In this article you will find:
- About Banachek
- Banachek’s crazy story
- How do I get my hands on his magic?
- Banachek on Joe Rogan
- Banachek performing!?
If you search Banachek in google one of the first results (expect us we hope) you’ll find is the urban dictionary. Because Banachek means- something beyond mystical, something completely insane! Pretty crazy huh? So who is this guy, and why is he such a big deal, even in terms of the human language.
In someone else’s words and not my own: ‘Banachek is genius”
So who is the guy and where did he come from? Well let’s find out!
About Banachek
Banachek was born in my own humble country of England in Middlesex. However after his birth he was quickly swooped off by his parents to live in both South Africa and Australia.
Deciding like many other magicians that his lay person name of Shaw was far too boring to be memorable he decided to take the name of Banachek, inspired by the American television series: Banacek.
He was inspired to take up magic by the book The Truth About Uri Geller, a book in which a magician called James Randi debunked the paranormal claims of Uri Geller, he was famous for his mentalism- particularly spoon bending.
He began his magic career when after having developed multiple methods for replicating Geller’s tricks, Banachek wrote a letter in which he volunteered to demonstrate the gullibility of scientists studying parapsychology by making them believe that his mentalist tricks were genuine displays of psychic power.
Sound like a crazy story?
Well here’s a bit more for you.
Banachek’s crazy story
One of the most controversial tales of modern mentalism is ‘Project Alpha.’
Back in the 70s, a group of scientists wanted to study ‘psychics’ in a controlled lab environment. One of the volunteers to sign up for said study was a teenager called Steve Shaw from Middlesex, England.
Long story short, Steve Shaw (in cahoots with another gentleman named Michael Edwards) proceeded to run rings around the ‘scientists’ with simple mentalism effects, fooling them into believing he really did have powers such as ‘psychokinesis’ and telepathy.
Here’s the big reveal:
Our friend Steve Shaw is actually none other than world-renowned mentalist Banachek.
How can I get my hands on his magic? (‘Psychological Subtleties’)
Before I get into that, here’s an embarrassing revelation (that I haven’t shared with anyone before):
A few years back I picked up a Penguin Live Lecture given by one of the greatest mentalists of all time, Banachek.
In this event, Banachek revealed a deviously deceptive but EASY way to bend any fork—and make it look like it all happened through the sheer power of your mind.
Let me tell you—when I got my greedy hands on this particular secret, I started using it EVERYWHERE.
And, though it shames me to admit it, I started grabbing random forks wherever I went. I’d do a bit of the dirty ‘prep’ work and then proceed to astonish people with the ‘power of my mind’.
(at the time, I figured people would be so impressed by the trick that they’d forget about the whole ‘bending the cutlery out of shape’ thing)
Why do I bring this up?
For starters, I stumbled across one of these very forks this afternoon while cleaning out some old magic storage, and figured I’d share this particular escapade with you.
Secondly, it’s to illustrate the power of the techniques taught by Banachek.
Once you discover the diabolical methods behind his astonishing mentalism, you’ll be compelled to use them at every opportunity you get too.
You can pick up the exact techniques and methodologies employed by Banachek when you pick up his wildly popular book ‘Psychological Subtleties’.
Teller (of iconic duo Penn and Teller) says this about Psychological Subtleties:
“BANACHEK IS BRILLIANT at subtle deceptions. My partner Penn and I have repeatedly called upon his vast knowledge, diabolical ingenuity, and remarkable imagination, and have never been disappointed. This man has the goods, and now you do, too. But be careful. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS BOOK. In the wrong hands, these subtle, deeply devious methods could be used to convince audiences that the performer is not an artist, but a supernatural being…”
If you want to discover the exact methods used by one of the greatest mentalists ever, pick up Psychological Subtleties at Amazon using the affiliate link below:
In his book, Psychological Subtleties, you’ll discover the exact techniques and methodologies employed by Banachek today (that he has used to become one of the most highly respected magicians of all time.)
This book is the ‘secret weapon’ of mentalists around the world (the same folk that are probably hoping I shut up about this book soon…so they can keep the contents for themselves).
To save you the trouble, here are a couple of reviews I found on Penguin Magic:
“A fundamental text, unmissable in the library of any mentalist. Banachek is a true master.”
“I use 1 routine that made it worth more than the price of the book. This is an amazing resource for converting mental to mentalism.”
“Banachek is a genius!”
“This book is a goldmine!”
Pick up Psychological Subtleties at Amazon using the affiliate link below:
https://amzn.to/2XTzdKY
Benji
P.S. Just an aside…
I actually feel for the scientists in this account. Sure, they were pretty lax in their rules and regulations, allowing themselves to be fooled far easier than should have been the case—but let’s not underestimate the craftiness and skill of Banachek and his companion.
More Banachek (Banachek on Joe Rogan)
Heard of Joe Rogan?
Comedian, sports commentator, and of course, host of one of the hottest podcasts on the planet…the Joe Rogan Experience.
As any long-time listener will tell you, Joe features all kinds of weird and wonderful guests—from entrepreneurs to actors to (even) presidential candidates!
But here’s something you might not know…
Back in 2018, Joe invited one of my favorite mentalists, Banachek, onto the show.
In the 2 hours that followed, they chatted about Banachek’s many escapades. You’ll find:
* How Banachek fooled a team of scientists using simple mentalism techniques
* Banachek’s thoughts on the ancient art of muscle reading
* the story behind the unusual names of Banachek’s books
* Banachek’s opinion on Uri Geller (including a previously untold story about a phone call between Geller and Banachek)
* a Live performance by Banachek
Check it out:
Banachek Performing!?
For all my pretentious prattling about Banachek’s incredible mentalism this week, I realised I’ve forgotten to show you something very important…
…a video of Banachek performing the darned stuff!
Here’s where I ran into a problem.
See, Banachek is more of a ‘behind the scenes’ guy—he works with big TV Stars like Criss Angel all the time, but he doesn’t often get in front of the camera himself.
So I saved you the trouble and hunted down this video of the ever-elusive Banachek performing 3 of his textbook mentalism effects.
The first two tricks are solid, but the real ‘kicker’ comes at the end of the routine (and fooled me when I saw it.)
Well, I hope you learnt enough about Banachek for one day at least! Thanks for reading see y’all next time!