A Look at Paul Brook
by P. Craig Browning

What were you doing at age 12? The UK’s Paul Brook was taking lessons in Hypnosis from one of the regions premiere stage hypnotists, a little something that sparked a life-long passion for the human mind and all things arcane – hidden! A board certified clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist Paul Brook spends his days helping others and his nights, employing many of those same skills, entertaining and literally mesmerizing audiences throughout the UK.

Add to that the penning of four amazing books that deal with the subject of Mentalism, addressing it in a manner that’s a bit refreshing in that Paul helps us visit some older concepts with fresh perspective. "The Gift", one of Paul’s first books, is what I would classify as a “must have” for every new student stepping into this side of the legerdemain. It is a wonderful adventure into the art of one of Mentalism’s most dreaded techniques and yet, as Paul explains it, a valuable ally when it comes to creating the impossible. "Good Vibrations" is the book that has forced me to at least experiment with the idea of eating a bit of crow.

It’s no secret that I generally loathe the idea of using playing cards within the working of Mentalism for the most part. I’ve found a few exceptions to that rule but in general I do strive to curtail such nasty habits… that is, until I read this piece and talked it over with several of my cohorts, one of whom stated “I’ve been busting my butt for three years creating a solid mentalism show and now I’m about to throw it all away and do only one effect… this one… it’s that strong.”

Yes, "Good Vibrations" is a “card trick” per se. It is on so many levels however, one of the best thought out examples of solid psychological technique I’ve seen in print in a very long time. For the lesson this manuscript teaches us, let alone the dynamic of having an excellent piece of card magic that is not plagued with the trappings and faults found in most such work when placed into a mentalism setting, the book is worth every shinning (or dull) penny ventured.

"The Brook Test" is Paul’s response to something Mr. Hoy introduced us to long ago, an improvisational book test. In this instance however, you have a highly refined mode of approach that is practical and once rehearsed a time or two, simple to deal with.

In the past couple of years I’ve been inundated with booktests of various styles and types but it is material of this nature, that is simple and improvisational, that suits my needs most. I am after all, a Psychic Entertainer which means I’m on call to demonstrate my abilities 24/7 vs. saying, “wait, I’ll have to run home and grab my $300.00 gaffed book first…” or something similar. I’ve seen only one other “improvisational” style of booktest that I feel to be better than this one and to my knowledge, it’s not on the market. Ironically, it was created by the father to the mother of all booktests…

"On Mephisto's Shoulder" is interesting and it has material I can see myself using at limited levels while others might find it more practical and to their liking. Of Paul’s four books, this is the one that left me most dismayed given the amount of talk I’ve seen about it on line.

Don’t get me wrong, the book is loaded with material that has strong potential but it contains a few lines of thought that I simply need time to mull over and digest before making too bold a statement one way or the other.

From a more personal point of view I find Paul a very amicable and likable soul with a brilliant yet, humble mind and demeanor. He is cordial and from what I can perceive every bit the gentleman… in fact, I can see him doing commercials for a fine wine or brandy or even top rated cigars in one of those richly paneled libraries for which the English homestead is known.

Paul is exceptionally well-read but not within what most would see as “traditional lore” but rather the auspices of things bizarre, surreal and esoteric; the works of Aleister Crowley as an example, hosting significant resonance with him resulting in the development of what I can only call, the most impossible version of PK Touches you’ll ever witness.

Like a child, Paul loves to play and explore new ideas, not just concepts for an effect but new principles that he becomes familiar with either through on-going scholastics allied with his vocation or his hobby of looking into things of legend and lore. His inquisitive mind and fascination with humanity itself, leading to the kind of effects development philosophy that is rare in today’s world; one that bridges the chasm between the realm of the believer or shut-eye and that of the ardent cynic, Paul leaning more towards some of the old world philosophy associated with Mentalism and true Skepticism vs. some of the more “cold” principles we’ve seen surfacing in recent time (especially out of the UK… many who have discussed this phenomena pointing fingers directly at the Celebrity of outspoken personalities like Rowland and Brown who are regional icons and gurus by proxy, so to speak.)

Paul’s “child-like” attitude when it comes to “playing” with his magic is quite refreshing and for that reason I cannot deny him the one goal he hosts when doing such work… “to make me happy!” This should be the goal of every performer let alone those who envision themselves as innovators of new ideas. So many of us have become misdirected by the commercialism and ego-based lust of seeing our name in print and people talking about our stuff vs. taking the time to evaluate what a genuine accomplishment is in life and how our own sense of contentment and self-accomplishment trumps all that other stuff. This seems to be something that Paul is exceptionally aware of and openly shares albeit, in a rather humble way. This however is an attitude Paul carries with him when performing – the goal being to have fun at what you do and to invoke that spirit of elation from within your audience, be it one person or 1,000.

Over the past two years or so I’ve been seeing some brilliant young people coming up and out as it were, especially in the UK. I’m not talking about those full of pipe-dreams and the fantasy of being something special but rather, those who are genuine thinkers as well as doers. As much as I’d like to throw a bone to all of them, I simply can’t. At the same time, there are those that think they can “buy” my endorsements as it were, which simply ain’t the case. Though I try to be kind, supportive, etc I will likewise call a pile of dung, dung and not beat around the bush… and trust me, I’ve seen some material that really has been questionable. But then I’ve been given flack of late, for endorsing effects that were crude and rather elementary; case in point, Cory Landel’s "Spirit Notes", a cute, simple bit of slight-of-hand that is selling for $10.00 that I gave a thumb’s up to only to hear from several that my endorsement was not “sound”. Well, folks, that might be your opinion, but I still had to give kudos to a young person that was showing the effort of thinking.

The bottom line is we need to become aware of those who are at least going to the trouble to think and create. We need to invoke within our selves, that child-like attitude we can see in people like Paul Brook, and let that innocence serve as our guide in creating both, the impossible as well as the enjoyable.

I can be one of the most jaded people on the planet from time to time but at least I give myself permission to let that inner-child loose from time to time as well. So maybe this is the real lesson found in what Paul Brook’s materials gives us?
Catch you next month!

Craig Browning