THE BLURB:
If you're looking for effects that get a MAXIMUM reaction
with MINIMUM preparation, this is the book for you!
Here's what you'll get:
Zodiac:
These days, to be a top mentalist, you need to have a solid
zodiac routine in your repertoire. Haven't you always
dreamed of going up to people, asking them to think of their
zodiac sign and then divining it before their eyes? Welcome
to Chester Sass' ZODIAC...
Hello.........is it me you're looking for?:
Imagine asking a perfect stranger to think of someone they
haven't spoken to recently. You take the spectator's cell
phone and they watch as you dial an unknown number. Then the
unthinkable happens: the person who answers the call is the
person the spectator was thinking of!
Music was my first love:
How is it possible for you to immediately start singing,
beat boxing or naming the song a spectator has selected from
a card containing several world-famous artists and their
hits, without having to ask any questions??
The CSI-Book Test:
Haven't you always wanted to pull off a flawless book test
at a party where the spectator has an absolutely free choice
of the book, page and word?
In this effect, you ask your spectator to choose ANY of his
own books, simply THINK of ANY page number and then open the
book to that page and memorize ANY word from it. Then you
not only divine the correct page number, but also the word
being thought of! What's more, the spectator doesn't have to
write anything down, and holds the book in his hand himself.
Not bad!
Ches-Te(a)r:
Still looking for the perfect CENTER-TEAR?
What about the best way to justify the writing, the tear and
the peek?
Your search is over, with the new CHES-TEAR!
Equivoque:
When done correctly, Equivoque produces a miraculous effect.
So why are there so many bad examples of it?
Chester sums up his thoughts on this subject in the hopes
that you will be more satisfied with your next Equivoque
routine.
One-Ahead Principle:
Properly performed, the One-Ahead Principle can produce a
very powerful effect. Chester Sass has further refined this
technique ridding it of the slightest bit of doubt.
In a light-hearted and down-to-earth style, Chester Sass
details cutting-edge mental routines intended for
professional performance.
On the whole, these routines are easy-to-learn and very well
conceived and will amaze spectators every time.
All of the mentalism routines in this book have been tested
out in the open. They were designed for the "real world" and
don't require any unusual props or special circumstances to
be performed.
Everything is described at length with both words and
pictures.
Detailed photos leave no question unanswered.
As an added bonus, the purchase of this book includes access
to a specially developed program that will help you practice
and memorize the Zodiac routine in as little time as
possible. WELCOME TO THE ZODIAC BOOTCAMP!
What's more, you also receive a gimmick worth $30 on its
own.
What other mentalists are saying about 120% Chestosterone:
Nicolai Friedrich (FISM Winner 2009-Mentalism)
"Finally a well-thought-out and absolutely impromptu Zodiac
routine that doesn't use any gimmicks! Any mentalist who
wants to be 100% ready-for-show all the time should have
this system in the back of their mind. I highly recommend
it!"
Docc Hilford Author, Creator and Professional Mind Reader:
"I love it! Chester has released a collection of his
personal routines, that I find to be some of the most
practical pieces of commercial mentalism available. After
thirty years of performing, I have learned that some
creations are good for reading, while others are good for
performing. Chester's contributions fall into both
categories!
I regularly use at least two of the bits in his book and
have been inspired by others. More than one method could
have been sold separately for quite a few coins, and the
buyer would have been more than satisfied; yet Chester has
graciously made everything available in a single tome.
If you enjoy clever mentalism, but more, if you want to
actually perform clever mentalism, then this is a book you
should really have."
Lee Earle Author, Creator and Professional Mind Reader:
"Absolutely brilliant. If the retail price was proportionate
to the clever combination of concepts, your buyers couldn't
afford it."
Nathan Kranzo Author, Creator and Professional Magician:
"I love your song reveal!"
Paul Brook, Professional Mind Reader
"After reading through the wonderfully titled '120%
Chestosterone' I decided that, in point of fact, I quite
liked some of the ideas. I think all of the material is
workable, which is something that I can rarely say these
days. 'Music Was My First Love' and 'The CSI Book Test' were
both outstanding effects that got my little brainbox
pumping. As for the book itself, the writing style is fun
and funny and a pleasure to read. Great work Chester!"
Pages: 80 - Softbound
MY COMMENTS:
One thing I could certainly say about this material is that
it is very useable and effective. There are a few ideas
that I liked. However, whether I can actually recommend
this book to the working mentalist is an entirely different
story.
The first effect is Zodiac and is Sass' version of a zodiac
sign effect that Ray Grismer, Doug Dyment, Alain Nu, and
others are known for. Sass correctly identifies an issue
with many of the versions, but I'm not so sure his solution
is a good one. Personally, this is not my type of effect,
so I doubt I'll ever perform this and gain firsthand
experience to address this question. I'll leave the answer
up to those who do these types of effects.
The second effect is, by far, the centerpiece of the book.
"Music Was My First Love" relies on an old principle dealing
with the familiarity of song titles. Bob Cassidy, for one,
has used this principle with movie titles. It uses three
cards that can easily be carried.
The third effect is a cellphone effect and it's along the
same lines of Patrick Redford's "Cellular Oracle." Redford's
though has more nuances and layers to his routine. Sass'
version is a simpler, one-on-one effect. One does need to
know there way around cellphones, though. Sass doesn't
offer any detailed info on this. (Incidentally, I should
clarify that though I say the two effects are related, they
are not similar enough to say anything more than there was a
bit of independent information. The basic premise may be
the same, but the routines definitely go in different
directions.)
The next effect is the "CSI: Book Test." There's some nice
thinking on this one, but it relies on a gimmick that Lee
Earle put on the market. It's a device that allowed one to
easily access another gimmick, which was a substance that
allowed the performer to do a variety of effects. It's nice
that he includes a small amount of this substance, but
without that other gimmick it's a bit awkward to get this
substance ready while performing. At the time of this
writing, Lee Earle is still selling this product, but it's
no longer available at your favorite dealer.
The final entries in the book deal with the center tear,
equivoque, and the one-ahead principle. Sass created the
center tear only to take advantage of the title, which Sass
found clever, so his version is not bad, but neither is it
more practical than the classic versions. Sass also
discusses the other two topics as he feels that these skills
are not used properly by other performers. I'd posit that
most of these performers are magicians and beginning
mentalists. There isn't anything that working mentalists
probably don't already know.
If you are a working mentalist, then whether you buy this
book will probably rest on whether you're interested in the
first three effects and, of course, your budget. If you're
a beginning mentalist, for the money, there are quite a few
other books that, if you don't have them, I'd recommend
before this one. It certainly has some value to the working
mentalist, as the testimonials above will attest, but I think
it's far from being a must-have.
If you're looking for effects that get a MAXIMUM reaction
with MINIMUM preparation, this is the book for you!
Here's what you'll get:
Zodiac:
These days, to be a top mentalist, you need to have a solid
zodiac routine in your repertoire. Haven't you always
dreamed of going up to people, asking them to think of their
zodiac sign and then divining it before their eyes? Welcome
to Chester Sass' ZODIAC...
Hello.........is it me you're looking for?:
Imagine asking a perfect stranger to think of someone they
haven't spoken to recently. You take the spectator's cell
phone and they watch as you dial an unknown number. Then the
unthinkable happens: the person who answers the call is the
person the spectator was thinking of!
Music was my first love:
How is it possible for you to immediately start singing,
beat boxing or naming the song a spectator has selected from
a card containing several world-famous artists and their
hits, without having to ask any questions??
The CSI-Book Test:
Haven't you always wanted to pull off a flawless book test
at a party where the spectator has an absolutely free choice
of the book, page and word?
In this effect, you ask your spectator to choose ANY of his
own books, simply THINK of ANY page number and then open the
book to that page and memorize ANY word from it. Then you
not only divine the correct page number, but also the word
being thought of! What's more, the spectator doesn't have to
write anything down, and holds the book in his hand himself.
Not bad!
Ches-Te(a)r:
Still looking for the perfect CENTER-TEAR?
What about the best way to justify the writing, the tear and
the peek?
Your search is over, with the new CHES-TEAR!
Equivoque:
When done correctly, Equivoque produces a miraculous effect.
So why are there so many bad examples of it?
Chester sums up his thoughts on this subject in the hopes
that you will be more satisfied with your next Equivoque
routine.
One-Ahead Principle:
Properly performed, the One-Ahead Principle can produce a
very powerful effect. Chester Sass has further refined this
technique ridding it of the slightest bit of doubt.
In a light-hearted and down-to-earth style, Chester Sass
details cutting-edge mental routines intended for
professional performance.
On the whole, these routines are easy-to-learn and very well
conceived and will amaze spectators every time.
All of the mentalism routines in this book have been tested
out in the open. They were designed for the "real world" and
don't require any unusual props or special circumstances to
be performed.
Everything is described at length with both words and
pictures.
Detailed photos leave no question unanswered.
As an added bonus, the purchase of this book includes access
to a specially developed program that will help you practice
and memorize the Zodiac routine in as little time as
possible. WELCOME TO THE ZODIAC BOOTCAMP!
What's more, you also receive a gimmick worth $30 on its
own.
What other mentalists are saying about 120% Chestosterone:
Nicolai Friedrich (FISM Winner 2009-Mentalism)
"Finally a well-thought-out and absolutely impromptu Zodiac
routine that doesn't use any gimmicks! Any mentalist who
wants to be 100% ready-for-show all the time should have
this system in the back of their mind. I highly recommend
it!"
Docc Hilford Author, Creator and Professional Mind Reader:
"I love it! Chester has released a collection of his
personal routines, that I find to be some of the most
practical pieces of commercial mentalism available. After
thirty years of performing, I have learned that some
creations are good for reading, while others are good for
performing. Chester's contributions fall into both
categories!
I regularly use at least two of the bits in his book and
have been inspired by others. More than one method could
have been sold separately for quite a few coins, and the
buyer would have been more than satisfied; yet Chester has
graciously made everything available in a single tome.
If you enjoy clever mentalism, but more, if you want to
actually perform clever mentalism, then this is a book you
should really have."
Lee Earle Author, Creator and Professional Mind Reader:
"Absolutely brilliant. If the retail price was proportionate
to the clever combination of concepts, your buyers couldn't
afford it."
Nathan Kranzo Author, Creator and Professional Magician:
"I love your song reveal!"
Paul Brook, Professional Mind Reader
"After reading through the wonderfully titled '120%
Chestosterone' I decided that, in point of fact, I quite
liked some of the ideas. I think all of the material is
workable, which is something that I can rarely say these
days. 'Music Was My First Love' and 'The CSI Book Test' were
both outstanding effects that got my little brainbox
pumping. As for the book itself, the writing style is fun
and funny and a pleasure to read. Great work Chester!"
Pages: 80 - Softbound
MY COMMENTS:
One thing I could certainly say about this material is that
it is very useable and effective. There are a few ideas
that I liked. However, whether I can actually recommend
this book to the working mentalist is an entirely different
story.
The first effect is Zodiac and is Sass' version of a zodiac
sign effect that Ray Grismer, Doug Dyment, Alain Nu, and
others are known for. Sass correctly identifies an issue
with many of the versions, but I'm not so sure his solution
is a good one. Personally, this is not my type of effect,
so I doubt I'll ever perform this and gain firsthand
experience to address this question. I'll leave the answer
up to those who do these types of effects.
The second effect is, by far, the centerpiece of the book.
"Music Was My First Love" relies on an old principle dealing
with the familiarity of song titles. Bob Cassidy, for one,
has used this principle with movie titles. It uses three
cards that can easily be carried.
The third effect is a cellphone effect and it's along the
same lines of Patrick Redford's "Cellular Oracle." Redford's
though has more nuances and layers to his routine. Sass'
version is a simpler, one-on-one effect. One does need to
know there way around cellphones, though. Sass doesn't
offer any detailed info on this. (Incidentally, I should
clarify that though I say the two effects are related, they
are not similar enough to say anything more than there was a
bit of independent information. The basic premise may be
the same, but the routines definitely go in different
directions.)
The next effect is the "CSI: Book Test." There's some nice
thinking on this one, but it relies on a gimmick that Lee
Earle put on the market. It's a device that allowed one to
easily access another gimmick, which was a substance that
allowed the performer to do a variety of effects. It's nice
that he includes a small amount of this substance, but
without that other gimmick it's a bit awkward to get this
substance ready while performing. At the time of this
writing, Lee Earle is still selling this product, but it's
no longer available at your favorite dealer.
The final entries in the book deal with the center tear,
equivoque, and the one-ahead principle. Sass created the
center tear only to take advantage of the title, which Sass
found clever, so his version is not bad, but neither is it
more practical than the classic versions. Sass also
discusses the other two topics as he feels that these skills
are not used properly by other performers. I'd posit that
most of these performers are magicians and beginning
mentalists. There isn't anything that working mentalists
probably don't already know.
If you are a working mentalist, then whether you buy this
book will probably rest on whether you're interested in the
first three effects and, of course, your budget. If you're
a beginning mentalist, for the money, there are quite a few
other books that, if you don't have them, I'd recommend
before this one. It certainly has some value to the working
mentalist, as the testimonials above will attest, but I think
it's far from being a must-have.
Chester Sass
120% CHESTOSTERONE
$49.95
Sorry, No Discounts on This Item
