3510 - Luke Jermay

In Luke Jermay's own words:

As I write the introduction to this book I am on a flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. I am presented with exactly forty-five minutes to sum up my feelings about the book.

A lot has contributed to the style in which this book has been written; among other things a recent transatlantic relocation from the UK to the USA to make a home in Las Vegas. I now find myself a married man, and to top it all off I have even begun work on that traveling freak show I have been dreaming about for oh so long. As I write this I am currently on my way out of Las Vegas--the magical capital of the world--feeling very ill from the extreme turbulence on an otherwise uninteresting flight. Vegas is a town that has in the short while I have lived here already deeply affected my approach to magic and mentalism. Las Vegas really is the best place in the world to see both great and terrible magic. From the best of the best to the worst of the worst, Vegas is your place.

The bulk of this book was written as I lived and worked as a traveling performer. Much of the book being written on planes, in hotels and while generally on the road. There really is a great advantage to having a mobile office. As one of the publishers of this book would say: as long as there's a Starbucks, we're good to go.

The book was written in this fashion with my thoughts being collected in essay form while on the road. Now, looking back over it, I find it a genuinely nostalgic read. The task of elaborating on my traveling essays to make them more complete and lucid was much like reading an old travel journal or diary from years past.

Certain essays remind me of specific performances and places. Others remind me of various TV shows I have worked on. I hold many good memories attached to the writing in this book and some not so good memories.

The one thing the ideas presented in this book all have in common is that they were formed in part because of the countless bad magic and mentalism shows I have encountered on my journeys. From live performances to certain recent TV Stars, bad magic is simply bad magic.

It is these bad magic/mentalism shows that are the true inspiration for this book. Without having witnessed so much bad magic and mentalism I would never have been moved to examine my own performances at a deeper level. It was this examination triggered by these performances that inspired my feelings and thoughts as recorded in this book. So in a way I have all the shows that have made me feel sick watching to thank for their inspiration in questioning my own performances at a deeper level.

It is my hope that you enjoy what is presented in this book. You will of course not agree with everything I have written, and this is the whole point!

The best thing I could ever hope to achieve with this book is to encourage you to question your own performances in the same way I have questioned my own. If you do this, we together are fighting against those bad magic/mentalism shows I know we both hate so much. Together with our love for the art that has given us so much, we now have the chance to give it something back. Let's keep magic and mentalism as exciting to our audiences as it is to us.

Enjoy your journey and maybe our paths will cross along the way.

With all sincerity I am;

Luke Jermay

LIKE NEW, hardcover, 156 pages