Brent Webb

A Northeast Ohio native who graduated from Ravenna High School and spent a semester at Kent State, Brent Webb is now a successful "mentalist." For a time, he lived in Las Vegas, where he held down a regular gig at the Desert Inn. While he moved back to Northeast Ohio a couple of years ago, he continues to tour the world reading minds and performing magic tricks. He recently spoke in a phone interview about his upcoming show here, which will include a death-defying game of Russian roulette. - Jeff Niesel


At what point did you start reading minds?
Pretty young. I'd say about 5 or 6. My dad would play the old game where he's hiding a coin in a hand and I'd have to pick which one. I was really, really accurate. Then it turned into him hiding the coin somewhere in the house and I'd find it. Then it'd be somewhere on the property and I'd find it. I got a magic set for Christmas and found I could combine those two things.

You graduated from Ravenna High School. Were you reading minds then?
Yeah, I did. I just did a fundraiser this past Halloween. All these people I went to school with were there. They reminded me about how I was always messing around with it when I was in school.

Have you ever met a mind you couldn't read?
Oh yeah. Skeptics are bad. Somebody skeptical is someone you can't bring around. There are people so close-minded, it's impossible. I did a show at the Sheraton in the Falls and there was a lady there who was that way, there was nothing I could do. You just have to put them back in their seats.

Is it like hypnosis?
In hypnosis you have to induce someone. You don't have to put somebody in a special mode. I do a little hypnosis in the show. I don't do much because most people think that involves them standing on their head or clucking like a chicken. I use a lot of people in the show and treat them like guests in my home. I steer clear of anything that involves making fools of audience members.

What celebrity did you enjoy helping the most?
Probably of all, Don Rickles. Younger people don't know him. He's really famous for being caustic and nasty. He's the nicest guy offstage. People assume celebrities like Andy Griffith and Dolly Parton will be nice like they appear. The ones who are sweet in TV and film are usually not in real life.

Who was the most resistant to your powers?
Not really anyone. I've opened for Don Rickles, Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan. I performed for Jessica Simpson. There hasn't been a celebrity that was difficult.

How do you approach your motivational speaking gigs?
The thing I do that's different is normally if you have a motivational speaker, they come in and talk and they almost preach. Employees have a tendency to shut that out, especially when they're telling them to reach for their goals. I talk to the company and ask, "What message do you want to get across?" and tailor that to the act. They're being entertained and not conned while they're getting the message.

What do you have planned for the Kent Stage show?
I put together my favorite pieces. I am doing things from my Vegas show and from tours and they're all things I really like to do. There are a couple of special things. Joseph Dunninger is the most famous mentalist of our time. This guy was amazing; he did things back in the '30s that they still talk about today. The thing we're closing with is not a séance but a recreation of something he did. The HR director thought of a word at the Home Savings Bank and locked it in the safe. We're trying to find the name of the word. [Dunninger] is going to divine this word. Glasses break and furniture moves in the process. It's very theatrical.

Tell me about the Russian roulette game you play.
I've done it with guns. These are four blank guns and I'm blindfolded and someone spins the rack and they take a gun and I determine if they're loaded or empty. I have them take the gun and put it next to my head. Even the blank will kill you. But for this show, I had a board made with some slots and we found a hunting knife and I'm blindfolded and they put the knife in any of the slots blade up, cover all the holes with plastic drink cups and concentrate on where they put it and I smash the other cups with my hand, hopefully leaving the knife! There was one time when I had no idea and just went for it. I made it. Normally, I can sense where it is.
- Cleveland Free Times

When Brent Webb graduated from Ravenna High School in 1993, he had a fascination with magic, a growing knack for showmanship and big plans for the future.
When Webb returns to his hometown to perform at Brown Middle School on Oct. 31, he will bring 15 years of international experience with him. Listed as one of Ravenna's 10 most famous residents on Wikepedia.com, Webb has etched a name for himself working his world-renowned mentalist gig.
Last week, while preparing to deliver his predictions of headlines that will appear in the Oct. 31 Record-Courier, he demonstrated his skills for a small crowd consisting of Ravenna Mayor Kevin Poland, Finance Director Kim Cecora and me.
The magician paraded the three of us into Ravenna City Council chambers before asking us to help him develop a hypothetical story.
When Webb told us to imagine we were going on a dream vacation together, he must have seen me roll my eyes -- not that I wouldn't enjoy taking a trip with the mayor and Mr. Cecora, but ... you get my point.
"You can each bring your significant others as well," Webb said, probably hoping to cut back on the awkwardness of the impromptu fantasy sequence. Webb then asked me to name a place I'd love to visit.
I chose Italy. Hey, it's free, why not? Webb wrote my suggestion on a small sheet of paper.
He then asked the mayor to name the first famous person that crossed his mind. That person would be joining us on the wacky trip, Webb said.
After a few seconds, Poland shook his head and laughed to himself.
"Bill Clinton," he said, later explaining that he has always respected the former president. I began to envision Clinton with his arm around me, the two of us posing next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Webb moved on to Cecora, asking him to estimate what the dream trip would cost. Having no experience as a travel agent, Cecora eventually came up with a very frugal $5,250.50.
"That's cheap," I thought to myself, beginning to lose focus. Just as my attention waned, Webb reclaimed it.
Making sure to point out that he had just met all of us, Webb pulled his wallet out of his jacket. After waving it about for a second, he opened it and pulled out a small envelope. He ripped it open and handed it to the mayor.
Inside was a piece of paper with a handwritten note. Poland read it aloud.
"It is Tuesday night at 11:20 p.m.," he read. "Tomorrow I will be meeting with the mayor to drop off my headline predictions."
No big deal, I could have told you that in advance.
"I will have three people create a dream vacation to Italy," Poland continued, starting to appear surprised. "The star that goes with them and spends the week is Bill Clinton."
Cecora and I slowly turned our heads, eventually making eye contact.
"When the bill for this trip arrives," the mayor continued, beginning to read slower. "It will total $5,250.50 ... I hope I'm right ... Brent."
We sat in silence for a moment, each of us grappling with what had just happened.
"That's absolutely amazing," the mayor said, breaking the silence. Cecora sat quietly in disbelief for a moment before asking Webb to use his freaky skills to guarantee an Indians playoff victory.
***
- Hudson Hub Times

Regardless of your beliefs about magic, telekinesis, paranormal energy and the like, there is no denying one fact " Brent Webb is good. As promised, Wednesday night the nationally renowned mentalist showed he was able to successfully predict the headlines in that day's Record-Courier during a Friends of the Park fund-raiser event at Brown Middle School. That may have been the least of his achievements, though. "He's unbelievable. I don't know what to say," said 2006 Ravenna graduate Matt Golias. "It was creepy." Golias was speaking from experience. During one of several mental tricks Webb played with the crowd of 300 Wednesday night, Golias was called on stage. Holding two blank slates with a piece of chalk between them, Webb told Golias to think of a loved one who had passed away and one word he would use to describe the person. Golias never spoke; he never moved. After a few minutes of banter, he lifted the slates and revealed the name "Thomas," and the word, "Airplane" was written on one of the boards. "That was my grandpa," Golias said. "He liked to work on model planes. I have no idea how it was written." Throughout the evening Webb used cards, coins, masks and even knives " along with his mind " to trick, scare and amaze the crowd. However he did it, it was successful. Janice DePompei said she was nervous when Webb called her and her husband of 42 years, Dennis, onto the stage. "This was the first time we had ever been to anything like this," DePompei said. "I didn't know what to expect. I definitely didn't expect that." While on stage, Webb asked Janice DePompei to think of a fictional person and for her husband to think of a place he'd like to visit. Standing back to back, the couple wrote their answers. After having one of the answers burned and the other folded and hidden, Webb correctly named the character, Cinderella, and the place, Rome. "It was crazy," DePompei said afterward. "No idea how he did it." Toward the end of the show, Webb called Ravenna Mayor Kevin Poland on stage. On Oct. 17 " two weeks ago " Webb presented Poland with written predictions for what would appear in Wednesday's Record-Courier at City Hall, where they have since been locked in the city's safe. "Nobody has touched this box aside from me," Poland said. The same was the case during the show. Webb did not touch the papers in the box. Poland simply pulled them out and read aloud. Webb predicted that two metal plants would close in Ravenna and Rootstown, wildfires would rip through a western state, a large group of drug-sniffing dogs in Kent and that Congress would decide on $70 million for the war. Three of the four headlines appeared in Wednesday's Record-Courier, although the dogs were used in a drug sweep in Brimfield. "Since he reads minds, I was trying to send him messages when he was on stage," Randy Knapp said. "You know, trying to screw with him. It didn't work, though." The fund-raising event, however, was a success.
- Record Publishing

About a week before I met Brent Webb, a self-described mentalist with roots in the area, he sent me a cryptic e-mail: that "just for fun," he would send me a letter, and I was not to open it, but bring it with me when we met.
Sure enough, the day before we met, I received an 8 1/2-by-11-inch yellow envelope, addressed to me from Webb, with "DO NOT OPEN" clearly marked in multiple places.
The next afternoon, I met with Webb, who will start performing a version of his Las Vegas act in the Novo Lounge at the Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls, starting in August. And just what is Webb's act? Webb, who grew up in Ravenna, can be best described as a mental magician: making predictions, bending spoons and other mental magic.
"I got my start as a child," Webb said. "My father would hide a quarter for me, and tell me to go find it. The amount went up, and I kept finding it. Finally, he took a $100 bill and taped it to the back door of a barn. I still found it."
Webb laughed. "That was the last time my father played that game."
After high school, Webb said he went to college for a brief period of time, very brief.
"It wasn't for me," he said. Instead, he took his talents and joined a circus. Eventually he bought the circus and operated it for a few years before selling it. Webb settled for a time in Las Vegas, where he performed at the Desert Inn, opening for stars like Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Chaka Khan and others. He also toured the nation, performing before stars such as Dolly Parton, the Smothers Brothers and the late Johnny Carson. Webb said he also performs at corporate functions, among other venues. He moved back to the area to be closer to his family, Webb added.
Webb then asked me during the interview to select a piece of paper from a clear plastic envelope. Inside the envelope were about 50 pieces of paper, each with a word like "clown," or "house." I drew a slip of paper with the word "football." He then asked me to draw a picture of my object, without letting him look. I drew a passable football, then he pulled out a booklet and asked me three questions: what was a standout summer vacation, who was a dear childhood friend and what is a favorite word?
OK, I thought, that's puzzling. I answered that my favorite vacation was an extended weekend to Savannah, Ga. I thought a moment about my childhood friends, for I had several, but I settled on my cousin, Tina, who lived across the street from the home where I grew up, and was almost like a sister to me. As for favorite word, in a fit of whimsy, I said "serendipitous." It's fun to say, if nothing else.
Then it was back to the intriguing envelope, which I had placed in front of me, underneath my purse. I opened it, to find a smaller envelope, again marked "DO NOT OPEN."
"That was in case you opened the first one," Webb said.
Inside the smaller envelope were two slips of paper, one bright yellow and the other salmon-colored. On the yellow slip of paper was a drawing of a football.
On the other slip of paper was this note:
"April --
"I predict you will remember your vacation to Savannah, your childhood friend was Tina and your favorite word will be serendiptus. I hope I'm right! Brent 6/20."
In this business of news, we are trained to be cynics -- but how do you explain that?
Webb will perform a lounge show every Tuesday and Thursday evening, from 7 to 11, in the Novo Lounge starting Aug. 7. He also will perform a dinner show on a regular basis, starting Aug. 25. Tickets for the dinner show will be $25 per person, which include the show, a pasta buffet and salad.
The doors will open for the dinner show starting at 6 p.m. The next dinner show dates are scheduled for Sept. 7, Sept. 29, Oct. 12 and Oct. 27. - Cuyahoga Falls News Press