"Stop Smoking Mentalism" by Fabio Tabbo
Suggested Retail USD$49.95
Available direct from Underwords
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Stop Smoking Mentalism", the first volume in Fabio Tabbo's "Close Up Hypnotism" series, is a phenomenal work, filled with so much detail, so great a depth, that it goes beyond merely teaching a trick and moves into a textbook on audience management, framing, pacing, linguistics, and so much more. "Stop Smoking Mentalism" is a doctoral thesis on performing.

That's no hype. I've never seen anyone undertake the task Tabbo has: to explain a routine in such incredible detail that every word, every movement, is completely dissected and, in the end, clearly understood. And I doubt I'll see anyone accomplish it as well, as entertainingly, as in "Stop Smoking Mentalism".

Of course, you're wondering what the trick is. You'll be disappointed. A volunteer is asked to take part in a hypnosis session to stop smoking. The spectator goes through a bit of visualization, imagining the smoke, the taste, the smell, and all the things that go with smoking, using an imaginary cigarette. The spectator moves the imaginary cigarette close to her hand and she feels her hand get warm. Finally, she snubs out the imaginary cigarette on her hand and feels her hand burn.

Well, I said you'd be disappointed. After all, anyone who has been in magic any length of time knows exactly what's going on here, probably bought and played with the thing for a while, maybe used it for a bit. But there's nothing new in the trick, is there?

Yes, there is.

Tabbo's take on the trick is interesting, to say the least. He's managed to make it appear entirely impromptu, with not a single gimmick or gaff in sight. Then he orchestrated things so the performer is so distanced from the spectator there appears to be no intervention possible. You start the routine clean and you end the same way. But that's just the mechanics of the thing.

Where Tabbo shines is in framing this as a hypnotic experiment. To pull this off, Tabbo really went to the mat with the problem and came up with a solution that eliminates any pre-show work, stooging (instant or ready-made), preliminary effects... In the ad, Tabbo makes the claim that this can be performed "on the spot for an audience of complete strangers". And it can, which already puts it head and shoulders about other "pseudo-hypnosis" demonstrations.

And the detail -- oh, man, the detail -- Tabbo puts into every instance of the effect is something else. It would appear that everything, every aspect, of the effect is covered, along with everything that can go wrong, everything that can possible happen, is explained and analyzed and worked through to the finest possible degree.

Want to do this but don't have a smoker in the audience? Covered. Working in a "no smoking" environment? Covered. Don't have or can't get the necessary stuff to make this work? Covered. Doing this for one person or a roomful? Covered. Want to do this on stage? Covered. Want to repeat it? Covered. And on and on and on.

To pull all of this off, Tabbo reached deep in linguistics and psychology -- what those who don't worry about such things think of as the "oogie-boogie" side of magic. The simple fact is that such techniques, done correctly, work, and you don't need to look any further than "Stop Smoking Mentalism" to see how it works and what it brings to this effect, and any other.

And that's what makes "Stop Smoking Mentalism" not only worth the price, but also priceless.

Tabbo covers material, practical theories and practices, from so many different disciplines that the work quickly becomes a graduate course in things every performer should be expert in if not at least familiar with them. For example, we all know about "misremembering", and we like to implement it when we can. Tabbo offers us an entire chapter geared to doing that very thing. This is simple, workable knowledge which can be applied to everything we do, and quite easily. The same applies to everything else -- pacing, timing, staging, linguistics -- used within the routine (and, it should be said, everything we perform) and Tabbo makes it all so wonderfully simple to understand and implement.

"Stop Smoking Mentalism" isn't just a keeper for anyone wanting a powerful demonstration of hypnotic ability; it's a requirement for anyone performing in front of living, breathing people.

"Stop Smoking Mentalism" by Fabio Tabbo
In A Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
More than just an incredibly effective trick and a staggeringly good effect, this a doctoral thesis on deception and stage presence that will move your performances to the next level.

Quality: 10
Tabbo's writing style is clear and entertaining. Even complex ideas are described simply and understandably. Big thumbs up here.

Illustrations: 10
There are about 20 illustrations, photos and drawings, which are a perfect match for the text.

Presentation: 10
Oh, boy. This is what it's all about and it's a killer. Your audience will believe you can hypnotize people and, more to the point, may make a difference in the spectator's life. Now that's what we call "presentation".

Shane