Bob Cassidy - Fundamentals - A Guidebook to Mentalism(1).pdf - Bob Cassidy - mcgregor2001

Bob Cassidy’s

Fundamentals

A Guidebook to Mentalism

in whole or in part or transmitted in any form without the explicit written permission of the

severe criminal and civil penalties. The author accepts no responsibility for any loss,

damage or expense caused by your use of the information in this document, however it

occurs. If you should discover a way to physically injure yourself with an e-book, however,

you may be eligible for next years Darwin Awards. [Presented to those whose donations to

the human gene pool should be refunded.] Any registered trademarks used herein are

registered to whoever it is that owns them.

Fundamentals

Preface

Eventually this book will appear in bound

form. Some copies will be purchased by

“collectors” and carefully mummified in airtight

shrink wrappings to insure their future value

should the author become famous, infamous or

dead. (Or, with just a little bit of luck, infamously

and spectacularly dead, thus insuring maximum

returns for a modest investment.) One copy will,

according to my statistical surveys, find its way

into one of several cardboard boxes labeled

“Grandpa’s Anderson’s Magic Stuff,” where it

will remain hidden and forgotten in the back of a

private storage shed until it is discovered in

January, 2058, by disappointed great

grandchildren who, as his only living heirs, hoped

to find several million dollars in cash and

securities.

Many copies, perhaps most, will be

quickly scanned and discarded by those who still

believe that there are closely guarded

“underground” secrets out there that will bring

them instant recognition as “truly unique

mystifiers” as long as the “Magic Secrets on the

Mall Superstore” doesn’t start selling that kind of

thing to just anybody.

It is probable that a few copies of the book that will be actually read and studied.

Whether they’re praised, condemned or ridiculed, these will be the only permanent copies. The

others are just paper, ink and dead ideas.

“Fundmentals’ was originally a four part series. Halfway into it I realized that it would

probably take more than four parts to complete the project I had in mind. I made the mistake of

saying as much to my subscribers. Additionally, I wrote that Parts Three and Four would

include responses to questions asked by readers of the first part and would also include their

worthwhile insights and contributions.

As I should have known, no contributions or questions were forthcoming. That didn’t

stop a few subscribers from loudly complaining, however, when the envisioned Parts Five and

Six did not appear, “I don’t care that he originally advertised it as only being four parts. He

said in Part Two that there would be two extra parts and, damn it, he owes us that!” (These

complaints were, of course, largely from those who were mute when it came to responding to

the request for questions of insights that were to have been included in the series.)

Fundamentals

Be that as it may, “Fundamentals” is now complete. It is not what I thought it would be

when I began the project, but I am still quite happy with the way it turned out. I have included,

among other new things, a close-up handling the classic Princess card effect that I think will find

favor with many of you. It is one of my strongest close-up bits.

One last loose end - In the original Part One there was a “Bonus Effect” called “Test

Conditions.” It was an abbreviated description of an effect I later released in a detailed

photographically illustrated e-book called “Laboratory Conditions.” In the ad for the e-book I

made no secret of the fact that the effect was a re-release of an effect I put out in 1997 or

thereabouts. I said the same thing in the description that appeared in Part One. To be totally

honest, when I did “Laboratory Conditions” I had completely forgotten that I had included an

abbreviated version of the effect in Part One. When I realized it I didn’t figure there was much

of a problem because I SAID IN BOTH VERSIONS that the effect was the one released almost

thirty years ago as my first commerical release. Nonetheless, there are those who have seized

upon this as ‘evidence’ of an evil mens rea. It is not. I haven’t, however, included the effect in

this volume, so those who possess the originals now have collectors’ editions.

Good thoughts to all of you.

Seattle, September 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Bob Cassidy

Fundamentals

Preface ............................................................................................................. 2

Introduction .................................................................................................... 5

How it All Began ............................................................................................ 7

Overview ........................................................................................................10

The Psychology of Mentalism ......................................................................10

Plausibility .....................................................................................................11

The Path to Mastery .......................................................................................12

A note on rehearsal- ......................................................................................13

Fundamental Structures ................................................................................13

Fundamental Problems .................................................................................16

The Most Misunderstood Statement in Mentalism ....................................16

The Opening Effect Comes Second ..............................................................18

Some Fundamental Principles ......................................................................19

The Bulldog Deck and The Scary Movie Routine .......................................20

A Fundamental Psychological Ploy .............................................................22

A thought to ponder ......................................................................................25

The Shuttled Newspaper Test ......................................................................26

Get the Lead Out . ...........................................................................................28

Three Canisters and a Bill .............................................................................31

An Essential Secret ........................................................................................34

Handling ........................................................................................................43

Quiz .................................................................................................................49

An Introduction to the Interaction of Physical, Psychological and ...........51

Presentational Principles in the Performance of Mentalism. .....................51

“A Startling Thought Reading Effect” .........................................................51

An Interesting Fact ........................................................................................52

A Startling Thought Reading Effect .............................................................55

Commercially Available Effects and Gimmicks .........................................65

Persona and Subscript – the Keys to Believability .....................................65

The Subscript .................................................................................................66

Riding the Web – ...........................................................................................67

the original subscript for my psychic persona ............................................67

The Thirty-Nine Steps ...................................................................................72

Some Thoughts on Performing .....................................................................89

FROM THE TARBELL COURSE IN MAGIC -

Fundamentals

It should be noted that there is a psychological difference in the

appeal, in the manner of presentation, between what we call two

branches of the mystic art – ‘magicians’ and ‘mentalists’. While both

accomplish their effects by trickery, the mentalist rarely admits it.

There is an important reason for this attitude of the mentalist. His

mysteries of the mind are impressive only when cloaked in an

atmosphere of genuine phenomena. Long experience has taught the

wisdom of this serious and earnest presentation. Ample proof of these

statements will be found by observance of the leading professional

artists – those occupying the topmost rung being accepted as genuine

by a great majority.

Performers of mental and psychic mysteries usually preface

their demonstrations with a statement to the effect that they make no

claims to possession of supernatural powers, and that the presentation

is solely for the entertainment and amusement those present, who

may draw their own conclusions as to the means or methods by which

it is accomplished. However, the performer proceeds to do his act as

though it were a genuine example of unusual powers: - which, in fact,

it is! If presented as mere tricks, the act would not command

anywhere near the same interest and spellbound attention – if

indeed, it didn’t fall flat. [emphasis added]

- Harlan Tarbell, The Tarbell Course in Magic, Volume IV .

Introduction

The first thing that an aspiring mentalist needs to know is that there is a

very real difference that exist between mentalism as presented by mentalists and

mental magic as demonstrated by magicians. While their methods and devices

are often similar, the mentalist is able to employ certain psychological techniques

unavailable to the magician.

It is a well known fact, for example, that if you speak to someone they

will generally look at your face. If you are a public speaker or a standup

comedian, this is almost always true because there is no compelling reason to

look anywhere else.

Not so for the magician. People know in advance that a magician

performs tricks, and since everyone imagines that they might see “how it’s

done” if they watch closely, their attention will go back and forth between the

magician’s face and his hands (or the particular prop he is using). The magician,

therefore, must employ misdirection to insure that attention is directed

appropriately.

Bob Cassidy - Fundamentals - A Guidebook to Mentalism(1).pdf

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