Testimony of a Professional — Julien Losa, Mentalist - The Secrets of Mentalists.
By Pascal Le Guern & Tibor the Mentalist
How did you enter the world of magic?
I entered the world of magic in 2001... by mistake! I was 20 years old, I used to order a lot of DVDs on the Internet, and I accidentally received a magic video. I watched the show... and I loved it! Not really the tricks themselves, but the intelligence and subtlety underlying this discipline, which had not fascinated me that much when I was a kid. I tried it, and it amused me enormously. At the time, my work as a musician and DJ gave me a lot of free time to study and learn more about it.
When did you take the first step, and how did you learn?
I had already performed at occasional events, but it was in November 2008 that I became a full-time professional on cruise ships—Caribbean, Mediterranean, and so on—for a year and a half. Then I met artists who taught me everything: stage presence and body movement with dancers and choreographers, scenography with stage directors, acting with actors, and a sense of rhythm and contrast with comedians.
What styles of magic attract you?
Mentalism above all, whether on stage or in close-up. This kind of “violation of the mind” fascinates me... and fascinates the audience. I began studying it in 2006 and eventually designed a complete mentalism show in 2012! In my earlier performances, I had included a few experiments to test and refine them.
Among my artistic influences are Derren Brown, of course; the Umbilical Brothers for their sense of contrast; Barry and Stuart for their offbeat use of classic magic; and Fabien Olicard for his slightly insolent stage persona.
What path would you recommend to a beginner magician?
Spend time in circles other than those of magicians! When it comes to learning tricks, it is very good to watch magicians, but in terms of staging, a beginner will learn much more from comedians, actors, and “real” stage directors.
One very important piece of advice: feed yourself with absolutely everything around you and constantly question yourself. You must, at all costs, maintain a clinical and objective view of your work. You cannot simply rely on outside opinions such as “the audience likes it”—whether that audience is family, friends, or not—or “my fellow magicians tell me it is good.” I am convinced that you need a very high level of personal standards in order to progress.
Another piece of advice: show humility! As I recently read on Facebook: “Make your plans in silence; success will take care of the noise.” And do not risk the opposite: “much ado about nothing,” as in Shakespeare’s excellent play. Of course, everything depends on the intentions of the person receiving the advice: a magician who intends to make a living from it, or a magician for whom it is a hobby. The demands are not the same.
A few words about the importance of secrecy among magicians and mentalists...
Throughout these pages, secrets are revealed. And what gives a secret its power? First, the fact that it remains a secret; and second, the way it is used.
To begin with, why keep a secret... secret? Because you made the effort to seek it out by opening this book. Because you worked on and rehearsed the experiments described throughout these pages. Because you now hold this secret.
Throughout your life, you have already been the guardian of various secrets: family secrets, personal secrets, secrets belonging to your friends, and so on. So you already know the power of a secret. From now on, you will have to learn how to use it.
The first thing to tell yourself is this: possessing a secret does not make you better than anyone else, nor more intelligent. When you present one of the experiments described in this book, avoid any superior or arrogant attitude. It would damage your image, and it would do nothing but attract an unhealthy curiosity from your audience, who would then seek only one thing: to uncover your secrets. And that situation of challenge or confrontation is not to your advantage.
Next, ask yourself how you want to use this secret, and from what angle you want to present it. Do you have powers passed down from generation to generation? Are you a fine expert in human psychology? Have you studied with shamans? Anything is possible. Everything is theater; life itself is a play.
Finally, refine your message, your angle of presentation. For example: very often in your tricks, by one means or another, you will lead your spectator to think of a piece of information without them realizing that you already know it. To reveal it, will you choose to read their thoughts? Their body language? Will you claim to predict the future? To anticipate their choices through deduction? Or will you say you psychologically influenced them to make that choice?
Once again: anything is possible.
A world of creativity is opening up to you... Make good use of it!