Less a book for professional magicians and mentalists and more a book for the general public, “Tricks of the Mind” is an engaging read from cover to cover, as Derren Brown talks about his methods (Although one would suspect shenanigans here.), his beliefs, and other interesting topics as he opens his mind to people for them to probe and analyze for as long as he feels inclined to let them do so.
When it comes to a book that really looks closely at the psychological phenomena that surrounds all of us, including hypnosis, neurolinguistic programming, and many other similarly controversial pursuits, Derren Brown’s interesting narrative style just captures the imagination and the charm that is often attributed to these things, all the while expressing a healthy dose of scepticism in the very same things that he apparently performs on a regular basis.
If you want a book from a man who is clearly conflicted by who he truly is and what he projects himself to be, “Tricks of the Mind” is an excellent read. It would be as though you were looking at a man trying to debate with himself about mentalism in a way that is entertaining, lively, and witty all the same.
One of the trinity among mentalists in the country, a comedic genius, also a very active presence for magic online, and a dead ringer for Nur Misuari, the great Leodini attracts quite a crowd wherever he goes by sheer strength of personality and a look nobody could ever forget.
It’s a bit sad that I rarely cross paths with the Great Leodini, because I couldn’t quite tell him often enough how excellent his blog happens to be, as it is an excellent resource for magicians looking to improve their craft. The site is chock full of tips, ideas, and even funny anecdotes, all designed to push magicians into stepping up and becoming better performers overall.
The one time I’ve managed to really observe Leodini in action wasn’t even at one of his many shows. Instead, I caught him during a particular series of lectures about performances for the benefit of The Story Circle, and he discussed how to mix comedy with magic without inadvertently putting down magic along the way. Oh, if only we managed to get Bearwin Meily to sit in on that particular lecture, but that’s wishful thinking on our end.
Nonetheless, despite my lack of exposure to his performances, I have more than a few laymen friends who swear by him. Aileen Apolo, the recent birthday celebrant lady who took the video above, told me how entertaining and exciting Leodini was, and how nobody expected him to be so good because they let his looks fool them, which, in my opinion, should be a great compliment to the man, because it only means that the persona he projects onstage is one that is built upon breaking stereotypes or expectations.
I can’t get into his career in much detail, mainly because all the necessary biographical information can be found here. Nonetheless, I have to mention how important Leodini’s contributions to magic are, not only in being a community leader, having been the president of the IMC; but also in being a very audible voice for the Filipino magicians in the online community. What I try to do in terms of encyclopaedic knowledge about magic, he has been doing for practical applications of magic. Let’s not forget the fact that he also has quite a lot of facts and figures about magic over the many years he has been maintaining his blog as well, and my project lasts for all of only 365 days before I wind down my churning out of magic-related articles.
Personally, I enjoy his very different scripts for mentalism. The way he mixes comedy and mentalism works for him so well because of the character he has successfully mastered to a tee. Whether or not this is a mere extension of the real Leodini, the onstage Leodini’s stage presence and charisma never fails to make people chuckle at every joke and gesture that he makes, all the while casually and deliberately building to a stunning finish, as he catches his audience unawares.
If only for his being a great voice and ambassador for the Philippines in the online world long before I even so much as thought of going professional in magic, Leodini would certainly earn my greatest respect. The fact that he is also a multi-awarded performer who is more than willing to share his wealth of knowledge and experience for the betterment of Philippine (and even international) magic just puts him at a level that very few magicians, Filipino or otherwise, can ever hope to achieve.
In fact, he reminds me of a younger Aldo Colombini. If you’ve seen Aldo during his younger years, they have very similar hair, and even to this day, Aldo is still incredibly funny but his magic is so good that’s not the first thing that comes to mind about him.
Anyways, his blog will be featured again sometime next month here, when we get to “Recommended Reading” month. Still, go ahead and get a leg up on checking out his blog, because there’s just so much useful stuff to find there.
I know you may not know me much, sir Leodini, but I was, and always will be, a huge fan of your work and more so your writing.
David Elefant is often considered one of the three best mentalists in the Philippines, alongside Rannie Raymundo and Leodini. However, if we had to give awards based on cornering the mentalist market based on looks alone, David Elefant would be the runaway winner, hands down.
Having built a name for himself over three decades of magic and mentalism, David Elefant’s reputations precedes itself. Of Jewish-American descent, David’s intense eyes and striking looks never fail to get the attention of anyone who finds him in their line of sight.
Specializing in a variety of different mentalist phenomenon, but overall placing emphasis on the bizarre and the occult as his visage certainly lends to the effect very well, David Elefant has practically been a household name in the realm of mentalism for so long, it’s pretty hard to imagine this man doing children’s parties. Yet you’d be surprised, because in a rare magazine issue, the man himself has actually been photographed dressed as a clown, complete with makeup. Word has it that he is actually fairly qualified to be one, as shocking as the idea might seem.
Now that you’ve picked your jaw up off the ground over the sheer implausibility of it all, let me tell you that if I ever do find a copy of that picture somewhere, I’ll add it to the Project 365 at some point. I think it’s actually a compliment to say this, but that picture is pure grade nightmare fuel, to say the least.
All the affection for the man’s imposing presence aside, David Elefant’s storied career truly is marked by his devotion to the art form, as well as his unmistakable passion to the image he portrays. His character carries him through, but there is no doubt that his technical skill is remarkable and is often found to be impressive, especially given his wide knowledge base, using various effects and principles that are virtually unused by any of his other contemporaries in the Philippines. The combination of his stage presence, skill, and arsenal make up what is undoubtedly the backbone of one of the most spellbinding mentalism performances anyone can ever watch.
I don’t know about you guys, but I personally find that having Anthony Billan Co as, to date, the only Filipino magician ever featured on Ellusionist or even Theory 11 definitely makes him a very key figure in Philippine magic in this current generation.
Unlike pretty much every other magician I have ever featured in this blog so far, Anthony is different by sheer virtue of never having been a professional performer at all. He is, through and through, a hobbyist, and has managed to create numerous different effects, the most famous of which is the Mindbender, wherein he demonstrates how a card could bend through sheer concentration while right there in his hands. He is passionate about magic, but is also known as a professional photographer, as you can see in his website.
An avid fan of magic since he was ten years old, the first time he ever saw a magician brought him an incredible measure of amazement, wonder, and joy. Admittedly, the pitfall of being a magician is that some of the sheen of the mystery wears off once you know the workings behind the magic, and that explains why not a day goes by that he yearns to feel that sense of awe and wonder a layman can get when watching something magical.
From watching the greats like Henning and Copperfield, he discovered an aptitude for discovering the secrets behind magic through sheer observation. It was with this rare aptitude that he developed a way to perform magic, starting out with his family, then his classmates, and then total strangers. He was practically self-taught in that regard.
Coming from an age where the secrecy behind magic was at an all-time high, it was a true test of patience and resourcefulness for Anthony to gain the magic knowledge that he has now. Scouring bookstores and libraries for books like “Fun With Magic” by Joseph Leeming could not have been an easy thing to do at all. He felt so compelled to uphold the integrity of magic that he borrowed and re-borrowed the book so that others can’t get their hands on it so many times that the librarian had to step in and ban him from ever borrowing the book again! To this day, “Fun With Magic” is still part of his collection.
It was a bit ironic that with the instant fame that came with “Mindbender,” majority of the criticisms that came his way were from fellow Filipinos. As the good book says, “A prophet is not welcome in his own town,” and this realization was in full force. Despite all of the flak he received (Which is probably brought about more by jealousy than anything else, in all honesty.), “Mindbender” is still an amazing routine, and one that I would never hesitate to personally use whenever the opportunity presents itself. Quality mentalist acts are few and far in between, so having Mindbender in your arsenal is definitely an amazing boon.
A true card magic aficionado, Anthony has had a lot of experience in that department under his belt as well. While most magicians use card magic as a stepping stone (Myself included.), he decided to focus on it and his passion for the art form is definitely hard to rival.
With an excellent Philosophy that drives his passion for magic towards goodness, with his willingness to carry on the magical tradition to the next generation through his children, and with a brilliant mind and an eye for detail both in front of and behind the camera lens, Anthony Billan Co is one of the most important figures in magic who has never done a professional show in his entire magical career. And that’s saying a lot.
.:238/365: Q&A With Anthony Billan Co:.
1. Who influenced you to get into magic? how long have you been into it?
I would have to say that they were the TV greats… from Doug Henning to David Copperfield and Mark Wilson. Everything always stopped for me when there was magic to be seen on TV. No DVD, No Internet nor regular live magic shows that time. I would record magic TV specials on Betamax tapes and rewound it over and over again just to analyze the trick and try to decipher the methods. I never really knew if I was right or wrong..just so long as I had a solution. This was my very own learning process.
How long have I been in magic? Probably got bit by the magic bug around my early teens. Greg Wilson’s Magic show was still on Channel 13. So you do the math
2. What is magic? in your case specifically, what is mentalism?
Magic for me is an art… (how many magicians did you actually interview and got this same boring answer? Haha!) Well, to get more into it…for me Magic is more than that… it is the only craft I can think of that uses all kinds of disciplines in life. Be it psychology, public speaking, theater (stage management, audience management, blocking etc), body language, science, mathematics, art and construction (making DIY props because you don’t have enough dough to buy expensive “magical items”), music, dance/choreography, ethics and whatever else that I didn’t mention that is listed in any typical academic transcript of records. It instills in you virtues like perseverance, temperance, endurance, logic and humility. I can go on and on but I think I am starting to bore your readers. Simply put, after all that has been said…magic for me is life.
There are many types of magic that people watch and enjoy. It may be all the same to them but there are clear divisions between these genres. One of them is Mentalism. It is the kind of magic where, as the word suggests, deals with anything mental or with the mind. Predictions, mind reading and telekinesis are just some of the things that are closely associated to this art form. In my case specifically, since I am 90% a card worker/magician, I always project myself as a card shark, a sleight of hand artist or a cheat, Mentalism is a way for me to get out of that mold and create a more mystical and magical image, transcending from mere dexterity to more of the supernatural.
3. What was your best experience while performing?
When I was a contestant during a close-up magic competition. I was in the zone, everyone was reacting, cheering and applauding throughout the routine. And I could see the judges eyes light up trick after trick. I got to see the score sheets afterwards and saw almost perfect scores. It was a big achievement for me to be able to impress not just laymen but my own peers. I even got a special award that night given to me by one of the few people I look up to in the magic community — Mr. Rannie Raymundo.
4. What was your worst experience while performing?
When I was a contestant during a close-up magic competition. Basically everything opposite of what happened during my best experience. It was a silent and cold day for me Oh! If I may add, anytime I perform for anyone and I don’t get any reaction or feel that I wasn’t effective enough to bring out amazement and awe in the spectator, would also count as an apt reply to this question.
5. Which layperson celebrity, local or foreign, do you think would make a great magician?
That would have to be…either Ariel Ureta. He has a very distinguished, debonair and quite gentlemanly look on him when he is on stage hosting. He looks and sounds like the formal classy magicians of the old days. I just hinted on my age right? Haha.
6. What is your best advice to everyone reading this who’s interested in getting into magic or mentalism?
Stop! Don’t do it! Imagine the repercussions… hours of alone time practicing with playing cards, coins and what have you. Going through a hardware store/bookstore/stationary store and scouring through everyday items and thinking of “other” ways you can use them. Being looked upon as a freak of nature. Always going out loaded with things that are most unlikely to be found in pockets of almost any regular guy: Playing cards, small red hankies, little red balls, manila envelopes, permanent markers and a lot of loose change. Being asked to do a trick every time you are with your friends. Being asked a lot of time to go to their kid’s birthday parties not as a guest! Hear these words every time: “How did you do it?”, “Can you do that again?”, “Bilis ng kamay mo eh! (You’re hands are too fast)” But most of all, being able to do something you truly love and bring out sheer amazement, pure joy and innocent wonderment to people you hardly even know. Still want to become a magician?
Sonny Minoza is one of my favourite people in the whole world, and easily makes the top five of my personal list of Filipino mentalists of note.
As a performer, sir Sonny has the chops necessary to be a mentalist, given his ability to communicate clearly and his control over audience members at any given time. I’ve seen the man at work, and I can’t help but appreciate the strides he has taken to establish his credibility as a mentalist, given how the need to set himself apart from the triumvirate of David Elefant, Leodini, and Rannie Raymundo meant that he needed to bring something different to the table.
If I were to look at the great triumvirate and liken each of them to one of the top mentalists in the world, I would say that David Elefant is to Max Maven as Leodini is to Kockov (Or Luke Jermay, if you will.) as Rannie Raymundo is to Derren Brown. While these are admittedly very lose comparisons (Excluding Mr. Elefant, who is every bit as terrifying as Max Maven is onstage.), these comparisons only show the kind of work cut out for Mr. Minoza, as he needed to etch a name for himself without pretty much being a carbon copy of these three luminaries.
So where we have a Maven, a Kockov/Jermay, and a Derren, Mr. Minoza pretty much pegged himself as an Osterlind: that funny uncle you could relate to, but happened to be gifted with mentalist abilities, as opposed to being the demon himself, a shocking and disarming performer who uses humor to his advantage, or suaveness on crack respectively.
Thanks to this, Sonny Minoza has certainly given rise to a kind of mentalism that is every bit as credible as it is “family-friendly” in the way only Sonny could do it. The exercise in contrasts has been nothing short of amazing, as I have certainly tried observing each of these esteemed gentlemen, and the way they wildly vary amongst themselves is a thing to marvel at.
Having said all of that, here’s me tipping my hat to Sonny Minoza: one of the best names in mentalism, a charter member of the Psychic Entertainment Network (Along with David Elefant, Nomer Lasala, Lei Sarmiento, and yours truly.), and a swell guy all-around. His very casual approach to mentalism allows him to just connect with audiences in ways nobody has imagined possible. The fact that he practically avoids an onstage persona and uses the real him to get himself over is just… unique, really.
.:234/365: Q And A With Sonny Minoza:.
By now, you know the six questions I ask, right?
1) Watching the TV series’ “Wonderful world of Magic”, “Magic of Mark Wilson” & Bill Bixby’s “The Magician”. All in the 70’s…been interested since I was 7 or 8. Couldn’t really remember the exact age.
2) Entertaining people by performing psychic/mind power demos/feats.
3) Everytime I see my audience well entertained is always the best experience.
4) When my briefcase (where my whole show is placed) didn’t open & I was already on stage. Had to improvise half of the show until my wife was able to force it open backstage.
5) Couldn’t think of one right now.
6) Do it for your love of the art & not just because it’s the “in” thing right now.
I was going to feature the bit that sir Ony did for “Bound and Gagged” last 2009, but decided that his award-winning commercials were better highlighted for this particular article.
Now, as sir Ony is not only a magician that I know of, but someone whom I’ve worked with numerous times already, I think that what I would have to say would be less a biographical look into the man, and more about my general experiences involving the guy.
I met sir Ony way back in September, 2008, when I hosted and did magic for a party by Ms. Ayn Monserrate. Immediately, I hit it off with the veteran ventriloquist, as I expressed my wide-eyed admiration for his craft, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he actually also happened to be a mentalist.
Known as the “Premiere Ventriloquist of the Philippines,” sir Ony is a true artist, who has created many different characters over the years, from the ineffable Mr. Parley to the knee-slap inducing Sampaguita, the multi-talented pig. His very unique approach and undeniable charisma has allowed him to perform both for children and for adults, and one could tell the difference between his kid shows and his adult shows, considering the wealth of material he uses.
Out of everything he has done, sir Ony is very popular because of his finale, which involves taping his mouth whilst his puppet demands for more and more tape to be stuck to his mouth, all the while earning a louder and louder applause each time the puppet barks out the order for more tape. It truly is a sight to behold, whenever he does this, and nobody can question the man’s skill at ventriloquism. In my book, when I try to think of American ventriloquists, probably only Terry Fator could be comparable to him as being on a whole differentlevel, as he writes his own material much like Jeff Dunham, and he has a wide variety of ventriloquism “tricks” like Kevin Johnson.
Overall, in the two years I’ve known this man, I’ve had nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for him and his skills as a ventriloquist, and I vividly recall catching his show, “Amagikomedinayt,” featuring himself, Brod Pete, and Jeffrey Tam in 2009. I just sat there, stupefied at how amazing that entire show was, and resolved to have him in “Bound and Gagged” in the same venue in the same year, which certainly made my show even more memorable than it already was.
But then, this is magic month, and while I can sing all the praises I want about his ventriloquism, that’s not officially considered magic. All the more reason why I was simply amazed at the fact that aside from ventriloquism, sir Ony is also a very accomplished mentalist, having performed some really amazing feats of mind-reading, and even incorporating his puppet into his routines, such as when he did a blindfold routine involving his puppet.
As of late, though, I have had the great honor of performing with sir Ony and of course, Stanley Chi, on a monthly basis in Taumbayan, and we consistently get a good crowd and rave reviews of our performance there. I’d be happy to let you know about the next gig once we have a date set for it.
So to sir Ony, here’s a toast to you, for being an excellent performer, and more importantly, an excellent human being! For those who would like to contact or book this man, you may reach him at this website.
This was a routine I was hoping to save for street magic month, but I think it’s fine enough as is as a card routine, although in reality, it’s a bit of mentalism on the side as well.
Stigmata is a classic that for some weird reason, i forgot to continue using despite the obviously powerful mileage that this routine really gets if you ever bothered to learn how to play it up. The mechanics are very simple, but I must warn you that it’s not very camera-friendly as a routine, so don’t try doing it for the video, unless you have an HD camera that could really show what happened.
Essentially, the mechanics are as follows: they pick a card, and then they can do whatever they want with it, like maybe shuffle it back in or whatnot. Afterwards, they focus on the card and imagine the card imprinted in their hand, and then they reach out to clutch your arm as tightly as possible.
Where the finger marks should be, the blood slowly rushes and forms the figure of the card they selected. If your spectators have a wild imagination, watch how crazy their reactions can get. You’d personally be amused.
I like this routine because it’s very simple and yet it can generate pandemonium given the right circumstances. People go nuts over it, because if you think about the whole routine itself, the layout can be quite creepy if you start attributing anything to something otherworldly or spiritual.
If you know how to do this, and you haven’t for a long time, do yourself a favour and give it a try. It’s refreshing getting those insane reactions all over again.
.:Yet Another Successful Taumbayan Variety Night!:.
Last Friday, myself, Stanley Chi, and the great Ony Carcamo took Taumbayan by storm one more time as we performed for a packed house in T. Gener corner K-1st in the Kamuning area. It was a night filled with laughs and gasps, and I was pretty happy about how things went for everyone that night, as I went significantly longer than I normally do, going for a full half-hour of magic and comedy as I established the rhythm for the other performers that night.
I opened with the Coloring Book repeat, followed with some shackles and some rope, then went off to do some good ol’ mentalism by doing some card improv, the shaker, some psychokinesis, and of course, the piece de resistance, levitation.
Stanley was on fire last Friday as he went close to half an hour of old and new (!) material that just had everyone chuckling and then guffawing like mad. The audience was a perfect mix, as half of the audience were laughing because they got the 80’s jokes, and the other half were laughing because they realized they were too young to get the joke.
It was a great run-up, really, because after about an hour’s worth of performances, after packing the house to the point that people were actually watching us by the stairs already since the venue had two floors worth of people watching, sir Ony Carcamo took to the stage and gave everyone more than their money’s worth by doing an hour of amazing ventriloquism. Everyone was in stitches over how funny the jokes were, and he even did his own brand of mentalism while he was at it, as he joked around and “botched” predictions left and right, only to prove to everyone that he knew all along what was going to happen.
All in all, this was a pretty amazing show, and I even managed to sit down and chat with none other than John Lapuz that night, whose movie, “Here Comes The Bride,” I was especially fond of. Hopefully, when we do our show again next month, even more people would come and see it, because at 150 bucks, the show is practically a steal.
Thanks, everyone! You can expect more from us in the days to come.
Vladimir Dimitri Kockov of the Soviet Republic of Monrokvia is the alter ego of British comedian and mentalist Jasper Blakeley. As a wildly sexualized but daring character, Kockov manages to combine comedy, mentalism, and a genuine character wildly different from the real Jasper Blakeley and put it all onstage as a wonderful package.
Unlike a Boris Pocus who is merely an extension of Jay Sankey’s zany self, Kockov is an exercise of contrast with his alter ego. He is very quick-witted, a bit of a rascal, and ultimately knows how to make light of even the gravest situation. While Kockov is funny, he is anything but a bumbling magician. His performances are flawless, skilfully executed, and his finale is downright dangerous as he does an actual four-gun Russian Roulette. Amid the laughter, people do know that the routine is genuinely life-threatening, but Kockov’s character, while definitely more than willing to call upon himself, does not take away from this fact.
The Plunge of Death is his version of the spike/knife roulette. It’s the version I am fond of because not only are the materials easy to acquire, it also lends itself to a lot of excellent byplay when contrasted with the other forms of this act.
Kockov is a relatively new performer in the mentalism circles, but he certainly has gotten around, travelling all over the world and impressing and amusing them at the same time. His mentalism work is top-notch, as they are, like any mentalist worth his salt, excellent and fresh new takes on classics in the art form. His unique character, being maintained religiously throughout his show, is something that makes his performances memorable, as it allows Blakeley to break out of the shell his very clean-cut looks force him in and allow him to be the whirling dervish that Kockov is known to be.
Recalling the film “The Prestige”, I am strongly reminded of how a performer elicits a different kind of reaction by religiously portraying a character without breaking it all throughout. Kockov as a character is very interesting and colourful, and really is an exercise in packaging. Anyone can do mentalism, but only few can really bring mentalism to a level where in spite of a full show of nothing but mentalism, the audience doesn’t end up bored to tears.
Essentially, that sets Kockov apart from a lot of other performers: he is thoroughly devoted to a character and sees it through in his performance. It can only be helpful to a performer to have that kind of consistency.
This routine from Richard Osterlind’s “No Camera Tricks” is not only a keeper, but a very useful way to get somebody’s number.
Essentially, it’s a mentalism routine that allows people to think of a multiple-digit number each, and by manipulating the operations you utilize on the numbers, they end up with a target number that you pre-determined. The operations are conducted using a scientific calculator, so the results should be unimpeachable.
It’s a very good prediction effect on its own, but seeing as this is February, we need to be able to utilize this whole target number business in a totally different direction…
First of all, set the target number as your mobile number.
Then, if you’re so brazen, premise that the target number has a special significance, and after counting the number of digits, you’ve concluded that it’s a mobile number, and you ask your targeted volunteer to look at the number, and see if it’s familiar with her. She’ll probably say know.
Now, you ask her if she’s single. With any luck, she is, and then you just tease her by asking if she’s keen on perhaps finding someone for this month. After all, it is February, and you never know, it may be worth taking a chance on the number you ended up with. I mean, you only live once, right? Ask her to give the number a call and see what happens.
If she does, then you just got her hook, line, and sinker. Not only did you condition her hammily that this person on the other end of the line could be the guy she’s looking for, you already have her number. It’s up to you how you’d play off the fact that your phone is now ringing. You can talk about destiny or whatnot, or you could discreetly ignore this facet and just contact her after the show.
Oh! If I may add, anytime I perform for anyone and I don’t get any reaction or feel that I wasn’t effective enough to bring out amazement and awe in the spectator, would also count as an apt reply to this question.