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adrianbent Loyal user 210 Posts |
Hi folks!
I got the complete works of Ted Anneman's "the Jinx" on CD-ROM for Christmas. I am a beginner and have to admit, I am quite overwhelmed, as I also got Corinda's 13 Steps. I'm feeling a little overburdened and wondered if someone could point out some sweet and easy powerful pet "gems" from either of these items that require little practice and I could start doing in a close-up to parlor sized environment. I really like mentalism in that you can do it strolling, on your feet. It doesn't require any props to be tabled or such. Thanks! P.S. My thumbnail is too short |
Mark Strivings V.I.P. 290 Posts |
Hi Adrian,
Keep in mind that strolling performers (at least magicians and mentalists) did not exist in Annemann's day. Therefore the material does not take those conditions into consideration at all. Any material published in the Jinx (congratulations BTW, it's a great mag) would have to be adapted. Also close up mentalism, as such, also didn't really exist all that much. Much of the material there is presented primarily as a stage piece, much of which can be easily adapted (or used as is) for parlor or close up work. I know you're looking for a short cut and I don't blame you. There's a ton of material there. But if I may, I would suggest just starting at the beginning and reading it all (tricks, columns, reviews, everything). There are nuggets hidden throughout the magazine. Plus you get to start absorbing the 'zen' of Annemann. He was a genuine genius and even if you don't care for a particular trick, for example, try to get a feel for where Annemann was coming from and why he did things the way he did. If you can begin to see how he was thinking and why he constructed things the way he did, you will come away something far more valuable than a few cool tricks, although you will find plenty of them there, too. BTW, while the CD-ROM is great for research, it's a massive pain in the backside for just sitting and reading. If I were you I would get the readily available (and very affordable) hardbound reprints. I have both and the reprints are much easier to read and you can put a post-it on those things that you find interesting. I find that putting a post-it on my computer screen just doesn't seem to work as well.... I realise this isn't what you wanted, but it's what I would still recommend. Enjoy the gold you are about to discover.... Mark
Mark Strivings is the owner of the largest all-mentalism mail order supply business in the world, "Mental Connections", carrying materials not available anywhere else. For complete info, drop Mark a line at MarkyApril@aol.com
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Turk Inner circle Portland, OR 3546 Posts |
Hi Adrian,
I agree with Mark. The Jinx is a treasure. It is probably my all-time favorite magic "item". Of course, I purchased the three volumes back in 1982 (before a CD-ROM was even a glint in Bill Gates' eye), and I read it just the way Mark described. Cover to cover sequentially. I was fascinated by the "zen" of Annemann and the culture of magic back in those days. After reading the three volumes cover to cover, I then immediately went back and re-read each volume and, as I read them and remembered similar routines, I would find these routines and then cross-index all such references in each book. And the beauty of The Jinx is that some of the routines and materials are so old, they are new! For instance, there is one routine that I really treasure. A card is placed and sealed in an opaque envelope, yet the performer, merely by raising the envelope to his forehead to "get the vibrations" is able to ascertain the identity of the card in the envelope. To this day, I have not seen any modern day routine or effect that utilizes this technique or principle. I'm not a magic scholar on par with Max Maven, and I'm fairly confident that a limited well-read few have stumbled onto this principle, but, for all practical purposes, it is "new" and not performed at all today. It's things like that that keep me coming back to The Jinx again and again. You got a great Christmas present. This gift will remain fresh for years to come. Mike
Magic is a vanishing Art.
This must not be Kansas anymore, Toto. Eschew obfuscation. |
adrianbent Loyal user 210 Posts |
Thanks for your input guys! I think what I might do is print off 10-20 pages at a time, and then put them in a binder, thus creating my own "hardbounds".
I was just curious if anyone out there could put something "tangible" on the "zen" that is Anneman. For concrete example, I found it curious to come across an article on the "mysterious Brainwave deck". I got quite a chuckle out of it, because it was written at a time when it was obviously very fresh. I've also looked at Skinner's notes and he had highlighted "Further than that". I found that curious and sure enough it was the routine that I am familiar with. Anyone else like to share their favourites? Cheers, AB |
david_a_whitehead Inner circle USA 2122 Posts |
I read 13 steps for the broad picture of mentalism not for the effects contained within. That is just me, though; you might be different.
I found the effects in 13 Steps were good and gave me ideas more than practicality. Hard to describe. Anyway, I find myself using it as a reference book of sorts now more than anything else. Just my two cents |
Tom Jorgenson Inner circle LOOSE ANGLES, CALIFORNIA 4451 Posts |
Just a thought...
You might pick up the Fulves book on self-working mentalism (if you don't have it), and start building from that, and sandwich in one of two of your favorite more difficult items from the Jinx. I would think that in reading (and rereading) the Jinx, certain items will vibrate well with you. Those are the ones to go with at the git-go. Let that inner guide guide. It is YOU 'chewing the gristle' that builds your muscles, so to speak. You can be overwhelmed by the glitter of the gold (we all were/are)in the books, but you are not allowed to be overburdened. There is not a single trick in any of those books that requires you to perform them; just start with the ones that YOU respond to, and you will always be doing YOUR act right down the line. It's all a learning process that proceeds on it's own. Don't consider yourself, with these books, to be overburdened and overwhelmed. It's more like Scrooge McDuck splashing around in his vault. Enjoy!
We dance an invisible dance to music they cannot hear.
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Brady Loyal user Los Angeles, CA 235 Posts |
Adrian,
Here is an effect that has become one of my pets. In the first few issues of the Jinx, Ted and others come up with workings for a lie detector test (I use the easiest of them, you will find it). However, I don't have the person lie; I just have him call out the cards. I tell him to stop a card or so after his chosen card. I tell him that I felt something I wasn't sure of a second ago, then pull out his card. This has fooled magicians. Perhaps that is because the method is as old as the hills and no respectable card man would use it. That makes it just my kind of trick! This post will make more sense once you looked up the effect. Regards, Brady |
Larry Becker V.I.P. 241 Posts |
While I acquired a complete set of the Jinx in the early 50s, I can state with total certainty that it was the reason for my conversion from magic to mentalism. I buried myself in its hallowed pages for over three weeks. I never looked back; I became a mentalist forever.
Many years later, when I was appearing at Bob Weill's Inn event in Canada, I especially enjoyed many long conversation about Annemann with Bob. His dad was the sharpshooter who fired the shot at Ted during an outdoor demonstration of the Bullet Catch. Regards, Larry
Visit our website: www.MentalismUnlimited.com
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Turk Inner circle Portland, OR 3546 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-02-07 13:39, Brady wrote: Brady, You've piqued my curiosity; I'm headed downstairs to the library to pull the Jinx and read up on this effect. Thanks. Mike
Magic is a vanishing Art.
This must not be Kansas anymore, Toto. Eschew obfuscation. |
Mark Strivings V.I.P. 290 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-02-06 10:49, adrianbent wrote: That's just it, you can't put it into tangible words (at least I don't think so). The 'zen' of Annemann is something that is intangible, but very definite. He just had a way of approaching things that has a clarity of effect and economy of method. The man was pure genius and is pretty much single-handedly responsible for taking mentalism out of the two person 'Swami' type of act, into the one performer style so prevalent since then. As for Brainwave and Further Than That, if I'm not mistaken these were both originally published in the Jinx. As you go through you will find many things that you'll go, "so THAT'S where that came from!" You'll also find items that you would have sworn were 'invented' by someone else---60 years later! Apparently not everyone read the Jinx. Too bad, it's great stuff. Enjoy! Mark
Mark Strivings is the owner of the largest all-mentalism mail order supply business in the world, "Mental Connections", carrying materials not available anywhere else. For complete info, drop Mark a line at MarkyApril@aol.com
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hjelm Regular user Sweden, Borlänge 112 Posts |
Why should I buy JINX if I already have got Annemann's Practical mindreading? What's the big difference?
The good thing with a CD is that you can print it and write and rub without destroying the book. And if it is a word file or html-file, you can do just what Mark Strivings says that you can't do. You can put bookmarks and note-its in the text, and you can find them very easy. But if the files are pdf. Well, then you can't do it. |
teejay Inner circle Liverpool, UK 1831 Posts |
Hi Turk/Mike,
You wrote: "And the beauty of The Jinx is that some of the routines and materials are so old, they are new! For instance, there is one routine that I really treasure. A card is placed and sealed in an opaque envelope, yet the performer, merely by raising the envelope to his forehead to "get the vibrations" is able to ascertain the identity of the card in the envelope." Any chance of a reference to this one? Anybody? Cheers. |
Turk Inner circle Portland, OR 3546 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-02-08 03:44, hjelm wrote: Hjelm, The big difference between Practical Mental Effects and The Jinx is three-fold: 1. I think that The Jinx has more effects in it than Practical Mental Effects. 2. The effects in The Jinx build on one another. As you read the various issues (1-151), you see developmental thinking taking place as a person took a prior published routine in a prior issue of The Jinx and suggested alternate handlings and alternate presentations. I found this invaluable both from a historical (derivation of effect) perspective and as a learning experience for getting me to think about thinking outside the box. 3. The Jinx published editorials, news and information, gossip and running feuds between magicians. The historical references and the atmosphere of a by-gone era just left me breathless. As the old Lone Ranger radio show used to say: "Come with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear when....". As far as writing in the margins of the hard copy or otherwise annotating the same, I always viewed The Jinx as a workbook and I treated it as such. My copy is heavily marked, annotated and cross-referenced. The annotations are personal to me and are not just some key-word hyperlink. Yesterday, I pulled the first volume from the shelf after over 15 years of sitting there essentially untouched. As I began reading some of the routines, my notes took me to two or three alternate handlings scattered throughout the volumes. It all came back to me clearly. I would never have been able to do that without the annotations. Hope this helps. Mike
Magic is a vanishing Art.
This must not be Kansas anymore, Toto. Eschew obfuscation. |
Yaniv Deautsch Special user Israel 529 Posts |
For a great overview of Annemann, Jinx and PME by no other than Max Maven himself go here: The Genii Forum: Annemann's Practical M......x Maven)
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Turk Inner circle Portland, OR 3546 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-02-08 22:53, Yaniv Deautsch wrote: Yaniv, Thanks for the post. That is a great read. Max certainly knows his magic history. Mike
Magic is a vanishing Art.
This must not be Kansas anymore, Toto. Eschew obfuscation. |
hjelm Regular user Sweden, Borlänge 112 Posts |
Thanks, Mike! Your nice answer will make me poor with money but rich with knowledge!
hjelm Sweden |
R2 Special user 935 Posts |
This is my absolute favourite gem from the entire 3 volume set.
April issue no. 31, 1937 Book 1 page, 197 "The Krazy Kode" by Bertram Adams. The one change I added was swapping out the words which never come into play and substituting them for modern words. I also give the volunteer a choice of either using one die or keeping both. It works both ways. I asked for a Western Union Blank from the Western Union agency and printed out my modern message on my computer as well. It was hard getting them to comply but, I showed them my Jinx with an old Western Union Telegram on it and then she asked her manager who then, gave her permission. I know everyone thus far has mentioned the "zen" of Anneman but, most people who don't own this never realize that it contains a vast array of submitted effects from magicians/mentalists of the day. I owned it on cdrom first and finally gave in to ordering my hardbound set for convenience's sake. Good idea Mark for the post-it notes...I'd never thought of that? Fraternally,r2 |
Mark Strivings V.I.P. 290 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-02-08 03:43, hjelm wrote: Practical Mental Effects is not even remotely just the Jinx republished. There is a TON of material in the Jinx that is not in PME, plus, as has already been noted, there are the columns (GREAT stuff in these columns, historical as well as effects and all manner of other things), plus the chronology, also previously noted. Seeing how effects develop over time is one of the great aspects of a periodical and the Jinx is a prime example. PME is great, easily one of my all-time favorite books, but it is not a straight across trade with the Jinx, no way. Quote:
The good thing with a CD is that you can print it and write and rub without destroying the book. And if it is a word file or html-file, you can do just what Mark Strivings says that you can't do. You can put bookmarks and note-its in the text, and you can find them very easy. I was speaking from the standpoint of just sitting and reading straight from the computer screen, which is not fun. Of course if the file is printable then you can run your own. Candidly I wouldn't even bother. If you buy all three hardbound volumes (actual bound books here) at the same time you MIGHT spend $60.00 total depending on where you get them and if there was shipping involved. From where I sit, just get the bound edition and save the ink/toner. But that's just me. Regardless, enjoy the Jinx. It's a treasure no matter how you choose to dig through it. Have fun! Mark
Mark Strivings is the owner of the largest all-mentalism mail order supply business in the world, "Mental Connections", carrying materials not available anywhere else. For complete info, drop Mark a line at MarkyApril@aol.com
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giochi Special user 502 Posts |
Thanks for the great advice!
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