Powerful message in the show

Edinburgh 14 January, 2002

Drew McAdam

Uri Geller Rothes Halls, Glenrothes URI GELLER has moved on in the past few years. Famous for bending and destroying cutlery by simply stroking it with his finger, he has relaunched his career as a motivational speaker. The paranormal effects are now used to illustrate a point rather than entertain.

 

In a further career change, Geller has also taken to helping launch and promote young bands. And one such band, Brother!Sister - consisting of siblings Chris and Joanna Madin - was introduced as the support act.

Backed by an ultra-tight four-piece band, the teenage duo entertained the packed venue with 20 minutes of superb self-penned, melodic songs in a professional and polished act reminiscent of The Carpenters, but with a rocky edge.

And then for the man himself. A genuinely charming and likeable individual, Geller has more energy and intensity than is natural; he dominates the stage, demanding your attention - and getting it.

But something had changed. By his own admission he has distanced himself from the very things that brought him fame and fortune; referring to them as "trivial" and "party tricks", he now brings a different message. He explained he was mistaken when he thought that the powers he demonstrated emanated from him. The message he now preaches is that he is a catalyst that allows the individual to utilise the power of the mind.

"Forget bending and mind-reading," he tells the audience. "Maybe I have a power I can transmit to other people and make them become winners."

But before the motivational message, Geller gave us his life story. He covered the peaks and troughs of his 30-year career using a video camera, giant screen, press clippings and letters of testimonial to illustrate each stage.

He was animated and enthusiastic as he spoke, and had the audience hanging on his every word.

The demonstrations of paranormal powers were still on show, though. Following a demonstration of mind-reading, he launched into the mending broken watches routine in which members of the audience brought dozens of defective watches to the stage.

Geller selected a few, instructed the audience to will them to work, then showed that some of them were indeed ticking happily away.

"All these years I thought that I was doing all this!" he says. " I wasn’t. I was simply a catalyst, a trigger to your belief system."

From there he went on to expound on visualisation techniques and the power of prayer. The discourse was not quite so smooth as the biographical presentation or the psychic effects. Geller is at his best when he is in among the audience demonstrating his skills, but tended to hop and jump between topics as he spilled out a jumble of doctrines - perhaps a script writer could help structure the content.

At this point Geller asked if anybody had brought any cutlery and there were plenty of offers from the audience. As though it were a mere trifle, he gently stroked a teaspoon, drawing gasps of astonishment as it bent and broke. Another bent spoon was signed and auctioned off for a local children’s hospital, raising £500 for the cause.

While Geller still exhibits the effects that made him famous, he has matured and moved on. As a celebrated figure and motivational speaker, he is in a strong position to convince others that they can take control of their minds and change their lives.

With a combination of message and mysticism, he will be around, still pulling the crowds for a long time to come.