Excuse me if this topic has been covered before, but I'm just interested in your reasons for choosing the Mentalism field of performance (as opposed to Magic).

This is sort of a poll, and I'd like to see as many regulars to these forums respond. In fact, if you prefer Mentalism to Magic, and even still perform Magic, then please respond too. I would like to hear what motivates you to perform Mentalism.

Thanx

Jo

I'm not sure I would classify what I do as mentalism per se, but I definitly lean in that direction. I also do standard magic, but reluctantly.

I started in magic very young - I was 7 or so - and worked in a magic shop for years (Al's Magic in DC). Things that bothered my about most magic:

* Propy - looks like using gimmicked props to accomplish tricks. To me, this cheapens what I'm doing. Spectator realizes, "Anyone with the prop could do that."

* Attitude of Fooling - this is the biggie for me and its an issue with mentalizm too. Bottom Line is I don't like fooling people! The attitude of "I fooled you" just doesn't sit well with me. I've read many treaatises on this and its just not for me.

Regarding other things:

* I LIKE paranormal and occult phenomena.

So...my show focuses on these.

I'm probably not the ideal responder to your query, but thought I would start things off.

As close as I come to performing mentalism in my act is to transform an audience member into a medium on stage

- Greg Owen

Good question.

I agree with Greg that part of my attraction to mentalism is my resistance to using obvious props. The magic should apparently come from within you and your audience, in my opinion, so I strive to eliminate distractions.

Additionally, mentalism appeals to thinking adults, which is the audience I find most rewarding. "Magic" is often sullied by kiddie-show connotations, but the exploration of intuition and other paranormal phenomena is something that a sophisticated audience can readily enter into.

Hi,

I'm not sure I would label myself a mentalist. I do a lot of mentalism, and I do a lot of magic. . .not together usually. I lean more into the bizarre side of things without the blood and gore. Mentalism and bizarre magic (at least the way I'm doing it) often have some overlap. Call it mentalism or mental magic or paranormal facilitator (heck, call it Bob if you want), I don't care. And those that want to argue about it, have at it, just leave me out of it.

Like Neil the things I choose to do are more appropriate for adult audiences. I work with kids in my everyday job and really don't want to spend my magic time doing kiddie tricks. Just doesn't appeal to me.

Not sure if this answers your question. Hope so.

Mark

My reasoning for getting into mentalism is pretty much EXACTLY what Neil said!

Same here. But I do like the way Larry Becker describes the difference between "mentalism" and "mental magic." But as the Necromancer said it is also in how you want to be known to the customer. It is hard to market one's self as a "mental magician" but mentalist is a little more known to potential employers.

I really started getting hooked on "mental" stuff after I saw Kreskin do his show about two years ago. A couple decks of cards, a clip board and that's it. The psychological impact on the audience was fantastic. After that, my magic props have become museum pieces.

-Brian

Even though I never claim to have these "powers" I find that Mentalism seems more "real", I therefore enjoy studying, creating and performing it.

I love magic also and perform it casually for friends and family whenever I find something that interests me.

Bizarre Magic is also an interest, because it takes you to yet another part of this incredible and highly interesting art.


:comply:

I see mentalism is a natural procession to the magical arts. In the original years of existence, shaman where the rulers and magicians. Then you have a natural procession until you get to psychics and mentalism.

Scott

I've found that my personality lends itself more to mentalism than to magic, though I consider myself to be a practitioner of mental magic (of the Larry Becker and Richard Osterlind school) than of the hard-core, more mystical school.

After spending 20 years in the ARMY and being in the magical arts since age 8, I lean more toward mentalism. I have traveled to Egypt twice, several countries in the Middle East, including fighting in first Gulf War,and spent several years in Europe.

I realize now that mentalism and propaganda techniques are virtually the same. Except, propaganda isn’t meant to entertain. If you watch the major media outlets like NBC, FOX and ABC, you're witnessing mentalism in action. Traveling was just as amazing as the first magic trick I witness as kid, truly an awesome experience.

I grew up in the inner city, so my views about life were already different. While you're studying mentalism, pick up a book by Noam Chomsky, Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founder of the modern science of linguistics, called Media Control. The co-founder of NLP, Richard Bandler was one of his students.


Here is an example of time misdirection.

If you give a man the correct information for seven years, he may believe the incorrect information on the first day of the eighth year when it is necessary, from your point of view, that he should do so. Your first job is to build the credibility and the authenticity of your propaganda, and persuade the enemy to trust you although you are his enemy.

A Psychological Warfare Casebook Operations Research Office Johns Hopkins University Baltimore (1958)

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There's a war out there old friend, a world war, and it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information: about how we think, how we see and hear, how we work. It's all about information.

"Sneakers", MCA Universal Pictures, 1992
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Peace.

Wow guys, thanks to all of you. Just what I was looking for (you too Greg).

Mine was a natural progression from Magic into Mentalism, with the view to make a stronger impact on my audiences. Mentalism also fits my contemplating, 'serious' nature and character more. And I have always been interested in the 'moreness' of life. And before anyone tries to cold-read, I'll just admit to being a typical, critical, intellectual Virgo.

Oh, and I still do the odd Magic close-up bits just to have fun, and because I like them.

But do keep it coming...

Jo

From my point of view, magic is mentalism and vice versa. Originally magicians were thought of as witches and were burned and prosecuted for their 'powers'. Which naturally lead to the exposure of magic to save one's life. Showing that all things that seem supernatural were really just hidden gimmicks and tricks. This is what brought magic to its present state. Everything is a trick. And from the pop culture of today we know that 'tricks are for kids'!

So I decided that this is not how I wanted to be viewed. And that means getting back to the 'roots' of magic. Or in other words mentalism as we call it today.

Mentalism shouldn't be thought of as 'mind reading' as it is so often referred to today. It is in reality, magic, that is just more believable to the audience.

What makes it more believable is the question that I find most intriguing.

Chad
ps...Natural Mystic left out an important aspect. Those who control the information, also control all the power. And what brings power? Money! A good book to read is The Beast From Jeckyll Island. It is about the creation of the US Monetary system and its controller, The Federal Reserve. Think you know how money and credit work in the United States? Think again.

NOTE: Creature from Jeckyll Island is the name of the book. Carry on.

Mentalism affords the mentalist the ability to use items that don't "feel" like magic, thereby eliminating suspicious props.

A book from the subject's own bookshelf, a pad of paper from thier desk -- each deadly in the hands of a mentalist and therefore, they produce huge reactions to what seems like an impossible outcome!

I studied mentalism for about 5 years before my first mentalism performance. It was an amazing experience. It seemed to fit like a glove. I was "in the moment" the whole time and wasn't concerned with things like "flashing", etc.

I did perform magic first, and still do. Comedy magic in fact. My mentalism show is not what I would term "Comedy Mentalism", but it is not Bizarre either, although it has the flavor of both running through it.

I still do both types of performances. I like both. And I get more bookings with the Comedy Magic, probably because I'm an inept marketer. Please don't suggest any more marketing courses, books, or tapes. I have too many already.

An interesting thing I've seen in a couple of responses is that the posters felt that magic was too proppy and thus became "kiddie". I think this can be overcome individually (society-wide, I think it's a lost cause). Some of the things Brother Shadow does illustrate this. Yes, he does some for kids, but it is using ordinary items and I don't think it would be fair to term it "kiddie" magic.

Mike

What is more incredible: Showing the audience something impossible or something that is possible? I find that if you tell them that what you are doing is "possible" if their mind is in tune, and concentrated, they are far more likely to believe that what they are seeing is real and amazing. I think this approach is far better than the typical magician who basically says to their audience, "I am fooling you, you are a sucker."

I have performed comedy magic and mentalis.(for different audiences)
While a 7 year old might believe that the silver ball floats, most adults think "trick."
But with good mental effects, even the adults will find it amazing if they can imagine some type of "reading."

Ok... let's cut the stuff and get to the chase...

99% of the people that jumped onto the Mentalism & Bizarre Magick Bandwagon did so in the past 6-10. Most were inspired by two initial happenings; a.) the clamor and success of Rick Maue's BOOK OF HAUNTED MAGICK; and b.) the percieved success and popularity of both David Blaine & Criss Angel's first Tv Specials.

Not all that long ago those of us that were gnashing our teeth on jelly filled rats, explosive meat packs, and the Punk Rock scene were seen as the low-lifes of magic. Guy's like Doveeno who produced Rats ala Channing Pollack's dove act and shot flames from his eyes, etc. Then you had people like Nick Night and Kevin James who delivered some exceptionally bizarre "cutting edge" magic long before the trend became a matter of popular vogue.

Those getting into it all today have done so because it's become "safe to do" once again. Many have jumped into the craze believing that it's an "easier way" to make a buck and then there's the whole ego thing of coming off as some kind of otherworldly fein possessive of magickle powers.

My first passion in magic has always been the Macabre, even when I was doing an illusion show. My impetus came from the late Richiardi and the Geek Show workers of the many sideshows I'd stop to see. Like Todd Robins and a very small handful of others I'm aware of, we had no choice as to the style of magic we would be performing -- we are FREAKS! We have a natural propensity towards the sublime and the surreal and we get our jollies, watching folks scream, pass-out, and grow pale... it's a brutal job, but someone has to do it!

For some of us "realism" is and always has been the goal -- Magic without device! No one taught this to me better than Max Maven in years long past. Then again, life itself taught me how much truth existed in the saying that "Less is more!"

Shortly after a car accident in the mid-90s I traded in my big props for small slips of paper and a handful of pencils... I haven't regreted it!

Sure, I still get my "show" fix via the dinner shows I do -- programs of interactive fantasy that allow my guests to become part of a cerebral theater. Where I used to think I needed an audience of 500+ just to get my applause fix, I know find myself overcome by excitement as I cater to groups of six, seven or maybe even a dozen or two. The intimacy is the charge -- the high, if you would. Like close-up magic, Mentalism allows us to cultivate a uniquely close rapport with the patron. It then goes several steps beyond those limitations, allowing, to coin a phrase, our souls to intertwine.

For the larger number of those that have jumped onto this bandwagon (and btw... read the back issues of VISIONS and you'll see that this is not my term or opinion alone, Mr. Knepper used much the same perspectives a few months back), the journey will be short and sweet. Unfortuantely there's a much greater draw for $50.00 birthday parties than there is for a $50.00 Reading or $300.00 a night Home Psychic Party. AS the story goes, most are a day late and a dollar short when it comes to making this course of career open itself to them... sorry, but that is the fact of the whole thing. A sad fact, true! But a fact nonetheless.

I performed a powerful mentalism effect for a friend who freaked out and was convinced I was pyschic. Without revealing the method I did reveal that she had been tricked. This led to much discussion on to the reality of pyschic phenemenon. Whether you are able to convince people of your argument or not,the ability to be so thought provoking is surely a powerful reason to pursue mentalism.