330 Keep your presentation offbeat and low key to make this routine a real winner. Tip of the Tongue, continued “Remove and consume any of the duplicates as a sweet reward for your assistance,” instructs the performer. The helper takes one candy from those on the Mentalist’s hand and eats it. The performer picks up one of the remaining candies, holds it For all to see, says, “Make a note of the color, please,” and pops it into his mouth. “Hmm. I taste - brown. Was it?” The helper verities. The Mentalist says, ‘I’ll try another,” and consumes a second candy. “This one has the flavor of yellow. How am I doing?” “Perfect,” assures the participant. “Once more,” grins the performer, popping the last three M&M’s into his mouth, “but this time, the death-defying triple taste.” Savoring the tasty candies, the performer proclaims, “These three are blue, orange, and red! Take the rest of the candies with you and start practicing!” The helper is escorted to his seat. The method for this routine will truly delight your sneaky little heart - because the candies you eat really are discernible by mouth. Buy a package of the new Crispy M&M’s and find among them a blue one which is very close to the original candies in size and form (the Crispy ones vary a bit in shape). From a bag of Reese’s Pieces peanut butter flavor candies, you’ll select a brown candy. The shape is a duplicate of the M&M’s, with only the “M” missing from the hard candy shell. No one will ever notice. The yellow candy is a Skittles fruit flavored candy, also the same oval size and shape. The two orange and one red candies are regular M&M’s. The extra orange candy is the ‘convincer’ eaten by the eye-covering helper. The target candies are hidden in a thumb tip which is inserted into the half-full candy bag as you escort your helper onto the platform. The thumbtip is deployed at this time so you can be assured that it doesn’t ‘flash’ from within the bag. As you pour the secret selection of candies into your hand, hold the bag securely to muffle any ‘clacking’ sound the candies might make as they tumble against the plastic thumbtip. It’s perfectly natural to be careful as you pour those candies into your other palm. After all, you really can’t see. You may want to practice doing this several times so you feel comfortable with the process. If, in your initial two tastings, you get either the red or orange (chocolate) colors, just say, “I’m not sure of this one - either red or orange. Which is it?” When your helper verities, you’ll know what color to assign to the second chocolate taste. If neither finds its way into your mouth in the first two tastes, so much the better. When you have your participant step from behind you to accept your thanks for his help, push your left thumb into the thumbtip within the bag. Offer the opened bag of candies for him to take back to his seat. The thumbtip won’t be noticed on your thumb; your helper is too busy watching his step as he returns to his seat. Why the left thumb? So you can freely shake his hand with your right as you’re escorting your participant from the stage.
331 Darrell Osborn The Sidekick Network “You’ve all heard,” begins the Mentalist, “of the Psychic Network. I found an interesting Internet site called the Sidekick Network, devoted to that special relationship between heroes and their trusty assistants. The trivia buffs among us may be interested to know that sidekicks were originally invented to aid in plot development. In old time radio, with no visual cues, it was necessary to work all the descriptive details into either sound effects or dialog. It was much simpler to establish a scene when there was a colorful sidekick along who could say, ‘Kemo Sabe, many warriors on horseback, coming over yonder hill.’ Absent a human partner, the hero would talk to his horse or his dog to supply the local color and scenic details. To this day, the formula works. When David Letterman needs to walk to his desk after the stand up monologue, he ‘throws focus’ to Paul Schaffer.” After placing a large envelope on the table, the performer turns to a nearby participant and asks, “Just as there is an. affinity between the main character and the sidekick, there can be similar connections between other people as well. Who would be your favorite ‘second banana’?” “Robin, with Batman,” is the reply. The mindreader smiles and pulls a pack of index cards bearing the written names of famous duos. “You might have named Spock and Kirk, Gore and Clinton, or any of these others,” says the Mentalist, showing the faces of the cards. Then he withdraws a Batman & Robin comic book from the envelope, saying, “But you, too, picked the Dynamic Duo. Holy tagalong! What are the odds?” Because of the popularity of the Batman film series, Robin is the most familiar sidekick and will often be the first one named. Should that not be the case, go to several other persons with the same question until you have an assortment of replies. That’s when you produce your ‘out’. It’s a prepared force deck of index file cards, half of them with various famous sidekicks and the other half with “Robin and Batman” written on them. Trim the long edges of the cards bearing assorted names to make those cards are narrower and interlace them with the full width force cards. Show the cards by holding the deck by the sides, writing side up, and then release cards from the bottom of the packet to dribble into the palm of your other hand, saying, “I’ve listed all I can think of on these cards.” They will fall in pairs with only the narrow nonforce names showing. Turn the packet writing side down and have someone cut the deck and look at the face card on the half packet above the cut, a force card. Proceed as above.
332 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk These past few weeks have not been kind. The gentle genius of Ned Rutledge was taken from us not long ago. It is testimony to his creativity that many of his contributions to the art of Mentalism have become de facto public domain. His routines, he called them his 'Unusuals', will continue to provide years of inspiration for those who are fortunate to acquire them. Late news has come that an automobile accident has taken the life of Ross Johnson's son, Nils. It's not supposed to be this way. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of both. It's happened again - a contributor's name has become detached from his paperwork (if you send something in for publication, please put your name on euery sheet). The item's title is Future Diet and it makes a great companion piece to this issue's Tip of the Tongue. So will the contributor who sent in this delightful balle d-up -papers routine, please get in touch so I can properly credit you? Thanks. Charles Pemberton of England was an attendee at a convention I worked in South London last year and made mention of a gaffed book (for a word test) he would soon have on the market. I have a copy and find it very intriguing. The best thing about it is that the key is devised from the standard mnemonic consonant table most of us already know (1=T, 2=N, 3=M, etc.) so minimum effort is required to recall the force words. It's nicely made and even readable (don't expect Steinbeck or Hemmingway, however). It does use a count-the-lines method to reach the force word on each page but if your comfortable with that, it's an excellent value at fifty pounds Sterling (plus postage, I assume). It's called the MBM Book Test, from Dynamic FX Limited, P.O.Box 27202, London, Nll IWP, England. My Manifestations - the Ultimate Séance book & audiotape package on producing a commercial s6ance is almost ready to ship. The Linking Ring ad broke a month earlier that I had anticipated so I've been pouring all my resources into that project trying to hurry it along. Fulfillment begins on or about May 10. The six audio tapes are unchanged from the original 1991 release but the book, now 64 pages - up from 48, is totally reworked with lots of new photos, an updated layout, and much more descriptive text. The book is pretty much a stand alone product with the s6ance production and promotion details on the audiotapes. It runs $79.95 plus 10% for post & pack. With that project out of the way, expect your SYZYGY issues to resume arriving on a more timely basis. Thanks for your patience. Look for me to present at three conventions soon: There's Magic Fest'99 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada May 7-9, the A-1 Convention in Sacramento, CA May 21-23, and the P.E.A.'s Meeting Of The Minds taking place June 10-13 in Atlanta, GA. Piggybacked with the Atlanta date will be a lecture for the local magic club, arranged by the lovely Melania Magus. Wise Words: I never knew how short a time four weeks was until it became a regular deadline to meet. Lee Earle
333 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 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 # 69 Volume 4, Number 15 Banachek Channel Change “It has been shown,” begins the Mentalist as he ‘holds court’ at a cocktail party, “that 87% of all adults have a favorite two-digit number. Perhaps it was the number on a high school or college sports uniform, the last two digits of the year in which you were born or married, or simply the age of your child.” Turning to the evening’s host, the mindreader hands a writing pad or marker board to the evening’s host and asks, “No doubt there’s such a number in your mind right now. Please duplicate your personal two-digit number on this surface, but don’t allow anyone else to see what you’re writing.” The host complies. Directing the group’s attention to the television set at one end of the room, the performer says, “Imagine that your mind is a transmitter and that this TV set is the receiver. Concentrate and project. See the number in bold digits, right here on this screen.” After a few moments, the television screen, which bad been displaying a sound-muted program, turns to ‘snow’ - an indication that the prograrn’s signal has been lost. The set is now tuned to an ‘empty’ channel, as indicated by the TV set’s display in the upper corner of the screen; channel 37. “That’s odd,” remarks the Mentalist, “I was expecting a different outcome. He asks the host, “What number did you project?” “Thirty seven,” is the reply. The secret is one of those credit card size universal TV remote controls. When you learn the brand of television in the room where you will be performing, set the remote unit and test it before your program using the ‘mute’ function. Obtain the number in a pre-show interview with your host, using a center tear, peek wallet, or impression device (Steve uses the Acidus move). Tell your participant that later, during your program, you will ask him to duplicate that number on a larger marker board. This serves as a double-speak cue - your audience will assume you intend for him to duplicate the number from his old sports uniform or some such while your participant will know that you mean for him to duplicate his pre-show ‘visualization’. Work this as a solo presentation or enhance it through the use of a confederate.
334 This is one of those ‘influence’ items which, while not 100%, is accurate enough for our use. Gene Urban Petronym “When I was a child,” begins the Mentalist, “our family would cluster in front of the television set to watch ‘The Adventures of Lassie’, our favorite Sunday night show. Ever since then, I’ve felt an uncanny connection to pets of all types.” He sketches a television screen on a square of paper and hands it to a participant, asking, “Imagine your childhood pet starring in a television series. Write your pet’s name on the screen, then fold the paper twice with the name on the inside.” The helper complies. The performer then describes the animal, some of its likes & dislikes, and then reveals the pet’s name. Clearly, a center tear or some covert device (Gene uses the Cornelius hidden light prop) delivers the animal’s name to you but Gene’s genius is in the presentation. In all the years he has performed this routine, a cat or dog has been the animal named in all but three instances. Gene has also discovered something interesting about how owners name their pets. Dogs will have human or ‘partner’ names (Bear, Cody, Duke, Buddy, Lady, Sampson, Pierre, etc.) while cats are usually given more descriptive names (Dusty, Puff, Whiskers, Boots, Tiger, Bananas, etc.). Talk to a local veterinarian and you’ll get a good idea of this concept. Likewise, the names often give an indication of size, color, and sex. By adding some common sense pet trivia (smaller dogs tend to be more nervous and ‘yappy’, cats show independence and are picky eaters, etc.) you can do a cold reading based on the pet name and be far more accurate than you might imagine. You can also find lists of pet names on the Internet; start at http://www.pet-net.net/namethatpet.htm. Once you learn the pet’s name, you can ‘fish’ a little for verification, tossing in little comments about the animal’s affection, loyalty, and personality. If you go with your intuition in this area, you will surprise yourself with your accuracy. And if you strike out, just continue with your plan to reveal the pet’s name. Ask your helper to visualize the pet and then call its name, silently, in her mind. That’s when you say the pet’s name aloud; the look of shock on your participant’s face will be enough to let everyone know you are successful.
335 Lance Campbell Future Diet The Mentalist begins, “Anyone who doubts the power of suggestion has never watched another person bite into a lemon. That alone will turn most of us into Pavlov’s dogs, salivating at the very thought.” Approaching a participant on the aisle, the performer offers a pen and a handful of identically sized slips of paper saying, “Take a piece of paper and write the word ‘LEMON’ on it in big, bold capital letters. Then wad the paper up into a small ball.” When the participant has finished, the mind reader hands him several more papers and instructs, “On the rest, please inscribe ‘ORANGE’ in a similar fashion, also crushing them into small balls. Once you’ve done that, bring them with you as you accompany me on the platform.” “You’11 stand behind me,” instructs the Mentalist,” and will select any one of the papers - your choice. Open it to learn its contents, orange or lemon, and then ball it up again. Then, you will hold it over this glass (the performer picks one up from a nearby table) and squeeze it as if you were going to produce the juice to drink. We’ll see if your thoughts are strong enough to induce a reaction.” The performer sits in a chair center stage, closes his eyes, and holds the empty glass above his shoulder for the helper to squeeze out the imaginary juice from the first balled paper. “Imagine that you are drinking the juice from that imaginary fruit,” he says. Taking a ‘drink’ from the empty glass, the mind reader says “Sweet and flavorful. This one’s orange. Next, please.” The process is repeated until, at one sip of the imaginary liquid, the Mentalist screws up his face into a sour grimace and says, “This one needs sugar - it must be the lemon.” The helper verities. Four of the eight sheets of paper used are Hammermill color copy cover, photo white, #1225-4. This paper has a slight coating, virtually unnoticable, which makes a slight ‘squeak’ sound when crumpled. There are certainly other, similar papers available. The other four normal papers are of a matching size and color. As the participant takes his choice of paper to bear the word ‘LEMON’, just note whether the paper is removed from the squeaky four or the normal four. Hand your helper the four opposite papers for the inscription of ‘ORANGE’. Thus, it will always be the odd sound among the others which is your clue. When you hold the glass over your shoulder, it is positioned very near your ear so you can hear the sound of the paper ball being crushed. The virtual method used in this presentation is as much fun as the routine itself.
336 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Just returned from the Convention at the Capital, the A-1 Magicalmedia convention in Sacramento, CA ramrodded by Mike Maxwe]l. It was a pleasure being on the bill with such luminaries as Gaeton Bloom, Aldo Columbini, Mike Close, Danny Archer, Tom Mullica, fellow Six-and-One-Half member Mark Strivings, and so many more. As with Jeff McBride, Mac King, and “Ice” Macdonald (with whom I worked a couple of weeks back in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), they are all top notch professionals and fabulous people. One impressive little item you should know about is the Super Writer, a swami gimmick thumbtip which is nicely engineered and quite easy to use. It sells for $20 and if your local dealer doesn’t have it, contact [email protected] (Roei Zaltsman) for info. I’m seldom baffled by most of the stuff demonstrated across a magic counter or performed on stage and I usually don’t hype magic tricks, but Roger Klause’s Ultimate Slow Motion Bill Transposition is the exception; he fried me with it! Roger is the epitome of a gregarious Texan whose handling is so good that you’ll hate yourself if you don’t get one (it’s a teaching video). It’s $29.00 plus p & h, from Roger Klause, P.O. Box 1256, Borger, TX 79008-1256, or call (806) 274-4122 to order directly. As an experiment over the past few months, readers in Italy and Germany have occasionally received translations in their languages of certain SYZYGY issues, courtesy of Aroldo Lattarulo (Italy) and Christian Theiss (Germany). The irregularity of those translations is due entirely to the hectic manner in which I publish this newsletter and does not reflect on the efforts of these two subscribers, who have supplied the translations on a voluntary basis. I owe each of them a huge debt of gratitude for their efforts. Sadly, the current method for distribution of those translations isn’t meeting expectations and will be discontinued. I’m still open to other suggestions however (perhaps a passworded website page?) and welcome feedback from subscribers in those countries. I’m looking forward to seeing many old friends when I attend the P.E.A.’s Meeting Of The Minds in Atlanta this June 10th-13th. In addition to the presentation I’m making for that convention, I’ll also be lecturing to the local magic groups on Monday, June 14th. Melania Magus put the whole event together and arranged for attendance to be free for Ring & Assembly members (and just $20 for non-members). You can contact her for further information at: (770) 516-3524. My only other foray into the South will be a mid-September date in Richmond, VA - the jumping-off spot for two months in Europe, during which the lecture comes to Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and elsewhere. I’ll post the full schedule here when it is finalized. Wise Words: The attitude within is more important than the circumstances without. Anonymous
337 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 # 70 Volume 4, Number 16 Jason Christopher Corner Pocket Approaching a pool table following the end of a game in progress (whether in a billiards hall, lounge, or private home), the Mentalist places his hat and a $50 bill on the table, saying, “I suspect one of the main appeals of the game of 8-Ball is its simplicity. Who wants a chance at my fifty dollars, with no risk involved?” When one player indicates interest, the mind reader continues, “Rack ‘em. I have made a prediction of sorts and it’s ‘under my hat’ for now. If, at the end of our game, my intuition is incorrect you win the fifty bucks. On the other hand, if my forethought is on the mark, I keep the dough & get a round of applause. Fair?” The player agrees. Continuing, the Mentalist explains, “Rather than trust to the stroke of the stick and the flatness of the felt, we’ll play an imaginary game of 8-Ball. Are you using ‘stripes’ or ‘solids’?” The ‘opponent’ says, “Stripes.” “Let’s begin,” continues the performer. Since you’ve selected ‘stripes’, let’s take all the others, including the cue ball, off the table; from this point forward, we’ll work only with your ‘stripes’.” The ‘solid’ balls are removed and the mind reader goes on, “Every shot from now on must be a combination shot - you know, a play in which one ball strikes another which goes into the pocket. We’ll each take turns selecting the two balls for every combination shot but to make it fair, the other player will select which ball goes in. For example, I’ll call a combination with the Nine ball and the Fourteen ball. Which one goes in the pocket?” “The Fourteen ball,” replies the participant. The performer slides the striped ball with the number 14 on it into one of the pockets on the table. “Now it’s your turn,” instructs the Mentalist, “to pick the two balls for your combination.” Please turn to CORNER POCKET, page 338 Jason credits Scott Shoemaker for some of the brainstorming behind this clever adaptation.
338 CORNER POCKET, continued The helper selects the Twelve ball and the Thirteen ball. “Fine. Sink the Thirteen,” says the performer. The opponent places the Thirteen ball in the closest pocket. “My next combination shot,” asserts the Mentalist, “uses the Fifteen and the Eleven. Which one will go off the table?” “Take the Eleven,” directs the opponent. As the Mentalist places the Eleven ball in a corner pocket, the helper continues, “For my next shot, I’ll use the Ten and the Nine.” “You’ve got the idea,” proclaims the mind reader, “Sink the Nine.” He waits until the participant places the Nine ball in one of the table’s pockets and then continues, “My next pair is the Ten and the Fifteen. Which one goes?” The other player says, “Take away the Fifteen. I guess my last combination is the Ten and the Twelve.” “That makes it easy,” boasts the Mentalist, “Toss the Ten ball. It seems that only the Twelve ball remains on the table. At every step of the way, through your choice of combinations and of which balls to pocket, you’ve been in control of the game. Perhaps your choices were due to chance or perhaps they were otherwise influenced because the final ball – the Twelve – remaining on the table is a perfect match to my precognition.” He lifts his hat to reveal a second Twelve ball which was hidden beneath it! Needless to say, he also pockets his fifty dollar bill. The method, of course is the Pick Any Two, Eliminate One (or P.A.T.E.O.) force. Just take any striped ball from another table (or use a miniature ball from a toy billiards set) and slip it into your hat as you remove your chapeau from your head and place it on the table. This “Guys & Dolls” touch really sells the routine. When you select your combinations, just avoid the duplicate to your prediction ball. If you never include it in one of your combinations, your participant can never eliminate it. Naturally, if your opponent selects combinations which include your prediction ball, eliminate the other one. At the start of the ‘game’, when you ask your opponent to select ‘stripes’ (balls numbered nine and higher) or ‘solids’ (balls numbered one through eight), he has no idea where you’re going with all of this. If he selects ‘solids’, just say, “You’ll start by running all your balls from the table; put all the solids in the pockets.” Everything else is automatic. If you wish to use a ‘solid’ ball as your prediction, the procedure is the same except you must start by saying something like, “The Eight ball is too obvious as a target for this game, so let’s take it off the table before we start.” Then your equivoque choice will steer the procedure to eliminate the ‘stripe’ balls and you continue as above.
339 Dave Arch The Einstein Enigma (Editor’s note: Jack Dean’s issue #52 routine, The Fool That Tricked Einstein – a play on words and a takeoff of an Al Koran effect, The Trick That Fooled Einstein – gets a further update in this contribution, which can be used as a ‘prequel’ to both. Inexpensive, digital scales calibrated to .1 oz. – to use with Jack’s routine – are now available in office supply stores for about $30.) Holding a canvas drawstring bag used by merchants for bank deposits, the Mentalist proclaims, “Some people, when given an opportunity, are timid; others are somewhat more inclined to take advantage. Let’s see which of those factors applies with one of you today.” He asks one female audience member to stand. “Within this bag,” informs the performer, “are more than a hundred silver dollars. Reach inside and grasp as many in your fist as you can and then withdraw your hand..” The participant complies. The Mentalist continues, “Turn aside so no one can follow what you’re doing and silently count the number of coins you have. While you’re doing that, I’ll take a handful myself.” He reaches into the bag, pulls out a fist full of dollars, and sets the bag aside. “I’ll do the same as you have and I’ll count my coins, too,” says the mind reader. “Since my hand is larger, I expect to have more coins than you do. In fact, greed is not one of your attributes because I sense I have exactly eight more coins than you do. How many do you hold?” “Seventeen,” is the reply. “And I have,” boasts the performer, “twenty-five.” He counts his coins and he, indeed, has twenty-five, precisely eight more than his helper! A double compartment bag is used. In one side you have stashed a known number of coins, in this case forty-two. In the other side are quite a few additional coins, the number of which is unimportant. When your helper reaches into the bag, you offer entrance into only the side with the known quantity. As she is counting her coins, you reach inside the same compartment and take the remainder. Set the bag aside with a jingle so everyone is aware that there are many more coins inside. Subtract your count from the known quantity to make your statement. If she takes almost all of the coins from the known amount, finger count the remaining ones in that compartment to deduce her total, then take some additional coins from the other side of the bag to make your total larger than hers. A little quick addition in your head will provide the difference for your statement. This is a designed sequel to Koran’s “Jackpot Coins – The Trick That Fooled Einstein”.
340 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Mentalist, creator, historian, author, erstwhile newsletter editor, and friend Jack Dean passed away last May 23rd, after a lingering illness. Known as “The Dean of Mentalism”, his soft wit, warm grace, and easy charm will forever represent, in my memory, the personification of Southern gentility. His wife, Judy, was at his side when he left us. Goodbye, Jack. Subscriber Klaus-Hermann Fossgreen has recently relocated to Norway and requests any other SYZYGY subscribers in that country to get in touch by mail. His new address is Åsebøen 7-302, 6017 Ålesund, Norway. At two recent conventions I was asked about the phenomenon of David Blaine. Many were surprised by my answer. I have long said that Mentalism is the only real magic remaining in this world, and Blaine taps into that mindset. He may be the pivot around which the world of magic will turn. If you want to read a scathing view of magicians in general (vis a vis Blaine in particular), point your browser to: www.salon.com/people/col/cintra/1999/05/05/blaine and prepare yourself to be shocked with words and opinions which are hard to read. Here’s a sample: “There has always been something grimy about magic. Even at its very best, it’s a long con...Magicians are historically a sorry-assed lot, who keep company with flame-retardant midgets and frog-swallowers.” But read farther, “Blaine...a ‘hot little bucket of spooky’...is magic personified. This is not a hoax. He is reading your mind, he is invading your soul. To keep his magical secrets, famous and beautiful women would tear out their own tongues and pledge lifelong slavery to David Blaine, Sorcerer-Sheik...Blaine is a cockrock Copperfield for the Generation Y crowd.” He’s going to have an impact on Mentalism, too. Whether it will be to further identify it with magic and magicians (to our loss) or to poke and goad and expand the limits (to our gain) cannot, as yet, be determined. Stand by. A couple of new products: Mark Strivings has released yet another book of routines, Pseudo-Psi, a 42-page, 8.5 x 11 inch, comb-bound publication. It features nine complete presentations, a couple of them being updates of previous releases. I particularly like his clever take on the window envelope in ‘ESP in My Pocket’. Order from Mark by phone at (520) 774-0804. Mentalism 101, from Dennis Loomis, packages a Koran 5-Star Deck (Bicycle, poker size) with a vinyl Z-fold wallet and a pair of double-face cards to make a clever routine at a good price ($18.00). While card stuff, even as non-magicky as this, isn’t really my focus, I can still recognize a good value when I see it. Get it from Dennis at P.O. Box 322, El Dorado, CA 95623, or phone (530) 642-0197. Jack Dean 1926-1999
341 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Pascal de Clermont Issue # Impression “Tarot cards,” explains the Mentalist as he casually mixes the Major Arcana, “have been used for centuries as springboards for the imagination. The intricate artwork lends itself to the same sort of interpretation as the famous Rorschach Ink Blots. Some claim those images lend themselves to clairvoyance or telepathy.” After gazing into the eyes of the four persons seated at the table, he hands the packet to one of them and requests that it be given several complete cuts, then tabled. “Take the top card for yourself,” he directs, “and the remaining three of you will, in turn, remove the top card of the packet. Focus on the Tarot image you hold - see every detail in your mind’s eye - and then place the card face down on the table in front of you.” The performer makes four quick sketches on blank index cards, and places each drawing face down in front of one of the participants. Each person is asked to describe, without using the name on the card, what she sees on her Tarot card. The drawings perfectly match their descriptions! Divide the Major Arcana (those Tarot cards with detailed images) into four packets whose cards share common imagery: (Head) Chariot, Hierophant, Emperor, Empress, High Priestess; (Sky) Star, Justice, Moon, Sun, Lovers; (Wings) Devil, Temperance, Wheel of Fortune, Judgement, The World; (Question) Tower, Hanged Man, Death, Hermit, Fool. Two cards, Strength and Magician, are not used and remain with the remainder of the deck. Build a rotating stack, beginning with a card from group #1, one from set #2, another from packet #3, and then a card from group #4. Repeat until your packet of 20 cards is assembled. Every fourth card will represent the same group. A series of straight cuts will not disturb the cyclic stack. When the cards are taken, it is only necessary to note the sequence in which the participants took their cards. Each person will have a card from a different group. Please turn to IMPRESSION, page 342 Pascal is a French performer who aims his strong presentations at the ladies. 71 Volume 4, Number 17
342 IMPRESSION, continued Following a moment of concentration, draw the dark lines from the illustration on the first page, vaguely declaring that you sense a figure of authority or wisdom; you see a crown or perhaps a scepter. Show the partial sketch to all four participants and ask that the person who is working with such an image to concentrate more intensely in order to send more details of the drawing to you. A little subtle observation tells you which person has the card from the “Head” group (she’s the one whose eyes are shut tight in concentration). Refine your drawing by adding the remaining strokes, shown in grey, and place it face down on the table in front of you. You will note that the drawing can be applied to any card of the “Head” group. Ask another person (the one you noted taking the third card) to concentrate on her Tarot image. “I’m certain this detail is in your image,” you say. On another index card, make the second sketch; it can be stretched to apply to any of the “Wings” group. Slide the face down drawing directly beneath the first sketch, on the table. Ask participant #2 to concentrate on her Tarot card and make the third sketch which is ambiguous enough to apply to any card of the “Sky” group. Again, slip the drawing beneath the first two. For participant #4 there is no single drawing to cover all the possibilities, therefore you will have to do a little pumping to discover the identity of the card. There are only five possibilities: Tower, Hanged Man, Death, Hermit, or Fool. Begin by saying, “I see a wooden pole...” and pause slightly, as if in thought. If you detect no reaction, continue, “...or perhaps a tree...”; a positive reaction to “tree” indicates the Hanged Man. No reaction at all is a good indicator of The Tower, whereupon you triumphantly claim, “Well, it has the same upright shape as a tall tree or pole...” and finish your drawing. Should you get an affirmative response to, “I see a wooden pole...” then you offer, “There wouldn’t be something attached to that staff, would there?” If they say “No” then you’ll draw The Hermit after saying, “I didn’t think so!” If the answer is “Yes” then you can say, “And it’s cloth, with a pattern on it. I sense an animal is part of the image as well. The sun is still shining.” Your final gambit is, “There’s a little number at the top center of the image - close your eyes and count to that number in your mind.” A very short delay means The Fool (the number zero), otherwise it’s the Death card (the number thirteen). The finished sketch is slipped beneath the others. Ask each person to look at her Tarot card and to describe the image there. It’s much better than simply comparing drawings. Question Sky Wings Head
343 Chris Hurlburt Ognib A little patience is needed to prepare but you’ll love the results you get with this reworked classic. “BINGO is one of the world’s most popular diversions,” remarks the Mentalist as he distributes four Bingo game cards among participants in the front row. “Dedicated players will often monitor as many as a dozen cards. Each of you gets just one.” Removing a children’s deck of Bingo playing cards from its case, the performer continues, “Professional Bingo parlors use expensive devices with numbered balls to guarantee a random selection of the numbers. Tonight, we’ll make do with a shuffle or two.” The mindreader asks each of the participants to take some of the cards to mix them well. As the cards are being shuffled, he says, “Perhaps one reason ‘mind over matter’ is ineffective in casinos and bingo halls is that each player is concentrating upon, and wishing for, a different outcome. What might happen if we all focused our thoughts to produce one winner? Let’s find out.” He holds his hand over the head of each of the four participants and asks the audience to indicate by applause which of them will be the object of their focus. The performer gathers the shuffled cards and hands each player a pen for marking the game cards. “We’ll deal the cards sequentially, calling each number,” offers the Mentalist. “The first person to get five numbers (or four numbers and the ‘free’ cell) in a straight line will shout ‘BINGO!’ and is the winner. Let’s see if our collective influence works.” One at a time, numbered cards are dealt from the top of the deck, shown, and the number recorded by the participants on their game cards. After several numbers have been called, the selected participant jumps to his feet and says, “BINGO!” There are 75 numbered cards in a Bingo deck, so it makes sense to divide the large pack among the participants for the shuffle. The packet each participant mixes has numbers which allow only his game card to win. The winning player’s packet goes atop the reassembled deck, which gets a false shuffle or cut. For the starting stack, select any four game cards from a Bingo set. Note the number in the upper left corner of the first game card. Pull that numbered card from the deck, pencil dot each index, and place it face down next to the game card. Place on top of it the three additional face down number cards which complete the winning diagonal combination. Repeat for each game card. Deal 14 or 15 more cards onto each pile, ensuring that none of the numbers in the shaded cells (see illustration) from the other game cards are in that pile. Assemble the packets to form the complete deck. The face card of the deck will match the upper left cell on one person’s game card. Push off cards from the face up deck until you reach the next pencil dotted key card and give him the pushed off packet to mix. Repeat with the other three players.
344 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk My apologies for inconveniences stemming from a recent hard drive crash and data scramble. Some renewals were lost, so if your address label “Subscribed through” doesn’t reflect a paid renewal, please get in touch. I’m missing a few new subscribers’ records, too. For those, I’ll have to wait for their “Where’s my SYZYGY?” letters. Visited with lots of old friends at the Psychic Entertainers Association’s Meeting Of The Minds in June. This photo was taken from the stage, during the Friday night show. For those of you who prefer a nearly invisible nail writer, you’ll be pleased to know that old friend Bob Fenton is now marketing the tiniest thumbnail writer I’ve ever seen. It’s machined from a single block of metal, not bent and formed from sheet metal, and I don’t see how he can make a profit at twenty bucks. Order from Bob at (702) 367-9500. Another old friend, Allen Zingg, obtained the rights to the Kenton Knepper / Gene Urban original and is now offering for your consideration, Son of MindScan. It’s a dastardly clever memo pad which puts a copy of whatever was written previously right under your eyes in a very natural handling. The manuscript which accompanied the samples I received is 38 pages long! The outfit sells for $59.95 but SYZYGY subscribers get a deal at $55 postpaid. E-mail Alan at: [email protected] or phone him at (609) 585-0352. He also sent a review copy of Inspiration: Acts of Creativity, a 108-page, comb bound collection of performance material, motivational insights, and personal wisdom which would be of benefit to almost anyone in our field. Finally, Alan tickled my curiousity with a description of something called Just Plain Logo, a drawing duplication with business cards. I can’t wait to see the finished product. Guru Eugene Burger is seen paging through the book which comes with Manifestations - The Ultimate Séance, my new sixaudiotape package. It was Gene’s example and inspiration which led me to create my own Spirit Theatre production, the coin with which I paid my dues into the peerage, and I shall forever be indebted to him.
345 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Lee Earle Essentials for Excellence Lee Earle recently presented this material, as a lecture, to the P.E.A.’s Meeting of the Minds. Quarterly Supplement # 16 With so many new subscribers to SYZYGY, it seems appropriate to dedicate a Quarterly Supplement to a discussion of contemporary Mentalism, what the term implies and how you can benefit from it. Mentalism is much more than a tangental branch of conjuring, although the majority of Mentalists arrive via that path. They bring with them a certain mindset and behavioral patterns which, while they may be appropriate for people watching a magic show, are unsuitable for our audiences. Much of that mindset is dictated by the fact that everyone knows the magician is doing tricks; the audiences tries their best to detect the modus operandi while the magician succeeds only by frustrating those attempts. No one, however, imagines that the magician is doing anything other than employing theatrical artifice to mimic reality, with the goal of ‘fooling’ the audience. We Mentalists work under a different premise. We are playing to the universal fantasy that such things as mind-to-mind communication, influence, and premonition can occur. Therein lies the appeal. There is simply no market for someone who is admittedly pretending to read minds. Our audiences, raised with the remote control in their hands and with little or no patience for mediocrity, are constantly evaluating our performance with an almost cynical attitude of, “What’s in it for me?” The bottom line is that while we can succeed presenting entertainment for entertainment’s sake, we will appeal to a broader base if we offer more; a reinforcement of their most deeply cherished fantasies. Continued, page 345
346 We must find ways to involve our audiences, encouraging them to make an emotional investment in a successful outcome of the performance. In other words, we are acknowledging their belief that such things are possible. Contemporary Mentalism credits the participants equally with the performer. For, unlike most forms of entertainment, Mentalism is practiced with an audience, not just for them. We hang our presentations on ‘hooks’ such as body language, graphology, coincidence, dowsing, nonverbal communication, deja vu, and the like - things most everyone ‘knows’ and accepts. We are following the Dale Carnegie “How To Win Friends and Influence People” model of achieving success by giving people what they want. A good Mentalist will craft his performance in a manner which reinforces (and perhaps illustrates) those intriguing characteristics of the human experience. The wise Mentalist makes no assertion of unusual abilities or powers because the more one claims, the more one may be required to defend, and that’s a losing proposition. Conversely, we should avoid broad disclaimers - we’re working to their fantasies, after all - unless one is a part-time entertainer whose ‘day job’ professional status might be adversely affected. Another area for focus is our Performance Skills. Mentalism isn’t terribly telegenic - there’s not much to see, so anything we can do to increase the visual component is a plus. There is one prominent, high-dollar working pro who has a television cameraman follow him around, with the picture displayed on a giant screen for all to see. That way, when he does something like a spoon bend, everyone can get an impactive close-up. All of us can do a better job of forming visuals in our audience’s mind’s eyes. Using word pictures, stories, invoking memories, etc., can work wonders in keeping your audiences involved. But don’t forget auditory cues as well. I’m surprised that more Mentalists don’t use music behind their presentations. Try doing a presentation such as Inglese & Laub’s “The Dream” with the music from “Somewhere in Time” playing softly in the background and you’ll see what I mean. One of the most important tools we Mentalists employ is the voice. An investment in a couple of college classes in Voice & Diction, Oral Interpretation, or Speech fundamentals will pay big returns. Use a good microphone (I prefer a wireless hand held unit for it’s versatility, vocal range, and control) so everything from a shout to a whisper can be easily heard. I know it’s easy for some of us to crank up the volume and ‘project’, and in the appropriate situation, I can be heard in the back row of some very large halls - but why? Especially when audio amplification is so easy. You only have one voice - treat it kindly. It is a good idea to plan on mastering the hidden essentials of our craft. Things like the One Ahead, Center Tear, Swami
347 Gimmick, Equivoque (Verbal Control), Impression Devices, Muscle Reading, and Double Speak (to a participant with whom we’ve done some pre-show work, “We’ve never met before tonight, is that correct?” The audience assumes an entirely different meaning than does the participant.). When you gain a decent familiarity with these techniques you’ll never be at a loss in this business. Becoming familiar with genuine and related skills will work to your advantage, too. Every Mentalist should master mnemonics, for example. Mnemonics comes in handy not only as a ‘show off’ skill but also in Question & Answer routines, psychometry, or cold reading. Learn from some texts on body language, graphology, and neuro linguistic programming. The self-help or psychology sections of chain bookstores have dozens of titles which will prove helpful. From dealers in our trade, Kenton Knepper’s Wonder Words series is a great place to begin to learn the power of the spoken word. Acquire the skill of cold reading, which will serve you in countless ways outside of entertainment; you’ll find ways to employ it in your business life, your personal life, and your social life, with incredible results. Personality is important, too. So many performers I see don’t appear to be having fun; they are so brooding and serious (and often full of themselves). Well, that may work wonders for the ego but it leaves audiences flat. Lighten up. Enjoy the experience. Cherish the interactions with the audience. Play with them. So often we hear the advice, “Be yourself.” The problem is that we seldom have a good idea who we are or we have such fragile egos that we fear revealing too much about ourselves. A favorite quotation comes from a financial services commercial - “Behold the turtle - he makes no progress until he sticks his neck out.” Good advice for the budding performer, too. Audiences are savvy. They can spot insincerity more easily than you might suspect and they always react negatively to it. On the other hand, they appreciate someone who is direct, unpretentious, and at ease with himself. Performers who have acquired self confidence are usually more easygoing and relaxed when on stage. Learn to show a little vulnerability, too. In other words, give more of yourself and see how much more your audience gives you. Modern marketing is as much about perception as reality. Thus, your Packaging is critical. Sometimes, in our eagerness to show what we’ve learned to accomplish, we load up our programs with an abundance of selections; demonstrations of telepathy, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, precognition... If there’s any one piece of advice I would give to the budding Mentalist, it is this - do less, charge more. If we appear so anxious to perform, so eager to cram another performance piece into the show, it sends the wrong message to the client. Many people will make a subconscious connection between the fee they pay and the
348 credibility of the performance. The more they pay (to a point) the more highly they regard the performer and performance. Don’t be skittish about charging an appropriate fee. Just be sure your deliver what you promise. So many starting Mentalists bring the low fee structure from the conjuring community in their transition to Mentalism, failing to recognize a unique marketing position. While there are dozens (if not hundreds) of magicians in every major city, there are darned few Mentalists. When a commodity is plentiful, competition and the marketplace force the prices down; when a commodity is rare, the fees go up. Mentalists are scarce. The Mentalist who markets himself as simply another entertainment alternative is aiming too low. A better marketing position would be to create, in the eyes and minds of those who write the checks, the perception that we are unusual and intelligent individuals who demonstrate and facilitate some fascinating qualities of the human mind. In order to gain acceptance in the world of those who will pay four figures for a half-hour of mind opening entertainment, we must look as if we are worth the investment. Don’t skimp on expenses when producing promo materials. “Less is More” also applies in this area. It’s not necessary to have a large collection of promotional materials. Just ensure that those you do invest in are of the highest quality. Spend a few dollars and have a graphics professional build your stuff. You won’t regret it. Another important investment is in your wardrobe. If you want to fly with the eagles, you’d better buy your feathers in the same shops. Those who recognize the quality clothing you wear will make an association between your wardrobe and the fees you charge. It’s a subtle way of telling the world, “I’m worth it.” Buy a copy of John Malloy’s Dress for Success and heed the advice. One big difference between those Mentalists earning six-figure incomes and the rest of the pack is in how they market themselves. In Mentalism, marketing is crucial. Not many people are familiar with the term “Mentalist” and few know we exist, so it’s necessary to bridge that gap and to do present ourselves in the most positive light possible. Successful Mentalists are tenacious marketers. They have learned how to position themselves in a manner which presents them to the marketplace as something special. I recommend the Jay Conrad Levinson Guerilla Marketing series of books, found in almost any bookstore, as a primer in “outside the box” thinking and marketing. Dave Dee of Atlanta also has some dynamite marketing advice. You would benefit from attending one of his seminars or from purchasing his marketing packages because what you learn will move you to the next level in a hurry. Premise, Performance Skills, Personality, and Packaging are the four legs which support the Mentalist’s table. Will you set out a box lunch - or a banquet?
349 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 # 1. mystery about 2. marsh horoscope 3. there ghost 4. devil impossible 5. mystic positive 6. psychic choice 7. witch history 8. legendary numerology 9. mental astronomy 10. heavens phenomenon 11. haunted phantom 12. explain illusion 13. entertaining meditation 14. hidden holding 15. night hypnotism 16. skull looked 17. talked trekked 18. shake shock 19. Klamath Khartoum 20. killer Kodiak 21. kilter kilometer 22. whiskers hickory 23. thick 24. awaken spoken 25. taken token 26. hanky 27. thanks knoweth 28. mankind kimono 29. kindest Tolkien 30. handkerchief 31. think knighthood Bruce Martyn Think Psychic “I’m not sure I invest much belief in some of this ‘New Age’ phenomena,” excuses the Mentalist, holding up a single sheet newsletter from a local psychic society, “and I try to maintain an open mind.” “But this example,” he says, “is typical of the material one finds lying on the counters of psychic bookstores and such.” He glances at the text for a moment, hands it to a nearby participant, and remarks, “It ain’t Shakespeare. Regardless, It will serve to let us test a concept. Concentrate on a word from an article or book review there. Perhaps we’ll develop a psychic connection.” The performer encourages, “Find a challenging word - one which has five or more letters. Then visualize that word, spelled in flaming letters in the sky. Is there a ‘T’ in the word? (“Yes.”) How about an ‘N’? (“No.”) “Do you see an ‘I’ in your sky? (“Yes.”) There wouldn’t be an ‘H’ would there? (“No.”) I thought not. I’ll make one more guess; a ‘K’? (“Yes.”)” Addressing the audience, the Mentalist asks, “Anyone have any ideas? The word he’s visualizing contains the letters T, I, and K. If you’re visualizing more than six letters... then the word in your mind must be ‘kilometer’, correct?” The newsletter, shown on the following two pages and ready for you to photocopy, contains 62 words which have five or more letters. The letters T-H-I-N-K (plus a little binary addition and a simple ‘pump’) will provide the cue you need. Each letter has an equivalent value; ‘T’ = 1, ‘H’ = 2, ‘I’ = 4, ‘N’ = 8, and ‘K’ = 16. Each letter which is in the selected word adds it’s corresponding value to a sum run in your head. Your total will be between 1 and 31. Refer to the chart to see which pair of words shares that value, then pump for one or the other. In the above example, if the participant shook his head after the “...six letters...” pump, you might say, “...then I’d be surprised. You’re thinking of ‘kilter’!” The crib for this routine can be photocopied from the illustration above. 72 Volume 4, Number 18
The Impossible Here and There Fred Dean, in his talk this week will explain the mystery of Mystic Marsh. He says that there is a real ghost in the marsh, not just some odd illusion. Fred may be out of kilter, but he will shake the heavens with this one! Our own ghost, the legendary Old Whiskers, of whom we have spoken in the past, has taken on the look of a phantom in drag. Last night, in full kimono-like garb and holding a silk hanky, Old Whiskers was seen hidden in a hickory tree. Explain that! Here is one to think about! (A shock for the horoscope buff) The Astronomy Club has now said that the heavens can explain the history of all mankind! Well, there you go! This will awaken a few of our psychic pals. Not just an illusion? Not so impossible, you say? Thanks for the positive mark, guys. Oh, and by the way, the Astronomy Club will be holding THICK SHAKE NIGHT next week at the Hall of Mental Mystery. You want to say “Thanks” for the plug? No need to do so. It is just a token of our kindest good will. Entertaining About Town A night of Hypnotism at the Hall of Mental Mystery - You could be the choice of Ben Ali, the legendary Mystic of Meditation, and awaken with a positive new look on life. The talk by Gila Fern will explain this mental phenomenon, one that has not been looked at or spoken of much in the past. For heavens sake, be there! Dan Holding, who says that the ghost of a kodiak bear has haunted his home for the last year, has taken a positive step to end this. Dan will hide his eyes with a thick handkerchief and pray. When he has spoken to the heavens, AND when the heavens have talked back, he thinks he will be able to explain the mystery. Thanks, Dan, and good luck! Psychic Phenomenon from Over the Sea - This came in from the Knighthood of Numerology: “From a marsh, five kilometers east of Khartoum, we have taken a skull that may well be the legendary Ghost of Khartoum! Just holding this skull will make one think of the history of this haunted phantom.” Did I once say that I think Numerology was best when it looked for the hidden mystery of life? ...but try and explain how this skull of some witch out of history has put mankind into the thick of the impossible! NEWS FROM THE HALL OF MENTAL MYSTERY
The Devil Has Spoken... From the book: “And the devil said, ‘He that knoweth will rule mankind.’ And I felt my body shake, yet he talked in the kindest way. This must be impossible! I will awaken to an illusion! But no! It was real, and I was there. And all of history I was holding in my hand.” Some entertaining read, huh? Choice work by Sal Kimono. The History of Knighthood in a Legendary Time by Ed Kilter. A tale of mankind in a vast land of myth and mystery, told in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien. Astronomy and Numerology Now - A Positive Link. How to cast a horoscope. Our own lady of mystery, the legendary Olga, Witch of the East, who was the one who said, “There is mystery in the heavens and the horoscope is the key to the phenomenon of astronomy. Numerology is no illusion, for history has looked at this - there is no more any need to explain.” The Witch and Her Role in the History of Psychic Phenomenon. An entertaining new book by Ed Shock. The Key to the Mystery of Hypnotism by Andy Todd. If you have not looked, Andy is the guy with the thick skull. (Just a joke, Andy!) The Ghost of Klamath Pass by T.J. Watt. A mystic has taken a phantom killer to task. Good book, but a sad tale. Read this holding a handkerchief in your hand. How to Explain the Most Impossible Mystery of All Time by Joe Marsh. A must for the hypnotism buff by a man who has trekked to the Far East to bring back this new info. Meditation - Illusion, Psychic Mystery, or Just Fake? A book to make you think. (But about what, I’m not sure.) By Dr. Carl Lane. Phantom of the Heavens by Milo Hanky. How to use your horoscope to awaken the hidden you. Night of the Skull. A new mystery by Tom Hickory. The hero is a ghost killer who has to do the impossible. And last, think about this: When the heavens shake and the devil has spoken, there will be one left to ask, “Who has looked at the night sky and has seen the hidden mystery?” Are you the one? Or do you think that this is impossible? Like I said, think about it. Published by: Bruce Martyn• 6732 E. 38th Street • Tucson, AZ 85730
352 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk The next Millenneum will open with a bang: In the works are up to a dozen Contemporary Mentalism Teach-Ins, teaming up with regional guest stars (each one a world class lecturer, speaker, or entertainer) to create a full-day, total immersion experience. The goal is to provide everything needed to elevate attendees to a higher plateau of professionalism. There will be lectures, demonstrations, performance, critique, discussions, and coaching, all designed to provide the techniques and tools necessary for success. The overall emphasis will be on improving both your performing skills and your bottom line. If you have an interest in seeing this outstanding seminar presented in your area or would like to get involved as a promotional partner, contact me right away. A maximum of twelve events can be produced in all of year 2000 and it will be first come, first booked. Travel advisory: I’ll be out of the country doing the Euro-Tour, courtesy of Jean-Yves Prost, beginning in late September and I won’t return to the U.S. until mid-November. The bad news is that an erratic publication schedule will continue; the good news is all the fabulous material which is sure to come your way from European contributors. Here’s the schedule so far; Sep. 24-26 Lisbon, Portugal Sep. 28 Porto, Portugal Sep. 29 Toulouse, France Oct. 1 Nantes, France Oct. 3 Rome, Italy Oct. 5 Naples, Italy Oct. 6 Bologna, Italy Oct. 7 Milan, Italy Oct. 11 Nice, France Oct. 12 Marseille, France Oct. 13 Nimes, France Oct. 14 Clermont-Ferrand, France Oct. 15 Grenoble, France Oct. 16 Geneva, Switzerland Oct. 18 Basel, Switzerland Oct. 19 Wuppertal, Germany Oct. 20 Brussels, Belgium Oct. 21 Lilege, Belgium Oct. 22 Lille, France Oct. 23 Strasbourg, France Oct. 24 Lyon, France Oct. 26 Reims, France Oct. 27 Caen, France Oct. 28 Paris, France. Two dates in the first week of November are being held open for Berlin and Munich, but they have yet to be confirmed. Bruce Bernstein has recently released a 34-page, comb bound book, Perception is Everything, which revisits and updates some ideas from his out-of-print Psi-Tech as well as divulging some very clever additional routines. We’ve come to expect excellent thinking from Bruce and this book is no exception. It’s $25.00 postpaid from Bruce at 6031 W. Henderson, Chicago, IL 60634-4231 or contact him via e-mail at [email protected]. UK friend Morley Budden of Kaymar Magic is on the mend from abdominal surgery, prognosis excellent. I’d phone him my regards but our conversations almost always devolve into laughter, which would lend an entirely new definition to ‘busting a gut’!
353 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Lee Earle Issue # Mentalism Goes Postal! A tip o’ the hat to an earlier routine from Leo Boudreau which supplied the inspiration. 73 Volume 5, Number 1 “These days,” begins the Mentalist, “I always purchase postcards wherever I travel. When I return and review my postcard collection, it’s almost as if I am standing in those exotic locations again. Perhaps some people in this audience would like to take a virtual vacation tonight.” The performer empties the contents of a small paper sack, more than four dozen completely different scenic postcards, into a participant’s outstretched hands. After he gives them a thorough shuffle, the postcards are dropped back into the paper sack. Averting his gaze, the mindreader asks four people to reach into the sack for a blind selection of postcards. The first removes a random number of postcards and places them out of sight in his pocket. Next, the sack is passed to three persons who take out a single postcard each and concentrate on the scenes they depict. Without askinga single question, the Mentalist announces the number of postcards the first person is holding. “Just for fun,” suggests the performer, “leave one postcard unseen in your pocket when you remove the remainder and count them to verify my perception.” It’s perfect, of course. Directing his comments to the three participants holding a single postcard each, the mindreader directs, “Take an ‘out of body’ trip to the scenes depicted on the postcards you hold. Place yourselves in those very places; feel the textures, hear the sounds, smell the aromas.” Then he goes on to describe details from the postcards - colors, shapes, objects, etc. - which are in their minds. Finally, the Mentalist makes a sketch on the paper sack, and asks to see the postcard hidden all this time in person #1’s pocket; the drawing matches the postcard perfectly! There is a secret stack of sixteen postcards inside the ungimmicked bag. The paper sack is of the type which has a flat, rectangular bottom which is just larger than the dimensions of a postcard - 4.25 x 5.75 inches (10.5 x 14.6 cm). If necessary, select a slightly smaller sack and trim the postcards to fit.
354 The sixteen postcards are actually two sets of eight. Lets say the postcards are pictures of landmarks in Honolulu, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Antonio, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Washington. I use these cities because I can easily visualize them in west-to-east geographical sequence. (You can use a similar arrangement from Europe, such as Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Geneva, Berlin, and Moscow.) The second set of cards have photos of the same landmarks, taken from a distance, with other scenery prominent in the foreground. So the Honolulu pair might be a picture of the Diamondhead volcano and a wide angle photo with Wakiki beach in the foreground showing the famous mountain in the background. The St. Louis set would be the Gateway Arch and a shot of the Mississippi river with the arch in the distance. Half of the pairs must have another feature in common. Perhaps they are night scenes, or maybe they all have water in some form (fountain, river, lake, or pond) which is not present on any of the other postcards. These are always the first three and the seventh cities in your geographical sequence. In this example, all the nighttime photographs of Honolulu, San Francisco, Phoenix, and New York are nighttime scenes, shown here in black. Arrange the first eight postcards (all closeups of landmarks in a horizontal or landscape format) in the above listed geographical order. You will note that they are also in night, night, night, day, day, day, night, day sequence. The second set (the distant landmarks, all with a vertical or portrait format) are stacked in the same city and night/day order. The face card of the assembled stack is the vertical, wide angle shot of Washington and the back postcard is a horizontal closeup of the Honolulu landmark. It is essential that you are completely familiar with the details on each postcard - these are the little things you’ll reveal during your performance. Make a false bottom for the sack by cutting the bottom panel from a duplicate sack and attaching it to the picture side of another postcard which is slightly wider than all the others. The stack of postcards is placed in the bag, picture side up, with the false bottom gimmick on top of them. The remaining 40 or 50 assorted postcards are dropped on top of everything. When you empty the bag, grip the bottom of the bag in a manner which allows you to retain the stack and wide-card gimmick in the sack as the HONOLULU SAN FRANCISCO PHOENIX SAN ANTONIO ST LOUIS CHICAGO NEW YORK WASHINGTON
355 remaining postcards tumble out. You can ‘flash’ the inside of the bag to the audience, but don’t be obnoxious about it. After the indifferent postcards are shuffled and returned to the bag, you demonstrate how each person is to reach into the bag, take the top postcard, and conceal the picture from everyone. What you actually do inside the bag is to turn over the entire batch of postcards, putting your stack on top, picture sides down. Remove the gimmick (false bottom) postcard as you demonstrate for the participants how to conceal the pictures by placing the card flat against your chest. Mention to the first participant that it would be a good idea to take out a random number of postcards to make things more interesting. “Grab several,” you say, “at least 3 or 4, as many as a dozen or so - just to make things interesting. Then tuck them into your jacket pocket like this.” That’s when you ditch the gimmick postcard in your inside jacket pocket in illustration. Ask the three people holding single postcards to concentrate on the depicted scenes. “I get a strong sense of a nightime vista,” you comment. “If you are focusing on a photo taken after dark, please close your eyes and concentrate on that image in your mind’s eye.” That’s when you turn and see whose eyes are closed and secretly perform a little addition. The first cardholder has a value of one, the second person’s value is two, and the third participant’s value is four. Add the values for the persons with the closed eyes to get your first key. In order to determine which city is shown on the first of the three single postcards - you employ a mnemonic skill. Each number’s rhyme is associated in a weird and wacky way with one of the cities: One is a gun, blasting a huge hole in Chicago’s Sears Tower; two is a shoe, stomping Honolulu’s Diamondhead; three is a tree, growing intertwined in the St. Louis arch; four is a door, opening into Washington’s monument; five is a hive, with bees swarming San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge; six is a pick, plunged into a cactus in Phoenix; seven is heaven, with an angel hovering over the the Texas Alamo shrine; and zero is a hero, guardian of New York City’s truth, justice, and the American way. For example, assume the first and second persons have closed eyes. Add their values (1 + 2 = 3; three is a tree - growing in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis), thus the first person’s card (card #1) is St. Louis. In geographical sequence, the second person’s card is Chicago and the third person’s card is New York. You’ll reveal this information, and details on those postcards, later. This is when you share your first ‘perception’, the number of postcards taken in the first batch. If card #1 is being held in a horizontal position (this is a very subtle cue - people always turn photos upright to view them), you know it’s from the first set of eight postcards, therefore, the initial participant has fewer than
356 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Thus begins Volume 5. Has it really been five years? This issue features a single routine instead of the usual two or three, primarily becaue it would have been impossible to describe the postcard thing in even two pages of 500 words each. Last issue’s one-routine layout was due to the need to include the fullpage graphics. All this is written to let you know that SYZYGY hasn’t undergone a format change, it’s just coincidence that two full-issue presentations fell back to back. Just ‘test drove’ It’s Paranormal from Ted Lesley’s Wonder Workshop - and I’m really impressed! Fold a little square of cardboard (it’s business card thickness) into a pyramid shape and place it atop a spindle of some sort (a needle stuck into a matchbox, a pencil wedged between two books, etc.). Concentrate, and the pyramid slowly rotates. Air pressure? Nope. Cover everything with a large glass and it still twirls on command. It’s about $70, depending on the exchange rate, at www.wonderworkshop.de (registration for a password is required) or you can order from [email protected]. He accepts major credit cards, too. eight postcards in his pocket. Count the postcards in geographical sequence (in your mind, of course) until you reach what you know is the card held by participant #1 (in this example, Honolulu, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Antonio... four postcards). Should card #1 be a vertical scene, there are at least eight postcards hidden, plus the number in your geographical sequence before card #1. In this example, twelve postcards would in his pocket. Ask the participant to leave one postcard hidden in his pocket while removing and counting the remainder in verification. To determine the hidden card’s scene, simply observe the cards as your participant counts them. It’s easy to see which city is not in the sequence. Just don’t stare. After all, at this point, you’re merely interested in the count. Turn your attention back to the three single postcard holders and describe, from your memory of the cards in your stack, small details in the scenes they are viewing. Keep your descriptions general, as if you were slowly perceiving just little snippets of the three persons’ thoughts. Save the full description for the final card. The final, hidden postcard becomes the target for an amazing feat of image duplication. Here is where you take a marking pen to the side of the sack and duplicate the hidden postcard’s photo in as much detail as you care. For additional impact, have the participant reproduce his postcard’s scene by drawing it on a blackboard, dry erase panel, overhead projecter transparency as you simultaneously draw the scene from your memory on your board, panel, or transparency. POSTCARDS, continued SYZYGY 3-ring custom binders still available, $12.50 + postage.
357 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Scott Shoemaker Issue # Actions Speak Louder This is a superb stunt which can be played as telepathy or non-contact mindreading. 74 Volume 5, Number 2 “As a recent special on The Learning Channel shows,” begins the Mentalist, “sometimes it seems the thoughts we can best perceive are intended actions in the minds of others. I’ve received permission to ask a few volunteers to assist - would they please join me here now?” Three participants step to the platform, are introduced, and welcomed. “Each of you was requested to think of and concentrate upon a simple action, such as tying a shoelace, clicking a ballpoint pen, and so forth,” reminds the performer. “The sort of actions any of us could reenact without embarrassment on the platform. Also, you were requested not to share those ideas with one another and you were specifically instructed not to write them down. Right?” All concur and agree. “Until now, that is,” the mindreader grins. All three are handed jumbo marking pens and large writing tablets or stiff, white cardboard panels. They are asked to write (for the audience’s benefit later) those intended actions, keeping the writing unseen for the moment. Taking one participant by the hand and holding it throughout, the mind reader says, “Just think of what it is you wish me to accomplish in a step-by-step fashion. For example, if your secret action is for me to comb my hair, first guide me to reach for my comb, then to raise my arm, then to stroke the comb through my gorgeous locks. Fair enough?” Slowly, deliberately, the Mentalist removes his glasses, takes a handkerchief from his pocket, polishes the lenses, and then replaces the spectacles on his face. He asks, “Is that the action you had in mind? Show the audience your panel.” It reads, “Clean your glasses.” The second participant’s test is accomplished with that person’s hand resting lightly on the performer’s shoulder. The third test requires only that the participant stand behind the Mentalist and concentrate upon the action. Please turn to ACTIONS, page 358
358 ACTIONS, continued Pre-show work and double-speak are the modus operandi. Approach some smiling audience members and ask if they are willing to participate in the program. A little cold-reading or a quick “test” of their psychic abilities pays off nicely at this point. When they agree, they are told that their only responsibility is to think of simple actions ant to project them to the performer. To guide each in choosing an appropriate and physically possible action, you provide a stack of 3 x 5 file cards with various actions written on one side. All participants are to select one at random for the demonstration and keep that thought to themselves. The pack of action cards is, of course, gaffed. It’s your choice as to the method. For example, they could be made like a side-cut Svengali pack with random action cards trimmed narrower than the duplicate, interleaved force actions. When the facedown packet is cut and the face card of that packet viewed by the participant, it will be one of the force actions. Or, you could have the action cards in a memorized order and simply ask each person to cut the pack on your outstretched hand and take the top card. A glimpse at the bottom card will lead you to the one chosen, the next one in your sequence. Another possibility is to line up the cards as in a one-way pack. After three cards are removed and read, you reverse the pack for their return and honestly shuffle them a bit. Not in an, “I’ll lose your cards in the deck” manner, but more as a nervous affectation. Backstage, pull out the three reversed cards to learn the actions. During your introductory remarks, when you state that you’ve asked three participants to think of actions, the audience will assume they devised the actions whereas the participants will remember that you asked them to concentrate on the actions they “randomly” selected. Of course you never mention to the audience about the cards and, if you’ve done your pre-show work in an offhand manner, the participants will be more amazed than anyone. Here’s a fun variation which works well with the right audience. As you are working on test #3, and if one of the first two helpers is a woman whom you judge to have a sense of humor, during the test, walk up to her and hesitate - then place her left hand on your right shoulder. As if deep in concentration, carefully place your right hand between her shoulder blades. Next, take her right hand in your left hand, held at shoulder height. Obviously, you are in a dancing position with the lady. Turn to your helper who is concentrating on the action and ask, “Is this what you wanted me to do?” Of course, he’ll say, “No.” Then you shrug and say, “Hmmm. Must be wishful thinking.” And to the lady (as you kiss her hand and step away smiling politely), “It was a pleasure, dear lady.” (It would be best to choose a comfortably middle-aged woman rather than the most beautiful women in the room.) Then you go on to bring the test to a satisfactory conclusion. Sample actions: Loosen your necktie Re-tie your shoelaces Remove your belt Scratch your knee Comb your hair Put a pencil behind your ear Take a dollar from your wallet Clean your spectacles Yawn and stretch Sit and cross your legs Crack your knuckles Roll up your sleeves Make a paper airplane Do an exercise Turn around twice Remove your jacket Roll down your socks Touch your nose with a pen Interlace your fingers Take a deep breath & exhale Jump or hop three times Clap your hands
359 Chris Wardle Compatibility “Psychologists tell us,” begins the Mentalist, “that the longer we are married, the more we think like our spouses. Let’s find out. Are there any married couples in the audience? Please raise your hands.” Several sets of potential participants comply. Indicating one couple, the performer asks them to come to the stage and take their seats on chairs which are placed back to back. “The two of you will take a simple ‘compatibility test’ which is both painless and easy,” remarks the performer, handing spiral notepads to husband and wife. “You’re reminded that you must carefully follow instructions.” The wife is instructed to construct a four digit number and to write it in large digits on the pad. When she’s through, she’s to close the cover on the pad. Turning to the husband, the performer says, “I’ll request some data and you will write your responses in a column on your pad, for easy addition. First, write the year of your birth. Next, write the number of years have you been married. The third entry is your age at the end of this year. Finally, write down the year were you married. Now add the four figures to reach a total.” The mind reader turns to the wife and asks, “You weren’t asked these same questions, were you?” “Of course not,” she replies. The husband announces his total and the performer opens the wife’s pad to show the very same number! This routine is based on a mathematical oddity; if you add together the answers to the four questions above, the total will always be twice the current year. The ‘trick’ is getting his wife to write the same number. Prepare the pad by cutting off the bottom 3/4 of the top sheet. Lightly write the four simple instructions, one for each digit, on the 1/4 sheet directly above rectangles which are drawn on the sheet beneath to indicate the size of digits you wish her to write. As you are telling the couple that they “...must follow instructions,” you hand the lady the opened pad. Everyone will think she has a free choice while she believes you are referring to the four numbers she has to write for her answers. The deception is complete. When you open the pad, you will flip the 1/4 instruction sheet over with the pad’s cover. If you wish, a spot or two of adhesive on the inside cover will make this automatic, but it’s not necessary. Here are the four simple instructions (remember to adjust them for each new year): 1) Write 3 if you wear a wedding ring and 2 if you do not. 2) Write 9 if you are older than 20 and 8 if younger. 3) If you are male, write 4; if female, please enter 9. 4) If you are happy write 8, if you are unhappy write 7. Obviously, you will choose an older couple in which the wife is wearing her wedding band. Write 3 if you wear a wedding ring or 2 if you do not. If you are happy, write 8 but if you are unhappy, write 7. If you are male, write 4; if female Write 9 please enter 9 if you are older than 20 or 8 if you are younger. Chris is an English performer who has had several of his routines published in “Abracadabra”.
360 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk This issue is due to hit your mailbox just about the time I’m somewhere in Europe on a 27-city lecture tour. So if your mailing label “Subscribed through” number doesn’t match a recent renewal you may have sent in, don’t be alarmed. I printed the mailing labels for this issue on September 1st, well before leaving the country. The next issue will mail in late November after I return. While I’m on the subject, if your subscription expired a the end of Volume Four, this will be the last “grace issue” you will receive. I don’t mind fronting an issue or two for procrastinators, but business realities being what they are, that’s about it. It’s appropriate at this point to mention that the aforesaid EuroTour would not have been possible without the translations supplied by three SYZYGY subscribers - Peter Lipp of Austria, Aroldo Lattarulo of Italy, and Frédéric Masschelein of France. My heartfelt thanks are offered to these good people who have been generous with both their time and their talents. File this under “Last minute updates”: The two Swiss cities in the EuroTour have exchanged dates, so I’ll be in Basel on October 16-17, and in Geneva/Lausanne on October 18th. Also, thanks to the efforts of Peter Lipp, a lecture date has been confirmed for Vienna, Austria on October 31 and Mike Porstmann has arranged the same for Munich, Germany on November 1st. Thanks to both of these fine folks for their efforts in bringing Contemporary Mentalism to their cities. And, of course, mega-thanks for all the confidence shown in me by Jean-Yves Prost of Lyon, France, who was responsible for booking the majority of the dates in the tour. It is fantastic to know such wonderful people around the world and I cherish their friendship. While yours truly is carrying the colors on the Continent, séancemeister E. Raymond Carlyle will be touring England in October. SYZYGY’s U.K. subscribers are encouraged to cancel all other engagements if necessary to see this spirited performer in rare lecture mode. His jolly, basso profundo voice will be heard in Sheffield on October 12, in Hull on October 14, and finally in Upminster on October 20. Subscriber, contributor, entertainer, and infomercial maker Craig Karges has a new publication in bookstores everywhere; Ignite Your Intuition. He’ll provide an autographed copy if you’ll send your check for $13.20 to him at P.O. Box 2006, Wheeling, WV, 26003. You can also phone your order to: 304 233-4366. I goofed. For “Mentalism Goes Postal” in the previous issue, the mnemonics key to the wrong cities. Here are your new associations (use the images in the issue as examples in creative imagery only): One - gun - Phoenix; Two - shoe - Chicago; Three - tree - San Francisco; Four - door - St. Louis; Five - hive - New York; Six - pick - Washington; Seven - heaven - Honolulu; Zero - hero - San Antonio. SYZYGY 3-ring custom binders still available, $12.50 + postage.
361 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Lennart Green Issue # Intuitive Eye “Card players,” informs the Mentalist as he breaks the seal on a new deck of cards and thoroughly shuffles them, “are always looking for an ‘edge’ of some sort. Blackjack players especially have become rather adept at ‘counting’ the cards to gain an advantage. Here’s how they learn to use their intuitive eye in that pursuit.” The performer divides the deck into two piles about twelve inches apart on the tabletop and does something rather unusual – he flips a portion of one packet face up between the two and then shuffles it into the other face down packet. Then he flips about half of the mixed packet over and shuffles it into the first face down packet. This procedure is repeated once or twice and then the deck is reassembled. “Now that the deck is randomly distributed in a face up and face down mess,” says the mindreader, “it becomes the perfect practice tool. The gambler will spread the deck in front of him for less than a second and then scoop up the cards, like this...(his actions follow his words)...and then depend on his intuitive eye to supply the count of face up calls. In this instance, I think there are seventeen.” He hands the pack to a participant, asking, “Please divide them into two piles to verify.” Of course there are exactly seventeen face up cards. The deck is assembled with all the cards once again face down. “Let’s see how an advanced card player might practice with an even more difficult technique,” suggests the Mentalist, who repeats the shuffling procedure, even inviting a participant to take over the shuffling task. The performer suggests, “To really test his improved perception, the gambler quickly will riffle the deck only once, like this ... (he does so) ...and follow his inner perceptions. For example, I have the impression that this deck has thirty-two face up cards. Count them, please, and when you do,” he pauses, as if in thought, and continues, “remember, ‘twelve and eight’.” He gives the pack to the participant to divide them into face up and face down piles. The face up group tallies exactly thirty-two! Please turn to EYE, page 362 With Lennart’s permission, I’ve given his card trick a Mentalism twist. 75 Volume 5, Number 3
362 EYE, continued “Remember the two figures I gave you?” asks the Mentalist. “They represent the number of red and black cards which, by a process of elimination, should be in the face down pile – twelve and eight – respectively.” When the packet is divided, the color count matches the performer’s estimate perfectly! For the first sequence, simply cut a known number of cards (in this example, 17) off the top of the deck and place that packet about a foot to the left of the remainder of the deck. (1) Next, flip about half of the remaining deck face up between the two packets. (2) Shuffle it into the cut off packet (3). Square the packet and position it again about a foot to the left of the first packet. (4) Now turn over about half of the shuffled pack over to a position between the two packets. (5) Shuffle it into the first, original deck packet (6) and position the newly shuffled packet for a repeat shuffle sequence. (7) Repeat this odd procedure as many times as you wish; twice should suffice. When you assemble the deck, just flip the left hand packet (turning it over) onto the right hand packet. The number of face up cards will equal the amount originally cut off, 17. As they are divided by the participant, make a running count of either the red or black cards in the face up packet; in this example, eight black cards. When you assemble the deck, pick up the face down cards first and covertly bring three red cards to the top and injog the third from the top. Take the face up packet and turn it face down on top of the deck. Including the injogged card, there will now be 20 cards, eight of them black, atop the deck. Offer to repeat (as in the description) and cut off the packet of 20 and shuffle as before. Your participants should be familiar enough with the shuffle sequence to do it for themselves, so be sure to involve them. For the second demonstration, simply flip over the shuffled original deck packet (right) onto the shuffled cut off packet (left). Your 20 cards will be face down in the mixed deck. Assuming you’re using a full deck, mentally subtract 20 from 52 and ‘perceive’ 32 face up cards. Then, mentally subtract your eight black cards from the face down 20 to make your statement about the red/black count to finish. 1 2 3 5 6 7 4
363 Yves Carbonnier Hearsay “The reason courts won’t allow testimony other than direct first person accounts,” begins the Mentalist, standing in the center of the room at a social event, “can be demonstrated with a simple parlor game. A description of a fictitious event begins with one person who then verbally relates it to someone else. That person retells it to a third and so forth until everyone at the party has been a conduit for the message. When the version understood by the last person in the chain is revealed, it likely bears little resemblance to the original ‘testimony’.” The performer pulls an envelope from his pocket and withdraws a typewritten page from within. He says to one of the partygoers, “Here are several ‘starter’ scenarios. Silently read the one of your choice and then pass it on to someone else by whispering your account into his or her ear. By the time the gossip gets around the room, I’m guessing we’ll hardly recognize it.” Excitedly, the guests participate in the telling and retelling until the story circles back to where it started. “Let’s compare,” suggests the mindreader to the final participant, “Tell us the story as you understand it, then the first person in our gossip chain will read the original story for comparison.” While major details (countries, occupations, or historical periods) will remain constant, the final version will still differ enormously from the first. “The variations in the story have given me a good idea of how you think,” claims the performer. “We’ll do it one more time with another beginning story, but we’ll go in the opposite direction this time.” He hands the page of ‘starter’ stories to the person who ended the first chain to read and retell. As the tale is making its rounds, the Mentalist scribbles a few notes on the outside of the envelope and hands it, folded in half, to the participant who will be the recipient of the final iteration. When the message has worked its way to the final participant, the Mentalist asks him to tell the story aloud. “That’s interesting,” claims the mindreader, indicating the folded envelope, “The first sequence taught me how you think, and I made a few notes on what the outcome might be. Please read them.” The written notes are an exact accounting of the altered details in the retold story! Because this is performed at a social event, the pressure isn’t as heavy for perfection, so you can relax and enjoy yourself. The second-from-last person in the final storytelling chain is your stooge, who adjusts the tale to match your prediction before passing it along to the final two participants. There are three ‘starter’ stories on the sheet and one of them is eliminated in the first trial. It’s easy for your accomplice to follow the reader’s eyes to deduce which of three prearranged final stories to pass on. Yves, a resident of Paris, described this routine during a drive around the “City of Lights”
364 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Just returned from the Jean-Yves Prost EuroTour and boy, am I bushed. Twenty-nine lectures in seven countries, more new friends than I can count, loads of memories, and a lifetime of experiences all jammed into a blurring seven weeks. Some of the highlights? Topper Martin and his inexhaustible supply of showbiz stories told in the lobby of the hotel in Coimbra, Portugal; Yuka Onosaka’s charming Rockette finger dance; the incredible hospitality of Luis de Matos and his staff; confeit du canard in Fred Masschelien’s Paris apartment; Marco Fida and Tony Binarelli sharing insider perspectives in a Roman restaurant; Vesuvius dominating the harbor view as seen from my mountaintop hotel near Castel St. Elmo in Napoli; Aldo Columbini’s irreverent humor prior to the Bologna lecture; a marvelous post-meal egg-and-truffle treat in Turin; the prettiest translator on the continent, Laurence (really - that’s a woman’s name in France), in Clermont-Ferrand; a gourmand’s dinner in Basel, Switzerland with cigar aficionado Roberto Giobbi and old friend Ron Pataki; the secret of Liege, Belgium’s hidden St. Humbert restaurants shared by Tristan; brazenly letting myself into a Lille family’s home and the laughter we shared at my mistake; enjoying wine and cheese with Jean-Yves after a visit to ancient outdoor amphitheaters; a somber pilgrimage to Pointe du Hoc and the American Cemetery near Normandy’s beaches; shopping for paté and cheese in Paris’ specialty markets with Manuel Erminy; the walking tour to a German hilltop Schloss with Mike Porstman; and strolling through Vienna in a light, misting rain, savoring the street vendors’ tasty offerings. So many others were instrumental in making the tour not only a financially successful endeavor but a once-in-a-lifetime dream trip. I wish I could name and thank every single person but then there would be no room in this issue for anything else. So, for everyone involved, my deepest and most heartfelt thanks to you. While overseas, I learned of the death of Al Mann, certainly one of the most prolific and creative of Mentalism’s giants. No details, only regrets that he left us much too soon. May he forever enjoy fair winds and tranquil seas. Dennis Marks offers a unique ‘twist’ in “Spirit Cut”, a card effect using a newly minted Dai Vernon souvenir coin as the focus of attention. A deck, containing the participant’s freely chosen and replaced card, is placed atop the coin and spun - whereupon the pack cuts itself to the selected card. Why am I mentioning something which has only the most remote connection to Mentalism? Because I like Dennis and the “secret something” included with the package has some very neat uses at the séance table. His contact info is 3636 Barham Blvd., Suite S-301, Los Angeles, CA 90068 or call 323 851-2375. Forty bucks. Photo by Jean-Yves Prost
365 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Lee Woodside Issue # Voodoo Lou “It would seem,” begins the Mentalist, “that some rather arcane practices are fast becoming mainstream. For example, the Barnes & Noble bookstores now sell ‘Voodoo Lou’s Office Voodoo Kit’.” He shows the brightly colored package and continues, “Packaged with a Corporate Voodoo Doll and Executive Spellbook, it encourages you to ‘Take Charge of Your Career - With Voodoo!’.” Removing and displaying the cloth doll from within the package, the performer adds, “It’s a multigendered doll, because it’s male on one side and female on the other. As you can see, each part of the head, torso, and limbs has different boons or curses printed thereon. It even comes with black pins for evil spells and white pins for the nicer sort of magic charms.” Speaking to a nearby gentleman participant, the Mentalist says, “You look like someone who, just for fun, would love to practice a little voodoo. I even have a premonition about how you might utilize this little tool. Would you prefer to use a black pin or a white one?” “I’ll take black,” remarks the helper. “I figured as much,” replies the mindreader with a lighthearted but knowing smile, “Will you jam the pin into the female side of the doll, demonstrating repressed misogynism and latent antifeminism or do you prefer to do violence to the malkin’s male façade, reinforcing the stereotype that men tend to act out in competitive, warrior roles?” The participant responds, “The female side.” “Two for two,” gloats the performer. “The best part,” he goes on, “is that when you buy this outfit, all your problems can be solved for less than ten bucks - I still have the receipt.” He opens his wallet and produces the receipt. Please turn to VOODOO, page 366 Lee, a regular contributor, is always on the lookout for timely presentation ideas. 76 Volume 5, Number 4
366 Your Voodoo will put a spell on: Bad Golf Game Bad Review Big Raise Broom-closet Office Caught Slacking Off Company Laptop Computer Crash Corporate Discount Demotion Drunk at Office Party Executive Washroom Key Extra Vacation Go Bald Great Presentation Great Review Hard Work Acknowledged Lame Presentation Paper Cut Pay Cut Respect Sexual Harassment Work Overtime VOODOO, continued “Now you make your final choice - insert the pin into any part of the doll’s female side; by choice or at random. Just be careful of the pin’s point. Which phrase or words did your thrust pierce?” “It is sticking in ‘company car’, in the left arm,” offers the helper. “As I suspected,” brags the Mentalist. “Do you see that small envelope peeking out of my wallet, there on the table? Please remove the envelope and read aloud what’s printed on it.” Taking the envelope in hand, the helper reads, “You will use the black pin, seeking a curse.” “That’s right,” the mindreader confirms, reaching for the envelope, “now let’s see what’s inside.” He extracts an index card from within the envelope and shows the block lettering on one side. It reads, “You pin will pierce the female.” He hands the card to his helper and asks, “Please read the information on the other side.” The participant reads aloud, “Your voodoo will put a spell on the company car.” Your wallet, introduced when you fish out the receipt, is a double sided, Himber style wallet. In each side is a manila envelope, one bearing the black pin prediction, the other displaying the white pin choice. Depending on which side of the wallet you leave open after retrieving the receipt, the proper envelope is easily at hand. Each envelope is prepared with two cards inside, one with the male premonition and the other with the female prognostication. The female card is about 3mm shorter than the male card (mnemonic: most women are shorter than most men), thus it takes a minimum of fumbling to quickly pull out the card which matches the participant’s choice. Both cards have, on the reverse side from the male/ female prediction, an alphabetically ordered tic list of all the possible targets for the pin, headed by the text, “Your Voodoo will put a spell on:”. Make sure the cards have the tic list side facing down when the envelopes are flap-side-up. All that’s necessary is to use a swami gimmick to check off the proper choice when you’re displaying the gender side to the audience. Be sure to ask your participant to “...read the information...” rather than “...read what’s written...” Your Voodoo will put a spell on: Big Sale Bonus$$ Company Car Company Credit Card Carpal-tunnel Syndrome Company Cell Phone Corner Office Fail Random Drug Test Get Fired Golf With Boss Hot Assistant No Time Off Photocopier Jam Promotion Snagged Stealing Supplies Stinky Raise Stress Successful Schmoozing Ugly Assistant Unlimited Expense Acct.
367 Pierre Barry Stamp It Out Pierre credits both Slydini and John Bannon with ideas which inspired this routine. The Mentalist stands next to a table upon which sits a small compact disc player, an envelope, and a padded mailing container. Picking up the envelope, he says, “I’m certain you’ve all received these offers from mail order music clubs, advertising a special deal such as twelve compact discs for only a penny or so. Almost always they have some sort of ‘participatory promotion’ inside.” He empties the envelope’s contents, perhaps two hundred postage stamp sized stickers depicting different popular CD albums, into a participant’s hand. “You can see that they represent a wide selection of music styles.” From the padded mailing package, the mindreader removes twelve CDs, confessing, “These are the dozen I ordered - Celene Dion, Garth Brooks, Beethoven’s Greatest Hits, Phantom of the Opera, ABBA, Christmas Organ Favorites, Shania Twain, L.L. Cool J, Nat King Cole, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Iron Butterfly, and Peter, Paul, & Mary. Quite an eclectic collection, no?” He returns them to the package. “While listening to the tunes,” muses the performer, “I recalled recent headlines announcing a surprising relationship between music and advanced perception. Let’s test that theory.” He turns to the participant holding the stamps and requests, “Drop them all back into the envelope and give it to me, please.” The Mentalist suggests to his participant, “Remove just one of those CD albums from the package, your choice. Thank you. Now play its disc in the CD player. The music will help the mood.” The helper selects a Nat King Cole album but when he plays the CD, the music is a symphony orchestra playing Beethoven. “It appears I made a mistake after listening to the CDs yesterday,” admits the performer, “I didn’t put them back in their proper album covers. Let’s go with the music anyway. He looks thoughtfully into the distance for a moment then reaches into his pocket and withdraws a small pair of tweezers. Tightly closing his eyes, he thrusts the tweezers into the envelope and withdraws them. Between their points is a single stamp depicting the Beethoven album, matching the music. Eleven of the CD albums, all with different cover inserts, actually contain CDs with selections from Beethoven - often such classical music CDs can be had for a dollar or two. CD album #12 has a proper Beethoven album insert - if it is the one selected, no need to play the CD, just tweeze the correct stamp. There are two tweezers, one visible, which is left buried among the stamps, and one (with the force stamp already affixed between the points) hidden in a thumb palm and removed from the envelope between thumb and forefinger.
368 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Irv ‘Mr. Fingers’ Weiner passed away during the holidays - December 14th to be exact. A Chavez graduate and later an instructor for that school, Irv went on to become one of the nation’s premier college campus entertainers as well as a prolific creator of performance material. He was 76. SYZYGY has teased the thousand subscriber mark several times but, for some reason, has never made it to that plateau. This year could be the record breaker, however. In fact, I’m so determined that this milestone should coincide with the new century that an incentive is offered to the 1000th subscriber - a complete file of Gold Volumes I through IV (a $400 value) plus a lifetime subscription to SYZYGY! So cajole and convince a friend or two to sign up and be sure they list you as a reference. If your referred friend is the Millennium subscriber, you will receive the same bonus. There. That ought to do it. If you were waiting to order Mind Warp - The Subtle Secrets of Richard Mark, you procrastinated too long. The edition is now out of print. A few copies may be found on the shelves of local dealers but none remain on my shelves. A little late to make the Christmas wish list, but worth a look anyway, is Pure Effect - Direct Mindreading and Magical Artistry by Derren Brown. This is mostly card stuff with a mindreading veneer, but his before-the-fact, behind-the-scenes thinking is priceless. The English author’s style is charming, direct, and sometimes brutal, however it is his intelligence which leaps from every page. He is in the same pew, so to speak, as other proponents of Contemporary Mentalism such as Kenton, John Riggs, Bruce Bernstein, and myself when it comes to thoughtful and well constructed presentation. My review copy (spiral - wire ‘O’ - bound, 6 x 9 inches, 182 pages) came from Morley Budden of Kaymar Magic, 189a St. Mary’s Lane, Upminster, Essex, RM14-3BU, England (+44 (170) 864-0557). Have no idea of price but even if it’s as high as $50, it is a bargain. Does anyone have a copy of Marilyn Vos Savant’s article from Parade magazine a couple of years ago, describing and explaining the “Monty Hall Paradox”? If you do, please get in touch with me - the clipping I’d safely filed away has disappeared and I’ve promised to send it a friend. Finally, I’m clearing the shelves of some excess inventory - a few items which are in perfect condition but have been opened or used in demonstration at lectures and can’t be sold as new. For some of these great bargains, please check the unlinked closeout page on my website: http://www.Lee-Earle.com/closeouts.html . Late news - Charles Del Rosso presents Out of Your Mind on February 4th & 5th in Montclair, NJ. For reservations and information, call 12 Miles West Theatre box office (973) 746-7181. Wise Words: All generalizations are false... Anonymous
369 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Lee Earle Issue # Digital Kicker The Mentalist uses a legal pad to record a series of 40 to 50 single digits called out by members of the audience. After gathering them, he offers an illustration of the mind’s awesome capabilities by memorizing and recalling them in perfect order. Two helpers are recruited from the audience. The first will hold the list on the legal pad and verify the accuracy as the performer vocally recalls the digits while the second writes those recited digits in even rows on a large flipchart sitting on an easel. After taking a final look at the pad full of digits, the mindreader asks the person holding the pad to say “OK” or “Correct” each time a digit is recalled correctly. Beginning slowly and building up to an astonishing speed, the Mentalist calls out all of the digits in perfect order! Offering a follow-up demonstration, the performer asks the second participant to add the series of digits on the flipchart as a column of six-digit numbers and to enter the total at the bottom. “While you are adding the numbers,” reminds the mindreader, “I will be doing the same in my head. Let’s see if I can do it mentally as quickly as you can on paper. I’ll even give you an edge - you may use a calculator if you wish.” If the participant requests, a large-button calculator is provided. “Ready?” asks the Mentalist. “Then begin. The audience is invited to check your addition.” As the helper calculates, the mindreader turns aside and writes a seven digit number on the unseen side of a sheet of posterboard. When the participant has entered the sum of the figures at the bottom of the flipchart page, he reads aloud the total of the figures. “Three million, two hundred fifty one thousand, and thirty three,” he announces. Turning around his posterboard, the Mentalist smiles as the audience reads the figure there, 3,251,033; the exact same total! Please turn to KICKER, page 370 This finale is extended from “Deep Sea Digits” by George St. James, Vol. 1, #10 77 Volume 5, Number 5
370 KICKER, continued As with the prior version of this routine, all but the first six and last three digits are a prememorized sequence substituted for the numbers called out by the audience. The audience is lulled into complacency using a sneaky psychological twist. You begin writing their selections across the top of your pad in full view but slowly turn from left to right, as you solicit additional digits from different parts of the audience. By the time the sixth digit is accepted, from someone at the extreme stage right, you’ve naturally pivoted so the audience can no longer see what you’re writing. The front page drawing shows the start and finish positions of the pivot. Adjust your grip on the pad so the surface of the pad remains out of the audience’s vision and continue requesting digits from individuals in the audience. As each digit is called out, substitute one of your own from your secret sequence (a combination of your telephone number, postal code, Social Security number, etc.). You’ll need a memorized string which is 30 digits long. Because the last few numbers usually remain in the audience’s minds a while, finish by recording an additional three digits legitimately. These are the only numbers you must really remember. Prepare your flipchart with spaces (light underlines) for only 42 digits so that the final three become ‘throwaway’ numbers after your initial memory feat. Your flipchart helper is told, “As I recite each digit, write it ‘nice and large’ in one of those pre-drawn spaces, filling up the first row, then the second row, etc. If there are more digits than spaces, just ignore the extras.” When the first participant shows you the pad so you can ‘memorize’ the collection of digits, just concentrate on the first six and repeat them silently to yourself for a few seconds until you can say them aloud to begin your ‘memory’ feat. Then recite your secret sequence, finish with the three ‘throwaway’ digits, and you’re done. The flipchart not only allows for the audience to participate in the finale, it also makes the second climax possible. As filled in by the second participant, the flip chart lists all the digits you called out (except for the final three for which there is no space on the page). When you ask him to total the column of 6-digit numbers on the chart, a glance at the first row reacquaints you with that figure so you can mentally add it to the precalculated total of your secret string (expressed as five, 6-digit numbers). To sidestep doing six-digit math under pressure, you can generate the same total every time by ‘neutralizing’ the first six genuine digits. After you’ve written the last of your 30-digit secret sequence, but before you ask for the three ‘throwaway’ digits, get six more numbers from the audience. As you pretend to write them down, you really write the nines compliments of the first six. That is, you subtract each of the first six digits from nine, and write those results instead (in the example shown, 9-5=4, 9-7=2, etc.). Please turn to KICKER, page 372 Insurance, sales, and technical groups make the best audiences for this presentation.
371 Ciro Gargano For Whom the Bell Tolls “In simpler times,” recalls the Mentalist, “steeple bells were rung to celebrate victory, to warn of danger, and even to commemorate a person’s death. My grandmother claimed the bells had a different sound when tolling in bereavement than when they were announcing the time. She would always say, ‘The bells know...’.” To a participant sitting next to him at the table, the mindreader asks, “Can you bring to mind someone for whom the bells would toll? Someone who has passed on?” After receiving a positive reply, the performer instructs, “Allowing no one to view what you’re doing, please write that person’s name on one of these papers and place it in your lap. On four more papers you must now write the first names of people whom you know to be living. Again, keep the information to yourself and place the papers in your lap. Before you return the stack of papers, mix them thoroughly.” He takes the participant’s papers and places them on the table, edge to edge in a single row. “Four of the names,” he reminds everyone, “represent the living and a single name denotes a person who is no longer among us - except in spirit, perhaps.” The performer shows a small display of metal “bell clappers” (made from stiff wire and fishing weights) suspended from eyelets in a wooden bar. Bracing his elbows for support, he holds an end of the bar in the fingers of each hand, positioning the line of weights so that one is suspended directly over each name. “Everyone move your hands below the edge of the table and take the hand of the person seated next to you,” the Mentalist instructs. To the first helper he says, “I’ll read aloud all five names. When I mention the deceased, silently communicate by gently squeezing the hand you hold. I’ll pause between names to allow everyone to pass the information on in the same manner. Is it Alice... Cindy... Elizabeth... Cecille... Hester?” Slowly, almost as if touched by a spirit hand, one of the pendulums begins to sway while the others remain still. The gasps from around the table are evidence that the swinging clapper is the one over the name of the departed. “Grandmother was right,” says the performer, “The bells know.” Provide your participant a very sharp pencil with a soft lead. Thus, the first name written will begin with a thin line. Succeeding names inscribed will begin with a progressively broader stroke. Each weight hangs from a different length stem, making five pendulums of dissimilar ‘moments’. Small, rhythmic movements on your part easily cause only the proper one to swing. Try it . Ciro (pronounced “Cheer-o”) is a talented Italian performer who lives in Naples.
372 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk The previous issue (#75) was sub-labelled Volume 5, #5. It should have been Volume 5, #4. No issues were skipped. If you’ve not visited the SYZYGY website in a while, it may be worth another look for you. The format has been cleaned up to allow for faster loading and easier navigation. New to the website is a page for end-of-stock, closeouts, demostrators, and odd lots at: http://www.Lee-Earle.com/closeouts.html . Wise Words: As you grow older, you stand for more and fall for less. Anonymous KICKER, continued The genuine digits (the first row) plus your ‘neutralizing’ digits (the seventh row) always add 999,999 to your secret string’s sum. For a sum of all the individual digits, just add all of your secret string digits together, plus 54 (9+9+9+9+9+9). Having precalculated that figure will allow you to give your helper the choice, “Do you want to add the numbers as a column of 6-digit numbers or would you rather just totalize all the individual digits?” It’s a good idea to avoid presenting this stunt as a ‘prediction’ - that sort of presentation invites reverse engineering which works against our interests. Build your secret string of numbers out of number sequences you already have memorized - phone numbers, zip codes, etc., but steer clear of those which have repeat digits (which call attention to themselves). Likewise, you will say, when someone attempts to give you the same digit just offered previously, “Repeat digits are too easy - how about a different one?” As you pretend to gather digits from the audience, engage everyone, from the front row to the standees at the rear. It puts the audience on notice that you intend to involve all of them. Occasionally, ask someone to repeat when saying aloud a number for you; it’s a subtle way of reinforcing that you are indeed writing the offered digits - else why would you be striving for accuracy? You can even mis-call the digit as you write and, after they correct you, ‘erase’ the entry and ‘rewrite’ it. To speed up your digit gathering process, when you point to an area of the audience for your next digit and two people shout out numbers, say, “I’ll use both - thank you.” And then write down the next two (or even three) numbers in your secret sequence. As you begin to recite the ‘memorized’ digits, point to the general area of the audience from which the numbers came. The first six are easy since you worked from your left to your right; the remaining ‘points’ are simply showmanship. Remember to look triumphant at the finish - this stuff is supposed to be difficult and if you’re too smug, they’ll smell a rat. Finally, be sure to acknowledge your two participant-helpers during the applause and thank them for their assistance.
373 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Victor Ray Atkins Issue # PK Under Glass “There is no question,” begins the Mentalist, “that our perception of the world around us can be altered. Just ask anyone who was a ‘child of the sixties’. But can your mind affect the physical fabric of reality itself? With your cooperation, it can be demonstrated .” The performer removes a small, folded square of paper from his wallet. A straight pin, of the type used by tailors and seamstresses to hold fabric while sewing, is contained within the fold. As the folded square is smoothed flat, all can see a bold, black rectangle printed on one half of each side of the paper square. Looking around the tabletop, the mindreader says, “We’ll need something to keep the pin upright - here, this cardboard coaster will serve perfectly.” He pushes the pin through the center of the coaster until the head of the pin is flush with the fiber mat. The coaster is placed on the table before him with the pin now pointing directly to the vertical. Folding the square of paper into an elongated ‘V’, the performer then balances it on the point of the pin. Inverting a tumbler over the impromptu device, the performer explains, “Because our target is so light and subject to the whim of every breath, we’ll isolate it under glass.” “I think the secret,” informs the Mentalist, “is to synchronize our thoughts. Focus your mental energy on my hands as I move them around the target. You must ‘will’ the paper to follow the movement.” The performer circles his hands around the glass, guiding the participants’ concentration. The paper target quivers, then turns! Believe it or not, no special paper is needed. In fact, the cheaper and lighter the paper, the better - but it must be laser printer compatible. It’s not widely known that laser printer toner is magnetic. Draw a solid black rectangle in a paint or illustration program on your computer and run the sheet of paper through your printer several times to deposit multiple layers of the toner. The movement is induced with a strong magnet (sold by dealers for the PK match trick) worn on the inside of your arm, held by an elastic bandage. Bonus: Darken unprepared paper using a “Midnight Black” Cover Girl eyeliner pencil. Amazingly, that cosmetic is also slightly magnetic. Straight pins are available in steel or brass - the latter is preferred for this presentation. 78 Volume 5, Number 6
374 Lee Earle L.E.X.I.con Revisited “When scientists explore the sixth sense,” remarks the Mentalist holding court at a social gathering, “they always use randomly selected ‘targets’ to avoid any possibility of outside influence. Colors, shapes, and words have been found to offer the best chances for success. Let’s explore.” He walks to the host’s bookshelf and removes one volume, saying, “This book has several hundred pages and hundreds of thousands of words. Surely one of these randomly selected would serve as an excellent baseline to test our ‘psi’ abilities.” Holding a toy magnifying glass (such as one might find in a Cracker Jack box) at his fingertips, the performer turns to a nearby participant and instructs, “You may need this, soon. As I riffle through the pages of this book, please stop me at any page.” As the pages flip past the helper says “Stop” and the mindreader legitimately halts at the selected spot. Then he openly drops the magnifying glass between the pages, closes the book, and hands it to the participant saying, “Step to one side, open the book at the magnifier, and look for the longest word in the top line of either page. Make sure it’s a word you can both pronounce and spell.” When the participant indicates he has one and only one word in mind, the Mentalist withdraws a pack of alphabet cards (available from toy stores or educational outlets), shuffles the deck, and hands a portion to several members of the audience, keeping a small packet for himself. He says, “Each of you holding alphabet cards will look through them as our first helper concentrates on the letters in his target word. You will remove the letter card of your choice and hold it on your extended hand, face down.” The performer demonstrates and then goes on, “Don’t show anyone the letter you’ve selected– we wouldn’t want to influence the other participants.” Once all the helpers’ hands are extended, the performer gathers the selected letter cards and asks the on-stage participant, “How many letters are in your word?” “Six,” replies the helper. “I rather expected a longer word,” remarks the Mentalist turning the gathered cards face up and spreading them to view their faces and counting eight of them. “I’ll discard a couple.” He removes two from the group and places them aside. Next, the performer shows the remaining chosen letter cards in sequence to the initial helper, asking with each one, “Is this letter in your word?” For all but one, the answer is “Yes.” The single card which elicited a “No” is exchanged for one of the earlier discarded pair. The mindreader asks, “How about this one?” “Yes!” is the reply. “Tell everyone, please,” asks the performer, “the word you were spelling in your mind.” Formerly a commercial release, this routine is updated to work as if impromptu.
375 “Louver,” is the response. The Mentalist turns over the selected letter cards one by one. They spell L-O-U-V-E-R! You will need two of the small novelty magnifying glasses which are the thickness of a half-dollar coin. Before you perform, remove a paperback book from your host’s library and find a blank page (usually a chapter heading) or one which has only an illustration on it. Look at the top line of the facing page for the longest word. With luck it will be six or seven letters long. Place one magnifier between the pages near the spine and return the book to the shelf. During your performance, you will casually remove that book to force the word. Hold it firmly near the spine to prevent the magnifying glass from falling out. Your second magnifier is gimmicked with a loop of “invisible” thread attached. When you legitimately stop at the spot suggested by your helper, just drop the it into the book (the loop of thread stays around your thumb) and close the book. Before you hand him the book, transfer it to your other hand and secretly withdraw the looped magnifier behind your hand. Voila! Because you instruct your helper to go to the top line of either page, everyone believes the participant is in control of the word selection when, in fact, he has no choice due to the one blank page. Your deck of alphabet cards is contains a thick, key card made by gluing two cards face to face (use Z and Q). Assuming your force word is “LOUVER”, pull those cards, as well as two random others, from the pack. Place the double back card on top of the face down eight letter cards and put the balance of the alphabet pack face down on top of these. When it is time to hand out cards to eight participants in the audience, give each person 4 or 5 cards until all those above the double backer have been distributed. You’ll use the remaining cards (your stack) to illustrate what you wish your audience helpers to do. Mix your cards and have your participants do likewise. Now fan the cards, faces towards you, and select one (the double backer) and remove it from the group without showing it’s face (you can’t, really). Ask your helpers to remove from their packets the one letter which each believes could be in the stage participant’s word. These cards are held on their outstretched palms, face down. Replace the double backer on top of your face down stack and then collect each helpers unselected cards, placing all of them face down on top of the growing packet in your hand. When you have collected all of the unused packets, you will have about 45 alphabet cards in your hand, with the stack of force cards at the bottom and the thick key card between the stack and the rest of the deck. Please turn to L.E.X.I.con, page 376
376 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk Wise Words: Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. Anonymous L.E.X.I.con, continued Double undercut the stack and key card to the top, retaining a break below the stack. Go to the first person and pick up his card, keeping it face down, and place it upon the second person’s card. Pick up both and deposit them on number three’s letter, and so on until all eight of the selected cards are on the last helper’s outstretched hand. Pick up the eight cards in your right hand, thumb at the rear and fingers at the front, and bring them near the top of the deck of cards in your left hand. Ask your initial participant to tell you how many letters are in the word in his mind (as if you didn’t know...). His reply provides all the misdirection you require. In one motion, place the cards in your right hand on top of the deck and turn over all the cards above the break, placing them back atop the deck. Raise the deck as you thumb the top eight cards off. The audience will see only the backs of the cards. When all eight are in your right hand, lower the deck allowing the audience to see the double backer now on top of the pack. You can count the cards aloud as you thumb them off and then remark that you have two too many. Place aside one of the indifferent cards and one of the correct letter cards. Continue as in the routine’s description. Here is the beautiful subtlety: Because you have never shown one of the discarded letters, any person who chooses a letter and subsequently does not see it in the spelled finale, assumes his was the one letter discarded! Quentin Reynolds is now a published mainstream author, having writtenIntuition: Your Secret Power. Quentin is among the growing number of Mentalists who have moved over into the realm of professional speaking. You can order the book directly from him at: Adventures in Astonishment, 134 Custom Hall, Deverell Place, Dublin 1, Ireland. or call (353) 1 872-0992. The price is $20, postpaid airmail to any country. May 1, 2000 will forever mark the passing of C.L. Boardé (Warren Schoonmaker), the man who authored those wonderful volumes on billets and book tests, Mainly Mental. A day later, Basil Horowitz succombed; two giants in two days. Mark your calendar for November 3rd, 4th, & 5th. Marketing wiz Dave Dee and I will be combining forces in a multi-day “Boot Camp” which will light your promotional fire and generate steam in your marketing boiler. Bear in mind that this will not be a lecture or a convention, but a working weekend which has the potential to make a significant difference in your performing income. There will be a separate mailing arriving soon with all the details – space will be limited – so when the envelope arrives, respond right away.
377 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1999 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 623 / 247-7323 voice 623 / 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 Brian Watson Issue # The Freudian Reading The real potential in this routine lies in the very final paragraph. 79 Volume 5, Number 7 As Magicians or Mentalists we sometimes wish it were possible to remove our “knowledge” and enjoy the childlike sense of wonder our audience (should) enjoy. I experienced that very feeling during a conversation with a work colleague. I discovered something in which I have seen a great deal of potential. It certainly gave me a jolt when it was shown to me. Try this yourself, take a piece of paper and a pen and answer these questions. 1. Your favorite animal. 2. Describe your favorite animal using three one-word descriptors. 3. Your second favorite animal. 4. Describe your second favorite animal also using three oneword descriptors. 5. Using three different words, describe the Sea. 6. Using three more one-word descriptors, describe the Forest. Now, if you answered truthfully you should be in for a surprise. Here is a breakdown of what the questions are supposed to represent psychologically: 1-2. How you see yourself or your ideal self. 3-4. Your ideal partner. 5. Your current view on how you see life. 6. Your current view on how you see death. After this psychological test was carried out on me, I was dumbfounded; it was very, very accurate indeed. I quizzed my colleague on where this came from; apparently it is a standard psychological test. I know nothing more than this. I have not seen it in print anywhere myself. How can we use this to create a credible reading? By extending the questions to encompass more detail we can “pad” out the subsequent reading. Remember there is no harm in asking for the information! Just do not feed it back too obviously. Please turn to Freud, page 378
378 Freud, continued Example. 1. Your favorite animal - Cat 2. Give me three words, which you feel describe a Cat perfectly. Independent - Loving - Agile. 3. Describe your second favorite animal. - Dog. 4. Give me three words, which you feel describe a Dog perfectly. Faithful - Playful - Affectionate. 5. Using three words, describe the Sea. Enticing - Clear - Vast. 6. Using three words, describe a Forest. Dark - Creepy - Cold. The answers given above are not fictional, they are actual answers given by a friend of mine. We know that she sees herself as independent - loving - agile. Her ideal partner is faithful - playful - affectionate. She sees life as enticing - clear - vast. She looks upon death as dark - creepy - cold. We can analyze this information till we are blue in the face but for now let’s just stick to the facts. The reading shown will of course be brief as there are no cues available for feedback and no dialogue between the client and reader. Don’t forget to tailor the reading to the individual. Let’s assume we are talking to a middle-aged lady here. “Jill, I can see that you are a strong person at heart, you have a very caring nature and you are very loving but you do have the inner strength to know what you want and the will to achieve it. Life for you is full of opportunities, awash with enticing possibilities. “As far as partners go you do like to be appreciated, to have plenty of attention and affection. At times you can be aloof with your partner(s) almost enjoying the attention it receives. Fidelity and unity play an important part in your life also. You are and expect your partner to be faithful and loyal. “Even though you do have a very loving nature, you still appreciate time on your own to contemplate and collect your thoughts. You seem to be very spiritual in nature, philosophical. “During your experiences in life you have had misfortune and tasted failure but you have such a strong resolve that you have been able to adapt and turn this to your advantage, enjoying the journey. You have a very clear picture of what you want out of life and what it can offer you. With the qualities you possess and your positive outlook on life I feel sure that life for you will be full of happiness and exiting opportunities. “To sum up, you love life and try you’re hardest to live it to the max! You know that this is not a dress rehearsal and there is no time to waste grasp every opportunity, seize the day and enjoy yourself.” Now, imagine the effect it would have if you asked the questions pre-show and then gave an ‘impromptu’ reading later on during a performance.
379 Orin Shemin Two On The Aisle “An evening at the theatre,” begins the Mentalist, “can be an expensive proposition. So it makes sense to choose a play or musical which we’re likely to enjoy.” The performer picks up a ticket envelope plus a handful of playbill or poster reproductions from various productions and suggests, “Surely among all these, there is one which appeals to you - probably on a subconscious level. We’ll get to that later.” Then, one by one, he shows each different item to his particiant and then places the packet between the participant’s hands. The ticket envelope is tossed on the table. “Raise your hands to the ‘prayer position’ and free your mind of all other thoughts,” commands the mindreader. “Whether it’s the marketing savvy and artwork of the producers, word of mouth, or perhaps because of some other reason, one of these productions appeals to your subconscious. Picture a number between one and ten forming in your mind. It will appear in the distance and then zoom forward until it fills your vision. Which number is it?” “Seven,” states the participant. Removing the packet of mini-posters from his helper’s hands, the Mentalist slowly and fairly counts to seven, dealing one item at a time onto the table next to the ticket envelope. The seventh promotional poster is given to the participant to hold. Two tickets are removed from the envelope on the table - they are for aisle seats to the very same production portrayed by the selected poster! You can buy copies of theatrical playbills by calling the distributor at (212) 557-5757, or you can use CD album covers, or you can peruse (as I did) for images from the internet. You need eleven different selections (your audience assumes there are ten). Using a computer graphics program, make up two sets of faux theatre tickets, each pair matching one of two posters. Those posters are placed at the 7th and 9th positions from the face of the stack of eleven. Because you ask for a number “between one and ten” those two numbers are never selected. The remaining numbers will allow you to count to one of the two force positions: For numbers 6, 7, 8, & 9 take the stack from your helper and turn it face up; for 2, 3, 4, & 5, turn it face down. If you are counting to an odd number, give the participant the item at the number chosen. For an even number, count off that many items and hand the participant the next item. The ticket envelope is actually two envelopes, glued back to back. It’s easy to flip it to the side containing the proper pair of tickets as you move it aside to make room for counting the posters; a pencil dot cues you as to which side is up.