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Interesting UK TV Programme questioning beliefs

Ashles

Pith Artist
Ashles
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It's our favourite mentalist Derren Browne and it's on tomorrow (7th Jan).

It's called Messiah

And in the words of his website:
this documentary-styled one-hour film sees Derren in America attempting to raise questions about the validity of certain religious and spiritual belief systems; belief systems that people are encouraged to base their lives upon - such as new-age faiths and mainstream Christianity. Can he get certain authority figures to endorse him as the real thing?
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They're keeping the content secret (as with his other specials) but I reckon he's going to convince groups of Americans he is some form of Messiah and start his own cult.

It looks like it should be an interesting programme and hopefully having a look at the nature of belief and how entrenched it can be.

And we can look forward to all the subsequent complaints that his shows generate.
He really is very good and surprisingly funny.

I loved the start of "Seance" which was something like:

(Derren, deathly serious voice to camera)
I have brought a group of volunteers here to this abandoned hospital to recreate a seance. And by the end of the night they will all be dead. (suddenly laughs) No not really.
 
No e in Brown Ash ol boy! I hop ehe does some magic or he could all be very boring.Ill be illegally copying it of course(hope ebay arent browsing,lol)!:D
 
Thanks for the heads up, Ashles.

Did you noticed that magicians immediately tended to down-play David Blaine by showing his stuff was basically easy for magicians?

Yet I haven't noticed anyone trying to imitate Derren in order to put him down. Yet a lot of his early stuff involved fairly well-known magic/mentalist tricks. I read a thread he participated in on Magic Cafe, I think, and he came across as a very intelligent, courteous, and unpretentious chap.

Oh, and did you know that he would be nothing, had he not been mentored by one of the greatest magicians in the world -- the very, very famous Mark Lewis?

I still want to know how Derren got the teller to pay out on a losing ticket at the dog track. That was a wow! moment. Had he done a "hypnotism", showing her going under a longish induction, I would have been less impressed. I wonder if that bit was just left out?
 
I dunno if I can claim to be a magician,although I suppose Im an amateur.But David Blaine was put down for being crap and using camera edits to achieve most of his effects,Derren is respected for furthering the art.Nothing to do with how he achieves his results! How he got the Oxford student to know what was drawn(a tractor)whilst blindfold was my jawdropper!;)
 
I will miss what the evil Derren Brown has to say.
I did see the last one but I don't see why it disproves spiritualism.
 
Don't worry, you probably wouldn't have understood it anyway.

As for me, I'm looking forward to it immensely. Derren may be a lying toad, but he's the sceptic's friend.
 
jambo372 said:
I will miss what the evil Derren Brown has to say.
I did see the last one but I don't see why it disproves spiritualism.
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What makes Derren evil, jambo? Does he spook you?
 
No.
Why would he ?
I just think he looks evil.
Although I say that about a lot of people.
I'm just bad minded.
 
It's our favourite mentalist Derren Browne and it's on tomorrow (7th Jan).

It's called Messiah
Click to expand...

Darn! What is it just now with folk having web pages with white type and black background. (takes two Migraleve)
 
The Mighty Thor said:
Darn! What is it just now with folk having web pages with white type and black background. (takes two Migraleve)
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I wish all pages were like that. It's much better on the eyes. With white background, it's like staring at a light bulb.
 
Wow - I am really looking forward

to Derren's programme. I think he's doing something quite brave, putting himself out there. V. gutsy in my opinion...

I have to say, I do admire him BUT there is always something 'edgy' about his programmes which make for uncomfortable viewing. I suppose that could be construed as a good thing as they are not a 'no brainer' but require some emotional response from the viewer. I found the 'seance' one to be pretty scary (even though I do not believe in such things and knew it was all achieved by 'magic') - you could tell the poor students were freaked out!

I don't feel this makes him evil though jambo - just contraversial and entertaining. And I don't think he looks evil - actually - quite attractive, in an intense kinda way!

BTW I had a look on his website - I didn't know he was such a cool artist! (Although I expect Mr Lewis actually painted them;) )

Look forward to the 'de-brief' tomorrow guys...

DeVega
 
jambo372 said:
I did see the last one but I don't see why it disproves spiritualism.
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It didn't disprove anything, nor was it meant to. It simply showed how easy it would be to duplicate the sort of effects which people like you claim prove the existence of spirits. It showed how people can be fooled.
 
[mode = Interesting Ian] (cos I miss his predicability)
Derren Brown is a fraud and a liar. He claims to use NLP and hypnotism but I have it on good authority that most of what he does are just common or garden magic tricks. This is a deliberate fraud unlike some psychics may not be legitimate but at least they're not liars.

The gun wasn't even loaded

Derren Brown is a fraud :mad: [/mode]
 
I think his tricks, like David Blaine's are probably a lot less impressive than they appear, but he has an excellent routine.

There is no real psychological way (that I'm aware of) that he could have got paid on the losing ticket in the way he presented it, so I'm sure there is a bit more to it than claimed.

He is, after all, an illusionist.

But his great skill is in doing tricks that have been previously presented to people as real (eg. the seance and, I suspect, tonight's Messiah).

It might make people wonder whether clear paranormal experiences they have had might not just be trickery or misperception.

If anyone had been at Derren's seance (and not been subsequently told it was trickery) they would have been utterly convinced in the reality of 'psychics' and it would become one of those "Well if you'd experienced what I'd experienced you wouldn't be such a sceptic" stories.

Hence all the complaints.:)
 
Useless, old boy, you are clearly not very bright. My superior intellect is cutting you to ribbons. I used to hire Derren Brown as my teaboy. When James Randi was a kid, I used to pay him a nickel a time to buff my shoes. Now, are you going to give me the respect I deserve, or do I have to teach you a lesson?
 
I did see the last one but I don't see why it disproves spiritualism.
Click to expand...

You don't need anything to disprove spiritualism, it it recent history and the Fox sisters even admitted it was all a big ruse.

Why do people continue to believe it then? 'cos of the money 'aint it.

By the way, the seance at the live show that Derren did was superb. Same sort of idea, but he managed to spook the bejeesus out of people which is always my favourite bit.
 
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