Hypnosis

Hey derren,

I like to push the envelope whenever possible, even if fellow magicians think I am crazy or fanatic. I like to use hypnosis or rapid induction whenever possible. I sometimes perform hypno heat with hypnosis sometimes, if the mood is right and sometimes I will cheat with hypno heat.

What are your views about hypno heat? There was some great debating going on about the subject, but this forum could not handle it, so the thread was removed, as I speculate this will too. I have an analytical mind, and when you have that mind set debating with someone using their feelings, is a never ending situation, it is like telling a religious person to prove the existence of GOD. Usually their answer is "just because," "it says so in the bible" or some other person's experience. So sad.....

My views were, hypno heat is safe to the audience, depending on the quantity at hand. Some people used pure powdered on some occasions which is crazy, I would use the same amount in 200 performances, which is diluted and safe. What do you do if you are trying to do a rapid induction and it is not going right, do you just let it go and try later or do you cover up? I cover up with hypno heat, or I use it to start off with.

I do not mean this to be an onging debate with others, just let MR. Brown remark.

Thank you

PM your response, if you would like, I would imagine you would know why.  

I don't know a lot about it, but I did have some once, years ago. A pharmacist I knew nearly ruptured himself when he found out what it was, and that it's put in people's hands. Enough to put me off ever using it.

db    

Record Complaints...  

Hi There,
What's your thoughts regarding the record number of complaints about your Russian Roulette & Seance tv programmes?

DavyBoy

(p.s. your profile pic looks like a cross between Max Maven & Ali G!)  

Ever so proud, thank you. About 20 complaints for me blowing my head off, and 700+ for the seance. Nearly all made before the show even aired. Just makes me feel even more justified in trying to get people to think a little bit more about these things.
Hope you like the new avatar.
db    

Poster   Stephen showed me that russian roulette poster you gave him, its on his study wall. quick question, where were these put up, because I'm sure I never cuaght sight of one before the Program.

simon  T

hey went up in bus stops around London. So you probably missed them.

db  

Congratulations  

Hi
Derren, I know you have got an awfull lot of questions to anwer! so I'll be brief! Amazing that not many U.S people have seen you perform but you have more questions than anyone in the past 2 years! (I did orginally post else were but I belive it has ben deleted) Firt I want to congradulate you on your success, I think you are fantastic! Craking the British public that that is pretty amazing!I was going to talk to you at Blackpool magic convention, a few years ago but you looked to scary (sorry) if you are going in FebuaryIwilltalk this time! By the way is this anew look in the avatar? All I can say is pleasure to have you here and well done for breathing new life into the mind control and hypnosis.

matt
Many thanks Matt.

db  

During the seance - 'I swear my wardrobe just jerked!'

Hi Derren good to see you here, loved RR and the seance, I was just wondering how you felt when there was that woman ringing in during the seance chatting about how her wardrobe just jumped!

I found it hilarious, I wonder how she felt when you revealed the seance was actually a way of 'debunking' as you put it

what books did you read when you started becoming interested in mentalism? I have both Pure Effect and AM, and I know you were a 'regular' magician before mentalism... well, regular, I mean cups and balls that kinda thing.

Yes, I loved the wardrobe bit. We had 8,000 calls, and clearly a lot of them were people making up rubbish to try and get on TV. Many were very funny indeed, but there was no time to go through them all.

Book-wise, I started with Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic, and then Expert Card Technique. I still recommend them a lot.

Cheers,
db    

Jerry Sadowitz   As a Sadowitz fan I heard it was he who helped you get the TV show.

Can you tell us a little about this.

Thanks     Is it true that much of the card material on "The devils picture book" was influenced from sadowicz? e.g.the three of clubs bit (which he published in "Profile" and the "Crimp" magazine?) Also, the oil and water routine using face up bottom dealing. Did he also put you in touch with ch4 who were specifically looking for a mentalist to "compete" with David Blaine? Also, is it true that he put you and H&R magic together to publish your books with his recommendation?
Or is he just a raving nutter as everyone seems to agree on!!! 

Jerry has been very instrumental in me getting to this point. With his encouragement, enthusiasm, faith and help I gave a private lecture for International Magic one evening (NOT the thing on the tape); later he put me in touch with H&R publishers; and most of all he gave my name to Objective after they had spent 2 years (ahem) looking for someone to do this sort of show. So if it wasn't for him, I don't know what I'd be doing now. I'm immensely grateful. It's something I've said in a lot of interviews, but doesn't often make it to final press.

So yes, all true. And yes, he's been a real influence on my card magic, along with Guy and Lennart. He is one of the very, very finest. (Not sure what you mean by the '3 of clubs' bit, though. He does have a psychological force of that card, which I've never used. I've got the 3 of Diamonds thing, but that's very differently done.)

Cheers,
db    

Whats your favourite?

Hiya Derren
I was just wondering what type of magic you like the best. I know you used to be a sleight-of-hand magician but do you prefer that to the Psychological stuff you do now?

Also any plans to come to Newcastle in the upcoming tour?  

Hi Clairey - Dates not sorted yet for the tour, sorry, but I'm sure I'll be there. Do come along and say hello afterwards if I come out and sign things. And yes, I certainly prefer what I do now, though I still have a real love of conjuring.

I guess we're both looking forward to the Willy Wonka remake, unless that means you've seen it already.

db
x    

Moving from closeup to parlour  

Derren,

Wondered how, in your early days, you moved from the closeup situation to parlour and then stage?

The reason I ask is that I've been performing closeup professionally for a number of years but I'm getting more and more of a desire to perform TO an audience. I've drafted a 1 hour ACT which is in it's infancy, but how do you go about moving in that direction?

Regards

Andrew 

You're better off with a 45 minute act. An hour will be very hard to book, and is very long.

For me, I only ever had done close-up until making the TV show. The only 'parlour' I'd done was occasional mini-act at a convention. Once the TV got underway, I needed a cabaret/corporate after-dinner act, so I put one together, which became the first half of the previous tour. By that point I had a manager and the beginnings of a profile, so the ball was slowly rolling. However - I only had 5 gigs in the first year, whereas I'd had a couple a week for a year or so before that. Bizarrely, my fee had gone up tenfold overnight, but no-one knew who I was to pay it. But those who did were expected to cough up a larger sum. I had to borrow money the first year, and then it started taking care of itself.
It's definitely worth making the move. It's a shame to see how low-profile even a world-class close-up magician is working the tables at an event, compared to the after dinner entertainment on stage.

Get 45 minutes together with an arresting start and an unforgettable finish, and make sure you work it through with someone else who can give you honest feedback. Have it scripted and solid, of course.

Hope that's of some help,
db    

Your creative process

Derren,

It's a pleasure and an honour to meet you here at the Cafe. Sincere toadying over, I was wondering if you could describe for us your creative process? How do you get your ideas? (What inspires you?) And how do you then develop those ideas for performance?

Regards,

Caleb Strange.     Do you find yourself browsing through old, dusty tomes to find inspiration within stories, or do you keep to traditional 'magic' books? 

Well, I have the luxury now of having people paid to thrash ideas around with. It's great. I find conversation with like-minded performers invaluable. But in terms of when I am on my own, there's no formula. I just try to keep the effect uncluttered and simple. Or I might think of the situation I would like to have an effect for first: in the street meeting a fan; in a restaurant; on stage; or wherever. Somehow from imagining that, ideas for effects sometimes organically flow. Or occasionally it's from something I realise I can do reliably, or from very satisfying method I stumble across while playing or out walking.
I don't go through old books as much as I should. But from time to time I will, and there's normally some treasure in there which I feel I can change into something which suits me.

No idea if that helps...

db    

Hi  

It seems that you are very guarded about your "secrets" and that I can understand. If someone really wanted to know how a particular technique was done and you trusted that they wouldn't spread the word on the nearest internet forum, would you tell them?

Also have you any plans of ever teaching your techniques? After all you are not going to live forever and it would be a shame if what you knew died with you.

Loving all your work by the way.

Amy   No - the desire to gloat over a particularly satisfying technique has long left me, so I keep things to myself. There's a tiny handful of people I confide in connected with the TV show, and all have signed confidentiality agreements. Occasionally I read on the net that so-and-so knows such-and-such who's involved with the show and has assured him that this or that technique was used, but it's always nonsense or exaggerated Chinese whispers.
It's only so as to not spoil the fun. And yes, I'm sure one day, when it's all going a bit downhill and I need the cash, I'll write a big fat book and pass it all on to the magic community, if there's any interest. Perhaps the desire to gloat a bit will find me again...

db     Favourite effect?   Derren, could you tell us which is your favourite of all the effects you've performed, if you have one?
I also have a couple of other questions: in your live show, where you let an audience member win money from you so you can win it back from them, have you ever had one who just took the money? (If so, you didn't keep their watch did you? )
How did you feel about Simon Singh's oft-quoted newspaper article a while back which accused you of fraudulently presenting magic tricks as psychological effects? Do you find it impossible to define the difference between magic and psychology?
They only sometimes won the money, and maybe on a couple of occasions didn't then gamble it. On a couple of occasions the £500 cheque was won too when they picked the correct/wrong envelope. Anyone at the first night of the last tour will confirm that.

Re: Simon's article - I think he was more concerned that C4 had billed me under the science section of their website, which of course was not right. I have no real argument with the article, other than the fact that I think he thought I was making claims I wasn't. It's a mixture of magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship; as I say in the show. I wouldn't want to nail when something is or isn't what I'm suggesting it is, as that might spoil the impact of the performance. Some of it's what I say it is, some of it isn't.

As for my favourite effect... not sure. I loved the Seance, and perhaps most of all in that I loved the Spirit Cabinet.

Thanks,
db         Your experience with Objective Productions   Hi Derren from Spain:

First of all welcome and thank you very much for your time.

I know that Objective Productions produced your shows for the english television.

Recently I met them in Spain, they were here with Pete Firman and Ali Cook filming our XXVI National Convention of Magic, and it was an incredible experience. They are great people, as long as magicians. And of course, with the Head of Magic Programming, Anthony Owen, a very kind person, I got a good friendship.

I just want to know how was the experience of working with them, and your opinion about Pete and Ali as magicians.

And of course, if I could ask you a favour, it will be to give them my best regards next time you see them.

All the best magic,

Without sounding like a horrendous luvvie, Objective are really, really lovely to work with. I count Andy Nyman, Anthony Owen, Andrew O'Connor amongst my closer friends, and the producer and director too. It's a bit of a family now. AO and AOC in particular have a love for magic and an understanding of magic on TV which is terrific. These years will be looked back on as the Objective years of magic, in the same way that John Fisher was the name behind TV magic for many years.

Ali Cook and Pete Firman are super-duper too. Pleased you got to meet them. Pete's an absolute delight.

Now I am sounding like a luvvie, so I'll stop.

db     The reality of fame   You have referred before to how you lost your certainties when you began to examine your Christian faith. Now you are moderately famous it is clear that you are attracting a lot more extreme and unpleasant attention, so much so that you are considering no more after-show signings (which will be a real disappointment to many people).

If you were to redo the DVD interview today, would you still admit to having your cake and eating it, or are you having to reassess the certainties of celebrity now that you are encountering its darker side?   Ooh - great question. I've always felt that having cake and eating it should be one's goal, and that still holds.
I get mail and have contact with some people which really makes me shiver. I've had people threatening to sue me for psychically assaulting them; mail from people who are dying asking for help; and my share of rape accusations from people I have never met. To be honest, this is why I don't get bothered about issues like copyist performers or people using my name when they shouldn't on ebay. Things get put in perspective.
Equally, as delighted as I am to have a dedicated fan base, there are times when the level of personal interest and desperation to find out any tiny personal details are hugely claustrophobic. I'm pleased I only have it in such a small measure. For people who court fame for its own sake and get it, or who no fault of their own end up with it in spades, it must be mostly vile. For example, when I moved to London, I read some 14 pages of discussion from people trying to piece together my new address so they could come and wait around for me. That's horrible.

Because only 3 million or so watch the shows, it's all manageable and generally all good. It's normally very nice to be stopped in the street or said hello to by those 1 in 20 people, and delightful to get special treatment sometimes. The hard part is learning to detach yourself from the nutters or the really unfortunate cases. But Jerry Sadowitz refers to it as a tax you pay for being known, and I guess he's right. And as long as you're concentrating on trying to do well, the fame part stays in perspective.

Thanks,
db     Aspirations   Derren, hi

Let me start by saying I have been a big fan of your for quite a while. I have really enjoyed all the TV shows, and was fortunate enough to see your live show up in Edinburgh. I was just sad that you didn't manage to guess my telephone number!

I wanted to ask you, before the TV show, where did you think your career would go? What goals and plans did you have? Did you dream/hope you would get this big?

Also, I loved watching The Devil's Picturebook! You have inspired my to get back into magic. I have been doing card magic for a few years now, and I am beginning to do some mentalism. Fascinating stuff.

Keep up the amazing work!

cheers,
Tommy
Hi there Tommy.
No, never thought it would be particularly successful. Aside from getting it underway in the US, I've got no particular goals for now. My only ambitions centre, rather egotistically, around my lifestyle. The rest is a very enjoyable game to be played.

Cheers for coming to the show. Hope you enjoyed it.

db     Time limitations   Hi Derren,

I really enjoyed the TOTM sries and the specials.
The live show was fantastic.
I wonder how you feel about the time limitations set upon you with a tv series, as presumably, the filming is on a firly tight schedule as opposed to a live show where there is plenty of rehersal time.
Do you find it difficult to perfect and perform new effects as well as you would like becasue of this?

All the best
x
The Force   Thank you. Yes, it's a frighteningly rapid and unforgiving process, but you learn to move at the necessary speed. It's a shame that you only get one go at it on TV: in the live show, I can tweak it every night and slowly let it all come together.
Of course more time would always be a tremendous bonus, and there have been routines fromt he shows (not saying which ones...) which I feel would be better had I had more time to play with them and try them out. But where the performance may not be as polished as a stage piece, you have the luxury of music and close-ups to aid the drama.

Incidentally, to make a series and 2 specials takes 8 months. Touring takes 4, with a month to write and rehearse the show from scratch. That's my entire year, with no breaks. I've been working to that schedule since February 2003, and know that it won't change until at least May 2006. It is hard work.

Cheers,
db     Is it still mentalism?   Hi Derren,

I was just wondering what with having such a large crew of magicians working behind the scenes and the freedom that prerecorded shows offers, do you consider your work to still be your own and does it still adhere to your values?
Also I always wonder how much of what we see on the screen is actual mentalism and how much is clever editing, the later being something different altogether I suppose (more like special effects)

Clearly I am not asking for any idea of how things are done I'm just curious as to what you consider to be fair game to produce an effect.

Also I like the avatar picure certainly captures the feel of this place.     Given the unpredictability of the general public, I initially suspected that a lot of creative editing was involved in the TV shows. However, having seen Derren's live show, I'm happy to report that I'm now convinced that's not nearly such a significant factor as I thought. He really is that good.
Thank you - a rich question, I think.

We all know that non-magicians, when they don't understand a trick, like to fall back on phrases like 'It's all sleight-of-hand'. We also hear a lot that people tend not to trust magic on TV - which is why they like our close-up so much. Many magicians, because we are also lay-people when we something fools us, tend to do the same thing. I hear a lot that I rely on clever editing or stooges, which is really not the case.

It's absolutely vital that the spectator you see in the show has the same experience of the effect as when they watch it on TV. I can't go chopping bits around, or they'd have a good reason to complain. Equally, aside from how artistically replulsive it is, I can't go employing stooges. Whatever we could pay them would be nothing compared to what a paper would pay for their story. And also, we can't go filming a street routine a hundred times and then just show the few that work. We'd have 95 sets of people (in front of whom I had repeatedly humiliated myself)complaining that their bit wasn't shown because it didn't work; and financially and logistically it's not possible. It takes ages to set up and shoot these things.

I think these are good rules to work within. It also makes sense to use the medium and what it offers, of course, but you can't just create a fiction in the edit room. My career would be over the moment people from the show started telling their stories.

I don't have a large crew of magicians working behind the scenes: not sure what you're visualising there. Sometimes we'll get some people together to brainstorm ideas or half-ideas for effects to get the ball rolling. That's a lovely thing, as is the ability to discuss and throw ideas around. But after that the onus is on me. I work very closely with Andy Nyman here, as you probably know, as two heads are always better than one and we think very similarly.

So yes - the logistics of making a TV show, working with a director and so on are very different from performing close-up, and are very hard to compare. Unfortunately one difference is that people trust TV less. Ultimately this is why I prefer to perform live, so none of these issues arise.

Great question though, thank you. And thank YOU, 'contains mild peril'.

db     Motivation   Derren,

You've spent years developing yourself and your craft. What is it that keeps you motivated to continue to develop new effects, stage shows and TV programs?

Thanks for your answer, and your skills...

Enjoy,
M.   My mortgage.

That and the fact that I adore touring, love the people I work with and still find the challenge of coming up with routines and methods utterly delightful.

But right now, mainly my massive and terrifying mortgage.

db     Geek love   What are magicians like as fans? Do you prefer the flattery of the general public, which is probably a better gauge of your success?

We're a peculiar mix (not in itself a bad thing) and terribly geeky, even if we don't admit it. Is it a bit wearing, or are you impressed by the enthusiasm?

I always hope that when Brad Pitt wakes up in the morning and realises that he is, infact, Brad Pitt, he runs around the bedroom cheering and grinning (quietly, so as not to wake Jennifer) - if living the dream isn't as good as it seems, what's the point in dreaming. So I guess what I'm trying to ask is, is it good to be you?   Magicians as fans? Enormously supportive and generally very nice. There's a tendency amongst some magicians to dismiss something when they recognise a method, and miss the joy of a perhaps new or startling effect: this can be very wearying. I hope it's ok to say that. I'm the opposite: I love being fooled and will revel in not knowing how it was done, even if in the back of my mind I do know. So I can't get excited by magic reviews in circulars which just list the tricks performed, or magicians who seem determined to be as joyless towards magic as possible.

But personally, I've always been immensely grateful towards the magic community for being so supportive. Especially in this country, where success tends to be sneered at. I'm guessing there's such an alarming over-saturation of Derren Brown topics in magic discussion groups on the Internet that it's only the vomiting fits that have kept you from murdering me.

And I think it's as good and bad as ever to be me: I just have nicer stuff now.

db     Did this happen?   Hey,
I heard a rumour that you made a woman cry on stage during your 'Second half'. Well maybe you didn't make her, but is it true that a woman started crying during one of your shows?

I hope you don't mind me asking but what did you do to handle the situation?


Cheers,
Steve.
I had many nights when the spectator would cry at a particular point as they read out a letter. I wanted to achieve a lot of different emotions with the show. I handled it sensitively and appropriately, I hope, and would read the letter for them if they didn't want to continue.

Cheers,
db     Taking Chances   Curious as to what your thoughts are regarding taking chances during performances of Mentalism. I've not seen your live show, as I don't live in the U.K., but from your books it seems that there are lots of chance-riddled effects in your repertoire.

I suppose my main question would be, if you have a method or methods that are surefire in a routine, would you sometimes ignore a proven method and try a chancier (is that a word?)one just for your own amusement, or to throw people off of your usual methods?

I guess I punctuate a performance with pretty sure-fire methods to guarantee the correct grammar for a successful and entertaining show, and them mix in risks and chancier routines to keep it edgy and unpredictable. Absolutely.

Cheers,
db     Derren   To Derren brown,
My name is Stephen Williams, and I come from Liverpool, England.
I am 10 years old. I saw your show in the empire, it was the best thing I have ever seen in my life. When I am older I want to be a magician, but I am interested in hypnosis and mind manipulating, have you got any advice you could give to me please?
Thanks.
Magically Yours,
Ste.   Hi Stephen, thanks ever so much for writing. And thanks for coming to the show. I'm guessing you sneaked in, as no under 12's were supposed to be there. In fact I saw you, I'm sure - because I remember thinking, 'I must report that tiny boy to the police after the show'.

I'm pleased you liked it so much: I love performing the show. They're beautiful theatres and it's very cool coming out on stage and seeing you all sat there.

As for hypnotising -it's very difficult to hypnotise someone if you're quite a bit younger than them, as they don't take it very seriously. You could try a) just hypnotising very young children or kittens, or b)drawing a fake beard on with permanent marker first: that might make you look older. It worked for me in the first couple of TV shows. Or c) do what I did: learn magic first, and get really good at it, and then see if it leads you into the mind-reading sort of thing that I do. It took me ten years to really learn it properly, and I'm ninety-three now.

You spell better than any other person on this forum, so you're obviously bright enough to be very good at magic. And bright enough to know that you can do much more clever magic that you make up yourself instead of just what everyone else does, which is normally silly. I also imagine you're very creative and good at painting or writing or fixing stuff or making people laugh... all sorts of skills you'll find you can bring to the magic you do.

If you send an email to my assistant, and tell him your address, I'll find and send you a magic book suitable for an intelligent and creative ten-year old to get you started. I'll even sign it from me and David Blaine. That's how I got started: I got a book and tried all the stuff in it. It built from there.

Best of luck with it. I'll tell Coops to expect an email from you. And I'll alert the police again.

Yours,
Derren.     A performing personality   It seems to me that the irony of magic is that it apparently lends itself to a more introverted personality. Sitting quietly reading and practicing sleights, working up new methods requires a certain kind of person with a great deal of commitment and staying power.

However the end result is something more suited to an extroverted personality (performing for an audience.)

I'm aware that everybody is a mixture of both introvert and extrovert but I was wondering how you first took the step to perform the material that you had spent your time practicing and rehearsing; and how did you deal with the nervousness that initially accompanies performing for an audience?

Cheers
Damion   For me, it was about being a frustrated performer and wanting to do something. Because of that, there was never any nervousness to speak of. It took care of all my need for attention, which allowed the rest of me to become, hopefully, a lot more pleasant and less self-aggrandizing.
Having said that I used to hate approaching tables for years, and I don't think it ever became entirely second-nature. But I think that's a good thing. It's hard because it's unnatural and rude, so you have to take that on board and change your approach accordingly.
It's because of this introvert/extrovert tension you interestingly point out that much magic isn't terribly interesting: because the magician is still performing for himself. I guess to get it right you need to be both pathologically obsessive AND desperate for attention: a winning combination in anyone's book.

Cheers,
db     Invisible compromise -----> 2 perfect theory?   Does the former invoke the latter is what I'm asking really?   Wrote about Invisible Compromise elsewhere here. Might be worth referring to that. Don't think the Too Perfect Theory is quiet right, anyway. There's plenty of presentational frames in magic that can make a feature of impossible cleanliness. In mentalism it's a little different, as you are purposefully creating a sense of a method, so I don't think it applies to a well-thought out performance.

Getting too late - can't keep my eyes open. Ner-night.

db     Ruthless selection   Hello Derren,

You've mentioned in several of your publications for magicians the need for being ruthless in the selection of material when it comes to choosing effects that suit your style. I wondered if you could talk a little about effects that maybee you had a soft spot for, but in the end had to make the descision to cut because they didn't suit your performance character. Is there, for example, a secret and cherished Derren Brown cups and balls routine that you queitly perfom when no one is looking? As a spectator are there magical genres other that mentalism and playing card work (both of which you are enormously gifted at) which still delight you?

Thanks

Hmm. I still love pickpocketing, but it's not an easy one to drop into mentlaism routines. It can stand on its own as part of a set, given the proper framing, but I had to lose a watch steal I was using in the stage show because it seemed out of place. I've lost my affection, I have to say, for most conjuring card tricks, unless they happen to be really engagingly performed.
I still love magic, so if something is performed well, of course I'll really enjoy it. It's always a delight to see the greats work, and I'm lucky enough to know a few. I was sat, unworthy, in the company of Lennart Green and Guy H the other week in a hotel bar, doing my best to contribute to a little card session. It was such a delight, and such things will, I hope, never cease to be hugely enjoyable and exciting.

Thanks,
db     Mind reading   How did you get to be so good at mind reading and psychological tricks? I can usually tell if someone's lying, but you seem to be able to pick up on minor signals to be able to tell exactly what's going on in their mind. Did that take a long time to learn?
Also, what age were you when you started learning magic? I started when I was 7.
P.S. I got into your show and I'm only 10. It was fantastic. Your seance on TV was brilliant too.   Thanks Mikelo. Very nice of you to post. And great picture.
Pleased you liked the seance - I did too. Had no idea they were going to be quite that scared, and I kept going off to giggle and jump up and down with the film crew in the ad breaks.

It did take me a long time to learn, but as you know, it's not all quite what I say it is. I started off as a hypnotist and then got into magic when I realised I didn't want to work as a hypnotist full-time. But magic teaches you a way of thinking and a love of giving people a feeling of amazement, and these things stuck with me. So I tried mixing some of the magic things I had learnt with the psychological things I had learnt to come up with what I'm doing now. It's not real mind-reading: it's normally more about creating the hopefully amazing and enjoyable feeling that mind-reading has just happened.
But good luck with it all - it's lots of fun.

Derren.     Fora   I'm not sure if we're really supposed to ask you questions like this, but I noticed you already know salsa dancer and Truthteller. Do you often visit internet fora?   Tempting me by using that word. A few years back I used to read lot of discussion boards, mainly to see if anyone was saying anything about me. I remember liking these guys' posts. Nowadays, apart from looking though my own forum from time-to-time (it's unhealthy to do it more than occasionally) and sometimes reading a thread here or there which someone says I should look at, I don't really, no. I wish I had the time, it might be fun.

db     New effects   Hi Derren,
I'll be brief: When you're 'composing' new effects, what comes first - you or the audience? Do you start with what you'd like to try and then play with it so it will suit an audience - or do you begin with a more audience-specific perspective? Have you ever dropped an effect because it's too much one or the other (i.e. too much 'just for you' or too much 'only for the audience')?
Thank you for your time. Best of luck with your new show/series ...
Amanda   It's difficult to say, as there's a lot of reasons why an effect might come into being. But it's certainly something that from the start I will see from the audience's persepctive, as that's where it all happens. Much of the time I may start with a new technique I'm trying out, but it's always the impact and perception of the event which is paramount in my mind.

Thank you,
db     Passing phase?   Hi Derren,

You've made your current thoughts on mind-reading and mentalism well known, but how do you view the future of the field? You've obviously helped to raise the profile of an already active area of performance and entertainment, but do you feel there is a chance that mentalism could eventually gain the slightly dubious reputation of more traditional magic? With the advent of a whole host of new magic shops and dealers, and with more individuals becoming interested, I somehow think that the possibility for genuine and believable mentalist performance is ever-decreasing. I know you've said on here that you have a preference for original material that hopefully magicians can't deconstruct, so am I being overly pessimistic?

Answers in a sealed unmarked envelope please.

Thanks for your time,
Mark   I think high-profile mentalists have always been few and far between, and I imagine it will stay that way. I'm aware there are a lot of young performers getting into it now, which is great, but that will calm down a bit: it was similar when Blaine first came along.
I don't think it will ever become trad. Magicians are easier to bunch together in the public's perception; whereas mentalists tend to be more distinct, often make very different claims, and are seen less in the media.
I hope, but am pretty sure, it will take care of itself.

Cheers,
db     Star struck   Hi,
Being interested in mentalism, I feel slightly star struck by great names such as your self.Your work was recommended to me and I loved it. When you were starting out, were there any magicians that you felt particularly in awe of? Is there anybodies work that you feel may be of interest to someone such as myself?

Amy   I came into magic fairly late. I didn't join any magic clubs and didn't know any magicians. There's an old tape of me in a close-up magic competition: that was the first time I's really come across the 'scene', and I remember having no idea who was known and who wasn't.
I suppose after a while, I really started to hugely admire a few names: Canasta, Sadowitz, Teller, Hollingworth, Berglas, Tommy Wonder. I still do. I'd recommend the work of all of them.

Cheers,
db     Some fav magicians....   Just wondering who are you favorite magicians and why?

Who are some of your favs that you met and why?


Any stories would be great no matter how long or short!   Oops -just answered this elsewhere. Briefly - Guy Hollingworth, Canasta, Teller, Sadowitz, Tommy Wonder, Berglas.

Cheers,
db     Balanced EGO   Hey Have some TEA and stay awake young man.

I remember in absolute magic you touched apon conrolling your ego. Do you have any pointers, in maintaining a healthy balanced EGO whilst?

From experience I find that ego trap very easy to fall into, thus thinking that your effects are so good and hence you stop improving or developing them and your performance further. As you have said that performin a miricle will always have inherent entertainment value.

cheers...mate.
Don't fully understand what you're asking, but in terms of live performance, I've realised the massive benefits of working with a director. There's a real ego issue for magicians to get over - let alone mentalists! I don't personally know of any magicians (though I'm sure there are a tiny handful) who are prepared to use a director, and it's all about ego. And I think it shows.
I came into the TV off the back of writing the two books for the magic fraternity, enjoying some success there and thinking I was hot stuff. Of course I knew nothing about TV, and soon realised that my real perfomance skills were very poor compared to what I would have to learn. The only way to embark on that journey is to have your ego beaten and bruised at every turn. Now I kind of like it - it's a healthy balance to the exaggerated credit and unwarranted adulation that I sometimes (enjoyably) receive.

But yes, self-delusion and exaggerated sense of impact is the common curse our profession, and it exists at every level, making the material suffer. Arranging for honest, professional feedback and having a willingness to trust it is the only answer.

(I'm not saying for a moment that I've got it right or anything like that. And it's a separate issue from the ego of performers in everyday life. I'm sure mine is massive and unbearable.)

db     Misbehaving Media   Hi Derren

Congratulations on regularly being voted one of Britain's most strangely attractive men.

Saw your live show earlier this year and was particularly impressed with the part where an audience member became a medium and revealed various facts about your dead friend. It was very cheeky.

Were there occasions when the medium tried to show you up by announcing incorrect things? If so, how did you deal with it?   Nope, they hopefully had no cause to. It was never set up as a challenge, and the tone was too serious for people to start messing about. Often they got things wrong, of course, which was fine. That part was only meant to be a soft, preparatory effect.

I prefer 'unusually attractive'.

Dashingly,
db     Please help me with my disbelieve   When I watch your specials, I always get a a very annoying feeling of impossibility. It's hard to explain. Sometimes, you get a feeling of impossibility because it's so magical. Here, that's not the case. When a cap driver forgets where the London Eye is, or a man falls asleep at the phone (sure) it just screams "stooges" to me. And it annoys me, because many magicians love you and your style and think you are the real deal. And who am I NOT to believe them.
Can you, or anyone, advise me with some literature to just give me the idea something like the things in your show CAN be done, and are not always faked.

I hope you all can understand this, never have I felt so much difficulty explaining something in English.   I've answered this at length elsewhere, if you can be bothered to find it. But no, no stooges. Routines like those are working with suggestibility (I started my career as a hypnotist), which is different from classic magic methods, of course.
Sorry if they're not proving much fun for you. I don't think you'll find much literature on it.

Apologies,
db     Difference between hypnosis and suggestion   Is hypnosis just a stronger form of suggestion, or is it something else.? It seems there is little agreement in texts. I thought that you may have more of an insight than most as to this topic. Care to share your thoughts?   Thanks, Phil. I see 'hypnosis' as a shorthand term for a micture of such elements as suggestion, response expectancy, hype, charisma, role playing, social pressure etc. In the same way 'magic' is a shorthand term for all the theatrical and technical elements of which it comprises. Neither is 'real' as such, unless you take it to mean an experience, or a description of a type of event. But both break down into many different components when you take a closer look.

Cheers,
db   Stage door Louise   Hi Derren,

you may have long since left this board but I will throw in a quickie, just in case you're still around???
I saw, and heartily enjoyed, the show at The Palace. At the end of the show I whisked myself off to the stage door for an autograph ( which you very pleasantly gave me, ta. ) While I was waiting in the line I was amazed (although thinking about it not that amazed) to see the stage door trooper - Louise. Being an actor, I have met and signed and posed and kissed and hugged and avoided and run from Lousie on a number of occasions.
On that night (I noticed Mr. Schwimmer in the audience seated next to Mr. Nyman - If that helps??) Lousie was proudly displaying her pics of the two of you and doing a dutiful job organising the queue, giving strict instruction on how you like the fans to behave. She did very well and everyone obeyed.
I would just like to pass on my heart felt thanks for your obvious time and patience with her. Unfortunately I have witnessed a fair amount of unpleasantness surrounding her in the past as you can imagine. The fact that she chose your stage door to help with says a lot. Particularly when you consider she has the whole of the west end at her disposal.
To briefly wrap up - good on ya! Twas cockle warming indeed.
Anyway - I loved the show. I read that you're a lover of good theatre so I'd like to say that you can be proud of the fact that you set the west end on fire!!

Thanks very much.

All the best...

Matt.   Ah... and I must add she got a bunch of flowers from me on the last night, and the phonebook I'd been using for the routine. I'd wangled her in to see the show and she had asked for a spare prop as a souvenir. In return she'd given me a huge teddy bear from her bedroom.
Bless us both...     !! SHALL STOP BY TOMORROW MORNING   Had a gig tonight and didn't get much of a chance to stop by here in the evening. So I'll come by tomorrow (Friday) am and try and answer what I can to finish off.

Must go to bed now. Sorry.
xx     Suspending the belief   Hello Derren,

Nice to talk with you here.

When you perform mentalism, sometimes you will get too strong response from audience, who think you are really a pychic. In these situations, how could you handle the audience's emotion to attain the maximum 'after-effect'? In other words, how to suspend audience belief for long period of time without destroying the illusion of effects.


Alex Hui
For me, the maximum impact is not a belief that I have psychic powers. That's not difficult to achieve, and neither is amazement. It's inherently amazing, and the conclusion that one must be in some way psychic is the obvious first route for a spectator to take.
I'm happiest when the reaction is more resonant: when the spectator feels a little challenged by what's happened. That they KNOW it's not psychic, and don't have an easy label to put on it. In the end, there's only your persona as a performer that you have to concentrate on communicating. The routines are mere demonstrations (although they have to be great ones): you are more than the sum of them. The difference between the two is where the 'magic' lies. So whatever belief they attach to what they've seen - whatever conclusions they draw - I'll consistently challenge them, so they can't find a comfortable answer. The only thing I'll really nail for them is that it's not a psychic event.
That's the maximum 'after-effect' for me, not just eliciting a quick scream or an 'Ohmygodhowdidyoudothat'.
Thanks,
db      TV awards   Hi Derren

I remember watching you present an award on the national TV awards or something like that. The effect you performed involved five people thinking of a word, without getting into the hows and whys - one of them changed their mind from what you were expecting.

You handled it extremely coolly but I was wondering if on the inside you were ****ting yourself or if it was all in a days work?   Blaargh, wish I hadn't done that. They had asked me to do a minute or two, but with the (may I say) enthusiastic and hyper-active audience it ended up taking ages.
No, didn't bother me: thought it was quite funny. Makes things more interesting.

Thank you, kind Sir.
db     Yet another question!   Magician or Psychic? (or something else)

What would you like on your gravestone?

Sorry to be morbid!!
Cheers
Paul   On my tombstone? Maybe just the word 'Help' scratched badly near the bottom.
Not sure what I'd like to be remembered for. Don't feel it really matters. But I'd be happy to be rememebered as pleasant, or failing that to die as part of some elaborate practical joke.

Ho-hum,
db     Patter   When you deal with the presentation, what's your creative process, how do you develope your patter?

best regards
Robert   I don't think of it as patter. I don't really like the word. I just try to keep everything simple and direct, and use what understanding of language and performance ability I have to come up with a script (although not a written one) which does the job as well as it can.
I've given answers elsewhere about how I come up with effects, if you want to have a look around here. Sorry, it's impossible to refer people accurately to previous answers. With TV stuff, when you have to come up with an inordinate amount of material, it's different from working on your own live routines. With TV you have the luxury of people paid to thrash ideas out with you. And more than one person's input stops things becoming indulgent and complacent.

Cheers,
db     Street Mentalism   Hi again,

Do you think street mentalism is something that could work. When I say this I don't mean, mentalism done in the style of Mr David Blaine. What I mean is if it was to be performed in the way that street magic was originaly performed. Possibly simialr to you 10p to be a mindreader piece. Although done in a different way maybe adding a table.
Of course it could work. Not really my style, and you'd have a lot of challenges to get over. The temptation would be to squeeze one mould (Blaine) into another (me/whoever). That would never work that well - or at least be, at best, a copy. But if you approached it with a fresh slate, and an understanding of character etc, it could be excellent and surprising. Could be great fun.

Cheers,
db     Tearing down   How do you cope with someone who feels that your effects (being so strong), confirm a belief which you know to be erroneous.? Are you bothered?
I performed a trick one someone who went absoloutley nuts when she saw it ,which I loved. She then went on about various new age beliefs and suddenly I wasn't so happy with her reaction. Without revealing any methods I told her I was pracitcing deception and had to tare my act down as Andy Nyman describes in his DVD. I get the feeling that your more reluctant to do this, is that correct? Do you get many new agers claiming you as their champion?   Hmm - I've given an answer to this elsewhere. But I think it's relatively easy to control that sort of thing by the scripting of the effect.
Equally you can only be responsible for the central swerve of the bell-curve, in terms of audience response. There will always be people at either extremes who dismiss it entirely or fanatically over-respond. As long as most people get it in a way you're happy with, I think that's all you can aim for.

Thanks,
db     BYE-BYE   Time to go. Busy celebrity lifestyle to lead. And stuff.

Very sorry I didn't get to answer all the questions. Some I left if I felt I'd answered elsewhere, others I'm afraid I skipped if I was pushed for time and felt I had nothing to say on the subject. Forgive me.
Equally I haven't been very good with PMs. Just way too many, I do apologise.

Thank you very much for having me, and thank you for not demanding to know about methods and so on. One or two questions I have left unanswered for the same reason - which is that many of my answers will get picked up here and posted around the net, or even turn up in interviews that I do. It's a shame, but also gets me off the hook, so ha ha.

I was expecting more criticism, so thanks ever so much for all being so pleasant.
It's a great forum, and thanks again to Steve Brooks for allowing me to do this - and Stephen Long for suggesting it.

I hope some of it has been useful. I was very tired sometimes, so forgive me if I was brusque or charmlessly brief with any of you.

Have a nice rest of your day. And thank you again.

Derren.
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