Hey, anyone found the prop needed for the Q&A routine described in this book? It's a beautifully direct handling, but the exact right item hasn't been that easy to locate.

I've checked craft stores, office supply stores and general department stores. So far the best thing I've found is a water pitcher, but it's too tall for easy handling. Also, the handle and spout make it look tacky (albeit less suspicious).

Otherwise, the closest substitute I've been able to find is a plastic gift bag (the kind you stuff with cellophane or tissues.

Thanks in advance,

Jim Kawashima

Never mind, I took a hacksaw to the pitcher and it should do just fine now. Time to land a gig and field-test it.

Can anyone describe the two faced effect in ay detail at all? How does the spectator see the effect?

Kam

You can find the info from hocus-pocus.com

Which specific Two-Faced effect?

*jeep!
--Grandpa Chet

Hi Chet,

In response to your question, I will respond with the glorious words "ANY/ALL"....anything as elaborate as your beautifully worded review of this book would be a delight if not then a few bullet points about your personal favourite with this utility device...

Regards
Kam

Richard includes, in *Mystique*, a "Mental Epic" type of effect which doesn't resemble Mental Epic at all. Let's just say that whatever a person thinks, shows up in the folder.

As to my favorite use of the Two-Faced gimmick? It still remains a very personal incident - causing something (I forget what) to change into the Family Home Evening lesson one night. Didn't bring attention to it. Cherie saw me browsing through something entirely unrelated (in the folder) then I opened it an instant later and it had the lesson. She looked puzzled for a minute, then looked stern and said "Richard's a bad influence on you."

*jeep!
--Grandpa Chet

Thank you all for the posts regarding Mystique. Having never been dissapointed with anything Richard puts his stamp on, I have just ordered my copy. Can't wait to get it having been motivated by the great discussions and reviews offered here. I also may add that Richard is one of the kindest and most helpful people in the business.

Arthur

Still a bit confused about two-faced...sorry Chet, but I couldn't quite follow your use of the device How does Richard himself use the device?

I am new to mentalism and magic. Only about a year into the arts and I find everything Richard makes to be the best. For me, he hits the head on the nail with everything he makes, DVD's, Books, props. I have most and everyone is excellent. Thanks Richard.
StewMan

My thoughts, for anyone who may be interested, are that the book was a very worthwhile purchase. I do have some of Richard Osterlind's previous offerings, and have always liked the way he looks for the straightforward and direct in his work. In a sense, this book seems to be by way of a personal manifesto, as it uses some of the essays and descriptions of the effects to argue against unnecessarily complicating the art. By giving focus to more 'traditional' means of achieving the effects listed, he makes a strong case for his direct approach. This is not to say that the effects are simplistic or boring, or that they ignore psycological touches, but essentially that the effective should be cherished over the new, unless the new is an improvement. And we're all prone to the risk of being blinded to that from time to time.

The BCS add-ons were not of so much interest to me, but in my opinion the BCS is so strong and direct, and has so many possibilities in its 'raw' form, that it's hard beat, and there are other immensely strong contenders for best memorised deck to learn.

The essays include some fairly specific ones giving advice to top-level entertainers, and on first reading I thought these had no particular relevance to the amateur hack such as myself. But on re-reading, there are general themes that can be taken out of it, for example, thinking about how you physically present yourself to suit the situation and what you are trying to project. This doesn't just apply when you're with CEOs in the boardroom. And I thought the chapter on flying was funny (it's meant to be).

The effects are strong, and make RO's points about using direct methods well I thought. cfrye's comments above are a pretty good summing up of these in my opinion.

Negatives? Well, the book covers a lot of different angles, so you might come away wishing for more on some topics and less on others, but if so, RO has plenty of other effects and writings where you could follow up your particular interest. The only drawback for me was that there are a relatively high number of simple spelling / grammatical errors, which could have been picked up before final printing.

Overall though, there's plenty of really good stuff in the book, and the argument for not neglecting the more traditional, sometimes unassuming, methods is a good and useful one to hear.

Muse,
thanks for the nice post, it helped me decide to buy the book!

I bought Mystique last month and I'm trying to learn from the Master. I've been reading this posts,but the links to the add on materials doesn't work. How can I have these?

thanks

Probably best to email him. He’s usually very responsive in my experience. His support email is on his own website.

Thanks Rhewin