Until December...
/Hey-ho!
I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was a delight. We smoked the turkey and it came out perfect. And I was in them mashed potatoes like…
This is the final post until December. The next newsletter will be sent to supporters on the first, and regular posting will resume here on Monday, December 4th and run through December 22nd.
Magicians Are Less Prone to Mental Disorders Than Other Artists
The research, published on Wednesday in the journal BJPsych Open, measured psychopathological traits of almost 200 magicians and compared the results with data from other artistic groups and the general population.
It concluded that magicians scored significantly lower than other types of creatives and “normal” folk. […]
Gil Greengross, who led the research, said it was the first study to show a creative group with lower scores on psychotic traits than the general population.
He said: “Our research shows that magicians do not exhibit higher levels of mental disorders. The results demonstrate that the association between creativity and psychopathology is more complex than previously thought.”
This is… interesting.
I do believe studying magic…the art of manipulating reality…does require a solid grounding in reality.
But I also think there’s another way to interpret the results. And, sadly, I think it’s likely more accurate.
Look again at the researchers quote: “Our research shows that magicians do not exhibit higher levels of mental disorders. The results demonstrate that the association between creativity and psychopathology is more complex than previously thought.”
Or… maybe it’s not. Maybe the relationship between creativity and psychopathology is precisely what you thought it was. Maybe your mistake was thinking that that magic is (for many performers) a “creative” exercise.
If I perform a trick I didn’t invent, with patter I didn’t write… I have fun, and the people I perform for have fun. But it’s about as “creative” as following the directions on the back of a box of cake mix.
Adding to the, “Maybe magicians aren’t as psychologically sound as that article suggests”-file, we have another sack of shit to kick out of the GLOMM.
Dewald Venter received a sentence of 13 and 1/2 years for sexually abusing three boys. See the article here.
The lowlight:
The court heard during the trial that Venter used his skills as a magician to charm his victims.
My point has never been that magicians necessarily abuse more kids than non-magicians (although I would bet my life’s savings that they do). My point is simply that magic gives people an opportunity to get close to kids. If you’re an assistant manager at Kohl’s, you’re probably not leveraging that into access to kids. But since we do have that access, we have to be better at policing our own. Not all mall Santas want to bang kids, but given that it’s a job where kids sit on their lap… it makes sense to be extra vigilant in regard to who is taking part in that activity, yes? Well, that logic holds up for magicians as well.
If nothing else, just assume someone wearing that many bracelets has fucking issues and keep your kids and yourself a safe distance from them.
Dan C., writes:
Had a quick idea with the [Half Down technique]. I tried it out today and it worked great. If they say they want to get rid of the face up cards, insert the force card face up, third from top in the face down half. For me, this is easier than going to the bottom. Then you can hand [that half] to them and do Mark Calabrese’s Red Medicine force immediately by handing them the deck right away. […] A bonus is that you can use your half as a demo for what you want them to do.
This is actually a great idea. Red Medicine, by Mark Calabrese is a really strong forcing technique. And leading into it with Half Down makes it even stronger, in my opinion. And no adjustment to the cards need to be made.
I will likely use this in the future.
They shuffle.
Half Down procedure
If they choose the face-up half, I can hand that to them and walk them through a Cross-Cut Force.
If they choose the face-down half, I can hand that to them and walk them through Red Medicine.
Thanks, Dan.
Here is Chris Rawlins’ original idea which inspired Tuesday’s trick, The Logbook of Notable Events. My trick was the same underlying method, but this is something you can do at any time. In Chris’ own words…
You are sitting with a friend and you tell them that you have something for them. You explain that in your notes application you have created a special note, just for them.
“Earlier this morning I wrote the message for you and even though its just for you I won’t let you see it just yet. I’d like you to pay close attention to that feeling inside you right now, that feeling of curiosity, of wanting to know. Whenever that feeling become too much and out weighs the acceptance of not knowing just ask me to show you the note. I’m interested to see when that feeling of curiosity will take over. Till then I will not touch my phone, In fact why don’t you place it in your pocket for now...”
At some point your friend expresses the desire to know more and you take your phone from them. You point out that it is 13 minutes past the hour and openly unlock your phone and open the notes application. You point out the top most note titled The Minute You’ll Ask and open the note.
Your friend sits in silence as they read the note and scroll all the way to the bottom of the note and then back up to the top. They are unable to believe the absolute accuracy of the prediction. It shows proof that you knew exactly when their curiosity would take over. With a smile you take back the phone, screenshot the note and email it to them as they sit there in shocked silence. The email subject reads...
Curiosity Won...
Method:
Here we are using the whole list as a chronological documentation of time. Instead of each number having a card, item, song or place next to it we place the words NOT NOW on a numerical list from 1 through to 60. These points each representing each minute in the hour. The force text becomes “Minutes past is when you’ll ask!” and by secretly inputting the correct two digits to match the minutes past the hour of the current moment you are able to create a note within your phone that looks just like what you are seeing on the right hand side of this page. Your spectator will scroll to the bottom of the note to check the legitimacy of the force text’s location.
I really enjoy screenshooting the note so that the force text is roughly centre and emailing that to them after our time together as a playful reminder of what happened and so that they are indirectly encouraged to share the story with someone else.
Great idea. Thanks, Chris!
I’m working on the next version of the Jerx Almanac, which will be mailed to supporters in January 2024. If there’s a “tool” you want me to cover in the 2nd edition of the manuscript, let me know. (Those of you with the last edition will know what I’m asking.) I may not have any thoughts on what you’re asking about, in which case, obviously, I won’t add it to the Almanac. But if I do, I’ll create a new section for it.
Okay, everyone. Enjoy the rest of your November! I’ll see you in December as we embrace the holiday season, wind down 2023, and get ready for the joys of winter.
