Hello everyone, as a thanks for all the support and kindness directed toward my Penguin Live lecture (and as a way to demonstrate for free the type of material you'll find there) I've decided to share my approach to Rock, Paper, Scissors.

While I'm bizarrely known for being able to handle complex and intricate mental feats, let me assure you that this is laughably, ridiculously simple. The routine is entertaining, and the workings are completely invisible.

I feel like this is a method without compromise.

And it is free. I'm giving it away.

No catch.

Just a way to say thanks for everything.

The link is held in Inner Thoughts here:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=82

If you don't like it, it didn't cost you anything. But I think you will.

I'll leave it on here for a week or two and then pull the link.

Best,

Atlas

This piece is brilliant, well worth checking out. Thanks Atlas!!

Phill

Thanks Phill, pleased you liked it.

Best,

Atlas

TBH it feels like a legit hustle, it's brilliant. You are kind of self-effacing about being able to manage huge amounts of complex stuff, but your stuff shines because you think about it for longer than most people would. Lots of long baths?

Phill

Lol. I'm in one now!

I don't know that I think about it longer, but I always try to approach things and look at problems from lots of different angles, and I've found that when I do that, there's usually a route toward what I want to achieve.

Looking forward to your Penguin lecture, by the way!

Best,

Atlas

Bob...thank you, and amen

As this thread was just resurrected, I was having a look over it again and don't recall reading this the first time through. This guess at my influences is wholly inaccurate.

My primary influences have been Larry Becker and Lee Earle - whose emphasis on creating an ENTERTAINING experience struck me early on - and Max Maven and Leo Boudreau, who impressed me with methods that were functionally invisible and whose operation often relied on a program being run in the mind of the performer and which was, as a result, inaccessible to an observer.

Maven's "Seak" or Boudreau's "Eight Dollar Mystery" are excellent examples of this type of effect. Maven's "Color" series is well known, but I always rated the "Lisp" series more highly as I preferred the methodologies he explored within. These types of methods were also, very frequently, direct and simple once understood. This meant that I could focus all my energy on making the routine entertaining and that further enhanced their appeal to me.

I am friendly with many European mentalists, but I only moved to the UK a few years ago. My roots are American and my development anchored in the States from about fifteen years ago.

I do think that when people first come to mentalism, it is important to study the field as broadly as possible as a wider sampling of material helps you to identify an approach that suits how you think and prefer to operate. From there, I think it is important to master the tools that seem to fit you best, identify their place within your character, and then create and innovate with them repeatedly until your style is definably unique and stands apart.

The above formula is one of the reasons that mentalism offers a richer experience than magic.

I cannot count how many times I have seen magicians, word for word, perform the same tricks. The same jokes, the same presentation, the same effect. They know that technical proficiency gets the job done and there is no need for them to inject anything of themselves into the show. In fact, it is often risky for them to do so. The way they express their character is not via their presentation, but through what turnkey effects they choose to perform. Consider the Bandana effect. A magician who performs it takes no risk. It is a crowd pleaser. But there is also no growth or innovation or depth to their performance.

Mentalism offers more.

And the tree of mentalism offers many different branches from which fruit can be plucked.

As far as this whole US v. UK mentalism debate that has popped up from time to time here: it is largely nonsense. I have operated and performed in both markets. My sense of humor has pleased both sets of audiences. People aren't that different. If they like YOU, then you'll do fine. The reason Derren did not conquer the US market had more to do with the fact that he was on cable channels than anything else. And while you look at and point to performers from decades past who did well in the States - let me point out that there was vastly less choice back then. There are more cable channels now than ever before. There are streaming, independent television options, there are more podcasts and radio shows than ever before. I believe that if Dunninger operated today, he'd have been no more than a footnote, so vast is the realm of broadcasting options now available. Derren's success in the UK was helped along tremendously by the fact that he was on mainstream channels. And as far as performers, UK performers are very similar to those in the US. I've seen them repeatedly. They use props on stage the same as we do in the US.

I do recognize that a number of people are passing off garbage unreliable and unworkable 'psychological' methods that are, unfortunately, being pitched as propless effects. But none of these offenders perform or have actually tested this material, and can't be said to be representative of UK performers as a whole. They are, by and large, taking advantage of those here who have more enthusiasm and trust than sense and are given magic beans in return. Each does his best to build his reputation and little pockets of friendship spring up amongst those with similar aims. Every few months, these wellsprings of 'creativity' offer a new and exciting product to the community that is endorsed by their little group of friends, who mercilessly bump the other's threads in a painfully obvious tit for tat exchange.

And so I sympathise with Mindpro's perspective - I just draw a line between the performers in the UK, and those here who have perpetuated this trend of offering nothing for something.

But we have similar offenders in the States.

Best,

Atlas

I've performed his superhero routine at least once every day (no exaggerating...literally every day) for someone since I watched the lecture. People freak out.

What type of performances would these be?

Awesome ones by the sound of it

Sorry, couldn't resist making that joke.

Best,

Atlas

Yeah, these sound like some flouncy commie Yerp-ean type performances. Not respectable gun-totin' red-meat eatin' in-god-we-trust Murican performances, with all the scripts stolen from Bob Cassidy and the routines stolen from Bob Cassidy and the jokes stolen from Bob Cassidy.

For anyone interested, the story at the end of the lecture happened ten years ago today! Time really flies!

Best,

Atlas

"I cannot count how many times I have seen magicians, word for word, perform the same tricks. The same jokes, the same presentation, the same effect. They know that technical proficiency gets the job done and there is no need for them to inject anything of themselves into the show. In fact, it is often risky for them to do so. The way they express their character is not via their presentation, but through what turnkey effects they choose to perform. Consider the Bandana effect. A magician who performs it takes no risk. It is a crowd pleaser. But there is also no growth or innovation or depth to their performance."

The same can be said about the majority of Mentalist though

If you're talking about people who are actually experienced performing mentalists, I disagree.

If, on the other hand, you're referring to all of the magicians who claim to be mentalists these days, you're right.

Does the lecture come with a PDF?

With all due respect Bob, I'm not. I've in the last couple of years been to 3 big name mentalist, not mental magic, mentalist, shows. They are often spoken about here in the Penny forum. What did they perform, commercially available products. Bare in mind I said, the majority, not all. Their showmanship was excellent but their routines were available, safe to perform, turnkey effects they choose to perform.
Now there is a level above the majority, but I was just responding to the very broad claim made above by Atlas, and of coarse it is just my opinion.

I know of one of yours (I saw) I am sure that was using commercial products also.

Wow, this thread gets resurrected to share something interesting and in less than 24 hours we're back to arguing.

Hope your son had a fantastic birthday Atlas, and his 'Origin Story' will always be entertaining to hear.

LOL, really. I only wanted to know on Penguin if the PDF came with the lecture. Asking Penguin a question, you wait about a month or two for a reply.

Well YOU'RE not arguging! =P My comments weren't aimed at you. Regarding the PDF, Penguin provides one that has MOST of what you need on there. There's an effect using vehicle brands which isn't included on the PDF.