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Magic vs. Mentalism
by Blair Robertson

I recently had the opportunity to do a series of shows in Washington and caught up with good friend and stage hypnotist Geoffrey Ronning. I met a hypnotist/magician friend who asked me my opinion of what makes a mentalist so much more successful than magicians, generally speaking.

It was a good question. I hadn't given it much thought before but I had one of those moments of sheer profound genius when I answered him:

"Magic is all about the magician. Mentalism is all about the audience."

Period. That's it. That's all.

I'm not trying to blow my own horn here, but that statement is incredibly profound.

When a magician does anything... make a scarf disappear, float a lady, make a coin appear... it is all about how clever the magician is. Yes, there is inherent entertainment in it all. But it all comes down to "howd-he-do-dat".

When a mentalist/psychic performs, it is about the spectator. All GOOD mentalists give credit to the spectator for their concentration and for allowing them to share the secrets in their mind with the rest of the audience.

It goes right back to Dale Carnegies great book "How To Win Friends And Influence People".

After a mentalist is done and gone, folks continue to talk as there will be a dozen folks in the audience who have had their minds read or had a reading by the performer. And when they talk about it, they'll end up talking about you.

And they'll talk about a mentalist longer than the guy with the ball at the end of the stick.

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