I recently got back from the Bruce Bernstein lecture. If you haven't seen the man before, he's quite a character. Among the material he demonstrated, one can see a strong emphasis on creating personal bonding while also creating spectacle. Not an easy thing to do with mentalism. I was impressed to see old Marlo sleights revamped for non-card effects.
Bruce it seems developed his eye for spectacle working in trade shows. His work is extremely commercial and it's quite astounding the kind of methods he came up with. His secret to the linking safety pins is probably the best I've ever seen. You could ship the pins back to the manufacturer and they would never catch the method. I walked out with some new material for my coming auditions for potential new clients as well as a good new act for the open mic nights.
I know I always say this on these lecture reports, but Bruce is one of those guys you really need to see given the chance. He's the kind of guy who has sold his act on the fact that he isn't a mentalist, he's Bruce Bernstein.
Anyway, the bad news... This past Monday, Rick Maue suffered a stroke. Rick, as some of you probably know, is the head of Deceptions Unlimited, the organizer of these lectures in Pittsburgh, and an incredibly unique thinker in magic and mentalism. He's had problems in the past, but this came as a shock to everyone.
The good thing is that he suffered no major damage and will be released from the hospital Thursday or Friday. He's pulling through and recovering. This has however prompted him to decide not to organize any more lectures for the foreseeable future. For the sake of his health, he's cutting back on his work load.
I met Rick back in 2007 and he's been an incredible help to me. He gives you the most brutal, honest feedback you will ever hear. When he was a special guest at the Magic Cafe, Docc Hilford was amazed to see no one trying to argue with him or contradict him until he realized it was because every question Rick answered he was completely right about. Even the Cafe's most egotistical regulars knew they couldn't contradict him without looking like a fool.
Here's to hoping Rick makes a timely recovery.
Bruce it seems developed his eye for spectacle working in trade shows. His work is extremely commercial and it's quite astounding the kind of methods he came up with. His secret to the linking safety pins is probably the best I've ever seen. You could ship the pins back to the manufacturer and they would never catch the method. I walked out with some new material for my coming auditions for potential new clients as well as a good new act for the open mic nights.
I know I always say this on these lecture reports, but Bruce is one of those guys you really need to see given the chance. He's the kind of guy who has sold his act on the fact that he isn't a mentalist, he's Bruce Bernstein.
Anyway, the bad news... This past Monday, Rick Maue suffered a stroke. Rick, as some of you probably know, is the head of Deceptions Unlimited, the organizer of these lectures in Pittsburgh, and an incredibly unique thinker in magic and mentalism. He's had problems in the past, but this came as a shock to everyone.
The good thing is that he suffered no major damage and will be released from the hospital Thursday or Friday. He's pulling through and recovering. This has however prompted him to decide not to organize any more lectures for the foreseeable future. For the sake of his health, he's cutting back on his work load.
I met Rick back in 2007 and he's been an incredible help to me. He gives you the most brutal, honest feedback you will ever hear. When he was a special guest at the Magic Cafe, Docc Hilford was amazed to see no one trying to argue with him or contradict him until he realized it was because every question Rick answered he was completely right about. Even the Cafe's most egotistical regulars knew they couldn't contradict him without looking like a fool.
Here's to hoping Rick makes a timely recovery.
