May 3, 2008
Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter
*** TIMECARD - Gordon Bean
*** STREET SENSE - Andrew Gerard
*** FLASH CARDS MEMORIZED DECK - Kerry Summers
*** JUMBO ESP BICYCLE CARDS - Royal Magic
To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
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*********
Lots of folks have been ordering Freakey. I really love
this gimmick, which can apply to both mentalism and magic.
It's also great because it can always be in my pocket and
the more scratched up and older it gets the more it adds to
the realism of it.
Anyhow, I promised that I would tip the routine I've been
using. Now, because this is a public site, I will not
actually explain the workings of the effect. But if you've
purchased this from me and want more info, contact me. I'll
tell you that the following routine was thrown together
almost impromptu as I was playing with Freakey with my
students. Surprisingly, I've been getting very good
response. So I haven't changed it. But I may.
My routine is done in three phases. In the first phase, I
put a few business cards face-down on the table (or in my
pocket in full view) and then show two keys. One is copper;
one is silver. I ask the participant to take one and I take
the other. We both put them behind our backs and bring out
both hands in fists. I bring my hands out just seconds
after the participant does, as if I've made my final choice
after the participant has. The participant and I have
hidden the key in one of the fists. When the hands are
opened, its revealed that I knew exactly which hand the key
would be in.
For phase two, I explain that I'll teach them how to pick up
thoughts like I just did. I put both keys behind my back
and bring out one in a closed fist. The participant guesses
which key is in the hand. This is done a number of times.
Sometimes the participant is right. Sometimes not. But
then I explain that I was not only sending thoughts to be
picked up, but controlling thoughts, including the wrong
guesses. One of the business cards is turned over and on it
is a message that has accurately predicted which guesses
would be right and which would be wrong.
For phase three, I continue the theme of controlling people
and explain that I can even control them without saying a
word. I toss a third, different key onto the table. And I
have them read the instructions that are on the cards. The
instructions direct the participant to mix the keys,
eliminate one, mix again, and eliminate one more. The final
card reveals exactly which key is left.
That's all described from the audience perspective. To do
this routine, you need to get a third different key. Just
go to your local key shop and have them cut a duplicate key
with a different color. I wound up getting one with an
American flag design on it. I'm not really satisfied with
that, but it's the best I could do at the time. I'll try to
find a more solid colored key later, although I am sort of
getting use to that flag key.
Anyhow, before phase one begins, I have the gimmick in my
back pocket. Phase One is Stephen Minch's Whatever's Right,
from his book, Mind Melds. It allows the mentalist to prove
that he has predicted which hand the item is in, no matter
what the outcome is. Sorry, as I said, I can't go into
details here. I've always loved this great idea as an
opener to more demonstrations or the first phase in a
routine like this one. There are certainly other effects
you can do as alternatives.
The second phase is Andrew Gerard's Street Sense, which is
now on my website. (It's also included in this newsletter
and that's why I had to wait to share this routine with
you.) Of course, this routine uses keys, instead of coins,
which I actually like a lot better. During the phase, when
the hands go behind the back the first time, I switch for
the gimmicked key. And, at this phase's end, while the
business card is being checked, I reach into my back pocket
and switch out the gimmicked key for ungimmicked key.
The final phase is the classic where you give directions for
someone to arrange the keys, swap two of them, and eliminate
items to the left or right of others if necessary. Alain Nu
uses it with Nu Sense. Andrew Gerard recently discussed
this on his Mind Waves DVD. I don't know offhand the actual
credit for it. As you'd expect, it's pretty much
self-working.
And that's it. I know I've discussed using the three keys
to do Docc Hilford's Nightmare Coins, with keys, of course.
I sometimes will do that and it works great. There's lots
of stuff you can do.
Now, if this intrigued you and haven't already gotten a
Freakey, read below.
**** PRODUCT UPDATES
New items that will be discussed in upcoming newsletters
and/or added soon to my catalog are Richard Osterlind's DARK
VISION, Andrew Gerard's ACCURACY, Samuel Catoe's ILLUSIONS
OF INFLUENCE, Sean Field's EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: TOME and
EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: BENZ, Devin Knight's THE BLINDFOLDED CAR
BOOK, and John Sheets' NAILED IT. Some of this stuff is
already on the website with comments. Some of this stuff I
will not catalog.
**** ALAIN NU'S SHOP OF SECRETS
Alain Nu has a brand new site. And to kick off the brand
new site, he has a brand new book. It's called Word Work,
Volume 1. Besides spoon bending, Alain is legendary for
his work with book tests, which he has a love/hate
relationship with (like most of us). This book features
two techniques that require some slight preparation to
an ordinary book. I'll be officially adding my comments
and including it in a future newsletter, but if you can't
wait, the link is on my website or you can go directly
there now by using the link below.
**** FREAKEY AVAILABLE AGAIN
I really do like this. I've been carrying this versatile
utility prop around and "Freakey"-ing people out since I got
it. And it's amazing how many top mentalists I've run into
that when I pull mine out to show it to them, they pull
theirs out. Freakey is simply a set of keys on a key chain.
As keys, they're pretty much indestructible and they make
sense to be in your pocket. I have one routine and about
half a dozen effects I do with it at a moment's notice.
Anyhow, Freakey is difficult to obtain because it takes time
for Gregory Wilson to manufacture them. However, my
distributor has gotten another batch in. I actually bought
an extra set for me, along with stocking up on some. I
don't know how much longer they'll be available before
there's another wait for them to be manufactured. But if
you order now, you can get one. Or two. :-)
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Freakey.html
**** 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.
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 FOR 2008 AVAILABLE NOW!
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights Paul
Brook, who just recently published an incredible new book
which is featured in the issue, The Alchemical Tools. 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 2008 issues
of Jheff's Journal of the Mind, an all-new e-zine for
mentalists, an additional 5% discount off merchandise from
the Marketplace of the Mind, and many other very cool
features. If you want a taste of what you get, 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 SAFWAN PAPERS by Bryn Reynolds and
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS by Jerome Finley, both solid
collections of memorable, mentalism material. Also, new to
the section are BILL MASON'S SENSATIONAL by E. Raymond
Carlyle, which is a wonderful Q&A act, and Dr. Bill's
MIRABILL, an elegant update on a Stewart James classic.
Outlaw-Effects have a beautiful new aged book called THE
WITCHES' ALMANAC and it is their best aged book yet. Enrique
Enriquez has a wonderful new e-book on the Tarot, LOOKING AT
THE MARSEILLES TAROT, which is suitable for both beginners
and experienced readers. Also new to the section are Ron
Martin's THE TAROT READER'S NOTEBOOK, a must-have for Tarot
readers; Joshua Quinn's DUPLICITY, which takes your favorite
drawing dupe routine to the next level; 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
*********
GORDON BEAN
TIMECARD
JMOM Price: $30
Suggested Retail Price: $27
THE BLURB:
A Killer Effect:
The magician locates a selected card—and then reveals that a
freely named time is written on its back!
A Bulletproof Method:
1. The card is selected in a very fair manner, with
spectators having the chance to change their minds as many
times as they like before settling on a choice.
2. The time is selected by simply being named, with no
force used—or even possible.
3. The time may be chosen before the card, or the card
before the time—it works either way.
4. The writing on the back of the card is large and bold,
seemingly with no explanation as to its appearance.
5. Back and fronts of the rest of the deck are visible
throughout the routine.
6. Automatic reset.
7. No table needed; perfect for walk-around, yet suitable
for stage work.
8. Long-lasting. (No rough and smooth.)
9. Professionally manufactured from standard Bicycle
brand playing cards.
"The trick is fantastic — just the coolest thing. I’m going
to do it in my shows at the bar. Bravo, bravo!"
- David Regal
Comes complete with 6 page, photo-illustrated instruction
booklet and Bicycle deck.
MY COMMENTS:
Though most of his effects are magic, Gordon Bean always
puts out effects with great thinking behind them. This is
no exception. At the surface, this appears like mental
magic, but presentations can certainly be created to make it
solid mentalism. I will say that this passed the "teenager
test." In other words, I performed this, pretty much right
out of the package, for my high school students and they
were left speechless. There aren't many effects that do
that. To me, when a gimmicked deck is THAT good, it's worth
sticking in your repertoire for special occasions, at the
least. For those bothered with the pre-printing on the
cards, the deck is easily constructible from decks you may
already have (you need one well-known gimmicked deck which
you probably already have and one matching regular deck) so
that you can write the time on the card backs yourself. You
can also modify it to have other things on the back of the
card, if you like. Unfortunately, this is not instantly
repeatable, nor is it recommended for walkaround because of
that. Other than that, If you like really strong card
effects (and, if you don't, then why are you reading this
far?), then I definitely recommend this.
*********
ANDREW GERARD
STREET CENTS
JMOM Price: $23
Suggested Retail Price: $25
THE BLURB:
The performer gives a spectator his/her business card folded
up and asks them to place it in their pocket for later. Then
a game of "which coin in the hand" is played 5 times in a
row and a score is kept of the spectator's hits and misses.
The performer asks the spectator to remove the business card
that’s been in their pocket all along. They open it without
the performer ever touching it and it matches their score!
Bonus routines and notes:
NON Cents - Impromptu Street Effect - The magician/mentalist
reaches into his/her pocket and pulls out a closed fist
announcing it contains 3 coins and asks a spectator to play
a little game of imagination. The spectator is asked to name
a coin, and ANY coin they name the magician will pull out of
his hand. After the coin is named and removed, the magician
announces the game wasn’t fair, opening his hand showing it
completely empty!
* No shells
* No pulls
* No magnets
* Perform in a t-shirt
* Nothing to add, steal away
* Only ONE coin shown
* Different outcome every time!
Chair Cents - a routine idea for stage (this idea is worth 5
times the price for a working performer)! You will love what
Andrew Gerard has done with this gimmick.
MY COMMENTS:
This is a terrific idea, which is very clever and worth
knowing. It uses a gimmick that most are probably aware of
and may already have in your magic drawers. It's
inexpensive and included in the package. Indeed, it is very
easy to do, there are no sleights, and you do only show one
coin when you open your hand. I should also note that Ted
Karmilovich has worked with this idea and some years ago
shared some very notable unpublished material with a few
mentalists. His presentational approach is entirely
different than Andrew Gerard's.
The package includes six single-sided 8.5" by 11" pages,
which are stapled, folded and polybagged. There are two
other routines included in the manuscript. The first is
called Non Cents. Essentially this is Docc Hilford's
Nightmare Coins that uses a presentation similar to Tomoyuki
Takahashi's Fading Coin that Eugene Burger explains on his
Experiencing Magical Presentation DVD. The other effect is
entitled Chair Cents and is very similar to Rick Maue's
FATE. Both routines are solid, but seem to be afterthoughts
and obvious derivations of the aforementioned works. In any
case, the main routine is certainly a delight to perform.
With the gimmick in your pocket, it's always ready to go.
*********
KERRY SUMMERS
FLASH CARDS - MEMORIZED DECK
JMOM Price: $27
Suggested Retail Price: $30
THE BLURB:
Disguised as simple children's alphabet cards, yet printed
and cut to the high standards of the U.S. Playing Card
Company, these decks are a must have for kids show
performers, mentalists, gospel magicians, or even a close-up
magician looking to add some innocence and creativity to his
repertoire.
Not only can you still perform all the classics with a twist
(ambitious card, card on ceiling, torn and restored cards,
and so on) but utilizing the kid's alphabet cards aspect of
Flash Cards opens the doors to creating new routines, new
jokes, and new tricks altogether.
Flash Cards were over a year in the making to maximize the
possibilities. The cards are divided into 4 "suits" with 13
cards in each category (animals, plants, things, and people)
and they are color-coded. There are two of each letter and
many of the objects were selected because they are objects
that could easily be tied into other magic props and
routines (Rabbit, Rose, King, Lemon, Umbrella, Magician...).
Again, these are printed and cut by the same company that
makes Bicycle® brand cards and they come in a custom
designed box that looks like the box the cards would come in
(no mention of magic tricks anywhere).
Quite possibly the easiest to learn memorized deck ever!
Can you detect an order form these cards? Kangaroo,
Strawberry, Astronaut, Policeman, Ball, Dog, Rabbit,
Baker.....
We bet you can't and neither will your audience.
Comes with a specially designed deck of cards that makes
learning all 52 cards in order a snap! Using Kerry Summers'
clever system, you should be able to have these memorized in
under an hour (usually more like 30 mins). Plus, you get a
DVD and cheat sheet making it even easier to learn the order
and some great bonus material showing you everything from
handling tips to routine ideas, including a killer new
version of the invisible deck using flash cards!
MY COMMENTS:
This is a very cool idea. At least, it is for those who
don't mind using these cards. In order to memorize these
cards, you are creating twenty-six phrases consisting of one
adjective and one noun. And it is pretty easy to learn.
Unfortunately, the way it's described, it's not a true
memorized deck. It's really a stack. With a true memorized
deck, it's not enough to know what card precedes or follows
each card. You need to know the position. If I'm looking
for the astronaut card, it's nice to know that the
strawberry card comes before it or that the policeman
follows it, but I also need to know that the astronaut card
is the fifth card down in the deck. The mnemonics are
alphabetically based and arranged so it's not that difficult
to learn the positions, but it's not explained on the
accompanying DVD instructions. The other consideration is
that these flash cards are in English, which would be a
factor to those who work outside the U.S., or in countries
and areas where English is not as prevalent.
It's an interesting idea for a product and there certainly
is potential for many strong effects, if you can justify the
use of this deck. With four different categories of
thirteen cards, and four different colors, it's definitely
an alternative to a regular deck of cards. However, if all
you want to do is have someone select a picture for a design
duplication effect, I tend to think Richard Osterlind's
Osterlind Design Duplication would serve you better because
the words were carefully chosen for the purpose of drawing
duplication. Several of the choices in FCMD are not easy
for the artistically-impaired to draw.
The package comes with the cards, a bonus crib sheet to help
you memorize the deck, and DVD instructions. Though a few
ideas for routines are mentioned, there is not the in-depth
discussion on effects you can do with this that I would've
liked to see. On the other hand, professionals who get this
utility prop will probably come up with three or four strong
ideas before they even play the DVD. If this sounds
intriguing, then you'll be pleased with this and I'm sure
you'll have loads of fun coming up with ideas for its use.
*********
ROYAL MAGIC
JUMBO MARKED ESP DECK
JMOM Price: $25
Suggested Retail Price: $23
THE BLURB:
A specially printed set of JUMBO ESP Symbols supplied in
deck form. There are 5 symbols per set, and five sets per
deck, making up each 25 card deck.
In addition to the traditional symbols, each card is printed
with a subtly marked back, allowing for demonstrations of
super-human, extra-sensory power demonstrations.
Instructions with several routines are included. Blue
Bicycle backs only.
MY COMMENTS:
This is exactly what you think it is. The marks are easy to
read, though not from a great distance away. The symbols
are in black. I would preferred that the lines on the
symbols were thicker so that visibility is increased, but
they can still be seen. Oddly, the set that I got had blue
Bicycle backs but the box was red-backed. That, and noting
that the back designs are Bicycle, could be the only other
concerns.
*********
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this, you may respond to this e-mail.
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