Anyone wishing to assemble a commercial act of killer mentalism would do as well to study a program of this nature as would a close-up magician be advised to study the Stars of Magic or The Vernon Book of Magic. This first manuscript is remarkable because it represents a working pro's core repertoire, developed and refined over years of experience before paying audiences.
Here he de-scribes several of his core routines, including his opener (a series of quick psychological forces) a routine revealing the names of a thought-of famous name and famous place a simple but strongly presented book test a three-envelope test which is a masterful version of Annemann's "Fourth Dimensional Telepathy " and a memory demonstration in which the performer instantly memorizes a deck of playing cards.
This second version is a superb book in itself, and it's probably not an exaggeration to suggest that the complete act described within it is worth the price of the entire volume to a working performer. Cassidy's neo-classic 1983 text, The Art of Mentalism. The book begins with Art of Mentalism 2, which is a later expansion of Mr. In total, the author offers that this represents the bulk of his most significant output over the past 10 years. The works included are: The Art of Mentalism 2 the four installments of The Principia Mentalia Theories and Methods for the Practical Psychic Strange Impressions and But Stranger Still. The volume at hand, published by H&R Magic Books, is actually a collection of works that have been previously released, but have generally been either difficult to obtain for some time, or at the very least, far more expensive than this quite reasonably priced package. He concludes with this thought: "Never say a word until you have everyone's attention, and do whatever you must to get it." Whether or not this is my kind of mentalist talking is besides the point more to the point, this is my kind of performer. In a biographical account in the pages of this book, he proudly recounts some of his back-ground working in biker bars (an experience we also share), describing the extremely attention-getting opening of his show for such venues. And that's because he's one of the few mentalists I've encountered who really knows what it means to thoroughly entertain a paying audience. Nevertheless, when Bob Cassidy speaks, mentalists tend to listen and those who don't, probably should. The authors of The Federalist Papers once opined that there are some things about which "reasonable men may disagree" albeit that this would appear to leave out some of the self-styled mentalists I've come across. Bob Cassidy and I certainly disagree on some things as well. It's been said that mentalism is easier to perform than traditional magic, but that it is far more difficult to perform well." On these points, Bob Cassidy and I agree. Capitalizing on their own personalities, each puts his own unique stamp on the material he performs. Mentalism is an art, and is practiced most effectively by artists.
Reviewed by Jamy Ian Swiss (originally published in Genii January, 2005) The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy by Bob Cassidy