Center Tear Magazine 2 6

Center Tear

the thinking persons journal

Volume 2 Issue 6

Nov 2003

…and so we come to the end! The final issue of Center Tear Volume 2.

Didn't the last 2 months fly by!? Well they did for me - got myself married (as did our good friend
Paul Alberstat, and on the same day). If it had been the same time we would have been on to
some beautiful Jung territory. Then it was off to Las Vegas for some fun, fun, fun. Managed to
catch some great shows and one terrible show. Met some really friendly magicians (Mac King)
and one evil son of Satan (Michael Close). Then suddenly it was over and we were back to the
chill climate of Scotland. Enough of the ramble…

Who'd have thought we'd have got this far, and this big? To those that have been with us from
the beginning, we thank you. To those that scoffed, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW???

Now for a special end-of-year treat! The CT minions have been beavering away, making phone
calls, swinging deals, working late into the night to pull off an unprecedented coup! Yes folks,
we're honoured to bring you the WORLD PREMIERE of one of the most eagerly-awaited
publications of the year. Fresh from the formidable mind of Luke Jermay, CT presents an
EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW of 'Building Blocks'. The rest of the world won't set eyes on it until the
middle of December, but we've selected two juicy extracts which you can enjoy right now! How
great is that?

(Just don't tell Luke about it - He thinks we've just borrowed them for the weekend!!!)

Sometimes I think we're too good to you...

Till the next time - pleasant thoughts.

Peter Arcane

EFFECTS:

His Master's Voice by Graham North
Drac's Back by Lesault & Gardinski
Getting Lighter by Colin McLeod
Mental Imprint by Christopher Taylor
Impossible Thought by Roger Thompson
Pre Show Work by Franklin the Paranormalist

CT EXCLUSIVE: 'Building Blocks' Preview

Divided By Hate by Luke Jermay
The Power of Silence by Luke Jermay

REVIEWS:

Peek Encores (by Richard Busch), reviewed by Glyn Coy
Direct Mind Reading and Mind Control (by Marc Paul), reviewed by Sludge
Card Conspiracy 2 (by Duffie & Robertson), reviewed by Peter Arcane

His Master’s Voice by Graham North

First, a word of apology to those who like to read an effect and
immediately run with it. This isn’t one that you can do that with. If you
want to perform this, it’s going to take a fair bit of preparation. But if you
are willing to put in the time and effort required, you will have audiences
believing that they have witnessed the impossible. I use this as the
opener in my act, and it never fails to draw gasps of astonishment.

Effect: The performer asks if he can borrow a few £5 or £10 notes (or whatever the local
currency is). Going into the audience, he swaps some of his own notes for those proffered.
Keeping the notes in view all the time, he enlists the help of two spectators. One spectator is
given a calculator, the other a marking pen.

The performer reads out the serial numbers on three of the notes as the second spectator writes
them on a board for all to see. The first spectator adds the three numbers together and the
audience confirm that the addition is correct. One of the spectators points to a member of the
audience at random who is asked to shout out any single-digit number. The total is then
multiplied by that figure, giving a completely random eight-digit number.

After dismissing his two assistants, the performer picks up a remote control and points it at a
portable stereo system sitting on a chair or table nearby. Immediately, the performer’s own
recorded voice is heard saying that he has had a premonition, and needs to place it on record in
a way that can’t be challenged. The recording predicts the number exactly.

Method. There are two parts to the method: the first is a force, and the second is a multiple-out.

Firstly, the force. Although the performer goes to a lot of trouble to get the notes, the numbers he
reads out are not the ones on the notes. The three numbers are actually read off a small label
stuck to a thumb tip. (Of course, you move the notes about as though you are reading them.)
Wrapping the notes around the thumb tip, both are safely pocketed. The numbers are then
added together producing the force number, like “Add a Number”. In fact, I read out only seven
digits “from the notes”, although British notes have eight-digit serial numbers. This is so that the
resulting total has only eight digits. Standard (i.e. reasonably priced) calculators can’t handle
more than this.

Now the multiple-out. Because the spectator in the audience is asked to shout out a single-digit
number, only nine outs are required. (Actually, I only use eight, as nobody ever calls one. If they
did, I’d explain that as we are going to multiply, I’d prefer a number that changed the outcome. It
hasn’t happened yet.)

The recordings are on compact disc, each one having its own track. This means that to access
the correct prediction you only have to press the appropriate button on the remote. So, if 7 is
called out, pressing 7 on the remote will play the prediction with the correct number. (You do
need to hit the off button at the end, of course, before the next track plays!) I don’t refer to the
prediction at all. I just let it speak for itself.

Most people expect a recording like this to be on a cassette tape, which brings me to -

The tape option. When I first started playing around with this effect, my idea was to use tape
cassettes. It was only after the recordings were made that the idea of using CD came to me.
However, the tape option is still valid, so I offer it here for those who may not have access to a
CD rewriter.

The eight tracks are recorded on both sides of four tape cassettes as follows -

Take cassette 1, side A and wind forward a minute or two. Record the first message (force
number x2). Rewind to the beginning of the message, stop and turn over to side B. Record the
second message (force number x3). Rewind to the beginning of the message. Mark the labels -
2 on side A, 3 on side B. You should now be able to play either message depending on which
way up the cassette is inserted, but you must remember to rewind to the start of the message
after each playing, otherwise there could be an embarrassing silence at future shows!

Repeat the exercise with the other three tapes, marking them with the appropriate numbers.

The tapes can either be body-indexed in different pockets, or all four simply placed in a box with
a lid. They will fit neatly in quite a small box, so the audience shouldn’t suspect that there is more
than one in the box. The box could even be locked, only to be opened by a special key sent in
the post to a VIP member of the audience!

Credits. The use of treasury notes to force a number appears in “Gems of Mental Magic” by
Arthur Buckley and John Brown Cook (1947). The use of a thumb tip as a crib is Barrie
Richardson’s from “Theater of the Mind” (1999). There have been many recorded prediction
effects, with possibly the earliest being Robert Harbin’s, published in Abra in 1954. The use of
CD technology to produce this effect is, I believe, original.

Drac's Back by Lesault & Gardinski

In the last issue (Volume 2 Issue 5), Nir Dahan submitted the
wonderful "The Return of Dracula", which created a lot of
discussion and experimentation in the dusty 'Center Tear' office.

We all loved the idea of marking staples since it was so sneaky
and invisible to the participants, but staplers can be notoriously
tricksy beasts, as anyone who has ever been on the cutting edge
of hardcore clerical work will tell you. Given a stapler's tendency to

jam at the most inopportune moments, we had a few worries about the marked staple not making
it through the paper, or the participant missing the target entirely. We decided that a good
solution to the problem would be to mark the first three staples in different ways. For example,
the first staple has one mark, the second has two marks and the third has three marks. This way,
if a staple goes AWOL, all is not lost, and in the event that they all make it safely into the paper,
you only have to look for the 'lowest numbered' staple to know which item was stapled first.

We also wondered whether the use of currency bills might cause problems in performance. First
of all, it can quite difficult to get money volunteered by audience members (here in the UK, at
least). Even if you can charm your audience into handing over their hard-earned cash, the whole
process can potentially slow the routine down. For the right performer, this may be a golden
opportunity for witty banter, but sadly the editorial staff of CT is composed entirely of the cowardly
and the slow-witted, so naturally we chickened out. You would also have to remove all the
staples to return the notes to their owners. (We considered letting them keep the staples as
precious mementos of their evening out, but as Lesault pointed out, "A staple's not much of a
souvenir, is it!". He was obviously spoiled rotten as a kid. Gardinski, on the other hand, fondly
remembers the time he was given a triple pack of Pot Noodles for Christmas when he was eight,
and it still fills him with a warm glow. Ah, how the other half lives...)

With all this in mind, we started thinking about other effects to perform with the marked staples.
Gardinski came up with the fantastic idea of a psychic detective themed presentation involving
five photos of murder suspects and five alibi statements. The participant chooses the picture and
(false) alibi she believes belongs to the murderer and staples them together, then does the same
to the four innocent suspects. The performer can then deduce which suspect is guilty.

An interesting twist would be the theme of investigating police corruption: Four forced
confessions, one genuine, and five photofit pictures. The participant chooses the guilty party and
the genuine statement and staples them together. The performer is a psychological
troubleshooter who discerns the four forced confessions.

Using a number of marked staples, a pseudo-psychometry type demonstration could be done
with unmarked index cards. Three participants draw something which is personally important to
them on a 3" x 5" index card. Each card is folded in half and stapled shut at the middle of the
short edges. The three 'sealed' cards are mixed and handed to the performer. By checking the
staple, you know which of your subjects drew the contents of the card. The contents can be
peeked while you make general statements about the picture by squeezing the card so the two
leaves bow apart - this is best done with the card completely hidden in your hand (the stapled
side against your fingertips, the folded side against the ball of your thumb).

If you need to see the whole contents of the card, another bold peek can be made by wetting
your thumb (on the side of a glass, maybe) and holding the card by the staple. The now wet
paper round the staple will tear easily and silently, so the back layer of the paper can be torn
round the staple, leaving the staple through the front layer. From the audiences point of view, the
card is still stapled shut, but the back layer can be allowed to fall open. Remember to tear the
staple out at the end to open the card and destroy the evidence!

Getting Lighter by Colin McLeod

This has long been my answer to people saying 'You're a mind reader - what am I thinking of?'. I
find it simple to perform so I get to focus more on the presentation which has always been the fun
part for me in mentalism.

The effect to the spectator when they think about it later will be that you had them imagine that
they were thinking of something, and you were able to tell them what it is. There is a billet switch
involved here which many people may be scared of using, but hopefully this routine will help them
see the possibilities that can be obtained with such a simple method.

For this you will need a billet, a piece of flash paper, a pen and a lighter. The billets don't need to
be too big, I would recommend just a bit smaller than a business card.

The set up is as follows. You have the piece of flash paper folded in your left trouser pocket, the
lighter, billet and pen are all in your right. Now you are set up, all you need to do is wait for
someone to say 'What am I thinking of?' or you can simply use it as an effect in your routine.

When people ask me 'what am I thinking of ' I will say something along the lines of, "I have
people ask me this all the time, and did you know that any single second our brain is thinking
about thousands of things at once. You are even thinking about the words I am speaking, so it's
impossible for me to go about it like that. However if you would like me to try something very
similar...?"

I use this as it gives reason to use a billet and also they know what I'm doing isn't psychic but
something 'similar'.

"I want you to think of a word, but not any word, a word which has a picture to go with it, for
example Elephant, and you could picture an Elephant, etc. Now that you have a word, I would
like you to simply write it down here, make sure I don't see what you write. Now you need to
stare intently at this and make sure it's more than clear in your mind."

As I'm saying this, I hand them the billet and the pen, and get them to write down what it is they
are thinking of. All is simple so far. I now have them fold the billet twice, and make sure that
there is no way I could possibly see what they have written.

I now usually roll up my sleeves and show my hands are completely empty. I take the billet off
them at finger tips, and tell them I will burn it so it is impossible for me to know what they have
written. I also try never to look directly at the billet, instead I try to keep contact with the spectator
as I do the following devious part. I should also add at this point that the spectator is left holding
the pen, the reason will be clear in a moment.

Now still with the billet at right hand finger tips, I would ask you to do the following exactly as I
describe it. Tap your left hand pocket with your left hand, and act as if your lighter is there, reach
in with your left hand, then look slightly puzzled for a moment. As you do this, finger palm the
piece of flash paper and remove your hand. As you are doing this, you will be talking about
burning the billet. Now with the piece of flash paper finger palmed you false transfer the billet
which was written on with the piece of flash paper, so now their billet is right hand finger palmed.
You now go into your right pocket with your right hand, drop off the billet, and then remove the
lighter. This will simply look like you have been looking for your lighter whilst holding the
spectators billet.

Now I say, "As you see this burn, I want you to picture the thing you are thinking of very clearly in
your mind."

The quick flash disorientates them for a second, perhaps even shocking them, so when you have
them clearly think of the image the shock factor will help add to them forgetting the billet had
anything to do with the effect. Them thinking of an image now will seem different from them
thinking of a word, so this helps to cover the method of using a billet.

Now you put the lighter away, back into your right pocket, and as you ask, "can you see this thing
very clearly?", you open up their billet and palm it in your right hand.

Now you seem to look down and notice that they are still holding the pen, simply say "Let me take
that off you", not making any deal out of it at all, and then as you reach out to take the pen you
simply glimpse the billet. This part of the effect can take some practice in a mirror to find the
angles you are comfortable with in palming then glimpsing whilst keeping the billet completely
secret.

You now know what it is they have written, so you know what they are picturing. You are also still
holding your pen, so as you are putting this into your pocket you again simply ditch the billet.

Now depending on what they have written depends on how much you can play it up. For example
if they write 'car', you may want to talk about seeing them using this thing, but you can also
perhaps see someone else with them using it, etc. Or if they write 'necklace' you may wish to talk
about how you feel this may have been something that someone else gave to them, so it has
emotional value to them.

The limits of this part are only limited by how far you want to take it. At the end of it you have the
climax of actually being able to name what it is they were picturing.

I have searched but can't find this switch being used anywhere before with a billet. However I do
feel it is a bit basic in method to not have been done before, but I have tried to add to it to make
this an effect which I enjoy performing.

Mental Imprint by Christopher Taylor

Effect: After passing his participant a deck of cards, the mage places a single
dot in the centre of the top sheet of a Post-It Note pad with a felt pen. He asks
his participant to think of any card in the deck and to mentally project the
identity of her thought-of card at the dot. As the participant does so, the mage
tilts the face of the pad from side to side in a slow swirling motion to thoroughly
“irradiate” the dot with the participant’s mental energy. The participant is then
directed to remove her thought from the deck and place it face down on her

palm. The pad is passed to a second participant who is directed to keep his eyes on the dot
while swirling the pad as the mage had. When asked, the second participant announces that he
can make something out as he swirls the pad. Just barely perceptible are the initials of a card.
These are found to match the first participant's card.

Method: You require a high quality marked deck for this effect. The Post-It Pad is ungimmicked.
The performance area must be well lit. Strong window light, or overhead florescent lights, are
fine. After the first participant has “irradiated” the dot, hold the pad in a natural manner in your
right hand with your thumb resting near the dot. Your first participant places her card face down
on the table on her palm and you acquire the card’s value from its marked back. Immediately
use your thumb nail to scribe its initials over the dot on the pad as if you were using a Swami
Writer. Flash the face of the pad to the audience as you pass it to the second participant to show
it apparently blank. When the pad is “swirled” by the second participant, the scratches on the pad
will be readable as the available light passes across them. They will be visible but not overtly so.

This effect is inspired by The Punx Test described in Corinda’s volume on page 192.

Impossible Thought by Roger Thompson

The mentalist shows a single prediction card with a red back. From a deck of multicoloured blue
backed ESP cards, one is freely chosen by the spectator, and it matches the prediction

Method:-

You require a multicoloured ESP deck from Piatnik. This has the 5 symbols in 5 different colours
with blue backs. Any 1 card with a red back.

I use a stacked deck of all symbols and colours. The matching blue backed card is underneath
the red backed prediction as a double. (It is the last top card of the stack.) This double card is
now shown in the left hand as the prediction! It can be also be picked up from the top of the deck
as a double!

The cards are spread out and the spectator slides out a free choice of any card, face down. You
separate the spread at this, and the freely chosen blue backed symbol is placed face down and
injogged on the single/double. With your thumb at the rear and forefinger on the red card, these
two are pushed forward leaving the bottom card in position. The Red card is pulled out and
transferred face up on the single/double blue card. The bottom card is buckled out from under the
face up/down double and held back towards the spectator. You now do two things at once. Turn
the single card face out and drop the double on the end of the left hand spread. This puts the
face down card back where it was in the stack and your red card prediction face up.

It matches the card in your hand!!!

End of effect, but by placing the blue backed card on the right of the spread out deck your stack
is still in order for the next wonder!

The basis for this effect was the wonderful Doc Eason's routine Impossible Opener. The push
out move is from Christ! A good stack is the Paul Hallas 'Hallastack', although I use a different
one.

Pre-show work by Franklin - The Paranormalist

For many years to retrieve a personally known piece of information from a
participant in the audience who would be later taking part in the evening's
performance I used to use some type of impression device, whether it was
a marketed item I purchased from a dealer or something I designed and
made myself. In using any type of impression device there are so many
things that you have to rely on to make certain that what is being drawn or
written is decipherable; you need to be sure enough pressure is being
made upon the surface and at the same time, if a name or word is written
it needs to be legible enough so there can be no mistakes or doubt in your
mind. Even though you ask that the writing should be done in bold block
so that the participant could 'easily visualise it in their own mind', you can
never be completely sure that the participant doesn't out-smart you for
whatever reason, if not their own pleasure - it can happen.

If you are happier using billet work to get back the information, normally the billet needs to be
'destroyed' once the necessary deed has been accomplished, whether this being a duplicate billet
after a switch or from a torn centre. Either way, finding the logic in destroying what was written
has been the subject of much debate, unless you are a bizarrist that gives you a reason to
destroy within occult ritual.

It is with grateful thanks to Max Maven and his Mind's Eye Deck first published in Mantra, then in
The Green Book of Mentalism, also in Volume One, Parlor Mentalism of his 'Video Mind' series of
tapes that I saw the practicality of using this for pre-show work. The Mind's Eye Deck is described
for making the choice of a simple geometrical design which is perfect for pre-show purposes. It
did not take too much of a stretch of the imagination to revamp this deck, instead of just designs
to make up another deck and offering a second participant the choice of a name of someone
either famous, infamous or fictitious. I then suggest in performance, that the choice could even be
someone personally known to them. Yes, quite possibly the participant could actually know, by
example 'Tony Blair' - unlikely but possible.

The beauty of using The Mind's Eye Deck is that nothing is ever written down and it takes but a
moment to ask someone to choose a card. It is always in the participant's mind, and I build upon
this fact during the show. When the participant arrives on stage I ask questions like: "Have you
written or drawn anything anywhere? Have you told me or anyone else what you are thinking?"
They can only answer 'No' to these questions, and all this is completely true. For the outcome,
the participant is just as baffled as the rest of the audience.

Needless to say, there is no reason to stop at just names of people. Decks of cards could be
made up in all manner of subjects and categories, such as places or co-ordinates on a map that
could be revealed in a demonstration of remote viewing. The list is endless. I still of course use
peek devices as well as other techniques when it is necessary, such as in close up performance,
but the Mind's Eye Deck is a dream come true and makes life a lot easier in pre-show work.

It might be said that by using this deck instead of shall we say what the spectator really would
freely choose from their endless thoughts and then put down in writing is limiting their choice to
much, which of course it is, but it's a small price to pay. It is all in the way you manage and
handle the participant prior to the show starting and once they arrive on stage. When it comes
down to it, it is only the one person who knows what has taken place prior to performance and
they feel thoroughly satisfied they have had a free choice, albeit one from about twenty or so
cards.

CENTER TEAR EXCLUSIVE

Luke Jermay's 'Building Blocks' - a preview

In a CT Exclusive, Luke Jermay has granted us permission to bring you a sneak preview of his

forthcoming book, the eagerly awaited 'Building Blocks'. Luke's manuscript is due for publication

in mid-December, and we'll be bringing you an in-depth review in the very near future. In the

meantime, here are two extracts to whet your appetite. Remember, you saw it here first!

Divided By Hate... by Luke Jermay.

Effect:

A rose is displayed and laid down on the table top. The performer begins
to recount a tale of the delicacy of life, and how hate can divide and
conquer all those around it. The performer passes his hand above the
rose, so as to cast a shadow over the bud.

The rose then begins to visibly die. The rose continues to die until nothing is left other than a
shriveled and wilted dead flower. A lasting testament to the power of hatred and its ability to warp
beauty.

Method:

This is an effect I have used in formal settings for a while now. The effect is larger than the sum
of its parts. I have several versions and here I will outline the version I use more often than any
other. This version is full of both physical suggestion as well as psychological suggestions. As
so often is the case with Bizarre Magick the presentation makes the effect. Do not sell it short.

You will need to go get yourself a rose. Pick a few petals from the rose and place these in a
refrigerator until they are needed in performance, thus ensuring they remain ‘alive’.

Simply leave the remaining rose petals and stem lying around. It will in a very short time die.

There are hardly any moves in the actual routine. You will, however, appear to pick two or three
of the petals from the rose and hand them to a lady or casually drop them to the floor. There
are several presentations open to you - plucking the petals is very reminiscent of “she loves me,
she loves me not” and indeed forms the basis for one of the presentations detailed, but let’s not
run away with ourselves just yet.

First let’s look at exactly how the effect is accomplished on a physical level. You will add the
‘alive’ petals to the dead rose, and simply lay them on top of the rose until the performance. It is
possible to hide this rose within a bunch of roses, then when it is needed, pluck it from the bunch
and continue. However, more often than not, I simply have this rose with the live petals resting on

top of the dead ones, covering the majority of the dead petals awaiting me in my performance
case.

In performance all that happens is very simple; you will actually appear to pluck a few petals from
the rose while reciting the “she loves me, she loves me not” line, when in fact you are simply
removing the few ‘alive’ petals.

This dead rose is then somewhat hastily placed onto the table, and you cast a shadow over the
rose itself. This is an interesting point. The shadow actually helps to obscure the true state of
events. To the audience a still living rose has been placed down onto the table after having a few
petals torn from it.

The rest is down to the script and presentation.

You will use many suggestions to actually make some of the audience believe they can see the
rose visibly ‘die’ on the table when you cast your shadow over it.

Script:

The words in bold are said with either a stronger or lighter tone to them, depending on what
works better for your own performance.

“Hate is a powerful emotion. Almost as powerful as Love.”
(Plucking petals, one for each “me”)
“She hates me, she hates me not, doesn’t really have the same ring to it does it?”
(Drop petals to the table)
“She loves me, she loves me not - ah much better.”
(Plucking the final two ‘live’ petals from the otherwise dead rose)
“The only problem is Love and Hate are emotions that run closely alongside one another - both
powerful emotions with the possibility to warp and change people, lives, cultures and even
beliefs. One alive and full of beauty, while the other sleeps lifeless and destroys all in its path.
Hate can exist anywhere human life exists. It is how we deal with this powerful and destructive
emotion that really tests us…”
(Place the rose onto the table. The bud of the rose has been held cradled in your palm during the
above lines, helping to obscure the true ‘dead’ nature of the rose)
“She loves me, she loves me not, so often the case. But if Love has the power to heal, then Hate
must be said to have the power to hurt.”
(Clench your fist above the tabled rose and then open your hand once again. It should appear as
though you are exerting some kind of physical effort suggesting something is about to happen)
“For hatred can make something so beautiful rot away until there is nothing of beauty left. Can
you see that?”
(Inquire of a nearby spectator)
“You can see just how powerful Hate can be, destructive in itself and ultimately deadly. It can
turn what was once beautiful into an ugly lifeless version of what existed when it was shadowed
by
Love. If you actually look closely you can see a once beautiful rose, becoming the ugly victim
of hate.”
(Here I move my hands closer to the rose on the table)
“Something once shadowed by Love, but now replaced by Hate, twisting and contorting, hatred
draining away all the beauty until...”
(Make a sharp shaking gesture with your outstretched palm down
hand)
“Nothing of its former self exists.”
(Blow on the dead petals. They will now be seen to be dry and brittle. Remove your hand from
shadowing the rose)
“Truly, Hate is a destructive emotion…”

(Hand the dead rose to a spectator to finish)

Added Touches:

It is also possible to attach a length of Invisible Thread to the rose. With a simple movement it
will then wiggle around on the table while your hand is above the rose. I use a length of thread
running from a shirt button to the rose. I attach the thread to the button simply with the use of
Magicians Wax after removing the rose from my case. This little touch increases the visible
quality of the effect and really does enhance the routine.

After the rose itself is shown to be dead, it is also possible to perform a simple shuttle pass with
the four ‘alive’ petals on the table, switching them for four dead petals to finish. Personally I enjoy
the contrast they offer between the dead rose and the ‘alive’ petals and do not switch them.

It is also interesting to note that a rose can house a “pocket of scent” much like the free samples
that are given in many magazines. It is possible to simply apply a liberal amount of a pleasant
scent to a petal, which is then placed directly in contact with another petal. I then place more of
the scent on this new petal. This is continued until all the ‘alive’ petals are covered in a “rose”
scent. The scent is momentary locked within the petals. I then apply a less pleasant scent
(typically vinegar) to the rest of the dead rose.

This is a subtle change in scent and more often than not will not actually be noticed on a
conscious level, but does add a little something to the death of the rose.

After reading ‘Divided By Hate‘, Kenton Knepper suggested the following:

“I might crumble the rose once it is dried at the end... While this does not allow the spectator to
take home the dried rose, it's now a "hateful" rose anyway - so not a big loss, I think. Also,
crumbling the rose makes the effect large enough for platform and stand-up shows - if not stage.
The crumbling of dried rose visually is shocking, in my opinion at a larger distance.”

The Power of Silence... by Luke Jermay

The power of silence is, despite at first glance seemingly nothing more than an oxymoron, a
massively powerful technique at our disposal when it comes to creating strong theatrical routines
which focus on the use of suggestion. Composers understand that the pauses between the
notes are as important as the notes themselves. Silence informs what follows it, and it is
informed by what precedes it.

I feel this technique is wildly underused in the performance of mentalism/bizarre, especially by
people (like myself) who focus on the wording/scripting of an effect. Maybe sometime we need to
consider the use of silence as "scripting" in the same way we do those Wonder Words so close to
all our hearts. This use of silence could be seen as a use of a heightened awareness and the
portal of intent. We must use it as such. Think about it. You must reach the point where you
understand what intent is. And, above all, you must understand that that knowledge cannot be
turned into words. That knowledge is there for everyone. It is there to be felt, to be used, but not
to be explained. With this thinking you create Power within the Silence in your performance. It
becomes something theatrical, and takes on a new level of importance not only from a
methodological viewpoint but more importantly from the viewpoint of those watching the
performance.

I see silence as a powerful theatrical tool. I remember seeing Jamy Ian Swiss perform a routine
in which a ring moves inexplicably along a pencil, in which he remains totally silent almost
throughout the whole presentation.

Many magicians assumed that Jamy was lacking a presentation for the effect, which was in truth
the complete opposite to Jamy's well thought out and powerful piece. Jamy had the guts to shut
the hell up and allow the power of silence, which in itself can be a cold, chilling and impressive
tool at your disposal, to add a power to his effect raising the impact in doing so.

A problem with silence is choosing the correct time to allow it to come into your presentations,
and then choosing the correct amount of silence, before it become something of a joke.

I think that mentalists/bizarrists by their very nature need to allow the power of silence to take
control upon occasion and do the work that is unachievable without it.

To allow the power of silence into your suggestion-driven routines is a powerful way of allowing
the spectator's own imagination to fill in the blanks and actually to begin to experience what you
may have suggested to him or her on a deeper and more impressive level. Leaving a suggested
idea in the mind of a spectator and then allowing themselves to develop it allows for more
powerful material than would be possible without it. In my book 7 Deceptions there is an effect
called "A Twisted Palm Reading" in which the lines on a spectators palm appear (to them) to be
moving and dashing around on their palm, making patterns and shapes that were not on their
palm only moments ago. This is an example of a routine in which I have to leave my ego at the
door. I cannot take the credit for this effect - the spectator is the one who deserves it as they are
the person who will ultimate deceive themselves. I plant the first seeds of suggestion with the
scripting and use the 'Building Block' technique to be covered later - then allow their own mind to
fill in the gaps and make the effect even more wild than I could ever imagine. This is done by
simply holding their palm firmly and looking somewhat deeply into their eyes. I say nothing. I ask
them to describe what is happening. I say nothing more until the very end of the sequence, in
which I thank them for their help.

It is a powerful tool, that when wisely employed can produce stunning results.

REVIEWS

Peek Encores by Richard Busch
reviewed by Glyn Coy

In 2001, Richard Busch gave us Peek Performances, a wonderful set of chapters devoted to the
art of the peek in mentalism. I think it's true to say that most of us thought the work ground
breaking and deserving of a place alongside other "classics" of mentalism.

Two years later, Richard has written a sequel, Peek Encores. The very first page (along with an
engaging photo of Mr Busch in an Annemann like pose) describes what this book is:

"A treatise on four revolutionary fingertip billets and their adaptations for the mature, modern
mentalist who desires state-of-the-art, in-full-view methods of immediate, invisible information
acquisition. No switching, no duplicates, no stealing and no tearing! "

This is not marketing speak. In a nutshell, that's exactly what this is and it describes exactly what
you get. Take a moment to re-read this description and take in what Richard is giving us here.

First of all, a word on billets. Billets are the cornerstone of some extraordinary pieces of psychic
entertainment and billet technique is as important to us as card technique is to the close-up
magician. I have often heard, however, some people question their status as they make the oft
quoted remark "if you are a mind reader, why do you need your participant to write something
down. Surely you would just read their mind". The implication implicit in this remark is that billets
are a very visible compromise which weaken the premise which underlines our whole
performance - that we read minds, either through supernatural ability or subtle psychological
means. I could write a treatise myself rebutting such thoughts but I no longer need to as Richard
Busch subtly addresses these issues throughout Peek Encores with an eloquence of thought
rarely seen elsewhere. Not only does he give us the technique, he gives us the insights, which
are just as important as we take the methods and translate them into performance.

The 4 billets given to us in the book offer a variety of ways to peek information, using index cards
and business cards followed by some intriguing alternative peek strategies using a cocktail glass.
"Busch's Billet" is the first one and in my limited opinion, the best in the book. It is extraordinarily
deceptive. Your participant writes a thought down and folds the billet into quarters. As the
performer takes the billet and holds it in clear view at his fingertips at all times, the audience
would never suspect that he could ever get access to that thought. But with "Busch's Billet", he
does. Right under the audiences nose, the thought is cheekily peeked in such a deceptive
manner. As if that wasn't enough, later in the book Richard offers a method for peeking from
"Busch's Billet" where the performer does not ever touch the billet at any point. I won't spoil the
fun by saying more at this stage, but I hope I've intrigued you enough to take a look at Peek
Encores to see this for yourself.

Other billet techniques taught are The Zen Billet (a business card billet), the Annemann-Busch
Billet ( an evolution of Richard's Readers Billet from Peek Performances) and the New Zorro
Billet. Peek Encores gives you the technique to pull off some amazing billet work. Most of them
are deceptively simple but all will require significant practice. Not just on the mechanics, but also
on the timing of the peek itself. You almost need to be at one with the billet, so your physiology
and inner self do not betray your actions. With this in mind, I can wholeheartedly recommend this
treatise to all who are prepared to make the personal sacrifice and devote themselves to learning
these new techiques.

Lastly, one of the important things for me in Peek Encores is that this is a treatise for the 21st
Century. The centre tear has been exposed time and again by bitter magicians out to make a
quick buck in the name of "protecting" a deceived public from "fake" psychics, so to stay one step
ahead of our audiences we need the best creative minds to think up new deceptions. Richard
has done this for us with Peek Encores as with his billet techniques, there are no tears or
switches. Just peeks. Why tear when you can deceptively peek?

The book itself is spiral bound, 110 pages long and printed on good quality paper. The typeset is
large and easy to read and the layout is simple with plenty of photos taken from the perfomers
view so you are never lost along the way. Being spiral bound, you can open the pages flat and
follow the instructions with ease. Currently, it is only available from Richard Busch, priced at $75
plus postage - email

mindful@telerama.com

for more information.

Direct Mind-Reading & Mind-Control Effects by Marc Paul
An Appraisal by Sludge

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the appraisal of the booklet, I
feel it will be useful to all you reading this to appreciate where I am
coming from, so to speak. I do not perform shows or perform to large
audiences. I personally prefer effects that may be performed one on
one. Therefore, effects that are useful in this arena are naturally going
to be favoured by myself over effects aimed at larger audiences unless

they can be re-worked for a smaller audience. In addition, I favour effects that at least have the
appearance of being impromptu, clean and direct.

That said, the title of this booklet immediately grabbed my attention and was an automatic
purchase for me. After all, the cost was not high, so I wouldn't have been upset if there was for
me no useable information therein.

What do you get? Well the booklet is 30 photocopied pages, ring bound with a blue cover. The
booklet is cheaply produced, presumably to keep costs down and profits up, and I found three
typos. Personally, I am materialistic, so I would prefer good quality publication, but at the end of
the day it is the information in the booklet that concerns us most.

1) Anytime, Any Place, Any Book...Book Test
This effect/method is the ultimate in cleanliness, although perhaps being a bit bold and "cheeky".
It is a book test that can be performed with any paperback book, in any place at any time. With
regard to performing this, I am sure that some will perform this and some won't. Those that do
may have best results with performing this after having already gained some credibility with the
participant / audience. Others may find that a careful choice of participant may be required. In my
opinion, this is great and would be good enough to live within the hallowed pages of 'Peek
Performances'. My initial thoughts upon reading this first effect was that it looked like I was going
to greatly enjoy reading this booklet.

2) A Coin In The Hand
Yes, another coin in hand routine. As Paul points out, it's a great effect to do when the subject of
Mr Browns 'Coin In Hand' comes up. I love this effect of Paul's, and actually think it is stronger
than Derren Brown's routine. Since reading this, I have performed it a couple of times to great
effect and now have a couple of personal additional touches that I think make the effect cleaner
looking, that I will share here. I suggest using a 10p coin over the denomination that Paul
suggests. The reason for this I will not share as it may allude to part of the effects method. I will
say however, that Americans performing this will probably not have the same issue that using a
10p coin overcomes. In addition I now point out the date on the borrowed coin at the very
beginning of the effect immediately after it has been borrowed and before any guesses have
taken place.

3) Direct Thought Projection
This effect uses four participants when it is performed as detailed in the booklet. Therefore, you
might conclude that it is an effect for stage use and hence I wouldn't like it. You would be wrong.
This effect is extremely strong, and very devious. I also agree with Paul that it is usable for a
smaller audience, and the more I think about this routine the more I realise how and why the
effect as described is so strong. This is extremely good and is likely to go straight into the
repertoire of many who read it.

4) So You Can Read Minds...Prove It!
This is another look at TA Water's astrological sign progressive anagram. I am a big fan of Doug
Dyments 'Sign Language' and so believe that this version is not better than that. However, the
last three sentences Paul writes on this effect are to me a most valuable addition that if you have
'Sign Language' may just be able to make it a little stronger/cleaner, if you do not do this already.

5) The £85 Question
This is a" which item in which pocket" effect. With a prediction kicker. And it is another winner.
Costly to perform (you need £85 cash in your wallet) as detailed, but this could be changed by
using other notes/bills. This appears very, very clean and would work strongest in my opinion
when performed as though it were impromptu.

6) The Ideal Tossed Deck
This is not a complete effect. Well it is, but the method is not detailed and rightly so. In effect
Paul is providing a pointer towards a means of performing a clean looking Tossed Deck effect.

7) The "AAA" Mind Reading Routine
This is a short essay on structuring a complete, clean and impromptu mentalism routine. Useful
reading.

8) Thoughts On Pre-Show
This, like the title implies, is Paul's personal thoughts on the use of pre-show work. Personally I
agree with all Paul says on this, but then again I don't actually use pre-show as it cannot fit within
my personal performance criteria.

9) The Human Pack Of Cards
A nice, simple and easy effect for stage, most suitable for stage. One criticism: At the end of the
description for this effect Paul provides suggested variations which is good stuff, but he also
mentions a stronger version of the effect and says "I'll leave you to figure that one out!".
Personally, when I read this I found it a little condescending.

10) Everyone Think Of A Number
I believe that this is a variation of, or combination of ideas from Banachek's 'Psychological
Subtleties', with a couple of nice additional touches, so I was surprised to find no mention of
Banachek, even though other of Banacheks effects are recommended in the chapter on
structuring a routine.

11) Giant Card Mind Reading
A simple 5 card mind-reading effect for stage use. Personally I found nothing new or of use to
me as I was already familiar with the methodology and do not do stage work.

12) Pick A Person...Any Person
As Paul states, this is a very simple idea, used to select a "secret assistant". Performers who use
"secret assistants" probably already do this.

13) Prediction Ending for TELEMENTAL
As the title implies, this is not a complete effect in itself but a neat climax to a separately
marketed item (TELEMENTAL). Nice idea.

14) A Complete Act
A very simple, short and concise description of a complete mentalism act using the material in this
booklet.

Overall Impressions? There is some great and very useable material in this booklet alongside
other material that to me seems to be "filler". However, the fact that there is such good, clean,
useable material in this booklet makes it a great buy. Oddly enough, if the booklet only contained
the material I liked and will use then this appraisal would probably have been more favourable.
This shows that it is not expensive, so go ahead buy it from Alakazam... they're nice folk.

Card Conspiracy Vol 2 by Peter Duffie & Robin Robertson
Reviewed by Peter Arcane

It must be kind of tough to write a follow-up book. A bit like that follow-up
album from this month's 'in and 'hip' yoof band. But fear not! The 2nd
volume (Chapters 13-26) of CARD CONSPIRACY is a definite Top Ten.

When I started to read it I was a little worried! It seemed a little bit more
intense than the first volume. But fear not: things soon settled down, and
we were back on track to the same pace and style of the first volume.

Just like the Card College series, Card Conspiracy Vol 1 & 2 are the type
of reading material that the serious student of card magic will return to.
Not just for the effects, but for the actual principles. For me, that's double
for your money…

For card fans there's more than enough to whet your appetite. The more mentally inclined won't
be disappointed either: there are principles which can be utilised for some real brain busting
stuff. And principles are the thing here…

13. Interlocked Principle: Topmost; Blackjack Aces; Between 2 Worlds
14. Jog Switch: The Producers; JS Ace Production; Rags to Riches
15. Kosky Switch: Compression Agents; Compression Agents Revisited; Fan Dancing Queens;
Infallible Foolable Kings; Self Correcting Sandwich & variants
16. Misc. - General: Bottom Biddle Following Orders; Change-Over Queens; Clockwise; Con-
found; The Piston; Shiftless Royalty; Impaired Royalty; The Ringmaster; Return to Sender;
Travelling Queen; Vollmer Variant; Ambitious & Overworked
17. Misc. - Set-ups: Flexible Choice; Harvey's Harvest; Domino Effect; Gilbreath Plays Dominoes;
A Slight Slant on Slaight; Another Slant on Slaight; Iain Girdwood's Unicycle Stack + The
Accidental Diary
18. Prime Number Principle: Last Card Standing & variants; Prime Deal; Phake Dyce Trique
19. Principle of Nine:Fate, Chance & Science; Witchwatch; Teenwork
20. Karl Fulves' Riffle Shuffle Control:For Christ's Sake; Murder Mystery; Mode 2 Order 2;
Pokerevelation; Synchronicity
21. RSC Multiple Shift: Double Reversal; Four Wrongs Make a Right; Odd men Out
22. Robverse: A Card Between Aces; Contrary Toss-in; Data Collectors; Double Oreo Collectors;
Streetwise Collectors; Focalized Aces; Mr. Memory Man; Psychicardtric; RV Visitor; The Intruder;
Turning Tricks; Twisting the Connected Kings
23. Spread Double-Lift: Jumping Jack Flash; Jumping Jack Flash Returns; Pathfinders
24. Spread Half-Pass: Double Reversal; Well, look at that!
25. Stripout Reverse Switch: Flip-over Flush; Flip-over Couples; Near Miss; From Rags to
Royalty; Guys in Disguise; Ahoy, Matey!
26. Three Card Catch: I'm so Confused!; The Mathemagicians; Collective Unconscious; Express
Aces

Recommended for the 'thinking' card student.

Small correction: In the review for CARD CONSPIRACY Vol 1, I got my East and West mixed up.
Peter lives in Glasgow (in the West), I live in Edinburgh (in the East). If you think I'm bad with
East & West you should see me with Left & Right.

Card Conspiracy 2 is available from Peter Duffie's website:

http://www.conjuring.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/