Magic Tricks

*****The rationale*****
Wayne Looch Bolsover is one of the most interesting young professionals in Mentalism. His specialty is walkaround gigs, and close-up mentalism, and in this field –which is not a mainstream one- he can claim to have a great experience, and a great level of insight. Looch is a nice and unassuming person, and in his books he shares with a great degree of simplicity what he thinks and what he does with his audiences. There is a great deal to learn from his thinking also if one does not do the same things –particularly in S.A.D. night in Hamburg, you’ll find –effects apart- a wealth of important advice about important *professional* aspects of the craft.
Attitude is everything –attitude coupled with habit. A professional is preceded not only by his name, but also immediately by the way he appears and behaves *before* doing anything. Attitude must become also a habit –to do things in an ordered manner, and not to leave anything important to chance. Which does not mean to be rigid –Looch’s approach is a ‘jazzing’ one, but instead means not to be shaggy in one’s basic way of framing things.



*****Structure and content*****
In these notes, there are many effects. Strong and workables ones. But the very great interest of the book lies mostly in the methodological notes, to which the main part of the pages are dedicated.
The first part is dedicated to the economic principle of ‘how to not’ become a packhorse –that is: to have on self only what will be needed for that occasion. It’s in itself a great lesson even if you don’t do what Looch does (as is my case, for instance): here you learn an attitude, which you can transfer onto your way of doing things.

There is then a very interesting discussion about how, and when (and if) to use one’s / borrowed / no / business cards in Mentalism (or whether one’s BC should be given more importance than that of a billet).
Many other tips follow, the most interesting being IMO an analysis about how to create logically ordered routines (a thing too often forgotten also by accomplished pros). Looch does not talk that much about narrative, but rather about congruency –in a very convincing way.

A praise for a visual approach to Mentalism follows, and a nice discussion about the concepts of chance and coincidence (and about how to milk on certain occasions). Then, there come the routines –very nice stuff, and very well explained.

Then, at pgs. 39-40 you will find another gem: Looch’s take on a much discussed topic, that of the mutual exclusivity or the possible mixing of the psychic and psychological approaches to Mentalism. And it’s two pages of pure food for thought.



*****Pros and cons of the book*****
No cons. Buy it, there is really a lot to learn from this chap. Professionalism in the first –then many other things.
Congrats and admiration, Wayne.