Oh, you lucky thing. No clucking necessary to grab this delightful collection of mentalism effects. Unique, slightly twisted, and refreshingly straightforward, Michael Breggar takes a break from his monthly "Auto-Magic" column in The Linking Ring to present mentalism routines that your audiences won't forget... even after you’ve dragged them back from their trances. Or, in Michael's case, long after he’s given them a good shake. You’ll be the star of the cerebral soirée with these performances! So, open those brain hemispheres, disregard the puns, and full steam ahead! We’ll catch you on the (brain)stem!
Marc DeSouza writes (from the Foreword) ...
"Michael Breggar has made it his mission to craft truly entertaining presentations for some brilliant mental effects. He aims to create straightforward, enjoyable mental miracles that are free from sleights, allowing you to focus on delighting your audiences... Okay, not that kind of delight; I mean letting them engage in a fun yet powerful magical experience... The premises are not only interesting and humorous, but they incorporate a variety of objects, like dice, fortune cookies, and Legos, guaranteed to keep even the most jaded audiences thoroughly engaged. "By steering clear of sleight-heavy routines, Michael has developed premises and presentations that transform what is typically an ordeal into a smooth ride to the climax. Dare to escape the dreary world of mentalism. Have your participants embark on a psychic romp in a hospital nursery, whip up some delightfully dark fortune cookies, pretend it’s Oscar night and watch your audiences pick winners, play poker with a Martian, and witness a fistfight between Martin Gardner and Dai Vernon! "I am genuinely thrilled by this book. The methods, the fresh themes—mentalists crave this, as they can bore themselves and the audience with seemingly repetitive effects. Michael has dug deep, and I can’t wait to employ some of these on stage. By the way, for those who care, there are plenty of new methods. Michael knows his stuff. Confident, sincere, original. Love it." - Marc Salem
"If you’ve flipped through The Linking Ring, you’ll recognise the name Michael Breggar from his 'Auto-Magic' columns. Michael is a magician of many talents! When he sent me a copy of Influence-Enza, he dubbed it 'comedy mentalism'. How misleading! Sure, his lines are funny and some premises are a tad out there (a fistfight between Martin Gardner and Dai Vernon!), but the mentalism is deadly serious! Honestly, this is some of the cleverest material I’ve encountered in a while. The humorous premises often set the stage for a knockout climax! Even if you prefer a more straightforward approach, this material is packed with ideas you can adapt, and the book is brimming with one-liners that can pack a punch in any performance. "The routines range from cards and dice to fortune cookies, Legos, and much more! All based on classic ideas, but here’s the kicker: they don’t require any fancy sleights or moves! Like his The Linking Ring column, he achieves strong effects through clever subtleties and ingenious routining. (The thinking reminds me a lot of the wonderful 'Scarne on Card Tricks.') And those results are worth doing! One moment the audience is in stitches, and the next, they’re speechless! "Bottom line, don't be put off if you think this is a book of silly mentalism 'jokes.' Nothing could be further from the truth. This is solid material designed to engage real people looking for a good time while still getting their socks knocked off!" - Richard Osterlind
"Knowing Michael's knack for emphasising presentation, Influence-Enza will be a welcome addition to anyone's bookshelf." - Don Wiberg
"Quite an impressive achievement! The effects are diverse, imaginative, ingenious, and meticulously sourced. I also appreciate that you’ve included some multi-phase routines. We don’t see enough of those these days. All in all, you’ve outdone yourself, sir. Congratulations!" - Michel Potts
"Michael strips away the fluff, cuts out heavy technical sleights, and focuses purely on the impact of the effect on the spectator. What a concept! As an unabashed fan of Mike's work, I was initially peeved to discover he’d already churned out a follow-up to his last, Dancing with the Cards. How can one chap produce so much quality material in such a short time?! Creative genius? Or maybe he took a stroll down to the crossroads one misty midnight... His creations are solid, the instructions clear, and the writing is, well, funny and a joy to read and perform..." - Anthony Vinson
Now! Cluck like a chicken and take a gander at what’s inside:
Influence-Enza - A Nick Trost effect takes a few hairpin turns with your audience under your influence! From a shuffled deck, two spectators create three piles of face-down cards in front of little signs marked 1, 2, and 3. A third spectator removes a card sight unseen from the remaining deck and seals it in an envelope, safe from any sleighty hands. Free choice? Not quite. You’ve influenced the spectators so that the number of red and black cards in each pile matches exactly what’s written on each little sign! And little sign #3 even has the name of the card sealed away in the envelope!
A Day at the Hospital - Using the principles described in Influence-Enza, your three spectators accurately sort out boys and girls into three separate nurseries. You’ve also managed to influence the selection of a name for the hospital administrator's new baby!
If It's Good Enough for Bill Murray - How about this: an entertaining and highly effective three-phase routine with ESP cards! This is definitely not your average Ghostbusters matching card effect!
Drawing on Emotions (ReDOnE) - Michael revisits one of his most discussed effects from his book, The Five Roads to Vegas. It’s been updated to work in all venues. A drawing duplication without a drawing? It really feels like mind-reading!
Another Day in Para-Dice - Revised from the "Auto-Magic" column, you divine the total of three dice thrown. Twice.
Gardner and Berg Walk into a Bar and Get into a Fight with Vernon and Don Alan - What begins as a fabulous "Do-as-I-Do" effect culminates in two extraordinary finales. An impossible centerpiece effect. Unless you’re psychic, of course!
Award Season - A jaunt to Hollywood where you, the mysterious mind-reader, deduce the Academy Award-winning movie merely thought of by the startled spectator.
Never Play Poker with a Martian - You reveal that Martians are exceptional poker players because they supernaturally influence which cards are dealt to, and played by, the other players. You demonstrate this by Martianally influencing your helper into dealing a royal flush under impossible—and hilariously absurd—conditions.
Unfortunate Cookie - An update of one of the most popular effects from Michael's The Linking Ring column. Your assistant receives 25 fortune cookie fortunes. They’re all rather dark and macabre, apart from the one your helper selects by sheer chance.
The ACAAN Deck - Yep. This is the real deal. The spectator names a card and a number. They then deal down to that number from a deck untouched by you. And, voilà, there’s their card. Works cleanly 80% of the time. Built-in outs cover the other 20%. You’ll craft this gaffed deck once, but you’ll use it forever.
Counter Fits - Your volunteer is endowed with the psychic power to discern real from counterfeit money. They get to keep the bills they identify, so they better be right! Did I mention the bills are sealed in opaque envelopes?
(L)Ego Trip - An unbelievable closer. Your helper merely thinks of a typical Lego object (like a simple car, airplane, house, cat, etc.), and you assemble it. Without even looking at the Lego blocks! And the kicker is nothing short of impossible!
What are you waiting for? A written electroencephalogram
Sold out
Sold out
