Mentalism The EvilDan Way:
New Directions for Modern Mentalists by Daniel Terelmes.
Let me start this review by stating that I had no intentions of buying anymore books/tricks/downloads anytime soon but this book kept popping up on my radar and it’s very reasonably priced so like a true mentalism bookaholic, I indulged myself.
This is a book of chaotic mind reading soaked in personality, intelligence
and a delicious sense of creative rebellion.
Buckle up your straight jacket, smear your wife’s eyeliner under your third eye and dive in.
Who is EvilDan and why should you care?
Daniel Terelmes, a.k.a. EvilDan, is a breath of fresh air.
He’s not your typical mentalist; Full of hot air and selling a load of old fluffy ideas.
He’s a creator, a performer, a teacher and a trickster who likes to hang out in the darker corners of mentalism alleys.
EvilDan doesn’t want you to just perform mentalism, he wants you to embody it, twist it and perform it like a spirit being summoned under a full moon.
First impressions
His book; Mentalism the EvilDan Way, is his manifesto and it’s a glorious one. From the very first page, you know this book means business. The introduction doesn’t just lay the groundwork, it throws glittery chaos in your face and dares you to smile.
EvilDan doesn’t believe in doing things the normal way and after reading this book, neither will you.
The tone is refreshingly conversational, like you’re in a dimly lit bar sipping on a mysterious cocktail while Dan leans in and says:
Let me show you how it really works!
There are footnotes that ramble their way into metaphysical side streets, cheeky asides, illustrations and real life tips.
The material
Let’s talk about the effects because this book isn’t all talk and no telepathy. The routines in this book are:
Bold, risky, theatrical and designed to connect.
There’s a whole bunch of effects that require nothing more than a deck of cards or a stack of billets and a pen.
All of the routines are modular, meaning you’re not stuck to one performance style. You can bend them to fit your on stage persona, whether you’re a mysterious oracle, a comedic oddball or a mild mannered mind reader with psychic urges.
What Makes It Different?
Let’s get serious (only for 2 minutes!)
Why is this book; Mentalism the EvilDan Way so different from the other 793.8 mentalism books clogging your bookshelf?
1: Character driven thinking
EvilDan doesn’t separate the trick from the performer.
Every routine is framed in a way that forces you to consider:
Who am I in this moment?.. Not just how do I fool them?
He encourages you to dig into your own weirdness. To embrace your shadow side and to become someone that audiences remember not just because you read minds but because you made them feel like something ancient had awoken in the room.
2: Emotional
This isn’t just stone cold mentalism.
It’s hot stuff, full of meaning, humour and reputation making effects.
It doesn’t shy away from human emotions, in fact it builds routines around them.
3: Love for the craft
Even as he rebuilds traditional structures, EvilDan never mocks mentalism. He loves it and you can feel that in every word.
He just wants it to grow, to evolve and maybe get a little bit weird again?
Standout moments
No spoilers… Just temptations.
Kabinisha: A name revelation with real emotional impact that’s tied into a memory… I like this one a lot.
Pocket séance: A completely impromptu séance/Ouija board, you could easily build a whole act with just this.
EvilDan’s Nail writer opener: This opener is designed to engage an entire audience, I can see the potential for serious mystic or comedy vibes with this.
EvilDan’s creative Q&A: His take on Q&A is a goldmine of creative thinking, he covers just about everything you’ll ever need to know to perform a Q&A act competently.
Obviously there’s a lot more to this book than what I’ve listed here but these are the effects that excite me the most. I don’t see them as just tricks, they’re more like experiences and they’re built to mess with your participants head… In a good way!
Who is this book for?
Mentalists tired of safe routines, performers looking to connect deeply with their audience, weirdos, poets and esoteric rebels.
Anyone who’s ever looked at a billet and thought:
But what if it was alive?
It’s not for those looking for self working, plug and play material.
That’s not to say the effects in the book are difficult, just that it demands your brain to pay attention.
Fragmented Thoughts
If you’re a modern mentalist that’s just starting out or if you’ve already got standing ovations under your psychic belt.
Mentalism the EvilDan Way is a call to creative arms.
It reminds us that mentalism should be strange, personal and risky.
That audiences don’t want a trick, they want a feeling, a memory and some sort of disturbance to their normal life.
EvilDan delivers that in spades, ravens and a spectral jellyfish.
This isn’t just a book… It’s a creative defibrillator!
You can pick up a copy
of EvilDan’s book by clicking below:
Stay weird
ЯYΛП MΣПƬIƧ
International Man of Mischief