I LOVE to watch old movies! In fact, my act is largely inspired by the movies of the 1930's, 40's and 50's, with all their quirky sense of mystery and drama. It makes for great stories and comedy! I had the chance to watch Chandu the Magician (1932). This movie is such a treat! Now granted it gets yogis and India culture completely wrong, and has all the hallmarks and prejudices of a very different time, so one must remember context. At the same time, the presentation of hypnosis is downright fun! The premise in the movie is that Chandu's ability to manipulate reality (magic) and perception (hypnosis) has to do with his eyes. If people only look in his eyes, they fall under his hypnotic spell! Of course, this isn't quite how hypnosis works in real life. It's a little more involved than that. However, it provides for some awesome entertainment during my Hypnosis Show, when some of the scenes in this classic movie come to life on-stage! If you get the chance, take a look at Chandu the Magician, and see what you think! When someone comes across my website, there is sometimes the question of whether they should ask for a Mentalism show, Hypnosis show, or a combination of both.
The truth is that both shows are fun, funny, and plenty of amazement mixed in. And every volunteer and audience member is treated with respect and dignity. A Mentalism show works more along the lines of volunteers focusing on specific thoughts and I try to tell you what you're thinking! It's really a lot of fun, and plays better than it reads on paper. No startling secrets are revealed from people's lives, and everyone has a great time! A Hypnosis show is exactly what it sounds like. Volunteers are hypnotized, and then they do some funny antics over the course of the show. No one is put in an embarrassing situation, and there's plenty of laughter. The key to deciding which show to book has to do with your guests. If your guests are "party people" who like to have a fun time, have few inhibitions about being in front of people, and are open to the possibility of participating and being hypnotized, then the Hypnosis Show may be a great idea. If your guests prefer not to be in front of groups of people, are a little squeamish about doing funny things in full view of everyone, unsure about the possibility of participating and being hypnotized, and would rather sit back, relax, and enjoy the show, then a Mentalism Show is a better choice. This is a question I get a lot: can anyone be Hypnotized, or can only certain people be good subjects? Put simply, anyone can be Hypnotized if they want to be. If someone doesn't want to be hypnotized, then they won't! It's a matter of permission and cooperation. As I say in every show, I'm not trying to have power over anyone. Instead, we are all working together to have a great experience and a fun show! So it's not a matter of intelligence, social status, career, ethnicity, or any other factor. It is a matter of willingly cooperating with the hypnotist. It's that simple! There seems to be a controversy about Comedy Mentalism. Is it funny/ Am I making fun of mentalists or psychics? What is it? Comedy Mentalism - the way I perform it - is mindreading and mental/Metaphysical feats as a conduit for laughter and enjoyment. In other words, I am performing so that you can have FUN! I'm not trying to convince you I'm a psychic or a medium. I'm not trying to start a cult or a church. I'm not trying to convince you of anything. Instead, I'm helping you have a great time at your event. Yes, there is amazement. Yes, you will be left scratching your head, wondering, "How did he know that?" AND you will also be laughing, enjoying yourself and having a great time. I don't make fun of mentalists or psychics. And I certainly am not going to embarrass anyone at my shows. So relax! Have a great time! And enjoy the mysteries of the mind! Getting a good night's sleep is a challenge for some, usually due to a mind that is racing through thoughts, going through inner checklists, and trying to resolve problems that cannot be resolved at the present moment. A common question I get after Hypnosis Shows is: How can I relax my mind so I can get to sleep? The easiest technique I have recommended time and again is a visual one. You will be turning a rose different colors, following the colors of the rainbow (ROY G BIV). When you're ready to relax and go to sleep, close your eyes, and picture a beautiful white rose in your mind. Then picture that rose turning red in a gradual and natural speed. Once it is red, enjoy the experience for a few moments, and then see it turning orange. After it is orange, wait and enjoy that experience, and then see it turning yellow. Once it is yellow, wait a bit, and then see it turning green. After green, wait a little, then see it turning blue. Once it is blue, enjoy that experience, then see it becoming purple. After it is purple, enjoy that for a moment, then see it becoming white again, with the word "RELAX" on one of its beautiful petals. At that point, you will find that your mind has released much of its frenzy, and you can easily go to sleep. In fact, some people have reported falling asleep before finishing the exercise, which is perfect! One of the favorite experiences at my shows is when I showcase a peculiar form of mindreading, which happens when there is physical contact with a person. I usually have a person hide a small object or piece of paper somewhere while I am escorted out of the room, or off-stage. I then come back, grab the person's hand, and proceed to try to find the hidden object. While finding the object I voice astonishing impressions about the person I am working with. Often I find the object, but there have been a few "misses" over the years. I can assure you 100% that there are no people cuing me from their seats, or giving me signals with a smartphone or other device. In fact, I have people check my ears and clean out my pockets before I begin, to make sure that nothing sneaky is going on. On one occasion, I was even blindfolded, and earplugs put in my ears, just to make sure! (I still found the object!) It's something rarely seen, and I'm always happy to present this unique ability and skill! It's a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it at one of my shows near you! When I'm reading someone's mind, I'm paying attention to everything about them, from speech patterns to ways of standing, a little bit of body language, and a generous helping of intuition. The fact is that I am listening to people less with my ears, and mostly with my eyes. Have you ever noticed that when someone says they are feeling "fine", their body language will tell you how they really feel? If their posture is slumped, they may in fact feel tired or a little sad. If they say it with a snappy tone, they might be a little irritated. Of course, asking for clarification about what "fine" means can open the doors to wider understanding. The key is to listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Now don't go out buying dozens of books on body language, because there's a secret out there: they only tell 30% of the story. Body language and NLP are really tools with very little import, no matter what the hype says. Body language and language patterns vary from person to person, region to region, culture to culture. There is no universal, and woe to the person who starts profiling other people on their body language without these nuanced insights! Listen with your eyes, your ears and your intuitive, gut feelings. They can help you connect to others better, understand yourself more completely, and enrich your life! I am known for providing entertainment that is a far cry from a magic show with mental tricks (which is often what I see around these days). I am trained in what is known as "Old School Mentalism", which really originated from a time that focused more on connecting with people, rather than doing flashy tricks. The result of this approach is about as close to psychic entertainment as you can get, and it's even more fun, entertaining and impacting for audiences. There's nothing scary or supernatural going on, but there is an element that seems to defy explanation...often because there isn't a good explanation to be found. I've stumped rooms full of engineers and hardened skeptics with my shows, making them wonder how what I do is even possible. They try to call it "cold reading", but often the information is too specific to be called that. Needless to say, there is always lively conversation after the show about what has been presented, even while laughing like crazy about some the antics in the show! When I'm asked what I do, I simply tell people that if you're tired of magicians and mental magic tricks, and you're looking for something different, amazing, funny and never goes out of style, that's what I do! Take a walk on the Metaphysical Side! I am often asked a question about moving things with the power of the mind. Is it possible? Well, the evidence on Psychokinesis (PK) is all over the place. We have studies that show that it doesn't exist, and then we have other evidence, some photographic and filmed, that it can happen. Essentially, psychokinesis is a phenomenon in which movement of physical objects or extending physical sensations to another place only with the power of the mind. Some magicians have used trickery to achieve this, often with bending silverware or even wine glasses with special bending and breaking techniques. Do I do PK in my show? Oh, yes I do! Some of my shows will have metal objects bend, but they bend right in front of you, so there is no suspicion! And some people in the audience will feel me physically touch them and even move their arms, hands, and feet, while I'm hundreds of feet away! Is it possible? Find out for yourself at a show! I was at Tech High School in St Cloud, MN, on Saturday for their late-night Grad Party Lock-in, and what a great time! Instead of a show, I did Walk-Around Mentalism. The most popular part of my walk-around was my UNO cards, where I read your mind and tell you details about yourself that no one could possibly know! No matter where I go, those cards are always popular! A couple of people asked for a brief hypnosis demonstration, which brought out plenty of laughs and fun! I'm so glad that I could help this special occasion be even more fun and memorable! |
AuthorDon Marlette, Archives
June 2024
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