Sixth Sense with Luke Jermay the Real Mentalist

Luke Jermay interview by Benjamin James

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Luke Jermay – The Real Mentalist talks to Retox

Luke Jermay is a British born intuition artist who can read your mind! Luke is a key advisor on the hit show The Mentalist. Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane who can seemingly read minds and leads the criminal investigations. The show follows former "psychic" Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), who is a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and seemingly read minds - a skill he uses to lead criminal investigations.

Luke's fans include Simon Baker, Derren Brown, Dynamo and Penn and Teller. Endorsements like "creative genius" from such talented performers only adds to Retox’s intrigue. In this exclusive interview Luke patiently answers our questions, and yes he did know what we were thinking!

Exclusive Interview With Luke Jermay

Retox: Hi Luke, welcome to Retox and thanks for the interview, your show is titled “Sixth Sense”; when did you first realise you could read people’s minds?

Luke Jermay: I began magic in an untraditional manner; I grew up with things like Tarot cards and spiritualism as a part of my life. It was through this I was introduced to theatrical magic by reading books written by people like James Randi. I then learned about theatrical magic and still love it today. However I'm right back at the start again; spending my time focused in the more mystical forms of magic like telepathy. I wasn't bitten by a spider or something like that, I just worked on developing a set of skills that would allow me to extract a thought from someone's mind and now the execution and application of those skills have become second nature to me.

Retox: You say you regard yourself as a people watcher. Are there any typical signs people can look for to see it someone is lying to us?

Luke Jermay: It is very typical that a person telling a lie will actually keep strong eye contact and never break that contact. Against old wives tales; when we are telling the truth our brains need to access the information we are talking about and this will cause our eyes to dart about. So if someone spends an entire conversation staring you dead in the eyes something is off...

Retox: How do you manage to read people so well? Is it instinct or could we all learn to do it?

Luke Jermay: I think everyone can learn to do it. What I do is fuse many different techniques some real, some theatrical to create a show based on these themes. It's really just about practise and trusting in your own intuition.

Retox: In all your years of mind reading, what is the most embarrassing piece of information you have extracted from someone?

Luke Jermay: I try not to embarrass people; if I pick up on something that I think is really going to bother someone I will not just blurt it out. Instead I exercise caution with that personal information. I like to think of it as a "mind readers code of confidentiality" - so I shall leave you to imagine what types of things I've picked up on and NOT revealed. I once had a particularly tough situation with a love triangle between a man, his wife and her sister; all of which were sitting next to each other in the theatre!

Retox: In The Mentalist Simon Baker is the main character. Has he picked up any tips from working with you?

Luke Jermay: The character is based on several people but I was told that some of my work has influenced the style of the character.

Retox: You are called “The Real Mentalist” by the cast of the show, what have you enjoyed most about working on the show?

Luke Jermay: I had a great time working on The Mentalist. I was asked to perform my style of mind reading to the cast which features on the second series DVD set. It was great fun doing what the cast pretend to do; for real. They were amazed and really nice.

Retox: What can the audience look forward to when they come to your show?

Luke Jermay: Having their minds read! The reviews have already been great. 5 Stars and overwhelmingly positive reception from audiences. The show is really something different; even those who have seen many magic or mind reading shows say they were really excited by the themes and the style of the show - as it's something no one has really seen before.

Retox: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Luke Jermay: I love the fact that my job allows me to spend my days surrounded by mystery. I get to spend all day playing with cool things like Tarot cards and Ouija boards but mostly I love the connection a live show offers with an audience. There is no other form of entertainment that has such a strong connection for a performer. Live shows; and doing the impossible right in front of people is really an amazing feeling.

Retox: Finally, this being Retox, at the end of a stressful day how do you like to retox yourself?

Luke Jermay: I try to avoid retoxing and head for detox! My most relaxed moments are spent watching movies or reading books. I have an ever increasing "to read" list and hope one day to actually read them All! Pretty boring - maybe I should have made something more exciting up, but sadly that's the truth!

Catch the Sixth Sense with Luke Jermay

Luke Jermay in Sixth Sense Poster.