Pirates, clones and the curse of the knockoff mentalist
Why buying from shady sites is killing the art.
Once upon a dark and stormy browser session, a curious mentalist (we’ll call him Brian) wandered into the forbidden jungle of Chinese discount sites.
Nestled between willy shaped cookie cutters and laser pointers,
he found what he’d always wanted…
A dildon’t?
No silly, Brian found: A download of the invisible thought sucker.
It was the legendary mindreading system created by Therman, everyone was raving about and it was only £3.99.
Brian couldn’t believe his luck, he’d just got his giro too!
But Brian didn’t realise he was about to summon THE CURSE OF KOM!
That’s right: The curse of the knockoff mentalist.
Let’s real talk for a minute. This is serious it’s about piracy in mentalism.
It’s a real thing, it’s ugly, it’s dangerous and it’s slowly gnawing away at the soul of our beautiful, mysterious art like a caffeinated moth in a velvet suit.
The sinister side of a sweet deal
You see that £3.99 mentalism miracle?
That’s not a bargain, it’s a betrayal. Mentalism creators spend months, sometimes years crafting effects, refining methods, testing scripts and figuring out the perfect moment to wink, pause, and make your brain scream.
Then some SCRUNT steals it.
They copy it, strip it of credit and slap it onto a shady website with names like Magiccockz69.com or MentalwillyZoo.cn.
These sites aren’t selling PDFs and Downloads, they’re selling ghosts.
Watered down, soulless shadows of ideas they didn’t create.
So when you buy from them, you’re not just saving a few quid. You’re sticking two fingers up at the creator!
But everything’s cheaper on those sites.
Yeah and so is fake perfume, poisonous makeup and counterfeit medication.
That doesn’t mean you should rub it on your face, swallow it or base your reputation on it.
Would you perform brain surgery using instructions from a cereal box?
No!
Then don’t perform mind reading with instructions from pirate ships.
The psychic energy drain
Yes, it’s a real thing… Probably!
Every time a creator has their work stolen, a little piece of their creative spirit dies, they become less likely to release new material, less excited to innovate and less inclined to share their genius with the community.
Mentalism thrives on the brilliance of those who push the boundaries.
People like Banachek, Paul Brook, Marc Paul, Luke Jermay and Fraser Parker to name but a few. These guys don’t just make tricks, they make evolution happen and when their work gets pirated, you’re not just ripping off a trick.
You’re choking the whole future of mentalism.
Your reputation has a price tag
Let’s say you go ahead and buy that PDF.
You use it at a gig or in a show, it kind of works but something felt weird and the method isn’t explained very well either.
But hey, it was cheap!
Ok, it’s cheap but you can’t reach out to the creator for support.
Also picture this scenario: One day someone in your audience is a fellow mentalist. They recognise the effect and they also recognise that the creator you should have supported isn’t getting credit. Word spreads… You’re no longer the mysterious mind reader with a velvet voice.
You’re now the budget bootleg guy who performs stolen material from a site that also sells counterfeit Pokémon cards.
Now I think about it. It’s not exactly legendary!
How to spot a pirate mentalism site
Because they don’t usually fly jolly Roger flags.
I’ve made you a handy little checklist.
Ridiculously low prices for well known premium effects.
Downloads or without proper instructions.
Descriptions that read like they were written by a haunted typewriter.
If you see a download being sold for £6.99 that normally retails for £75…
You’re not really getting a deal, you’re buying a digital crime scene.
Be the hero, not the hustler
Mentalism is an art.
A secretive, beautiful, weird art that deserves our respect.
Supporting creators means investing in better material, better performances and a better community. You’ll feel proud of your work, more connected to the art and less likely to be haunted by the ghosts of KOM.
But what if I’m really broke?
You still don’t need to steal or buy stolen stuff.
There are tons of free or inexpensive, legit resources out there.
The following creators: KALEB WADE – PAUL BROOK – ADAM DADSWELL
have been kind enough to share some CRAKALAKIN’ free mentalism on their sites.
You can find many classic mentalism books fairly cheap on eBay, there’s online forums and even your own mind.
Yes, that weird and wonderful meat computer between your ears is actually the best source for inspiration.
Don’t be a Brian!
Brian thought he was being clever, he thought he could just spend a fraction of giro to get the eBooks and downloads he wanted…
But what he got was a shabby PDF that he couldn’t read, an angry creator in his box and a review that called him “A dodgy wrong’un who stinks of fags!”
Let Brian’s story be a lesson for us all.
Respect the art, support creators and avoid shady sites.
Well except this site, you should definitely not avoid this site!
P.S. Fags is British slang for cigarettes, not a derogatory term.
Until next time, protect your thoughts, lock up your PDFs and remember the ghosts of KOM are onto you!
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