heavy menral Mentalism for the Heavy-Handed by John Riggs~~ heavy menral Mentalism for the Heavy-Handed_ The Psychic Confessions of John Riggs Excerpted from the secret journal: / Am Kreskin's Love-Child Second Printing: June 1996. Contains the original text from the limited first edition. John Riggs aae ~~ Heavy Mental Introduction This book is testimony that it is possible, albeit with much hard work and determination, to cure oneself from terminal Magicitis! I started performing Magic when I was around the age of eight, andI met with the usual derision from my peers toward burgeoning young Magicians ofall kinds. This early abuse helped prepare me for the experiences I was to encounter as a professional Close - up Magician! I did not meet another Magician until I was eighteen, so for ten years I received my training working for live audiences of laymen. This definitely shaped my style of performance, as Icome from the Southeast, and if your audience doesn't like you ‘in these here parts’, they are likely to shoot you! I found out through experience that most Magicians do not have a real understanding of what non - magicians want or expect from a Magical performance. It was a real experience to encounter my first Magic Club. Magicians, myself certainly included, have a fascination for difficult sleights and complicatedModus Operandi. Non- Magicians seem to care less about these intriguing topics! I believe that most people, in spite of their professed obsession with ‘how did he do that’, actually want to believe in Magic. And this is where Psychic Entertainment comes in. It is very difficult, in these analytical times, when we consider the imaginative facility a liability rather than an asset, to persuade an audience into believing your magic is real. However, most people seem to have at leastsome belief in the Paranormal - in the possibility that there justmight be something to all this mindreading stuff! This ‘might be' factor is what lends Psychic Entertainment its quality of fascination. Those individuals who do not believe in the possibility of Psychic Phenomena, I propose, seem to operate from a wounded trust base. They are hard-core skeptics because the possibility that someone could actually see through their cool, analytical facade into the scared, distrustful, inner child, is terrifying! To preserve the integrity of their own ego, the skeptic has to disbelieve! These days, if someone approaches me while I am doing Psychic readings for entertainment, and tells me: “J am a skeptic”, they have already unwittingly given me twenty minutes worth of material! You will read my discussion concerning handling skeptics gently in the chapter on Psychic readings for entertainment.vonn Higgs But my point is that most people want to believe you when you present yourself as a Mind reader. I believe that 99% of any performance lies in the audience anticipation, and our job is to generate excitement about what we do. Mentalism is not as easy to market as Magic, but the performance of Mentalism will eventually carve out its own market. Psy@hfe Entertainment is not a game you can play halfway. Itis alife- style. The best of all advertising is word - of - mouth; and the best word - of -mouth I have harvested has come from impromptu performances and short Numerology and Palm readings. I still find it profitable (and politically correct!) to perform walk - around magic for corporate events, but these days, I perform Magic under an assumed name. I usually perform half an evening of magic, and the remainder of the evening I spend doing quick palm readings. I do try not to mix magic and mentalism, although I do believe it can be done successfully. I do not want my audience confused about what it is that I do. People seem to find no conflict in the idea that a Magician can be an adept at say, Palm reading or Astrology. One of the (numerous) things I find fascinating about Mentalism is that people tend to relate my performance to whatever it is they know best. Therefore, Psychologists tend to explain my show in psychological terms. A statistician once gave mean in - depth (if incomprehensible) dissertation about how my act revolved around an intuitive grasp of Basil Statistics. And, of course, Magicians tend to filter my act through the attitude of the Magician. Consequently, over the years, I have received several well - meaning but useless suggestions about how I could ‘punch up' my show. And I must say, that after conversations with the latter group and after considepable reflection, no, I do not think it would improve my actto have Chin@e tdeograms or dragons stencilled on my props, or to have a leggy assistant hand me my steel blindfold! And I will go on record as saying that the singlemost disruptive group ’ [have encountered during a performance, oddly enough, has been the amateur magicians in the audience. I have been heckled, actively sabotaged, and ridiculed by audience members who, at least in their own. minds, were ‘magicians’. I do not know why this is so. Perhaps exposure to secrets without a concommitant exposure to ethics is more than some people can handle. However, several of my good friends are professional magicians, and are VeR\"Supportive and enthusiastic about my act. I do not know where or when this division of attitude sets in, but J think the topic bears further investigation. 6ae ae ~~ Heavy Mental I have found it helpful to cultivate a certain recognizable character. Overthe years, [have seen many great characters. Lee Earle comes across as an avuncular, scholarly person with a genuine interest in his audience. Kreskin seems constantly teleported into ecstasies over his super - keen awareness and his own wonderfulness. And you simply have to see Max Maven to believe him; no description can possibly do him justice! My character has evolved into the favorite Psychology or Philosophy professor who you liked so much in college. I also have just a touch of Motivational speaker and Southern Evangelist thrown in for flavor. I try tobe very non- threatening. I make fun of myself, but never of whatI do. I try to avoid presenting myself as a ‘heavy’. Humility is important. Nobody likes a ‘know - it - all’. I find it hard to be humble, but easy to be grateful. I try to communicate to my audience that I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to perform for them. Plus, lets face it - money is the sincerest form of flattery! If someone gives of their resources to bring you to their group, this is the ultimate compliment. I strive to be worthy of such a gesture. Ipresent my act as a sort of entertaining lecture - avoiding the ‘For - my "John Riggs Your Event = Entertainment!"ONIN TIGGS - next - trick’ breaks that will occur whenever you put together a variety show. I am the house authority on the more esoteric branches of Psychology. While I play the drama very seriously, | always try to interject humor into my most dramatic presentations. For example, I have found that my presentation of the old 'X - Ray Eye Act’ ry intense. So I follow it with the comedy presentation The Procrastinating Prognosticator before I hit ‘em again with theQ & A Act. As my high school football coach used to urge me: “Knock ‘em down, then help them back up. Then, knock ‘em down again!" The man was a Psycho, but I have found some wisdom in his words when judiciously applied to aperforming situation. Thope you like my book. The following routines have all stood the test of playing before live audiences. As you will see, I tend to play this game of Psychic Entertainment for keeps. I present my performances very strongly. I have a passion for this kind of work. I do not urge you to copy my performances (although asa purchaser of this book you are entitled and even welcomed todo so!), butto work very hard at personalizing yourown performances. You may find, as I did, that as you grow as a Psychic Entertainer, you will grow asa human being. Ihave given some good - natured ribbing to Magicians, but I certainly include myself in that category, and I confess shamelessly that I have been guilty of everything at which I point my own finger! One big fat Mea Culpa! But practicing Mentalism has made me a much better Magician. I have gained an understanding and empathy for my audience I might never had achieved otherwise. To become even an adequate Mentalist will tax a persog{sgesources as ahuman being. You must draw uponall your people skills#and even more - develop new skills to meet the demands of your audience (and hopefully, yourself!). For that is the goal - to please your audience. To get what you want from “life, give others what they want. It is a very old principle. Thope you forgive me for preaching - I do tend to go on! ButI do hope you enjoy the book! John Riggs Deceapher 19th, 1994He: Me Heavy Mental Part One: Psychic Entertainment_. "Most Magicians are actors playing the role of bad Magicians..." ~-The Amazing WhillickerCOINS OF THE MIND Effect: The performer introduces a roll of half - dollars or quarters. He states that the roll contains ten coins. "With these simple props"; he says; "We will conduct a telling experiment in thought control." Seiiffg the coins aside for the nonce, the performer then introduces several small, postcard-sized pictures. These pictures can be abstract designs, Rorchact-style inkblots, or, as I prefer, those 3-D ‘Magic Eye’ pictures that leap out at you when you stare at them long enough! Showing these pictures to the spectator, one by one, he is asked to describe what he sees. Regardless of the spectator's responses, the performer announces that each picture contains subtle subliminal mes- sages, invisible to the conscious mind, yet very meaningful to the uncon- scious! Asking the spectator to name any number from one to ten, the performer removes coins from the roll, one at a time, until he reaches the coin at the spectator’s number. "Set that one aside for the moment, "he says. "We now need one more coin, and this time we will call upon the hidden powers of your unconscious mind for our second selection." Removing the remaining coins from the roll, these are added to the previously discarded coins, and the lot handed to the brainwashed spectator. He is instructed to shake the coins in his cupped hands and toss them onto the table. Furthermore, all the coins that are tails-up are to be removed. This elimination is repeated until only one, heads-up coin remains. Thig.coin is placed alongside of the first selected coin. Now, a prediction that has been in full view is opened and read. It reads: "The date on the first coin selected will be 1984. Your unconscious mind will eliminate all of the remaining coins except the only one dated 1993." Of course, this prediction matches the reality exactly! Method: This routine uses the idea of a force combined with a multiple out, an idea you will tire of hearing about after reading the next three routines! You need two gimmicks: * Bimber wallet 10Heavy mernar *A double-faced coin with the same date on both sides (see credits at the end of this article for the source of this idea). You also need ten half dollars with distinctly different dates. Obtain a coin roll designed to hold about ten half-dollars. You will actually be using eleven coins, but you never call attention to this fact. If you have difficulty obtaining a suitable coin roll, you can always use modern computer technology to make an entire sheet of them, and with the judicious use of scissors and rubber cement, you are set! Or, you can go to a hobby shop and obtain a clear plastic coin tube with a screw on top that is just the right size. The coins at position three and five from one end are your two force coins for the first selection. You will force one of them using a counting force thatBascom Jones published inMagick about two dozen times. He called it the ‘European 10-11 Force’. Since you have eleven coins instead of ten, it is possible to arrive at one of the two force coins using any number between | and ten. You tell the spectators that you have a roll of ten coins; actually there are eleven coins. The double headed coin is anywhere in the stack, you do not have to worry about it! Your two predictions, nestled on either side of aHimber wallet ordouble-sided envelope, contain the dates of the two force coins, one on each side. Combined with the force, this strategem will cover you no matter what number the spectator specifies. One prediction prognosticates the third coin’s date and the date of the double-header. The other one predicts the date of thefifth coin and the date of the double header. No matter what number the spectator names, youcan arrive at one of the two force coins. Here’s how: If they name ‘two’, count off two coins and have them takesthe third coin. If they say ‘three’, count off two coins and have them take the third coin. If they say ‘four’, count down to the fourth coin and have them take the fifth coin. If they say ‘five’, count off four coins and have them take the fifth. For six, seven, eight, and nine, turn the roll over and count from the bottom. This forces one of the two coins. You can take out the appropriate prediction at this point if you like, and place it on the table. - You force the second coin using an idea of Bruce Bernstein’s from his terrific book, Twenty Effects for Psychic Entertainers. If the person elassisting you shakes up the coins and tosses them on the table, removing all the tails-up coins, until only one remains, it must be the two-headed coin! Have the prediction opened and take a bow, removing all gimmicks from play and pocketing them. ‘Thea $play with the pictures adds a certain intrigue to the routine. You Cold Readers out there will find some good opportunities based on what the spectator thinks he ‘sees’. I laminate the four designs and have them numbered on the back. Conversational Tidbits for Subliminal Suggestion Routines *"Ladies and Gentlemen, in the year 1957, an insidious experiment was perpetrated on the American public. In movie theatres across the land, the phrase 'Coca-Cola’ flashed across the screen for 1/24th of a second. This interval was far too brief for anyone to consciously notice, yet in subsequent weeks, the sales of Coca-Cola went up 20%! "The lesson has been learned. Since that day, subliminal suggestion has been used to sell us products, and, perhaps even more frightening - ideas!" *"We all know we do not purchase items for any logical reason. We all have a house full of stuff that we could easily do without. It is even argued that we do not buy things for logical reasons, but for emotional ones. “Why else would we go down one aisle of the grocery store, and buy lemonade flavored with artificial lemon, and then go down the next aisle and buy toilet bowl cleaner made from real lemon? Can anyone explain the logic of that one to me?" *"Tfis far easier to plant an aversion to something in your mind than anattraction. If you do not like broccoli, for example, it would be difficult for me to suggest to you that you do like it. But, if you already like ’ broccoli, I can easily suggest an association that would cause you to avoid it. "For instance, in this country, we think it terrible that, in other countries, it is acceptable to eat dogs. Yet, in this country, we eat pigs. Now, Llask you: Which is the cleaner animal? The dog, or the filthy swine who wallows in its own filth, and lives off garbage? Furthermore, in the South, we eat parts of pigs that no one, anywhere in the world, would eat fronr@deg! One man's slimy garden pest is another man's Escargot!" 12Heavy Mental OPEN KORAN Effect: A deck of cards is handed toa spectator. He is invited to deal cards face up onto the table until he feels like stopping. The spectator is urged to follow his instincts..."7hey are actually profound Psychic influences!" When the spectator finally stops on a single face-down-card, you remove an envelope from your wallet, which, of course, has been in full view at all times. “I’ll trade you mine for yours," you say, as you put his card, face up in the wallet. When he opens the envelope, it contains a note which predicts his card. Method: You have a deck stacked in a manner similar to the Al Koran Four Star Miracle Deck. In other words, you have six cards that are repeated four times in sequence, and these duplicate sets alternate with indifferent cards. As the spectator deals the cards face up and stops anywhere, you have to contend with one of two possibilities: either the card he just dealt or the card currently on top of the deck is one of the six force cards. Tocovereach of the possible six force cards, you have a Himber wallet with six envelopes of different sizes, stepped down, in one side. Each of the envelopes contain a prediction mentioning one of the six possibilities. The other side of the wallet is empty. As the spectator deals, you must watch carefully to identify which of your six cards is used. If he stops with one of the sixsweet cards face-up, this simplifies your task enormously! However, if he stops with the ‘hot’ card face-down, you must be aware of its identity before you pull the envelope out of your wallet. As soon as you know which card the spectator has stoppetfon, you remove the appropriate envelope from the ‘Loaded’ side, and place it in the pocket of the Himber wallet. Close the wallet, and, after suitable commentation, open the ‘clean’ side of the wallet. Do to the peculiar structure of the Himber wallet, the spectator will see an otherwise empty wallet with an envelope peeking out of the pocket! The illustration on the next page should make this clear. Reopen the wallet to the clean side and place his card on display in the pocket. He opens the envelope and reads the prediction, and, assuming you removed the correct envelope, it will match the card at which he freely stopped! Clean as a whistle...Comments: Admittedly, this is just another way to end the Koran Checkbook Miracle, which originally used a four-way out (two double-faced cards) Anyone seeing George Kirkendallperform this stunner knows how strong, a routine itis. Consider doing this with a Tarot deck, and include a little forturi@ With the prediction. Add a little thought and you come up with: STONED MIRACLE Effect: The Psychic entertainer lays out five different semi-precious gem- stones. He also lays out five cards from the Major Arcana from a Tarot deck. The spectator selects any stone and places it on any card. The Amazing One produces a written fortune for the spectator that mentions both the card and the stone! Method: I gave one method for doing this in my first book: The Man With the $1.98 Hands. This is a similar but easier method. The five stones should be different colors. You can procure five suitable gems from your local New Age shop. You force one of the stones using the Equivoque, or “Magician’s Choice’. Or, you could use the PATEO force. Its up to you. By the way, my hero Jack Dean of Memphis has written an invaluable monograph on the Equivoque. It is state of the art, and if you do not have it, you should get it (see Suppliers at the end of the book). In a Himber wallet, you have a similar setup to the one in OPEN KORgebut with five fortunes for each of the five different cards. Each fortune mentions the force stone as well! So, in a nutshell, you force the stone and, as soon as they place it ona selected card, remove the envelope _ containing the correct prediction for the card they select. Place the envelope on the outside of the wallet, to use as a writing surface, and write theirname on theenvelope. Reopen the walletto the ‘clean’ side, and place the envelope inside. Place the wallet, open and on one short edge, on the table. Ask if the spectator felt any unseen forces at work. Regardless of their response, have them open the envelope and read the fortune aloud. By the way, I keep a few Fortune Teller Miracle Fish (available from D. Robins) in the ‘clean’ side. I give them one as a souvenir. Works for me! 14Sneaky strategem used in Qpen Koran (Also used in The Stoned Miracle) The six possibilities are indexed When you later open the ‘clean’ ‘on one side of a Himber Wallet. side of the wallet, it looks empty, You remove the appropriate except for the singlePrediction envelope and place it in the pocket. envelope! | recommend keeping a few business cards or Fortune Teller Miracle Fish in the empty side of the wallet.figavy mera Let them keep the fortune, do! Comments: ‘Your strength of personality can make or break this one. wa More Comments: oS OK, I will give you the five fortunes! I force a carnelian, a yellowish stone. So the five fortunes read: (1) The yellow carnelian is a stone that attracts a strongly passionate nature. Someone who brings an emotional overcharge to all aspects of their life. Your spiritual journey is indicated by the Chariot, which promises that you will find what you seek at the end of your journey! Always remember that half the fun of any journey lies in getting there! Go in peace! (2) The yellow carnelian is a stone that attracts a strongly passionate nature. Someone who brings an emotional overcharge to all aspects of their lives. Your intuitive nature is indicated by The High Priestess, a card that signifies intuitive knowing beyond logic or reason. Follow your inner voice, for the heart knows what you truly need. Sometimes, you just - know. Go in peace! (3) The yellow carnelian...(etc). You like people, and need the company and approval of others, but at times, you need to spend time alone to recharge your spiritual and emotional energies. This is indicated by the Hermit, a card that indicates an inner solitude that no one can truly reach. Celebrate your uniqueness! Go in peace! (4) The yellow carnelian...(etc). You have a strong sense of right and wrong, but an individual sense of values, so you may not necessarily seek the approval of others in all that you do. Some things, you do for yourself. Do not worry too much about the path that others may seek to choose for you. Judgement is a card that addresses proper action, even at times when the proper action is - to do nothing! Go in peace! (5) The yellow carnelian...(etc). Your sense of humor and carefree approach to life can be cultivated as one of your strongest assets. The “*™ Fool is a card that addresses this inner child, and urges you to play more, 15and do not get so caught up in the minutiae of your daily routines that you forget to have fun! Follow your bliss, and go in peace! As well as you, go in peace... ac "Maybe you should consider Prozac!" 16SIMPLY TAROT Effect: Astack of ten Tarot Cards are shown and the history of the cards briefly discussed. A prediction is shown in a wallet. The participant is asked to name aloud any number between one and ten. The numerological significance of the number is discussed, and then the participantis asked to deal off that number of cards onto the table. The card they deal down to matches the prediction in the wallet, which is, of course, a joyous card that predicts much happiness in the near future! Method: You use a force that Bascom Jones has had in MAGICK a tew times, calling it ‘the European 10-11 force’. You say you have ten cards, but you actually have eleven. The card third from the top is The Lovers, and the card fifth from the top is The Sun. The Lovers predicts romance, and The Sun predicts success in all endeavors. Duplicates of these two cards are also on both sides of a Himber wallet or a double envelope. If the person names ‘2’, you count two cards off the top and turn over the third card. If the person names ‘3’, you count down to thethird card and turn it face up. If the person says ‘4’, you count off four cards and turn up the fifth. If the person says ‘5’, you count down and turn over the fifth card. For6, 7, 8, and 9, you turn the stack face-up and count from the bottom. At any rate, you will always end up at either The Sun or The Lovers. You open the appropriate side of your flip-flop gimmick and reveal their fortune! Comments: If you hate your audience, you could predict Death or The Tower (which means destruction)! HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHA! The wallet I prefer to use for this routine is the Shogun Wallet and is available from Jerry Mentzer or Al Cohen (seeSuppliers at the end of the book). This wallet looks like acommon bi-fold hip wallet, yetcandomany of the same things a Himber wallet can do. Another idea is to use the entire deck, and force the stack Using the “** Criss-Cross force. Remove your stock and proceed with the routine! 17gonn Mvggs LIVING AND DEAD KILLER This does not use Tarot Cards or a Himber Wallet. { use this in my Halloween Horror Show, and it is very strong. Effect © Five people write the names of living acquaintances on small slips of paper, and one participant writes the name of adead person. These slips, balled up by the participants, are gathered ina glass, as two ladies join the performer at his table. The performer then constructs a curious device that allows the audience to see his pulse beat. This device consists of a wooden match impaled on a thumbtack. He lays it on his wrist. The match acts as a metronome, bobbing in rhythm to the performer’s pulse. An occultic book is placed on the table, and a candle is lit and placed upon the book. One lady is requested to feel for the performer’s pulse in the hand opposite the one with the ‘pulse meter’ resting on it. One ata time, the pellets are laid on the performer’s palm by the other lady. “It is said," intones the performer, “That the names of the remembered dead retain the power to summon or connect with the spirit of the deceased. It is not my intention to summon the spirit of the dear departed tonight, sir! - merely to compel them to whisper their name to me!” As the pellets are dropped in the performers hands, he discards the first two or three. “No," he says. "The life force runs strong in these.” Then, he eh The pulse bobber stops! "So cold...Cold...” “What do you feel?” He asks the nurse. “His pulse has stopped...” She whispers. “This is definitely the name of one who is no longer of this mortal coil. Please concentrate on the name.” The performer haltingly reveals the ‘dead’ name! Tossing the ball into the candle, it erupts in a ball of fire as the performer laughs demonically! Method: Whew! I got shivers just writing that one up! This is the only living and dead test I know of wherein the performer ‘dies’ during the performance, although in my past life as a magician, I ‘died’ on an alarmingly regular basist ©"Heavy Mentai You stop your pulse using two rubber balls under your armpits. Just press your arms against them and Voila! You are dead! Old Hindu Trick... The match and tack pulse bobber is from a science book I read in the fifth grade. Itlets everybody in your audience witness your pulse stopping. Just impale the end of a wooden kitchen match ona thumbtack, and place it on wa& your wrist over the pulse. It will bob in time to your heartbeat_ The dead name? Any method you prefer. The simplest method is best, so I usually just read it over the guy’s shoulder while he writes it! Magicians to whom I have revealed this monumental secret have looked at me like I was crazy, but if you do not make a big deal out of it, this stratagem will work. You Mentalists know that what I am saying is true. I pass out books for the people to use as backrests, and give the dead name dude the first one. Ican come back just as he’s finishing and glimpse thename. Then, I tell everyone tocrumple their papers into alittle ball and collect the slips in a wine glass. OK, for you chickens, use Post-It Notes and a Koran Impression Book from Tarbell, Volume 6, page 247 (A Wordin Thousands). Briefly, you cut outa 4"x4" square from a hardback book, glue the square onto the page on the inside of the book so it fits into the slot, and stick a piece of paper onto the square. You then reline the slipcover of the book with carbon paper and replace it around the book. The book is now be gimmicked to receive an impression from anything written on a piece of paper resting on the book. You hand this to the guy to use as a backrest to write upon. Details of the Koran book have been in print several times, most notably in Tarbell, but I suggest that if you would like to see the real work on building a routine out of the Koran Book, see Lee Earle's Corsage Clairvoyance from Symposium Secrets, the lecture notes from the Becker-Earle Mentalism Symposium! Since you personally stick the Post-It Note on the book, you assure it goes over the ‘hot’ area. You open the book to read the impression - just do it casually when you are arranging the candle setup, and no one will think anything of it. You could, of course, open it up to read some cool phrase or quote about the remembered dead; use your discretion! The book I use is Zolar’s Book of Forbidden Wisdom, by the way. Or, you could take the pellet from him and switch it out, tossingadummy inthe glass and reading the palmed slip as you remove the book and candle. —¥= Anyway, just do it, BYFM, and get the name. 19At any time during the procedure while your volunteer hands you papers, stop, gasp, and reveal that yes, you are indeed holding the dead name. If you marked the dead paper, you can actually stop on it, but what do you do if it’s the first paper she hands you? No drama! Reveal the dead name, and relax. Get your slip of flash paper from your lap of@Mferever and toss it into the candle flame as you burst forthin your __ most impressive peals of laughter. Comments: You may get burned at the stake for this one. By the way, I interrupt the procedure with the following routine: The Murdered Whore (yes, of course I come up with my own titles!) I collect the names, do theMurdered Whore, and then do the Living and Dead Killer. You may do either way. Se a 20An Eerie effect, wherin the restless spirit of a murder victim cries out for restitution from beyond the grave!THE MURDERED WHORE Effect: “In the thirties, the downtown area was notorious for an excessive ae amount of gangland activity. Every imaginable racket was operated, gambling, vice, prostitution, extortion - the corruption knew Tio bounds. This golden era of debauchery ended shortly after the decline of prohi- bition. "But, in its time, no place was more active, or more notorious, than the now destroyed Andrew Johnson Hotel. This hotel, as many of you know, was the hub of all the gambling, all the vice, and all that was criminal in the city. This story 1am about to tell you involves one of the blackest acts ever to occur in a place where atrocities were as common as Stars in the sky. " There was on premises a call girl, a lady of the evening, a woman of loose morals, and her name was Marie. This was her professional name; out of courtesy for the family we will not reveal her true name. She was the favorite ah, companion of one William Taylor, one of the most notorious and dangerous of the gangsters of that era; a person who, in the vernacular of the time, was known as a ‘collection agent’. "Taylor's job was to collect monies owed to the mob by business owners, by people, who, hard hit by the depression, had no recourse but to borrow money from Taylor’s bosses. And William was very, very good at collecting. William did not make threats of legal actions or wage garnishments- he used a baseball bat to get his point across. "Marie knew a lot of the hotel’s secrets - and one day, as part of a plea © bargain, the police pressured Marie into talking. She told the police what she knew, and the police rounded up most of the members of the gang - everyone was caught up in the police’s net...everyone, except William Taylor. "So on that Hallowe’en night 63 years ago, at about this time, William Franklin Taylor entered Marie’s apartment. She was at her mirror, applying makeup, with this very silk scarf around her lovely neck. William was equipped with a baseball bat... "The details are too shocking to relate, but suffice it to say, William made an example out of Marie. Even by today's standards, the crime was ee brutal and shocking. "Those who study the Paranormal say that the old hotel held the 21ONN riggs restless spirits of the many victims of the crime syndicate. I do not know. Perhaps the tortured souls of the dead still cry out for revenge. As a passionate student of the bizarre, I managed to salvage a few relics from the hotel when it burned to the ground over a decade ago. "Here is Marie's mirror. And her scarf. And, her lipstick. Yes, this is the valiirror that Marie was sitting infront of atthe time ofherhorrible _- murder! “And they do say that each Hallowe'en, at exactly midnight, there appears a faint, final , one might say damning clue revealing the awful sight this mirror witnessed that terrible night. "Marie's tormented spirit crying out from beyond the grave!” On the now blood-spattered surface of the mirror appears the word ‘murder’ - in lipstick! Method: I don’t know what gets into me. This little ghost story has caused people to get up and walk around in circles, talking to themselves. Your props are: *A mirror, about 11"x 14". Itis ina wooden frame, whichis treated with blowtorch and icepick, making it look very old. *An aged silk scarf. Spot it with bleach and let soak for a while; it will look old. *An antique lipstick from an antique shop or from your Granny’s drawers. * Formethod number one, a piece of acetate, cut to fit inside the mirror. A good source for this is the plastic used for overhead transparencies. Spatf@fut with brownish red paint, and write the word ‘murder’, in mirror image, on it with bright red paint. Smear the ‘blood’ around, and get your girlfriend to add a couple of bloody fingerprints! ’ This is all contained i *An envelope made of aged leather, marked ‘Exhibit ‘A’. Place the lipstick, mirror, and scarf in the envelope. The scarf goes between the gimmick and the mirror, so the gimmick does not prematurely cling to the mirror. Performance: ‘Teltyorr story, show the props, place the mirror in the envelope, and let the gimmick attach itself to the mirror via the miracle of static electricity. 22a= ~ How's that for a concise description, boss? Place the lipstick and scarf in the envelope, count off the seconds to midnight, and then remove the mirror and show itat the right psychological moment. It will keep them up all night! Method #2is a little more involved, but it allows you to hand the mirror out for inspection by the more outre members of the audience— You make a double-sided mirror, and place it in a frame so there is an equal distance between the front of the mirror and the frame, and the back of the mirror and the frame. You also have a thin wooden flap inside the envelope, cut just the right size that it will jam into the frame on the ‘clean’ side of the mirror. Your grotesque message is on the reverse side, which you do not show to the audience at first. I like to polish the mirror with the scarf as I show it - treating it as a valued collectable. When you replace the mirror back in the envelope, you jam the flap into the ‘clean’ side. Now, when you remove the mirror, the bloody side is showing, and the mirror can safely be handed for examination! You can get a woodworking friend to make the gimmicked mirror, or | may decide to market it myself. Who knows? Comments: I got the idea of ‘murder’ in a mirror image from Steven King's novel THE SHINING. It looks like it saysREDRUM, and the association ought to add to the ‘chill’ factor. Ialso thought it would be an excellent touch to have a few police photos ofa grisly murder scene in the folio, and flash them as you remove the other props. In fact, one of the photos could be your secret flap! 23Back to Normal: The Himber Ring-a Dinger Effect: The performer borrows three wedding rings from the audience, and links them together ina chain. The owner of each ring verifies thathis ring is deffhtely linked to the other two. The effect is the same as in other Himber Ring routines, but the method eliminates the fumbling associated with even the best routines. Method: You need two Himber Linking wedding bands. When you borrow the three rings, the two Himber rings lie concealed in the left hand. As you place the borrowed rings into the hand, you link the three borrowed rings together with the two gimmicked rings into a chain of five. Now, you pick up the third ring from the end in the right hand, the first two rings concealed by the fingers of the right hand. You can now allow the first spectator to identify his ring. The second spectator’s ring is visible too, and can be identified, but you may want to try an alternate handing that I use, that I will explain in a minute. To show the third ring, you take the chain into the left hand, hiding the bottom two rings. This shows the audience a chain of three, with the second and third borrowed rings in full view. Now, you proceed to unlink the rings one at a time and return them to their owners, pocketing the gimmicks as you remove a handkerchief and wipe your brow, indicating the extent of your efforts to entertain the audience. Thegligmative handling, which I use sometimes after the first spectator identifies his ring, is secretly removing the ring and the first Himber ring from the chain and conceal the two in the left hand. Now, the right hand can cleanly show a chain of three rings, the second and third borrowed tings clearly in view. The performer disconnects the rings in the front of the room, and hands them back to the spectators. Comments: In my opinion, the best one-gimmick ring routine isRichard Osterlind’s from his book , Two Perfected Routines. This routine of mine eliminates the fumbling required to switch out two of the rings during the routine. Just a thought: if you can afford the two gimmicks-go for it! 24a= sigavy wigtial After-Dinner Alchemy Effect: You transmute salt into sugar-in someone else’s hands! In certain circles, you will be asked to start your own church! Patter: a "It is possible, under admittedly certain very restricted conditions, to affect a pychokenetic restructuring of crystal onthe molecular level. With practice, it has been suggested that sucha mind could turn lead into gold! "The dream of the ancient Alchemists! Let’s attempt a less dramatic, and more legal, demonstration!” The performer pours a tablespoon of salt into a spectator’s hand, and an equal amount into his own. An expert tastes the salt to verify its, uh, well, its saltiness. With a few passes and much concentration, the assisting spectator tastes his salt. It has been transformed into sugar! The performer, meanwhile, is pouring his crystals into a little vial. When asked, he responds: "Iconverted mine into a crystalline substance that is well, a little more interesting than sugar!" The performer pockets the vial. The Method: At the restaurant, before your friends arrive, you prepare a saltshaker by unscrewing the top. Then , place a paper napkin over the neck of the shaker, and with your finger, press the napkin down into the shaker about 1/2". Into this pocket, pour the contents of one packet of sugar. Rescrew the topand tear away any napkin pieces that are still visible. This witfgive you a saltshaker that has a secret ‘stache’ of sugar at the top. The napkin piece keeps the salt from mixing with the sugar. Now, when you are ready to perform, pour your sugar into the hands of a participant as you are talking. Then, apparently impatient with the amount of time it takes to use the shaker with the lid in place, remove the top and pour out a tablespoon or so of salt into your own hand. You have, of course, taken the opportunity to lap or otherwise ditch the napkin piece! Secretly obtain a pinch of salt from your pile between the second finger and thumb. Pretend to pinch this from the spectator’s pile, and let someone taste it. 25“Salt tastes salty because of the chemical interaction that occurs on the tongue, reflecting the unique crystalline structure of the salt crystal. Let us see if we can alter the matrix through an effort of will.” Grunt, sweat, etc...and then allow the spectator to taste his salt. Itis now sugar! “Whew! Its a good thing I stopped when I did”; you proclaim. “A little madre and it would have converted to very concentrated strychnine.” _- Dispose of your salt in a vial as described above. The salt shaker is clean, for any skeptics. Comments: T usually include this in a tableside ‘impromptu’ performance of PK along with mySlow-Motion Gellerism and/or/Key Shocker from my first book, TheMan With the$1.98 Hands , available from me, or fromMagic Methods (see Suppliers at the end of this book). Ihave included these two routines here for completeness. Thanks to Jerry Mentzer, of Magic Methods, for permission to reprint these items from my book, Riggs-The Man With the $1.98 Hands. KEY SHOCKER (Don't even bother trying to tell them it’s not the real thing!) Effect: ‘Two keys bend apart at your fingertips, until each key has a bend of about 20 degrees! Method: Whijqborrowing spare keys from your audience, add two keys bent at 20 degree angles or, secretly bend a couple of keys while you patter. Irecommend warming up the audience by bending a single key (per the Geller method) to prepare them for what they are going to see. Pick up the two bent keys and hold them at the fingertips, hiding the bend (see the illustration on the next page). The two bends angle away from each other, and the keys look flat and parallel. Apply pressure with your forefingers and the heads of the two keys move apart. This looks like the science demonstration with magnetic leaves hanging in a bottle and this image gives this con a spurious sort of realism. The Musion is heightened by moving the finger of the opposite hand 26Key Shocker Two keys, secretly bent at 20 degree angles Press /c) The keys are held at the fingertips, with the forefinger hiding the bent condition. Press gently, and you will get the result shown below! > _—— Spectator's view_ toward the keys as they “bend”. It looks as if mysterious forces are at work! Throw the keys on the table as though they are red hot, and don’t hold your breath waiting for someone to pick them up to examine! SLOW-MOTION GELLERISM = Effect: ‘A borrowed spoon from your audience, held by the extreme end of the handle, becomes so liquid that the bow! slowly swings off, and then audibly snaps away from the spoon! Method: Secretly prepare a spoon by bending the bowl back and forth until it is almost ready to break. There is a knack to this which you practice by bending spoons until they do break. This is a standard spoon-softening technique demonstrated by many spoon-benders, most notable Randi. Due to this softening procedure, the bowl of the spoon would break off if bent back and forth a couple of times after this stress bar forms — but DON’T do it yet! Cover the stress bar with a 1/4 by 5/8 inch bit of shiny Scotch tape. Notice that the tape is “lop-sided” — the majority of the length is toward the bowl. The spoon is now ready. Hold the spoon by the handle in a loose fist with the thumb pressing on the joint. The spoon must now be secretly and gently broken. With practice, this can be done by waving the spoon up and down a couple times. Or, it is gently flexed with the opposite hand until it breaks. The tape wilLhold the bowl in place. With the spoon broken, push your thumb against the bottom end of the tape, toward the bowl of the spoon, while pressing FIRMLY with the thumb. Notice the tape is stretching and “creeping” upward. The bowl will start tobendatapoint 1/4 inch to 1/2inch from the fulcrum formed by the thumb and finger. This process may be stopped and started at any time. Now, to really give them the Willies, hold the spoon by the extreme end of the handle and jiggle it slowly up and down. The bowl will continue to bend. Just as the tape starts to give, snap the handle with your 3rd finger (as 27if you were doing the jumping match trick) and the bowl of the spoon will break off and FLY AWAY with a “ting!” You may steal the tape away as you retrieve the bowl, but my experience has been that no one is in a great hurry to handle the spoon! By the way, I have been working for classier audiences lately, and I have discome#ed that it is almost impossible to put the necessary ‘work’ intoa _- silver spoon. I found that they tend to break during the attempt. So, I had to come up with an alternate method for the effect! You essentially tape together the broken pieces of the spoon witha ring of tape around the handle of the spoon, at the break. Nest this prepared spoon with an ungimmicked spoon, to support it and keeping it from breaking prematurely. Add the two spoons to the basket of silverware. and proceed as detailed above. —_ 28Slow-Motion Gellerism This picture says it . all. You let the bowl Point where slowly bend down, tape stretches. as the tape stretches. y=~ DREAM CAR - PLUS Effect: The performer hands an audience assistant a small paper bag. There is a small slip of paper attached to the bag. Three other audience members are designated to help with the demon- stration. ~ “went out shopping for a new car the other day"; The performer states. "And, as | am sure many of you can understand, I encountered a bewildering variety of choices. I could not even decide what color car I wanted, but I finally narrowed it down to two colors - orange or green. “Which color do you think [finally chose?" He asks the first spectator. The answer is recorded for posterity. “Now, I had to decide on a model of car". Pointing to the second spectator, he asks: "What model car do you think I decided upon?" The performer records the answer alongside of the first spectator's response. "Now, we had to haggle over a price. The salesman told me it would cost everything Ihad! So, sir-" Pointing to the third spectator, "How much loose change, under one dollar, do you now have in your pocket?" The spectator's answer is recorded on the pad next to the other two answers. "Clipped to that bag is the actual receipt for the car I finally decided to buy." To the volunteer holding the bag- "Please read the slip aloud in a loud, clear voice!" The spectator unfolds the slip and reads it aloud. The information on the slip matches the answers offered by the three spectators! But, there's more! => Reaching into the bag, the performer removes a toy Matchbox car of the same color named by the first spectator! "This was the only car I could get for under a dollar!" The performer ruefully admits. Method: This routine really breaks down into two effects: the matching of the information, and the revelation of the toy car. We will deal with the toy car first. ~ Toy stores sell a small car that is treated with a paint called Hypercolor. 29yonn Higgs This paint actually changes color according to its temperature! A similar pigment is used in a Bombshell effect marketed by Mike Gattis under the name Mark of the Pirate. You reset the color of the car by dipping it in cold water. The heat of your hand will make it change to the other color! My car changes from greenatéa sort of pinkish orange. = To reveal the ‘cold’ color, you carefully remove the car from the bag by _ holding it between fingers and thumb at the car's two bumpers. Lay it on the palm of your hand as you make your rueful confession. To reveal the ‘hot’ color, you reach into the bag while the spectator reads the information from the sales slip. Holding the carin yourhand, as though building to the dramatic moment, effects the color change! If you cannot obtain a Hypercolor car, you could use two large photos of yourself standing in front of two cars of different colors. These photos would be on either side of a double envelope. Be sure that your body blocks the identifying logo on the car, and to also restrict the spectator's choice to car models with similar body lines, such as Toyota, Honda, and Ford. This prevents some chucklehead from naming an easily-recogniz- able car such as a Ferrari or Jaguar! Oh, yeah, the prediction!? The slip of paper is adummy, clipped to the bag with an Ostin-style Bulldog Clip Billet Switcher. This is a well- known gimmick that is essentially a bulldog clip with a rubber band looped around it so that it will retract a piece of paper back within its jaws when you open it. You secretly double-write the information the spectator gives you, once on the pad you are holding, and again on a folded slip, carefully folded so that you can fill in the blank data fields with the audience-proffered inforfdfion. You palm this slip, and pretend to remove it from the clip, == which, you will recall, retracts the visible dummy when you open it Nothing left but presentation! Inspiration: Phil Goldstien, Jack Dean, Al Koran, and Claudia Schiffer. (Well, I don't know about you, but Claudia inspires the hell out of me!) 30FUTURE IMPERFECT "...Subtle and insubstantial, the expert leaves no trace; divinely mysteri- ous, he is inaudible. Thus, he is master... "He who knows the art of direct and indirect approach s shall be victorious... ".dtis the business of the general to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self controlled..." --Sun Tzu - The Art of War Effect: This is my presentation for the classic Newspaper Headline Prediction effect. This routine meets and conquers many of the objections that are inherent in a routine wherein you profess that you can predict the future. This presentation is so dramatic and convincing that the audience gets its money's worth, even though you never actually predict the headline! You will see...read on... Preparation: It is necessary to obtain or manufacture facsimiles of newspapers that covered famous historical events that were (or that you can claim were) predicted by Psychics. You can obtain these facsimiles from companies that specialize in nostalgic memorabilia. There are companies that will provide you witha copy of the newspaper that came out on the day you were born. Unfortu- nately, I do not have an address for such a company, but I have seen advertisements in some of the Lady's magazines, Imade my own utilizing the same modern computer desktop pablishing technology that helped bring you this monumental tome. Tuse headlines dealing with the destruction of the Hindenburg, the start of World War Two, the assassination of Kennedy, and the bombing of Hiroshima. I laminate these, but for very Corporate audiences, | suggest you use a slide presentation. Now, you must gather or invent data about Psychics who are credited with predicting world events. Jean Dixon is generally believed to have predicted the assasination of JFK, and Nostrodamus is always good for some catastrophic predictions. If you like, you could include some ‘gag’ 31predictions from the tabloids. You will need a large wall calender on an easel. You need a large transparent brief envelope, with a closure on the end, and a roll of duct tape (the Mentalist's friend!). The transparent plastic envelope should be large enough to holda newspaper folded into quarters. ae Further Preparation: Take a piece of blank newsprint, 24" x 36", and fold it until you can seal itin a standard business sized envelope. On the outside of this envelope is the admonition: DELIVER UNOPENED TO ME ON THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW! and, the date of the show. Prepare a duplicate of this envelope and keep it handy. The prepared envelope is placed in a large envelope and mailed to a prearranged contact at the company whose event you will be performing for. Include a cover letter, which explains in detail that they are to keep the enclosed (prepared) envelope in the larger envelope, and to bring the packet to you on the night of the show. The participant is instructed not to tamper with the sealed envelope in any way, as it contains important information that will be revealed the night of the show. I suggest you telephone the person before they receive the letter, and give them the instructions. Preparing the Prediction: On the day of the show, get a copy of the day's newspaper. Lay a blank sheet of newsprint against it, and carefully trace any pictures on the page. Draw in some of the letters of the headline, but bynomeans copy the entire headline. In this case, less is definitely more! Draw horizontal marks to repreS@Mt the column layout of the paper. You want to create the impression of trying to recreate something you saw vaguely, as inadream, but could not really read it. I will explain the reason for this during the “ presentation. You then seal your drawing in the duplicate envelope. The Night of the Show: ‘The envelope containing the prediction is prepared for switching as follows: You fold the newspaper in quarters, and fold back the corners of the two pages on the underside of the paper. See the illustration on the next page for more details of the switch, Place the prediction envelope under 32the paper, and lay the packet on the table, being careful not to crease the folds. When the person entrusted to bring you the envelope approaches you, hand them the transparent envelope, and pick up the paper. Hand the helper the duct tape, and take the envelope from them, and apparently placing it momentarily under the paper, actually place it between the pages of the paper. The two folded corners facilitate this maneuver. Let the folds relax as you bring the bottom of the paper to view. Place the paper and the (now switched!) envelope in the transparent case and implore the dignitary to seal the package securely. Emphasize that you do not want to touch anything. Since your hands are empty both before and after the switch, there is absolutely no reason for the person to suspect anything. Instruct the dignitary to keep the package safe throughout the evening, and to bring it forward when it is called for. The Sell: “Ladies and Gentlemen, one of the oldest dreams of mankind concerns the apparent ability of certain unique individuals to move aside the veil of eternity and peek into the mysteries of the future. To the skeptic, this seems impossible, but there are so many verifiable instances of prognos- tications that it is necessary to give the matter some very serious consideration. "We have all had experiences of this in our own lives. Vague feelings that something wasn't right about a person, that later evidence proved valid: the feeling of Deja Vu, the uncanny sensation that all this has happened before, dreams or premonitions that have come true. Or, the common occurrence of thinking about someone you may havessot heard from in years, only to have the telephone ring - and it is them! “These are but a few examples of how this phenomenon, called Clairvoyance, affects our lives on a personal level. "It is a well-documented fact, that airplane flights that eventually crashed have a higher percentage of last-minute cancellations! Some mysterious survival skill is apparently at work here... "T have brought along some examples of historic events that, it is said, were predicted by Psychics before they happened. "A young Chicago Psychic named Stephen Meese called the Tribune with the conviction that he saw a vision of a huge Airship going up in flames. He saw hundreds of people dying by fire. Two days later, the 33dirigible Hindenburg exploded, taking hundreds of lives with it. “Nostradamus and Mother Shipton foresaw the use of flying machines carrying explosive devices of unimaginable power used in warfare... "And who could forget this awful day - the day when a young American President fell to the assassin's bullet. This event was predicted by a Washington Psychic named Jean Dixon... = "The career of Hitler was described in almost clinical detail by the French physician history remembers as Nostradamus. These individuals apparently saw, with senses transcending normal thought, events that were destined to happen in the future." During this delivery, the appropriate headlines are shown. "I have been recently involved in a series of experiments concerning the prophetic nature of dreaming. Some of the observed results appear to transcend the normal restrictions of cause and effect. "Two weeks ago, I entered a state of heightened awareness, and, ina state closely resembling the REM state of normal sleep, I attempted to project my awareness into the future - to this very date: tonight, ladies and gentlemen! "I pictured myself walking down Main Street. I saw the people, the buildings, I smelled the aromas, all as though I was strolling down the street instead of reclining on my living room couch. I tried to pin down exactly where and when I was - and then, I stopped- in front of me was a Newspaper stand! “Ladies and gentlemen, I could not figure out how I could bring this artifact back with me, so I decided to do the next best thing - I tried to read the headline for that day! "However, this was not as easy as it sounds. You must remember I was in a dn state, which is a function of the right brain. And reading is a left-brain function. I could not, try as I might, read the darned thing! "However, I could look at the pictures, and by doing so, I could make out some of the information. The results of that experiment, my attempted glimpse into the future, are in a sealed envelope that I entrusted to the company's president, J. Throckmorton Moneysworth. Are you here sir?" As the president approaches the stage, an assitant rolls out a large calendar.. "Sir, this is today's date." It is circled in red. “Now, when did you actually receive that letter from me? The 10th? So you have had that letteséneyour possession for how long? - Ten days? 34Future Imperfect Take the envelope from the dignitary, and place it under the newspaper for a moment as you hand him the roll of tape and the-trans- parent envelope. ae Allow the folds to relax, and raise the newspaper to eye-level as you place the paper and the (now switched!) envelope into the transparent brief. Instruct your helper to seal it up securely. "I don't want to touch it!"ae "Did anyone tamper with it in any way? What is the postmark on the letter? The fifth? So it actually left my possession fifteen days ago! "Would you please open the seals and remove the contents?" When the dignitary opens the envelope, the performer removes the newspaper and unfolds it to show the headline. It is apparent that the similarities between the two items defy any possibility of coincidence! Allow the president to keep the prediction as a souvenir, along with the front page of the newspaper. Deep six the rest of the paper with the damning duplicate envelope. I suggest you drop it into the nearest Black Hole! Comments: I continue by performing the Hoy/Thornton Hurling the Headlines, from the Bold and Subtle Miracles of Dr. Faust. Jack Dean has written a monograph on the Verbal Prediction, entitled Soothsayer. The use of the large calendar is a suggestion by Gene Neilson, from his Effective Mental Presentation tape (available from Flora & Co. - see Suppliers at the end of this book). The newspaper switch is partially mine, but many others have tread similar ground before. Some suggest the use of rubber cement to seal the envelope in, but I have never found it necessary. This presentation helps you avoid the logical trap of "/fyou're so smart, why aint'cha rich?" Animperfect prediction of the future, such as the one in my presentation, keep you miles away from this particular kettle of hot water. The left brain / right brain anomaly is an accepted fact (at least, it is at the time of this writing!). A person cannot read well, if at all, ina dream. The words keep changing, and hence, the result lacks coherence=This was the light at the end of the tunnel for me; I had dropped the headline prediction from my show as being too good to be true. Ido hope you like it - I spent about a year of deep (if sporadic) thought to come up with the bits and pieces that eventually became the Future Imperfect Headline Prediction! 35THE ENIGMA OF THE IRON MASK Effect: With eyes sealed shut with duct tape from forehead to upper lip, and vision further occluded with a steel blindfold, the Psychic Entertainer demonstrates uncanny extra-sensory skills as he describes objects bor- rowediefom the audience - and even reads the serial numbers from dollar bills with his fingertips! Method: Tknow you've heard it all before, but this is a really convincing blindfold method touse with any metal blindfold. Suitable blindfolds commercially available are: Sam Dalal's X-Ray Vision, Micky Hades Stainless Steel Blindfold, andOsterlind's Apex Blindfold. I preferto design my own and have them produced at the local metal fabrication shop. You must use a steel blindfold that allows you to obtain what I always think of as the 'Falkenstein peek’ - which is a sort of angled straight-ahead peek as opposed to the usual down-the-nose peek. This taping procedure allows you to completely cover your face, from forehead to chin, if you like, and still get a good ‘peek’! l use five pieces of black duct tape or any other kind of cloth tape. I prefer tape that is about 2" wide. These pieces are stuck to'a numbered board for visibility, and the board handed to a spectator. You call for the pieces one at a time, and stick them in place. Please refer to the illustrations on the next page to clarify what I am talking about. Piece #1 is about 3 1/2" long, and the non-sticky side is lightly coated with vaseline (key word here: lightly!). Pid®eS # 2 and #3 are about 6" long, and about 1/8" of the edge of the sticky surface is lightly wiped with vaseline. Pieces #4 and #5 are about 7" long and unprepared. Procedure: Piece #1 goes along the length of your nose, "... To protect my nose from the sharp edge of the metal mask..." Piece # 2 goes diagonally over the left eye, with the treated edge overlapping the nose piece. Be sure to keep your eyes tightly screwed shut during the taping process! A-barly spectator presses the tape firmly in place. 36—— Edges treated with vaseline ia= Piece #3 goes diagonally over the right eye, again with the treated edge overlapping the nose piece. Piece #4 goes across the forehead, just over the eyes. Piece #5 goes under the nose, and wraps up beneath the cheeks. Your burly spectator presses all the tape firmly in place, and then you don the steel blindfold. This process is fully illustrated on the accompa- nying illustration page. ~ Now, if you open your eyes, you will find that the tape becomes unstuck along the nose piece, giving you a sizable crack to peer through! The vaseline prevents the tape from sticking very well to the nose piece. Do not open your eyes until the blindfold is in place, by the way, or you will give it all away! Once the blindfold is in place, the black tape hides any possible visibility of the crack from curious spectators. Remember that you do not really need much of an opening to see everything you need to see, anyway. Presentation: Ido havea few thoughts on the presentation of the blindfold act. Always bear in mind Uncle John's First Rule of Mentalism: Mentalism is like Shakespeare: It plays a lot better than it reads. The effect of identifying colors with the fingertips, while undeniably impossible, can be deadly dull. I have developed a presentation that helps stimulate what imagination television has allowed to remain in your audience's minds! Imagine your ‘Brand X' Mentalist identifying the colors of hidden objects: ‘Er, hum...it seems to be...it seems to be bright! It is veHow!..."" Yawn. Luse a trick sold by Jack Dean called DOP, that allows you to identify the colors of objects wrapped in metal foil. You can use Jack's trick (see Suppliers at the end of this book) or simply use colored ribbons or cloths. The following ideas are applicable to any routine where you are identifying colors or other attributes, ostensibly with the sense of Dermo-Optical Perception. The idea is to describe the emotion, sensations, and images that each object is ‘inspiring’ in me. Here are my scripts for the basic colors: 37Red: "Do you feel that? The heat? This is a very hot color, ladies and gentlemen. This feel like young lovers sitting in front ofa warm fireplace, drinking red wine. It is a hot, passionate feeling - it must be red!" Oranges- = "This feels like...Do you know how the mountains look in the fall? When the trees are turning, and, lit by the fading light of sunset, the mountains look like they are on fire! This is a restful, bright color, the color of Autumn - orange!" Yellow: " seem to find myself in a garden...I think I'm picking up something from one of the ladies... This is not a garden in any sort of real sense, but a heavenly place, with flowers....yellow flowers of love and hope. This one must be yellow!" Green: "I seem to hear the happy voices of children playing in the grass... smell the freshly-cut grass! On the porch, it seems, the older people are sitting in chairs, drinking tea that is lightly seasoned with fresh mint... This is a cooling, relaxing color. It is green!” Blue: "This is anostalgic mood...It feels like old sneakers in the attic, basking in the cool light of the evening. I seem to feel a cool breeze, and see the stars alight in the dark blue sky! This can only be blue!" ae And so on. I try to lead the audience into a guided visualization of what it would be like to 'see' with senses other than normal vision. It reads a little schmaltzy, but it works well for me. I always end the blindfold demonstration by reading the serial numbers on a borrowed bill with my fingertips. The Duct Tape Test You can work this in as a presentational gambit, or actually use it to cover the dead time as audience members are tearing off your pieces of tapem—q = 38ae Figavy seis sas Audience Advisory: Use discretion in choosing your audience before you do this! Essentially, you hand one roll of tape to a lady, and one to a guy. You ask each of them to tear off one six-inch piece of tape for your personal use. As your helpers comply, you address the audience: “Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to witness the Duct Tape Test, a psychological mystery that seems to illustrate a fundamental difference in how men and women see the world. It is a funny thing. Whenever ask aman to tear me off a six inch piece of tape, I usually get something back about this long-" Here you hold your hands about eighteen inches apart- "But a woman will hand me a piece this long-" And here you hold your thumb and first finger about two inches apart! "This is one of Nature's true unsolved mysteries, ladies and gentlemen; no-one can explain it..." Comments: For some nifty pointers on the presentation of the Blindfold Act, read the discussion by William Larsen Sr. in The Collected Mysteries, published by Genii Press. For some solid gold lecture material on how the body reacts to color, see the Luscher Color Test, writtén by Dr. Max Luscher. This should be the Bible for anyone doing the Sightless Vision Act. Anent the somewhat risque implications of the Duct Tape Test: | must admit that occasionally, I like to toe the line separating good and bad taste. I try to never actually cross the line, however! A little innocent double- entendre, now and again, helps keep things interesting, assuming you choose your audience wisely. It occurs to me that if an audience has hired a Psychic Entertainer, they are already likely to be a little more open-minded that the average audience! ‘Nuff said. The Enigma of the Iron Mask John Riggs - MindBenders! A Unique Entertainment Experience! 39THE THREE FACES OF MAN Effect: "We are all, each of us, much more Psychic than we may be aware. We find ourselves intuitively attracted to those activities and interests that suit tom kest. "We seldom question those impulses that ‘feel right." "Thave three pictures that symbolize three very important aspects in our lives - Work, Romance, and, of course, Materialism." The performer shows three pictures - one of the Company Logo, one of a Sports car, and one of Marilyn Monroe. Approaching one of the audience members: "Sir; you look like someone who appreciates the finer things in life. You seem to value money and realize that cash can be important as a means to accomplish your goals. You can represent our materialistic instincts." The materialist is handed the picture of the sports car. A second spectator receives the picture of the Company Logo. "And you, sir, strike me as a real company man. Someone who identifies strongly with the success of the company. Very responsible and generous with your time. You may be our Company representative. "And you, sir, of course are perfect as our archetypal Lady's Man!" A third spectator gets the picture of the babe. "Now, I would like each of you to pick up an envelope and seal your symbol away from prying eyes. Sir, would you please randomize the packets so that no one, even you, can know which packet contains what symbol. Thank You!" "Now, Alan (just for example), one of these packets contains your sport, Which one do you intuitively feel is yours?" When he indicates his choice, Alan's name is written on the envelope and the performertucks it under his arm. "Now, Bob", the performer continues; "You are our smooth-talking Lothario- where is your girlfriend?" Bob's marked selection joins Alan's. “Well, Chuck, some are born with envelopes, some select envelopes, and others have envelopes thrust upon them! By default, this envelope is yours." Chuck's name is written on the final envelope and itis placed with the other two. Would you be surprised to learn that, when the three envelopes are distr#quted to their owners, all three have found their origin: bol? 40Meavy meiner Method: A long time ago, Robert Nelson published a great routine entitled Phenomenal ESP Perception. In Nelson's routine, five spectators cor- rectly identify five ESP symbols sealed in envelopes. You may want to read Nelson's original routine (still available through Micky Hades - see ceé = Suppliers at the end of this book) for more details. = ~ Well, it seemed to me that five out of five correct was a little thick, so I decided to use three symbols. I also wanted a routine I could use for Corporate seminars, that would incorporate the company logo and allow me to butter up the boss. I adapted Nelson's routine for my own needs. In Nelson's original routine, he suggested you mark the three envelopes alaAnnemann'sPseudo-Psychometry. | though it might be better to mark the symbols, so the participants could pick up the envelopes from the table, and I would not need to handle anything. You will notice that in this routine, you do not touch the pictures or the envelopes throughout the first part. You do handle them, once the participants seal and mix the envelopes, but you cannot possibly know what symbol is in which envelope, could you? Could you? Read on... The symbols are on heavy cardboard, about 12” x 12" in dimension. Apply the pictures to the cards with rubber cement. The pictures of the sports car and of Marilyn areshimmed (usually with razor blades) so that you can scan them with a magnet and identify them. The shims for the sports car are in the four corners, while Marilyn has the shims in the center of the four edges. This way, you get two distinct identifiers no matter which way the pictures are oriented. The company logo remains ungimmicked, so you can give it to the president of the company asa souvenir. The shims are glued in place between the pictures and cardboard. = The scanning magnet is concealed in the butt end of a large marking pen. Use the strongest magnet you can find, and for god's sake, keep it away from computer disks and videotapes! This idea of shimming cards in envelopes has been exploited in excellent routines by Jack Dean and Dr. Jaks. Now, how do you arrange matters so that each person chooses the correct envelope? Well, there is a good chance that they will pick the correct envelope anyway! But for the remaining 60% of the time, we go back to Nelson's “> creation for inspiration. ‘We assumed the three spectators were Alan, Bob, and Chuck. When 41Alan picks an envelope, you have had ample opportunity to scan it with the magnet, and determine if he was right or not. If he was correct, write his names in bold letters on the packetand flash itto the audience. Ifhe picked one of the other envelopes, however, you actually write the name of whoever the envelope really belongs to! ThisWrs the ingenious and ballsy part of Nelson's routine that set my mind on fire when I read it! So, now Bob gets his choice, and you write down the appropriate name on the envelope. You can put the labeled envelopes under your arm, or face-down on a table. Try to arrange matters so that no one can see what you are writing. A good touch is to ‘forget’ one of the names, and ask them torepeatit for you, as you write down the name of one of the other persons! Chuck gets the default envelope, which supposedly contains the company logo. All that remains is to distribute the three packages to the correct person, allow them to open the envelopes, and reveal that through Phenomenal ESP Perception, they each found his or her original symbol! 42ae ae —~ Deavy meat THE PROCRASTINATING PROGNOSTICATOR Effect: “One of the most impressive things any Psychic can do," you begin; "Is to predict the headline of tomorrow's newspaper. This is a certain and incontrovertible demonstration of the ability to push aside the veil of eternity and peer into the mysteries of the future." "I wish I could do that..." "However, I have recently joined a group called The Association of Procrastinating Prognosticators. We predict events after they Happen! “Actually, our accuracy rate is up to 90%! "I have in my hands a stack of newspaper headlines that we have accurately predicted after the fact. Now, | wanted to use the most reliable media possible, so after much research I decided on the on newspaper that dares to publish the naked, unvarnished truth that can be backed up in court. The World Weekly News! "Look at some of these headlines! ‘Space Alien Votes for Clinton'! ‘Satan Escapes From Hell’! ‘Werewolf Captured in Florida'! We predicted them all! "Sir, Lam going to remove the headlines, one at a time, and anytime you like, I would like you to say stop. But first, please hold onto this sealed prediction until I call for it. "Stop here? You stopped me on ‘Hillary Clinton Adopts Alien Baby’. Had you gone one further, it would have been ‘Half-Human, Half-Fish Found in Florida'. One sooner would have been 'Elvis Breaks Leg in Motorcycle Wreck'! "But you instinctively stopped me on ‘Hillary Adopts Alien Baby’! “Would you please open the prediction, and in your most dramatic fashion, unfurl it and show it to everyone?" = The spectator unfolds the paper, and is a giant (4' x 4') reproduction of the front page of the newspaper with the headline: ‘Hillary Clinton Adopts Alien Baby'! "Another event successfully predicted after it happened! Chalk another one up for the Procrastinating Prognosticators!" Method: Nothing to it - the hardest part is pronouncing ‘Procrastinating Prog- nosticators'! You make your props by buying several weeks worth of the Weekly 43ae World News. I use about 15 headlines. These are impressive props, as they are about 11" x 11", and extremely lurid! Take them to the quick copy place and have full-sized copies made. If you intend to actually perform this routine, have them laminated. While you are there, have five copies made of your force headline, and one giant copy made also. Mine measurds4' x 4'! Your setup, from the top down of your face-down stack is: Top face down card - a duplicate. Second face-down card, a different headline. Third face-down card - a duplicate. Continue alternating the duplicates until you use them all. Place the remaining four or five headlines on the bottom of the face down stack. These are all different, and should be as funny as possible! In fact, here are my headlines, with accompanying patter: "Alien Backs Perot’ - Humm....I always suspected he was one of them!" "World's Biggest Baby' - They obviously never saw me with a cold!" “Marilyn Monroe Was a Russian Spy' - Well, Duhhh...everyone knows that!" And, my all time favorite: ‘Satan Escapes From Hell!’ - No comment required. ° You hold your stack so the audience cannot see the face of the pile, and deliver your prefatory remarks. When you reach the part about "...the legitimate press..." You turn the stack over so they see the headline. If you do not get laughs here, you should probably stick with Grand Tlusion! As you read the headlines, place each one to the back of the stack. When you fo within one or two of your setup, turn the stack around, facing you, so that the audience sees only the blank backs. Request the spectator who is holding the folded prediction to say ‘Stop!" when he feels like it. You now have two possibilities to contend with. If he stops you with a force headline in your hand, thank your personal guardian angel. Simply turn it around, call attention to the headline at the face of the stack, and have the prediction revealed. If he stops you as you are placing the force headline to the back, simply remove it and show it. If he stops you with the force headline on the face of the stack, what are you worrted about?By Candlelight, an eerie illusion occurs! The third and fourth fingers of the performer's hand become malformed, stretching to nearly twice their normal length!‘* — Q&A ON Q&A There is no doubt that the strongest item in Mentalism is the Question & Answer Act. Properly performed, this routine can be the strongest part of your programme. I wanted to pass along acouple of ideas | use to further strengthen this already strong presentation. If you are doing a one-ahead reading method, when you end on the last question, you have one question ‘one-ahead' that the audience doesn't know about. Keep this concept in mind for a moment. Ifat any time during your presentation, you use a 'gag' question to punch up the performance, you also have an opportunity to memorize the real question as you are apparently verifying, to yourself, the ‘gag' question! These two stratagems have given you two pieces of information, that the audience is not aware of! So, now that you have this information, what do you do with it? Well, suppose you have 'Psychically’ divined about five sealed questions, including one or two 'gag' questions (do not forget to memorize the information!). You then segue into the following presentation, which is based on George Anderson's Dynamic Mentalism: "There are a few people here who would like me to address their questions privately. You know who you are, and I will not embarrass you by revealing your identity. "First of all, there is someone here who is thinking about quitting his Job. Sir, the problem is not your job, it is the fact that you cannot get along with your co-workers! No matter where you go, this problem will and has been following you around for years it seems, Until you address this issue, you will never be comfortable with your situation. = "And there is a person...initials E.P. Oh, can I tell them about this? The name is Elizabeth... Elizabeth Peabody! Are you here?" (Thisis the first bit of memorized information!) You would like me to tell you something about.....your brother? Is his name William? Well, tell William to stick with it - I see lots of success for him as a songwriter! "Someone else here wants me to tell him if his girl is faithful. Well, sir, all I can say is you of all people have got a lot of damn nerve asking me that! 45JOHN) FAK “Someone here is wondering about Christmas...B.C. Bobby Clark. Bobby, I see your sister and her family coming to see you this Christmas. Does this make sense to you? (Of course it does, as this is the second piece of memorized information!) Good, good! I'll tell Santa to bring you everyahirrg you want, OK?. And so on. But you get the idea - combine real data with Anderson's Dynamite Mentalism idea, and knock ‘em dead! Dynamite Mentalism, a treatise detailing a Q & A Act wherein the audience merely thinks of its questions, is still available through Magic Inc. Tonight! — Edna The Squirmy Worm Giel!! Le Petomain!!! AND JOHY RIGGe peyCHic QurerRtaivers 46