The Secret Notebooks
of Mr Hyde

Volume 1

A collection of Mental & Mirthful Routines
for the Real World

Background & Contents

I know what you're thinking!

Who is Timothy Hyde and what's in this book that everyone's talking about?

Background.

Timothy Hyde knows what works. He has entirely made his living by getting in front of people and weaving his brand of mystery performance since he became a full time performer in 1977.

Always on the cutting edge he has explored many different forms of the art, always developing fresh approaches and "commercial" angles.

In the late 70"s he formed a contemporary Circus troupe in New Zealand, learning and developing skills of street performance, escapology, fire-eating, magic & juggling. (A skill set that seems so modern today).

A move to Sydney Australia in 1979 with no money, lead to two years busking on the streets. His act became so popular that he started to get paid to perform at big city events.

When the world wide comedy boom hit in the early 80's he quickly transitioned into a regular feature act at Australian Comedy venues, working and touring with the stars of the day. This lead to bigger support roles where he toured with visiting entertainers like Whoopie Goldberg, KC and the Sunshine Band, James Taylor and rock and roll legend Johnny Ray,

Parallel with this, together with his new partner, now wife, The Amazing Lynda, he developed a powerful 30 minute  Illusion show with broad appeal. This was sold into Australia's largest Theme Park where they were the first resident magicians for a period of 18 months.

After that season they redesigned the act and focused specifically on the Corporate Market. This marketing move quickly paid  off. The next few years were a succession of Gala Nights, Conventions, trade shows and a season on the worlds number one rated cruise ship, the Crystal Symphony.

During this period Timothy started exploring his deep interest in mentalism. It was a way to move forward once again, to push the fees up and to explore new areas.  He had always had an interest in the art, developing a two person act in his school years to "fry" his class mates but had never found the right angle to suit his style.

He was invited to join the famed Psychic Entertainers Association in 1990 where he found more people with his fascination.. He quickly became known as "Australia's Magician of the Mind" and developed and shared his ideas and approaches to the art of mentalism with his new colleagues. He was a regular columnist in Vibrations magazine and has made several trips to the USA to the Meeting of the Minds.

In the last few years he has once again "raised the bar" of his performing challenges. The world of Professional Speaking was an obvious destination. The skill set he has developed over the last 30 years, the routines, the stories, the adventures and his love of being in front of audience has been the perfect fit. Through his company Achieving the Impossible, he provides Keynote presentations and interactive workshops Australia wide. He's a regular guest presenter for the National Speakers Association and has appeared at the American NSA convention.

"Working the street for two years was the perfect education in what works and what doesn't. Your hat's out there on the pavement. If people don't like what they see, you don't get to eat, you can't pay the rent. If they like what they see, the world is your oyster! Those years shaped every other routine I've put together"

You will find no busking or street routines in the book however.
What you will find is a solid collection of commercial routines from a working professionals repertoire. All explained in great detail.

Timothy has written articles for several years in two of Australia's well known Magic magazines. Tim Ellis's Australian Magic Monthly and the Geniis Magic Journal. He also published for three years, Magic Coach ezine. This was the webs first regular magic marketing newsletter.

CONTENTS

Ziplock Psychometry

This routine first appeared in the October ’92 issue of Vibrations, the private newsletter of the Psychic Entertainers Association. It updates the classic Annemann routine, using everyday items in a seeming impromptu manner. The use of ziplocks allows a multitude of theme possibilities, safety of the spectators objects and a bold marking method that can be studied at leisure.

The Pig Test

Hilarious interactive routine that can actively involve the entire audience. It's a group "reading" that can be expanded and adapted to any size audience from one on one, up to hundreds.

Baby Gag Plus

Takes the corny old Baby Gag and gives it a powerful kicker

Musical Telepathy

A bold and powerful exploration of mentalisms classic routine. Originally designed for cruise ship performance the secret can be applied to many applications.

Seven Days

A great standalone piece for MC's, Motivational Speakers or StandUp performers. The performer "proves" that most people only work one day a year.

My Mother

The widely acclaimed handling of Ted Karmilovich's Mother of all Booktests. The Two person handling "The first letter con", was first shared with the PEA and then reprinted with permission in Richard Busch's "Mothers Home Companion".

This chapter includes - this handling carefully detailed, a different routine utilising Larry Beckers Flashback, a method to justify your first "miss", a method to eliminate the chance of a spectator messing up the instructions, a method to save yourself embarrassing a spectator and a few delightful "bits of business that have developed over hundreds of performances.

Psychic Heckler Stopper

Based on a premise by Dan Blackwood, this routine is perfect for Stand Up Performers. This hilarious routine uses several helpers in the audience and a collection of  "heckler stoppers".

Whack Pack

Not only does the performer read the mind of the spectator, but more importantly he reveals how the person actually thinks, how he solves problems or how he makes decisions! A startling understanding of another's mind process.

More Feedback

Hi Timothy:

I just had to write and tell you this.
On Halloween I had a local radio appearance where I did on-air readings. Many people attempted to get through, but due to phone line limitations, we were not able to get to everyone.

I used your "Pig Test" as something that EVERYONE could participate in from their offices, homes, etc. Long story short -- it went over GREAT!!! The hosts went nuts over it, and people were actually calling in saying how accurate it was. Add to that my knowledge of DISC, and this turns into a slam dunk.

This one piece was worth the price of admission to me. Still working my way through the other routines, but I wanted to let you know that to the worker the Pig Test is worth it's weight in gold!

Regards,

Mike Spremulli