Derren Brown: Archive
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From: magicmail20002000
Date: Sun Jun 8, 2003 11:50am
Subject: Re: Stooges, Actors and Tricks - Th e Exposé
> >Subject: [Derren Brown] Stooges, Actors and Tricks - The Exposé
> >
> >Hmm,
> >
> >I think you're gonna like this...
> >
> >If you want the illusion of DB to remain real, then I suggest you
stop
> >reading here:
> >
> >
> >Exposé follows:
> >
> >
> >At the start of MC1, DB states:
> >"...but that's the only TRICK you are going to SEE in the next
hour.
> >There
> >are no STOOGES and no ACTORS in this show. ALL the reactions are
REAL,
> >and
> >EVERYTHING you will see is EXACTLY what you would have seen if you
had
> >been
> >there with me. These are not MAGIC TRICKS, this is MIND CONTROL"
<sic>
> >
> >So now we KNOW for a FACT that there ARE ancient card TRICKS** in
the
> >show
> >which you can SEE clearly. Is it reasonable to conclude that the
show
> >is
> >ALSO littered with STOOGES and ACTORS? Not to mention well chosen
> >camera
> >angles and editing room mods.
> >
> >I'm hoping the next series offers some CG Aliens...
> >"...a good communicator can even affect your dietry intake. I
went to
> >LV926 to meet up a couple of veteran face-huggers and gave them a
> >mind-blowing fizz-icle <vocal tonality change> when I convinced
them
> >that
> >the Uri Geller they had just been fed was in fact turning into an
strong
> >
> >alkali in their blood streams..." <with hilarious consequences>
> >
> >** The type of card trick that relies on purely mathematical
principles
> >and
> >hence can be reproduced easily by anybody.
> >
> >Nothing described below can be found in the Devil's Picturebook.
In
> >fact,
> >in DP, DB decries the use of despicable "self working card tricks."
> >
> >The Illusion
> >------------
> >
> >See MC1, The Gamblers (Part 2): The losing hand
> >
> >You may wish to pay close attention to:
> >o Where did the deck come from?
> >o What cards are on the table?
> >o How are they collected?
> >o To where in the deck are the 'tabled' cards returned?
> >o What are the top 10 cards on the deck?
> >
> >The Trick
> >---------
> >
> >Take from the deck the following cards: K K K A A A 7 7 7 Q (suits
are
> >irrelevant - i think)
> >
> >Actually, pretty much any three prials and odd card will work, but
these
> >
> >cards create quite a big psychological impact.
> >
> >I say "i think" and "pretty much" as, not being a poker player,
I'm not
> >sure if you could run into trouble with flushes?? Is there such a
thing
> >as
> >a three of four card flush?
> >
> >I say "take", it would probably be more convincing to deal them
randomly
> >
> >from the top of a stacked deck.
> >
> >Part 1:
> >
> ># Shuffle the cards so that the Q is the top (or second card) on
the
> >pile.
> ># Draw two cards from the top of the pile and show the BACKS to the
> >player.
> ># Tell him to pick a card
> ># If he chooses the Queen: tell him he is choosing which cards to
keep
> ># If he chooses the other card: tell him he is choosing which
cards to
> >discard
> ># You *may* now stick to this. Ie. Give/Keep every card he points
to
> ># Mathematics will ensure you a winning hand.
> >
> >Part 2:
> >
> ># Collect the cards, again bringing the Queen to the top of the
deck
> ># Deal the Queen to the player and the next card to yourself
> ># Present the cards (face down) one at a time, and tell the player
that
> >he
> >make take or reject each card that is offered
> ># Allow him to keep all cards he selects until he has five cards in
> >front
> >of him
> ># You keep all others
> ># Mathematics will ensure you a winning hand.
> >
> >Part 3:
> >
> ># Collect the cards, again bringing the Queen to the top of the
deck
> ># Deal the Queen to the player and the next card to yourself
> ># Present the cards (face up) one at a time, and tell the player
that he
> >
> >make take or reject each card that is shown
> ># Allow him to keep all cards he selects until he has five cards in
> >front
> >of him
> ># You keep all others
> ># Mathematics will ensure you a winning hand.
> >
> >NB. There are a thousand ways to get the Queen to the top of the
deck,
> >but
> >anyone with a copy of DP will know straight off how DB achieves
it. And
> >
> >NO, that wasn't what gave it away. I have said before, I will
disclose
> >nothing of the enigmas presented in DP. The give away was that DB
> >always
> >got to choose the first card.
> >
> >Remember, if you perform your trick in a boring manner your
audience
> >will
> >be bored. If you perform your trick in a fascinating manner your
> >audience
> >will be fascinated. etc.
> >
> >DB makes £60 on this trick. Now: Go to the pub; win £60 with this
> >trick;
> >buy a couple of rounds; and spend the rest of the proceeds on a
copy of
> >The
> >Devil's Picturebook or a 1st ed copy of Pure Effect.
> >
> >
> >The Fear
> >--------
> >
> >Having now proven that DB is by no means beyond a bit of bold faced
> >lying,
> >here is the fear...
> >
> >Now for this part, I hope that none of my personal friends read
this
> >group,
> >or else I am about to skupper one of my own tricks (heartfully
inspired
> >by
> >(thought not at all stolen from) DB himself)...
> >
> >I perform a card trick, it is the cheesiest card trick I know -
and it
> >was
> >chosen for that very reason. The idea was, that I would perform
the
> >cheesiest trick ever in the most obvious way and then steam in
with a
> >well
> >scripted, but =ludicrous= explanation of how it was done (this is
> >clearly
> >the 'closing' trick). If I sold the explanation, people would
think
> >that I
> >was some kind of master card guru (and they do ;). If my sell
failed,
> >the
> >trick was sooooo obvious that any idiot would see it a mile off
and I
> >would
> >soon hear about it (from a group of highly critical peers.)
> >
> >A scary thing happened. One friend has atually managed to get the
trick
> >
> >working in the ludicrously implausible way that I claim it is
done. He
> >genuinely has learned to detect the subtle printing errors on the
faces
> >of
> >his (Piatnik**) cards.
> >
> >** After much claim to the superiority of Piatnik cards, I bought
a deck
> >-
> >although I was quite chuffed to find a long card in the deck, I
have
> >made a
> >sharp return to Bicycle cards.
> >
> >The second scary thing is that face/eye/throat reading DOES WORK -
at
> >least
> >to a minor degree - this I state as fact. And you've only got to
be
> >close
> >for people to get veerryy scared of you. Have I just performed the
> >second
> >impossible task? Is DBs plausible descriptions more real than
even he
> >suspects?
> >
> >Interesting!
> >
> >Bc.
In reply to this message posted by blue chip I would wish that it
were removed as soon as possible. The revelation of such tricks could
not only be offensive to those who already own the book, but to the
publisher and creator of Pure Effect and The Devil's Picturebook. I
hope you take this complaint seriously.
Thanks,
Chris
