September 2, 2007
Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter
*** REAL TIME - Andrew Gerard
*** KEY ACCESSORY - Andrew Gerard
*** OUTSIDE THE CONVENTIONAL - Christopher Taylor
*** ULTIMATELY UNDER - Kenton Knepper
*** X-BOARD - Menny Lindenfeld
*** MINDVENTION 2007
To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
please go to http://www.MarketplaceoftheMind.com
and use the shopping cart. If you're unable to do
this, you may respond to this e-mail.
To make sure you've not been missing any newsletters, check
out my blog, which is accessible from the main page. All of
the recent past newsletters are archived there.
*********
It's been awhile since the last newsletter, so this one will
be long. Call it a Labor Day celebration issue. If you
don't feel you got the whole thing, then go to the site and
download it from there.
For the past few weeks I've been working on several projects
and trying to get them done before the summer is over and
the school season begins. Unfortunately, time ran out and
technical issues prevented me from finishing a couple of
these projects. I am still working on my first DVD that
features six effects, including Ultimental and Monyumental.
I was hoping to have it ready for Mindvention next month,
but it looks as though I may just have a cover mock-up and
take pre-orders. It will be called JHEFF'S DVD OF THE MIND,
natch. I'm also working on a guide to mentalism products,
but the scope of it keeps getting wider and wider. I hope
to have that out for the start of the new year, but I'm not
sure. As for the other projects, well, I'm keeping mum
about those for now.
I will say that I was very disappointed by the recent
subscriber only sale. Only a handful of items from the list
sold. Some very good items are still overstocked on my
shelf. And several folks asked for stuff and then never
came through on the payment which, in a couple of cases,
resulted in other customers not getting requested items
because I was holding them for someone who never paid. So,
the next subscriber special sale may not be for quite some
time.
A number of folks inquired about the X-Board. When I got
it, I put it up on the website. Then I played with it and
my enthusiasm for it waned considerably. It's now been
removed from my catalog. Details are below.
**** AT THE MAGIC CASTLE
Several subscribers have already noticed that I'll be
appearing at the world-famous Magic Castle during the week
of Sept. 24-30. That's the week before Mindvention and I
have the early Parlour slot. If you'll be in Southern
California that time, stop by and say hello. If you're not
a Castle member, let me know and I'll arrange for you to get
in.
**** ASCENSION NOW PART OF THE JMOM CATALOG
Joshua Quinn's Ascension, a brilliant effect that was
released last year, was originally part of the Friends of
the Marketplace. But Joshua has now released this to the
general masses, so it's now a part of the catalog and
available at a discounted price.
**** MINDVENTION 2007
In just about one month, Robert Allen & Danny Archer's
Mindvention will be held at the Palace Station in Las Vegas,
Nevada. The dates are October 7 - 9. So now is the time to
register and to make reservations and travel plans.
Featured guests include John Archer, Patrick Redford, Sean
Taylor, Jon Stetson, Joe Atmore, and Eugene Burger, plus
many, many more surprises. And, yeah, I'll be there, too.
For more info, and the complete schedule, visit
www.Mindvention.com
**** THE MARKETPLACE OF THE MIND PRE-CON EVENT
The cat's out of the bag, so let's make it official. The
first lecture at Mindvention doesn't start until 4:00, but
I'm sneaking a special "Marketplace of the Mind Presents"
lecture by Jack Kent Tillar. Jack has a brand new book out
entitled, The Blister Book. He'll share of the work in that
as well as stuff from Trio, The Assumption Swindle, and
more. Frankly, Jack will only be able to scratch the
surface of the volumes of creativity that he's created. And
what he'll share with you is pure gold. It'll begin on
Sunday, October 7, at 1:00 p.m. You don't want to miss
this. Really, you don't.
**** CASSIDY BOOKS ADDED
I've added links to more than a dozen of Bob Cassidy's
e-books that Chris Wasshuber has added to www.Lybrary.com.
Most are $25. I haven't posted comments on these yet, but
I'll definitely get around to them.
**** PAST NEWSLETTERS NOW ON-LINE
Finally, I broke down and just decided to be plain lazy.
Instead of taking the time to re-format the newsletters and
make them all pretty looking for the blog, I decided I'd
rather spend the time on other more important things like,
oh, keeping the website up to date with the current
mentalism products and my comments. Right now, I'm only
posting the 2007 newsletters. Perhaps, in time, I'll put
more up.
So, there's a whole new section where you can see all the
past newsletters. If you subscribed and aren't receiving
them, either check to make sure that the newsletters aren't
being considered spam by your Internet provider, or
re-subscribe (which is the easiest).
**** HOLLYWOOD MAGIC SQUARES
The 2nd volume of "From the Private Files of Jack Kent
Tillar" has just been released. Jack has tackled the flaws
in most magic square methods and come up with a brilliant
solution.
Hollywood Magic Squares, a 24-page downloadable e-book,
takes a classic, yet complicated, method for accomplishing
the magic squares and applies some simple, subtle, and
sensational touches to make it a powerful new method for
this popular effect.
*** SUMMER SPOTLIGHT: MENTAL ACTS
Here's a new feature that will call attention to products
that I feel shouldn't be overlooked by the working
mentalist. The following products are or can be complete
mental acts by themselves.
DOUBLE COINCIDENCE -- This three-phase book test is one of
the most powerful book test routines I've seen. Though one
book is prepared, it's the routine that is strong, not the
props. The first phase involves picking up images from a
selected passage; the second, the performer draws the
thought-of word; and the third phase involves an impossible
prediction of a freely chosen word.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Double_Coincidence.html
CRUISE CONTROL -- This routine involves many elements of a
cruise being freely chosen and all of them being predicted
by the performer at the routine's finish. I've always gotten
great response from this routine and feel that this is one
of Larry Becker & Lee Earle's most underrated creations. If
you do a travel themed set, you certainly want to check this
out. Heck, I'd recommend it just for the special traveler's
cheques which are ingenious.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Cruise_Control.html
QUESTA -- A professional Q & A routine that blends a trio of
principles together so that anyone "in the know" wouldn't be
able to backtrack. This is not a routine that is
recommended for mentalists with little experience, but they
can certainly purchase this and know what to work on and
towards.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Questa.html
***** MARKETPLACE MEMBERSHIP CLUB
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights
Alain Nu, another of mentalism's most unique and creative
performers. And this issue is a departure in that it
features material, or versions of material, not printed
anywhere else. To get it, you need to buy a membership
in the Marketplace of the Mind. For the $37 cost you get a
subscription to the 2007 issues of Jheff's Journal of the
Mind, an all-new e-zine for mentalists, and an additional
5% discount off merchandise from the Marketplace of the
Mind. There will also be specials and other stuff
throughout the year. Check out the preview edition
of the Bonus #0 issue featuring Jack Kent Tillar. Go to
the website and click on the banner at the top. Or use
the link below.
Check it out here:
www.marketplaceofthemind.com/jmmc.html
***** THE FRIENDS OF THE MARKETPLACE
Don't forget to check out the new Friends of the Marketplace
section. This is for those creators who are producing
wonderful products that I don't carry. This is because, to
save overhead, I order as needed from my distributor, and
these creators aren't mass distributing it. If you'd like
me to review your product and help you sell it, then you'll
find details about the Friends of the Marketplace program on
the website. There's a button on the left hand side for you
to click on.
I've just added the third and the most important of Enrique
Enriquez' Invisible series, INVISIBLE READINGS. This is
definitely an e-book that every mentalist should check out.
Also new to the section are Ron Martin's THE TAROT READER'S
NOTEBOOK, a must-have for Tarot readers; Craig Browning's
CRITTERS, an animal-themed collection of mentalism; Loren
Tindall's beautiful new THE DELPHI PORTAL, which is a
must-have prop for anyone who is a reader; and Gene
Nielsen's THE MAGICK YEARS, a jam-packed e-book filled with
over 70 professional and varied routines.
Remember, I don't make a dime on this stuff. I do this
because I think the stuff is very good and worth it.
http://www.jheff.com/friendsofthemarketplace.html
Until next time. -- Jheff
*********
ANDREW GERARD
REAL TIME
JMOM Price: $180
Suggested Retail Price: $199
THE BLURB:
A broken pocket watch is displayed and proved to the
audience that it does NOT work. A spectator is selected and
shown that the watch hands spin when the stem is pulled, but
that’s all.
It is held to the spectator’s ear, but as the watch is
broken it does not tick and the hands don’t move. The
performer then announces that he is going to set a time on
that watch between now and the approximate time his show
ends, and then gives it to a spectator, informing them that
at any time during the show, even if he is in the middle of
another trick, to yell out, “Now is the time!”
At the most inopportune time in the show, the spectator
calls out, “Now is the time!” The audience verifies the
actual time, and when the watch is opened it is seen to be
set to that exact time.
MY COMMENTS:
Wow! This is a VERY powerful and clever piece. And this is
so very easy to do. I had to smile when I got it, because
after I ordered one from the distributor I tried to guess at
how this was done and as it turns out I was right. There's
really not much more to say about the effect itslef as the
blurb is quite accurate as to what the audience sees and
what the performer does. The performer is really setting
the watch to a specific time.
There are no sleights, no extra moves, no stooges, no
pre-show work, no magnets, no thread, and no dangerous
powders or chemicals. Everything is in the specially
designed watch that you get. The only gripe I have is that
there are no instructions for the care of this watch, but I
think that the care will be obvious once you understand its
workings.
In the package, you get four 8.5" x 11" of instructions.
Two of those pages provide the basic instructions and the
other two pages contain a terrific routine from Andrew
Gerard that involves a written prediction. You also get the
pocket watch (complete with fob) and it comes in a silver
tin with protective packaging. I must say that I just love
direct, powerful routines that contain props that are easy
to maintain and appear quite normal. The price may seem
high, but it's a quality professional product that's certain
worth it to the working performer who can use this. And I,
for one, will definitely use it. Highly recommended.
*********
ANDREW GERARD
KEY ACCESSORY
JMOM Price:$68
Suggested Retail Price: $75
THE BLURB:
This effect has been said by many to be the most powerful
Metal Bending Routine in existence, a personal experience
for someone and a souvenir like no other…
Effect
Several keys and colored rubber bands are shown. A spectator
freely selects a key. The key is initialed on one side by
the spectator and then initialed by the performer on the
other side. Next, a colored rubber band is chosen by the
spectator and threaded through the head of the key. The
rubber band is placed over the spectator’s wrist and the
spectator holds the key at their fingertips. The performer
suggests that the spectator will feel the key soften and
bend like rubber, they do, and it does. The key is felt
bending while the spectator is holding it and it is attached
to a rubber band around the spectator’s wrist the whole
time! Your hands are left clean and they are left with an
amazing accessory.
"Key Accessories adds a profound element of impossibility.
The spectator will swear that they have been in control of
the key at all times” Richard Marks creator of Key Warper.
MY COMMENTS:
Experienced mentalists, or PK workers, may possibly be
disappointed in this as the key bending technique is nothing
new. However, Andrew Gerard's handling of this is what
makes this very attractive and what makes it worth the
price. The way it's handled will fool participants badly.
And just what is the accessory? Why, the rubber bands, of
course. Andrew Gerard has a use for the bands which
provides a very clever misdirection as well as a
delightfully deceptive presentation. Finally, this
presentation leaves the participant with a very memorable
souvenir.
Those who are afraid to do metal bending routines because
they require an extensive about of practice and strength to
get the work down smoothly will find this to be surprisingly
easy to do. It's all explained in three 8.5" x 11" single
sided pages of instructions. Also included is a single page
with nearly two dozen color photographs that visually
explain the whole thing in detail. Finally, you get some
colored rubber bands and keys to practice the routine with.
The only other item you'll need is a marker pen to write the
initials on the key. This is a really good and extremely
professional routine. Highly recommended.
*********
CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR
OUTSIDE THE CONVENTIONAL
JMOM Price: $45
Suggested Retail Price: $50
THE BLURB:
It's time to bring something different to the table!
Outside the Conventional is the first DVD set from Inner
Mind Productions that features a guest performer. Canada's
Christopher Taylor is the author to two best selling books
on the subject of Bizarre/ Mystic Mental Magic as well as
the inventor of Equinox and the electronic wiz behind Andy
Nymans fantastic "Dead Zone Pro". On this DVD he brings you
some of his finest routines.
Each of the routines has a story woven in to it, that
produces an intimate and mysterious feel that elevates it
from effect to a very thought provoking performance piece!
Watch as Christopher performs each effect in front of a
group of lay people and then sit back and learn as
Christopher Taylor And Marc Spelmann talk you through every
effect in fine detail leaving no stone unturned.
The DVD also contains an interview section where Peter Nardi
and Marc Spelmann delve a little deeper into the creative
mind of Christopher Taylor.
Effects:
DVD 1
1) Two Minds, One Thought
A classic piece of mentalism. Two participants each
contribute to the choice of a thought-of card. The performer
then removes the cards from the box for the first time and
selects a single card. When the thought of card is named, it
matches the selection. The deck is examinable before and
after the effect.
2) Being There
A participant's visualized visit to a beautiful and peaceful
garden is proven to be real! Subtle and powerful mentalism.
3) Qi Coin
A powerful coin bend routine, highly praised by the pros.
This is Christopher's' signature effect and worth the price
of the set on its own.
4) Drawing Duplication
A straight to the point billet routine. Unbelievably simple
to perform with endless applications.
DVD 2
1) In the Book
A two participant variation of the drawing duplication.
2) There and Back Again
A participant secretly decides upon a distant country and
then takes a "mystical journey" there in their imagination.
When they "return", they are holding a souvenir coin from
their chosen country which they get to keep. Mental Magic at
it's best.
3) Mirror Mind
A two stage routine in which the mage uses an antique mirror
to read the minds of his audience Then, a spectator
successfully does the very same thing.
4) Room 7
A participant enters an imaginary door with a FREELY CHOSEN
room number, known only to her. The number mysteriously
appears on the back of her hand!
Disc 1 Running Time Approximately 1hr 37min
Disc 2 Running Time Approximately 1hr 44min
MY COMMENTS:
The first word that jumps to my mind after viewing this is:
elegant. You won't find any stunning new or groundbreaking
techniques here. And, if you read the blurb, you'll notice
that most of the plots aren't exactly new, either. However,
Christopher Taylor has some fresh perspectives on the
presentations and handling of these plots. Sure, there are
seemingly tons of ways to accomplish each of these effects,
but these are elegant methods and presentations that have
served Christopher Taylor, have been well-thought out to
make them fresh and intriguing, and are well worth studying.
I will point out that a number of these effects require
standard mentalism or magic gimmicks that are easily
obtained or constructed, if you don't already have them in
your possession. Also, most of these effects are designed
for intimate settings as opposed to a stage venue. To be
clear, these points are far from being drawbacks and merely
information you need to know before purchasing to make
certain this material is for you. Christopher Taylor
certainly has some very creative ideas, his best of which
are explored on these DVDs.
*********
KENTON KNEPPER & THE S.E.C.R.E.T. SCHOOL
ULTIMATELY UNDER
JMOM Price: $45
Suggested Retail Price: $50
THE BLURB:
Read this today, put people into trances in your
performances tomorrow
Kenton's new Ultimately Under does for hypnosis what
Completely Cold has done for telephone psychics.
Literally overnight you will get spectators to close their
eyes, levitate their arm, see imaginary balloons and all
manner of things - without stooges, hypnosis, or tons of
practice.
Spectator's hands get stuck to a table, they cannot move
from a spot on the floor, their fingers seem glued together
and more.
No memorizing special hypnotic scripts or fancy words.
No funny props required, though you may want to use your
cell phone or make up a thing or two.
Most of the effects can be performed up close, in a living
room or on stage.
Unlike what all the others teach you, Kenton tips how
mentalists and magicians can use trance work TODAY without
worry or failure.
Forget being taught how to be a clinical therapist or stage
hypnotist when all you really want to do is apparently put
people under INSTANTLY while doing your usual effects.
You learn how to do all of this and more right away. This
work is for MAGICIANS AND MENTALISTS BY a renown MAGICIAN
and MENTALIST. You don't need to be an expert in hypnosis
when all you really want to do is show how you put people
into a trance instantly.
No dangerous methods, no difficult work.
Read it today, perform trance effects with ease and complete
confidence tomorrow!
No worries, and no fear required.
Pages 94 - Tape Bound
MY COMMENTS:
Oh, you can bet this book will be incredibly controversial.
There will be hypnotists and hypnotherapists who will
criticize this work for trying to teach hypnosis in less
than one hundred pages and without extensive training and
education. Not only that, but Kenton and friends explain
that there are certain things that can be said and certain
actions that will turn any confident performer into an
entertaining stage hypnotist simply after reading this book.
I certainly am not going to debate the issue, but I'll
briefly say that I agree that stage hypnosis is merely
suggestion. Kenton Knepper certainly explains this
viewpoint right up front in the book and, since he's famous
for his Wonder Words and NLP use in performing, he is quite
knowledgeable about just what to say to audience members to
get them to do things, like being put under hypnosis. This
book details just what to say, and why, in order to be able
to to hypnotize people in the name of entertainment. It
also includes many different exercises you can use during
the performance, many of which are unique to the
contributors.
As with many of Kenton's manuscripts, I'll grip about the
lack of a contents page, but that's a minor gripe and
certainly doesn't detract from the quality of the material
within. Besides Kenton, contributers include Neo Lama, Ray
Thompson, Ben Highway, and Mark Townsend. If you're already
doing a hynosis show, this book may provide a refreshingly
alternative perspective and some new exercises to
incorporate. If you're not doing a hypnosis show, and are
interested in doing them, this is highly recommended
(although I wouldn't use this as your single source of
information on stage hypnosis; you'd need to get Ormond
McGill's material, plus Geoffrey Ronning has great stuff,
too).
*********
MENNY LINDENFELD
X-BOARD
JMOM Price: $270
Suggested Retail Price: $300
THE BLURB:
Now unveiled for the first time!
X-Board™ was until today a well guarded secret – a secret
now released to the magic world. Conceived by Menny
Lindenfeld a few years ago, this potent LIVE SHOW MIND
READING TOOL was employed in his own performances to render
both laymen and professional mentalists dumbstruck.
With X-Board™ you’ll be able to immediately duplicate a
spectator’s exact drawing LIVE ON STAGE, with no external
assistance or suspicious moves of any kind, with no need to
open, pull or remove anything. It’s that simple!
X-Board™ is the only clipboard on the market that has an
INSTANT RESET mechanism.
X-Board™ is the only clipboard ever created that can be used
to gain information on an endless number of spectators, time
after time, even during THE SAME ROUTINE.
X-Board™ is not just an impression-device, it is much more
than that. The cunning hidden mechanism allows you to
perform countless mind-boggling routines. For example,
detect a money bill hidden in an UNMARKED envelope, with no
need for the spectator to write or draw anything!
* Audience tested in countless live performances.
* Instant reset, even during live show.
* Very easy to use.
* For live-show and pre-show work.
* Gain information on multiple spectators during a
single routine.
* Comes with a full-color booklet with 3 bonus routines.
X-Board™ - the best live show clipboard on the market today
for the serious performer.
Come complete with X-Board clipboard, 2 special markers and
full color, photo-illustrated instructions booklet.
THE EFFECT:
Let's get this out of the way right now: I certainly like
the peek. It is very easy to use and does have its
advantages over other boards that are on the market.
Those are the good points.
However, it doesn't deliver on its promises. First, the
claim that it was "until today a well guarded secret" is
insultingly inaccurate. For those familiar with the Buma
boards, the Kopy Kat, or the AFA board, the board uses the
same technology. What's different may be HOW it's used and
HOW it's incorporated into the board. That much, as stated
above, is well-thought out, but other impression devices can
perform similar functions with differed handling.
Second, the ad claims that it is "the only clipboard on the
market that has an INSTANT RESET mechanism." Maybe, but I
couldn't get it to reset instantly. I even had another
mentalist play with it and he couldn't do it either. We
both felt that it wasn't a defective unit. it was the
design.
Then there's the claim of it being "the best live show
clipboard on the market today for the serious performer."
Any experienced mentalist will know clipboards that are
equal, better, and most importantly, less expensive.
Now, if this product were priced at less than $100 and the
ad didn't have such blatantly inaccurate claims, then I'd be
able to recommend it just on the peek alone. I wouldn't
need the instant reset. The instruction manual is very nice
and it is packaged very nicely. But for the asking price, I
just can't recommend it or catalog it when there are
clipboards that are just as good, are less expensive, and
can deliver on its advertised promises.
*********
To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
please go to http://www.MarketplaceoftheMind.com
and use the shopping cart. If you're unable to do
this, you may respond to this e-mail.
This e-mail is copyrighted by Jheff Poncher. No part of
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