Christopher Parrish – Reading Minds Like a Coin Magician ( Instant Download )
In the two years I’ve spent deciding to share and publish my material for the Mentalism community, the biggest blessing that came from this decision came in coming into contact with powerful mentalists from all over the world!
Since then, friendships blossomed with mentalists who contacted me as fans of my work, or as skeptics to my performance style and methodological preferences. Reflecting on the way the community has treated me in 2024, I am honored that many mentalists have contacted me to act as consultant in their close-up and stage work; whether that be to design book covers, share my thoughts on a method and/or routine they created, and to help write beautiful presentations and design aesthetically pleasing (plus deceptive!) methods for their professional work!
Meeting all different kinds of mentalists have also had an impact on the way I think and perform Mentalism. Inspired by how 19th and 20th century poets and philosophers refined their thoughts and corresponded with each other, the Esse series was born! A set of releases that dig deep into my thoughts and reflections regarding various aspects of this truly unique art-form: principles of performance, methodological design, and questioning blindly accepted inherited “knowledge.”
When need be, I express my worldview in a way that some may see as brutally honest; but this is because I deeply care about the way lay audiences perceive Magic. I care about the way Magic practitioners carry themselves in public. Laymen are not just forming impressions about the performer right in front of them, they’re also forming impressions about the art-form when they come into contact with one of us. In my opinion, the potential for genuine critical thinking is lost when artists are too polite to state what they truly think about the current state of their art-form.
To begin 2025, I proudly present “Reading Minds Like a Coin Magician,” a 44-page book exploring the relationship mentalists (and magicians) have with deceptive methods. In a world, and marketplace, that thrives off “easy to use methods” and pushes this truism to their customers, I feel that some of the nuanced decisions of choosing deceptive methods are lost.
Put simply, I don’t believe for one second that we should be picking methods based on how “easy” they are; but based on how methods best serve our theatrical framework and the audience’s aesthetic experience.
Besides sharing two of my performance pieces that put the theory into practice, I also cite evidence from Cognitive Psychology, coin magicians, and memory experts to present my case of how mentalists have a relationship with deceptive methods that are likely not in true service to the Magic they wish to share with modern day laymen.
Pseudo-Telepathy: While in conversation with a stranger, friend, or journalist (I use this when journalists interview me after parlor shows), the mentalist offers to demonstrate how telepathy works when surrounded by people. The spectator points to a random person in a coffee shop, bookstore, park, hotel lobby, etc. and with a single billet, can divine intimate details about the freely chosen stranger. This can be names, dates, concerns, and personality traits. Rather than just blindly believing the mentalist, the spectator approaches the chosen stranger and confirms the details written on the billet! The spectator could even grab a business card from the café/bookstore/hotel lobby, and the mentalist can still perform this routine!
Noppera-BŌ: This is something I consider a “mini-routine,” meaning that it’s one of those potential powerful moments you can integrate into your group performances. This is a simple, prop-less, name guess which you can use anytime people decide to join mid-way through your performance! In my development as a performer, this is something that came along by accident, but the reactions it creates makes it a steady tool in my casual and professional close-up sets!
