Whacked Book Test
by Mark Elsdon

Effect

The performer introduces a book, "Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure", which he says he has enjoyed reading recently. After briefly explaining the concept of 'Googlewhacking', he passes the book to a member of the audience, who looks through the book and eventually decides on one of the 'Googlewhacks'. After some typically funny byplay and a couple of false starts, the performer gets serious and tries a proper test. He detects subtle inflections in the participant's voice and is able to discern specifically which letters the participant is thinking about and consequently the exact words which comprise his chosen 'Googlewhack'. The participant is allowed to keep the book as a gift and a souvenir.

So what exactly is 'Whacked!'? It is a 10 minute mind-reading routine which revolves around Dave Gorman's best-selling book "Googlewhack Adventure". If you've no idea what that is, you can bring yourself up to speed by heading over to http://www.davegorman.com/googlewhack

You receive everything you need to perform this incredible routine, including full details of Mark's script and psychological approach - which is one of the things that lifts 'Whacked!' head and shoulders above so many other book-tests. The presentation has been honed over many, many performances for a wide variety of audiences, which ensures that the routine plays as well for a group of top professionals at a business luncheon as it does for a crowd of hip college students at a birthday party. The presentation is funny, sophisticated and guaranteed to deliver a great audience reaction every time it is performed.

The technical demands on the performer are minimal: no pre-show, no forces, no anagrams to remember and the book used, "Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure" is absolutely normal and may be given away at the end of each performance (in fact we encourage you to do so!) The 'method' is entirely self-contained and will withstand the closest scrutiny. There literally is nothing for any spectator or participant to 'see'. Also, there are no extraneous props - everything used to perform 'Whacked!' is entirely natural to the proceedings, with no justifications required for any aspect of the handling. This leaves the mentalist free to concentrate on just one thing: entertaining his audience.

Finally, you'll be pleased to know that the principles and techniques used to accomplish 'Whacked!' are not dependent on the use of Dave Gorman's book and that ANY book may be used in ANY language. This booklet contains full instructions on how to alter the method for use with other books. Whilst not impromptu, the preparation is minimal and does not need to be repeated for subsequent performances. The method makes use of modern technology, but there is nothing to break, run out or let you down during a performance.

'Whacked!' is not another book-test to add to your collection. It is a fully developed, real-world performance piece designed to be used by a professional performer at paid shows.