Why You're an Idiot for Not Reading Richard Matheson

It's impossible for me to talk about Richard Matheson without talking about horror and science fiction. But first an introduction. Matheson has published 28 novels and 100 short stories. He's written several screenplays based on his works and contributed episodes to The Twilight Zone and Star Trek. His influence on speculative fiction and horror is astronomical.

That said, horror is sort of a pet genre of mine. It's arguably the most culturally important genre of fiction due to the fact that it gives a window into a culture's values. Horror is the representation of every fear, every space of ignorance, and every thought we as a society repress to our shadow selves. The werewolf is the personification of emotion unleashed, the id made flesh. The vampire is venereal disease and wasting death in an anthropomorphic package. Witches (as perceived by Westerners) are the nightmare of the misogynist and anyone else who fears feminine power and sexuality. The list goes on.

Consequently, horror is much more difficult to write than most people imagine. It's psychological. It gets under your skin. In my book Exalt of the Weird I go into detail about the different approaches to horror that are primarily split into the difference between spooky and creepy. Matheson is one of the few writers who can ably do both. No easy feat I assure you.

To write horror requires a subtle touch. You must create a balance between the audience's dread and their desire to know how things will end. That tension is at the core of good horror fiction. The climactic final act of Hitchcock's Psycho in which the two protagonists attempt to distract Norman Bates and break into his house to find Mrs. Bates is one of the most gut-wrenching sequences in cinematic history. The viewer is practically screaming at the screen, "Don't go in there!" and yet they continue watching because the not knowing is more terrible than seeing the outcome.

Human psychology proves time and again that people will always be much better at scaring themselves than other people will be at scaring them. Provided of course you get them in the proper frame of mind (i.e. paranoid, suspicious, panicky, etc.). Too often you see movie after movie, game after game, and book after book try to sledgehammer you into being scared. But that will never be anywhere near as effective. Neil Gaiman once said of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, "I never wanted to be the first one to draw a shoggoth because then people would look at it and say, 'Oh, that's what one looks like. I thought it would be weirder.'"

Matheson excelled at getting into the readers' heads, sometimes through a masterful use of unconventional narrative or 1st person perspective. He would use this to convey paranoia, madness, and isolation with visceral tension and intensity.

He was also a master science fiction and fantasy, authoring such works as "I Am Legend" and "What Dreams May Come." As I mentioned prior, he also contributed episodes to The Twilight Zone, which I assure you will have its own spotlight in this blog before long. Speculative fiction when done well is less about the science or the fantastic and all about the people and how they react to it. Matheson understands this. His stories are always about people.

So often magic tries to create a fantasy and screws that up by losing the human element. It becomes another footnote in forgettable 9th-rate entertainment like any movie Seltzer and Friedberg have produced. It's easy to get caught up in the fantastic elements of speculative fiction, but doing so is the kiss of death. Star Trek: the Next Generation made this mistake early on before the writers caught on to what made the original series so loved by fans.

For these reasons, I'm recommending you, my readers, go out and get a collection of Matheson's short stories. For the sake of argument, I'm going to recommend "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" due to some of the incredibly innovative and just generally scary as hell material. Pay attention to how the stories alternate between themes of madness and the supernatural, and that when the latter is involved it goes deliberately unexplained. To repeat, people are much better at scaring themselves than you are. Make that a strength.

Billet Work

At the request of Shawn Mullins, I'm presenting a small guide to billet work resources.  If there are any works you think are missing here, feel free to add in the comments section.

Let me start by saying that 13 Steps to Mentalism and Practical Mental Magic both have some fundamentals, but they're rather light on effects.  If I had to choose between the two however, I'd go with 13 Steps as it discusses billet handling techniques in more detail.

With that said, the effects in the two books aren't bad, but for someone who wants to do a lot of work with billets, you might find yourself wanting a little more.  Especially since some of them as written require specific props and paraphernalia.  I personally don't care for that sort of thing and try to find ways to get the same effect without all the bells and whistles.

Richard Busch's Peek Performances is an excellent resource for grounding peek principles into your head and allowing you to develop your own effects from there.  Richard actually establishes different types of peeks and provides context and sample effects for them.  It's loaded with convincers, info on all the dirty work, and a lot of very practical application of performance theory.  Truly an excellent resource.  If you plan to do a lot of billet work, I consider this a must-have.

Peek wallets are a dicey issue.  A lot of the cheap ones are nice, but not great.  They take a bit of choreography to use properly.  As I said in my beginner's guide to mentalism, I use a homemade peek wallet with the Sight Unseen Case principle.  Outlaw Effects produce some nifty wallets, though they're all a titch on the expensive side.  Make those things last, boys.  The Thought Transmitter uses an interesting principle, but you really need to be wary of what kind of light you use it in.  I won't say more than that.

On the one hand, you can use some peek wallets like the Outlaw series as your regular wallet as well, though I hope you don't them receiving some wear and tear and having to pay to replace them every couple of years.  If you're working regularly and have a decently disposable income, then I suppose it's less of an issue.  Me, I'm a bit of a penny pincher.  What can I say?  Robert Rodriguez is one of my heroes, his affair with Rose McGowan not withstanding.

Banachek is of course a great resource.  Always has been, always will be.  There's some good info to be had on the PSI series, and several principles he uses can be used for billet work as well.  There's a really good switch in DVD 1 for example that can be used in a lot of different contexts.

Richard Osterlind is another obvious choice.  His Perfected Center Tear is still one of the best.  I also highly recommend his Easy to Master Mental Miracles series.  Easy to learn from and packed to bursting with quality material.

That covers the fundamentals and must-haves.  Beyond that, I'd have to say my biggest choice for learning more about billet work would have to be Docc Hilford.  It's his specialization and he has a lot of material out about it.  One thing you can't accuse Docc of is lacking a head for business.  As a result, don't expect large compendiums of his work like Banachek's Psychological Subtleties or Barrie Richardson's Theater of the Mind.  Most of Docc's work is printed on very expensive but cheaply produced booklets.  If this is an issue for you, invest in the Monster Mentalism DVD series and call it a day.  More on those in a second.  If you don't mind that as much, then I'll list some of his best booklets for billet technique.

The Monster Mentalism DVDs are a compilation of the best material Docc has published over the course of his career.  The peek in E'Voque alone is one of those, "I can't believe I didn't think of that," moments and has a lot of applications outside of just the presented effect.  Same with the way he uses a center tear in disc 1.  You'll find plenty of peeks and switches to keep you busy for a long time yet.

Beyond that, he has a couple of booklets you may want to look into.  My first pick is The Rosini Secret as it provides a billet reading method that can be done in almost any context or venue and provides a vast list of convincers and other pieces of advice that have specific as well as more general application.

Also consider The Whispering Buddha, the Book of Numbers series, and The Dark Cloak.  I include them because they either offer new techniques or apply old principles to new and interesting presentations.

Hopefully, this will provide you with some good material to work with.

Beginner's Guide to Mentalism

Mentalism is like so many other things like singing and writing: everyone thinks they can do it and they're usually wrong.  To that effect, I've decided to assemble this little beginner's guide to mentalism for the newbie.  It took me some time to figure out what to include and what not to, but I've organized everything into a sequence as best I can.  The intent is to keep things simple and straightforward, giving you a clear progression through those first steps into a new skill.

I'm going to note right away that the first two on this list are an either/or situation.  It depends entirely on your background.

Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
If you're a magician and want to break into mentalism, this is good for introducing you to certain mental magic concepts, particularly in some of the card effects and the Mental Magic section (duh!).  The wealth of material available makes for a good jumping point while still providing plenty of fodder to keep you busy into the foreseeable future.  Of course, I should point out that if you're a magician and do not already possess a copy of Mark Wilson's, you're doing it wrong.

Magic for Dummies
If you're new to magic, this is probably going to be one of the best places to start.  There's plenty of fundamentals, time-tested effects, and some rudimentary performance theory.  A pretty good bargain.  If you're so inclined, you can acquire Mark Wilson's at a later date.  The important thing is to establish a strong foundation in sleight of hand.  Investing the time and energy into this now will make the journey later on much smoother. 

Self-Working Mental Magic
As regular readers probably remember, I have a lot of very positive things to say about this book.  And I hope my recommendation will be enough to cancel the stigma that seems to follow self-working effects.  Especially when new magicians get a grasp on sleight of hand, they start to imagine that self-working magic is beneath them.  For more info, please refer to my earlier review of the book.

Fundamentals
So the previous choices gave you material to work with.  Now you need to know how to use it.  This is quite possibly the best of Bob Cassidy's output, and he's put out some pretty good material.  Performance theory, showmanship, routining, character building, and more are all covered here.  There's also an appendix called 39 Steps that lists 39 different books that Bob considers essential to any working mentalist's library.  Fundamentals is a must-have.  This is not negotiable.

Practical Mental Effects/13 Steps to Mentalism
The reason you want to hold off on a large book of mentalism effects until this point is to prevent information overload.  That was a mistake I made.  I bought 13 Steps before I was ready for it and kneecapped my progress because I was trying to absorb too much information at one time.  The choice between Anneman's Practical Mental Effects and Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism is a neverending debate and for the longest time I championed the former.  However, in more recent times I understand that both are equally strong texts, if a bit dry in writing, and though some would call their material dated it's still very strong and time tested.  Do not underestimate this material.  Pick up one of these books and save the other for later.

Nail Writer/Swami/Pocket Writing
At this point you should decide whether you want to work with nail writers or pocket writing.  The choice is largely a matter of personal taste.  Though I will say that pocket writing should be attempted only when you plan to regularly wear outfits that have roomy enough pockets.  Slacks, hoodies, sport jackets, that sort of thing are all better suited to pocket writing than your jeans.  If you wear dressy and casual about as often, dabble in both and see which one works better for you.

An Actor Prepares
This was the original text codifying the craft of acting in the modern era and to this day it is still one of the fundamentals.  I've heard a lot of magicians and mentalists alike recite that Robert-Houdin quote about all magicians being actors.  It's like a reflex to them, they've got the syllables down to muscle memory.  But surprisingly few of them know how to act.  Don't make the same mistake.  You've got your material, your performance theory, your utilities, now learn how to really sell it to an audience.


Okay, we have these essential fundamentals, but there are different branches of mentalism based on the nature of effects.  The following items are all optional based on specializations.

Psychokinetic Silverware/PSI Series
When it comes to PK effects, it's hard to do better than Banachek.  These DVDs will give you the essential work on metal bending.  There are a lot of good books and DVDs on the subject now of course, but this remains the best place to start bar none.

Peek Wallet
If you're going to work on mind reading, having one of these is essential.  Many would recommend the Sight Unseen Case, but this has sadly been discontinued.  I made my own peek wallet using the SUC principle and it works very well.  Barring that however, the peek wallets from Outlaw Effects are high quality and effective.

Invisible Elastic Thread/Loops and the Loops Trilogy and The Cloak
Yigal Mesika's invisible elastic thread is incredible as a resource, but tying your own loops is a pain.  You can purchase loops pre-tied, so if you question your own fine dexterity and don't want to spend the time learning to handle the finicky material, it's a good way to go.  Thread and loops both are excellent PK utilities with a huge number of effects and applications.  Justin Miller's Cloak is a great thread setup and the Ellusionist Loops trilogy provides plenty of effects and inspirations.

Quick and Effective Cold Reading
I'm just going to come out and say it.  You will be hard pressed to find a better teacher for cold reading than Richard Webster.  There are other great books on the subject by such giants as Herb Dewie and Bob Cassidy, but Richard is an indisputable master.  If you're not comfortable making the transition into cold reading just yet, instead pick up Richard's Cold Reading for the Magician booklet first to give you a primer into the basic concepts of cold reading.


So there you have it.  A straightforward beginner's guide to starting your education in mentalism.  Among the vast ocean of books, DVDs and gimmicks available, I hope this simplifies things and gives you a stable jumping point.  Truthfully, the material here is enough to last you for a long time to come.

Storytelling and Why You Suck at It

Bizarrists love to tell stories. The trouble is, most of them suck. I've talked with magicians like Brad Henderson and Rick Maue who know bizarrists, are friends with them, but don't like their acts because it's just masturbation. The sad thing is that they're right. Most of the stories bizarrists tell are too long, have no point or purpose, and when the actual magic happens the transition from narrative to magic occurs with the sickening *griiiiiiind-thunk!* of a car's transmission falling out.

It's completely avoidable is what kills me. Learning to tell good stories isn't that difficult, it's just a shame that not enough people actually try. But that's only half the equation. Incorporating the narrative with magical effects is a bear. As live magic (usually) endeavors to be an interactive experience, I liken it to video games in part. Games are also an interactive medium, and trying to tell a story through them while also providing a fun game is difficult at best. On the one hand Portal did it well, but on the other hand Indigo Prophecy went absolutely bonkers in the second half of the plot with some of the most absurd and ridiculous plot points in the history of unintentional comedy.

So where do you find a solution? Well, first of all start with the magic. What's the effect or routine? Does it stand on its own? Could you perform it with stock or generic scripts? If the magic doesn't stand on its own effectively, then no amount of stories about vampires and time travel is going to make it better.

This isn't a silver bullet, but it certainly helps. The routine needs to be able to stand up without the story you're planning if you want it to be effective.

That's Cool

Perhaps the one modern mantra I hate more than any other is, "Be yourself."  There's a positive sentiment hidden in there, the encouragement to never compromise yourself for fleeting rewards.  But more often than not it is advice given with two subtextual meanings:

1.  I have no idea how to help you, but using this store-bought platitude will make me sound wise while hopefully giving you something to think about.  Maybe.
2.  I genuinely believe this store-bought platitude is the answer to all your problems even though I don't actually know what it entails.  Sure does sound nice, though.

Think about it for a second.  When's the last time someone parroting that ridiculous cliche actually gave you really useful practical advice?  That's what I thought.  If it's such great advice, then one must wonder why it hasn't worked that often.

The truth of the matter is that the whole, "Be yourself," chant is just feel-good rhetoric and that, as I said before in a previous post, the better route is to be your best self.  That's going to be a battle, but the payoff comes in higher quality rewards for your determination.  Just don't expect instant gratification.

This comes down to the essence of what makes someone cool.  It's not only in action, but intent.  Cool people act differently and individualistically not as an end unto itself but because they know what they want and they go for it.  If some arbitrary rule is standing in their way and breaking it doesn't hurt people, they will disregard that rule without a second thought.

Ironically, the people I've seen reciting, "Be yourself," like it's the answer to life, the universe, and everything are actually homogenous, generic, utterly forgettable rubes.  They all describe themselves the same way, talk and act the same, listen to the exact same music, wear the same outfits, have the same hobbies... it's uncanny!  There is little to nothing distinguishing them as individuals.

To be cool, you have to know what you want and be unafraid to get out there and get it.  People admire that.  It creates a personal magnetism because people want to be around a person who can get something done, who gets results.  Imagine for a moment how much better your magic would be if you possessed that kind of magnetism.

The Last Airbender

So with M. Night Shyamalan continuing to squander the fame and potential he earned himself with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable on the resoundingly despised The Last Airbender, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to watch the show on NetFlix.  Glad I did actually.  I haven't watched anything Nickelodeon had to offer since they released the first Rugrats movie and proceeded to take a steaming dump on the things that made their network popular in the first place.  Yet the Avatar series turned out to be fresh, tightly written, and intelligent.

I bring this up because there's a glaring difference between the show and the movie that nicely illustrates a problem I have with a lot of magic.  In the first season of the show, a group of earthbenders are being held prisoner on a shipping yard in the middle of the ocean.  They're kept under Alactraz-like conditions miles away from the very element they use as a weapon.  Smart move.  And no amount of heroic speeches on the part of one of the main characters was enough to motivate the prisoners to launch a jailbreak.  These men and women were broken.  It struck me as very realistic and a surprisingly grim and unflinching portrayal of spirit-crushing imprisonment I never expected from a family-friendly show.

The movie on the other hand does away with all that logic nonsense and keeps the earthbenders in a regular prison on dry land.  Standing on top of a couple million tons of magical munitions.  And it only took a heroic speech on the part of one of the main characters to motivate the prisoners to remember they have superpowers and launch a jailbreak.  Huh?

If you're going to perform magic, it has to make sense.  Don't violate your own canonical rules, mythos, and restrictions simply because it's convenient.

You're Not Funny

The trailer for the latest cinematic abomination by the same cretins who gave you Disaster Movie has been released.  Vampires Suck is a parody of the obnoxiously ubiquitous Twilight series (no, it is not a saga because it lacks Vikings or epic plots) and is of course nothing more than a shoddy collection of obvious if not outright stolen jokes that everyone has already heard, irrelevant pop culture references, prop gags with gratuitous violence, and a bunch of celebrity lookalikes who explain to you in the dialog what every one of the jokes and cultural references is, means, and why they think you should laugh at it you consumer pig.

You're probably asking right now, "Alex, why are you telling us about a movie you obviously want to bury in the center of the earth?"  Because most people suck at being funny.  And while I don't want to give the people responsible for these awful movies any money, I advise you to watch at least one of their films for free if you can because their screenplays are an itemized list of the myriad ways to NOT be funny.  All the same, here's a few cardinal rules to follow.

1.  Cultural references are not inherently funny.  Do you and your friends sometimes recite a beloved movie quote at one another?  That's something of an inside joke.  Telling a complete stranger that you drink their milkshake however is not funny.  It's a desperate cry for attention.  Do not do this.

2.  The structure of a joke is Setup-Setup-Punchline.  If you're going to tell a joke, there needs to be some kind of introduction and buildup leading to the pay-off.  Violence, profanity, and "randomness" are not a substitute for this structure, nor are they inherently witty on their own.  Speaking of...

3.  Random is not funny.  Ever.  If you ever get into your head that you can shortcut your path to comedy by talking about penguins and cheese or whatever, then you will die alone.  You'll look like a child begging for attention and possibly suffering from a head wound.

4.  If you ever say, "That's what she said," I will hurt you very, very badly. This one speaks for itself.  Say those words and you will roast in hell.

If you want to know more about comedy, post a question in the comments section and I'll do my best to help you out.