The
star of Channel
4’s “These
are not magic tricks,
this is mind control”,
Derren can trace
his interest in
psychological techniques
to childhood.
“I
was a very good
liar and a revoltingly
charming child.
Like a lot of solitary
children, I developed
an interest in magic
at a young age,
but it was only
later at University
that I started to
take it seriously.
I studied Law and
German, and although
I hated Law, I found
myself developing
an analytical mind-set,
able to spot the
loopholes in anyone’s
argument very quickly.
Derren
concentrated on
the use of suggestion
and psychological
techniques and through
practising on real
people he developed
his skill to the
extent that he was
able to create the
TV show ‘Derren
Brown: Mind Control’.
In the show he looks
at different sides
of psychological
control and mind
reading ranging
from prisoners and
poker players to
twins.
Peter
Barnard of The Times
wrote of the show
in December 2000:
“…The
television magician
of today is…
young and streetwise
with magic that
is now a darker
art involving the
manipulation of
the will. The master
of this new art
is David Blaine
who has appeared
several times on
Channel 4, but now
the same network
has unearthed a
talent closer to
home with Derren
Brown: Mind Control.
Brown is a mind
reader…there
was no trickery
that I could discern
in his act. “I’m
not hypnotising
you” he told
some inmates at
a young offenders’
institution, “I’m
placing you into
a state of heightened
synchronicity.”
“Brown
proceeded to stand
behind several of
the men and persuaded
them to raise an
arm while he raised
his, even though
the men could not
possibly see Brown…In
a controlled experiment,
he gave further
proof that mental
synchronicity is
something that is
familiar to most
sets of twins. A
blindfolded twin
wrote down the number
86, her sister on
the other side of
the screen wrote
the same number.
Another pair of
twins, also invisible
to each other, consistently
raised the same
limb at the same
time!”
“..One
of the things I
liked about this
show was that Brown
is not claiming
exclusivity. When
it comes to mind
reading, it appears
that almost anyone
has the potential
to do it.”
Derren
is available for
either intimate
performances, allowing
guests to experience
his skills at close
quarters, or as
a set cabaret of
45 minutes for larger
audiences. Both
give an unrivalled
display of genuine
mind reading, using
similar effects
to those used in
his TV special as
well as the powerful
material which has
earned his live
performances their
dynamic reputation.
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