Dennis Hermanzo - Talking Mental Stevens Magic

These routines first appeared in Dennis Hermanzo’s second book MENTALIZED The essay is from his third book A State of Mind. Both books released by Stevens Magic.Talking Mental (My "mental” views) I'm a traditionalis ...

These routines first appeared in Dennis Hermanzo’s second book MENTALIZED The essay is from his third book A State of Mind. Both books released by Stevens Magic.Talking Mental (My "mental” views) I'm a traditionalist and proud of it. New isn't always better. Far from it. Especially not in mentalism! Dunninger, Annemann and Corinda have already done it and/or written about it. In my opinion it really can’t be improved upon! So, why write books about the art of mentalism if there are no new principles or plots in them? Because every effect compiled in this book has been performed many times for real audiences. Everything I perform is based on classical principles, and that is why they work.! You can say there is nothing groundbreaking, in my work but it is honest and very strong material, if I may say so. The stuff I believe in couldn't be more dissimilar to all this new, naked, propless, deep mentalism that many mind readers rave about these days. I personally respect that approach, but it is just not for me. I know the current fads are that everything should appear so serious, so real, and that it can’t look like a show. But do you know what? It is a show. We are in the entertainment business. Sure, it can be serious, but there's a difference in being serious and taking yourself too seriously!! And here comes an opinion that probably will give me some heat in our community, but I think it needs to be said. A lot of mentalism is more boring than watching paint dry. Mentalism has to be entertaining and, do I dare say, fun. Not comedian funny, but fun to watch for the audience! Why do we see the constant overuse of instant stooging, dual reality and pre - show work?! (Yes, some of those techniques absolutely has its place and canbe very useful tools, but in in moderation). In my opinion, it's because of laziness!!! As the same can be accomplished with a little "old school" thinking! And please don't get me startet on routines involving hard mnemonics or difficult calculations. Even though they can be fun to play around with, it's my experience, those can be difficult when you are in the spotlight and the adrenaline is pumping! I'm not a fan of fancy gimmicks and difficult sleights. If it’s gimmicky or requires batteries, I don’t want anything to do with it! Mentalism is not a toy. It’s not James Bond-esque. I just don’t get spending hundreds of dollars on a die that, when put into a box, allows you to know the number! Too proppish, too unnatural! As more high-tech the world gets, the more low-tech mentalism should go to be effective. No need to invent the next “new, big thing” in mentalism because it is rarely neither new nor big at all! Classical principles, such as equivoque, multiple outs and more, should still be the backbone of any good mentalism show. Even if they are old. The classics work! Take guys like Banachek, Ross Johnson, Marc Salem, Richard Osterlind and the late Bob Cassidy. Some of the greatest performing mentalists the world has ever seen. They are the perfect examples of how to be successful in this business without the “New Age” effects. I won't hide the fact that my mentalism DNA are greatly inspired by those men. Why are these people successful? It's because they perform (or performed) in the real world, for real people, and know what works! They know what type of effects connects emotionally. They know the meaning of pacing a shows right. They know classical mentalism style with the adaptations ofsimple proven methods, are for the real workers who make their living and reputations due to the fact they know when you are on the front line you need sure-fire consistency! The bottom line is…...if you like/crave “new cutting edge mentalism,” you are probably wasting your time with this book! But if direct mentalism with classic props like a nail writer - double writing done the right way so it is totally deceptive, with the use of words, and, yes, even a thumb tip, this is it! I know not very exotic, but so effective for a working mentalist.