Derren Brown: Archive
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From: Phil Gooch
Date: Thu Apr 24, 2003 9:10am
Subject: Hello
Hi
My name is Phil and I have been lurking on this group for a few weeks, and
thought it time I joined in.
I've been casually interested in Derren Brown since his series last year,
but my interest recently took off after his new series. I think some of the
reasons he is so popular are
1) He never tries to make his subjects look stupid. He explains what he is
doing, and the basics of his techniques
2) He genuinely appears to like people. I'm sure his 'rapport' skills are
not merely part of the act. This is partly why he is so good at what he does
- he is genuine
3) Obviously, his skills are incredible, and while some can be explained or
theorised, I doubt if they could be reproduced as well by others.
Which leads me to a question: the most impressive thing I have seen Derren
do is when he did the 'Jedi Mind Trick' and got cashiers at Walthamstow dog
track to pay out on losing tickets. He seemed to bang on the side of the
window and say 'This is the dog you are looking for' (and the winning dog
was number 4). How did he carry this off?
I am also interested in how some of the skills he demonstrates could be used
therapeutically, e.g. in terms of cognitive-behavioural approaches to
managing symptoms of mental illness, but also in general ways, such as
conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation.
Thanks for listening
Phil
