Comments on: The Mechanic

By: Jeff Stone

Jeff Stone — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:45:35 +0000

Oh yeah . . . I forgot about that caveat

By: Grandpa Chet

Grandpa Chet — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:22:10 +0000

Not if they’re toilet trained.

By: Jeff Stone

Jeff Stone — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:02:31 +0000

@Chet – you know what they say, you can pick your boogers and you can pick your friends, but you can’t wipe your friends on the couch.

By: Grandpa Chet

Grandpa Chet — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:24:32 +0000

Geoff, you can’t threaten MY pets, which include a porcupine and a ghost.

By: Jeff Stone

Jeff Stone — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:50:08 +0000

@Tom – Glad to have you. If the stuff gets rude or uncivil, I usually send the culprit a private email and threaten their pets. Then somehow everything magically gets more civil. 🙂

@Chet – Don’t make me punch you!

By: Grandpa Chet

Grandpa Chet — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:03:22 +0000

Yeah, Jeff – What’s happening here that everyone is being so dadburned civil?

The very idea! 😛

By: Tom Boehnlein

Tom Boehnlein — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:47:57 +0000

One other thing, I have never posted here in the past that I recall but I am certain that I will in the future if all exchanges can be this productive and civil.

By: Tom Boehnlein

Tom Boehnlein — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:46:17 +0000

There is no cut and dry answer, I can be in one situation where a simple one coin routine flurry or quick business card picture duplication will fit the need and request. Another time perhaps 5 minute reading or book test might be ready. We work and or play in a field of deception, the only rule is there are no rules!

By: Grandpa Chet

Grandpa Chet — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:17:26 +0000

Jeff, there is some mentalism which can be handled quickly. It’s not hard to do some simple mindreading that takes only a couple of minutes. That’s usually all it took during times that, for instance, the plane I was on was delayed on the runway. (Believe me, you get good REALLY fast when people are sitting behind you, beside you, and crowding from the front!)

But Paul was suggesting he set up a full busking show. That’s not only going to take more time (and I believe he wants to invest a minimum time if he’s going to perform at all) but it’s not conducive to most mentalism. Mental magic (Yes, read my article in the Gimmick.) perhaps, especially with playing cards. But to get really intimate with your audience? That might take a little more time.

Mark Lewis likes to point out that 95% (or more) of mentalists take tooooooo long to get to the point. Richard Osterlind tells me that, when he first started, his friends in the band would constantly heckle him with “Just DO it, Richard!”

By: Jeff Stone

Jeff Stone — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:39:16 +0000

@Paul – you make a good point. A mentalism routine is much more involved. Although, I can think of a handful of things that could be done quickly without a lot of build up that qualify as mentalism.

@Chet – You’re a mentalist . . . what’s your take?