Price$49.95
Media TypeBook
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedAug 06, 2006
Building Blocks
Luke Jermay
(Based on 1 review)
Imagine yourself performing these routines:
* A plucked rose visibly wilts and dies as you talk about the fragility of life
* An aura reading routine, which climaxes with the spectator genuinely seeing your aura - and you can provide proof!
* You cause the spectator’s sense of time to physically slow down (we don’t just mean their watch, although of course that happens as well!). They are almost unable to physically move as they are stuck in a single moment of time.
* You perform a version of Out Of This World, with a borrowed deck, with no set-up, no sleights or switches. In fact the spectator’s intuition can even be shown as correct for each individual card as it is dealt! This is the real work on the verbal control of a spectator.
* Despite being blindfolded, you can read a selected sentence chosen at random from a borrowed book, with your fingertips! You can even scan through the whole book with your fingertips and comment on the story and characters. Did we mention that the blindfold is real and that you genuinely can’t see a thing and you can do this anywhere anytime?!
* Imagine having your spectator actually feel their thought leave their mind and enter yours - imagine no more! With the Burst Bubble suggestion, your spectator will believe they felt the moment of magic happen inside their own mind!
These are just a few of the incredible routines that Luke teaches in this new book. Every routine is accompanied by his suggestion techniques as applied to that specific piece, as well as his full performance script, plus many additional touches and ideas.
His sensational Out of This World is taken to an even more impossible level with just five un-gimmicked ESP cards. He has shared his personal Book Test, his acclaimed work on PK Touches, his thinking on playing cards in mentalism and so much more. He teaches the techniques of Anchoring and specifically how to apply them to magic performances.
By blending up-to-the-minute psychological techniques with some classic conjuring methodology, Luke has created cutting-edge Mentalism and Magick effects that will have your audiences believing that you can do anything! Going far beyond the material in his first release, 7 Deceptions, this new book really does teach you the “Building Blocks” of becoming an expert at previously jealously guarded techniques of suggestion and mind control.
What People are Saying:
"Luke Jermay's Building Blocks is a brilliant and exhilarating blueprint of magic's tomorrow. Not only a collection of stunning audience-centred wonders, but also a clear and detailed guide to constructing your own. Buy it now! It will change the way you do magic forever."
- Caleb Strange
" Luke is one of those rare individuals who brings a unique touch of originality to everything he does. Great thinking and great routines! With fresh presentations like these, I look forward to the future of our craft."
- Steve Banachek
" Unless you want to be left behind, I suggest you get Luke's works. Luke applies Wonder Words, suggestion and psychology in a manner which makes all of us who have gone before very proud indeed. Luke's applications are a must-have for all who would perform the "new magic" and mentalism sweeping the minds and hearts of the public and modern peers. If you wish to continue the journey made popular by some of us, then Luke's offerings are almost required".
- Kenton Knepper
" Building Blocks is simply SENSATIONAL and I like it very much. If you want to enhance the power of your tricks into real wonders or miracles, YOU NEED A COPY OF THIS BOOK! It contains techniques, which you have never dreamt of, but the best thing is: they really work! I recommend this book highly to every serious performer of our art. It is worth its weight in gold, pure gold!"
- Ted Lesley
" We have all long wanted to use the power of suggestion in our mentalism routines, but have not quite figured out exactly how to use it. We need want no longer; Luke Jermay is here to fill our desires!
In his new book titled Building Blocks, Luke teaches us the missing links to making our suggestive mentalism as good as we have wanted it to be.
Luke teaches us, through discussion and example routines, exactly how to use the Building Blocks of suggestive mentalism in our own performances. Luke first describes The Fundamental Building Blocks, followed by The Convincers, and then The Building Block Technique. Luke then gives us many routines using these breakthrough concepts that we can use as is, or adapt to our own personalities.
Luke splits these routines up into three categories:
Routines that actually use no suggestion, but let us practice using suggestion in a risk free way;
Routines that use some suggestion, but have a mechanical method to achieve an effect;
Routines that rely completely on suggestion.
Building Blocks is destined to become a classic text for mentalists and Luke Jermay has secured his place on the list of thought leaders in our beloved art.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Until reading Building Blocks, I was completely unfamiliar with Luke Jermay's work. Based on what I have read, I have discerned that he is British, a devoted fan of Banachek and Kenton Knepper, and a firm believer in the power of suggestion. I am told that he is seventeen years old, or was at the time this book was written.
What is apparent almost from the beginning of Building Blocks is that Luke Jermay enjoys playing the long odds. Most of the material in the book relies on subtle psychological cues to influence the perceptions of the audience, cues that may or may not work depending on a number of factors--the willingness of the audience to participate and concentrate their attention, for example, and the ability of the performer to command and focus that attention. If these and a variety of other conditions do not converge, the effect may fall short or fail altogether.
Jermay does not walk this tightrope without a safety net. In most cases, he uses the uncertain effects of suggestion and psychological cueing to lead into or augment a reliable effect of bizarre or psychic magic. And the good news is that the author's thinking in this department is imaginative and interesting.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Tradition dictates that I first relay the bad news.
I'll be blunt. It is abundantly clear that this material never passed through the hands of an editor. It is filled with twisted sentence structure, poor grammar and perplexing turns of phrase. Take a look at the following sentence, which might have sprung from the lips of Mrs. Malaprop:
"The suggestion inheriting within these words and actions when combined are simple."
And this one:
"I cannot take credit for this effect--the spectator is the one who deserves it as they are the person who will ultimately deceive themselves."
Does this bring to mind the famous videogame declaration "All your base are belong to us"? The wacky grammar in Building Blocks becomes less amusing when one contemplates the $50 spent in purchasing the book. Yes. $50.
Now, I'm willing to cut the author some slack based on his age and inexperience (I'm cognizant of how awful my books would have been if I had written them when I was seventeen). But how much effort would it have taken for someone, anyone--the publisher perhaps?--to have given this text a once-over and corrected the most glaring errors? The book has fewer than 200 pages, for pity's sake! This reading experience could have been significantly improved with about two hours' work and a red pencil.
The bad news isn't over yet. The first third of Building Blocks is devoted to Jermay's description of the psychological techniques he uses to create inexplicable effects in the minds of his audience. The techniques are somewhat modular in nature; they can be layered one atop another (hence the term "building blocks") to build toward a particular result--for example, the sensation of heat or cold in a volunteer's hand. The problem is that, in explaining these techniques, the author tends to lapse into vague, almost metaphysical jargon:
"This use of silence could be seen as a use of heightened awareness and the portal of intent. We must use it as such. Think about it. You must reach the point where you understand what intent is. And above all, you must understand that knowledge cannot be turned into words. That knowledge is there for everyone. It is there to be felt, to be used, but not to be explained."
Um. Okay. But how, exactly, is one supposed to act on this advice?
The remainder of Building Blocks is dedicated to effects and routines that incorporate suggestion techniques into their scripts. Most of the routines have an effect that relies on standard conjuring techniques built into the script as well, so if the psychological cues don't take, the entire endeavor is not an elaborate set-up without a pay-off. And here's where we get to the good news: Many of the effects are clever and creative and would probably appeal to magicians--notably, a routine in which a rose appears to wither under the weight of negative thoughts, and an effect in which an audience member is apparently able to see and describe the performer's "aura." The methods for both of these effects, by the way, are disarmingly direct and practical.
Nevertheless, the Effects section of the book is marred by the author's inexperience as a writer and instructor. So much is left unsaid, so many issues left unaddressed. For instance, Jermay does not discuss what effect the environment--"set and setting" as they used to say in the '60s--might have on the use of psychological cues. Nor does he explain how he recovers when a risky effect fails or falls flat. And while Jermay mentions some of the criteria he uses for choosing subjects from the audience (hot blondes top the list, apparently), he never describes how he would deal with an uncooperative subject. Particularly exasperating are the author's numerous attempts to illuminate the topic under discussion by referring to the work of other performers, whom one may or may not have seen, and to material in his pamphlet 7 Deceptions, which one may or may not have read. I know it's too late to ask this question, but wouldn't it have been more effective to illustrate these points with material that's in the book Building Blocks?
(Speaking of illustrations, there is precisely one clarifying illustration in the entire book, a drawing depicting a tower of playing cards that is at the center of an interesting, if impractical, routine called "A Remote Castle." There are a number of other effects that might have benefited from an illustration or two to help clarify a technical, nuts-and-bolts aspect of the method--but, alas, this is wishful thinking.)
I'm sure that for some magicians the only important question regarding this material is Does it work? The answer is yes--some of the time. Many of the suggestion techniques described in this book seem to bear similarities to hypnotic induction, and hypnosis is a hit-or-miss affair. How often these techniques work is a matter for individual performers to determine. Experience is bound to differ significantly. How and why these techniques work is a matter for scholars and clinicians to debate. Opinions are bound to differ significantly.
While we are on the subject of opinions, the performers who have proclaimed Building Blocks to be a work of unalloyed genius and a modern classic are, in my opinion, drastically overstating the case. Yes, the book contains some interesting and creative thoughts about magic, ideas that are worthy of contemplation. But is a conspicuously flawed, unedited manuscript worthy of such unabashed praise and a $50 price tag? I think all this hype is doing a promising, developing young artist a great disservice.
Despite its many imperfections, what I appreciate most about Building Blocks is that it encourages magicians to add further dimension and texture to our performances. By stimulating feelings and memories in the minds of our audiences, by engaging their senses in a rich experience, we can more effectively involve them in mutual acts of imagination and make-believe.
What is apparent almost from the beginning of Building Blocks is that Luke Jermay enjoys playing the long odds. Most of the material in the book relies on subtle psychological cues to influence the perceptions of the audience, cues that may or may not work depending on a number of factors--the willingness of the audience to participate and concentrate their attention, for example, and the ability of the performer to command and focus that attention. If these and a variety of other conditions do not converge, the effect may fall short or fail altogether.
Jermay does not walk this tightrope without a safety net. In most cases, he uses the uncertain effects of suggestion and psychological cueing to lead into or augment a reliable effect of bizarre or psychic magic. And the good news is that the author's thinking in this department is imaginative and interesting.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Tradition dictates that I first relay the bad news.
I'll be blunt. It is abundantly clear that this material never passed through the hands of an editor. It is filled with twisted sentence structure, poor grammar and perplexing turns of phrase. Take a look at the following sentence, which might have sprung from the lips of Mrs. Malaprop:
"The suggestion inheriting within these words and actions when combined are simple."
And this one:
"I cannot take credit for this effect--the spectator is the one who deserves it as they are the person who will ultimately deceive themselves."
Does this bring to mind the famous videogame declaration "All your base are belong to us"? The wacky grammar in Building Blocks becomes less amusing when one contemplates the $50 spent in purchasing the book. Yes. $50.
Now, I'm willing to cut the author some slack based on his age and inexperience (I'm cognizant of how awful my books would have been if I had written them when I was seventeen). But how much effort would it have taken for someone, anyone--the publisher perhaps?--to have given this text a once-over and corrected the most glaring errors? The book has fewer than 200 pages, for pity's sake! This reading experience could have been significantly improved with about two hours' work and a red pencil.
The bad news isn't over yet. The first third of Building Blocks is devoted to Jermay's description of the psychological techniques he uses to create inexplicable effects in the minds of his audience. The techniques are somewhat modular in nature; they can be layered one atop another (hence the term "building blocks") to build toward a particular result--for example, the sensation of heat or cold in a volunteer's hand. The problem is that, in explaining these techniques, the author tends to lapse into vague, almost metaphysical jargon:
"This use of silence could be seen as a use of heightened awareness and the portal of intent. We must use it as such. Think about it. You must reach the point where you understand what intent is. And above all, you must understand that knowledge cannot be turned into words. That knowledge is there for everyone. It is there to be felt, to be used, but not to be explained."
Um. Okay. But how, exactly, is one supposed to act on this advice?
The remainder of Building Blocks is dedicated to effects and routines that incorporate suggestion techniques into their scripts. Most of the routines have an effect that relies on standard conjuring techniques built into the script as well, so if the psychological cues don't take, the entire endeavor is not an elaborate set-up without a pay-off. And here's where we get to the good news: Many of the effects are clever and creative and would probably appeal to magicians--notably, a routine in which a rose appears to wither under the weight of negative thoughts, and an effect in which an audience member is apparently able to see and describe the performer's "aura." The methods for both of these effects, by the way, are disarmingly direct and practical.
Nevertheless, the Effects section of the book is marred by the author's inexperience as a writer and instructor. So much is left unsaid, so many issues left unaddressed. For instance, Jermay does not discuss what effect the environment--"set and setting" as they used to say in the '60s--might have on the use of psychological cues. Nor does he explain how he recovers when a risky effect fails or falls flat. And while Jermay mentions some of the criteria he uses for choosing subjects from the audience (hot blondes top the list, apparently), he never describes how he would deal with an uncooperative subject. Particularly exasperating are the author's numerous attempts to illuminate the topic under discussion by referring to the work of other performers, whom one may or may not have seen, and to material in his pamphlet 7 Deceptions, which one may or may not have read. I know it's too late to ask this question, but wouldn't it have been more effective to illustrate these points with material that's in the book Building Blocks?
(Speaking of illustrations, there is precisely one clarifying illustration in the entire book, a drawing depicting a tower of playing cards that is at the center of an interesting, if impractical, routine called "A Remote Castle." There are a number of other effects that might have benefited from an illustration or two to help clarify a technical, nuts-and-bolts aspect of the method--but, alas, this is wishful thinking.)
I'm sure that for some magicians the only important question regarding this material is Does it work? The answer is yes--some of the time. Many of the suggestion techniques described in this book seem to bear similarities to hypnotic induction, and hypnosis is a hit-or-miss affair. How often these techniques work is a matter for individual performers to determine. Experience is bound to differ significantly. How and why these techniques work is a matter for scholars and clinicians to debate. Opinions are bound to differ significantly.
While we are on the subject of opinions, the performers who have proclaimed Building Blocks to be a work of unalloyed genius and a modern classic are, in my opinion, drastically overstating the case. Yes, the book contains some interesting and creative thoughts about magic, ideas that are worthy of contemplation. But is a conspicuously flawed, unedited manuscript worthy of such unabashed praise and a $50 price tag? I think all this hype is doing a promising, developing young artist a great disservice.
Despite its many imperfections, what I appreciate most about Building Blocks is that it encourages magicians to add further dimension and texture to our performances. By stimulating feelings and memories in the minds of our audiences, by engaging their senses in a rich experience, we can more effectively involve them in mutual acts of imagination and make-believe.