Hey everyone! I'm not new to magic (started with Top Hat Magic in 1965) but I am new to mentalism...

I have to do a radio bit on a national radio show soon and we're going to talk about debunking "psychics" and discussing the technique of cold reading. I actually have a pro magician who will do a cold reading without claiming psychic powers, but I'd like to do a VERY STRONG mentalism trick for the hosts just to show how magicians can do amazing things that appear to require "extrasensory powers".

I can do spoon bending (I do liquid metal 2.0 right now) but I'd like to do something a bit more verbal for the radio and wondered if the Magic Café crowd could point me in the right direction.

I have looked at Outlaw book tests and a ton of stuff at Penguin, but finding that one trick that will 1) blow their minds and 2) I'm unlikely to screw up when I'm nervous on the air and 3) is angle free (people will be in front and behind me) will cost me a lot if I do trial and error.

I have Psypher and plan on using it if I can figure out a way to peek without anyone seeing me.

Any ideas? I'll give you credit on the air, too!

your friend,


Lobsta

(Other ideas people have given me are an envelope prediction with a B****T K***E and the 13 Steps book (which i have ordered))

Mental Yarn comes to mind; http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/705

It would be worth working out who you want to mainly perform for: The radio hosts, or the home listeners. Also whether you will have people call in etc.
Banachek has a CD set out there called Radio Magic that is full of advice on this sort of stuff. I cant review it or fully recommend it as i dont have it...but I trust Banachek's work.
Will you have a chance to do some pre-show beforehand? You can create some truly impossible psychic demonstrations for the home listeners if you do a little pre-show between songs or before you go on (You could use psypher here).
Don't worry about finding the perfect 'trick' - the real secret to mentalism is in the presentation. Even the most basic mentalism effect can be dressed up to look (and sound) impossible.

Better go ask them, then.
Rev.

ha ha oops! I'm disoriented, obviously.

Yes I can do pre-show; these people are friends so I have access 24/7.

Thanks so much, everyone for the advice. I'll check out "radio magic" immediately and let you know how it goes!


your friend,


Lobsta

buying it now; the fact that people say "it's not foolproof" makes it even more interesting to me.

thanks!