Bob Cassidy - Crossroads Crosswords

Crossroads Crosswords A Routine for Mentalists by Bob Cassidy

Copyright©2003 by The Sacred Chao, L.L.C. All rights reserved including everything you could possibly think of, and then some.

What impossible matter will he make easy next? - The Tempest, Act II, Scene I, line 70 Begin with a method and you must then consider a possible effect. Begin with impossible effects, and the methods take care of themselves.

- Dr. Crow

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Crossroads Crosswords

THE BASIC EFFECT

From among several examinable copies of current crossword magazines, one or more spectators think of clues from any of the puzzles. (There are at least seventy in each book) Nothing is written down, no memory is involved and there are no forces. The selections are truly free and every puzzle in each book is different. Yet, under these apparently impossible conditions, the mentalist immediately reveals the answer to the secret clue.

How I Discovered the Reality of Impossible Things The preceding effect is a “seeming impossibility”. Not that “seeming impossibilities” are all that rare nowadays, but many magicians, mentalists (and members of the general public who watch “The Discovery Channel”) have come to believe that if something looks impossible, it’ s most likely a hoax or a magic trick. Two days ago, I might have agreed with them, but yesterday I actually experienced an impossible occurrence. It wasn’t “seemingly impossible,” “apparently impossible,” or “allegedly impossible,” but really, truly and completely impossible. It appeared in the guise of an e-mail, from which the following is an excerpt:

When I first read up on mentalism three names came up as pioneers in this field: Ted Annemann, Bob Cassidy and Max Maven. I was so happy to see your name pop up on the Magic Cafe board. Please don't take this the wrong way but I assumed you were a dead old timer like Annemann.

Crosswords Crossroads isn’t quite as impossible as that, but it comes close.

Bob Cassidy

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There are many variations to the basic effect. In actual practice, I take a “jazz mentalism” approach, and am never really quite sure where the effect is going to take me. But before we get into the “jazz” variations employing borrowed magazines, dictionaries and alternate handlings, it’s best that you master the basic handling and method. The method combines two classic principles. The first is the peek principle originally utilized in a card effect invented by Dr. Franklin V. Taylor. It was first published in the 1940’s in Bruce Elliot’s Phoenix and, in 1949, was described at length and with several variations in J.G. Thompson’s My Best. Danny Tong was the first to apply the principle to a book test in his “Peek a Book” which appeared in the late 1970’s. There were both impromptu and prepared book versions of the effect. The most recent development of the idea is by Larry Becker and is used in his excellent book tests “Flashback” and “Ultimate Flashback.” In Crossroads Crosswords, a variation of the impromptu peek principle is used and works as follows: The performer holds the magazine parallel to the floor at waist level, the cover facing upward and the binding facing the performer. The spectator is asked to insert a business card into the magazine and to leave it protruding. As the performer raises the magazine to the spectator’s eye level, he pulls back on the card slightly and asks the spectator to remember the number of the crossword puzzle now facing him. At the same time, the performer is able to peek the number of the puzzle on the facing page and, thus, knows which puzzle the spectator is looking at. We’ll get back to this in much more detail in a moment. The second principle used in Crossroads Crosswords originally appeared in an effect by Orville Meyer called “Symmyst.” It was first published by Ted Annemann in his Jinx magazine and later (in 1944) by Max Holden in Annemann’s Practical Mental Effects, where it appears on page 64. The idea was later refined by David Hoy in his The Mental Magic of Dr. Faustus. As used in the Meyer and Hoy routines (and later in a very deceptive variant by John Pomeroy, described in his interestingly idiosyncratic book Mentology) three books or magazines are used. Depending on the routine, either two or three of them are identical. All, however, have different covers. In its most basic handling the principle is used like this: A spectator selects a magazine and is asked to call out a page number. He is told to open the magazine to that page and to “hold it so no one can see the page.” The performer illustrates by picking up a duplicate magazine and opening it to that page, thus obtaining the information he requires to successfully complete the test.

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Crossroads Crosswords

In the crossword effect, as in “Symmyst”, the performer secretly peeks at a page selected by a spectator and obtains the information he needs by looking at a duplicate magazine. I say “basically” because it is actually a bit more complex than that – the second magazine isn’t, strictly speaking, a duplicate, and the secret information is obtained before – from the audience’s point of view - anything has happened at all. The handling and presentation of Crossroads Crosswords is an integral part of the method and is what makes it as deceptive as it is. Here is how the magazines are constructed:

You will need to buy several copies of current crossword puzzle magazines. They cost between a dollar and two dollars apiece. You will note that most of the magazines are about the same size and that the really popular ones seem to be those that contain “Easy” crosswords. Why these are popular is a mystery to me. Some of them even tout the fact that “no dictionary is required.” What is the point of easy crossword puzzles? Difficult puzzles make sense – they involve a challenge and an opportunity to build one’s vocabulary. Easy puzzles, on the other hand, strike me as a waste of time. But for the purposes of the effect, they are perfect. Difficult puzzles, while you could use them if you wanted to, have the potential of slowing down and complicating the effect.

Bob Cassidy

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You must buy two identical copies of one of the magazines and make sure that one of the other magazines you purchase is the same size as the duplicates. This is because you will remove the cover from one of the duplicates and replace it with the cover of a different magazine. When you are finished, you will have at least three magazines, two of which are identical in content, and all of which have different covers. In the photograph on the preceding page, the center magazine and the one on the right are the duplicates. I laminated the covers to prolong their lives – the covers of this type of magazine are typically a bit flimsy – they tear and bend rather easily. Since the covers of the magazines are shiny anyway, the lamination isn’t really noticeable. As I said earlier, the magazines aren’t exactly duplicates. That’s because one of them is in pristine condition – none of the puzzles have been completed. In the other – the one in the center in the photo – all of the puzzles have been completed. This is the most time consuming part of the preparation. If you like, you can waste a few hours every night doing the puzzles or, do as I did and just copy the answers from the answer key in the back of the magazine. Since you have a duplicate magazine, you can copy from one to the other without having to waste time turning back and forth from the answers to the puzzles. In the basic version of the effect, the audience is not aware of the fact that one of the magazines has completed puzzles in it. (They will be aware of the fact in some of the variant presentations.) In most magazines or book tests using the impromptu version of the peek principle, it is necessary to use magazines that have the page numbers at the upper outside margins of each page. This is so you can easily see the number on the facing page when the spectator peeks at his page. It is also important that the typeface be large enough so that you can quickly make out the number – especially for those of us whose vision isn’t what it used to be. In the crossword puzzle magazines, however, this is not a problem. That’s because you won’t be looking at page numbers, you’ll be looking at puzzle numbers, and, as you will see, these are significantly larger than page numbers. In some magazines, the puzzle numbers appear top center; in others, they appear top left or right. Either can be used, but the peek is a bit subtler if the numbers are at the outer margins. Following is a photograph of a two-page spread from the duplicate magazine (with puzzles completed) that I use. Note the extremely large puzzle numbers.

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Even though this is a significantly reduced photograph of the pages, the puzzle numbers are still completely and quickly identifiable. The following sequence of photographs show the basic way of obtaining a peek from the blank duplicate of this magazine as it is opened at a spot freely selected by a spectator and held up to his or her chest. The spectator is cautioned not to look at the pages they have selected just yet, but to hold the magazine against his or her body until the performer has moved away and instructed him or her to look at the selected two-page spread.

Figure one shows how the magazine is extended to a spectator so that a business or credit card can be inserted into the long side of the magazine, “somewhere near the middle” The actions depicted in figures two, three and four take place as the magazine is lifted to face the spectator and moved against his or her body, where he or she is asked to hold it firmly, without looking at the pages just yet. (Watch your hands if you’re using a female volunteer lest you be accused of attempting to cop a cheap feel. This, of course, is dependent on your performance venue and the level of taste at which you present your mentalism.) Note how the peek of the facing page number is obtained. The card is NOT pulled straight back to facilitate the peek. Instead, it is simply revolved about 45 degrees toward the performer – the card is revolved back to its

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original position at the same time that the left hand is moving to the top center of the back cover, the right hand then adjusting to hold the magazine by the center of the right side of the cover, as shown in figure four. The card is either pocketed or tossed aside once the volunteer is holding the magazine securely against his or her chest. The peek is somewhat different that the peek used in “Peek-a-Book” or “Flashback”. In those effects, the spectator is asked to think of the first word or the page number of the page facing them as the book is opened. In this version, the spectator is not given an opportunity to see anything, and it should appear impossible for the performer to see anything either. As a matter of fact, the performer, once the peek has been made, should turn his head away as he completes the upward movement of the magazine toward the spectator’s chest. (Note that the same peek can be made while putting the magazine down onto a table, an alternate presentational approach. There are a few other ways of getting the peek that I’ll get to in the variations.) Before I give you the presentation and handling, I want to emphasize a very important point – in the basic routine, and in the variants using borrowed magazines and/or a dictionary, etc., ALL of the secret work is done BEFORE a word or clue is actually looked up by the volunteer. The basics should now be clear to you. Here, then, is the accompanying handling and presentation. As always, I have put the performer’s spoken words in bold-faced type.

Presentation and Handling “One of the best mental exercises I know involves crossword puzzles. How many of you do crosswords regularly? Do you use a pen or a pencil? The reason I ask is that people who do crossword puzzles with a pen fall into two types - the extremely confident, and those who just don’t have a pencil. “But if you really want a mental challenge that will sharpen your memory and improve your ability to visualize, the next time you do a crossword puzzle, don’t use a pen or a pencil. Try to do the whole thing in your head. “I know that sounds a bit difficult, but after a while you’ll find you can even take it a step further. You may find, as I did, that sometimes you can do the puzzle, or at least part of it, without looking at the puzzle at

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all. I know that sounds a bit ridiculous, but let me show you what I mean. “On my way here tonight I picked up a few crossword puzzle magazines. I specifically picked ones that featured easy crosswords. While they don’t offer much of a challenge if you are accustomed to doing the ‘Times’ puzzle, they’re challenging enough when you use them like this. “Here, take one of them . . . “ The last remark is directed to the spectator you’ve decided to use in the routine. This will be a spectator who, by prior observation, you have determined to be either right handed or left handed. (In an earlier effect, you may have asked him or her to initial something or have simply noticed another clue indicating the spectator’s “handedness.” During your opening remarks you’ve exhibited three crossword puzzle magazines to the audience and casually flipped through two of them as you spoke. When you asked the spectator to take one of them, your goal was for the spectator to select the duplicated magazine containing blank puzzles. I just hand that magazine to the spectator. Since no one knows what you are doing anyway, there is no need to make a big deal about the selection of a magazine. Obviously, you can give all three magazines to the spectator and use Annemann’s “take two, and hand me one” equivoque, but it’s not necessary and adds an unnecessary complication to the routine. After I hand the proper magazine to the spectator, I take the odd magazine – the one that is NOT a duplicate of the spectator’s, and hand it to someone else, saying, “Here, you take one, too. You might want to try this later for yourself,” or words to that effect. Toss the remaining magazine – the duplicate of the spectator’s, but in which the puzzles have been completed – onto your table, or somewhere else within the performing area where it is out of the audience’s reach. Remove a credit card from your pocket and approach the spectator to whom you handed the first magazine. “Look through the magazine. How many puzzles are in there? Seventy-three? And how many clues are there in each puzzle? Just look at any one of them and tell us how many clues there are across and how many down” If you think about it, this isn’t an easy question to answer accurately without actually counting all of the clues. That’s because even though the highest across clue, for example, might be number 53, that doesn’t mean there are 53 across clues. There may not be a 2 or 3 across for example.

Bob Cassidy

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Similarly, the highest of the down clues might be 50, but that doesn’t mean there are 50 down clues. But no one ever seems to notice this in the context of the performance, and they usually answer, for example, “Fifty-three across and fifty down.” If, as will happen upon occasion, you get a spectator who realizes that the highest numbered clues don’t indicate the total number, he or she might actually start counting them. If that happens, use a variant of a line I have used in other book tests when I ask a spectator how many pages are in a book – “Don’t count them, just look at the number on the highest clue. It tells you.” This will get a laugh and should prompt the spectator to just tell you the highest across and down numbers. If he or she starts to explain to you that it doesn’t work that way, let them. Then say, “See, this is getting confusing already, and we haven’t even started yet. There’s lots of clues, though, aren’t there?” They can’t argue with that. But no matter how the colloquy goes, you’ve made the point of showing that there are many different puzzles in the magazine and there are about a hundred clues in each. “Okay. I’ll trade you. Give me the magazine and I’ll give you my credit card. Don’t think you’re getting the better end of the deal. American Express called me the other day and told me to leave home without it. “Just insert the credit card somewhere into the middle of the magazine. Leave half of it sticking out like a bookmark. Good. “I don’t want you to look at the puzzles on those pages yet, so just hold the magazine up against your chest. Don’t peek. Here, of course, you’ve done the peek sequence as explained earlier. We’ll assume that you have spotted the number 42. Thus, you know that page 42 is the right hand page facing the spectator. As far as the audience is concerned, though, it must appear as if nobody could possibly know where the magazine has been opened. Now point to someone else in the audience and say, “We know that there are at least fifty clues across and down in each puzzle. Would you just call out any number from one to fifty? Thirtyeight? Good. Pick up the duplicate magazine with the completed puzzles from your table. Turn back to the spectator holding the opened magazine against her chest and say,

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“Now, here’s what I want you to do. In just a moment, you are going to open the magazine and look at a puzzle. You will find clue number 38, either across or down. There may be both a 38 down and a 38 across, or there may be a 38 down and no 38 across or vice versa. If you have a choice, think of either one of the clues. Otherwise, just think of the one you find. “Once you have found the clue, look for the place in the puzzle where the answer would go. See if you can figure out what that answer is. If you are not sure of the answer, turn to the answer key in the back of the magazine and look it up. As you are explaining this, illustrate what the spectator is to do by paging through the magazine you are holding. Turn to the page containing the puzzle whose number you peeked earlier – in this case puzzle 42, which is the RIGHT HAND puzzle on the spread where the spectator has opened the magazine. Don’t pay any attention to the clues; just note what the answers are to 38 across and 38 down. If there is only one or the other, you will only have to remember one answer. There will always be at least one answer, either across or down, for the number selected. Going back for a moment to the important point I made earlier, the point that makes this effect so deceptive – the spectator, as far as the audience is concerned, has not yet selected a puzzle or an across or down clue. In fact you already know that the spectator is going to select puzzle number 42 (you’ll see how in just a moment, but this is why you selected a spectator who you already knew was right handed), and you have just discovered the answer (s) to clue 38. As I said, you know all you need to know BEFORE the selection is apparently made. Toss your magazine aside and continue: “Oh, one last thing – are you right handed or left handed? Right handed? Okay. Look at the puzzle then, on the right hand page where you opened the magazine and look up clue 38 – either across or down. One or the other. Read the clue to yourself, and then see if you can figure out the answer. Don’t move your lips – read silently. Otherwise, this is just too easy. “If you are not sure of the answer, look it up in the back of the magazine.” If the spectator turns to the back of the magazine to check the answer, continue by saying, “As I said, this is a book of EASY crossword puzzles.” If the answers you have peeked at seem to be a bit obscure you might want to ask the spectator to double check his or her answer even if they are already sure, “Just to be on the safe side and to keep us both from looking stupid as we do an allegedly EASY crossword.”

Bob Cassidy

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Note the exact language used in the paragraph printed in red. The volunteer is apparently being asked to make a series of selections FOR THE FIRST TIME – Right handed or left handed; either across or down; one of the other; see if you know the answer. This is a very convincing part of the routine so pay close attention to the language to get the most out of it. [Remember, when you are doing mentalism, you aren’t just working to their eyes and ears, you are also working to their memories. Phraseology like this is one of the elements that make people remember effects the wrong way. When they later describe them to their friends, the things they describe are actually impossibilities.] From this point on you can conclude the effect in any manner you wish. If there was only a 38 down, you already know the answer and how many letters are in the word. You could first have the spectator concentrate on the number of letters, and then on the letters themselves as you write your impressions on a pad. Put your writing face down on someone’s lap and then ask the spectator to read out the clue – just the clue – to the audience. Then ask her how many letters were in the answer and ask the audience what they think the answer is. Many of them will guess it correctly. Now ask the volunteer to call out the answer and say, for example, addressing those who guessed the answer correctly: “Yes, you got it right! But you did it the easy way. You knew the clue and the number of letters in the answer. But I wrote something down even before our subject selected a puzzle or a clue. Would you show everyone what I wrote, please?” This latter instruction, of course, goes to the spectator who is holding your writing pad. If, as it may have happened, there was both a 38 down and a 38 across in the puzzle, you will have to do a simple pump in order to determine the correct word. If the two possible answers contain different numbers of letters, one has five and one has four, for example, simply say “I get the impression that there are four letters in the answer.” Address this to the volunteer and put an upward inflection at the end of the sentence, so it sounds a bit like a question. As soon as the spectator says “Yes” or “No,” cut her off and say, “No, don’t tell me if I am right or wrong, just think if I am right or wrong. Like I said before, don’t say anything aloud. Just think ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ (This is one of the best ways to handle a pump – make it look like the spectator was supposed to KNOW that she wasn’t to say anything out loud. You DID tell her earlier not to read her clue or answer aloud. Now you are just implying that you told her not to say ANYTHING aloud.)

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If, on the other hand, both of the words contain the same number of letters, just do the pump on the second letter or last letter of the word. Don’t pump for the first letter – for some reason this just doesn’t look right. Either way, when the subject answers, cut her off like you did before, reminding her that she is not to speak her answers aloud. When you do the pump as described, there is the possibility of developing a humorous situation a minute later when you ask her to read the clue to the audience. If she hesitates, as she might because you remonstrated her a bit earlier for answering you aloud, say “No, now you can say it aloud. They are not supposed to be the mind readers.”

Puzzle # 42 from the magazine I use is pictured to the left. If you look for clue number 38, you will see that there is only a 38 across. This is the only clue, then, that the spectator can select. In this case, the answer may not be immediately apparent just by reading the clue. The clue reads “Guerrilla’s group” and the answer is the four-letter word “Army.” This is an example where you would want the spectator to double check the answer in the back of the book. While it is apparent from the surrounding answers that “Army” is indeed the correct answer, this is not so apparent when you are looking at a puzzle that is totally blank, unless you are, as I suggested as a mental exercise at the beginning of the routine, doing the entire puzzle mentally.

Bob Cassidy

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The Variations Doing the effect with borrowed magazines or magazines purchased by the event planner or an audience member specifically for the show Very often, an effect of this nature can be pumped up by making it appear that you are doing it with borrowed magazines or with magazine purchased by the event planner before the performance and previously unseen by the performer. Whenever I want to do this, I simply add my two duplicate magazines to the magazines provided to me. People who have crossword magazines lying around the house usually have several of them. If you keep the covers on your duplicates up to date, you will very often find that the covers match one of the spectator’s magazines. If the host of a house party does, in fact, have crossword magazines, ask her if she has any she hasn’t finished yet. It is unlikely that she will have any that are completely blank. This is good. Here’s why – in such a case you can hand ALL of the magazines (both your two duplicates and the host’s magazines) to an audience member and ask him or her to see if they can find one that hasn’t been completed yet. The only one, in this case, that will have none of the puzzles completed will be your duplicate – the one you just handed to the subject in the basic version of the effect. When you ask, finally, “Have you found one that has lots of unfinished puzzles in it?” they will say they have and it will be the one you want them to use – yours. If there are several magazines with unfinished puzzles, ask whoever sorts them out to hand the magazines containing blank puzzles to you. Then proceed as in the basic effect. Pick up one of the “finished” magazines when you give your example to the subject of how she is to look up her clue and answer. You pick out your duplicate, obviously. (This is the case I mentioned earlier, in which it is seen that the puzzles in your book have been completed.) When magazines are specifically purchased for use in a show, all you have to do is tell the event planner beforehand which magazines to buy. Before the show purchase two of the same magazines that were on the list you gave to the planner, Switch their covers, and in one of them fill in all of the puzzles. Put this magazine into your briefcase. During the program, ask the person who purchased the magazines to bring them forward. Have him or her verify that you have not seen the magazines until now. (Never mention, of course, that you asked the planner to buy

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specific magazines. Just say that you asked her to purchase several copies of the different crossword puzzle magazines she would find at any supermarket.) Show the magazines to the audience as in the basic presentation and then hand the one whose contents match the magazine in your briefcase to your subject. Toss the rest of the magazines into the briefcase; casually saying something like, “These should keep my wife busy for the next year or so.” When the time comes to show the subject what to do, simply remove your magazine – whose cover matches one of the magazines purchased by the planner – and whose completed contents match the subject’s magazine. Alternate Peeks In some situations, particularly at intimate house parties or in a television spot, it is preferable to lay the opened magazine onto a table rather than against a spectator’s chest. In many cases you will not have to resort to the usual peek, since the numbers of the puzzles at the freely selected page spread will be reflected in a glass or glossy table top. [Many of you will also remember, from an effect marketed years ago by Syd Bergson, how a piece of Silly Putty concealed in your hand can literally take an impression off of a page printed on pulp paper or newsprint. The ink from the crossword puzzle magazines transfers perfectly to the Silly Putty. While this might strike many of you who were unfamiliar with the concept as being a very clever idea, I think that you are better off, in most cases, either sticking with the basic peek or catching the reflection off of the tabletop. You will understand why once you’ve had a piece of Silly Putty melt in your pocket.]

Using More than One Spectator You may find it desirable to do the effect with two or three spectators instead of just one. You can accomplish this by simply making one or two extra blank puzzle copies of your “master” crossword puzzle magazine – with different covers of course. The effect becomes progressively more difficult because of the additional information you will have to glimpse and remember. Also, keep in mind if you do this, that it is NOT a good idea to go through the “here’s what I want you to do” routine for each spectator separately. You should only do the illustration once for all of them. In other words, you have one chance to glimpse and remember all of the clues. While this might seem a bit daunting, keep in mind that it doesn’t really matter if you are wrong on one of the selections. As in most mentalism, it only serves to add to the legitimate appearance of the effect. The Dictionary The dictionary variant is the one I use as often as possible in conjunction with the basic routine. You will require a cheap, pocket-sized dictionary that

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you can give away after the program. It is unprepared in any way. Prior to the performance it is in your inside jacket pocket, or, alternatively, in your briefcase. . The dictionary variant might seem very ballsy to you at first, but it isn’t really. Remember that the strength of the basic routine lies in the fact that everything is done before the audience realizes that anything has happened. This is what makes the dictionary variant so easy to get away with. You will not be able to perform it every time you do the effect, but about 40 percent of the time, you can use it to create a devastating climax to an already powerful routine. You are at the point where you have shown the spectator holding the magazine against her chest what you want her to do. Let us say that in carrying out this ruse, whose true purpose is to ascertain the clue or clues that correspond to the puzzle and number she is about to look up, you have determined that there is only one possible answer the spectator can arrive at. In other words, using our page 42 as an example, only the word “Army” is possible. Now there are many words in crossword puzzles (primarily abbreviations such as NNE and two-word answers) that you will not find in a cheap pocket dictionary. In such cases, as well as those in which there are two possible clues – both a 38 down and a 38 across, for example – you will NOT be able to do the dictionary variant. But in this case, where “Army” is the only possible outcome, the dictionary ending works perfectly. Before you have the spectator look at her page and select her clue, toss the duplicate magazine aside and take out your pocket dictionary. Continue your talk as follows: “Now occasionally, even though these crossword puzzles are allegedly EASY, there may or may not be a dispute as to what a particular word means. Just in case that should happen, I brought along this pocket dictionary. As you can see, it contains about twenty thousand words, more than enough to resolve any dispute that may arise over a definition appearing in this type of puzzle. I’m going to ask you, sir, to hold onto this dictionary, so that you may act as judge should a dispute occur.” I really hope that most of you are ahead of me at this point. It will show that you are getting used to the way I think when it comes to the timing of secret work. As you flip through the dictionary, showing all of the definitions, it is an extremely simple matter to use your nailwriter to circle the word “Army.” (The whole damn book acts as cover, so don’t tell me you don’t nailwrite very well – you don’t have to.)

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The exact wording you use prior to the climax will vary each time you do the effect, because it is dependent, to a degree, on the word chosen and the clue. In the present example, after the audience has been shown what I wrote on my pad – the ending of the basic routine – I would say something like this: “I don’t know about you, but the clue “Guerrilla’s group” does not automatically bring the word “Army” to mind. Obviously, it was the correct answer, so we have no real dispute here. But I’ll bet you if we looked up the word “Army” in the dictionary, we’d see no reference to a guerrilla group. Would you, sir, please look up the word “Army” for us? And, by the way, when you find it will you tell us if there is anything at all unusual about that single entry in the dictionary. Is there is something about it that is different from every other word in the book? “It’s circled? The only word in that book that has a circle around it is the one this volunteer selected AFTER that dictionary was already in your possession?” You can see now why I said that the variant presentations used aspects of jazz mentalism. They are, to a large extent, improvised as you go along. It is this approach, however, that allows a mentalist – in this as well as hundreds of other applications, which will occur to you – to literally accomplish the impossible. While you may not have experienced the same jolt as I did when I was confronted by the impossible thought that I was “a dead old-timer,” I think you’ll find that the jazz approach to this effect does in fact make the impossible an often-obtainable reality. Good Thoughts to you all, Bob Cassidy Seattle, WA December 2003