Defining Mentalism vs. Magic -- Part III
Continued from http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?28559-Defining-Mentalism-vs.-Magic-Part-II
The Investment & Perspective
Lee Earle points out on most every one of his videos that I’ve seen over the years; that Magic is presented with an understanding between performer and audience – the public understanding and accepting that everything they witness is just a trick and offered in the spirit of fun.
The Mentalist on the other hand, depends upon an investment of belief from their audience; a psychological commitment that allows them to be PARTICIPANTS in what is being demonstrated. What we deliver isn’t a “show” as much as it is a series of demonstrations that have been molded around a given theme or set of themes that hold a genuine fascination by the laity and thus, a desire to see “real magick”.
I don’t care what you think of them but look at how successful Uri Gellar and John Edward have been in their careers. Neither one of them do more than two or three manifestations at the most and yet, they both fill large auditoriums with patrons paying top dollar, just to be near them let alone interacting with them. You’ll see the very same thing at a Kreskin show or even those featuring guys like Rex Sykes, Gill Eagles, Chris Carter, etc. BELIEF is what makes it all work.
In order to help our patrons believe we must believe. Even though we know that what we do is a “trick” of some sort, we must put forth the energy, focus and intensity required, for making our routines come off as being the real deal. Bob Cassidy has pointed this out in his dissertation on billet work (the Baker Billet Switch) in his Theories & Methods for the Practical Psychic tome (which is one of those books I strongly recommend to all first/second year students). But, Bob is an Old Timer and what he offers us is an echo to what has been said within the deeper aspects of Mentalism, for generations. The onus then, is for you to learn to stop viewing each bit as a “trick” and learning to see it as being well beyond that.
There’s an old imagination exercise that rural kids in particular used to do on those wonderful days of innocence; to lay out in a field staring up at the sky and make out images in the clouds or, if you really were daring, make clouds vanish a.k.a. Cloud Busting.
You won’t hear a heck of a lot about this nearly forgotten practice but there is one simple book by Devin Knight and Jerome Finley bearing the title “Cloud Busting” that will give you the ins & outs of it all. I bring this up because it is the perfect demonstration as to what true Mentalism is all about – the suspension of disbelief and invocation of faith; a willingness to not just cooperate but participate in the EXPERIENCE.
Traditional Magic cannot give you this level of mysticism no matter how good it is… no matter how dynamic and skilled a storyteller you are. But when you invoke the ideas tied to psychic abilities, shamanism, magick and the esoteric; things that people kindof, sortof believe in already (or want to believe in), then you have the psychological upper-hand that allows the simplest of things transform into being miracles… even when it’s just an act of nature, which is all Cloud Busting is.
It is Important that Your Understand that Mentalism presented in this manner does not mean you’re a hustler, con-artist, charlatan, or even unethical, as certain anal retentive individuals might wish to impose upon you. If you are by nature a good person that’s honest and wouldn’t take advantage of anyone, then you aren’t going to change that fact simply because you present Mentalism in this manner or even do Palmistry or Tarot Readings. Conversely, if you are by nature a fast-talking with a “take advantage of the sucker” mentality, chances are very high that you will misuse this approach as well as this knowledge for selfish and self-serving reasons. Understand however, simple magician’s tricks can be misused (and are) in the very same manner… or have you never seen or heard of Monte throwers and the guys doing the Pea & Shell… and trust me, some very famous performers have done the hustle when times were lean, rent was due and they hadn’t eaten in a few days. But, they didn’t make it a matter of habit and that’s the big difference here.
To Sum it All Up
I’ve come nowhere near giving a full and complete view to it all. Hopefully I have given you some perspective however that will allow you, as those “new” to Mentalism, to think through what it is you are doing, attempting to do and what might prove to be a wiser course of action.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Magician who does one or two bits of Mental Magic in his show. While I’d discourage such individuals from using something like the MoAB, pointing them towards alternatives like those using drawings or even bits that are a bit more elementary, I’d still give them kudos for doing a bit like Larry Becker’s Casino Royale… a bit that even Larry will tell you “isn’t” Mentalism but rather, Mental Magic. But there’s a interesting twist in that fact as well; Mental Magic is more commercially sound for those wanting to do the club dates, theater, etc. If you are bent on doing Mentalism in the same way you would any other variety entertainment skill, then you want to have the glitter & glitz. I’ve written extensively on this point and when I was doing a larger show, wasn’t abashed about tossing in “fun” bits for the sake of amusement as well as filling the stage every now and then. Yet, I was still giving folks an experience that was participatory during those sequences resting in between the flash & dance.
Just as it is ok to be a magician that does one or two Mentalism type routines in his show it is likewise fine for the Mentalist to insert one or two magic tricks… pieces that are deliberately obvious as being magic tricks. Kreskin is notorious for doing this, referring to magic as being a hobby of his, but others have done the same including Mr. Dunninger. But segregate such bits and even exaggerate them in ways that clarify in the audience’s mind, what you are doing. One bit that comes to mind is Dunninger’s “Magician vs. Mind Reader” card trick
When I speak about “belief” and the public’s investment thereof, it is important to note that I’m not speaking of things esoteric. You could be doing a Phrenology act, an NLP Demonstration or, if you’re like me, taking a look at NATURAL human intuition and doing so in ways that empower your audience… which is another way the “true” Mentalist is far different than his magician cousins.
Yes, we are part of the same major classification and yes, we employ many of the same sort of skills, principles and thinking as our elder cousin, the magician. But we are NOT magicians in the same sense of the word that the typical layman would assume, so why try to be? Juggling, Mime, Puppetry/Ventriloquism, Hypnosis are all part of the world of Magic/the magician but they aren’t one in the same, so why would anyone wish to force Mentalism into that niche?
If you like Mentalism then strive to be a genuine Mentalist by learning the foundation techniques and working with only them vs. chasing the latest new nifty toy released by Penguin, Outlaw or whomever. Question yourself before buying such things, weighing if or not they support your personal vision when it comes to being a “Mentalist”.
My work is done here… at least with this article. There might be more in the not so distant future, based on your response.
Continued from http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?28559-Defining-Mentalism-vs.-Magic-Part-II
The Investment & Perspective
Lee Earle points out on most every one of his videos that I’ve seen over the years; that Magic is presented with an understanding between performer and audience – the public understanding and accepting that everything they witness is just a trick and offered in the spirit of fun.
The Mentalist on the other hand, depends upon an investment of belief from their audience; a psychological commitment that allows them to be PARTICIPANTS in what is being demonstrated. What we deliver isn’t a “show” as much as it is a series of demonstrations that have been molded around a given theme or set of themes that hold a genuine fascination by the laity and thus, a desire to see “real magick”.
I don’t care what you think of them but look at how successful Uri Gellar and John Edward have been in their careers. Neither one of them do more than two or three manifestations at the most and yet, they both fill large auditoriums with patrons paying top dollar, just to be near them let alone interacting with them. You’ll see the very same thing at a Kreskin show or even those featuring guys like Rex Sykes, Gill Eagles, Chris Carter, etc. BELIEF is what makes it all work.
In order to help our patrons believe we must believe. Even though we know that what we do is a “trick” of some sort, we must put forth the energy, focus and intensity required, for making our routines come off as being the real deal. Bob Cassidy has pointed this out in his dissertation on billet work (the Baker Billet Switch) in his Theories & Methods for the Practical Psychic tome (which is one of those books I strongly recommend to all first/second year students). But, Bob is an Old Timer and what he offers us is an echo to what has been said within the deeper aspects of Mentalism, for generations. The onus then, is for you to learn to stop viewing each bit as a “trick” and learning to see it as being well beyond that.
There’s an old imagination exercise that rural kids in particular used to do on those wonderful days of innocence; to lay out in a field staring up at the sky and make out images in the clouds or, if you really were daring, make clouds vanish a.k.a. Cloud Busting.
You won’t hear a heck of a lot about this nearly forgotten practice but there is one simple book by Devin Knight and Jerome Finley bearing the title “Cloud Busting” that will give you the ins & outs of it all. I bring this up because it is the perfect demonstration as to what true Mentalism is all about – the suspension of disbelief and invocation of faith; a willingness to not just cooperate but participate in the EXPERIENCE.
Traditional Magic cannot give you this level of mysticism no matter how good it is… no matter how dynamic and skilled a storyteller you are. But when you invoke the ideas tied to psychic abilities, shamanism, magick and the esoteric; things that people kindof, sortof believe in already (or want to believe in), then you have the psychological upper-hand that allows the simplest of things transform into being miracles… even when it’s just an act of nature, which is all Cloud Busting is.
It is Important that Your Understand that Mentalism presented in this manner does not mean you’re a hustler, con-artist, charlatan, or even unethical, as certain anal retentive individuals might wish to impose upon you. If you are by nature a good person that’s honest and wouldn’t take advantage of anyone, then you aren’t going to change that fact simply because you present Mentalism in this manner or even do Palmistry or Tarot Readings. Conversely, if you are by nature a fast-talking with a “take advantage of the sucker” mentality, chances are very high that you will misuse this approach as well as this knowledge for selfish and self-serving reasons. Understand however, simple magician’s tricks can be misused (and are) in the very same manner… or have you never seen or heard of Monte throwers and the guys doing the Pea & Shell… and trust me, some very famous performers have done the hustle when times were lean, rent was due and they hadn’t eaten in a few days. But, they didn’t make it a matter of habit and that’s the big difference here.
To Sum it All Up
I’ve come nowhere near giving a full and complete view to it all. Hopefully I have given you some perspective however that will allow you, as those “new” to Mentalism, to think through what it is you are doing, attempting to do and what might prove to be a wiser course of action.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Magician who does one or two bits of Mental Magic in his show. While I’d discourage such individuals from using something like the MoAB, pointing them towards alternatives like those using drawings or even bits that are a bit more elementary, I’d still give them kudos for doing a bit like Larry Becker’s Casino Royale… a bit that even Larry will tell you “isn’t” Mentalism but rather, Mental Magic. But there’s a interesting twist in that fact as well; Mental Magic is more commercially sound for those wanting to do the club dates, theater, etc. If you are bent on doing Mentalism in the same way you would any other variety entertainment skill, then you want to have the glitter & glitz. I’ve written extensively on this point and when I was doing a larger show, wasn’t abashed about tossing in “fun” bits for the sake of amusement as well as filling the stage every now and then. Yet, I was still giving folks an experience that was participatory during those sequences resting in between the flash & dance.
Just as it is ok to be a magician that does one or two Mentalism type routines in his show it is likewise fine for the Mentalist to insert one or two magic tricks… pieces that are deliberately obvious as being magic tricks. Kreskin is notorious for doing this, referring to magic as being a hobby of his, but others have done the same including Mr. Dunninger. But segregate such bits and even exaggerate them in ways that clarify in the audience’s mind, what you are doing. One bit that comes to mind is Dunninger’s “Magician vs. Mind Reader” card trick
When I speak about “belief” and the public’s investment thereof, it is important to note that I’m not speaking of things esoteric. You could be doing a Phrenology act, an NLP Demonstration or, if you’re like me, taking a look at NATURAL human intuition and doing so in ways that empower your audience… which is another way the “true” Mentalist is far different than his magician cousins.
Yes, we are part of the same major classification and yes, we employ many of the same sort of skills, principles and thinking as our elder cousin, the magician. But we are NOT magicians in the same sense of the word that the typical layman would assume, so why try to be? Juggling, Mime, Puppetry/Ventriloquism, Hypnosis are all part of the world of Magic/the magician but they aren’t one in the same, so why would anyone wish to force Mentalism into that niche?
If you like Mentalism then strive to be a genuine Mentalist by learning the foundation techniques and working with only them vs. chasing the latest new nifty toy released by Penguin, Outlaw or whomever. Question yourself before buying such things, weighing if or not they support your personal vision when it comes to being a “Mentalist”.
My work is done here… at least with this article. There might be more in the not so distant future, based on your response.
Thanks… I hope this offering prove of benefit to one and all.
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