Let me be perfectly honest here:
I’ve never been a massive fan of propless mentalism. So why on earth would I go and see a lecture by one of the pioneers of this style of mentalism?
Well the answer to that is easy; I’d caught up with Fraser at Blackpool and he showed me some stuff that really blew my mind.
He told me that none of his current material was process heavy and even an idiot (I think he meant me) could perform it.
That’s why I went to see him lecture!
I first became aware of Fraser after purchasing his True Mysteries book/DVD combo about 10 years ago.
True Mysteries, seemed like the perfect introduction to mentalism with a little bit of pseudo-hypnosis and a neat ACAAN thrown in for good measure.
Fraser certainly didn’t disappoint with this project, I really enjoyed it and had great fun performing the material.
Fast forward a few years and Fraser seemed to be obsessing over name guesses, word guesses, star sign guesses and pin divinations.
This was all very well and good, but it just seemed like a lot of mental gymnastics and with the exception of Rapture, I didn’t give Fraser or his work too much attention. In truth though, that was more to do with me being lazy and seeking an instant fix with mentalism, this resulted in me shying away from propless material.
So what happened to Fraser after True Mysteries?
Well shortly after True Mysteries Fraser decided to go back to his boy hood dream of becoming a pea farmer.
This always looked like a promising career for Fraser until he lost all of his land and peas in a poker game with the local shady character
SLICK RIC!
Slick Ric is so dodgy that there are no pictures of him anywhere, well there’s a few on the internet but none that are safe for work!
This unfortunate event altered his life path and from there he went into the hospitality industry, where he enjoyed a very successful career on the beautiful sun kissed island of Guantanamo bay.
The world’s most exclusive holiday resort
However, it wasn’t long before Slick Ric reached out & tempted Fraser back to Lincolnshire with an opportunity too good to miss. Ric and Fraser went into partnership as mushy pea merchants.
PARKER & co MUSHY PEA COMPANY
Fraser returned home and did indeed become a mushy pea merchant and to this day he still earns a very good living from the mushy pea lifestyle.
He also spends a large amount of his time helping young offenders to get their lives back on track.
A recent visit to a young offenders institute
Nobody cares about his history, just his Mentalism!
Relax grasshopper!
Being financially secure means that Fraser can focus all of his attention on creating great Mentalism once again.
I know this because I saw him on Tuesday the 22nd of March, when Leeds Magic Circle hosted Frasers current lecture.
Fraser started with an introduction to his style of Mentalism, and explained that
he likes to use words to create a shift in perception.
He then opened with what was quite possibly the cleanest card ‘trick’ I’d ever seen. The spectator shuffled a deck of cards and chose a card, all while Frasers back was turned, Fraser then revealed the selected card.
Initially I wasn’t impressed as I thought he’d stooged the spectator, it was just so clean! But Fraser confirmed there was no stooging whatsoever.
The method to this is great, it’s all done in the spectators own hands and I really do mean ALL done in their own hands!
He spoke about his philosophy on propless Mentalism and how he likes to integrate traditional methods into his material.
He covered name guesses and star sign reveals and he shared the basic mechanics of his latest pin divination, trust me it’s a
KILLER!
I bought the manuscript from Fraser as I know from speaking to him afterwards that this is where you’ll find the real gold, he covers, process, scripting and all the little nuances you’ll need to be able to perform this like a boss.
You can get yours here: 3CSC
He also shared plenty of information and references, should you wish to delve deeper down the propless rabbit hole.
Framing his effects was another interesting talk, along with conversational Mentalism.
He discussed his many different methods for guessing names, star signs and pin codes.
He touched upon another really interesting topic when he proclaimed:
There is no difference between illusion and method.
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck!
He also shared his new which hand routine. He absolutely slayed me with this at Blackpool.
This lecture was like my first introduction to Frasers work all over again.
I was excited and with good reason too, nothing was too complicated for my brain and everything was sleight free!
This wasn’t just the typical lecture of effect after effect after flipping effect. No Sir, this had a healthy combination of effects and theory.
And it wasn’t all just for the propless people either, there was a couple of really nice effects with playing cards including a great CAAN!
Frasers really spent a lot of time refining his work and creating new material which can be performed by us mere mortals who don’t have a funky hat or the mental capabilities of him and his ilk.
If you know, you know!
Everything about this lecture was superb, Fraser is a great guy and if you ever get the opportunity to see him in person, you’re most definitely in for a treat!
My only complaint is that it didn’t last long enough!
I honestly rediscovered my love for an exceptionally hairy man in a flat cap performing propless Mentalism!
You can find all of Frasers products on his website:
He has a live chat option too, so if you’re bored you can just message him and tell him what colour undies you’re wearing!
That’s it from me, I hope you’re all enjoying the lovely weather we’re having now and if you have any comments or suggestions, then please do get in touch.
Ryan
P.S. EAT YOUR PEAS!