The Principles of Deception by Ben Seidman

REVIEW BY MICHAEL CLOSE

“I’ve always thought that I would write a book someday. But honestly that sounded really hard. So, I wrote a book on one single trick. It’s the same reason that I learned  to play bass instead of guitar. Fewer strings…I am extremely proud of this routine. I am proud of the construction and the combination of methods within these pages. This piece does, in fact, represent my overall approach to magic, which is a thorough exploration of principles that when combined, and pushed to their limit, achieve maximum impact. My goal is to share an absolutely dynamite piece of magic. But further, I am publishing this routine in the hope the ideas within these pages will add tools to your toolbox that can make all of your magic more powerful.” – Ben Seidman, from the Preface to The Principles of Destruction

Ben is a terrific entertainer; he’s funny, charming, and he knows how to sell an effect. What may not be so immediately apparent is what a deep-thinking, hard-working mofo he is. The routine he performed on his second appearance on Fool Us is a master class in ingenuity; there is so much going on there. It is one of my all-time favorite routines from the show.

The Principles of Destruction is the title of Ben’s new book. He doesn’t publish often; and, as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, when a pro tips material from his working repertoire, I pay attention. The book covers a ten-minute, three-trick, stand-up “hunk” consisting two disparate effects: 1) A spectator thinks of a card. That card rises from the deck while it is isolated in a glass. 2) The card disappears. It reappears under the onstage spectator, who is sitting on it. 3) A corner is torn off the card; the onstage spectator holds the corner. The card vanishes again and this time reappears in the pocket of a spectator seated in the audience. The corner matches exactly.

Let’s talk nuts and bolts first. From a sleight-of-hand standpoint, only intermediate skill is required. Ben has created a new method for the old Rub-a-Dub Vanish of a playing card; it is done in the hands, without the need of table. It is not particularly difficult, but will probably take you some practice to perform it smoothly and effectively. There is also some DIY gaff construction required, especially if you plan on using the Rising Card as the opening effect. Ben clearly explains everything you need and how it is all put together.

Individually, the effects making up this routine are solid pieces of magic. What elevates them into the miracle class is the utilization of two techniques familiar to mentalists: preshow and dual reality. I’m not giving anything away here. Often, when someone publishes a trick incorporating these techniques, the readers are not given enough information to pull them off successfully. (I see the same thing in card tricks in which the creator uses double lifts without giving any thought to how the necessary breaks are obtained.) Ben understands, for example, that there is more to preshow then just talking to the spectator ahead of time. For example, in this routine, the spectator who finds that the selected card (sans the corner) has appeared in his pocket is genuinely surprised, although he is surprised for a different reason than the rest of the audience (dual reality).

Ben also exploits something that is sorely lacking in today’s thirty-second, eye-candy, YouTube-video magic mentality: the power of routining. Ben distorts memory as he moves from one trick to the next; the surprise provided by the climax of a trick gives him the opportunity to do this.

This distortion of memory is a key factor in Ben’s approach to creating powerful magic. Near the beginning of the book he explains: “What exists does not matter. What matters only is the perception of the audience. Imagine the most perfect effect you can think of. Seriously, do it. Do you want an elephant to appear with no cover? A real Miser’s Dream? Maybe you would like to bring someone back from the dead? Imagine your perfect  illusion, and imagine that your audience witnesses that perfect effect. Now, imagine  that this effect never actually happened, but that your audience truly believes that it  did, in fact, happen. Now, let me ask you: Which is better? I am suggesting that for our purposes as conjurors, it does not matter. No, I’m not suggesting that it doesn’t matter. I’m insisting that it doesn’t.”

This is exactly the idea at the heart of my ebook The T.O.M. Epiphany (which is why Ben's routine appeals to me). Our job as magicians is to turn spectators into storytellers. The main goal of our tricks, therefore, is to shape that narrative. The audience leaves with the memory of having seen miracles; however, unbeknownst to them, that memory has been modified to our advantage without them even realizing it.

I think The Principles of Deception is a terrific book. Will I ever perform any of the three  tricks explained? Probably not, but that’s fine. I’m more interested in finding real-world  information I can apply to my own routines, and Ben has provided a lot to think about.

The Principles of Deception will give you tools you can utilize effectively regardless of what type of magic you perform. I recommend it.