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Stuart Cumberland Contents: 1This Month’s Spotlight 2 Dead Men Tell No Tales 4 Stuart Cumberland’s Mind 14 Billet Switching 28 Direct, Simple, & To the Point: An Example of Annemann’s Genius 31 Jheffsmind 34 Whim of Tituba Jheff’s Journal of the Mind, Volume 1, Issue 6. Printed in the U.S.A. Journal of the Mind is published six times a year for members of the Marketplace Membership Club. Published and edited by Jheff Poncher Layout Design Created by Matthew Schouten Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved by the authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner.
Email:
[email protected]
D ECEMBER 2007
T HIS I SSUE ’ S S POTLIGHT :
S TUART C UMBERLAND I think that most mentalists who spend any amount of time on the Internet have heard of Stuart Cumberland. His “Mental-List” site is frequented by many top names in the mentalism field as well as many interested mentalism enthusiasts (www.Mental-list.com). Ironically, the very element that has made Stuart so well-known has also been the source of his controversy. Stuart not only respects the great Ted Annemann, but advocates using Ted’s brilliant material today. The ebooks he’s most well-known for (Annemann’s One Man Psychic Routine and the recent Annemann 666 trilogy) reintroduce Annemann’s material for the 21st century. In quite a few cases, Stuart explains how he made changes due to recent technology or handlings and discovered that the original techniques were just as effective, if not better. In other cases, there are handlings and techniques that improve the original. But, most often, the routine, as originally conceived by Annemann, needs no tweaking and is strong as is. The controversy stems over Stuart’s profiting on material that isn’t his, nor is terribly original. I disagree. You see, that’s the whole point. Stuart is reintroducing this material to a whole new generation of mentalists who can’t be bothered by reading the older, or classic, material. What this new generation doesn’t realize, or perhaps respect, is that there’s very little that’s new in mentalism and most of the new stuff is simply combinations of older principles or applications of those principles to newer technology. Annemann’s material still is powerful. And here’s the other very important point – Stuart Cumberland has performed all of this material numerous times and still performs this material. He successfully entertains laymen with this material for sure, but he also fools magicians and mentalists with material that’s close to a century old! Those familiar with the brilliance of Annemann need no further introduction to the material inside this issue. Those who are not as familiar will get a taste of the incredible material from each of the four Annemann e-books that Stuart has produced. And there’s a wonderful interview with Stuart along with my regular column. Enjoy!
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“DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES” from Annemann 666 Vol. 1
I’ve fooled more than one magician with this effect over the years. What makes it so rewarding, though, is that it can be done almost impromptu and uses ungaffed or prepared materials. In fact, it’s about as close to real looking as you can get. This effect is in the “dangerous” category as it is NOT foolproof. It doesn’t always work as I outline. It is my opinion, as stated many times, that you need to take risks as a mentalist. When this effect works (and my handling certainly ‘ups’ the chances), it enters the miracle class. There’s also a silly thinking that Living and Dead Tests are too emotional and shouldn’t be used. Garbage. What do you think a person is going to remember longer… that you guessed they picked the seven of diamonds OR that you told them about their Great Aunty Gertrude? Effect: A pad of paper and a pencil are handed to a spectator. The mentalist turns his back and asks the spectator to write down the side from 1 to 6. He is then asked to think of a person who has died that was important to them and put their first name in one of the numbered positions. The remaining five positions are filled by the spectator with living names of people important to him. The mentalist asks if there is any way anyone could know which of the names would be the departed. The reply is no. The mentalist takes the pad and pencil and starts immediately scratching off names until only one name is left. The spectator names the dead person and when the pad is turned around the dead name is the only name without a line scratched through it. Method: Annemann came up with some terrific ideas for Living and Dead Tests. One of my favorites was with a chalkboard, getting the five living name first from a group of spectators and then asking a sixth to fill in the last space with a dead name. Reaching the hand around in a gesture to fill in the missing spot, you lightly dragged your finger from top to bottom putting a light line through all the living names! A quick glance for the only unmarked one gave you the hot name! Annemann detailed two methods in his instructions, the second method being a “shiner”… a small mirror for glimpsing the name. While I own several in my collection, I have never used a shiner more than a few times and find them too fiddly for my liking. The BEST method provided was the simplest and best. It’s exactly the one I use. Sound Reading! That’s it. That’s the secret. Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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Sound reading is one of the most underused and best-kept secrets in our business. Think about it! How many tricks do you know that are accomplished by sound reading?? In my updated version of Annemann’s Act—2005, I detailed how I use sound reading to “mirror” what the person is drawing on a pad to create the very eerie illusion of me duplicating almost exactly the same time—pen stroke by pen stroke—the drawing even though I’m turned away. Annemann discovered that while fiddling around with methods for doing this effect that you could hear unique strokes when the person wrote the dead name. Upon looking at the list, it becomes “obvious” as to which name it is. Hard to believe, but once you try it a couple of times, you’ll be amazed. It will just stand out to you like a sore thumb. Tips: Annemann used a slate. I don’t. I use a plain scratch pad, note pad or whatever. And a pencil. I’ve done it with pen with good success, but a pencil makes much more “noise” and works better. I’ve done it at house parties with a sketchpad and a magic marker. When you are listening for it, the marker is deafening! Okay. There’s a saying that goes “don’t run when you don’t have to”. I follow that rule in Mentalism all the time, but I break the rule here. I bend over backwards to eliminate anyone thinking that I am listening for sounds. So, I ask the person to think of a dead name and put it in any position… I pause when I hear them writing and “log the telegraph sounds”… even though I can hear they are done, I ask them “have you done that?” They answer “yes”, of course, and then I instruct them to fill in the remaining names. As they are writing the remaining names I continue talking and I really do ignore all other sound reading. I’ll keep the patter up with the crowd, or if just one person, I’ll just talk a bit with them and wait until they are done. I’ve personally never used this on stage, although there’s no reason why you couldn’t. I’ve only used this in seemingly impromptu settings. Does it fail? Yes. I have to be honest. However, you can pretty much tell the moment you look at the page. If the name isn’t obvious, your hunch is likely very close. In this case I emphasize that this doesn’t always work and I scratch off the names but one. Instead of asking for the name and then turning the pad, I just turn the pad and ask, “am I right?” If not, I call out the name that was my second guess saying I was torn between the two. If THAT fails… I do the multiplying bunnies. Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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(I don’t do the multiplying bunnies. Ever. That was a joke). Script: Because I use it impromptu, I don’t have a specific script for this routine, but I do have an outline that I go by. Actually, it’s more a theme. I fit it to the situation at hand. The theme is ghosts/ haunting. I introduce it by pointing out that the spirit of a person can often be felt long after the person is gone. Here’s how I presented it recently… “True story: I recently had a chance to visit the old jail in Ottawa Ontario. Visited death row and saw the gallows. Have you been there? Did you hear the stories of the red door closest to the gallows? Did you get creeped out? Man! It gave even ME the heebie jeebies!” “Did you read the list of people who ‘unofficially died’ there? You can FEEL their presence even when you read their names… it’s weird. Has that ever happened to you? You read a name and you just get this feeling—maybe not the heebie jeebies—but you just KNOW that the person has crossed over?” “I’ve been testing out that theory….” I wait until they ask how… and they will!! I follow the routine as outlined above but I ask them once I have the pad back to mentally repeat the name over and over again. To FEEL the person’s presence. Taking my time, I scratch off names one by one until the dead name is left. It’s POWERFUL and very emotional. Strong stuff. They’ll remember you for this one. Try it.
STUART CUMBERLAND’S MIND Stuart Cumberland is definitely one of the busiest mentalists in the business. He certainly knows what works and why. And though he may be controversial, his material (or his adaptations of Annemann’s material, if you will) has been road tested to be quite effective. We had a marvelous phone conversation one very wintry day that lasted quite a few hours and involved us discussing many of our upcoming projects. During the time, I asked him the Journal of the Mind questions. His responses were, as expected, both generous and illuminating. Why did you put out the Annemann e-Books? Well I put the Annemann eBooks out basically because I really wanted to give something to the community. I’ve gotten so much really from others and some stuff that’s been laid down before me.
Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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I also have a really strong connection with Theodore Annemann. You know the bottom line is I’ve gone and visited his grave. I’ve always felt like I’ve known the guy in a sort of like, I don’t like to use the word loosely, but in a spiritual way. I’ve always felt like I’ve known him. And I’ve also been frustrated by the fact that I’ve been doing his act for so long, and felt that I knew so much about him through that, that I just wanted to share some of those things. The reason why I didn’t do it sooner was, and, it’s going to sound strange, I consider myself to be a pretty confident person, but it was a lack of confidence. I didn’t feel like I’d really added anything technical to the stuff. And when I started sharing that with friends, they were saying, "Are you nuts? You’re actually out there doing this stuff and you’re doing it with the most basics, so you need to share this stuff." People need to hear this, whether they mock or use it or whatever. And that’s the reason why I decided to put them together. Obviously I put out The Annemann Act because it was an act I was using. But the 666 series sort of came to me as a whimsical idea, and I thought it would be great to focus on 18 of the greatest effects. At least in my opinion, 18 of the greatest effects. There’s more than that. I’ve used a hell of a lot more than that. But the ones I felt I made the most contribution to. So as they’ve gone along they’ve done really well and they’ve been well received in most cases. And I’m really glad to know that people are actually using them. This may be an obvious question, but why do you think other mentalists can use this?
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". . .you can make a silk appear out of nowhere and . . . you might be blown away by it, but if you tell a person their grandmother’s maiden name or something there’s no way anybody could have known, you flip them out." ____________________
I guess it is obvious. I’m a full time professional hypnotist and mind reader. I make my full time living from that, other than selling some products to mentalists as a side thing. I make all my income, I pay for my cars, my house, my everything, through doing, doing shows, performances, real live stuff. And a lot of the stuff that’s published out there is (it’s a pet peeve of mine), but a lot of the stuff that’s out there and available for mentalists is put together by armchair hobbyists. I can name books, and I won’t (but I’m sure you know which ones I’m referring to) by guys that are not mentalists. They don’t perform. They might be brilliant ideas, but they’re not usable in real life situations. So my contribution is that I believe people should be able to use the stuff, because I’ve actually road tested it, used it, and the material works, and it’s been scripted. Although I discourage people from copying my stuff word for word, it’s practical, usable, doable and, and I’m living proof that Annemann stuff is still ahead of its time. So what makes mentalism attractive to you as a performance art form? Well there’s two answers to that. When I was young, I started working with a magician and I wanted to be, as most kids do, the next Houdini/David Copperfield. And he was a magician who worked at a place called the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario. And he hired me because I was so persistent to want to work with him. He hired me for peanuts and it was the best experience I could ever have. Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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But I quickly realized that even setting up all that crap day in and day out, it, it took a lot of work. And then when we had to actually travel and lug these big boxes and trunks and all this garbage out, I just realized this is not really the stuff I like. I like doing the shows, but I don’t like lugging the stuff around. So, the inherent laziness in me just wanted to go with stuff that was smaller. But I also found that mentalism, as Annemann once said, is a more grown up phase of magic, and people are more attracted to it. You can produce a dove or you can make a silk appear out of nowhere and it’s pretty and it’s amazing, and you might be blown away by it, but if you tell a person their grandmother’s maiden name or something there’s no way anybody could have known, you flip them out. And you can do that with just a little piece of paper and a pencil. And you don’t even have to have it on your person. You can borrow it. So, from a performance standpoint, it’s much more dramatic, it’s much more powerful, it’s much more personal, and it’s much more reputable. Your reputation grows. I mean if you produce a silk you’ll always be known as the guy that produced the silk. But if you tell a person their maiden name, you get what I call the Houdini effect that takes place. And the story starts to become embellished and it becomes sort of more twisted, and by a month later you know when you hear the story back again there’s no way you could have done the way they describe it.
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"[Mentalism} is much more dramatic, it’s much more powerful, it’s much more personal, and it’s much more reputable.” ____________________
So it continues to have that Houdini effect. It just continues to grow and you become better, your reputation becomes better because of it. So from those standpoints I think it’s a great thing. Plus, I like the fact that I can walk into a room with essentially, fundamentally, everything literally on my person. And one last thing, there’s a book out about the magician Jack Gwynne and I forget the title of it. [Editor’s note: The book is Jack Gwynne's Magical Scrapbook by Jack Gwynne.] It is a fantastic book because he was a real worker. He was an illusionist, not a mentalist. But I think magicians and mentalists should read it, because he actually has in this book a script of the ideal magic illusion show, and it was for a big show that he produced. He believed that when the magician came out on stage, the curtains opened up, you should just see the magician standing on a bare stage, and that’s it. And then all the props come in and you can make it as dressy and big, put all the big illusions, everything. And the last thing that people should see when the curtains close is the magician standing on a bare stage. And his essay, it’s really cool because you gain insight to a Vaudeville professional who understood what it was like to become memorable. Richiardi is another famous magician that I really loved who did the same thing. He always started with nothing, brought in props, finished with nothing. And that’s what makes mentalism so great because people will, if you’re good, they will remember you because they don’t remember the bits of paper, the props. They remember you as the performer. I think there’s nothing more powerful than that. That’s the ideal you want to achieve, that it’s just you in a suit using your mind to entertain. That’s what you want to leave them with. Are there any experiences you’d like to share that mentalists can gain some knowledge from? (Continued on page 8)
Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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ANNEMANN’S COMPLETE ONE MAN MENTAL ACT — 2005 With this amazing act, you can LITERALLY walk into a room of strangers and fry people's brains. No "preshow". The props needed are just a few pencils, pieces of paper, a small 3X5 card, two note pads and two decks of cards. All items, except the drawing pads, can be carried in your suit coat pockets. A telephone book will be borrowed from the location. It's...
Frankly, you don't need my version of the book. You can do very well with Annemann's original hard-to-find manuscript. It's terrific just as it is. And, I have to be honest... it's pretty hard to beat the genius and simplicity of Ted Annemann.
...The Perfect Mentalism Act
Having said that, I have used this act since I was in high school, I have honed it and... I've probably performed Annemann's act more times than Annemann himself!
This act is suitable for big shows (I've done it in theatres) as well as house parties (an excellent venue to say the least). It's quite literally, a perfect act.
What you'll be getting is the complete act along with my "from-the-frontlines" experiences. THAT, my friend, can be priceless.
On August 26th 2005, I'll be releasing the exact act as Annemann performed all around New York 70-85 years ago. More importantly, I'll be releasing up-to-date thoughts on the act, variations, handlings and patter suggestions that Annemann did not put forth in his original manuscript.
I'll tell you this: I'm 110% better doing the act today than when I started with it.
Let me be blunt. Annemann was a genius. Very little can be added to his thinking. Having said that, it has been 70+ years and I've come up with *twists* that will be of interest to those who want to perform a modern day mindreading act. You'll get: * Revised handling of several of the effects. (Yes, you can use Annemann's original handling and it works wonderfully, however he was not privy to some of the thinking that has come about since his demise). * Specific suggestions on how to convert this act for house parties, corporate, banquets, stage shows and even theatres! * Photo illustrations for billets and platinum success tips that have been "road tested" for over 22 years. (Including the allimportant and rarely discussed timing and misdirection-screw this up and you'll look like an idiot). * Complete patter outline you can freely use yourself. (Disclaimer: I don't follow a "script", I use an outline which makes memorization unneeded and allows complete freedom to be yourself and succeed). * How to ENTERTAIN with the act (and not bore your audience to tears). * Why less-is-more. More $$, that is. * And much, much more. But wait! That's not all... I'll also give you the details of how you can turn this into a 50-60 minute in-great-demand act with an ultra-simple Q&A act.just as it is.
You CAN go out and learn it all by yourself. But why? Why not learn from a full-time pro? Here's the deal: this will be released in ebook form. A pdf file that can be downloaded and read right away. The book will contain the complete Annemann text as originally published, along with my comments, tips, suggestions, patter, etc. I've also included some photo's so that you can see the easy way of handling billets and points that I have NEVER seen covered elsewhere. This act is literally perfect for any group situation you can think of. I beat it to death at house parties for years. Working right in peoples faces, sometimes surrounded. It kicks ass. I know that's a crass saying... but it's true. YOU can easily learn this routine over a few nights. The mechanics are simple. The billet handling does require a bit of practice, but bluntly it is more misdirection than anything else. (If you follow my tips, nobody will watch you during the technique... I've got you covered)! It is NOT a push-button routine. You do need reasonable brains and you WILL have to practice a bit before performing. Hey, I don't want anybody thinking they can just read it and go out and do it. No way. It ain't gonna happen. But... if you practice as I outline, and use the combined techniques of Annemann concepts and my experience... you'll slaughter with this act. You'll freak people out with it. You'll be ACCUSED of having strange abilities!
$45
Available at www.Mental-List.com Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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(Continued from page 6)
Well the most amazing one that sticks out in my mind might not seem very amazing, but it was a time when I was doing a show and I got this word. I copped a slip and I had the slip. I was doing the Q&A Act and the word was angel. So I was just basically on stage trying to sort of figure out what this was. And I said, "Are you thinking of somebody that’s passed on?" And she nods her head and she started to get all teary eyed. I’m thinking, "Oh my God, she’s thinking about somebody’s who’s an angel." And hence after the show is over, I really thought it was great, I thought I was really tapping into something truly amazing. And the audience was all just hushed and blown away. I got a big round of applause for bringing all this information up. But I was miffed because I didn’t understand what specifically even I was talking about. Afterwards, she came up to me after the show, because I sell products after my shows. I sell hypnosis tapes and pendulums and that type of thing to make extra money. And she came up to me after the show and said to me, “Oh thank you. You were very amazing.” I said, “Oh, well thank you very much.” And she said, “But you didn’t answer my question.” And I asked, “Well what is your question?” She said, “I wanted to know about my daughter.” I said, “Well I thought I was answering your question.” And she said, “No, no. You were talking about my mother who passed on. I appreciate the things that you said. But I wanted to know how my daughter, Angel, was going to do in school this year.” I thought, "Oh, God." I totally misunderstood what she was saying. She had nothing written on the paper about somebody passing on. Nothing about her mother. And that one always stuck out as being a really funny one, because I had no clue what the hell I was talking about, didn’t answer her question, and it got me a tremendous amount of applause. So, you get stuff like that on a regular basis, but that’s the one that sticks out probably the most for me. That’s a great story. And that happens on a surprisingly regular basis. Yeah, I know with mentalists that does. So, here’s probably another obvious question, but who or what inspired your interest in mentalism when you began your exploration of the craft? When I was a young, I became very, very interested in Joseph Dunninger and I was always fascinated by how he did what he did. I used to hang out at The Arcade Magic & Novelty shop in Toronto, Ontario, as most kids did who had a magic shop close by.
Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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"I realized that just watching those [performers] was a great lesson in how to not perform and how to not be an entertainer.” ____________________
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And several of the people that worked in there that came in and out knew Dunninger personally. And so my interest in that sort of developed about mentalism. And I remember being a kid and becoming interested in mentalism as an art form. And I just couldn’t believe that some person could just come out on stage with no props and entertain for 90 minutes. I just couldn’t wrap my head around that. I hadn’t been exposed to hypnosis at this point in time. But also, I’d have to give credit to my grandfather. My grandfather, from Aberdeen, Scotland, really was a reader. He could actually do tea leaf readings and psychic readings. So I’ve always believed in that since I was a young kid, and I’ve always been able to do readings of one form or another, even though I didn’t really know what I was specifically doing.
So those two blended in, but it wasn’t until I tripped upon this guy named Annemann and read through his stuff that it started to really click in for me. And when I started using this stuff as I got older in school, growing up and just doing stuff for my friends, I realized that there was really something commercial about this. And then I went from Annemann to Nelson, got everything of Nelson’s. A magician had passed away in Toronto. I remember this very well, there was one of those auctions and I bought all of his Nelson stuff. Nobody wanted it and got it for next to nothing. So that’s basically it. Nelson gave me the more esoteric and promotional stuff. Annemann gave me the fundamentals of the actual devious arts, like the sleight of hand, the billet switching, and that type of thing. So who or what has inspired you recently? Well, it’s been negative actually. I think the most inspirational thing, or the most negatively inspirational, was watching Phenomenon. I thought that was probably single handedly the most pathetic group of mentalists I’ve ever seen in my entire life. And I realized that just watching those was a great lesson in how to not perform and how to not be an entertainer. You know I’m sorry that's probably going to offend some, but the truth is that. I tell it like it is. I mean those guys just flat out sucked. And I just could not get over the horrors of it. Not one person did a telepathy demonstration. Not one person did Q&A. Not one person did mentalism as it should be without props. They were always using tricks or what looked like tricks. It wasn’t helped of course by Chris Angel, but you can’t blame it all on Chris Angel. Chris Angel was just commenting on how crappy these guys truly were. So that was a negative inspiration for me. You know again, I’m a rebel. I go off the common road. I tend to be more open minded. I’m a guy, for example, who likes John Edward. I think John Edward is excellent. Forgetting whether he can or cannot, let’s take the skepticism out of this. Forget whether he can or cannot talk to dead people. That’s the way a person should be. He’s standing on stage with nothing and he’s telling people information that he couldn’t possibly know, unless he was talking to a spirit or an angel or something. So I think that you can learn a lot from guys like that.
Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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I’m inspired by Kreskin to this very day. There’s a man (and I’ve seen his house) who doesn’t need to work anymore. Period. And yet he’s constantly out pushing the envelope, getting his name out there all the time. He’s relentless. Relentless. And it’s a lesson for all of us to relentlessly pursue our goals. So that’s the kind of things that inspire me right now. But Phenomenon really did the number for me. What advice would you give someone who’s starting out in mentalism? Basically I would recommend that they study and learn the absolute fundamentals of mentalism. When you become a mentalist, especially if you are magician, (this quote was in my book, The Annemann Act), you’ve got considerable unlearning to do. Mentalism and magic, although they are in the same sort of field, are two different beasts. I liken it to an analogy of a person who plays guitar. You might be able to play guitar, but there’s a significant difference between playing classical music and blues. Big difference. That’s what magic and mentalism is. It might be the same sort of trickeries, but the presentation is entirely different. So I recommend that they learn the very basics. I recommend that they would learn things like billets. I recommend that they start with something like The Annemann Act. Why not start with something that you are actually going to be able to use and be successful with?
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"Trust your intuition more and go for the more real stuff like contact mind reading.” ____________________
And I’m not trying to push my book. I don’t care whether you buy my book, get the original, get Practical Mental Effects, or better yet, get The Jinx collection. But like most things, it’s sort of all over the place. Whereas, if you start with something like the Annemann act, you’ll get a basic fundamental understanding of each effect. You’ll understand how effects can blend together and how they always will relate to make a strong presentation, and go from there. But to learn to do one basic effect is the most important I think. And use the advice of Al Baker, if we’re talking about billets. Learn one billet move and that’s it. You don’t need to learn 50 or 60. Just learn one, master it, and then go onto the next one. So I recommend just going straight to the basics and going from there. Okay. And what advice would you give to those who are experienced in mentalism? The guys that I talk to, the guys that are in sort of my sphere of things, they will often get together and discuss how to lighten our loads, to be using less effects, or tricks if you want to call it that. Going for the more real stuff, the ability to perform without using any props, including billets, and to take risks and to take chances, and to trust your intuition more, because I really do believe in intuition. I really do believe it exists with, within all of us, and I do believe it’s something that’s a higher understanding. I guess that would be it. Trust your intuition more and go for the more real stuff like contact mind reading. What do you see as the biggest problem facing mentalists today and how do you think it can be solved? Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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Well I think the biggest problem with mentalism today is that it’s become very “popular”. So a lot of people are jumping in on the bandwagon. A lot of people are poisoning the system by putting out really shitty tricks and magicians think they are being mentalists by doing this stuff. And some mentalists are fooling themselves into doing it. And I don’t think there’s one biggest problem. I think there’s two. Again, Phenomenon was a negative example of this, they’re all the same. It’s becoming incestuous where everybody’s becoming all the same, all dressed in black, all saying the same lines, all doing the same things. It’s losing individual personality.
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"Find out about some of these characters from the past . . . I really do believe it will enhance your reputation.” ____________________
I could ramble on, but let me give you an example. Almost all the guys on the television show Phenomenon had scowls on their faces. They looked like they all had hemorrhoids. The only guy that broke that was Mike Super. He was sort of fun and outgoing, but again, he was too magical. So it lost a lot of believability. I think you need to inject your personality into it, and I think it needs to be more believable. So I think that’s a big downfall for mentalism, because I think it becomes something where it’s like this is just a stupid magic trick. To quote Chris Angel, “These are just stupid tricks.”
Is there anything else about mentalism, a topic that you think that mentalists would be interested in needing to know? Well I think every mentalist should take a little bit more time to research the history of mentalism, understand where it came from without being biased by critical judgment. I think that one of the most important things is to take a look at anybody in our mystery art and see what you can learn from them. You don’t have to like John Edward for example. You don’t have to like him, but look at him and learn from him. Learn about your history. Find out about the history. Find out about some of these characters from the past. Find out about Claude Alexander. Find out about all these other people that existed, especially the Vaudeville ones, the real winners from the past. And if you can do that, I really do believe it will enhance your reputation. Currently right now I’m re-studying all of the original contact mind readers from the late 1800s. As I’m speaking to you right now, I’m doing tons and tons of research. I’m paying a person to go and dig up archives of Washington Irving Bishop, my namesake Stuart Cumberland, and getting information just to see how they went about what they did well over 100 years ago. Because I think everything was so fresh back then. They saw and had to go out and create, where now we’re sort of leaning on the technology age too much, and stuff’s just being dropped in your lap and everybody’s just sort of going the way everybody else is. So the history really brings richness and depth to the performance art, and I think that mentalists should be doing more of that. And if they do that they’ll certainly improve. Guaranteed. You know, I probably should ask this question, since you kind of brought that up, but why the name Stuart Cumberland? Well the name Stuart Cumberland came up for a number of reasons. I liked that name since I was a kid. Stuart Cumberland has Scottish ancestry, so I thought it would be good that way. The name Stuart Cumberland has not been used by anybody except for Stuart Cumberland back in the past. Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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And there’s so many magicians and mentalists who use the term thought reader, in many cases incorrectly. It's incorrectly credited to Dunninger, when in fact it was actually Stuart Cumberland that came up with the term thought reader. He wrote an excellent book, Thought Readers Thoughts. He was a brilliant writer, very entertaining writer. He actually made a lot of his money in his end days writing about his actual travels, and some of his articles were highly entertaining. The book Thought Readers Thoughts from 1888 is just a fantastic, fun to read book. The guy was everywhere and really was just a truly amazing guy. So I just thought this is perfect. Sometimes, every once in a while, about once a year, somebody goes out and tries to expose me by putting out my real name on the Magic Café or use other forums. And I chuckle. It’s not to protect me. It’s to protect the art. I really take secrets seriously. And it’s ironic that I sell secrets, and yet I want to protect them. I want to be able to go out on stage and perform. And I'm unlike a lot of other entertainers who perform using their real names and/or stage names, and then sell stuff using those same names. I think that’s crazy, because with no disrespect to a guy like Richard Osterlind (I mean, I love the guy. I think he’s a brilliant thinker and one of my personal favorite mentalists), you can go watch his show and then you can buy his act for $25. Just type in type in Richard Osterlind to the Internet and there’s more stuff on his secrets than there is on him. So I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted to keep it separate. It’s no secret what my real name is, but it’s just a way that if I’m out there doing a show publicly that the public is going to have a little bit more of a difficult time tracing down how I do what I do, which protects all of us. So I hope in the spirit that it’s accepted that way. And I ask people to respect that too. And for the most part they do.
“BILLET SWITCHING”
from Annemann’s Complete One-Man Psychic Act I could say and write it a hundred times, but it wouldn't mean any more than when it was said or written as at first, so take this information to heart. If one is going to do any of this billet work and depends upon manual switches, they have got to forget a lot of their magic technique. Magicians as a rule live by showing their hands empty and then finding something, but in this case there should NEVER be in any way a word said about the hands NOR A MOVE MADE TO SHOW that there is nothing in them. I mean it too and am not talking from theory. If you have a paper finger palmed, drop your hand to your side, gesture with it while talking or just put your hand in your pocket. When your hand does happen to be empty don't for both your sake and my sake SHOW it to be empty with an obvious gesture. If you do you are killing the whole thing and might as well quit right then and there. When you do this type of work people forget all about magic. They don't expect you to do anything because you are practically telling them what is to be done before you do it and that alone goes against the rules of magic. They can also see what is being done and as most of it is done by a spectator they trust him and watch him as he is the active part of the procedure. You, being a mind-reader or something or other come in after the preliminary work and stage the climax and always by that time you have secured your information in an unassuming manner and practically under their noses. Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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There are two essential switches of folded papers. The first or simple method is not new and is a simple exchange of folded papers. The second or folding switch as I call it is my own and consists of reading a paper and in the action of folding it to return an exchange is made for the already finger-palmed dummy or one ahead, while the one just read is retained. The size of the paper should be 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. Hands diner however and the individual should try out sizes in proportion with these dimensions until the right size for his own hand is found. A printer will cut up a bunch of these and pad them about fifty sheets to a pad for a small sum. The folding of the slips is important. Fold them once the long way and then once the other way and then once more the same way which results in a folded paper a little narrower than the width of your second finger and just long enough to be easily yet firmly held between the first and last joint of the finger. Thus with this finger slightly curled the paper can be safely held and invisible from the front as long as hand is not turned directly around. It is also invisible from the sides and back as long as hand isn't held too far (more than eight or ten inches) from body.
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"I repeat that this must be practiced until it can be done while never looking at your hand in any way." __________________
With a slip in left hand between second finger and thumb, practice pulling it back with thumb into the finger palm and keep this up until you can push it out and get it back easily and quickly. Now take a second slip and with the first in palm position hold or take the second slip between second and thumb. With thumb slide it back until it overlaps the one palmed and then with both thumb and finger helping pull this one back push the one underneath outward. This will be found to work smoothly and easily and it leaves the originally palmed paper out in view while the paper just seen is in position to be palmed. The right hand at this point can take the in view pellet and the left thumb holds palmed paper in place while finger curls a little and it is secured. I repeat that this must be practiced until it can be done while never looking at your hand in any way. During such a switch the hand is not held still and you are not doing a trick to switch papers. Keep the hand in motion using it to gesture with and an exchange can never be seen. The second switch is a little harder but quite useful and perfect. Finger palm a folded billet. Now take another folded billet and open it at fingertips of both hands just as would be normally done. Read it and refold. On the last fold let it come right on top of the palmed slip and the right thumb and forefinger. Take the two slips together as one and hold them in full view for a second. Even now don't obviously show your left hand empty. However, you can act freer than before until you reach the party who is to receive the formerly palmed slip instead of the one just read. At this point the two slips are again taken in left thumb and second finger and the slip nearest you on which thumb now rests is drawn back into palm as left hand with back upwards hands the visible and switched slip to owner. Now you have two methods of switching folded papers and they are all the mechanics necessary ever to learn. The rest is routine work and showmanship as well as presentation which all comes under the same heading. You will never get enough practice on this work. You have to do it all without looking at your hands and never up in the air as though you were catching something, but naturally in front of you at waist level. When you read Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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a slip and start to fold don't look down again but look at the writer while you apparently and naturally refold the slip, switch and return it. As I said before I could pound out a dozen more pages emphasizing these points and moves but you have it all here and it is the best I can do. If this were all theoretical I couldn't be so emphatic but, I've used them all and done them for six years and I know what I'm talking about for once, at least.
Stuart Cumberland Thoughts If you want to strike terror into a new mentalist’s eyes, just say the magic words “billet switch”. Simply mastering this skill will cause half of magicians to faint with jealousy and others to admire your boldness. And boldness is all it is. Let me encourage you this way: I have NEVER been caught out using billets. Ever. I’ve had folks “explain” how I read minds… but those explanations never included a simple switch of a paper. Having said that, if you’ve never done it before, your heart will pound and you’ll be a nervous wreck the first time. But do it anyway. ‘Cause once you have done it the first time, every other time will be infinitely easier for you. Don’t do it for magicians. They won’t appreciate it. And don’t do it for family or close friends, as they might notice slight behavior changes that might tip the method. Do it for those folks once you’ve mastered it and become comfortable. If you do it the first time in front of a spouse, or good friend and they catch you, you are likely to give up. Trust me. Do it my way. Thank me later. Annemann explained it beautifully, but I also think he left a lot out. So, let’s look at billets a bit more. Magician Tony Slydini made a brilliant observation years ago. Essentially, it should be presumed that your hands are empty and nothing funny is going on at any time. His thinking was that you should NEVER show your hands empty. Simply gesture and let your hand be SEEN empty, but don’t point it out. Do you see the brilliance in this? It’s like reverse misdirection. He’s implying that there’s nothing hidden in his hands because he’s a magician. He doesn’t need to hide anything because it’s the magic that makes the miracles happen. It’s the same with billets. You should never, ever, make a magical move. Ever. You should never gingerly take a billet at your extreme fingertips or make a magic move in any way. If you’ve been a magician for a while, you will have considerable un-learning to do. The mindset must be that these are scraps of paper. You simply grab it, hand it off, toss it, or read it. But it’s just a paper. That’s it. (Continued on page 17)
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STUART CUMBERLAND’S ANNEMANN 666 Vol. 1 Six of Annemann's classic effects presented by Stuart Cumberland. Pseudo Psychometry The effect is pure classic: items are borrowed from spectators while the mentalist's back is turned. One by one, by handling the objects, the mentalist picks up vibrations and gives uncanny psychic personality readings of the owner that are remarkably correct! Not only that, the performer returns each article correctly to the owner! It's mysterious and amazing! Done properly, you'll have a crowd eager for personal readings after your show. Such power! You get my personal presentation of this reputationbuilding effect. It's cliche to say, but this presentation is worth 10 times what I'm asking for this book. Why? Because for the first time ever, I'm revealing my secret to NEVER getting stumped when giving readings and how every reading I give is unique, fits the person to a 'T' and NEVER fails to amaze. The problem with most mentalists is they get caught up in the trick. The most important part is the reading. Most just wing it. They stumble... or worse... they give canned memorized "cold readings". They stumble and they suck. You won't suck. Guaranteed. Give me one night and I'll give you a powerful presentation that will make a local legend out of you! Best part: my idea is so easy that you will wonder why you never thought of it. It's awesome. Dead Men Tell No Tales Do this any time, anywhere. It's as close to real mindreading as you can get. No billets, no glimpses, no trick pads... nothing. Just a miracle. Effect: Spectator takes an unprepared pad and pencil and while the mentalist turns his back writes down six names on a pad. Five names are people he knows who are alive. One name is that of a dead person. Mentalist turns back, takes the pad and asks the person to concentrate. He scratches, one by one, names off of the list. The spectator finally reveals the dead
name. When the mentalist turns the pad... the only name left is the dead name! The method is bold and gutsy. Most are afraid to try it. I'll give you tips, suggestions, patter and presentation that will give you the courage to try it. And once you've had success with it, you'll do as I have done... you'll keep using it! It's a true mindblowing Living & Dead Test that people remember for a long time. Test Of The Tiber I'm reluctant to even teach this one. "Everyone" knows it, but I have NEVER seen anyone do it. Annemann considered it to be one of his greatest creations and used it in his act for over 10 years... Effect: An ordinary phonebook is borrowed. It's unprepared in any way. A volunteer is asked to be a judge and sit in a chair on stage. He initials a piece of paper. He points to anyone in the audience. This person secretly writes a 3 digit number. This paper is passed to another person who writes a single digit number from 1 to 9. The performer DOES NOT know what the 3 digit number is nor does he know the single digit. NOR DOES HE TOUCH the paper as this last person personally delivers it to the judge. The judge verifys his initials, opens the book to the 3 digit page number and counts down to the name selected by the last person. The mentalist proceeds to NAME the person AND as a kicker... reveals the PHONE NUMBER. This effect is HUGE. I've performed it for small groups and on big stages with large audiences. My presentation is a "challenge" presentation and NEVER fails to entertain, amaze and astound. I'll take you personally step-by-step through the routine, get past the confusing parts and show you how to make this YOUR personal reputation maker. No gaffs. No special props. A basic knowledge of billets is required.stage.
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Mystery Of The Blackboard
Easy Design Duplication
A moneymaker for me. Perfect if you're looking for something 'visual' and ideal if you want to fill the stage.
I'm saving this one for the book. It's so easy it's embarrassing. It is strong and it plays very well, but magicians often poo-poo it for being too simple. It's pure Annemann, and it's a terrific effect.
Effect: Three volunteers come on stage. A large pad is on the stage along with a marker. The mentalist is blindfolded, led to the opposite side of the stage with his back turned to the pad. Each volunteer is invited to participate. One writes a three-digit number. One writes a word. One draws a basic picture. The paper is torn off and the members return to the audience. Blindfolded still, the mentalist invites the audience to send him the thoughts. He then reproduces the number, word and picture with dramatic flair and to thunderous applause! All the presentation tips, script and more to make this a huge success. Learn what to use, what not to use and why. $1000 Test Card Location Chances are, if you're doing this effect, you aren't doing it to it's full presentation potential. And if you aren't doing it, you should! It blows minds! Effect: Mentalist demonstrates a fun card trick. He then offers to demonstrate telepathy. A volunteer shuffles the cards, cuts them repeatedly until satisfied and then looks at a card. This card is shoved into the middle of the deck. The deck is put aside. The mentalist looks into the volunteers eyes and... REVEALS THE CARD. Tips, tricks and suggestions on making this you pet trick. This one is a jaw dropper, literally as it stuns those who see it. It seems so fair and above board. Best part: it's EASY to do.
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BONUS Section A collection of thoughts, tips and suggestions for becoming a better mentalist. Tips from the front lines! It's a brutal blast of honesty and given with the hopes you'll apply the lessons and succeed! The fee for this eBook is $45.00. Instant download. Order it and get it right away. Remember, this ain't "airy-fairy" crap. This is the real deal. But don't decide now... You Get My Outrageously Fair, No-Risk, 6 Month Money-Back Guarantee Order the eBook and give it you own personal "test run". Take a full 6 months, and use my methods. If you aren't completely thrilled at the results...for any reason, I'll refund you every penny! No questions asked. No hassle. No delay. Why would I make such an outrageous guarantee? Two reasons. My stuff works. I've poured my guts into this. I really do stand behind my offer. Secondly, I want to treat people the way I want to be treated. Customer service today is virtually dead. But not with me. I want YOU to be completely happy with my offering. I have nothing to hide, so why shouldn't I guarantee it? Get Annemann 666 Volume 1 today. 6 Powerful effects that are "plug-and-play" ready. I've done all the work for you so you can go out and mystify folks with!
$45 Available at www.Mental-List.com Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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(Continued from page 14)
There aren’t many who do billets. But I have seen a few at a PEA convention years ago and many of those poor souls suffer from magician’s guilt. They speed up and look incongruent when they are doing the switch. One guy I saw looked like he was about to crap himself when he did the move. Wrong. Annemann was onto something. Many miss it, and most likely you might have breezed over it yourself. No harm there, but go back and really really read the third paragraph he wrote. I don’t pretend to psychologically understand it, but I’m telling you for certain that there is built- in misdirection with billets. As Annemann points out, they don’t expect you to be doing anything as you are literally telling them step-by-step what is going on. And then, suddenly, it’s over! Having done this in living rooms with people all around, I can tell you for a fact that I have stolen and read info literally under their noses. The paper that I use is business card stock, or 60lb paper. There is NO right or wrong size for billet work. It’s your game, so you get to make the rules! Remember that. I would encourage you to use what Annemann recommends—to start—which is 2.5 X 3.5 inches. Hands are different, so take a pair of scissors and cut and modify the folded billet until it is a comfortable size for you to easily manipulate. The folded billet should be almost as wide as your middle finger. It should also be long enough to comfortably fit in the base of the finger to the crease at the tip. Your hand should look reasonably natural looking from the back with the billet palmed. If you look like you’re giving someone the finger, it’s too long! If you look like you’re going to punch someone out with your fist, it’s too short. Fiddle with it. Spend time on it. Once you’ve done that, go to the printer and have them cut up 500 sheets of business card stock and pad them in 30 sheets. Do this, and you’ll have billet pads that will always be ready and will last you a long, long time. THE FOLD: Thanks to an idea from my friend Millard Longman, I do something a little different with my billets. On the first fold, I fold it just short of the end. Millard does this as part of his awesome Acidus billet technique. However, I do it for a completely different reason. I do it simply to make opening the billet easier and assured doing the show. Because part of the technique involves you apparently absentmindedly opening and reading a billet, and then refolding it, I like the offset fold so that there is NO fumbling during the show. If the edges were flush, you might have to fiddle with the billet and it will become very obvious what you are doing.
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(
To make the illustration clear, I’ve shaded the offset side so you can see it clearer.
Left side folded over and creased hard. Notice the offset allows you to easily open billet with thumb. No fumbling.
PLATINUM SUCCESS TIP: That one tip, my friend, is worth the price of the book. Make sure the crease is really tight. I use a fingernail or lay the billet on a table and use a pencil to make it flat. Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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You then fold the top half towards you and down flush with bottom edge. Crease tightly.
Top folded down and flush with bottom. Crease sharply. The final fold is folded top down and again flush with bottom.
Top folded down and flush with bottom again.
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You will have two thicknesses of creases. I unfold the billet and fold the inner crease tight, and then crease the outer side flat as a pancake.
Crease each edge sharply to make a tight billet. The billet is now ready. Don’t worry if it pops open a bit. That’s not a problem. You’ll note that it is flat enough that it will stay folded flat in the crease of your left hand fingers quite easily.
Side view of tightly creased and folded billet
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The thickness makes it easy to handle (another bonus). Finally, its thickness prevents ‘crackling’ or ‘crinkling’ of the paper. Magicians call this “talking”. Because of the thickness, the papers won’t talk during the switch. Finally, as you will be leaving billets with audience members in cases, if they examine the folded paper they will instantly realize that it’s 100% opaque and when folded, impossible to see the contents (completely true).
Palming Tip: Okay. When I was a kid, I learned from my favorite uncle how to palm a coin. He told me to practice looking natural by palming the coin all week long. Walking to school, reading a book, watching TV. By doing this, you become more comfortable and your hand will look much more natural. Do it. I’m not kidding. Do it. Get used to finger palming that billet until holding it in your palm becomes second nature. Achieve that, and you are about 85% of the way to mastering billets.
Billet folded and in left hand finger palm position
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Switching The Hot Billet For The Dummy Billet: Annemann’s description and the photo’s should make the switch pretty clear. (Figure A) Your right hand takes the hot slip (marked with blue ink in photo) and hands it to your left hand. (Figure B). The hot slip is pulled back with the thumb and the bottom edge of it placed in the soft part of the base of your middle finger. (Figure C) Your middle finger slides back along the dummy billet. (Figure D) Your middle finger grips the dummy billet and slides it up while the thumb keeps the hot billet in place. (Figure E). Right hand removes dummy billet and left hand drops back to your side. Okay. That is probably very confusing. So, try it out with two billets in hand. Master that before going on.
Figure A: Billet taken by left hand
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Figure B: The hot billet is slid back until it reaches fleshy part at the base of the finger and the palm.
Figure C: The middle finger slides down the dummy billet approx.halfway.
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Figure D: The middle finder grips the dummy and straightens back out, pushing dummy to tips of fingers
Figure E: Right hand comes back and removes dummy billet.
Switching Tip: Okay. You’ve mastered the palm and you’ve mastered the switch. Now you need a little misdirection. Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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Thankfully, the misdirection is built in! The person writes something on the billet with a pen and folds it up. You take back the billet first and then ask for the pen. You place the hot billet into your left hand and reach out with the right to grab the pen. It is at THIS time you do “the switch”. With the billet in your left hand, you drop your hand slightly towards the floor while keeping it palm towards and close to the body. While dropping your hand slightly you switch the billet. Your eyes are on the volunteer as you reach out with the right hand. By the time you have the pen in your right hand your left hand has come back up with the switched billet in view. You can also achieve the exact same misdirection by asking the volunteer a question. All eyes of the audience will shift from you to the volunteer just long enough to do the switch. Later, you’ll do the move even more boldly, and I’ll give you the easy handling for that too. Again. Annemann figured out something that I still can’t fully explain. There is incredible builtin misdirection already. I think this is important to realize and fully understand. First. You ask a spectator to help you. Second. You hand her a paper, plain as day, and a pen. Third. You turn your back and walk far, far away. The audience might suspect that you will peek. But you don’t. It’s totally fair. Fourth. You take back the tightly folded billet and pen and simply hand them to someone else (there are dozens of variations, this is just an example). To the audience minds, you have been 100% fair and above board. However, you have in your left hand the billet that the spectator just wrote. If you’ve never used billets before, and all of this is new to you, you’ll likely be shocked to know that you are going to open that stolen billet up—right in front of the audience—read it and then proceed to tell them what you just read… and the audience will be completely and totally baffled.
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Opening billet with palmed billet in left hand
PLATINUM SUCCESS TIP: I have very dry hands. To assure myself of good palm technique and a good grip with my fingers doing the switch, I use a small dab of hand cream about 20 minutes before the show. The stuff I use is called Aveno™ and works great. By the time the show starts, my hands aren’t sticky but moist enough to get a good grip on the billets. More later. I believe that between Annemann’s comments and mine, you have more than enough information to master billets. Go and master it! Remember. It’s just a piece of scrap paper. That’s all. That’s the mindset you have to have when doing this. The paper is nothing. Nothing at all. You’ll be delighted with the results. I guarantee it. Regarding Annemann’s second switch, I must confess that I never liked it at all. I found it to “magicy” and I do not use it.
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Direct, Simple & To-The-Point: An Example Of Annemann’s Genius from Annemann 666 Vol. 3 Recently on a trip to Las Vegas I attended my good friend Geoff Ronning’s Stage Hypnosis Training. Coincidentally, a mentalist convention was taking place right across the hall. One of those mentalists—a good customer of mine—bought me a fine whiskey in the pub and asked me several excellent questions regarding Annemann. Although I certainly don’t pretend to be an authority on him, I’ve performed enough of his stuff, read virtually everything I can find and feel I understand the man as a performer and brilliant thinker. Annemann was, and still is to a very large degree, far ahead of his time. Many of his effects are still usable exactly as written 70+ years after his death. Why? Because Annemann had an amazing ability to create mentalism and magic that was directd, simple and straight to-the-point. He always looked at a presentation from the spectators eyes and asked himself “what would a REAL mindreader look like?” He then created the simplest and most direct means of accomplishing the effects. He was a brilliant master of misdirection. Curiously, he doesn’t really highlight that in any of his writings. (A friend of mine tells me that the word misdirection appears only three times in the entire Jinx… I find that remarkable). And yet, in spite of his not mentioning it, his genius for misdirection becomes hugely apparent when you actually perform these amazing routines. Back to Vegas. I’m sitting in a pub chatting with this young mentalist and he confessed that he was terrified of using billets. We went on to discuss a routine featured in my King Of The Billets dvds: Annemann’s ‘On The Wire’. This is SUCH a great routine—and to this day I’ve yet to meet someone else who actually does it. I’ve used this routine as Annemann recommended for publicity as well as in social situations. It really is, as he points out, unusual and it gets talked about for a long, long time. Before we go any further with the conversation that I had, allow me to hand you over to the great Annemann himself and let him explain the routine… On The Wire During the past three years I have often used the following as a publicity effect from newspaper offices, and many times as an impromptu stunt from homes after a performance. As will be seen, the working is far from difficult or out of the ordinary run of such tests, but the effect on the watchers and listeners is very striking. There is something about mental stunts on a telephone that makes tall and creates interest. The business of naming cards over a phone has been tossed around so much that it isn't of much value anymore, so my thoughts along these lines have been to make them one man tests, but still use the telephone. If any of my readers show any interest, I'll write up a test for a forthcoming issue in which any word in the English language can be sent, rather than a card, which is too common now. Getting back to the present situation, the performer is near a phone and says he will try a rather interesting feat. Someone, or the host, is asked to think of someone whom they call up quite often, and who could be reached by Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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phone at that moment. They are given a slip of paper upon which they write the name, and the slip is folded several times. It is put, still folded, under the phone. The performer asks for the telephone number and proceeds to call it. Upon the call being answered, the performer ASKS FOR THE PERSON THOUGHT OF! Reaching that person, he says that he is at the home or office of so-and-so, is conducting a test of mental powers, and that Mr. so-and-so was thinking of him (the man at the other end) so you (the performer) have called him up. You hope he hasn't been bothered and thank him for his cooperation (?). Hanging up, you take the paper from under phone, and return it to the writer. Eight times out of ten, the person called will call back to find out what it is all about, and naturally learns about you being a great man, which is an ad in itself. My method for this is a mere switch. In my left coat pocket I have a pad of paper about 21/4 x 31/2. (Small Woolworth scratch pads.) These slips are best folded the long way and then twice the other. Have one loose slip on top of pad which has been unfolded, so they will use the same folds. Also have a folded dummy there so you can pick it up. Generally, I try to pick a person sitting down a little ways from the phone as the subject, but this doesn't really matter. Take out the pad and separate slip. Give it to them with a pencil and put the pad back, picking up the dummy billet, they write the name and fold. You take the pencil back with right hand, and your left (with slip second finger palmed) takes their folded paper. Moving to the telephone, the written on slip is pulled back by thumb and the dummy pushed forward to be dropped under the phone. Your left hand goes directly to the pocket as you ask person for the telephone number. I always ask first if he _____________________ knows the number, and then ask for it. This gives a few seconds longer stall, and the left hand has opened the slip against the pad.
"Until you experience this for yourself, there's no way you can possibly have a truly informed opinion on what will work best for you." ____________________
Taking pad out, I pull off the top sheet from under the open slip, but this action gives me a glimpse of the name. The pad and open slip are replaced in pocket and on the blank sheet I write the telephone number. Now I sit down with the number before me and make the call, there is a lot of time now to drop hand to pocket and refold the slip, finger palming it again. Then, at the finish, your right hand moves phone, left picks up the slip, and it is returned to owner, the switch back being made on the way.
You'll find a finger switch much more practical then anything using a gimmick. A few hours practice and you have it, it being useful in many ways. Although this may sound simple, it is a fine effect on those watching because it is different and unusual. From the spectators viewpoint, this is an absolutely amazing routine. It’s very simple and direct. To them, you simply phone someone they are thinking of and you mysteriously “know” who they are when they answer! And that’s what they remember and that’s what they TALK about. For those of you who own King Of The Billets, you’ll see me perform this out on the street with a person at a pub. I call them up using their cell phone. They freaked out. So, let me do for you what I did for this fellow in Las Vegas and break down the genius of Annemann. The routine, written back in the summer of 1936 is just as powerful today as it was back then. And the handling that I use is 100% exactly the same as Annemann recommended. And the results… are just as astonishing as they were back in his day. My mentalist friend had some concerns that I think many mentalists have, so let’s discuss them.
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He was mostly concerned about getting “caught” with billet switching. My friends, if you read books on magic, or read the terrific book by Dariel Fitzkee “Magic By Misdirection”, you’ll know that misdirection should always be used on the off-beat. In the example above, switches and “moves” are done on the off-beat. When you take out the papers and pull out a slip, you are “clean”. There’s no palmed billet to be seen. While the attention of the spectator(s) is on the writing of a name, you are logically placing the papers back in your pocket and your hand comes back out—with the palmed billet. There’s no heat on you as they’ll be watching the billet, not your hands. Besides that, this isn’t a magic show. I feel bad for magicians as they are so used to doing fancy moves that they forget that mentalism isn’t about doing anything fancy. Now, I certainly understand how doing this for the first time can be nervewracking. But really, the switch takes place during a really innocent time and it looks as fair as can be. You simply place the billet in a “safe” place. That’s all. Let me share something with you: I’ve fooled magicians with billets because even though they know that I switch them, they’ve often got not-a-clue when/how I read them. And yet those same magicians when they read Annemann or talk with me, immediately forget they were fooled and immediately think they’ll get caught! Strange. The misdirection is really built in! Annemann’s genius really shines at the next step. You need to open the billet in your pocket and you need a brief stall. First—and he doesn’t mention this—you need to practice and practice. My billets are designed to open up pretty much by themselves and the first fold is off so that there’s a lip that makes opening it a breeze. No figiting allowed! So, Annemann asks two quick questions that make logical sense. Better yet, in todays world of pre-programmed phone numbers, it’s VERY fair to ask if they actually KNOW the phone number! In this very brief dialog, I’ve opened the paper and it’s on the top of the stack ready for me to glimpse. My Las Vegas buddy was very nervous about this too. But there’s nothing to be nervous about! From “the front”—the spectators—it’s only natural for you to write it down. And, as you’re writing you get the glimpse!
_____________________
". . . Misdirection should always be used on the off-beat." ____________________
Here’s a little tip for you if you choose to use this great effect: when you replace the papers in your pocket, START to refold the billet. I fold it in half and give it a tiny squeeze and this gets it going back into its folded position… not quite folded up… just on its way. For the most part, the dirty work is now done. Yes, you are going to have to do the billet switch again, but the commotion will be terrific and you’ll have ample time to do it. Now you focus on the dramatic revelation and conversation with a person on the end of the line that is impossible for you to have ever known! When you hang up the spectators will be going nuts! At this point I casually pick up the name paper—do the switch—and then open it up to ‘verify’ it. Again, mentalists seem to panic at this point and there’s no need. Remember, to THEM you have ALREADY revealed the name. They have no cause or reason to think the paper has been switched out. I’m telling you, this effect really knocks the socks off of spectators. And yes, the person you call often does phone right back to find out what the hell is going on! And when they do, it causes an even greater sensation and laughter! (Continued on page 31)
Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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STUART CUMBERLAND’S ANNEMANN 666 Vol. 2 Six MORE of Annemann's classic presented by Stuart Cumberland.
effects
Get ready to mystify, astound and amaze with SIX more proven, tested, powerful "plug-and-play" effects that are reputation makers!
volunteer to do exactly your bidding in a straightforward appearing and incredible manner. Perfect for lecture/demonstrations. [A knowledge of billets is assumed and needed for this easy effect] Dancing With The Devil--Par Optic Vision With A Kick!
You get: How To Make Wishes Come True! (Stand Head And Shoulders Above Any Competition) If you give personal readings of any kind, this handling and script will be worth it's weight in gold to you. Seriously. I'm known as the reader that grants wishes. And you will too with this ultra simple updated handling of a brilliant Annemann idea. Your sitter thinks of three wishes and one or two mysteriously reveal themselves during the reading--apparently without you even realizing it! Very memorable, thougthful and emotional. ONE Newspaper Publicity Angle--
If you're looking for just one effect that packs small and plays big, this would be one. It's PERFECT for house parties and has the original mystery with a gorgeous blend of psychic reading weaved in. You'll be considered a Tarot Master, even if you don't know the meanings of a single card! This one REALLY packs a punch! Geoffrey Ronning's Powerful Number Test-A Guaranteed Reputation Maker This very simple and direct routine has a powerhouse effect on audiences. This is Geoff's CLOSING routine that knocks audiences out of their seats. And yet, it's so simple it's genius.
Impromptu Mentalism At It's Best! A completely impromptu reputation maker that's logical and mystifying. This one technique has garnered me MUCH publicity over the years and it can do the same for you. Whim Of Tituba You'll LOVE my simplified handling of this terrific seance effect. This one never fails to leave audiences speechless. And the best part? My handling is faster, easier and more effective than the original. Thoughts About Tomorrow You'll never do the PATEO force again! Using your weird powers of mental influence, you'll sway a
We'll break down the complete routine--the mechanics are ultra-simple. We'll cover the psychology that makes it whack people in the head. Everything. You just take it, use it and leave them knocked out cold. If this routine doesn't knock them completely out cold, I'll refund you your money. I already guarantee all of my products... but I mean it. This one will knock them out. BONUS: A Thought Readers Thoughts MORE thoughts, tips and suggestions for becoming a better mentalist. Tips from the front lines! It's a brutal blast of honesty and given with the hopes you'll apply the lessons and succeed!
$45 Available at www.Mental-List.com Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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(Continued from page 29)
Please note that while I do claim these effects are relatively easy and you are covered by brilliant misdirection, that’s no excuse to for you to be sloppy. Mentalism deserves respect and deserves to be practiced and rehearsed until it becomes second nature. Although the billet moves are relatively simple, you need to practice them over and over again until you can switch them fast and smooth without detection. My Las Vegas buddy commented on my enthusiasm for Annemann. How can I not be? With only a pen and a few bits of paper, Annemann has given me a career of baffling and amazing audiences, spectators and reporters around the globe. I’m sure the multiplying bunnies can create talk too, but not like this! I remember as a very young kid reading the Abbott’s Magic Catalog. I’d pour through it and just LOVED the pictures of the handsome tuxedo-wearing magician with the neat moustache dazzling and amazing men and women. I dreamed of becoming one of those cartoons and being able to read minds and put women under my spell. And Annemann gave me the keys to do it. Now it’s your turn. Annemann can’t do it for you. I can’t do it for you. It’s up to you. Take it from me, I make my living performing. If you don’t believe Annemann, believe me. His stuff is truly amazing. On the Wire is but one of hundreds of effects from his brilliant mind. The good news is that 99.9% who read it and “know” the effects are just too frightened to try it. Which means you’re likely to never have competition of any serious degree. It’s a fertile field just waiting for YOU. Go for it. Someday I hope to meet up with you and listen to you share your successes with me over a nice glass of Scottish single malt whiskey! Cheers!
JHEFFSMIND ANONYMOUS MAGICIAN: “Mentalism is boring.” THE MENTALIST’S RESPONSE: “When performed badly, it most certainly is. When performed well, it’s not. Apparently, you haven’t seen many good mentalism performers.” Though you may cringe at the anonymous magician’s thoughts, I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard magicians say this. My first reaction would be to say something rude and inappropriate such as, “No, it’s you that’s boring.” Of course, that response intends to reflect that mentalism is not everyone’s cup of tea. Just because one doesn’t like it doesn’t mean that mentalism is inherently bad, though. I respect Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach, but that’s not my choice of musical genre when I want to relax and listen to music. That doesn’t mean I find classical music boring. It’s just not the music of choice when I wish to listen to something. There are quite a few magicians who just love the sleights and fancy gimmicks and the colorful boxes and the hours of practice it takes to make the skills and techniques smooth. They don’t, or won’t, appreciate the lack of these things in a performer of the mystery arts. Without question, and unless their attitude changes, those in this category will never enjoy mentalism and I’ve found it’s pretty pointless to try to convince them otherwise. Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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However, when mentalism is performed badly, it most certainly can be boring. I compare this with comedy. In film or theatre, when a drama is bad, it’s ineffective, forgettable, and often unintentionally humorous. When comedy is bad, it’s unendurable torment. With the mystery arts, magic performed badly is also ineffective, forgettable, and often unintentionally humorous. With mentalism that’s performed badly, it’s enough to send audience members out of the venue screaming as if their very soul was twisted a thousand times with the wrong acupuncture needles. There is one main reason for this: mentalists talk too much. Inexperienced performers often feel that if what they say is interesting to them then it’s interesting to the audience as well. Audiences want to see a mentalist read minds or control minds. Most could really care less about any other information unless it’s used with professional brevity. Sadly, this point is not understood by most, and audiences find themselves watching performers who speak more than they do, and they don’t speak it well. _____________________
"Mentalists are not creating the impossible. They’re reading minds." ____________________
Fogel points out in his book that a mentalist should write the script, know it, and then throw it away. That’s fine for some performers, but not all. Some performers are terrible at improvising. In my case, I perform more successfully when I’m working from a script. Many who’ve seen me perform have commented on them. When I’m in the experimental stage and winging it to see what works, it’s obvious to those who’ve seen my polished performances.
Also, one has to know how to write a tight script in the first place. Editing your script is a merciless, painful task, because many of the great ideas that you write down you may have to cut. The rule for editing is that if the line, or lines, can be cut out and the routine is still understandable, then cut it out. It’s just like writing an essay in high school. Another tip for making your act more exciting is to involve as many participants as possible. They are your most valuable prop. This is a guideline that Barrie Richardson and Richard Osterlind have written about, as well as others. This is why it’s a great idea to open with a routine that involves the entire audience. From there try to choose routines that play with as many people as possible. And when only a few people are involved, talk to the audience to bring them into the experience as much as possible. A third major problem is that mentalists tend to think like magicians and prove that the props they use are ordinary. Magicians create the impossible and must prove that what they do is indeed impossible. So they have to show that the box is empty, or that the cards are ordinary, or that the hands are empty. Mentalists are not creating the impossible. They’re reading minds. Taking five minutes to prove that you can’t see through the blindfold is too long, and is the worst kind of “dead time.” Sure, it’s possible you could do it entertainingly, but why? Through your precise and concise actions, there should be a clear implication that the hood is just what it’s supposed to be. Mentalists spend far too much time justifying what they use and proving that the stuff they use is ordinary. That’s magician-thinking. Now, it’s very important to justify and prove, but you do it as much as possible through actions, not words. I used to take several minutes to explain about ESP cards Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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when I used them. I thought it interested the audience. And it did, to a point. What the audience really wants is for you to stop talking and get to the mind reading. Now I simply introduce the ESP cards as “cards with different shapes”. That’s it. Nobody has questioned the cards. Finally, I’d recommend you carefully think about your stage persona. The best mentalists have personas that the audience can relate to or be interested in. When my persona was that of a guy who did strange things that his family and friends didn’t understand, I got a nice response. But then I changed my persona to a high school teacher who uses mentalism in the classroom to “educate and motivate my students.” Of course, this was bringing more of me into the act, because I am a high school teacher. I can’t even begin to tell you the difference that made. The effects I did were exactly the same. The framing was different. The results were awesome. I recommend that you do an exercise that Jason Alexander recommended at Mindvention 2006. Have someone tell you what they would cast you as in a movie or television role. Would you be a professor? A loveable bully? An engineer? A comic book geek? A corporate executive? If you look the part, it will make it more believable. Then find a part that’s close to you. The part should be something that you’re genuinely interested in. That genuine feeling will be felt by your audience and it will certainly pay off with your audiences.
WHIM OF TITUBA from Annemann 666 Vol. 2 I’ve always loved spooky effects. I’ve been doing séances since high school. And this one is right up there along with the greatest of spook effects. I’ve played it both ways: with humor and with a spooky flair. Both are great, but my favorite is spooky. A number of years ago I conducted the world’s largest séance at an old theatre turned dance hall called Barrymore’s. I opened the show with my hypnosis act in 2 parts. The third segment was to be the séance. An announcement was made that our intent was NOT to offend people, so we took and intermission and allowed those who would be offended to leave. None of the nearly 500 people left. Not one. This was one of the highlights of the show. Let me give you the effect the way that I do it… Effect: Mentalist talks about his grandfather using old school chalkboards and conjuring ghosts or spirits to manifest themselves and leave a message written in chalk. He talks about poltergeists being mischievous and various forms of apparitions—some recognizable, some even terrifying! (Continued on page 35)
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STUART CUMBERLAND’S ANNEMANN 666 Vol. 3 ANOTHER Six MORE of Annemann's classic effects presented by Stuart Cumberland.
with a script that spooks the daylights out of audiences. Use this routine only if you want to build a reputation for yourself!
Get ready to mystify, astound and amaze with SIX more proven, tested, powerful "plug-and-play" effects that are reputation makers!
7 Keys To Baldpate Almost every single performer doing this routine is boring their audiences to tears. Especially if they are using expensive mechanical "trick" locks.
You get: Stuart Seance
Cumberland's
DEADsimple
I'll teach you a fast-paced and powerful presentation using a regular lock. It's fast, the script I give you is excellent and highly usable. An effect that packs small and
A powerful, spooky and memorable seance that's oh-so-easy to do. You'll learn how to stage it, how to perform it, and how to make it dramatic and memorable.
plays big.
Using a classic Annemann handling, you will cause a message to appear for one spectator. No pre-show. Although it's NOT recommended, you could literally walk in, start the seance and a message will be delivered from a deceased person you could never have known about beforehand. I originally planned to package this and sell it for $97.00 alone. Note: A knowledge of the Annemann Act is needed to perform exactly as described. Headline Hunter An updated version of one of Annemann's last contributions before his death. We'll do away with a slate and turn this into an impromptu presentation you can do literally anywhere or anytime there are a couple of newspapers around. I'll give you the script and two ways you can choose to end. Dramatic, powerful and very easy to do! Sefalaljia A fast-paced and powerful presentation of Sefalaljia. I cut out all the anti-climactic effects and provide you
Mind Or Muscle? This routine is a staggerer on it's own and a perfect lead-in to a contact mindreading demonstration. Two spectators each select a card in an amazingly fair appearing manner. THEY place the cards back. The mentalist apparently by holding the first spectators wrist easily finds the card buried in the deck. Holding the second spectators arm, he is able to reveal the second card. Direct, Simple & To-The-Point: An Example Of Annemann's Genius An essay that gives you a glimpse of Annemann's core genius and a discussion of a billet effect that terrifies most mentalists: "On The Wire". You'll learn a great effect, understand why Annemann created the misdirection and staging as he did, and get encouragement knowing that you don't have to run when you aren't getting chased. This essay WILL open your eyes not only on this one effect, but will give you a deeper understanding of Annemann's thinking.
$45 Available at www.Mental-List.com Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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(Continued from page 33)
Two chalkboards (slates) are placed face to face and chalk placed between. They are given to a spectator to hold. The mentalist says he would like to have ANY word randomly chosen from ANY page from ANY book. He shows two novels and a spectator chooses one. A page number is selected and the spectator asked to open the book to that page… Confusion reins. The spectator flips through and eventually realizes that the page is… MISSING… the mentalist asks with slight annoyance and frustration and it becomes clear the page has been RIPPED out! The mentalist apologizes and offers to start again. He asks the volunteer holding the slates to verify that the chalk is between the two slates… she discovers a torn page is now between the slates! The mentalist—bewildered—takes the page muttering that it couldn’t be the page selected… walks over and shows the audience that it IS the EXACT page selected! This effect is KILLER. Yeah. I know! “Killer” gets used all of the time. But it IS. The routine reads very simplistic in plot, but the routine plays so very strong! Method: Annemann originally used envelopes. He would place a blank paper in 3 envelopes and what would happen is that the blank paper would appear in the book and the torn page would appear in the envelopes. AND… the word would appear on the envelope. My problem with it was that it just took too long to set up. For the life of me, I couldn’t do it in a way that made me satisfied that it was entertaining for today’s audiences. Slates are fast and a no brainer for me. So that’s what I used. Now, I also think that the teleportation is strong enough by itself. Period. Yes, I do mention “any word on any page in any book”, but that’s just two-fold. First, it sets up an expectation that this actually might be accomplished. It also implies that I could do it. Second, I feel it creates a real illusion that something has gone wrong. I’m literally at the point where I’m waiting for the person to find the page so we can select a word and… suddenly something has gone wrong… How can a page be missing? What do you mean… “missing”? It’s real. It isn’t planned. This ISN’T what’s supposed to happen. It’s very, very important that you use the elements of acting and theatre to make this effect strong. If you don’t, it just becomes a stupid trick. Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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Don’t do stupid tricks. Create a build up. Create tension. That builds the climax. Get three novels. Take one novel and tear out a page leaving about 1 inch near the spine. Make sure it’s not a smooth tear. Make it horribly jagged for theatrical effect. Note the page number. Let’s say it’s page 187. Remember that. Put it with other novel. Take the torn page and insert it into your spirit slates. I have a really, really old set from Thayer Magic. You can get a set of locking slates from Owen Magic Supreme or use any slates with a flap. You need a chalk. That’s it.
You’re ready!
Force: The force is the famous Hoy Book Test. It takes guts, but is the easiest way to do the effect. You hand the books to someone and ask them which book they’d like to use. It’s the well-known magicians choice. Whatever book they use, I’ll make sure they end up getting the torn page book. How? Easy. I just hold the books up and say, “point to one”. She does. The reply will be either “that’s great, that’s the book I’ll use” OR “that’s great, that’s the book I’ll get you to use”. Either way, she gets the torn-page book. Using the ungaffed book, I start riffling the pages and ask someone in the front row to say “stop!” When they do, I open up the page, look at the page number and NO MATTER WHAT IT SAYS I SAY “Page One Hundred and Eighty Seven—Open YOUR BOOK to page 187 please…” and I toss the book I’m holding onto the table. Ballsy. But it’s the best. And no. I’ve NEVER ever been caught doing it. Ever. Just do it matter of factly. That’s it. The rest is just… Presentation: You’re probably way ahead of me by now, now that you know the mechanics. I only use this routine on special occasions, so I don’t have a “script” as much as I have an outline. By that I mean this: I tailor it to the occasion I’m performing. In the case of performing at Barrymore’s, the place is an old vaudeville house. It’s apparently haunted and it’s a spooky place when the lights are dimmed, let me tell you! So the set up is what makes this effect strong. I wouldn’t perform it alone, nor would I perform it at the beginning of the act. This is a routine that takes place a little later in a program. The main key is to mention poltergeists. Poltergeists are mischievous spirits. I mention other types of ghosts and apparitions to set up expectations that something might actually be seen when this occurs! Don’t Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount! www.marketplaceofthemind.com
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The rest of the routine is simply a “set up” gone wrong. The first spectator is shown the slates and they are placed face to face, the flap is dropped and locked. I then insert the chalk. This spectator holds the slates and sits in a chair. In the case of Barrymore’s, they sat on stage with me. . The second spectator is in the front row. As mentioned in the method, the page is quickly forced and this second spectator is standing up and confusion sets in as she struggles to find the page! It’s BEAUTIFUL theatre! I’m JUST as confused at this point. It’s obvious that I’m trying to move the show along and get a word selected and I’ve been interrupted! “What? It’s NOT there? (be careful of your tone, you don’t want to ask it like you think they are an idiot… it’s more like your insisting it HAS to be there tone). When I ask the first spectator to make sure the chalk is there, there’s a gasp when a page is found. I stand there when the lady is looking at it. I don’t move. I have a stunned look on my face and then snap out of it. The audience is usually ahead of me before I realize that it could be from the book. More often than not, someone will shout out to actually SEE if it is, which is even better if it plays that way! Use showmanship please! Hold the book up against yourself when you “check” to see if the page really IS from the book. Let the audience SEE that it really IS! Warning: Don’t buy the dumb magician-think that says the books should be examined or anything else like that. It’s a waste of time. Keep the pace up with this routine. Done at a steady pace, there’s no time to stop and think. The force will be transparent. The audience will be theatrically confused for a moment and won’t realize what’s happening and then the page will be found. More confusion! Then… then it all comes together! Ah-Ha! I never explain anything at this point. No explanation. If you’re doing a light version, then by all means use Annemann’s patter or similar about Tituba who is a really mischievous spirit and obviously is having fun with you! Don’t expect applause if you’re doing the real-deal. Séances aren’t “shows”. This one is a showstopper, but not in the traditional way. By the way, I have also tried it with writing on the slates, but I feel that that isn’t what the effect is about. Keep it simple and easy to follow!! Trust me on this. You’ll have all the time in the world to do other stuff later. Keep this one simple! Keep it simple and I promise you that Tituba will be very kind to you and get you a strong memorable reputation!
Annemann 666 Vol. 1-3 is available at www.mental-list.com
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“No Other Letter I Have Ever Written You Has As Much Potential to Dramatically Change Your Life For the better as this one. . . … If You Are Interested in Sparking A Huge, Electrifying Surge In Your Cash Flow Doing Fun Psychic Parties, Read On” Who Else Wants To Be A Highly Paid Mentalist? Dear Friend, I'll be direct and to the point, with no warm-up.
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It's 44 pages of meat-no fluff or b.s.-just solid and usable information. Zero filler
I've taken the absolute best marketing strategies and put it into a system that makes me $250.00 (on average) any time I need it. I've tested it, cut out what doesn't work, and perfected it.
You aren't going to be purchasing a pretty book. You won't be leaving this on your coffee table for your friends to "oohh" and "ahhh" over. The book is short, to the point.
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Frankly, I could probably write it on a single sheet of paper and you'd "get it" right away.
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