Review: Confessions of a Conjuror

Confessions of a Conjuror
by Derren Brown
Autobiography
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

The inside of Derren Brown's head is a strange and mysterious place. Now you can climb inside and wander around. Find out just how Derren's mind works, see what motivates him and discover what made him the weird and wonderful person he is today.

Obsessed with magic and illusions since childhood, Derren's life to date has been an extraordinary journey and here, in Confessions of a Conjuror, he allows us all to join him on a magical mystery tour - to the centre of his brain... Taking as his starting point the various stages of a conjuring trick he's performing in a crowded restaurant, Derren's endlessly engaging narrative wanders through subjects from all points of the compass, from the history of magic and the fundamentals of psychology to the joys of internet shopping and the proper use of Parmesan cheese.

Brilliant, hilarious and entirely unlike anything else you have ever read before, Confessions of a Conjuror is a complete and utter joy.

Review:

Derren Brown is one of my favorite people, so of course I highly enjoyed this book - it is actually one of my favorites.  What's so great about this book is the way it's constructed because it is not a conventional kind of autobiography.  Derren Brown performs magnificent mental tricks and illusions, so he's very aware of himself and very self-analytical in the way he tells his story.  I found that aspect to be very relatable, and I think others who identify with being socially awkward, introspective and curious can also relate to his story.  The way he illuminates his own psyche with examples, and the thought processes of why some people can act a certain way, gives the reader the tools to try and understand their own quirks.  This book is a strange balance of personal stories, psychology, history, humor, and minutia.  Derren's way of interweaving his philosophical thoughts with, let's say, his nervous tics, his petty shoplifting as a child, his method of cooking the perfect eggs benedict, his list of perfect books to read while on the toilet and his interest in art and music is fascinating to me and especially enjoyable because he expresses himself with such humor and self-deprecation.

To further separate this story from traditional memoirs, Derren frames the whole of his narrative by describing a performance of one of his card tricks to a group of strangers.  In the way he describes what's going on in his mind at each step as he performs it, he digresses into many different threads of thought which gives the background of his experiences growing up, his interest in magic, and the way his mind thinks.  After reading this book, I get such a sense of understanding - not just of what kind of person Derren Brown is, but also of his joy of life which is what I usually feel whenever I see one of Derren's more inspiring television performances.  That and a sense of awe.

I think this is a book that all fans of Derren Brown will enjoy, but there is an added level of thought-provoking self-analysis that could appeal to any reader unfamiliar with Derren's work.  I highly recommend the audiobook as well which is read by the author, although there are a few footnote digressions in the book that don't make it to the audio.

*This review also introduces my new rating for books I feel deserve more than 5 stars!  These will be for books that are my favorites.

Derren Brown - The Great Art Robbery

Alert! Alert!  Yet another chance for me to fangirl Derren Brown has arrived!  His latest special aired last week, and I was absolutely overjoyed to watch it.  After his previous special, Apocalypse - which had tons of effects, took a lot of work and planning and was amazing - he is making a return to something simpler yet still mind-boggling.  In The Great Art Robbery, he bets an art collector that he will steal a painting from under his nose - and he will give him the time/day it will be stolen as well as a picture of the person who will steal it.  And, without telling the art collector, Derren uses a group of people, other people normally overlook - in England they refer to them as old age pensioners, or OAP or just pensioners: people over 65 years old.  So fun times right?  Right.

This is basically a heist with an uplifting message about the journey into your twilight years, and while the first half has some great examples of employing misdirection and taking advantage of people's expectations, it is really the comments on how Derren's project is impacting the lives of these four pensioners he's chosen that makes the first half so memorable.

Derren shows us how to lift the watch off someone's wrist!

As he says in the show:

“One day, hopefully, each of us will be elderly. By then we will have learnt things about life and ourselves, about what’s important, and what we really want; things we might be decades away from knowing now. We might like our future selves to be respected and treated with the dignity they deserve and doing that might be one of the clearest celebrations of humanity we know.”

So true, and so well put - it's truly heartwarming to see these pensioners enjoying being "a bit naughty" (I mean he makes them graffiti a wall!), not being a stereotype, and giving some honest thoughts on what it's like to grow older.   I like to think I treat everyone with the same respect no matter their age or anything else, but I think a little reminder of how important respect is all the time can't go amiss.  And Derren does such a great job with his specials in giving entertainment while also revealing so much about humanity.  Of the wonder of the human mind and the wonder of life, and why we should appreciate that for itself.

Anyways, the second half of the special is all nail-biting suspense because with the month long training he's given his gang, we see if they can pull it off, with Derren watching.  I don't want to give anything away (I actually made the mistake of looking at the tumblr tag for the special and seeing just ONE WORD which gave a lot away) but there are THREE twists in the end which means that not only was Derren pulling one over on the art collector, he was pulling one over on the viewing audience (THREE TIMES)  It's so fun!  And so clever!  This is perfect entertainment - thought-provoking, funny, intelligent and positive.  And I always love when he messes with preconceived notions!

One last thing I'm fascinated with is the advertisements they made for this special - which featured this picture of Derren's face made up to look like a painting.  It's so cool! (Although it does make him look a bit creepy!)   And I thought the making of this picture video was pretty interesting to watch (which I put below)--

Derren Brown's Infamous

I saw Derren Brown's newest show twice while I was on holiday in England (once in Hull and again in London) and it was wondrous both times!  Derren is an illusionist/hypnotist/magician/modern Sherlock Holmes (but not as antisocial!).  I find his work on television so fascinating, because they explore so many different things and highlight the power of the human mind.  And I am also fascinated by what seems to be Derren's dual personas - as a performer he is commanding and intense (sometimes even sinister) but his real personality seems much more self-effacing, a little shy and empathetic.  But his humor is evident all the time and his shows - with their combination of mind-boggling feats, quick wit and dry humor, and intelligent exploration of humanity's assumptions and beliefs are incredibly captivating and thought provoking.

In London at the Palace Theatre

Unfortunately this new live show "Infamous" will be touring for awhile and I mustn't reveal anything that happens in the show.  It's important to experience the show not knowing what happens.  But having seen Derren's previous live shows, which are always recorded and released after the end of the show's run, I can compare this show to his others.  The simplicity of the show's poster and the bareness of the stage highlights the stripped back nature of "Infamous".  Derren involves more stories and anecdotes from his life to shape what he does onstage.  There is also an inspirational side to the show that I love - I always love the shows Derren has done that try to inspire people.  Overall, "Infamous" is less "showy" than his previous shows, but no less dazzling because it is still impossible to figure out how he did the things he did.  Even after seeing the show twice!

In London, I did sit among what I think were a group of American students who were unfamiliar with Derren's work, and it was so fun to see their reactions in my periphery vision - reactions that mainly consisted of blatant denial and disbelief at what they were seeing.  I know something incredible is always around the corner in Derren's shows, but to see their reactions made the reveal so much more entertaining.  And interesting, because it seemed like their answer seemed to be that it was all a complete sham - the people from the audience were faking it or something like that.  And although it is a little bit of a sham - there is a trick somewhere, and not everything Derren says is to be believed, I believe Derren when he says there are no stooges in the audience because he has been doing this for many years, and surely someone would have come out with that story by now?  I think the real trick is how unaware we are of what the human mind is capable of.  And thanks to Derren, I think I am more aware.

I did wait stagedoor for Derren both times, and it was a crush of people, but even though both times Derren said he could only stay for "a few minutes" he stayed until everyone got an autograph which was so awesome of him!  I have to say, Derren Brown is sort of my idol so I was pretty starstruck, and I didn't say much, but at least I didn't faint!  Watch out for him on TV, because he has some sort of minor role (or major??) in Sherlock when it comes back!  And if you are in England and are in the mood to be amazed, puzzled, frustrated, creeped out, hypnotized, or rapturously delighted go see his show!

Derren Brown's website

Watch clips on youtube!

And my Vine video at the stagedoor from when I saw the show in Hull.  Good times.

Blogspiration (9) - Monty Hall Problem

Blogspiration is a weekly meme hosted by GrowingUpYA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation or just a little SOMETHING.

Let's say you are given the choice between Doors # 1, 2,  and 3, and one door has a cool prize behind it.  You pick # 1, and the host opens door #3 for you because there is nothing behind it.  Now you have the option - stick with door #1 or change your answer and pick #2.  It seems like there is only a fifty/fifty chance so you might as well stick with your answer.  But you shouldn't!  If you change your answer, you are more likely to get it right.  It's counter-intuitive, but the statistics support it.  It's called the Monty Hall Problem.

I had a conversation with my co-worker recently about this and found it such an interesting truth.  And even though I know it's true, it's still hard to understand why. I devote this blogspiration to logic problems - yay, it's awesome!

Derren Brown (my favorite illusionist extraordinaire) recently demonstrated the principle on one of his live shows.  I will just place this youtube video here in case anyone is interested in being enlightened in a far more entertaining and hilarious way than reading this post. Keep in mind that he slips in a few subliminal words and ideas to help influence the choice. 

And just in case the video's intro is a little long (about a minute or two), you can Click here to go right to the segment.

Blogspiration (1) - Derren Brown Apocalypse

(I've decided to retire the Highlight Poetry feature on my blog and start this new one which will allow me to talk about poetry as well as other things that interest me!)

Blogspiration is a weekly meme hosted by GrowingUpYA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation or just a little SOMETHING.

Derren Brown is someone I find immensely inspiring.  He has inspired me to question the things I have taken for granted and to really delve into my psyche to understand what motivates me as a person and to understand what motivates people in general.  Sounds rather grand, but all this thought-provoking analysis comes in entertaining and intriguing TV specials or live shows which always encourages your own rational thinking, and is never preachy or high-handed.  Derren has a great sense of humor and often brings this to his shows, while also bringing dark and macabre elements as it applies.  When he is inspiring, he shows the very best of humanity and when he is dark, OMG it's so disturbing.

His new special which will air in England on October 26th, will have Derren convincing one person that the Apocalypse is really happening - complete with zombies. At first I would think this is going to be one of those dark, disturbing episodes but having read a little more about it, Derren will be trying to show that person and the viewers how important it is to value what you have - your life right now.  Ugh.  I'm probably going to cry watching this.

He's a master mind manipulator, illusionist, and magician who always takes his craft to new levels.  I am so looking forward to this special and the journey it will take me on. I hope it will find its way to youtube or his Hulu channel!  Watch the trailer for the special below! (Edited post 10-22-12 for the new trailer!)

Review: Tricks of the Mind

Tricks of the Mind
by Derren Brown

Plot Summary:
Derren Brown's television and stage performances have entranced and dumbfounded millions. His baffling illusions and stunning set pieces - such as The Seance, Russian Roulette and The Heist - have set new standards of what's possible, as well as causing more than their fair share of controversy. Now, for the first time, he reveals the secrets behind his craft, what makes him tick and just why he grew that beard. Tricks of the Mind takes you on a journey into the structure and pyschology of magic. Derren teaches you how to read clues in people's behaviour and spot liars. He discusses the whys and wherefores of hypnosis and shows how to do it. And he investigates the power of suggestion and how you can massively improve your memory. He also takes a long hard look at the paranormal industry and why some of us feel the need to believe in it in the first place. Alternately hilarious, controversial and challenging, Tricks of the Mind is essential reading for Derren's legions of fans, and pretty bloody irresistible even if you don't like him that much..

Expectations: I'm a huge fan of this man's work on television, and what he does is seemingly impossible sometimes, so I was expecting to get a few answers, especially on how to do certain tricks so I can do them! The Coin in hand trick was one I was especially hoping to pick up. I love that although he always makes sure that everyone knows he does not claim to have paranormal ability, the cover insinuates that he does have some occult connections.

Review:
Again, I am such a fan, that reading so much about his thoughts and views on religion and humanity - although seemingly out of place in a book that purports to tell us how he does what he does - was fascinating for me, and changed a few long-held opinions of mine. I think it does ultimately relate to getting into how he thinks, and delving into and trying to understand why people hold superstitions and evangelical beliefs is a way to show how easily people can be manipulated which is a major trick of the mind. The actual reveals on card tricks, memory tricks and hypnosis are interesting, but not as thorough as I had hoped. The real trick to these things are hard work and practice and unfortunately no book can give you an easy way to learn them. In the end the memory tricks felt most useful to me, and could have quite astounding effects if one practices. The book felt like an overview for the interested, and that makes sense as Derren Brown is still practicing his craft and he can't give all his secrets away. This was an enormously entertaining read though because of Derren's writing style, and I would recommend everyone to check out his work on youtube and then buy all of his DVDs. It is unfortunate he is not more well known in the States.