It is not what you do that counts and how you do it doesn’t count for much either – It’s what people remember (or misremember) that matters.

My friend, magic historian and close up performer par excellence, Jamy Ian Swiss, has correctly pointed out that it is irrelevant that David Copperfield’s “Vanishing Statue of Liberty” was somewhat less than a believable effect. The important thing was that Copperfield became remembered as “the guy who made the Statue of Liberty disappear” – even by those who never saw the illusion. All stories get better in the retelling - especially in the world of magic and mentalism, where untrained observers will leave out the critical details, thus eventually crediting the performer with having performed the impossible.

Scorpio’s Message, like other illusions, is generally described incorrectly by those who have witnessed it. Unlike other effects of its kind, it is specifically designed to enhance this mis-perception of events...


...A recent informal survey of mentalists and psychic entertainers showed that most considered the Question Answering/Audience Reading effect to be the strongest and most commercial effect in mentalism. Nonetheless, most mentalists do not include the effect in their presentations. The obvious question, then, is “Why?”

While it is true that most mentalists do not include Q and A in their performances, this does not mean that the effect is rarely seen. Variations of the routine are performed every day by currently popular tele-mediums such as John Edward, James van Praagh and Sylvia Brown. Their audiences are composed of people who hope to receive personally relevant messages and/or solace from the “spirit world”.

It’s not my intention to get into the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the claims made by these individuals. That they enjoy wide popularity is beyond dispute and I cite them only as examples of the drawing power of performers who provide their audiences with personally relevant information. The fact that some claim to do this via paranormal means is really beside the point, as evidenced by the equal popularity of “teletherapists” and psychologists such as Dr. Joyce Brothers, Dr. Phil, and my all-time personal favorite, Dr. Ruth “Did You Vair a Kundum?” Westheimer.

To a very large extent, however, modern mental acts lack this sort of relevance. Mentalists generally restrict themselves to the presentation of “minor” effects that highlight either the mental revelation of static and non-controversial facts (maiden names, social security numbers, randomly selected words, etc.) or to the exhibition of remarkable mental abilities (memory, sightless vision, metal bending etc.). They generally avoid making outright claims to psychic ability and usually characterize what they do as examples of heightened sensory – rather than extrasensory – ability. While they will generally acknowledge that “Question Answering” is one of the most powerful effects a mentalist can perform, they usually restrict themselves to the performance of minor effects in order to avoid the technical and/or ethical problems they perceive as necessarily companions to the effective presentation of Q and A...

[One of the fundamental practical problems of Q&A is the fact that audience members whose questions aren't answered or addressed are invariably disappointed.] ...Even among those mentalists who have no problem with the ethical or technical aspects of the Q and A act, very few are likely to believe that closing the show with a routine that results in the disappointment of most of the audience is evidence of good showmanship...

...Scorpio’s Message, however, provides the perfect answer to the problem. Furthermore, it requires no technical skills, special apparatus, secret assistance, stealing of questions, impression devices, or pre-show work of any kind. (That is what an ad would say anyway. But I won’t mislead you – it DOES require effective presentation. The sample script and information I have given you, however, will allow you to achieve this fairly rapidly.)

The effect also provides the relevance that is lacking from most mentalism performances. It is, as demonstrated in this book, the element that is critical to repeat performances, and to the commercial value that is a prerequisite to the long-term success of a professional mentalist or psychic entertainer. Most importantly, it provides this relevance in a relatively non-controversial and highly entertaining manner.

On 2010-12-09 19:15, J. Prager wrote:
Looking forward for the reviews.