Derren Brown

L

Laika

Space Bitch
Registered Senior Member
I don't know if they're shown in America, but to UK-based visitors to this forum I must recommend Derren Brown's 'Trick of the Mind' on Channel 4 (Sunday, 21.00).
Last week, he convinced 15 students from three countries that long documents were personal readings, based on date of birth, an outline of their hand, and a personal item. All were staggered by the accuracy of these essays, which later turned out to be identical copies of work he had prepared months earlier.

He is an expert cold reader and manipulator and, after watching his programme, you may very well be shocked at how easily human will and perception can be subverted.

It should be required watching for believers in psychic powers.

His homepage is here.
 
i am glad you've brought this up.
of course i am familiar with Derren Brown and first time i saw some of his stuff i tried to contact him via email---this was before he got as famous as he's become. but i couldn't. got an automated reply saying he's too busy bla bla

what did i want to ask him?
i as very curiousw what his thoughts WERE about paranormal. ie., considering much of the stuff he does SEEMSso but apprently isn't i am curioushow he feels about not-that. yeah?....but if ye cant chat to people how the fk ya gonna find out?

anyhow, i prefer David Blaine personally--much more laid back, less manic. but noice since this Derren's taken orrf we hardly see Blaine no mo...booo huuu

swo i am asking you etc for now. is your--reason for puttin this out to communicate that under no circumstances do you believe in paranormal phenomena? i am curiuos
 
I'm a fan of David Blaine, but I prefer Derren Brown because he makes a point of explaining that his skills are the result of years of practice, rather than mystical powers. But then Blaine's a magician while Brown's more of a mentalist, so you can't really compare them.

I don't think I've ever heard Derren Brown explicitly state his views regarding the supernatural, but I get the impression that he's a strong skeptic. I certainly am myself, but my reason for starting the thread was that I thought quite a few of those who post here would be interested, and that it might start a bit of discussion.
 
Laika said:
I'm a fan of David Blaine, but I prefer Derren Brown because he makes a point of explaining that his skills are the result of years of practice, rather than mystical powers. But then Blaine's a magician while Brown's more of a mentalist, so you can't really compare them.

me))))))well Blaine is just more playful, and tricksterish. partly teasining people about mystica powers but obviously magician AND mentalist. and dont forgit the ORIGINATOR of this style of hip street magic

I don't think I've ever heard Derren Brown explicitly state his views regarding the supernatural, but I get the impression that he's a strong skeptic. I certainly am myself, but my reason for starting the thread was that I thought quite a few of those who post here would be interested, and that it might start a bit of discussion.
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well begin then....?I have started it....?
 
This subject has obviously fallen short of capturing public imagination. I was hoping that some believers in psychic powers would contribute, as I'd like to hear their opinions about the man. Derren Brown seems to be able to achieve equal or better results than most 'psychics', yet he claims no other-worldly powers.
 
This subject has obviously fallen short of capturing public imagination. I was hoping that some believers in psychic powers would contribute, as I'd like to hear their opinions about the man. Derren Brown seems to be able to achieve equal or better results than most 'psychics', yet he claims no other-worldly powers.
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I think its because there is no underlying unexplainable force to what he does, in fact some things are quite obvious how he influences people, hence why its called "trick of the mind", i'd say he achieves better results because he's good at what he does, he studies it, it is in a way a science, as opposed to believing he has a supernatural force and can "know" things. I apologize if i dont explain very well i actually have no idea how to explain it.
 
Am always really intrgued by te ...good..threads that DON'T catch off. people usually like to stick with te familiar patterns. is you get this game going with the skeptics an 'believers' as we all get tagged by them---the err kind version
but tis subject i feel may disturb teir safe zone/donno

i have read thAT SHAMANS USED SLEIGHT OF HAND but that it wasn't considered duping people but was PART OF the healing process

you have to feel yourself outta your modern world view to maybe dig that.
for example when usually people, and meddical people use term 'placebo' they use it with a mixture of not-knowing what it IS, and condescension---thats how i feel it

but for a more animistic worldview it would be respected more---seen as sacred, ANDmuch more encouraged !

rationalists--revealing tei worldview basis wqill jump up quick and label the shaman as a charalatan, without realizing te kosher ones ARE of serious intent and also believe in deeper powers to

Not only shamans, but healers throughout history of sepcies

Laika said someting similar which illustrates my point, that she didn't like Blaine because he assumes deeper powers

what disturbs our mindset aout this is tat mentalism can be measured, but any other stuff cant be, except in effect like healing, weather change-influence etc....impasse, to, case 'our' materialistic wants are to MEASURE. anything that cant be is considered false, or dosn't even register . clash of worldviews!
 
another, what i thinks an important point.
it'll be a bit difficult to maybe explain. tryyyy

mentalism implies 'mental'/bain...? ie, mr Derren Brown studying psychology and mentalism kind of ting
included in this is BODY LANGUAGE. vey much so. when you see him and Blaine look deep into poples eyes. i tink tey are looking for minute movements which tell them certain things they need to dig what prson is feeling...?
It seem, espsh wit Brown al very stilted and urgent and fratic/dramatic

Now, my very first LSD trip when 15 i was immersed in natrually seeing deeply peoples body language, in an extraordinairly powerful way

healers, shamans were very familiar wit pychedelic sacraments and/or certina forms of enrgizing techniques like dancing, chanting and so on, which also would have allowed deeper senstivity

so. doyou see what i am gettin at here....yes? no? maybe?
 
People tend to think that Darren Brown is tricking the people on his program. This isn't really the case he is more so tricking the audiance.

Look at his kidnap program where he put a guy in a computer game. This would be illegal and therefore never happened the way the program showed it. Don't look for how he tricks other because he is only really tricking YOU.
 
alexb123 said:
People tend to think that Darren Brown is tricking the people on his program. This isn't really the case he is more so tricking the audiance.

Look at his kidnap program where he put a guy in a computer game. This would be illegal and therefore never happened the way the program showed it. Don't look for how he tricks other because he is only really tricking YOU.
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haha.....good angle. you propbabaly hae smething there!...yes, i seen that, and also the 'Heist' one. andthey seeeem a bit too good to be true. like as you say ---set-up
see. this thread's gettin hot!
 
People tend to think that Darren Brown is tricking the people on his program. This isn't really the case he is more so tricking the audiance.

Look at his kidnap program where he put a guy in a computer game. This would be illegal and therefore never happened the way the program showed it. Don't look for how he tricks other because he is only really tricking YOU.
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Some of it can be worked out and seen what he's doing, subtle words, motions etc.
Of course it being a setup would explain the bits i cant work out. ;)
 
Duendy,
Laika said someting similar which illustrates my point, that she didn't like Blaine because he assumes deeper powers
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I do like David Blaine. He's a good showman, so I can't begrudge him the illusion of actual magical powers. I prefer Derren Brown because of the way he highlights the plasticity of human nature and perception.

I particularly enjoyed watching the man convince some 'experts' of the supernatural in America that he was the genuine article. They were so keen to believe the mystical explanations presented to them, when in reality they were being cleverly deceived. I'm sure that all the genuinely successful 'psychics' work in a similar manner.

Alexb123,
Do you think it's all a sham then? I'm sure that the video game stunt was edited somewhat. I don't recall anything on that show that precluded the possibility that the participant's consent was obtained earlier, without the exact nature of the procedure being detailed.
 
Laika I believe that Mr Browns biggest tool is that he hypnotises people with out showing us. I am sure it happened in the video game program and in a few others.
 
Laika said:
I'm a fan of David Blaine, but I prefer Derren Brown because he makes a point of explaining that his skills are the result of years of practice, rather than mystical powers. But then Blaine's a magician while Brown's more of a mentalist, so you can't really compare them.
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Ask any member of the Magic Circle and they will inform you that he is merely a Magician who 'pretends' to have some special mental powers.

In essence he is no different from Paul Daniels or Ali Bongo.
 
alexb123 said:
Laika I believe that Mr Browns biggest tool is that he hypnotises people with out showing us. I am sure it happened in the video game program and in a few others.
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Viewers of the recent TV scandals such as the Queen shown walking OUT of an interview in a huff when in reality she was walking IN, will know that you can do anything in the editing room. Theres really nothing new in hypnotists..they are ten a penny.

Derren Brown has a certain charisma and he is more easy on the eye than Paul MacKenna or Paul Daniels but that doesn't mean to say that David Copperfield can actually fly or make Elephants vanish into thin air.

It amuses me that people of a scientific bent scoff at mediums yet are so easily taken in by magicians and assume they have some special mental 'power'. They don't!

:cool:
 
Actually Browns 'Hypnosis' isn't really that mind boggling difficult, it's just a very clever concealment of word's placed within the context of his overall 'lecture' material. This was identified in one of the shows that was televised where certain pages and numbers were pre-emptively 'subliminally' in-putted into audience members minds throughout the beginning of the show so that it was all an elaborate build up for his finale where he exposed what he'd actually done.

The fact is that it's not like at the beginning of his shows a, secret service that would be held would do any more than just get people to be comfortable with being apart of the show. Has there been any other reasoning for it, some fear of stage fright might ensue. Dossiers on the subject of both hypnotism and stage fright contest to this.

As others might find, for the use of language in such a concealment way. Who might guess that such people are usually ignore the play on words, is perhaps unavoidably questioning the Doctor(in regards to Browns qualifications)?
 
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A few months back I went to see Derren Brown, it was great. Amazing evening and then a great few days after where I was trying to work out what he did. When he tours again go and see him.
 
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