October 21, 2007
Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter
*** HARRY HOUDINI BOOK TEST - Black's Magic Group
*** UFB (Use the Force . . Bag) - Jason Palter
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the recent past newsletters are archived there.
*********
So I sit in shock with the absolutely trivial revelation
from J.K. Rowling that Dumbledore, Harry Potter's mentor and
Hogwarts Academy's headmaster, is gay. Oh, it's not that
the nature of the sexual orientation of a fictional senior
citizen with a flowing white beard who leads a school of
teenage wizards bothers me. It really doesn't. It's just
that it's too much information. I really didn't want to
know that or need to know that. I mean, really, that's like
the revelation that the Wizard of Oz is gay. (Oh, don't
tell me that I'm one of the last to realize that . . .) :-)
With mentalism, one's performances can suffer the very same
fate if you tell too much. Many mentalists like to explain
and overexplain things. It's almost as if they're
apologizing for what they're doing. I do effects with ESP
cards and I used to preface these effects with an
explanation of what the ESP cards are. Why? Because I'm
justifying the use of these cards? Because I'm apologizing
for using something odd? Because I think my audiences care
about that? Frankly, most don't. I found that when when I
simply brought the cards out and said "I have some cards
with five different shapes on them -- circles, plus signs,
wavy lines, squares, and stars" that's all they need to
know. Then I get right into the effect. This definitely
tightens the performance and keeps everything moving along.
Go back over the scripts to your effects. Find anything
that you really don't have to say and be merciless. If you
don't really need to say it, don't. You'll be surprised at
how much that picks up the pace and makes the routine more
effective.
**** CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR'S REAL GHOST PRE-ORDER
Quite a few people have asked me about me about this offer,
so let me clarify a few things. Chris told me that he
shipped a limited quantity over to Alakazam in England. Of
that quantity, many will be shipped to the U.S. distributor
tha I use. They have not received them yet. Once those are
gone, they will be unavailable through me. They will still
be available directly from Chris, though.
Another question I got was from Marketplace Members who
wondered if they can obtain an additional discount as a
member. The answer is yes, of course. The Real Ghost does
not have a special sale price on it. It is my usual
discounted price. It's just I'm offering it before I've
officially received any so that subscribers/customers can
take advantage of the offer. Also, I can't guarantee that
everyone will be getting theirs as I'm fairly sure that due
to demand I may not get my entire order. I'm certainly
doing my best and I am devising a "plan B" but before I
can't say anything more until I know I can make it happen."
Okay, I think that answers all the questions I've gotten.
Here, again, is that offer:
One breakout hit at this year's con was Christopher Taylor's
Real Ghost. Chris sold out of all the units he had brought
with him. Normally, I don't like expensive electronic items
because they are unpredictable and not necessarily more
powerful than a strong routine using inexpensive props from
an office supply store. But this gizmo is something that I
really like.
So, I will be getting Real Ghost and I will be able to
provide a discount. The catch is that my supply will be
quite limited and it will be first come, first served. I
don't know how many I will be able to get, but I will do my
best to fill the order I do get for it. After my supply is
gone, it will be exclusively available from Christopher
Taylor. If you want one from me, then you will have to
order now. I'm not sure when they will arrive, but it will
be soon. So, don't wait.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/real_ghost.html
**** PHENOMENON
Recently, there was a rumor that Criss Angel had pulled out
due to conflicting obligations and contract issues. This is
simply not so. Criss Angel is definitely part of the show
and it will begin this Wednesday on NBC. Check your local
listings for times. And, as I said, hopefully the show will
be on NBC.com so that those not in the USA can check it out.
Try checking that site Thursday morning (US time).
For those who don't know what the show is, it's a reality
show where ten psychics will compete to see who will become
the next great pyschic. Uri Geller and Criss Angel are the
experts. Contestants include Jan Bardi, Guy Bavli, Jim
Callahan, Angela Funovits, Wayne Hoffman, Jim Karol, Gerry
McCambridge, Eran Raven, Jason Scott and Ehud Segev. I'm
sure that you probably recognize a few of these performers.
It will run for six episodes.
**** 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).
***** MARKETPLACE MEMBERSHIP CLUB
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights
Mark Strivings, one of mentalism's most prolific creators
and most famous as the creator of the SUC case, which
pros use. To get this issue, 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.
Patrick Redford's unique TRIANGLE has been recently added as
well as more than a dozen of Bob Cassidy's e-books.
Also new to the section are Ron Martin's THE TAROT READER'S
NOTEBOOK, a must-have for Tarot readers; Enrique Enriquez's
incredible book on readings, INVISIBLE READINGS; 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
*********
BLACK'S MAGIC
HOUDINI BOOK TEST
JMOM Price: $45
Suggested Retail Price: $49.95
THE BLURB:
Imagine this: you are sitting waiting for an appointment
when someone notices you are reading a book by Harry
Houdini. A conversation ensues in which you begin to explain
how the classic book penned by this famous magician is
purely dedicated to exposing fakes and frauds who use
trickery to deceive people into believing that they have
"supernatural" powers.
Then you say, "For example, take a look at this book real
quickly. While you do that, I am going to write down
something here on a piece of paper, fold it up, and put it
in plain view for you to see." You then instruct them to
turn freely to any page they would like, remember the page
number, and then close the book and put it on the table. You
take the book back and tell them to read the paper: you
predicted exactly what they read!
You can also use this book in conjunction with other books.
Picture this: a participant is freely chosen from the
audience. She is given the opportunity to pick from several
books on a table, which is then handed out to another
audience member for safe keeping. You then select The
Miracle Mongers and give it to the participant. She is
directed to select a random page in the middle, and then ask
the audience member holding the other book to open his book
to the same page. You then begin revealing the content of
the page in the book that the audience member is holding.
No stooges! No confederates. Can be done impromptu. Can be
done completely surrounded. No mirrors. No coins. No breaks.
One of the easiest book tests you'll ever do... and, it is
the real book! The possible routines are limited only by you
own imagination! You can even read Harry's work from front
to back.
Pages 200 - Perfect Bound Soft Cover - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" (14cm
x 21.6cm)
MY COMMENTS:
This is a very handsome, well-produced book that any
mentalist who enjoys using booktests will use. However, if
I were to just to make my recommendation based on the
honesty of this blurb, I'd be tempted to not recommend this
at all. This is a very misleading ad blurb.
First, you assume that what's being written down in the
first described effect are some words from a passage that
was read. If so, this would truly be a great effect.
However, in truth, what's being written down is the page
number. That makes this routine incredibly anti-climactic
for the participant who may assume the performer is being
specific about what is being read and not the page number.
Sure, you can set it up so that the participant/audience
expects a page number, but then it's not really that
impressive of a feat. It's almost a letdown, and just a bit
more serious than the "No" gag. In addition, the
explanation for this routine isn't even mentioned in the
instructions!
The other thing not stated in the blurb is that this is
another version of the Sherlock Holmes Inductive Book Test,
except this one uses Harry Houdini's THE MIRACLE MONGERS.
If one were to buy this looking for a completely different
booktest with a new principle, and especially one from
Black's Magic Group, one would feel cheated and
disappointed. For this book, the key page is 92/93. Those
who are familiar with the Sherlock Holmes Inductive Book
Test or the dictionary in Larry Becker's Ultimate Flashback
will understand what I'm talking about.
To clarify, I have nothing against the prop, which is
well-made and better than some of Black's Magic Group's
earlier efforts. What I dislike is the blurb. It makes no
mention that it's a similar version to another of their
booktests, and the first routine described implies an effect
which is misleading. The 8 page instruction booklet (5.5" x
8.5") covers everything you need to know, including a very
brief bio of Harry Houdini, just in case you didn't know
that the latter part of his life was spent debunking
mediums, which is what the text of this book is about.
Unlike their Sherlock Holmes book test, you can definitely
use this with their X3 book test and it's also ideal to use
with Chuck Hickok's book test routine from Mentalism Inc.
If I had to pick between the Harry Houdini book test and the
Sherlock Holmes, I'd definitely recommend this one, the
Harry Houdini book test, over the other.
*********
JASON PALTER
UFB (Use the Force... Bag)
JMOM Price: $27
Suggested Retail Price: $30
THE BLURB:
The UFB (Use the Force... Bag) is the same high quality,
heavy-duty clear forcing bags that are included in Jason
Palter's best-selling tricks, The Red Carpet and Divine
Time. Jason feels that the UFB is superior to the other
clear forcing bags on the market, primarily because of its
construction. Most of the others are made with a lighter
gauge plastic and PVC material. The UFB can most certainly
hold such things as cards, coins and slips of paper.
However, due to its heavier construction, it can also carry
bulkier items such as fruit, children's toys, watches, etc.
Each UFB bag includes a bonus IDEA GUIDE that contains 20
fantastic thoughts, handling tips and routines!
Dimensions Approximately 12" x 13 1/2" (30.5cm x 34.25cm)
MY COMMENTS:
This is certainly a high quality, well-made force bag as
described. It has plastic handles which snap and have an
extra feature as part of the gimmicking of these bags.
About the only thing that's lacking here is the
instructions. It's in a brochure format and they are simply
ideas about things to force. These ideas are simply that,
not fleshed out routines. Novice mentalists may want to
seek out other routines to use for it than the ones
presented. Also, the instructions tell you to store the bag
flat, yet it comes packaged in a nice tube. This is not a
major complaint, just a warning you shouldn't store it in
the tube and that you should take it out right away after
receiving it. It is definitely priced fairly and is a
recommended utility device for mentalists.
*********
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this, you may respond to this e-mail.
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