randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Discussions of new films, books, television shows, and media indirectly related to magic and magicians. For example, there may be a book on mnemonics or theatrical technique we should know or at least know about.
performer
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 12:13 am

P.T.Widdle wrote:"You must never challenge a psychic because it shuts down the experience."

Wow, performer, that's some psychic channeling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Are you going to launch into a defense of Spiritualism next?

you're right - this is hogwash. Brad, he's all yours now...



I have already stated my views on spiritualism. Perhaps you weren't paying attention or skipped too quickly over it. I won't hold it against you. Please try again.

I have no idea what Sir Arthur said but it is not relevant anyway since I am not talking about spiritualism in any case. I am talking about psychic readings which I happen to be an authority on. I have done thousands upon thousands of readings whereas I imagine you haven't done a single one. Therefore you really must accept that I am the authority on these matters rather than yourself.

And I am stating for a fact that if you challenge a psychic you will shut down the experience because you have demonstrated that you do not want the experience. And this being the case you don't get it.
In more ways than one.........

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 1:08 am

One more thing. I have just seen the illustrious Banacek post on the magic cafe that a tarot reader should not require feedback! With all due respect to Steve WHAT A LOAD OF ABJECT NONSENSE! How on earth is a psychic supposed to pick up vibes from someone whose vibes are not present? It IS possible to do readings from afar and I have done many of them by mail but it is much harder to operate in that manner. You have to sense things from people and if people are not there to be "sensed" then it doesn't make sense. Does that make sense?

This is what I mean about skeptics not being qualified to comment on these matters. They know NOTHING about how this kind of thing works. And the very worst ones to comment are the mentally ill members of the JREF forum which soon will hopefully no longer be in existence for much longer.

I don't mind if someone sits in front of me looking like a stone and not moving a muscle. I barely look at them anyway. I certainly don't need any reaction. However, I do need their presence otherwise I will be trying to pick up vibes from thin air.

I will give you all a rest now for a few days. I have to go to London, Ontario to finish off a little bit of psychic related business but will return after the weekend.

mr_goat
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby mr_goat » August 14th, 2015, 4:16 am

performer wrote:Oh, and I think [censored] is rather good at magic. Of course opinions are subjective but judge for yourselves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNrvn4XWGWc


You are not looking them in the eye, you are embarrassed and embarrassing. You trot out all the crappy hackneyed lines. Your technique is bad.

But, all that aside, in 5 minutes NOT A SINGLE EXTRA PERSON JOINS.

And

YOU HARDLY MENTION THE COMPANY YOU ARE WORKING FOR. You do a vague, half arsed attempt to get them to register as a lead, and they don't do it. You don't close them. You fail.

What is the point of booking you for a trade show? To draw a crowd and promote a product and generate leads. You do none of these things.

But, just like in your other dreadful videos in that restaurant, you really (I am sure) cannot see what's wrong or you would take the videos down and vow never to perform again. You're as deluded as the people you con out of money for psychic readings.
Yes, it is mrgoat, I just can't log in with old account.

Daniel Bain
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Daniel Bain » August 14th, 2015, 4:24 am

performer wrote:I must say that I derived great amusement by your phrase "those in the know". That is because "those in the know" DON'T know! I have seen more tosh about the methods of psychics written for magicians by people who haven't the slightest idea what goes on. It really is the blind leading the blind. Inaccurate speculation is not a substitute for real knowledge. Never mind though. I am here to guide you all since I KNOW what it is all about. Many of you only THINK you know. But you don't. You really don't. How can you if you are not in the business?

The phrase you use in your last paragraph "the methods of our art" fill me with great hilarity. OUR art? The art of the magician has nothing whatsoever to do with the art of the psychic. Magicians know nothing about it unless they have done thousands upon thousands of readings in a PAID situation. They don't understand the metaphysical aspects of it and the way the mind tunes into what is going on. They think everything is trickery when it certainly isn't.



Performer- I first learned to do readings (1) from my late mother (who gave incredible readings--often reading Turkish coffee cups but also demonstrated unexplainable intuition without any trickery) and (2) from a well known skeptic/magician.

At the encouragement of the skeptic, I gave hundreds (but probably not thousands of readings). I combined what I learned watching my mother with subtle cold reading and other techniques I learned from the skeptic and from mentalism literature on the subject (which was more limited at that time compared to all the great stuff that's out today).

I never claimed any powers and never charged money (except when I did readings once at a charity event). After a couple of years (and some uncomfortable moments revealing seemingly impossible personal information about subjects) I stopped doing readings. I also stopped because I started to actually have "followers" who could not be convinced that I really didn't have supernatural powers. Crazy!

What one quickly realizes is that you can tell people any nonsense and they will make it fit and will adjust it to be accurate whatever you say.

Performer, seems to me that perhaps you have started to believe your own nonsense and shouldn't take yourself so seriously. Easy to do once you have followers. You have let it all go to your head. Have you ever tried to "purposely" spout meaningless drivel and realize that your subjects still eat it up?

You shouldn't be so arrogant or dismissive of great magicians and mentalists like Berglas and Banachek. These guys are absolutely brilliant and understand the subtleties of reading far better than most serious readers and, based on your apparently naive comments, much better than you.

Is it more impressive to believe that the sun rises and sets by magic or to understand the truly beautiful physics behind the universe? Is it more impressive to believe that reading is some superpower that you are lucky to possess or to truly understand the subtlety of the human psyche and why and how reading works?

I assure you, by not truly understanding you are missing the real beauty of the art. And, yes, perhaps we both can agree that good reading (like good magic) is art.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 8:12 am

Berglas IS brilliant! I should know.He taught me in person. However he is only brilliant at magic. He has never done a paid reading in his life. I have done many thousands. Oh, and Daniel,only paid readings count I have already explained why.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 8:27 am

Oh, and Daniel. Learning from sceptics is a bloody stupid way to go about it. No wonder you gave up. It would be the equivalent of asking me to advise on nuclear science. Skeptics are NOT qualified. They are what is known in the grafting (pitch) business as "half wide mugs"

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 8:34 am

Oh, and "the great stuff that's out today" is mostly crap by people who have hardly done a paid reading in their lives. I haven't read Brad's "The Dance" yet but I bet that is an exception from all the good things I have heard about it.

Brad Henderson
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Brad Henderson » August 14th, 2015, 9:28 am

we as magicians think magicians know what they are talking about when they talk about cold readings because what they say appeals to our value systems and world view. But that is an entirely different universe from the value system and world view of someone who is paying money for a reading. For one, magicians are interested in 'proving' they know things. real people want answers. We like what magic skeptics do because we like to be fooled. (Plus we like to feel self important and more clever than the silly 'believers'!) Real people aren't interested in that in a reading setting. they aren't looking for an 'entertainer' they are hoping to find help.

How many of us have sat across from a friend who has asked is questions, as a friend not a magician, and we have advice based on our feelings? We ALL have. How do we know what advice is good advice? We don't really because we don't know the full situation, only what our friend tells us and What we pick up from listening/watching them. in other words, we just trust our instincts.

When we encounter this dynamic in tbis setting it is hardly controversial, but when a 'psychic' says he picks up on vibes our collective panties wad. Why? Because we are focused on METHODS like myopic magi and not results! Real people don't care if you are reading tarot or cold reading them, they just want answers or in some cases just the experience.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 10:06 am

Quite right, Brad. The trouble with the unqualified sceptics is that they equate readings with "the man who knows" mentality rather than the "man who cares" point of view.

Sceptics who have played around with readings have never helped a single person. I don't want to be unkind to Daniel but on his two years of unpaid readings how many people has he HELPED?

I have on the other hand helped thousands. I have saved lives, saved marriages,comforted the bereaved (without using mediumship),rescued people from despair and depression and given encouragement to the discouraged.

Now what have the sceptics done except use unethical deception and babble uselessly and ineffectively among themselves to no avail?

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 10:21 am

I on a train with nothing to do except chatter to you more than usual.

I shall therefore change topics temporarily to advise the unqualified critics on trade show matters. I have similar complaints to those I have made on psychic matters in that people who criticise have never done a trade show in their life whereas I have done many dozens along with THOUSANDS of consumer shows drawing massive crowds for over fifty years. I kind of know what I am doing by now.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 10:26 am

OK. First eye contact is overrated and can even be detrimental when building a crowd. I know this from my pitch experience. No space yo explain why right now. Check out videos of grafters (pitchmen) and you will see what I mean. I can assure you that it is quite deliberate and there is method in the madness.

As for mentioning the company name and sales messages it should be noted by the inexperienced and unqualified that these few recorded moments were just the start of the show with only a tiny crowd present

Any experienced trade show worker will tell you there is no point wasting marketing messages on a small crowd. You wait until the crowd has grown sufficiently before you do that. After that crowd ha grown sufficiently I provided marketing message after marketing message and probably mentioned the company name about twenty times or so.

Suffice it to say the company rebooked me on the spot for next year. Oh and here is s little detail that seems to have gone unnoticed by the biased and unqualified. Look at the reactions of the people. Are they laughing and applauding for no reason?
Last edited by performer on August 14th, 2015, 10:47 am, edited 3 times in total.

mr_goat
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby mr_goat » August 14th, 2015, 10:33 am

performer wrote:OK. First eye contact is overrated and can even be detrimental when building a crowd.


You didn't build a crowd. You worked for 5 minutes and no one was interested. Not surprised. You wasted 5 minutes, didn't get a lead, didn't push the brand and didn't build a crowd.

It's like a lesson in what not to do.
Yes, it is mrgoat, I just can't log in with old account.

Brad Henderson
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Brad Henderson » August 14th, 2015, 10:55 am

the vast majority of people who post online have never done a show in their life nor will ever work a trade show to ANY degree of success, but they go right on posting nonsense and are considered hero's on some magic forums.

if you look at the content of the advice it's actually reasonable. Tom Frank just wrote an interesting of post about not making eye contact as a street performer stating that trying to get people to stop anymore often runs counter to one's intent. And yes, it is best to save the 'pitch tricks' as I call them for when a substantial crowd is present. So, while we can criticize the video as much as We like, what he says seems to be true.

why do we recoil so when it comes from this person?

Leo Garet
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Leo Garet » August 14th, 2015, 12:52 pm

I’m always a bit uncomfortable with the “thousands” of shows statement. It implies thousands and thousands and on to infinity and beyond, diluting the worth of the “achievement”.

I’ve done thousands, but only a few, over what seems like thousands of years. I prefer to say “hundreds” because it sounds more realistic and equally as effective. That said, it’s not something that comes up too often in regular conversation.

I should mention that none of the shows were “psychic” in nature. Not deliberately so anyway.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby P.T.Widdle » August 14th, 2015, 1:59 pm

For whom is this sad, sad video intended, exactly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjxPA3IPRbs

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 3:55 pm

Leo. When I said "thousands" I was referring to thousands of psychic readings and selling svengali decks at thousands of consumer shows This is easily verifiable.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby mr_goat » August 14th, 2015, 5:14 pm

Seems my posts explaining why Lewis is a talentless hack were deleted by the powers that be.

Your house, your rules, but choosing a hapless washed up failure over me means I no longer wish to be part of this community.

Hope you all enjoy being trolled by Mark.

I'm out.
Yes, it is mrgoat, I just can't log in with old account.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 5:24 pm

Richard invited me here. No doubt he will deal with any distractions as he sees fit.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 5:29 pm

P.T.Widdle wrote:For whom is this sad, sad video intended, exactly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjxPA3IPRbs


My clients with smaller budgets who cannot quite afford my normal prices

Were you looking for a reading?

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Banachek » August 14th, 2015, 5:47 pm

Performer,

thanks for using illustrious to describe me but not needed.

As for the feedback, you are talking about "psychic feedback" As you well know, in context of what I was replying to, she said she needed verbal feedback. Two different things that you are well are of due to your reply. Sounds like you were obfuscating the matter there. If not I apologize in advance. TO make it clear, she was upset because she was not allowed verbal feedback from the people for her readings.
In thoughts and friendship
Banachek

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 14th, 2015, 9:52 pm

I apologise Steve. Perhaps I didn't read your post properly. I thought you were saying that the client was not allowed to be visible.

I am not terribly keen on verbal feedback myself
It is fine for a private office session but it can cause a problem at a psychic fair as it lengthens the reading while other clients ate waiting.

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 15th, 2015, 7:18 am

Daniel Bain wrote:
performer wrote:I must say that I derived great amusement by your phrase "those in the know". That is because "those in the know" DON'T know! I have seen more tosh about the methods of psychics written for magicians by people who haven't the slightest idea what goes on. It really is the blind leading the blind. Inaccurate speculation is not a substitute for real knowledge. Never mind though. I am here to guide you all since I KNOW what it is all about. Many of you only THINK you know. But you don't. You really don't. How can you if you are not in the business?

The phrase you use in your last paragraph "the methods of our art" fill me with great hilarity. OUR art? The art of the magician has nothing whatsoever to do with the art of the psychic. Magicians know nothing about it unless they have done thousands upon thousands of readings in a PAID situation. They don't understand the metaphysical aspects of it and the way the mind tunes into what is going on. They think everything is trickery when it certainly isn't.



Performer- I first learned to do readings (1) from my late mother (who gave incredible readings--often reading Turkish coffee cups but also demonstrated unexplainable intuition without any trickery) and (2) from a well known skeptic/magician.

At the encouragement of the skeptic, I gave hundreds (but probably not thousands of readings). I combined what I learned watching my mother with subtle cold reading and other techniques I learned from the skeptic and from mentalism literature on the subject (which was more limited at that time compared to all the great stuff that's out today).

I never claimed any powers and never charged money (except when I did readings once at a charity event). After a couple of years (and some uncomfortable moments revealing seemingly impossible personal information about subjects) I stopped doing readings. I also stopped because I started to actually have "followers" who could not be convinced that I really didn't have supernatural powers. Crazy!

What one quickly realizes is that you can tell people any nonsense and they will make it fit and will adjust it to be accurate whatever you say.

Performer, seems to me that perhaps you have started to believe your own nonsense and shouldn't take yourself so seriously. Easy to do once you have followers. You have let it all go to your head. Have you ever tried to "purposely" spout meaningless drivel and realize that your subjects still eat it up?

You shouldn't be so arrogant or dismissive of great magicians and mentalists like Berglas and Banachek. These guys are absolutely brilliant and understand the subtleties of reading far better than most serious readers and, based on your apparently naive comments, much better than you.

Is it more impressive to believe that the sun rises and sets by magic or to understand the truly beautiful physics behind the universe? Is it more impressive to believe that reading is some superpower that you are lucky to possess or to truly understand the subtlety of the human psyche and why and how reading works?

I assure you, by not truly understanding you are missing the real beauty of the art. And, yes, perhaps we both can agree that good reading (like good magic) is art.


No. Good reading is not art provided trickery is not used. It is a gift.And I DO know exactly why it works and I posted the explanation once before
I fully stated at the time that there was nothing "_supernatural" about it. I consider psychic ability nothing more than HEIGHTENED INTUITION. When I find the post explaining it I will post it again

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 16th, 2015, 11:25 pm

OK. I am ready now. Here is the proof that I DO know how psychic ability works. I don't need mentalists no matter how notable to explain it to me. I posted this a few years ago. I would suggest the sceptics study it carefully. They might learn something. Of course I won't hold my breath.
.....................................................................
..I am afraid that you do not understand psychic ability. If I knew everything I COULD predict the Lotto. However that is NOT what psychic ability is for and is not the way it works. I have suggested in the past that sceptics define what they mean by "psychic". They never seem to be able to do so.

My definition is a trifle less spectacular and ludicrous than other psychic people. I would merely call it heightened intuition. When you do this kind of work you become very sharp indeed. The psychic stuff happens at a deep subconcious level and there is nothing whatever mysterious about it. We all have it but naturally someone who does it all the time has sharpened skills. I believe I know why it works too.

If someone sits down in front of me I know all about them within seconds without them saying a word. In fact I prefer them not to speak since I like the sound of my own voice and I know perfectly well if they start yapping to me I will never get rid of them.

Now how do I do this? I sense things. And 70% of the time I am correct. You can't expect 100%. This is not an exact science like mathematics.

And how do I sense things? At first I was not entirely sure but now I believe I know what is going on. It is all perfectly simple.

Things happen at a subliminal level. Let us assume someone comes into me ten years previously. That person has marital problems. They have a relative who is ill. They also have money problems. They work say in the legal profession.

In the reading they will manifest certain signs and behaviours. I will have no idea what they are. And it is a very hard thing to explain. It is more than body language although no doubt that is part of it. They will have a certain look and there will be a certain feel for the situation.

Over the next 10 years the psychic will see hundreds of different clients but they will all have variations of the same problems. In actual fact there are very few scenarios. Most people come because of love problems and there are only a few situations that come up all the time. Same with money. Health issues and work issues. There are probably no more than about 20 or so different scenarios that come up all the time. I haven't counted them but that is my estimate.

Now here is the interesting thing. Each person will manifest the same signs, micro expressions and body language that people in similar situations will do. Again and again and again. The psychic doesn't have to study these indications. Indeed most psychics may not even be aware of them. However they will pick them up subliminally and not even know that they are doing so.

So ten years later a similar client to the one the psychic saw 10 years ago comes in with an identical set of problems. Or at least some of the same problems. He or she will also give off the same indications that someone did 10 years ago. Psychics who are not as brilliant as myself will delude themselves that because they know the chap is a lawyer, has marital problems and money troubles they will assume that God has given them great and wondrous powers that are not available to the rest of humanity.

They do not realise why they know what they know. I believe that through having done thousands upon thousands of readings they are picking up on subliminal signs that are the same every time. So they call themselves psychic.

I do believe 100% in the Tarot cards. Not because I believe they have certain supernatural powers embedded in them. I do not believe in Jung's theory of synchronicity even if I knew what the hell it was. I believe that the cards come up at random. However for very logical reasons which I do not have the energy to explain they WILL help the psychic to tune in to the client's life. They simply help the intuition process that I have already explained.

I can always tell if a lawyer is sitting in front of me. It happens very rarely but when it does I always know it. I know when a journalist or nurse is sitting in front of me. I know when I have a businessman. I know when I have a cop coming in for a reading (much more common than you might think)

How do I know? Pure intuition and experience. Not psychic you may say? I don't care what you call it as long as the client pays for the help I give them. The sceptics don't pay my rent so their opinion doesn't really matter.

What I am talking about is nothing whatever to do with Sylvia Browne or the claptrap that TV mediums come out with. I am not into guessing games the way they are. I am not a psychic medium and I do not contact dead people.

I do know when a close friend or relative of my client has passed away because this certainly fits into the limited scenarios that comes up as I explained earlier. And I sense the signs of it even though I have never bothered to analyse what those signs are. I just know. However I never contact the person because I know perfectly well that I can't.

Many psychics are sincere people who unfortunately are hampered by belief. That is why they get some things right and some things wrong. Luckily for them most people forget the wrong things and concentrate on the right.

There are very few outright frauds in the psychic business except of course some of the TV mediums and the gypsy type psychics. However there are indeed gifted people who do not understand where their power comes from and consequently are prone to deluding themselves as to what is going on.

I must emphasise that I never try to analyse how people are reacting. I barely look at the client. I am concentrating on their palm or the tarot cards. I pick up their reactions at a subliminal level. It is interesting to note that the more tired I am the more accurate the readings are. That is because the logical analytical part of mind closes down and the "psychic" part (for want of a better word) sharpens up.

There. Now you know what it is all about..................................................................

Daniel Bain
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Daniel Bain » August 18th, 2015, 1:16 am

Performer-

You are describing your process which totally jives with cold reading and, by the way, with artistic creation. So you may be more of an "artist" than you'd like to admit and from what you describe, despite not realizing, performing cold reading.

Einstein once said: "The greatest scientists are artists as well." He also said: "When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of imagination has meant more to me than any talent for absorbing absolute knowledge... All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I believe in intuition and inspiration.... At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason."

The process you describe as to how you let go and use intuition to do readings is a similar creative process used by artists, scientists, musicians, and writers. Once one has the basics of a subject down, it's possible to let go and let words, thoughts, and ideas come spontaneously--like a jazz musician letting go and improvising. I personally believe mastering the ability to create in this way can mean the difference between merely good versus great/genius. Bravo for mastering this technique when you do readings. Incidentally, I let go and did the same when I gave readings.

But, this doesn't mean the basics of writing, music, science, or cold reading, cannot be taught nor does it mean that letting go in this way is WHY or HOW it works.

A lot of the cold reading techniques taught by magicians and mentalists are really a crutch to help beginning readers who don't have the ability or the confidence to know what to say or to let go. New readers are also encouraged to understand people by reading books like Gail Sheehy's Passages and to realize that people from a similar age group and demographic are more similar than they think...

You describe just these and other techniques used by cold readers! (Incidentally, in the last 20 years mentalists like Banachek and several notable others have taken these basic techniques to another level!!!)

Nevertheless, this is not WHY reading works.

Reading works because once people suspend disbelief (which happens surprisingly easily and quickly), they adjust anything a reader says to their particular situation. They either ignore things that don't fit or make them fit.

Rather than immediately denying what I'm saying, I propose you try to test whether what I'm saying is true. Please pepper your next reading with purposeful nonsense and watch subjects either ignore or make it fit!: e.g., "Ahh, I see you recently had an experience with a Rastafarian." Etc. They will eat it all up!!!

(I can say more, but I have no interest in tipping detailed techniques or methods in a public forum.)

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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby performer » August 18th, 2015, 5:28 am

Oh dear Daniel! I have heard this twaddle before from sceptics (note the correct British spelling) that what I do is "cold reading". It isn't. It is HEIGHTENED INTUITION which is exactly what your own mother used. No trickery whatsoever. However, it IS cold reading if you use another definition that is, that you tell people all about themselves without knowing anything about them. In other words you read people cold. I prefer this definition of cold reading rather than the one commonly used by sceptics which implies trickery, asking loaded questions, relying on body language, manipulation of words etc;

Incidentally I am getting a psychic vibe that you rather like the Ian Rowland book describing these manipulative techniques. It is a wonderfully well written and thoroughly researched book with only one problem. No psychic of my acquaintance (and I know dozens personally) uses a single technique from that book. Quite frankly they would be horrified at the techniques used which I can assure you they have never heard of. I bet your own mother would have been gravely disapproving too. Remember I am talking about psychic readers here NOT spiritualist mediums, particularly the TV ones who appear to me to be a bunch of frauds.

The trouble is that Ian got his knowledge from researching all sorts of other books written by mentalists who imagined what went on rather than actually experienced it themselves. Anyone can write a book and sound authoritative if they do a bit of research. Again Ian has never done a single paid reading in his life. I do not count television demonstrations or dubious sample readings in a book to be paid readings. I am sorry.

I would not dream of using the deceptive techniques you recommend. Of course I know all about them since I have been in this game a long time. However, it is important to be honest with clients and not deceive them as you recommend. Of course it is possible to say nonsense to people about Rastafarians but it would not be ethical procedure and I cannot possibly approve.

I mentioned this nonsense of psychics cold reading without knowing they are cold reading to a well respected seer of my acquaintance who knows nothing about magic. He snorted with great disdain and uttered an expression which I as a psychic reverend and holy man of the cloth cannot approve. Still, as a matter of frankness I must steel myself to quote the rather awful expression which will no doubt appeal to the baser souls among us. He actually snorted with great irritation, "Utter rubbish. Does that mean that I am masturbating without knowing I am masturbating?"

Ugh! A dreadfully low class way of expressing himself I must say. However, I do agree with the sentiment even if I don't agree with the language.

I am rather puzzled by how the mentalists you chatter about can possibly have "taken things to another level" when they have never done a single paid reading in their lives. They haven't the experience and they only imagine what happens rather than practice it. There is a world of difference between using trickery on a stage and doing a one to one session for up to an hour. Anybody can do a 5 minute reading full of vague waffle for entertainment. When you can do at least 30 minutes to an hour is the day you can claim to know what you are talking about.

I do however, thank you for the respectful discussion and I do hope the Widdle personage learns from your example. I also quite approve of your statement implying "genius" in my work and naturally I agree wholeheartedly with this astute sentiment.

Bill Mullins
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Bill Mullins » March 11th, 2016, 12:00 am

"An Honest Liar" is soon to be on PBS.

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Doug Thornton
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Doug Thornton » April 2nd, 2016, 12:55 pm

It's on at this moment on the East Coast - Saturday, April 2, 12 noon - 1:30 pm - WLIW (21) - repeated Monday 3:30 am - 5 am on WNET (13).

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/honest-liar/
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Richard Kaufman
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 2nd, 2016, 1:09 pm

My wife thought he came off as kind of "icky."
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Leo Garet
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Re: randi documentary - an alternative perspective.

Postby Leo Garet » April 2nd, 2016, 1:17 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:My wife thought he came off as kind of "icky."

Ditto.
He seems to have gone from serious-but-with-a-smile-and-a-twinkle-in-his-personality to....well something less appealing.


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