So I perform mentalism more than anything else but I'm a magician at heart. However, when I'm shopping, I see some magic I would love to have, but refrain from it so I won't stray from mentalism because I hate mixing the two a lot. I'm not saying I never mix them. Derren Brown talks about the mixture of the two fields and I agree with him but I just don't want people to see a mentalism effect and just be like, it's just another magic trick, which in reality it is. I don't know that last statement is going to sit with you guys, but to me if subterfuge is involved in a situation that isn't a gambling demonstration, it is essentially magic. I just want to perform things that really settle with a spectator, and that's why I prefer mentalism. So how do I perform the two? Or do I just pick one and settle?
Stop trying to be a "Mentalist" unless your heart is really into it; mentalism is an area that DEMANDS focus and discipline and contrary to current trends, is not about fooling people (but then, none of magic is, really).
Yes, there are ways of doing both. I'd suggest you check around of a copy of the
Larsen Book on Magic & Mentalism if you want to get some ideas (quite dated, a bit expensive but worth every single penny). The thing is, you can't do an Ambiteous Card routine under the heading of PK work or Teleportation (as the good Spiritualists would claim... maybe.. .if they were really good at it.. perhaps...) Nor should you follow said CARD TRICK with something as potent as 4th Demensional Telepathy.
The Other Important Thing to Remember is that one hell of a lot of the CRAP out there these days that calls itself "Mentalism"
AIN'T! At best, it's Bizzare Magick and that's really pushing it. Then too, as I said in my most recent article at VISIONS, a lot of it is just a High School Physics experiment (Granted, given how poor the pronounciation and language skills of some of these guys, it's hard to believe they graduated High School) that's been packaged up and pitched to our greedy little minds to be "more" (as in "
the beat all miraculous gizzz thang")
The Bottom Line (at least in my world) is
PICK ONE!
A wise man once pointed out that we can't serve two masters while others since have pointed out how one can't be a "master of all trades" without being a screw-up and half-wit in each demonstration of said claim... you simply can't "master" more than ONE THING AT A TIME regardless of what you do and I really don't care who wants to scream about my not being in vogue with current multitasking attitudes.
I've loved magic since I was a kid but I invest my first couple of decades learning all I could about grand illusions and building big stage shows... I think I did fairly well there (though I never managed to break into the "big time" as they say) BUT... and though there was roughly 6-8 years of "experimenting" with Mentalism, when I finally decided to go with it full time, I stopped pushing to do traditional magic show dates and started pushing the Mystery Dinner Shows I still do as well as some stage styled Mentalism programs...
The great thing about mentalism is that you can build a complete two hour show by going to the local Office Max on your way to the gig and basically doing nothing other than what you find in Corinda, Fulves and Annemann. With Magic you might have to hit a couple of hardware & fabric shops first, do a good deal of sewing & building, etc.
BOTH require a lot of practice and that's where magic is "easier" in that there's a lot you can do in way of practicing magic vs. how frustrating things can get with Mentalism. It is here however that we find out why it is best that you make a choice... if you keep trying to do both, you will not do either of them justice. So weigh things such as your age, environment, acting ability, laziness factors (we're all guilty, so don't worry) and decide which one fits you best... not which one you personally prefer, mind you. But which one best fits you and how you see yourself as an entertainer... BIG DIFFERENCE!
Remember what I said about those few years of experimenting?
I did my first full evening Mentalism gig in 1982 I think it was... I was all of 22-23 years old and the audience reaction scared the ever living hell out of me... I was not yet mature enough or seasoned in life enough to deal with folks wanting me to be their guru. This is one reason why I do not encourage anyone under 30 years of age to move into Mentalism (thought many others do... but look who says this and what products they sale or hype over that that green place... snake oil salesmen always tell the suckers/patrons what they want to hear. . . think about that.)
After that weekend I ran back to my stage shows and offered only small feature bits in which Mental Magic (a.k.a. Mentalism Lite) was done... things like Don Wayne's Dream Vision, Mental Epic, etc. vs. the "hands free" way I do things now (depending on the show I'm doing, I rarely need to carry more than a small bag with some cards & pencils... maybe a Legal Pad or two with some Sharpies if it's a larger room. . . beats the heck out of a big truck).
I was into my early 40s before I started doing "full-time" Mentalism (with some Bizarre accents) and it would be another 4-6 years before I learned how to reduce things down in a way that was far more "pure" mentalism vs. Psychic themed magic tricks...
I hope you can see my point here... don't worry about the Mentalism for now and just enjoy doing magic for the sake of amusement. BUT, if you are going to go with Mentalism, fasten your seat-belts and stop listening to magicians trying to tell you how to do it... you wouldn't ask a plumber how to frame out a house, would you?