his business cards. “Everything we do relates in some way to the intellect, thus the letters M-I-N-D on the four cards,” he says. The performer takes a moment more and pens a short phrase on the back of each card, taking care not to allow the others to read what he has written. He places the four business cards in a row on the table, adjusting each card’s position with a jeweler’s precision. “Given what we know about human psychology, what appear to be random choices may be exactly the opposite,” he continues. “Milton Ericson, the brilliant researcher of hypnosis, has shown we are all susceptible to many forms of influence and persuasion.” Directing his comments to one person seated at the table, the performer advises, “You are tasked to make what you believe to be a free choice of one of the four letters. Perhaps it will be selected because it is the same as your middle initial or maybe because it is the only letter with a curve. It could be you will take the closest letter or the one which is the most distant. Look – this one has a little smudge. Is it meant to attract your attention or to eliminate that option because it is ‘too obvious’?” Looking the participant directly in the eye, the Mentalist requests, “Go ahead. Place your hand over one of those letters.” The participant covers the ‘I’ card with his hand. “You chose that letter,” says the performer, gathering the remainder into his hands, “not this letter.” He turns the packet of three over to show the writting on the bottom of the card which reads, “This letter!” He continues, “Nor this letter, nor this letter,” each time showing the same phrase written on the back of the remaining cards, “This letter!” “Please look at what’s written on the back of the card under your hand,” instructs the Mentalist, “and wonder why you chose that letter.” On the card is written, “That letter!” Write the phrase “This letter!” on the backs of the ‘M’ and ‘N’ cards; the other two get the phrase, “That letter!” Once the choice is made, gather the remaining cards so the one bearing the remaining odd phrase matching his choice is in the center. Position the cards for the magician’s ‘glide’ move and turn over the packet of three to show the non-matching phrase on the bottom card. Rotate the packet and perform the glide, apparently dealing the bottom card onto the table. What actually happens is that your fingers move the bottom card back just a bit and withdraw the middle card instead. You are now free to repeat the same actions to show the writing on the remaining two cards. Adjust your choice of words to highlight the hidden phrase.
260 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk A number of my friends in the Psychic Entertainers Association have asked why I decline to participate (or even lurk) in the group’s on-line, members-only Internet forum, so it seems sensible to explain once, for everyone, my reasoning. I have heard, via heresay, about the fabulous exchange of ideas in those chats, and I would love to join in, but that is not to be. Part of my function as SYZYGY’s editor is to provide a presentational framework for the ideas and routines submitted for publication. In crafting those presentations, if I happen to duplicate (or just forget the reference for) something mentioned by a participant in that forum there would be hell to pay – both from the “original” source for appropriating his idea and from the P.E.A. itself, which insists that material discussed under its auspices remain closely held. It’s tough enough dealing with the attribution issue without making things even more complicated. By absenting myself from those discussions it should be obvious that any resemblance between items published in these pages and material revealed on ‘the net’ is purely coincidental. There is a calligraphic art form which results in ambigrams, hand-lettered words or phrases which read the same when turned upside down. The illustration at the right was recently discovered by Joe Marino, who found it (and sent me the book, thanks Joe!) in Wordplay by John Langdon. Ambigrams have the potential to provide a wonderful premise for a Mentalism presentation. Ideas, anyone? Wise Words: Hard learned lessons are those remembered longest. Anonymous GIZMO, continued This step in the assembly is shown in the cover illustration. Carefully unroll the outer bag’s fold and allow the inner bag to invisibly attach itself to the inside surface of the outer bag. The slips which are placed inside the inner bag bear the same page number. The collected slips bearing random numbers go between the inner bag and the outer bag. The final preparation before the show involves turning back the top of the outer bag as before; the unattached top edge of the inner bag lays against the taped edge as you form the cuff, allowing access only to the contents of the outer bag. Apply another length of double-sticky tape to the other top, outside edge of the inner bag. In performance, after the random numbers are drawn from the bag, you unroll the cuff and run your fingers across the bag’s top to apparently seal it before handing the bag to participant #2. In reality, you are also attaching the inner bag’s remaining top edge to the outer bag, making it possible for the second participant to access only the slips bearing your force page number.
261 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Issue # 54 Volume 3, Number 18 Joe Marino Pro Fabulation “We all have dreams,” begins the Mentalist, “and those dreams have power. According to Peter Daniels, dreaming illustrates your hidden capacities and your unwakened ability.” Readying a small notepad for entries, the mindreader continues, “When you hold a dream in your heart and mind, everyone around you can share that vision. Let’s make a connection.” The performer points to someone in the audience and asks, “My dream is to buy a nice automobile and a very good price. How much do you think I would consider paying for my luxury dream car?” The answer is “Twenty six thousand, seven hundred fifty three dollars.” The number is written on the pad. Indicating a second audience participant, the Mentalist continues, “I also want the Corinthian Leather interior package. How much is that?” “Six hundred fifty two dollars,” is the reply, which is also written down. “Finally,” remarks the performer, “there are charges such as dealer prep, license, taxes, and so forth. What will be the total in that category?” A third person in the audience answers, “Seven hundred sixty-six dollars.” That figure is inscribed on the pad as well. Putting the pad in his shirt pocket for a moment, the Mentalist takes out his wallet and approaches the closest of the three audience helpers. “I went to an auto broker the other day and got a written estimate on my dream car’s price,” he says as he unzips the wallet’s interior compartment, “and I kept the paper as an incentive.” He withdraws a folded receipt from the previously zippered pocket, unfolds it, and hands it to the participant. Returning the wallet to his pocket, the performer again pulls out the memo pad, draws a line under the figures written there, and takes a moment to reach a total. Please turn to Pro Fabulation, page 262 Joe is a highly successful motivational speaker based in Jacksonville, FL.
262 Pro Fabulation, continued “Let’s see...26,753 plus 652 plus 766 is...28, 171. That’s a lot of money for a car these days. The base price suggested by helper #1 was 26,753. What’s on the estimate?” The surprised helper reads, “$26,753.” The mindreader continues, “And is the upgrade package priced at - he refers to his notepad - $652?” “Yes!” “How about all those dealer charges? Helper #3 thought $766 was about right. Does his guess match my dream quote?” “Yes!” For this killer version of the standard “Confabulation” effect you use any type of card-to-wallet billfold and two small duplicate notepads. Each notepad is constructed using the stiff backing from a larger, off-the-shelf notepad, cut to playing card size. Trim several pieces of paper to the same size and glue them to the stiff panel. You will neither remove nor write on these sheets. Add a cover, cut from the original notepad’s cover material, folded over and attached to the underside of the stiff panel. Write, on a generic office supply store receipt form, entries for the products or services you’ll mention in your routine but leave the prices and the total blank (shown as grey areas in the second illustration). Fold the paper so the four areas for the entries are above one another and close together. The final, folded receipt should be the same height and width as your card-size notepads. Be sure at least one corner of the receipt is available to grasp when the time comes to unfold the paper. Place the folded receipt beneath the cover of one of the notepads and use the clip of your pen to hold the pad closed. The wallet, prepared to accept the load, is in your coat’s inside breast pocket while the duplicate pad is in your shirt pocket on the same side of your body. As each item’s price is given, write that amount in the appropriate space on the folded receipt, appearing to write it on the top sheet of the pad. After you’ve been given all three prices, write their total in the proper space. You must remember all four figures (a good mnemonic system will help here). As an alternative, double write the info on your thumbnail. When it’s time to produce the receipt, put the notepad away (apparently into your shirt pocket, but really into the wallet) and bring out the wallet. Unzip the proper compartment and withdraw the folded receipt, leaving the dummy notepad inside. Grasp the exposed corner of the receipt and snap the paper open with a flick of your wrist before handing it to your participant. This is what sells the effect: Take the duplicate pad from your shirt pocket and bluff reading the three figures as if they were written on the pad. Use your pen to ‘draw’ a line as if you were adding the column, take a couple moments to pretend you’re adding, then announce the total. Ask your participant to read aloud what’s written on the receipt and to verify the total. Data other than digits can be used, provided the paper is folded to allow entry in the proper place on the form.
263 Paul Green This Gift’s for You Inspired by Tony Griffith’s fantastic routines, Penny Move and Person Move, Paul developed this variation. A group of seven people, including the guest of honor, is asked to come on stage and stand in a single row. The Mentalist asks an eighth participant to hand a gift-wrapped package, at random, to any of those standing in the row. Then helper #8 is given a set of instructions, printed in large block capital letters, to read aloud. The instructions direct for the gift to be exchanged from one participant to another and, from time to time, direct one or more of the participants to return to the audience. At the conclusion, only the guest of honor remains standing. He opens the card on the gift and finds that it is addressed to him! There are two keys to performing this routine: 1) When the folks come on stage, quietly direct them where to stand. The final recipient (grey in the illustration) must be in the third place in the row from stage right (as they face the audience, two people will be on the honoree’s right and four people will be on his left). 2) You will secretly alter the instructions based on the whether the gift is handed to a person in an odd or even position in the row. Here’s what’s written: When you are instructed to make an exchange, please hand the gift to either person standing directly at your side. Exchange the gift. Now exchange again. The persons on either end of the row should be seated. Exchange the gift. Exchange the gift once more. Exchange the gift a third time. The person on the right end of the row should return to the audience. Please take the person from the opposite end of the row with you. Exchange the gift. The person on the row’s left end should leave the stage. Exchange the gift. The empty-handed person should take his seat. The person who holds the gift should now open the gift card and read it aloud. After all, this gift’s for you! Except for the bold text in the second line, the instructions are written on a dry-erase board, using a permanent marker. The bold text is written using a dry-erase pen. If the gift is given to a person standing in an odd position, secretly wipe away the erasable instruction before you hand it to helper #8 to read. It’s important for the audience to understand that, unless he is on the end of the row, each person who transfers the gift has a free choice as to which person on either side gets the package. Paul has found that this routine is the ideal way to present a gift to an event’s guest of honor.
264 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Dick Steiner phoned to request a clarification on The Ziploc Gizmo in the previous issue. The gutsy business about placing a self-sealing bag full of numbered slips in the participant’s hands is his; for simplification, a basic word test was substituted in place of his more lengthy (and absolutely incredible) presentation. Just did Bruce Bernstein’s Emergency Mentalism (issue #51) in a recent corporate show - and it slays ‘em! (See the client’s letter on my website: http://www.Lee-Earle.com/attaboy.html.) If you haven’t yet given the routine a tryout, you should read the write-up again. Better yet, buy a copy of the book (Psy Kicks) from which it came and get the unabridged version. Send your check for $33.00 to Bruce at 6031 W. Henderson, Chicago, IL, 60634 and he will send your copy via Priority Mail or international Air Mail. September lecture dates for SYZYGY’s BEST!: Date City Contact Phone Sept. 24 Williamsburg, VA Jerry Blount 757 565-2546 Sept. 25 Philadelphia, PA Marc DeSouza 610 519-1866 Sept. 27 Baltimore, MD Denny Haney 410 686-3914 Sept. 28 Canton, OH Michael Lair 330 453-6819 Recent conversations, involving attribution and permission to print, make it necessary to publish some dictionary definitions: editor - The person having final responsibility for the operations and policies of a publication. edit - a. To prepare written material for publication or presentation, as by correcting, revising, or adapting; b. To modify or adapt so as to make suitable or acceptable. Material sent to SYZYGY for publication consideration is likely to be revised, corrected, adapted, and modified. Unlike a magazine, which accepts finished articles and edits only for language or length, SYZYGY is a newsletter in which brevity and editorial perspective are given equal consideration with content and premise. To paraphrase philosopher and author Robert Heinlein, the chef approves the soup only after he flavors it himself. Riley G. is offering a discount on the no-longer-out-of-print classic book, The Psychic Mafia. You can order a copy from his online bookstore at: http://www.psicop.com/psicopbs-1.htm Germany’s Ted Lesley is now the proud editor and publisher of Mind & Magic Magazine. Produced in 81/4 x 53/4 inch booklet format, the first issue is 16 pages long (including covers) and includes material from Dr. Toni Forster, Ken de Courcy, and others. It’s priced at 70 German marks per year for international airmail and is promised to be published thirteen times annually. Contact Ted via telephone or fax at (49) 30-851-6861 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Can you say, “market saturation” ? David Fredric Ashton, III is working on a book featuring everything you ever wanted to know about those in-the-ear, “secret assistant” radio devices. Look for a review, here, soon. Wise Words: Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein
265 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 55 Volume 4, Number 1 Joseph Curcillo, III Time is of the Essence “I imagine that some of you in the audience are wondering why you’ve been asked to bring paper bags, light bulbs, plastic baggies, and a loaded stapler to the performance this evening,” begins the Mentalist. “It’s to illustrate a point. I asked my contact person to enlist the help of four others to collect the paraphernalia necessary for our next experiment. Will those folks bring their purchases to the platform, please?” Once the five persons have been welcomed and introduced to the audience, the performer continues, “The instructions I faxed to the committee chairperson specified that certain items be obtained and I see you’ve all complied. Please distribute one sack, one baggie, and one light bulb to every person.” The participants comply, but because there are only four light bulbs, one person has only a sack and a baggie. Turning to that helper, the mindreader continues, “Actually, I planned for the fifth object to be something different. Please remove your wristwatch - we’ll use that. Each of you should now place your object, light bulb or wristwatch, inside your plastic baggie and close the seal at the top. Next, place the bagged item into your paper sacks and fold the top over twice. All the sacks should be folded the same so they appear identical.” He takes an extra bag from the supply and demonstrates. “Now hold your sacks so they can be stapled,” instructs the Mentalist, who goes from person to person, stapling the bags closed with a single staple in the center of each sack’s fold. The performer states, “The five sacks have been prepared in the same way and are indistinguishable from one another. One contains a valuable watch and the others hold inexpensive light bulbs. The watch, worn in the thick of the owner’s aura, will likely retain some of that aura. The bulbs, being relatively unhandled, remain aura-free.” Please turn to Time, page 266 Credit is given to Dan Tong and Marc DeSouza for their input in developing this routine.
266 Time, continued Indicating 5 large, cast-concrete blocks standing in a row on the platform, the performer says, “While my back is turned, please pass the sacks to one person who will gently place one atop each of the blocks in a random manner, so no one will have a clue as to which sack contains the watch. Let me know when that’s accomplished.” When all 5 sacks are distributed atop the blocks, the performer is notified. “There’s one more item to be used in this experiment,” confesses the performer, “but it’s rare and hard to find, so I brought my own.” He removes an enormous sledge hammer from his case and grins in an evil manner. “I hope that watch is a Timex - because we know they take a licking and keep on ticking.” Hefting the hammer to his shoulder, the Mentalist continues, “Here’s the concept: Since all the sacks look the same, only the aura emanating from the watch remains as a clue to its location. Let’s test that theory.” Looking at the first sack, he says, “No aura here,” and slams the sledgehammer onto the sack with full force. “If I’m wrong, the watch will still keep perfect time, by the way. Twice a day.” A second sack gets hammered. “What was clockwise called before there were clocks?” asks the performer. “When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail,” remarks the Mentalist, smashing a third sack. “Nailed it!” “You ever hear the expression, ‘Dumb as a sack of hammers’?” queries the mindreader. “This stunt may qualify.” A fourth sack is flattened. The Mentalist picks up the final, surviving sack and says, “It’s a good thing you have a strong aura. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have a watch and I wouldn’t have a finish.” He opens the sack and withdraws the baggie containing the borrowed wristwatch! You can have lots of fun and byplay with this routine which is sure to engage the audience as never before. Your secret identifier is the staple. Rather, it’s the direction in which the staple penetrates the fold. As each person holds his sack to be stapled, each lightbulb sack is stapled so the flat part of the staple is against the flat side of the sack. When you staple the watch sack, reverse the stapler so the staple penetrates from the folded side. It’s important to do this in a breezy, chatty, manner, moving quickly to have them passed to one person for distribution atop the blocks. Once the sacks are atop the blocks, it’s easy to spot the odd staple. Your faxed instructions to your contact person specify that each of four other people must bring one of the following: A box of zip-top plastic sandwich bags, a package of 4 25-watt light bulbs, a handheld stapler (not a desk type), and at least 5 lunchbag size paper sacks. This makes sure a total of five persons are involved. The plastic bags are insurance to contain glass splinters from the bulbs.
267 Dave Arch PK Pins The Mentalist drops four large safety pins on the table and comments, “When searching for the unusual, we often focus on the exotic - bypassing the more common elements of our lives which can often supply the answers we are seeking.” He opens and then closes each of the safety pins as he continues, “For example, if we were to attempt to move objects with our minds, with which might we feel more comfortable: stress gauges or safety pins? The very familiar nature of everyday items lends weight to our attempts. We’re comfortable with such things.” “Here,” asks the performer of a nearby participant, “hold these four pins in your hand and think, ‘Open - open - open’.” Nothing happens. “Perhaps if we remove one and let you work with three,” suggests the mindreader. He takes one of the safety pins away. Still no manifestation of PK. “Let’s try with only two,” he says, “Visualize how they look when they are open.” The performer slowly opens and closes the two safety pins, then places them in the participant’s hand. The Mentalist goes on, “Concentrate. See them opening in your mind’s eye. Feel them opening in your hand. Squeeze them a little as you focus your mind...” The participant screams and drops the pins to the table. They have both opened! Credit the method to Karl Fulves’ book, Self-Working Table Magic (page 107, Un-Safety Pins). To set the last two pins to open in her hand, align the open pins one atop the other. Hold the two pins firmly between your thumb and index finger at the circular spring end, opposite the heads. Close the upper pin but place the point of the pin in the head of the bottom pin. The lower pin’s point goes in the head of the upper pin. Place the pair of pins in your participant’s hand and have her hold them tightly so they won’t open prematurely. Her hand should be turned palm down so if she opens her hand when she is surprised by the moving pins, they will fall to the table. It’s a good idea to blunt the points of the pins to avoid the slight possibility of your participant getting pricked. Dave suggests you avoid claiming that you first discovered your PK abilities as a child, opening your diaper pins by mind control. The resulting mental picture is not a pretty one. Dave is an example of the modern ‘crossover’ performer, working as a Mentalist and as a professional speaker.
268 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Just received from Charles Buckner a copy of his new Brain Twisters - an 8.5 x 11 inch, 17 page Velobind (Velobound?) booklet of very clever ideas including one section entitled “Sneak a Peek - Blindfold Bits” which contains some of the most useful tips on blindfold use I’ve encountered. There’s also some exciting work on Koran’s Gold Medallion, and more. Produced much like a set of lecture notes, it is nicely typeset and includes photos of a younger author in full P.R. mode. You can order your copy by sending $15 to Mr. Buckner at: 1118 Berwick Road, Birmingham, AL 35242. Special thanks to E. Raymond Carlyle who provided bed & board for both me and my son Warren Paul Earle during my visit bringing SYZYGY’s BEST! to Williamsburg, VA. No slouch in the hospitality department is Marc DeSouza of Philadelphia whose home is a combination theatre and magic museum - the ideal venue for a travelling lecturer. A tip o’ the hat also goes to friends Denny Haney, Jerry Blount, and Michael Lair for ramrodding the lectures in their communities. This month, the lecture visits: Oct. 15 - Charlotte, NC - Eddy Wade - 704.373.0888 Oct. 16 - Nashville, TN - Bill Molby - 615.832.7775 Oct. 17 - Huntsville, AL - Brett Boyer - 205.721.1678 Oct. 18 - Jackson, MS - Robert Battle - 601.992.2522 The Wireless Earphone Book, over 70 pages of inside information for those using (or thinking about obtaining) an in-the-ear cueing device, is David Fredric Ashton, III’s newest release. It includes outstanding routines and common sense advice from a working pro. Orders go to: 5132 S.E. Flavel Drive, Portland, OR 97206, $34.95. The renowned Six and One-Half, Arizona’s Mentalism Braintrust, has announced the November release of their 3-volume video package, Desert Brainstorm. This is the one which features names you’ve seen in SYZYGY such as Docc Hilford, Larry Becker, Mark Strivings, Kenton Knepper, Christopher Caldwell, Gene Urban, and yours truly, Lee Earle. It was videotaped (with a live audience) and produced by Mike Maxwell of A-1 Multimedia, so you know it will be a quality item. You can reserve yours, $84.95 postpaid, directly from the Six and One-Half. Contact Robert Waller, 7528 W. Wescott, Glendale, AZ 85308. Erick Machamer (a delightfully bizarre soul I met at the Canton, OH lecture) produces an evening of Supernatural Magick, The 13th Hour (artwork at right), billed as a great alternative to murder mysteries. For info and reservations, call 330.709.9494. On the subject of ghosts, Loyd Auerbach, Consulting Editor to Fate Magazine, will co-host a “Ghost Busting” seminar and workshop on October 25 and a “Dinner With a Ghost” event on November 18th, both in the San Francisco Bay area. For more info, contact: Institute of Intuitive Research, 2075 Winchester Blvd. #107 Campbell, CA 95008 or call 408.379.6669. Wise Words: Wisdom is knowledge in action Anonymous
269 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 56 Volume 4, Number 2 Lee Earle Puzzling Perception “The intuitive process,” explains the Mentalist, “is one of the least understood functions of the human mind. Researchers explain that the brain gathers an abundance of seemingly unrelated data and then, much as one might work a jigsaw puzzle, attempts to fit bits and bytes of information together until they connect to produce a solution.” Two identical jigsaw puzzles are produced; one of them is still pieces in a box while the other has been assembled into the completed picture and mounted on a panel. The performer pries one piece from the center of the completed puzzle and explains, “Sometimes one critical piece of the puzzle is required to make sense of the whole. In jigsaw puzzles the final piece is easy to locate – in real life that critical component is often more elusive.” Opening the second puzzle box, the performer approaches several people in the front row and asks, “Please take a piece from the box and visually compare it to this one, taken from the center of the puzzle. As you’d expect, they are similar but not identical, yes?” The participants agree. All the pieces are returned to the box. “There are only two pieces,” reminds the Mentalist looking at the puzzle’s description on the side of the box, “among these 100 which will complete the picture. One taken from the original puzzle and the other from this unassembled duplicate set.” He shakes the box, mixing the pieces inside, then removes the lid and walks along the front row asking each person, “Take a few pieces, close your hand around them so none show, then hold out your closed fists in front of you.” The performer holds his hand over the first extended fist. “It’s not in your hand,” he remarks to one participant, “so please return all your pieces.” One by one, the participants are eliminated and return their pieces to the collection. Only a single fist remains. The Mentalist instructs, “Transfer half the pieces to your other hand and extend both fists.” Touching one fist, the mindreader says, “Not here. Get rid of those pieces and divide those remaining between your hands again.” Please turn to PUZZLE, page 270 A jigsaw puzzle is something which is instantly familiar, providing a great hook for Mentalism.
270 PUZZLE, continued The process of elimination is repeated until only two pieces remain, one in each of the participant’s hands. “Does one of your pieces have perfectly straight sides? I thought so. Please discard that one because the target piece wasn’t taken from the puzzle’s edge. Compare your remaining puzzle piece against the assembled puzzle for fit,” suggests the performer. Of course, it matches perfectly. This routine is quite clean because the only chicanery occurs right at the very start, even before the premise has been fully set. Please don’t ‘improve’ the handling with plastic bags, envelopes, or any other type of paraphernalia. It’s not necessary. In your local ‘Everything’s-a-Dollar’ store buy 20 identical jigsaw puzzles. Once you’ve assembled them (this will take some time but gets easier with each puzzle), remove the same identical piece from all puzzles and place those pieces aside. Use spray adhesive to mount one completed puzzle, less the single removed piece, to a section of matte board or a foamcore panel. After ensuring that there is no adhesive residue in the spot where the missing piece goes, lightly place one of the duplicate pieces into that hole, completing the puzzle. The remaining identical pieces are placed in one of the empty puzzle boxes along with 50 or 60 pieces taken from the borders of the unused puzzles; all these border pieces will have straight sides or 90 degree corners. Finally, choose one additional (non-border) piece at random which is a slightly different shape and color from those in the set of duplicates. In performance, when the single piece is removed from the assembled puzzle, billet-switch it for this non-matching piece and ditch the one from the puzzle among the others in the box. None of the pieces in the box will match the one the audience ‘saw’ you remove from the assembled puzzle. Hold out this ‘Jonah’ piece when the other comparison pieces are returned to the box. There are three possible scenarios at the end: 1) One of the two final pieces has a straight edge while the other is one of the dupes that fit – proceed as above; 2) Both of the pieces are dupes which fit the hole in the puzzle – (“Amazing - your intuition found both pieces!” or “The final choice is yours - which one feels right? Go with your intuition!”); 3) Neither of the two is one of your 20 dupes. Suggest you’ve demonstrated that mere chance can’t be counted upon to produce a desirable result. “But,” you continue, “armed with the additional clue that you must choose a piece with no straight sides, your intuition will be enchanced. Reach into the box and feel with your fingertips for pieces with only curved sides. Trust your intuition to guide your hand to the one you want.”
271 James Biss The Silent Word “How many times,” begins the Mentalist, “have friends said, ‘I know what you’re thinking’ and how often have they been right? With a limited range of possibilities, it is possible to discern a person’s thoughts. Especially when they relate to our emotions.” “I’ve written,” informs the mindreader, “on the backs of my business cards, a few words which are used to describe feelings. Words which have a high semantic content, invoking powerful inner emotions.” Mixing the facedown packet of business cards, the performer instructs, “Four of you will select from among these trigger words which activate your subconscious. It’s highly likely that, regardless of how much you try, you will still betray that emotion.” “Here,” continues the Mentalist, speaking to the first of four participants, “cut the packet of cards and take the top one for yourself. For now, don’t let anyone else see your choice.” The packet is extended to each of three others, all of whom take care to conceal the identity of the words they take. “It’s important that you burn that word into your subconscious,” claims the performer. “Close your eyes and spell the word in your mind like this...” He shuts his eyes and spells aloud, “H-A-P-P-Y,” then winks and says, “but do it silently, without moving your lips.” The mindreader says, “Begin.” The four participants mentally spell their selected words and almost immediately the Mentalist identifies which emotions they are focusing upon! It’s the length of the words, combined with their positions in the list, which provide the clue. Those persons with long words will still be silently spelling behind closed eyes long after those with short words are looking at you for further instructions. Arrange the word-cards in the Anger-thru-Tranquility order shown at the left (don’t write the numbers). Your mixing is nothing more than a series of complete cuts, maintaining the circular sequence (Anger follows Tranquility). After your first participant cuts the cards and takes the top word-card, each subsequent person takes the next card from the top of the packet. Assign your first helper the arbitrary value “1.” The second participant is valued “2” while the third helper gets “4” and the last participant is an “8” for our purposes. When you see eyes still closed after your mental spelling of 5 letters, that person’s value is added to your mental total. Use that sum to find the word taken by the first participant (refer to the number printed with each word in the list at left). The list’s next three entries are the words, in order, taken by the three other participants. 0 Anger 8 Fear 4 Envy 2 Greed 9 Resentment 12 Love 14 Shame 15 Embarassment 7 Happiness 11 Animosity 5 Infatuation 10 Hate 13 Sentimentality 6 Lust 3 Affection 1 Tranquility James, a member of Toronto’s mysterious M5 group, credits Leo Boudreau and Al Mann for his inspiration.
272 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk On last week’s lecture tour through Dixie, I visited Knoxville’s Faustian John Riggs. As we munched our way through “dinner” (that’s what they call the midday meal down South) John provided the manuscript for his next book, which I’ve just finished reading. It’s not for the fainthearted (or the thin-skinned). There are few performance pieces or routines in the more than 80 pages. Still, the contents will cause Mentalists to buy it, magicians to curse it, CSICOP to castigate it, and some congregations to burn it. Two well known names in the business have combined forces: Jack Dean has done a mailing on The Lazarus Effect!, a new 106 page, comb-bound book of one-on-one Mentalism by C.L. Boardé. It’s postpaid at $39.00 (plus 8.25% sales tax for Tennessee residents) from StageCraft, 3110 Arrendale St., Memphis, TN 38118. There was no phone number on the postcard I received. Another friend, Ty Kralin, has introduced a line of revenue producing products including: tic sheets for numerology, astrology, graphology, palmistry, etc.; Kralin’s Krash Kourse in handwriting analysis; a graphology pitch book, and so forth. Ty’s material tends to be simple, direct, and unpretentious, developed from lessons in the School of Hard Knocks from someone, to extend the metaphor, who has done his homework. For a complete list of his products, contact Ty at: 414 Carlton Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Ring 296 in Charlotte, NC really knows how to treat a visiting lecturer! A first-class room at a premier hotel to start and a sumptuous meal (chicken pecan – it was delicious!) following the lecture to finish. Scott Robinson and Eddy Wade respectively, are the responsible culprits. My two other charming dining companions were Sandra Wade and Dr. Charles Mays. I finally got to meet Gene Grant (Phantini) at the Jackson, MS lecture. His work can be easily compared to that of David Hoy, Ned Rutledge, and Burling Hull as influential in shaping Contemporary Mentalism, so I was thrilled to spend a little time with him. More thanks due to Tom Molby, Brett Boyer, and Dr. Robert Battle for their help in organizing my visits to their cities. Recent SYZYGY co-op mailings have included offerings from Craig Karges, David Fredric Ashton, III, as well as promotion for a 3-volume video set from the renowned Six and One Half, entitled The Desert Brainstorm Series. As always, the subscriber list is never compromised – the mailing is delivered, in bulk, to Phoenix where the address labels are affixed before mailing. Joe Marino turned me on to My Lousy Inheritance, a routine using a woman’s watch by Fred Hager, 253 Candlelight Cove, Coppell TX 75019. It elegantly duplicates the effect of his earlier Blown Away – a watch is discovered to be set at a freely chosen time. You’ll probably want to rewrite the poem included with the routine but it’s a good buy at $79+$5 postage. Phone: 972.304.1421 Do “Scotch Encoder” and “Time Matches On” ring a bell? Call. Wise Words: I close my eyes in order to see. Anonymous
273 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 57 Volume 4, Number 3 Marc Salem Time Will Tell “We have more than five physical senses,” begins the Mentalist, “and one is our sense of time. Some people have a more highly developed temporal acuity than others.” The performer places a small travel alarm clock, the type with a large, digital readout, in a helper’s hands and says, “Have you ever snapped wide awake about a minute before your alarm would have sounded? I sometimes do.” Putting his pen to a notepad, the mind reader privately inks a figure on the top sheet, tears it from the pad, and places it (writing side down) on the table. He shows the participant how the clock’s hour figure advances when one button is pressed then repeats the demonstration with the button to change the minutes. The Mentalist continues, “Note that hour and minute can be advanced simultaneously. Try it yourself.” The participant complies, observing the numbers changing with each button press. “Presently, you’ll do that again to simulate the passage of the night hours,” reminds the performer, “but hold the clock face down as you do it.” The participant rotates the clock to face the tabletop. Taking the paper and placing it so it rests, writing side up, on the back side of the clock, the mind reader says, “That’s when you need to be awake. Let’s see if your intuition will wake you up at a time close to it. Imagine yourself quietly sleeping. Press, hold, and release the hour and minute buttons as often as you like, stopping when you feel the urge to ‘awaken’.” The helper complies. “Place the clock face down on the table,” says the Mentalist, “and read to the rest of us what’s written on the paper.” The participant reads aloud, “Five eighteen, PM.” The performer turns the clock so everyone can see the face; it reads 5:17 PM! Set a travel clock to any random time then write that time (plus two minutes) on the paper. Before showing how to change the time, secretly switch the clock to the alarm setting mode. (The exact switch or button will vary with each brand of clock. A small dab from a marking pen, below the “:” in the illustration, conceals the telltale alarm icon.) Covertly reset the clock to the time display mode as you pick it up to show it to your audience. A similar effect (with a different method) is featured in Marc’s offbroadway show, “Mind Games”
274 Alain Nu Zodiesque “For centuries,” reminds the Mentalist, “people have categorized themselves and others, assigning certain behavioral characteristics to others based on the time of the year that individual was born. Let’s get a show of hands, how many of you were born in, for example, the colder months of the year, during autumn or winter? Raise your hand if you were born in the fall or winter months.” Addressing those with upraised hands, the performer continues, “You would be considered to be ‘world-builders’ – people who tend to be thinkers or developers. Please lower your hands. Thank you.” “Engineers and project managers,” informs the mind reader, “are also among those more likely to have been born in colder months. Contrarily, if your birth was in the spring or summer, you would more likely be regarded as a ‘risk-taker’ – an adventurer who finds, indeed, that variety is the spice of life.” Raising his hand in illustration, the Mentalist asks, “On a more metaphysical note, how many of you were born in the first half of the year?” Hands in the audience are momentarily elevated again. “You are among the group often described as ‘telepathic’ whereas individuals born in the second half of the year usually are characterized as more perceptive regarding future events; they are thought of as the ‘clairvoyants’.” Explaining further, the performer remarks, “Although these observations are based on general archetypes, you can see how one might find certain truths in those dualities. Astrology, for example, is based on a much more complex archetypal system. The year is divided into twelve symbols, representing unique constellations, each of which is associated with very specific characteristics.” Gazing into his audience, the mind reader queries, “Who among you have not read your horoscope today? Please raise your hands.” The performer acknowledges one of those with an uplifted hand saying, “Don’t say it aloud, but do you know your zodiac sign? Yes? Then, please, join me up here on the stage.” A young woman walks to the platform where she is introduced to the audience and made welcome. “Let’s try an experiment,” continues the Mentalist, “Concentrate
275 on your personal zodiac sign. Close your eyes and imagine what it looks like. Hmm... I perceive an innate tendency towards being self-critical. I can see a definite face on your zodiac. It’s not a human face is it? No, it’s the face of a creature; a very small one at that, right? You have the sign which characterizes you as one who observes and sees objectively.” The Mentalist goes on to describe her personality before revealing that she is, in this instance, a Capricorn. As you deliver the presentation as described, you are on the lookout for a person whose hand is raised twice. Because of this initial (and seemingly both spontaneous and innocent) poll, you have eliminated everyone except those whose birth dates fall under either Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces. A positive response when you indicate that the zodiac sign has a human face indicates an Aquarius. If you get, instead, a puzzled or slow reaction, continue with your gentle declarative query, “It’s not a human face is it?” If the person suddenly affirms that the zodiac sign has a human face, you respond, “I thought so.” Then you proceed to describe Aquarius, the water bearer. Should the respondent agree that the face is not human, you can say, “I thought not.” Either response will support the gently probing question. An enthusiastic reaction to the statement about a very small creature associated with the sign means you have discovered a Pisces. (Appropriate, since you were after all, fishing.) Should you observe a hesitant reaction when mentioning a small creature, you qualify your statement by saying, “It is not a large animal such as a Taurus, the bull or Leo, the lion.” Then you reveal the sign as Capricorn, the goat. With this method, no props whatsoever need be used, you are always ready to perform. If you want to modify the presentation to include some visual props, prepare a large envelope which will contain the three possible outcomes (printed on card stock) inside. Feel free to use the graphics printed on these pages. Trim a strip about 5mm wide from the upper end of the Capricorn card and cut 10mm from the top end of the card for Pieces. Then, with all the cards in the envelope, you can easily locate and withdraw the appropriate panel without looking, just before you reveal the participant’s zodiac sign. It’s easy, because the cards are in alphabetical order by length; the longest card is Aquarius, the middle card is Capricorn, and the short card represents Pieces. There is no need to show the envelope empty after you remove the card; put it aside and focus attention on the panel you hold. Alain has several projects brewing for the upcoming year. His star is on the rise, so watch for it.
276 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk The early theatrical reviews for Marc Salem’s Mind Games are coming in and they exceed even the most hopeful expectations. The New York Times: “In New York City, everyone is willing to give you a piece of his mind, but few people have the talent to steal one.” WCEW radio: “I have to state at the outset that I am as cynical and suspicious as any self-respecting native New Yorker can be – but I have to confess that I came away from last night’s opening of Marc Salem’s Mind Games a true, and utterly dazzled, believer.” CurtainUp: “I was completely amazed with the power of the sixth sense. I found all of Dr. Salem’s feats plausible, bordering on the unbelievable.” Get ready, folks, ‘cause Mentalism is about to become HOT! With the holiday season approaching, new products are being touted in record numbers. One of the most exciting is a word test from England, Insight. (It’s illogical to call these things ‘book tests’ - do we ask a participant to think of a book?) This item is well produced, a snap to perform (with no crib sheets between performer and audience), and rather than restricting participants to a “long, challenging word,” allows the use of names, dates, countries, cities, occupations, etc. None of the 45 possible selections will get you in trouble with an English vs. American spelling, either. Insight is reasonably priced at $199, postpaid via airmail, available exclusively from Morley Budden at The Kaymar Magic Co., 189a St. Mary’s Lane, Upminster, Essex, RM143BU, England. You can also phone your credit card order to (44) 170 864-0557. The fabled Six and One Half, Arizona’s mental brain trust, has released their 3-volume video set produced by Mike Maxwell entitled The Desert Brain Storm. Included are 21 solid routines from working professionals Larry Becker, Christopher Caldwell, Lee Earle, Docc Hilford, Kenton Knepper, Mark Strivings, and Gene Urban. Because yours truly is a member of that group, I have a few sets available (standard VHS only - no PAL) at $85.00. One routine which was videotaped for that set, my personal headline prediction Deja Vu-ing, was too long to fit. Instead, it has been packaged on A-1 Multimedia’s All-Stars Video Series, Vol. 4. This video also features Darwin Ortiz, Tom Mullica, Rafael Benatar, and Alan Ackerman. I also have some of these on hand (standard VHS only - no PAL), priced at $30.00. In my humble opinion, the prediction alone is worth the entire price. Buy both the All-Stars Video Series, Vol. 4 and The Desert Brain Storm and SYZYGY will pick up the postage. They’re in stock now; just call, fax, or e-mail to the numbers and address on the masthead. Wise Words: Style is being yourself, but on purpose. Raquel Welsh
277 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 SYZYGY reviews: Issue # Q13 Marc Salem’s Mind Games Mentalism has finally hit the Big Time. Last Monday, November 17th, saw Marc Salem’s one-man offBroadway show, Mind Games, open to universally positive reviews. Presented at New York’s 43rd Street Westside Theater, this 90- minute mind-reading extravaganza presents, to an audience of about 250, pure Contemporary Mentalism – fast, fresh, and funny. It doesn’t hurt that Salem’s production advisors were none other than Marc DeSouza and Charles (yup, the same guy who worked with Henning, Geller, et al) Reynolds. “Mind Games” is hardly a unique phrase, especially in this business. Psychologists Robert Masters and Jean Houston used it for their book and Max Maven applied it to a commercially released videotape. Marc Salem justifiably claims title (pun intended) due to his prior use of that catch phrase while working in the early 1970’s. When taking their seats, the audiences sees a clear plastic, six foot wide, flattened three dimensional replica of a human brain which dominates upstage center in the eye-catching and disappointingly slick set. Specialized lighting adds a perpetually changing flow of color across the high-tech black, plastic, chrome, and mirrored stage. (Marc assured me that a warmer, friendlier, and far less sterile set design is in the works.) During the opening blackout, a huge (7-feet in diameter) hypnotic spiral is shifted in front of the ‘brain’ as the familiar “Twilight Zone” theme begins to play. The lights come up as a Rod Serling sound-alike welcomes the audience and admonishes them to stare at the center of the wheel as it accelerates to a slow spin, drawing every eye deeper into its counter-rotating, vertigoinducing visual vortex. Suddenly, the spiral is whisked aside to Get ready: This show could very well catapult Mentalism into broad public awareness.
278 reveal an Armani-clad Salem standing upstage center, his entire body throbbing and pulsating in everyone’s optically overloaded vision like a sackful of tormented demons. “Wow,” I thought to myself, “This is going to get heavy!” Not to worry. Marc’s opening line immediately puts the audience at ease. “I need a little mental workout to get up to speed,” he claims, and then, after opening his coat to display his middle-age spread, grins, “Obviously, it’s the only workout I manage to get.” His bona fides are quickly established with a 4 x 4 Magic Square presentation which, to my amazement, actually elicits laughs from the theatre-savvy New York audience. After the standard paper-ball-into-theaudience business gets two single digits named, forming a number between 10 and 99, Salem calculates sixteen numbers which are written into the matrix, all in less time than it takes to read this paragraph. He quickly illustrates that all columns, rows, and diagonals of four numbers add up to the randomly generated two-digit number and, after a pause, begins to outline myriad other regular geometric fournumber patterns, each of which also totals to the same figure. This first performance piece closes with a couple of priceless bits of business which transform laughter into warm applause. A Swami medley (my term, not his) follows, into which Salem artfully blends psychological forces, cutouts, logical disconnects, and superb technique to leave the audience gasping. The opening night audience included one thoughtless patron who had neglected to silence his cellular phone – the inevitable ringing was heard throughout the theater. While other performers might have been thrown off pace, Salem coolly asked the attendee to answer his phone and, relaying his request through the phone’s owner, asked the person on the line to supply a three-digit number. Naturally, it was shown to be already written on the notebook in his hand. He even got the entire audience to chorus “Hello” and “Good-bye” to the unseen participant. A colorful adaptation of Bank Nite follows with Marc inviting a lady on stage to participate. Although she has a truly free choice among the three colorful envelopes, she inevitably selects the only one with no cash payoff. Typically gentle, Salem softens any possible disappointment by presenting his guest with a long-stemmed rose as the entire audience coos their approval. Marc Salem and the spinning vortex Street view of the Westside Theatre
279 The ever-popular Lie Detector theme is explored next. Marc stands shut-eyed at the footlights as five audience participants wielding jumbo felt-tip markers draw or sketch on large, snowwhite square panels. After the face down drawings are gathered and mixed by one of his helpers, Salem takes the first four and unerringly returns them to their originators, his wry observations of their feeble attempts at prevarication drawing startled reactions and belly laughs from participants and audience alike. Artfully sidestepping the impending anticlimax, he verbally and crisply details the unseen drawing on the final panel. Marc’s version of the classic Confabulation follows, using a secret agent theme and appropriate music (“Mission Impossible” of course) to get the audience in the mood. A secret agent name, destination, and rendezvous time are supplied by the audience and, in a moment of whimsy, a final participant is told, “Our spy has his code name, destination, and schedule. All that’s missing is his choice of – snack food.” “Pretzels,” she replies. A final participant opens Salem’s wallet, removes the ‘burn before reading’ instructions, and reads them aloud. All of the particulars supplied by the audience are within the note’s text. She reads the final instruction, “Carry a bag of pretzels” and the applause erupts. A bookcase containing perhaps 100 assorted paperbacks glides on stage in order to allow one participant to gather several of them. Salem has a lot of fun with the titles (which I’m sure he has handpicked from used book stores for maximum effect), reading them aloud in a manner which elicits snickers and groans from his audience. After the books are distributed and, with no obvious attempt at control, he spells or recites the words chosen by all three helpers. Following his perception of the final word, he offers the book as a souvenir to his participant and then signs it (with the real author’s name - again, for a laugh). Most impressive was the fact that in three performances (two pre-opening nights and the debut itself) Salem never repeated a method. Cassidy’s ‘Jazz Mentalism’ lives! Coincidence becomes the theme of Marc’s next presentation, in which he ‘plays with’ an adult and a child from the audience. Salem spins the hands of a borrowed analog wristwatch in front of the youngster’s eyes while a digital timepiece is randomly reset by the adult. The kid says “Stop.” Both times match, of course. Even the tried and true cassette recorder prediction has been rethought for Mind Games, employing an ungimmicked portable player and a tape clearly marked, “Play this side only!” Once Consultant Charles Reynolds and his wife Regina at the Opening Night party