How to Convince the Media You Are Psychic & That They Need You
Sometimes a scheme is just so delicious you can taste it! The front-page headline of the July 26, 1975, issue of Psychic News was direct and to the point: “Sceptic Sends Psychic to Put [Psychic News] in a Twist.” The subheading was: “He Makes Metals Bend with Zwinge.” A photo of a bewildered-looking chap holding two distorted metal utensils bore the caption: “James Zwinge, pictured with the paper knife (left) and the teaspoon, both buckled without being touched by him.” The lengthy article that followed left no doubt about the powers exhibited by this remarkable psychic, as spoons, filing cabinet doors, and keys bent wildly, clocks jumped ahead by hours, and general bedlam resulted from Zwinge’s mere presence. Certainly, a bona fide psychic!
Maybe not. Some of you may know that before I became James Randi, I was Randall James Hamilton Zwinge. Yes, PN newspaper had fallen for a hoax.
In the summer of 1975, I was in London visiting with my good friend Billy McComb, a magician of note who nowadays can be found haunting the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. Being of sound mind, Billy has always agreed with the skeptical point of view concerning psychic claims, and we had discussed the then-fresh report that had appeared in Nature magazine describing the Uri Geller “experiments” that had been done at Stanford Research Institute (now known as “SRI International”) in California. That report, flawed as it was, had launched the career of Geller. And the gullible press around the globe had made Geller their treasured star-of-the-month.
One particularly entranced periodical was Psychic News, a London-based newspaper specializing in spiritualistic subjects. PN had gushed over Geller’s miracles in almost every issue since he had first emerged on the paranormal horizon. Billy and I hatched an idea for hornswoggling PN while they were still in a mood for accepting Geller’s claims. It would require the very best psychological maneuvering, and Billy and I thought we could manage it.
Yes, PN newspaper had fallen for a hoax.
New Scientist, a popularized science magazine in London, had been very critical of the Nature report. Dr. Joseph Hanlon, though not versed in conjuring techniques, examined the evidence on Geller and reported: “I like to think I have always adopted a serious attitude. I spent much time researching Geller. I am convinced he is a fraud.” Obviously, Hanlon was the one that needed to be captured by The Dark Side, and PN would jump at any chance to be the medium of conversion. We called Hanlon, and told him of our project.
Then we let it be known at PN that Hanlon had seen a performance by James Zwinge, and had been unable to explain how he bent spoons and forks. This was very true; I’d demonstrated my tricks to Hanlon, and he had been unable to solve them. But PN assumed that this translated as, “Zwinge’s metal-bending cannot be explained.” And they set out to track me down. Hanlon’s office provided a telephone number (McComb’s) at which I could be reached, and a barrage of calls began coming in. We rebuffed every inquiry, mumbling that Mr. Zwinge was being tested at a local university, and was not allowed to do interviews or to reveal any results until they were published officially. That made PN very anxious to get a “scoop” on this story, and they redoubled their efforts.
Meanwhile, we did a bit of research to determine the press schedule of Psychic News. We learned what day and hour was the very latest for submission of a story, and we even set up a watching-post across the street from the PN editorial office. Before long, we were able to recognize the symptoms of excitement as we viewed the personnel dashing between floors and from office to office. Occasionally, from a convenient public phone just outside our reconnaissance point, I would call the office and very quickly tell them I was “between test sessions” and could not now give them a time at which I might be interviewed. We noted rapid action among the PN personnel at such times, and we knew we were getting them “tuned up” for the hoax.
It was a reporter named Greene who was assigned the Zwinge interview. This frustrated man was pleading with me to grant an interview which he assured me would be kept under wraps until my obligation to the university had been satisfied. I kept hinting that I just might have 30 minutes to drop by his office, and he pressed me for a day and time. When he found that I was due to return to my home in New Jersey the very day that he was scheduled to go to press, he panicked. When Billy told him that Zwinge was already on his way to the airport, Greene abandoned hope.
I found out what they wanted to be true, and I gave it to them. They swallowed it eagerly. And printed it.
But all was not lost. Billy and I had reasoned that if Greene were able to prepare a last-minute article, in a rush, my true identity just might escape him. I’d been seen on TV in the UK, knocking psychic claims and Geller in particular. But we felt that such exposure would be unknown to the folks at PN, and we were absolutely right.
On my way “to the airport,” I phoned Greene from our post across the street from his office. I told him that I was leaving, but had an hour I could spend to do an interview, if I could get to his office in time. He was elated. He’d pay for the cab, he said, and I told him I’d be there shortly.
But I had to get him more “tuned up.” It was 90 minutes later when I finally popped out of a cab in front of Greene, who had been waiting in a drizzle in front of the PN building. That cabdriver had driven me from just across the street, all around London for 30 minutes, just to build up a sufficient fare for Greene to think I’d been far away. He asked no questions …
We hurried upstairs. The ancient offices were more than suitable for psychic wonders. Greene, eagerly solicitous, rushed out of the room to get me a cup of tea while I bent a paper-spike on the desk, a spoon in a drawer, and a key that was left stuck into a file-cabinet. Stepping into the next office, I twisted a paperknife and a handful of paperclips. I advanced a clock by two hours, returned to Greene’s office and reset his clock, then settled back to await my tea. Returning, Greene sat down at his typewriter and began furiously typing up notes. My whole history, including details on research done at the University of Toronto by Professor T.K. Lawson, the well-known Canadian physicist, along with endless anecdotes about wonders that had happened to me as a child, and endorsements by scientists worldwide, all were gladly related to him. Meanwhile, as we spoke, I surreptitiously prepared my teaspoon for breaking, and then switched it for the one alongside another teacup sitting on his desk.
I’ll let Greene’s account describe what he thought took place at that point. “Two Worlds” is another occult publication that shares offices with Psychic News.
The action then began. I did not realise what PN and “Two Worlds” offices were in for! I collected a teaspoon from “Two Worlds.” As he stroked it lightly Zwinge told me he “gets a sticky feeling. It’s like running your finger over clear glass.” I touched the spoon ends as he stroked it. Suddenly it seemed to shudder. Then it broke cleanly in two.
I was impressed. Next we were summoned into the adjoining “Two Worlds” office. We found the occupants, Lilian and Mary, excitedly proclaiming, “Look at the paper knife.” Lilian had used it that morning to open the mail. It was perfectly straight then. Now its handle had curved an astonishing 45 degrees. All could vouch Zwinge had not been near it. Up to that point he had not entered their office.
Later another “Two Worlds” employee, Mona Bethune, announced, “My tea spoon has bent!” It was perfect when she stirred the tea a few moments earlier. By now the excitement was growing. These supernormal incidents seemed to galvanise Zwinge. He leapt enthusiastically round the office seeking articles to bend.
Further malfunctions were discovered. Mary noticed her clock had suddenly gained two hours. It had been correct earlier. A glance at my office clock showed it fast by 2 1/2 hours! Certainly Zwinge had no opportunity to interfere with them. He had been under constant surveillance. I had not left his side, or taken my eyes from him, for one second. I was determined to be an objective reporter. I was fully alert to any suspicious moves. But Zwinge made none.
At one stage he stroked a fork. He seemed unable to make any impression. But after he left I discovered it had twisted noticeably. Mary also found a filing cabinet key had bent in the lock.
In true “psychic” fashion, I left behind a few wonders that would be discovered later.
Of course, there never was any Professor T.K. Lawson at the University of Toronto. Lawson was a school chum of mine, a competent magician himself. Such statements as, “All could vouch Zwinge had not been near it. Up to that point he had not entered their office” and “He had been under constant surveillance. I had not left his side, or taken my eyes from him, for one second … I was fully alert to any suspicious moves. But Zwinge made none” were nonsense, since Green was up and down, in and out of the room, at my every whim, and I wandered about freely from room to room. He was just so anxious to interview this celebrity, the hard-to-get and very difficult Mr. Zwinge, that he fell all over himself to please me and to allow me any sort of leeway. Worse, he invented tough conditions that did not apply.
In true “psychic” fashion, I left behind a few wonders that would be discovered later. They would either be described as having happened after I left, or just having gone unnoticed at the time. That explains the fork on which I “seemed unable to make any impression,” but which Greene later “discovered it had twisted noticeably.” And remember, “Mary also found a filing cabinet key had bent in the lock.” Yep. Just as I left it there, easily and quickly bent, but now assigned supernatural qualities.
The clock that “had suddenly gained two hours” and the “office clock” that was suddenly “fast by 2 1/2 hours” were miracles to PN, because, “certainly Zwinge had no opportunity to interfere with them.” Absolutely not true. As for Greene’s promise to embargo the interview, it was ignored. The next issue of PN had the whole story and I was sure that everyone knew it was a phony.
In my next column I’ll tell you of other hoaxes I pulled off in the U.K. on that same visit. The lesson to be learned? That the media want miracles, they will invent and hyperbolize quite ordinary events into miracle status, and they can be manipulated to that end. Psychic News was easy, but I’ve done the same with many other media outlets over the years. I found out what they wanted to be true, and I gave it to them. They swallowed it eagerly. And printed it.