The psychic barber Gordon Smith.

Gordon Smith, Gordon Smith, riding through the glen;
Gordon Smith, Gordon Smith, robbing his fellow men.
Loved by the fools,
We're fed up with
Gordon Smith, Gordon Smith, Gordon Smith!



I really didn't intend to make this my first post, but I just couldn't resist. :blush:
And it's not easy to find a rhyme on 'Smith'.

Greetings

Banbury
 
Amy I have posted some transcripts and analysis of Gordon Smith on this forum,where he his so dreadful at cold reading.Perhaps you could search for them.
 
Gordon Smith is often held up as an example of mediumship at its best. A BBC documentary about a year ago followed him to the States, and also watched Craig and Jane Hamilton-Parker (of psychics.co.uk) do the rounds of the spiritualist churches.

I felt it was pretty close to editorially impartial, letting the viewer make up their own mind. It showed both successes and failures on the part of the 'psychics' who participated.

The sections following Smith were the most interesting. A one-to-one session he did fell pretty flat, I thought, and in front of a group, 4 out of 5 readings seemed no more than standard cold-reading fare.

Then HE identified a woman and her mother (if I remember) in the audience, and proceeded to produce the most outrageously accurate psychic reading I've ever seen. Names and facts - all verified. Well beyond chance, and not at all reminiscent of normal psychic showmanship. It was very impressive. What bothered me was that Gordon himself had picked the women by sight and it seemed to me quite possible that that this could be an example of warm reading.

There are problems with this; it was an American audience, and Smith had arrived from the UK. I think it would be quite difficult to find and bribe a few convinving stooges in such a short time, or to otherwise research them in enough detail to reel off the facts as he did. It IS possible he had someone hanging around near them before the session commenced who could hear them discuss who they thought might contact them - perhaps that's why he chose someone who hadn't come alone.

I'd like to see this guy looked at much closer. I once heard it said that traditional conjuring is successful not because you can't figure our how it's done, but because the magician has gone to lengths far beyond what you believe he will do to produce his illusion. It occurs to me that the same goes for Gordon Smith; what's more probable, after all - that he's communicating with the dead, or that he's planning his psychic readings with incredible precision, impeccable research and considerable resources - leaving nothing to chance. All you need is one amazing reading per session to convince the audience!

This does leave one other conclusion; where we can be charitable to many so-called psychics, dismissing them as honest, but deluded, Gordon Smith can't be in that category. He's either talking to the dead, or obtaining money by knowing deception. The results are too good to be achieved by delusion alone.
 
Sounds VERY much like a red hot reading. I think we have demonstrated here that it is extraordinarily easy to find out all sorts of stuff about people from the internet in minutes. Some people seem to forget that putting their "family holidays" and portrait happy-snaps on the internet does not limit their viewing to dear old granny in the next town.
 
pmckean said:
There are problems with this; it was an American audience, and Smith had arrived from the UK. I think it would be quite difficult to find and bribe a few convinving stooges in such a short time, or to otherwise research them in enough detail to reel off the facts as he did. It IS possible he had someone hanging around near them before the session commenced who could hear them discuss who they thought might contact them - perhaps that's why he chose someone who hadn't come alone.
Click to expand...

Those who run spiritualist churches often share the information they have on their regular visitors with visiting mediums. I suspect Gordon got his information this way.
 
I was excited seeing "psychic barber", I mean its a real rarity when somebody comes up with some new power. Cutting hair with your MIND, how awesome would that be:

The PB stands at one end of the stage, dressed in deep purple velvet robes adorned with cryptic symbols and runes. Suddenly, his hand is lifted and dramatically splays across his temple, an intent gaze is fixed upon his first target, a young woman with flowing blonde locks seated twenty feet away.

The young woman gasps, her hair lifts as if a gust of wind has come up from below. Bits of hair fly free and land softly around her as the barber displays his craft. The audience murmurs and gasps. Theater etiquette gives way to shock and glee as her tresses are trimmed and styled from afar. Finally, a collective gasp as the PB drops his hands in exhaustion, a single drop of sweat glides down his glistening face and he turns to thunderous applause. The young lady gingerly touches her new style as a stage hand ushers her off as another hand ushers a young black woman to the chair.
 
To make a more constructive comment, I would suggest that Smith has a posse of fans following him around. Most showmen usually know their hardcore fans from sight and get lots of fanmail from them. If he picks one of those for a reading, he would get the additional bonus of a more than willing participator.

Greetings

Banbury
 
Thanks for the link Mojo!!

I guess Gordon doesnt even have to ask the customers in his shop what style they want or if they need anything for the weekend!!
"Been away this year,sir"
"You should know!"
"Cut around the ears or left long at the back?"
"You tell me.."
:D
 
You don't cite any proof ... what would be the one thing that convinces you that Gordon Smith is a genuine psychic?

I have a scan of an interesting article; email me for the url at:
jha@manx.net

The first half, actually, I may post the rest later if asked.

G Smith is no longer a barber, and now lives in the West of
Scotland and makes his living on the psychc lecture circuit.
 
pmckean said:
.

Then HE identified a woman and her mother (if I remember) in the audience, and proceeded to produce the most outrageously accurate psychic reading I've ever seen. Names and facts - all verified. Well beyond chance, and not at all reminiscent of normal psychic showmanship. It was very impressive. What bothered me was that Gordon himself had picked the women by sight and it seemed to me quite possible that that this could be an example of warm reading.

There are problems with this; it was an American audience, and Smith had arrived from the UK. I think it would be quite difficult to find and bribe a few convinving stooges in such a short time, or to otherwise research them in enough detail to reel off the facts as he did. It IS possible he had someone hanging around near them before the session commenced who could hear them discuss who they thought might contact them - perhaps that's why he chose someone who hadn't come alone.
Click to expand...

Just another example of the rule among psychics: The conditions needed to make the magic work are coincidentally EXACTLY the conditions needed to cheat.
 
Tirdun said:
I was excited seeing "psychic barber", I mean its a real rarity when somebody comes up with some new power. Cutting hair with your MIND, how awesome would that be:

The PB stands at one end of the stage, dressed in deep purple velvet robes adorned with cryptic symbols and runes. Suddenly, his hand is lifted and dramatically splays across his temple, an intent gaze is fixed upon his first target, a young woman with flowing blonde locks seated twenty feet away.

The young woman gasps, her hair lifts as if a gust of wind has come up from below. Bits of hair fly free and land softly around her as the barber displays his craft. The audience murmurs and gasps. Theater etiquette gives way to shock and glee as her tresses are trimmed and styled from afar. Finally, a collective gasp as the PB drops his hands in exhaustion, a single drop of sweat glides down his glistening face and he turns to thunderous applause. The young lady gingerly touches her new style as a stage hand ushers her off as another hand ushers a young black woman to the chair.
Click to expand...

I do enjoy a good laugh to start off the day. Thanks Tirdun.
 
Would a good test of Mr. Smith be whether he can tell anything about a bald man?
 
Zep said:
If he's such a fabulous psychic, how come he's still a barber?
Click to expand...

I think the idea is that he doesn't use his psychic powers to enrich himself, so he still has to work like a regular schmoe. He has good intentions, which PROVES he's real!

Anyway, I doubt he actually spends very much time barbering.
 
He didn't want to be a barber anyway, he wanted to be ...

a psychic!

Leaping from guess to guess, as they fly past the heads of his audience!
With my best girl by my side!*

I'd sing, sing, sing!

I'm a con artist, and I'm ok!
I plot all night and I prey all day!

I fleece the rich, I eat my lunch,
I avoid the labora-try!
I only take donations
So I can be tax-free!

I'm a con artist, and I'm ok!
I plot all night and I prey all day!

I fleece the rich, I duck and weave,
I like my victims old.
'Cuz when it comes to reading,
Warm's easier than cold.

I'm a con artist, and I'm ok!
I plot all night and I prey all day!

I fleece the rich, I wear a suit,
And a hidden speakerphone.
Of Edward and Van Praagh
I'm just another clone.
 
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