Th The Satan tanic Book Test
Book tests hold a privileged position in the world of mentalism, however I have always asked myself, why? I can understand that as a tool for the selection of a random word they serve nicely, but there is so much more to boo ks than just their random word generating capabilities. In almost every book test these biblioqualities go completely ignored. The book itself is irrelevant. This led me to thinking about the nature of books and how this relates to book tests. Books. They hold the power to build the strongest of civilizations and destroy even the most powerful men. Throughout the history of recorded texts, three books have garnered the reputation of being the most wicked, the most deviant, the most EVIL.
Published in 1634 by the mad monk Alhazred, The The first, first, The Necr ono mico n. Published to read it in its entirety is said to cause madness. It is a book for the conjuration of demo ns...Currently ns...Currently available available in paperback, for your exorcistic convenience. '
Though gh releas released ed in the 1970 1970 s its publication The The sec second ond,, the the Satanic Bible. Thou was herald heralded ed with with riots riots in the the city streets. streets. To read read it, it, it is said said to turn turn chaste chaste women easy...Excellent bedtime material. Thingss by Martha And finally, finally, and and perhap perhapss most most danger dangerous ous of all...Good all...Good Thing Stewart. And with with these these tools tools you you and I are going going to take take a journe journeyy into into the the world world of evil.
wor d. Ba sed o n my t hink ing I wante d to use a book test p roce dure to fo rce a word. about the nature of books two ideas came to mind, one of which is still being developed. But as I lay awake one night a single line entered my head and from that the Satanic Book test was born. This book test is really about two concepts that wed themselves themselves well. First, the power of books. When I was a kid I would go to the State Library of Kentucky and search for magic books. Until I learned the Dewey differences between magic and conjuring, I would find myself in the spookier sections of the stacks.
As so meo ne ra ised in the Bible belt, I r emem ber t he tre pidat ion I felt lo okin g at these books that I had been taught were pure evil. Books, my friends, hold power. So I started thinking about powerful books and, of course, these EVIL books came to mind. How about an evil booktest? Great idea. idea. It would be edgy but what if the force word was something extremely mundane - like "kitty cat"? Anyw Anyway, ay, I thou thought ght about about the the most most evil evil boo books ks ever ever writte written. n. Of Of cours course, e, the the Necronomicon, and I even considered considered the Satanic Bible came to mind, then the Necronomicon, Bible. Of course, that would never play, but let's face it, many evil deeds have been done in God's name. So I thought about books that may have spurned people to evil. But I didn't want things to get heavy and political. Finally, one night the answer came. It solved the problem of evil books because the piece Things, and was n o long er ab out ev il but a com ment ary on the th ird tex t, Good Things, the movement it to which it has led.
Given the current state of affairs the author finds herself in, the piece is only better than ever, and regardless of the outcome will play for many years to come. The Satanic Book Test had its premier in early 2000 at Jeff McBride's Mysterium. 5
The Satanic Book Test
As I said, this piece began as a need to force one word, but grew into a stand alone performance feature. It never fails to elicit both shrieks of laughter and downright gasps of amazement. I have decided to release my routine. Nothing has been held back. Every word, every nuance, every suggestion for adapting to venues has been included. In short, you have just purchased a fully formed, professionally tested and honed routine which, with some careful practice and thought, can be added very quickly to your show. So, with that background information, I give you: The Satanic Book Test. Effect: The three most evil books ever written are introduced to the audience. One is selected, and based on that choice, the first spectator's mind is read. Though amazing, the performer wishes to journey further into the world of evil. The second spectator is asked to think of an evil dessert. Suddenly, a change comes over the performer as he channels the spirit of the dark one. After a brush with this dark revivalist preacher of of sorts, the Good Things Things book is opened to reveal a pentagram burned into one of its pages. The recipe at the top of the page is that chosen by the spectator.
Properties:
Brad Henderson
A marker is in your right inner jack jacket et pock pocket et.. The final property needed is a stack of recipe cards with which to force the evil dessert. I use a packet of blank faced playing cards which have been shorted on their sides. You could also use a packet of rough and smooth cards. The force card of the packet should be "sugar cookies." cookies."
I also recommend you obtain veritone ink and a miniature blowtorch for the preparations required. These can be found at scrapbooking stores. Preparation: On page 53 of one of the copies of Good Things, burn a pentagram. Now, my pentagram is inverted, meaning the point is at the bottom. The sugar cookie heading is centered between the two legs. Some people may wish to place a
"star" in their books with the point leading to
For this effect you need a copy of The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey, Avon Books Publisher; The Necronomicon actually penned by H.P. Lovecraft but attributed to Alhazred, Avon Books Publisher; and two copies of Good Things Things by Martha Stewart, published by Clarkson N. Potter/ Random House.
the title. I prepared my books by taking a long toothpick, setting the end aflame and burning through the paper creating a charred stencil of sorts. This took forever. There is a product called veritone ink. You can paint the surface of the book as a pentagram and heat it Only the portion painted changes to a charred color. Disclaimer: If you set yourself or your house on fire, it is NOT MY FAULT!
You also require a briefcase or container in which to switch the books. I use a lap top bag, though a briefcase is actually better.
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The Satanic Book Test
Pre Show: Before the show I approach a woman and ask her to help with the effect. I use a man and a woman just for balance, though in truth two men or two women would work just fine. I, however, think some of the later lines referring to evil are funnier when directed to a clearly innocent woman.
Brad Henderson
You are now set. The woman has received instructions and will play along, however you have rationalized the preshow work and she will not think anything about it. In fact, if you are complimentary enough, as you see I try to be, you will be amazed at how many of your assisting volunteers will not tip to their friends that anything was set up at all. Finally, the choice of words is important. Later in the script I will call back to the words "think" and "choice." I want her to be very sure that she is to name the dessert she just selected.
DO NOT PICK A WOMAN WHO IS OVERWEIGHT.
The punch line of the piece is about dessert. Just don't go there. Pick a thin woman who looks like a good sport. Approach her and say: "Hi, I am the speaker tonight and I am performing a demonstration and I saw your smile and thought you w ould be ideal to help me onstage. Would you mind? "I will be doing a piece about desserts and at one point I need you to think of and name an `evil ' dessert. Now, there are many desserts you could choose, but the recipe book we will be using only has a few dozen, so I need you to think of one inside the book Is that ok? "Here are all the desserts in the book. Chocolate cake, strudel, milkshake.... I want you to choose of one of these at random. As I flip
thr ough t hem , ju st say sto p. "Great! Please look at and remember the evil dessert you are now hatt is your choice of evil desserts. Got it? th ink ing of. T ha
Blocking:
Performer is center stage. To his or her right is a chair with its back to the audience. In the chair is a small bag of the kind a notebook computer would be carried in. Inside that is the notebook and prepared Stewart book. In my version the notebook is leaning against the back of the chair and the prepared Stewart book is to the performer's side. Notice the spine is uppermost and the back of the book is to the performer. This will make the switch easier. This is how I perform it, however there are actual more "organic" set ups which will be detailed later. In truth, the most reliable course of action is to use an open brief case atop a stool. The audience sees the back of the case. The prepared Stewart book is laying on the edge of the briefcase extending beyond the case. The notebook is on top of it. The other three books rest on top of the notebook.
"Perfect! Later in the show, I will ask you to think of your choice of an evil dessert. Tha T hatt is the dessert I need you to think of right then, ok? Then when I ask you what was the evil dessert you thought of wait one second and really really loudly so they can hear hear you in the back, say the dessert you just just thou though ghtt of of Got Got it? it? " I know know you are goi going ng to be GREAT!"
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The Satanic Book Test
Brad Henderson
Performance: "Books. They hold the power to build the strongest of civilizations and destroy even the most powerful men. Throughout the history of recorded texts, three books have garnered the reputation of being the most wicked, the most deviant, deviant, the most EVIL . "The first, The Necronomicon. Published in 1634 by the mad monk Alhazre Alhazred, d, to read ead it it in its entir entirety ety is is sa said to cause cause madn madness ess.. It It is a book book for the conjur conjura ation tion of of demon demons...C s...Cur urre rentl ntly y avai availa lable ble in pa pape perb rba ack, for your your exorcistic cistic conven convenien ience ce..
"The second, the Satanic Bible. Though released in the 1970's its publi publica catio tion n was was her hera alded lded with with riots riots in the city city streets. eets. To rea read it, it is said to turn chaste women easy.. .Excellent bedtime material.
The first two books are taken when referred to and held in the left hand, fanned to the audience. Hold them up near your face when you display them. This may feel awkward but looks good on the stage. After a suitable pause "Good Things" is revealed and displayed in the right hand. Be sure to pause for laughter.
Here is a tip for getting volunteers to the stage without awkwardness. First, ask them something they cannot help but answer for you, for example, "What is your name?" They are now engaged. Plus, this gives you an opportunity to listen for accents (as this piece is about language and words, we might wish to avoid a non-native speaker) and check to see if they are sober. It is amazing the amount of information this simple question can provide.
`And `A nd finally, an and d perhaps perhaps most da danger ngerous ous of all... Good Things by Mar Martha Stewar Stewart.
Next, look at the audience as you gesture to the spectator and say, "Give them a round of applause as they come to the stage." Now do NOT look at the spectator. In this case, you have already looked to your second spectator who has been pre-showed and already already consented to join you. In other situations you will look at your next prop, or turn to your table or anything, but do not look at the spectator.
"And w ith these tools y ou and I are are going to take take a journey into the world of evil. What is your name sir, and yours ma'am. ma'am. Please Please give giv e them both a huge round of applause as they join me on our journey."
They have been engaged with the question, they have been rewarded for a task they have yet to complete with the applause, and they have no one to appeal or dissent to as they cannot get your attention. They WILL come up on stage.
Begin with the three books face down on the chair beside you or in the case. These lines are delivered in a fairly dry and serious fashion, almost professorial. When I get to the part about the journey into the world of evil, things take a more upbeat feel, almost like that of a TV game show person, but not over the top.
This is a powerful technique and perfect for getting the help of volunteers in difficult environments such as nightclubs. It sickens me that I have to add this, but I will: You are using a manipulative technique to get someone onstage. Once there, you are their protector. Don't DARE embarrass them or make them uncomfortable. Our audiences should enjoy the time they have with us. Many are just too timid to make that leap to volunteer though many really want to. Use this technique to get them up, then treat them great. Next time, people won't mind being your guest.
It is important that the chair or stool be positioned so that your right hand can come to rest on each book easily and without looking. The nice thing about the briefcase is that all of the properties remain out of sight to the audience, but open to you. To use the bag as I do, I keep the books behind the bag on the seat of the chair. The spines are to the back of the stage and all titles are face down. When I reach for tthe he book my right hand grabs them in a position so the title tit le is not revealed until it is turned to the audience.
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Have Crystal, your female assistant, stand in front of the briefcase and stool. Bob stands to her right.
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The Satanic Satanic Book Book Test Test
"Thanks for joining me onstage. Your name is? Great. Together the three of us will take a journey into the world of evil. How exciting. For this we will use these three books. In fact, we are going to read from one of these dangerous texts, and Bob you are going to make that choice. Which book w ill we use to determine determine exactly what is read? " This is an equivoque though you have so much latitude it's not funny. If Bob Things you say, say, "Great, we will use this book to determine from chooses Good Things what page we read. Please examine this book (as you hand it to someone in the audience). Now Bob, from what book shall we read? Perfect. Please take that book, and m ake sure it is unprepared, that it is not the same pa ge written over and over. And would you look through the other as well." (Hand the book not chosen to the female volunteer, Crystal.) In truth, it does not matter which of the other two books he gets. In this situation we have successfully defined Good Things as the book from which the page will be derived. Either book can be read from.
If he names either the Satanic Bible or the Necronomicon, say, "Perfect, this will be the book from which w e will read. Had you picked a different book,
something else would end up being read entirely. Since Good Things has the pa ge s, we wil l u se this tex t to cho os e a pa ge fro m wh ich to r ea d. least number of Ok? Make sure it is completely without preparation that it doesn 't consist of the same page over and over again. And please check out this book as well. " Hand the book not chosen to Crystal and Good Things to someone in the audience. Retrieve the copy of Good Things from the audience member. flip through the book, and I ask you to call out STOP!" "Bob, I will Perfect. Page 45."
Show Crystal the page which was stopped on and have her verify it is indeed page 45.
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Brad Henderson "Both of you, please open to page 45 in your books. Now Bob, this is very important and I need to you to focus on every word, so very carefully, slowly, and clearly read the first line of text." Bob starts reading.
"To yourself. I'm sorry. I must have been unclear. Lets try that again. Say stop. Perfect page 3 0. Look at the first line and very carefully read each word SILENT LY to yourself. Crystal Crystal would you do the same. Remember had you picked a different book, Bob you would be reading something en tirely different different right now " Ok, a lot l ot of psychology goes into the above section. We are performing p erforming the Hoy booktest with a couple of added subtleties to throw critical watchers off the track. First, methodologically we are forcing the page. The second time they call out stop, we miscall whatever page we are looking looking at in the Good Things Things book as page 30. I do this very boldly. I open the book and hold it out to Crystal just just as as I did did the the first first time. time. She She doe doesn sn't 't hav have e time time to focus focus on the the numbe numberr and and given the apparent "mistake," no one questions the miscall. This false start strategy is the brainchild of Ross Johnson. But how do we get them to read aloud 100% of the time. First, my words are chosen carefully. Second, when I say "read the first line of text" I am making eye contact. As I turn my head, I make a sweeping gesture with my left hand from Bob, across the audience, and down to my side. It looks as if I am cueing him to speak to the crowd. In truth, I'm just swinging my arm as I turn. Also, notice how I reinforce the idea that Bob chose the book which would determine what was read. This helps sell the fact that his choice was final and that what we did was not contingent upon his choices.
read t h a t l i n e a n d o n l y t h a t l i n e ? Perfect. Now I want "Bob, have you read t you to focus on one and only one word, but let 's m ake it an interesting word. Bob, w ould you think of the longest w ord in the line, not `an ' or `but'. Is there a long word? Please think of it, and close you r book.
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The Satanic Book Test
Now Now Crystal, had I asked you to think of the word, or had Bob selected a different book from which to read, what word would you have selected? `
"'Wilderness'. Interesting. Bob, your word was not `wilderness', was it? Good, I do that so you don 't think both books are really the same but with dfferent covers covers on them. And you both looked through your books, so you know had you decided to open to a different page, you would have had an entirely different sentence and you would be thinking of an entirely different word right now, correct? And Bob, you had a choice of any nu mber of words on that page. You're still thinking thinking of it? Perfect. Bob, concentrate on your word " We now enter the Theory of False Solutions stage and the rewriting of their memories memories of what really reall y happened. Notice how I now change the script to t o say, "You could have opened to any page." This is somewhat true but not completely. I will build on this later. Also, be sure to have him close the book after he has thought of the word. If you let him look around, he WILL get confused. Also, notice how the questions are directed primarily to Crystal, so Bob doesn't doesn't have to think about anything other than his word. I used this test at one point to force a single word regardless of which book was chosen chosen by Bob. On page 30 of the Necronomicon, Necronomicon, the longest word on the first line is `Magician.' On page 56 of the Satanic Bible, I forced `magician' from the middle of the page. Basically I said we needed a complete thought and to look at the first NEW paragraph on the page. I asked him to see if any of the words on the first line of the new paragraph "stood out" to him. `Magician' happened to be in quotation marks. I would miscall the page as 30 or 56 depending on which book Bob chose. In truth, I now use page 30 as my force and know that if Bob chooses the Necronomicon the word is `magician', and if he chooses the Satanic Bible, it is `wilderness.'
Brad Henderson
Hold Hold the unprepared unprepared Good Thin Things gs between the thumb and first finger along the page edges. After your hand is in the briefcase, grab the notebook and prepared Good Things between your first and middle fingers. The unprepared book ends up on top of the notebook. Simply leave it there as you slide out the notebook notebook and and prepared Good Things Things from beneath it. Swing the notebook and book onto your curled left arm (as if you were cradling them) The The Good Things book is visible to t o the audience. audience. With your right hand, hand, fold the notebook into the open position, keeping Good Things Things visible. Use the right hand to uncap the marker, and transfer the marker to the right hand. (I should add, I am right handed. You can do the switch left handed but you need to reverse the blocking. I do not advise this because the performer standing stage left keeps the audience focused on him more strongly, as the audience "reads the stage" left to right.) Since I do the switch from a laptop bag, my right hand enters the bag, book in hand. I use the same grip to release the unprepared copy, and lift the "notebook— prepared copy" unit. Also, I make sure my book goes in spine first so you never have to worry about the pages p ages hanging on any of the surfaces.
Reach into your jacket pocket and remove the marker with your LEFT hand. You will now reach into the briefcase and remove the notebook. However, since the marker is in your left hand, and the Good Things book is in the right, the book goes along for the trip to grab the notebook.
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Brad Henderson
The Satanic Book Test
"Bob, we will now try an experiment in pure mind reading. Please think of the word you freely thought of. In fact, I want you to concentrate on
just just the the first first lette letter r of the the wor word.... d.... Ok, Ok, I'm I'm not not gettin getting g anyth nything ing.. Maybe you 're 're jus justt bett better er at pict pictur ures, es, so thin think k of of an an anima nimal, like like a jung jungle le anima nimal, the first one that comes to mind, that begins with that letter. Do you have one? I thought so. I just got the image of a monkey, is that right? "
Turn the notepad to yourself and begin writing the word `magician'. "A nd he is wearing a suit I think? And he has something in his hand... oh, this is a good one. What was the word you were thinking of? Magician? "
Magic Magicia ian. n. "
Turn the pad to the audience and reveal the word.
Write a letter `M' on the paper. "Now, I will confess that I cheat a little. 80% of all words which contain a letter `m ' also contain a letter `n. ' There is a letter 'n ' in your word, correct? Perfect. Think of where in the word the `n 'falls. "That's interesting. Y ou thought "last" "last" Y ou could have thought t hought 8"', but you didn didn 't. I knew knew you you would would be better better at sen sendin ding g idea ideas, s, but let's let's try try to get a letter dead on.
"Think of the second letter in this word. Perfect. Say both words, regardless of what is true, say both words `consonant – vowel. ' Say it ag again ain.. Perfect. N ow say all fiv e letters `a, `a, e, i, o, u' A ga gain. in. Y ou a are re thinking of the letter `a. "'
(Sometimes when I ask them to say `consonant-vowel' they will blurt out again, make it a little harder harder for `vowel'. I say, "well that was easy, lets try it again, me. Say all five letters... ") "Y ou're doing doing great. great. Let's try to go for broke. broke. I want you to think of the t he word in action. What that means is that I don 't want you to think of the word per se, but envision that word happening if it is a verb, or see the word as it would be in real life. For example, if you were thinking of `hospital 'you might imagine an ambulance ambulance pulling up to the emergency room. Got it?
"Interesting. We've We'v e spelled out the word word man, man, but the word isn 't man, man, but you are thinking of a man, correct."
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"Give Bob a huge round of applause as he takes his seat."
Place the notebook and marker into the briefcase and hand Crystal the copy of Good Things. Never let it out of your audiences' sight. This is the pattern of revelation I use when performing booktests. booktests. Of course, it varies from word to word. I want the revelation to be magical, suspenseful, but yet move along with interesting moments that lead to a strong fmal climax. For many years I have advocated an approach where the process of mind reading is visible to the audience. Specifically my claim is that I can read an audience member as well as influence them. Consequently all revelations in my mind reading show must stem from information I am gleaning from the participant themselves. Since the early 90's this has been the sole means for performing my mind reading. I came upon it while working with a force card revelation technique that gradually built into a 20-minute opener for my mind reading show. Derren Brown is perhaps the modern master of this philosophy and has written on it extensively. I do not perform this piece in my mind reading show because the fmal revelation is essentially magical, meaning meaning it comes comes from an alleged power not explained expl ained through the ability to read or influence. Consequently I feature this number in my magic programs. Doing so affords me the opportunity to present "revelations" which are not strictly limited to that which can be read from the participant. Nevertheless I do try to make each revelation inherently interesting. No furrowed brows and stage pacing here.
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Brad Henderson
The Satanic Book Test
Credit goes to Banacheck for one of the techniques employed in this revelation. will teach the specific revelations I use, however please purchase his wonderful I Psychological Psychological Subtleties. It will wil l change the way you think about mind reading. reading. My "original" revelations are the animal, the `consonant-vowel,' and the "word in action" ploy. I say original in quotes as I am sure others may have thought of this, though I created these concepts independently. There are several letters that produce a reliable "first thought" animal. M's lead to monkeys if you drop in the phrase jungle animal. C's produce cat. T's, tigers. I think you can see how that goes.
"Now I know wh at some of you are thinking. That's my job. You're thinking Brad, that's that's not evil, evil, that's that's just psychology. psychology. Well, clearly none of you has ever had to pay for therapy. But I promised you a trip into pur e ev il a nd tha t's wh y C rys tal, I inv ited you to t he sta ge. Bec aus e when I looked over the crowd, I knew you looked like a woman who has had experience... with evil. `And not just any evil, Crystal, but a very naughty evil. And w hen I think of naughty evils — and believe me, I often do — only one evil comes ..... to mind ..... "
It is quite stunning to the spectator when you read something in his mind that you could not possibly know. The entire choice of animal was completely mental. That's That's very powerful. The same is true for the `word in action' ploy. If you force an interesting word you can be sure that certain images will come to mind when the spectator thinks of it. The hospital example given in the script is a good one. Basically, I think, "If I were thinking of that word, what would come to my mind." Again, it is very
powerful to reveal images that have only EVE R been the product of the t he i magination. A third revelation I employ is one of apparently reading the participant's body language or vocal inflection. I do not tell the audience what I am specifically getting from him. For example I would not normally say, "Did you notice how he said `vowel' louder?" Instead I let the audience "deduce" the method for themselves.
The other technique from the script comes from Banachek. Basically, if someone is asked to think of the location of a letter at the beginning, end, or near the beginning or end of a word, they will think in terms of describing its relationship to the beginning or end. For example, in the word `example"l' h would be thought of as second to last, not 6' .
So, with the `magician' example I have them think of where in the word the falls. They will think "second to last" and I comment that it is interesting h they looked at it that way and did not think " 8' ." It is a great revelation.
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Dessert.
"That's why I would like for you to please think of your choice of an evil dessert. Do you have one in mind. Remember, it could have been any one, correct. Great. Now brace yourself for you and I are about to enter the world of evil. Notice how we use the phrase "your choice of evil desserts." This clearly tells her to think of the card she chose, but to the audience sounds like we are merely asking her to choose her favorite dessert.
"Spirits are you here. Spirits are you with us. We call upon your darkness to join us on stage tonight. Appear before us. Use this young woman, as your vessel. Take her for your will. Do with her as you p lease.
"I feel the power of darkness upon us. I feel the power. Crystal, do you fee l t he po we r. I sa y do yo u fee l th e p ow er? "It may feel like a cold breeze, or a hot flash, or the book m ay begin to shake mysteriously as if of its own accord. "The power of darkness, the power, the power is here. Do you feel it Crystal. Do you feel the power? "Crystal, tell us all, tell the beast, what was the evil dessert you thought of?
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Brad Henderson
The Satanic Book Test Ok, here's where things go over the top. Imagine a revivalist preach p reacher er from the dark side. It starts out impassion i mpassioned ed and moves moves to the ridiculous. In truth, trut h, a lot of this is improvised based on the reaction of the group. Do not feel bad about being too big. It is a satire. Bigness sells it. At the end you should be practically screaming. Each time you ask her if she feels the power you are trying to coax her into responding with more and more energy. Most people will play along wonderfully. If they don't, they will offer a meek, "Yes." Stop dead still and look at them, wait three seconds and launch back fully into character with, "She feels the power. " Throughout the entire situation, Crystal is holding the book with one hand on each side, the full cover facing the audience. Your right hand is on her left wrist. This is to keep her from running away as well as to reassure her that you really still have her safety at heart. As the monologue monologue progresses, begin begi n moving her hand so when you get to the line about the book shaking, the book should be shaking shaking pretty violently.
Note: When doing this, be careful of the woman's outfit and bosom. You are not there to embarrass her. Yes, you want the book to shake, but that is ALL you want jiggling. Lesson learned the hard way. When you ask her to name the evil dessert, Stop! Freeze. Do D o not move. Your face should be facing to stage left with a look of anticipation upon it. Your left hand in the air signaling the audience subtly to stop and listen. When she yells out sugar cookies, do not move. Wait.
The audience will be ready to break out into laughter. To help them along, start to "hold back" a smile. You can do this if the silence last a while, which it can. But more importantly do it right at the moment you feel the first wave of laughter beginning to die. It will create another wave. "Sugar cookies? "
Ask the question to her as you stand up straight. "Sugar cookies. "
"Appar "A pparently ently,, Devil's Devil 's Food Food Cake Cake nev er crossed crossed your mind."
The next line is said to her, in a conversational tone, but loud enough so the audience can here. "
Really. I mea mean it. Y ou really tho thoug ught ht of sug suga ar cooki cookies es,, n not ot devil devil 's 's food food or.. Ok."
At this point, Crystal will think she screwed up. Shake your head as if you don't know what this means. Then loudly, as the revivalist: "Wait! I feel the power of the dark lord has been here. Made manifest there. (point to book accusingly) There in that bo bo ok y ou h old T he bo ok examined by this man (point to man accusingly) at the beginning of our jour journe ney. y. Quic Quickly kly Cr Crystal, loop loop look look through ough the book book Loo Look k for the sign sign.. Look Look for the mar mark Flip Flip,, flip, flip, flippity flippity flip flip flip flip THERE!!!! THERE!!!!!!" !!"
Take the book from her and hold it so the pentagram is seen by the audience. "The mark of the beast itself. Burned into the very fibers of the page. But not not just just any any pa page. ge. Cr Crystal, ystal, wha whatt is the recipe ecipe inscr inscribed ibed at the the top top of the page?" She says sugar cookies which you repeat triumphantly, "Sugar Cookies!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen please give a huge round of applause applause for Crystal, Mistr Mistres ess s of of EVIL!"
And that, my friends, is the end of the Satanic Book Test.
For some audiences I might say something more specific than Dark Lord, or power of the Beast. For some crowds, I might be more general and say just "the spirit of evil." You do not wish to step on anyone's religious toes. However, in my mind, this piece is not about real evil, but Martha Stewart and her movement. If I feel the crowd is truly conservative from a religious standpoint I will say, "The spirit of the beast is here. I feel HER presence. Martha is with us. " This turns the piece entirely into a Martha spoof.
This is said more of a statement. 20
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Brad Henderson
The Satanic Book Test However, in all the times I have done this I have never had anyone complain. I even did it for a bank where everyone who worked there was Church of Christ. They thought it was hilarious. The piece is a satire. It is not a black mass. Present it in a manner that they can tell the difference.
Wilderness pattern of revelation: For this one, I work backwards. I have them think of the last letter, and an animal you might fmd outside or in the woods that starts with that letter. Then I ` ' reveal `snake.' I mention that 80% of all words with an s have at least one other `s' in the word. I reveal he is thinking `second to last.' I have written the two S's on the pad. I draw a line in front of them and ask for him to think of the letter which goes there. I do the consonant-vowe consonant-vowell ruse. Finally, I perform `word in action and describe swaying trees etc. The big moment is when you say at first, I'm seeing the color `green.'
Final Thoughts: I want to thank all of the magicians and mind readers who have encouraged me to release this piece. It is truly a worker. Some people may be disappointed that the methods aren't more revolutionary or clever, but they are 100% deceptive and time tested. Plus, it is really the routine that makes this piece so wonderful. Try it out. I think you will be pleasantly amazed at how strong it plays.
Also I would like to thank Bancheck, Scott Wells, and Ross Johnson for giving me permission to include their ideas in the booklet. These men did not have to sanction the use of their ideas, but it is a testament to their professionalism and kindness kindness that they did. They deserve to be recognized for their contributions to our art. I know I am a better performer as a result of their sharing with the magical community. community. I am very grateful to each of them.
Adapting to your environment: The briefcase switch is very deceptive. I prefer the chair switch for reasons reasons that are peculiar to my show. It does have the advantage though of hiding the bag from most of the audience. Out of sight, out of mind. However, I wanted to share a couple of other options. One, if working on a stage with a curtain, curtain, I will often place the prepared Good Things and notebook on a stool just to stage right of the midline. My hand, with the regular Good Things, pops backstage for an instant as I grab the pad and switch the book. Also, if there is a podium onstage I will often switch off the TOP of the podium, or out of the shelf. There are many ways you can execute the switch. Do what works best for you.
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The Satanic Book Test
About About the the Autho Authorr Brad Henderson learned his first magic trick at age 4 and gave his first "professional performance" at age 10. He wishes to thank his 6th grade teacher, Larry Montgomery for the big break. $5 was a lot of dough back then. Brad went on to study with one of the great trumpet teachers of our age, Vincent DiMartino, at the University of Kentucky and earned Master's Degrees in Music and Education from the University of Texas at Austin. He did some postgraduate work at the University of Chicago, but found it pretentious and overpriced. He is the author of The Dance, an in depth study of the psychological psychological and verbal techniques often classified as "cold " cold reading."
Brad Henderson
Brad has been featured in the Close Up Gallery, the oldest and most revered room of Hollywood's famed Magic Castle. He is listed in Bart Whaley's exclusive Who's Who in Magic; and was recently r ecently interviewed for Conversations with a Mind Reader, a collection of interviews from 40 of the world's leading experts on psychic entertainment. Brad specializes in corporate entertainment and has worked for such companies as HP, Dell, IBM, Phillip Morris, Tyco, Citibank, Aventis, and 3M. His magic has been seen by Dick Nunis, former CEO of Walt Disney World; Morgan Freeman; and Jonathan Winters.
For more information on his products, including The Dance and Theory Theory into Practice Practice visit: www.bradhenderson.com/dance.htm
He has consulted on Fox Family's "Exploring the Unexplained" television Chicken Soup for f or the Grandparents Soul, series, is a contributing author to Chicken appeared in a special Psychics and Mind Readers episode of the "Weakest Link" game show, was seen on an episode of CBC televisions acclaimed "Man Alive" series, and was one of three magicians in the world to work with Mattel on the development development of Harry Potter magic toys. Magically, Brad was a contributor to Michael Ammar's Easy to Master Card Miracle series; a contributor, lead consultant, cowriter and production assistant for the Easy to Master Money Miracle series; and historical research assistant for the Complete Cups and Balls. He has works published in Racherbaumer's MO, The Linking Ring, and is credited in Simon Lovell's first book. He was a facilitator for Jeff McBride's Mystery School and is featured in the Miracle Factory book of the same title. He has won numerous magical awards for sleight of hand and stage magic including 1st place at the Texas Association of Magicians conference.
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Brad Henderson 2701 Penny Lane #231 Austin TX 78757
[email protected]
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