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Danny Archer Goes Mental

Danny Archer

(Based on 1 review)
Danny Archer goes Mental is a collection of some of my favorite effects with a mentalism or mental magic flavor. Some of the strongest effects you can do are mental effects, and I use at least one mental effect in every performance I do. I have gathered these tricks from my previously published lecture note and my notebooks. There are predictions, direct mind-reading and my takes on some classic plots like Bank Nite, Seven Keys to Baldpate, and Add-a-No.

In each case I have taken the material as it was originally published and updated it. Then I wrote a new page for each effect that I called Archer's Additions. These were new thoughts and ideas about the routines that I have had over the years. A lot of the material is for parlor or stage performers, but there are close-up and impromptu effects as well.

MENTAL MONOPOLY — A stand up mental effect using the classic board game Monopoly as its theme. Strong mentalism that plays big and that everyone can relate to. Close-up and stage versions explained.

OUT FOXED —“ An incredible card effect. Five spectators shuffle five parts of the deck and then merely think of a card from the ones they have. You never touch their cards. All five cards are dramatically revealed. Yet it's easy to do (no sleights, math or memorization), a genuine showstopper.

PAR FOR THE COURSE — Tiger Woods, look out. Several people record a score for an imaginary round of golf. Totaled score matches a prediction you've never touched. A great version of Add-A-No.

THE DATING GAME — A truly diabolical method, offers you a version of the Seven Keys to Baldpate. Uses an un-gimmicked lock and keys and it's unbelievably deceptive.

HEARTBEAT — Spectator selects a card, holds it to their heart and then shuffles several times. The magician finds the card by taking their pulse.

NSTANT STOOGE — A total stranger helps you perform an astounding mental miracle. An impromptu classic that will knock their socks off.

BIG BILL — A commercial version of Bank Nite that has loads of comedy potential and audience involvement.

DSP — A headline prediction with no chance of predicting a disaster. The performer mails a box in advance, which contains a digital voice recorder which correctly predicts the results of a sporting event.

STAR SEARCH — The Mentalist makes two predictions before showing his autographed collection of movie star pictures. Both predictions are wrong but then a unique twist proves them right.

JOKER MENTAL — An incredible mental card effect that has a killer climax!

TRIPLE THREAT — An El cheapo, entertaining version of Mental Epic performed in 3 stages, that strengthens the final choice by using a word selected from a book.

A WEIGH OUT PREDICTION — Another great version of Add-A-No, where you predict the combined weight of a number of people from the audience

"Your e-book material is among the very best available to working (and non-working) performers of mental magic and mentalism. Very direct and devoid of knuckle-busting sleights that enables almost total emphasis on the entertaining premises you so neatly wrap them in. Highly recommended." Larry Becker

Reviews

Christian

Official Reviewer

Feb 25, 2010

Danny Archer has put out many solid, commercial effects over the years. One of my favorites of his is “Eye Exam”. I was quite excited to hear he was releasing an E-book of commercial stand up mental routines. A selection of stand up routines, especially good ones, is hard to come by.

For thirty smackers you get a plethora of offerings and for those that always ask…”How many are card tricks?” . . . Very few.

What stands out for me is the array of clever performance frames. The first effect is about the Parker Brother’s game Monopoly. It is a triple prediction that is rather easy to perform and allows the performer to concentrate on the audience and script.

Outfoxed is another routine that uses a version of the Paul Fox Miracle Gimmick. I chuckled when I read this because the Fox Miracle is a very underused effect and only the older or more studied magicians even know what it is. I think those that know it, will enjoy this and those that don’t will be introduced to a very clever routine.

Elsewhere in the book are enjoyable routines about diverse premises such as determining the outcome of a golf game, A Dating Game used to perform the Seven Keys to Baldpate, A story about collecting famous autographs, and Predicting the weight of a number of random people.

At the end of each chapter Danny gives additional ideas, subtleties, history, and his thinking about the effect. I found that to be a very nice addition.

If you are looking for the next brilliant, super secret, underground, move or magic concept, keep looking. If you are looking a great selection of solid commercial effects that an audience will enjoy, you have hit gold. I am sure in the next year I will revisit this book a few times and play with some of Danny’s ideas.
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