Your Inner Circle Newsletter - January 2008

--INTRODUCTION--
Welcome to the first newsletter for the Inner Circle. I really do
want to keep the content of this e-letter to those people who are
members and keep it out of the public domain, so please rather than
passing on the emails to your friends (even if they are incredible
performers) refer them to the members sign up page instead.

I am very hopeful that this newsletter will keep you up to date and
keep your brain ticking over as I suggest topics, ideas and methods
for you to muse on. I always like to have my little gray cells
tickled, it keeps me alive.

In this month's issue I am going to be looking at a book that,
although is a few years old, I recently read for the first time,
Kenton Knepper's Mind Reading. I am going to be discussing why so
many performers are afraid of dual reality and in the coming issues
I hope to give examples of how you can get over it and perform even
riskier, more daring routines and reap the incredible results you
deserve from them.



--TALKING POINT--
In 2007 I spent more time on the road than usual as I embarked on a
(very) mini lecture tour around the UK. It was performing and
talking to so many magicians and other mystery performers that has
shaped a lot of the way I now think, but in a way you might not
necessarily have expected.

Unlike many performers who i have seen lecture, I actually lecture
items and routines from my working act. Admittedly some of the
routines have since been retired but when I first started
lecturing, everything I was talking about and explaining was
exactly what I was using to make a living.

Something that struck me was that a lot of people found what I was
doing to be, and I quote one young man from Ipswich, 'terrifying'.

In my performances, both close up (although I rarely perform close
up anymore) and on stage, I use a lot of dual reality routines.

What is dual reality? In case this idea is something you are not
familiar with then let me give you a brief explanation. A dual
reality routine is something that, at some point regardless of how
minor or major, relies on the fact that the audience at large
believes something to be true, when at the same time the
participants believe something else to be the case. 'At the same
time' is the most important part of dual reality.

An example of this would be like in the drawing duplication i sent
you earlier. The audience believes that the person on stage in
simply thinking of any old image and drawing it. At the SAME TIME
the person on stage can see that he can think of any image at
all...but from a SELECTION of 6 or 7 different images that you have
written down for him. This is dual reality. The term was first
coined by the master of linguistic deception, Kenton Knepper in the
1980s.

In the coming issues I am going to show you how you can eliminate
your fear of what you might consider to be risky routines, and to
empower you to perform them and thus create even greater impact on
your audiences.


--BUSINESS--
Although I am certainly no big-shot, i do perform for a living and
use it as my only source of income. So i get a few emails a month
from people wanting to know how to take the step. In this section I
am hoping to provide the answers to that very question.

I am not trying to sell to you but my Marketing book does have a
lot of the low-cost methods I have and do use. On top of that its
about changing the way you think. Literally. I'll give you the
first major step in what I'd call the 'turning pro attitude'.

The first thing you need to do is realise that its not about the
magic, the mentalism, the hypnosis or the therapy you perform. Its
actually all about enjoying making friends. In the business world
they call them 'contacts' which i think is a cold, icy way of
putting it. I make friends with as many people as possible when I
perform and those people tell their friends about their new friend
and it spirals from there. So thats the first thing, start making
friends and realise THAT is what your job REALLY is.


--RECOMMENDS--
As a gift for Christmas, my partner bought me Kenton Knepper's book
'Mind Reading'. It has been out for a while but I never got round
to getting my hands on it. I read it over Boxing Day and the day
that followed and I have to say that in my opinion it is the best
book that Kenton and his S.E.C.R.E.T. School have released yet.

In the book he gives you some incredibly advanced, yet simple
approaches to giving readings. In fact one of them was something I
have been using and planned to release to you this year, but alas
the master has beaten me to it.

However, if you don't do readings then there some absolutely
steller mentalism routines in there too that rely on Kenton's famed
linguistic deceptions but my goodness they are very strong. I would
highly recommend this book regardless of your stage of performing
because the reading systems he teaches are an eye opener to anyone,
add to that the class of the routines he includes you certainly
have more than your money's worth in this volume.

There is a fantastic routine where a volunteer places their finger
freely on a map, anywhere at all and you have predicted exactly
where that place would be. The method is devious to say the least
and I personally can not wait to try it out.

By the way, although I've met the man and think highly of him I
don't make a penny from this and personally gained a heck of a lot
from reading it. It spurred at least 3 new ideas that I am working
in to my new act and so for me that is where its worth lies.

--IDEA OF THE MONTH--
Here is an idea I have been playing with, it has weaknesses and
I've started working some of them out but here is the original,
creases and all. See what you can do with it, discover which new
directions you can take it in and get back to me.

Hand 4 or so people business cards. Ask one of them to write down
the name of an animal he or she once owned. Ask the remaining three
to make up names that could be associated with animals. Now the
cards are all mixed. One at a time the cards are held in the air by
someone else, and although your back is turned or you are otherwise
prevented from seeing, you call STOP on one of them, open it up to
reveal that it is indeed the name of the only real animal. The
method is really good fun. You simply peek the name of the animal
the first person writes down. Stop at any point you like,. open the
card and misread it, so no matter what it really says on the card
you read it out saying the name of the animal you peeked earlier.
Of course one in 4 times you will be correct and you can even offer
proof. To cover the times you don't get it right just casually fold
it and toss it back in to the pile with the others.

See what you can do with it and I'll look forward to hearing what
you make of it. Very simple but very strong I think.

--TO CLOSE--

Well that was the first issue of the newsletter. An introductory
one to say the least, each issue I hope will build and build in to
something great and valuable to all of us.


--ONE MORE THING...--
Some issues I will run a competition. There will be a small prize
but entering is mainly to see your name announced as the King
Thinker for that month. The prize this month is a a £10.00 gift
voucher off any of my products now or at any time in the future. I
realise that its not a huge amount but its the title you're really
playing for.

What you have got to do.
I am looking for the best routine that involves the performer being
blindfolded. The blindfold is one of my favorite things to do and
I've come up with a wide range of things to do while I apparently
can not see, but what presentations and methods have you got? The
winner will be announced next month.

Until next time,
Take care!
Kennedy

"Do you have suggestions, an idea you want to share on the
newsletter. Email me right back!"