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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
I've not rambled for a little while, so's here's one...
how often do you think about not only how you present the things you do, but also how you look and maybe even consider whether anything else you may use might change how you come across? there was a discussion downstairs recently, and it touched upon whether you use business cards or something else for b*lll*t work...some prefered to tear them out of the pad 'live', others liked to use specially prepared cards for certain effects, others use blank card and a few other variants... personalisation - what feels sensible for one, showed that it was different for another... also, I think it boils down to circumstances too...if you want to be seen, or rather, give the impression that something is constantly impromptu and jazzed, then (again, in my eyes) borrowing everything, or as much as possible without being annoying is great...but then again, there are lots of variants to that...borrow a pad? fair enough...borrow the writing props, oh we only have a marker - the paper is a bit thin, we can kinda see through it a little - does it matter? I think the differences are many, entirely personal, and dependent mainly on how you come across, and whether it clashes or reinforces how you come across... personally, I do think we can be almost apologetic about doing what we do - we want to make sure things are constantly above board "there's nothing funny about the cards, right? they're all different..." oh! so there ARE funny cards available eh?! is it repeatable? is it examinable? can I do it underwater and cover my ears in tar? should I pass my thumbs around for examination? is it ok to spit in my hand and offer it out and say "i bet you fifty quid I can read your mind?"... should I be wearing pants? ...and we use pendulums, very rarely do we construct one 'live' in front the audience...i know some do, and even in the richard webster pendulum booklet (the blue cover one, can't quite remember its title, sorry!) - he hands out cord with paperclips as the bob...i don't know about you, but I can't breathe for people whipping out their pendulums on a busy train into work, the police are always pulling drivers over for polishing their pendulums whilst driving... so we're ok using unique, interesting objects (well, some are) - is it a prop? well..i can be, but I don't think it is if its in this weird ever-present yet not really acknowledged kind of impression we all give when we interact with one another... a paid gig, I personally don't want to borrow much, I certainly don't want dead time or fumbling about (though I would if it suited my overall delivery, if I was a woody allen style mentalist - which I think would be fantastic! stream of concsiouness apologetic for being ever so close, then excitable for being right, yet overall pensive and guilty too) - I want a sense of realism, mixed in with everything else.... so (again, I have to put these caveats in cos people take things very personally on forums) - FOR ME, I want to be seen as somewhat prepared, afterall - I am there to hopefully entertain, be polite, be interesting and interested in YOU - I feel I shouldnt bother people for certain things... I should be prepared because I know what need you to do...i need you to focus, I need you to think, I need you to imagine...what do you mean you haven't got anything to write with? IDIOT! I also want an element of visualness, other than me, myself...the pendulum draws the eye, the little rug I use gives me a healthy workable space if at a table (its easy to clean, portable, good quality) - and to return to my preference of blank business card stock, tied up in a little purple velvet ribbon - again, with the rug reeeeeeally ties the room together...keeps things neat, gives me an OTL as standard, and I have "other stuff" going on in that simple stack of cards...i feel it suits me when I use it, no fumbling around, useful, and the most that anyone has ever commented upon it is "oooh nice ribbon...". they are just blank stock left out on a rug... no one has ever asked to examine the rug...asked me where I got it sure...and I've told 'em...but that's it...just like someone might say "hey...nice watch you're wearing..." or "i like that ring, art deco is it? nice...". any question asked, means you can return the question to them, you have noticed them too - pay a compliment back - isn't that nice? rapport... we talk about random pieces of paper, because we want to be organic, yet will happily pull out a coloured cube! the works of shakespeare! a plucked chicken! an ampersand! ok, maybe not an & the term "props" being used in the negative - yet we are living props in some ways, if a prop stands out from the norm, then it automatically creates a level of interest, whether that be negatively or positively is an entirely different point altogether...but create interest it does...i mentioned on here a year or so back, that I don't consider myself a mentalist, so that has quite possibly coloured my view...but overall, I think its because being a mentalist has changed too in some respects...life has changed massively, we diversify a lot more... life has changed, it moves faster, you can have a main job and still gig plenty, you can do this full time, but do a bit of public speaking on the side, you mix 'n match, you can perform just for friends if you like, any and all these things are great if they suit you... and then there's mentalism itself, psychic entertainer, psychological illusionist, thought-reader, mind-reader, psychic entertainer, reader, and a myriad of other titles...the urge to keep things traditional, the fight to move onwards, to be propless, to be naked, to wear a cloak and carry a skull! diversifying can both strengthen and weaken something I suppose...the minefield of mentalism can be confusing, overwhelming, productive, amazing, touching, as well as expensive and frustrating... I've kinda lost my way during this ramble - nothing new there, but thought it might provoke an open discussion on how YOU see YOUR kind of mentalism, and how it influences the things you use, how you use them and all that jazz...
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Simon (Ted) Edwards Inner circle London 1528 Posts |
Having your own kit (pendulum, cards, notepad, pen) is, I think, entirely reasonable. If someone is prepared to 'perform' you would expect them to be at least minimally prepared. Setting the scene/atmosphere sounds a pretty reasonable explanation for carrying around some bits and bobs too.
As for how you look, there's a reason I wear the style of glasses that I do (see link). It fits in with my usually unspoken back story. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k9JoWocPJL8/To......mon2.png T. |
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Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
Quote:
IAIN wrote: I must admit I'm very surprized to learn you ("we"?) can make that beginner's mistake of stating "everything is normal". As you wrote, it hints things (cards and other "props") could be "not normal". So, sayin something like that is a mistake for magicians, even though everybody _knows_ (or believe they know) magicians use tricked objects. But "we", mentalists, use everyday objects (mostly ;-) And it's true! I spend more, much more, in stationary stores than in magic shops. The lock I use for "7 keys" is from the hardware department, I found (most of) my wallets in front-yard sales, I try to use cards from the supermarket (Bicycle ones are not common here),... So, you can't expect a spectator to carry around a deck of card (!). Maybe a pen, but not a pad. And pendulums are not that frequent (at least where I live ;-) You have to have your own "special objects" (pendulum, cards, tarots, metal blindfold, locks...) It's careful to have your own pen and paper, should your spectator not have that kind of items And anyway, people are going to hold most of your "props": they's going to use your pen to write on your paper, they(re going to hold your pendulum or use your key to open your lock... Would you let them manipulate these objects if there was anything funny about them? I borrow only what needs to be borrowed: a banknote, another wristwatch, a phone... (you know what for ;-) Quote:
I've kinda lost my way during this ramble - nothing new there, but thought it might provoke an open discussion on how YOU see YOUR kind of mentalism, and how it influences the things you use, how you use them and all that jazz... I really try to stick to common, everyday objects. Nothing shiny, nothing "magical looking". I sometimes go towards bizarre or paranormal stuff, in which case I like to use old objects. But it's mainly the audience who will dictate what kind of stuff I use, what brand, what quality. What I use must be "everyday stuff" _for_them_. I will use a leather covered pad and a financial paper here, and a school book and a local paper there. It's also because I don't have a special character that would require special props: a guru dress, a "mind readin electronical cap", Burger's beard... Maybe one day ;-)
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
To be clear, I wasn't saying that I WOULD say: "there's nothing funny about the cards, right? they're all different..." - its just something I hear from some performers and on demos and so on...
I think the we rely on our smartphone to do every day stuff, there is less and less chance of someone having a pen on them...text it, memo app and so on...
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David Thiel Inner circle Western Canada...where all that oil is 4005 Posts |
Iain...this was one of the best posts I've read. You didn't ramble...your thinking in both insightful and intelligent.
Borrowing objects bothers me on at least a couple of different points. There IS the implied notion that "since I am borrowing this, there must be dodgy cards/coins/books/aardvarks out there." I can certainly see why a magician would borrow objects -- but a mentalist? Hmmm...not so much. And let's take that thought just a little further, shall we? Let's suppose that gaffed objects don't occur to certain members of the audience: does the performer look prepared or unprepared? The whole idea of tearing up your own business cards has never made sense to me. They are the performer's lasting advertisement. They can also be quite expensive...so why tear them up? As a magician I used to restore the torn business card and give it to my volunteer. But a mentalist? Hmmm. B*ll*ts for me, thanks. I can get a pad of them for three bucks. But to each his own. Thank you for this thought provoking post. I read it twice. David
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except bears. Bears will kill you.
My books are here: www.magicpendulums.com www.MidnightMagicAndMentalism.com |
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Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
Quote:
IAIN wrote: I didn't picture you as someone who would. I believe no one who spends some time thinking about the way he performs would --and you seem like someone who does think about why and how he does things. And your remark about hearing the phrase "there's nothing funny about <insert name of prop here>" in demos is consistent with the fact it's us (mentalists, magicians) who are the more concerned with the innocence of our material. So salesmen tell us, in demos, that "everything is normal and can be examined". It's another discussion, but I wonder how many of us are influenced by the presentation displayed in demos or in "cheap" DVDs... Quote:
IAIN wrote:I think the we rely on our smartphone to do every day stuff, there is less and less chance of someone having a pen on them...text it, memo app and so on... Two ideas come to my mind: 1) this means you should indeed carry your own pens and pads... 2) would "up to date" mentalism require that we ask our spectators to write thaire thoughts... on their phone? Or is it going too far? (Imagine the new "c**ter t**r" ) My first reaction is to say it's far more logical and innocent to write on paper, but on the other hand, maybe some of the simpler stuff would tranfer well from paper to phones... Mmmm, food for thoughts. Thanks IAIN.
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
The other thing I consider is this - its kinda your kingdom... your rules for what you need to happen, so as long as everything is coherent and logical, then if your style means you have to burn something and iterpret the "smoke entrails" - then so be it... for me, that would also mean that if you are asking someone to take part in a ritual of sorts - then you define that ritual...
if you're scruffy, it could mean that the things you carry are also scruffy... yet that could also mean you might just have one very precious thing that you take care of, is beautiful to you (my precious) and treat with reverence...and may not even let others touch... if you're well dressed, well spoken and well mannered - I would be surprised if you pulled out a cheap biro rather than a nicer looking pen...i wouldnt expect dog-eared scraps of torn paper as billets, I'd expect crisp, clean and decent quality paper, quite possibly from a small case of some kind... I'm know that's my bias, but I'm being honest about how I see things...
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Simon (Ted) Edwards Inner circle London 1528 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-08-15 13:43, IAIN wrote: I think that's exactly right. See my emphasis. T. |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Here you go...i upgraded a few items over the past couple of weeks (pen, pencil and pendulum)...and a nice 1953 edition of The Time Machine (got a booktest with it I am very proud of)...
the ribboned cards, envelopes for two presentations (including my own version of the excellent 4DT)...so apart from a couple of extras that isn't for public viewing, then that's it...notepad is the brand new riggs addition... this has a balance that suits me, between good quality items, a couple of things that are visually interesting and all fits nicely in a little bag for portability... Click here to view attached image.
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Scott Soloff Special user Philadelphia, PA 960 Posts |
We're mentalists, not magicians.
Magicians present puzzles. The audience wonders "How did he do that?" (An unsophisticated magician may state that this is "an ordinary deck of cards" or this brightly decorated box "is empty". Foolish, yes. But the truth is that the audience knows that they are being tricked in some manner.) Mentalists are a different kettle of fish. If you are doing your job correctly there is nothing to prove. There are no gaffed cards or anything else for that matter. What you are doing is a series of demonstrations for the audience that shows you read minds and bend forks and so forth. Period. End of story. 75% of your audience already believes or wants to believe that some people have the ability to read minds. The other 25% are skeptical. So what? The bigger they are the harder they fall. The skeptics just want a position to take and are the easiest to convert. In one sense, mentalism is similiar to stage hypnosis. Once the group on stage is hypnotized the deed is done. The remainder of the show is a bunch of skits done for the sole purpose of entertainment. With mentalism, your first demonstration proves that you can read minds. Done deal, case closed. But that would make a very quick show, indeed. Everything else is merely variations on that theme for the sole purpose of entertainment. At the risk of being repetitive, the mentalist has nothing to prove regarding his props if he/she is doing their job properly. You are not performing tricks to be puzzled out. YOU ARE READING THEIR MINDS. This is what they expect and this is what you are giving them. To paraphrase Anthony Jacquin: BE THE MENTALIST! Anyway, those are some of my thoughts. Best wishes, Scott
'Curiouser and curiouser."
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Scott - I think the main point behind this thread is more about what you use, rather than what you perform...
I mean, I'm sure you are interested in things outside of mentalism, so do you draw on those influences in mentalism? does any of those interests therefore dictate that you use certain objects, or dress a certain way? if not - I would be interested in the reasons behind that... the reason why I think about these things is that I personally feel even how we dress represents on some level an element of ourselves, our interests and so on...even if you are just a straight forward jeans and t-shirt guy, THAT still says something about you...and if someone performs dressed like that - a fountain pen for example would seem out of place (to me)... so everything has to be in its rightful place to help re-inforce what we are saying, how we are behaving and what we are sharing with others... even avatars say something about us...scott's one reminds me a little of a sketch someone would make based on those images you used to get on the Mastermind games in the 70s and 80s...i'd imagine a glass of brandy next to you, an antique lampshade behind you...a library around you...eloquent, a sense of refinement...you'd use a fountain pen, no standard biro for you Scott!
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PaulPacific Special user Yes, I used my toes to type all of my 907 Posts |
This is a great thread!
Blessings on thee, little man,
barefoot boy with cheeks of tan... Outward sunshine; inward joy, Blessings on thee, barefoot boy! :-D |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Here's a clearer explanation...i've recently been watching the series Hannibal...
part of the beast that he is means he needs to display resolute control in certain circumstances...this is displayed in part in the fact that he very, very rarely smiles or frowns - and not only that, but his choice of pen and notepads are sympathetic to his projected persona... a clinical, yet classy black pen, quite possibly a fountain pen, and classy yet understated notepads, all in black leather, of quality, a light parchment paper within...all suggests without drawing attention to it, someone who is structured, concise, enjoys the idea of having matching elements quietly, confidently put together...i could never imagine Hannibal pulling out a half-chewed golf pencil (maybe a golfer's finger) or be drawn to the mundane supermarket chain bought notepad...he is drawn to beauty in some way, however horrifically he may distort it... its also a fun game to play when watching your favourite actor or comedian, to imagine what they'd be like if they were a mentalist... what would iggy pop be? how would richard Burton deliver a reveal? how would stevie wonder relate to you despite lacking one sense, but possessing others? maybe I think too much....
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Scott Soloff Special user Philadelphia, PA 960 Posts |
Iain,
Thanks for the clarification. Personally, I don't use anything that even resembles a prop. For me, it's paper, pencils, 3 x 5 cards, coin envelopes, drawing pads, books and a deck of cards. After some initial experimenting, I got rid of the pre-printed Q & A cards and now use blank index cards. I developed a bolder way to collect the cards without the use of a gaffed bag. In other words, just a pile of everyday stuff. As for clothing, one of two: 1/ Black suit with white shirt (no tie) 2/ For informal venues; jeans, dress shirt, sports jacket and white running shoes. I hope this info is more in line with this thread... Best, Scott
'Curiouser and curiouser."
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Actually, lets take the barefoot boy and bearing in mind I don't know him, but have seen his video he posted earlier...
I bet because of his ability to put people at ease, an air of being casual in his delivery - like what he does is an everyday thing for him, he isn't afraid to share his laid back attitude in many ways, yet he would also pull in a sense of intense concentration at times too..a zig-zagging of the mind, this nice pleasant guy, yet can suddenly hone in, piece by piece (pardon the pun) of whatever someone is thinking of... I would probably say he likes or favours blue when he dresses up, but that's just how I visualise him... so cheerful, almost surfer and elements of hippy creep in when I imagine him (cos of the barefootness) I would have said I could imagine him using (i think in the video) pencils, cos its more of a creative tool than a pen, yet he kept s lid on it too..so again, that zigzagging of the two 'extremes'... probably has two sides to him, the pro mentalist using standard blacks and grey/blues in performance...very old school in that sense, then if he does psychic entertainment based stuff, from fairs to one-on-one work, then he's probably a little more vibrant and relaxed.. sorry, not trying to CR you here paul! just letting the imagination run riot a little...if I had to say "paul would like this", I'd be drawn more towards good quality coloured markers, and an artist's pad would suit you, based on my impression (ho ho ho) of you... I'll shut up now...
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PaulPacific Special user Yes, I used my toes to type all of my 907 Posts |
Drat it! IAIN!!! Get out of my head!
LOL Thank you though. You have me well and truly pegged!
Blessings on thee, little man,
barefoot boy with cheeks of tan... Outward sunshine; inward joy, Blessings on thee, barefoot boy! :-D |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Its a fun game, huh!
our perception of someone just by the things they use, and do not use, and how they appear to us... if we bear in mind that strangers can often remind us of people we know, the fun is how the brain joins up those dots, and the imagination takes over...i was and will always happily be wrong about people, but I cannot help but think these things through at times... I play this game on trains a lot, I guess at what kind of wallet or if I can't seem them, people's shoes and bags and phones and so on...and if something seems alien to me, I find it really interesting...and it makes me wonder if people are either in a transition one way or the other, or trying out something new (which means they have just come out of the other side of a transition)... going off at a tangent here, but often with women, when they change their hair significantly, its because they've gone though some kind of strong emotionally driven change...for either good or for bad...they feel the internal change first, then display it physically...
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Steve_Mollett Inner circle Eh, so I've made 3006 Posts |
This is definitely something to ponder. Thank you.
Author of: GARROTE ESCAPES
The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth. - Albert Camus |
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John Raff M Loyal user Republic of Ireland 233 Posts |
Iain this is a really great thread. One question: Are we mainly focusing mainly on close up work or shall we discuss stage and parlour?
Best, John. |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Discuss what is relevant to you John! I can only speak from my own experience, so I hope that others join in with theirs...never done stage, so I imagine the remit is different, so would be great to hear about that...
I know of/seen some mentalists perform with banners behind them as backdrops for example, others that do predominantly mix and mingle style affairs might have differing wants/needs too... so yeah, have at it!
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