Product Description
With a foreword from Looch (author of Simple & Direct Mentalism) this 158 page book contains fifteen pieces of strong mentalism suitable for stage, close-up and impromptu settings.
Contents:
Swami Thing
Looch's Swami Thing
The Ambitious Peek
Rub-A-Dub DD
Philtrum*
WANT
37th Deception
In Dramatic Fashion
Deck Head
Leave An Impression
Thief of Thoughts
Tel.*
Love Hate
Miser's Peek Wallet
Nine Bob Note*
*Also avaliable in Triptych
Praise for Hybrid Mentalism:
"BRILLIANT!"
Paolo Cavalli
"Alex has put some great material and thought provoking ideas between the covers . . . You would be very, very hard pressed to buy this book and not be able to take something of value from it. Great contribution to the community Alex" Paul Brook
"When I first read his ideas I was delighted in the simplicity & strength of each effect. Not only that but I could immediately see within his writings that he was a worker.
Alexander...has given you an insight into his diabolical mind. The routines and ideas in this book will far outweigh the price you have paid for it." Looch
"For a number of months now I have used his routine 'The 37th Deception' and his brilliant, 'In Dramatic Fashion' process and revelation in my professional work and performances. Within a book filled with very clever, useable and strong routines, I have found this one piece and
subtlety worth the price of the tome many times over, and this, (without hype and at the risk of sounding totally cliche) is absolutely true.
Alex has a desperate and sincere passion for his art and performances which I find lacking in many of today's students and performers of mentalism. The love is there and the material is here in his wonderful first offering" Jerome Finley
"Alexander Marsh is a bright man whose work will provide valuable to those who want to play it real" Dale A. Hildebrandt
"A real blend of classic, bold and modern styles" Andy Kannon
"This is a no-brainer" Sean Waters
Review from Market Place of the Mind:
Here I go saying this again: I always enjoy reading texts by people who are passionate about the art and adding their own spins to it. The principles may not be ground-breaking and revolutionary, but the thinking is original, solid, and creative. Such is the case with Alexander Marsh and this book. I think what makes this book so refreshing is that Alex is humbly upfront about the fact that he has combined older principles in order to create his routines. In fact, the very title of the book indicates that.
"Well, there are several reasons behind the title, first and foremost I personally think of mentalism (and in particular my mentalism) as a hybrid. A hybrid of traditional conjuring techniques, applied psychology, showmanship and the tricks and techniques of mediums and spiritualists from days gone by . . . You will also notice that the effects contained within this book are hybrids in their own right. Almost all of the effects are fusions of psychological gambits, classical methodology and modern twists."
So, if you expect to find any groundbreaking, game-changing, new principles within the fifteen routines included in this book from this, you'll be disappointed. I should also note that, as an English teacher, it could have used a bit more careful editing. There are a fair number of spelling and grammatical mistakes, but not enough to justify this as a serious drawback.
My only real criticism is that Alexander Marsh can sometimes be too witty for his own good. In his credits for a routine, he writes, "Also massive credit to the inventor of the Swami Gimmick... Mr. Swami Boon I believe his name was, although he did sometimes write under the alias of Neil Writer." By this being the only thing he writes regarding the gimmick, I'm not sure he's doing anyone any service by it.
This is solid, well thought-out material which I found quite enjoyable. Professional mentalists will certainly appreciate the material and probably find a few effects that will find their way into their repertoire. I was impressed enough by the variety of the well thought-out material within this book that I featured Alexander Marsh in a recent issue of my Journal of the Mind.
Contents:
Swami Thing
Looch's Swami Thing
The Ambitious Peek
Rub-A-Dub DD
Philtrum*
WANT
37th Deception
In Dramatic Fashion
Deck Head
Leave An Impression
Thief of Thoughts
Tel.*
Love Hate
Miser's Peek Wallet
Nine Bob Note*
*Also avaliable in Triptych
Praise for Hybrid Mentalism:
"BRILLIANT!"
Paolo Cavalli
"Alex has put some great material and thought provoking ideas between the covers . . . You would be very, very hard pressed to buy this book and not be able to take something of value from it. Great contribution to the community Alex" Paul Brook
"When I first read his ideas I was delighted in the simplicity & strength of each effect. Not only that but I could immediately see within his writings that he was a worker.
Alexander...has given you an insight into his diabolical mind. The routines and ideas in this book will far outweigh the price you have paid for it." Looch
"For a number of months now I have used his routine 'The 37th Deception' and his brilliant, 'In Dramatic Fashion' process and revelation in my professional work and performances. Within a book filled with very clever, useable and strong routines, I have found this one piece and
subtlety worth the price of the tome many times over, and this, (without hype and at the risk of sounding totally cliche) is absolutely true.
Alex has a desperate and sincere passion for his art and performances which I find lacking in many of today's students and performers of mentalism. The love is there and the material is here in his wonderful first offering" Jerome Finley
"Alexander Marsh is a bright man whose work will provide valuable to those who want to play it real" Dale A. Hildebrandt
"A real blend of classic, bold and modern styles" Andy Kannon
"This is a no-brainer" Sean Waters
Review from Market Place of the Mind:
Here I go saying this again: I always enjoy reading texts by people who are passionate about the art and adding their own spins to it. The principles may not be ground-breaking and revolutionary, but the thinking is original, solid, and creative. Such is the case with Alexander Marsh and this book. I think what makes this book so refreshing is that Alex is humbly upfront about the fact that he has combined older principles in order to create his routines. In fact, the very title of the book indicates that.
"Well, there are several reasons behind the title, first and foremost I personally think of mentalism (and in particular my mentalism) as a hybrid. A hybrid of traditional conjuring techniques, applied psychology, showmanship and the tricks and techniques of mediums and spiritualists from days gone by . . . You will also notice that the effects contained within this book are hybrids in their own right. Almost all of the effects are fusions of psychological gambits, classical methodology and modern twists."
So, if you expect to find any groundbreaking, game-changing, new principles within the fifteen routines included in this book from this, you'll be disappointed. I should also note that, as an English teacher, it could have used a bit more careful editing. There are a fair number of spelling and grammatical mistakes, but not enough to justify this as a serious drawback.
My only real criticism is that Alexander Marsh can sometimes be too witty for his own good. In his credits for a routine, he writes, "Also massive credit to the inventor of the Swami Gimmick... Mr. Swami Boon I believe his name was, although he did sometimes write under the alias of Neil Writer." By this being the only thing he writes regarding the gimmick, I'm not sure he's doing anyone any service by it.
This is solid, well thought-out material which I found quite enjoyable. Professional mentalists will certainly appreciate the material and probably find a few effects that will find their way into their repertoire. I was impressed enough by the variety of the well thought-out material within this book that I featured Alexander Marsh in a recent issue of my Journal of the Mind.
