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Super Mike predicts the future

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Born in Austin, Matthew left soon thereafter and finally made it back after years of paying his penance wandering the earth. Before coming to Austin360, Matthew co-edited Austinist.com, worked as an advertising copywriter and led tours of the Roman Forum, among other things.

When not busy pounding away on his keyboard, he can be found at book readings, concerts, gelaterias, pizza joints, Barton Springs, movie theaters, the golf course, or home with a book. The M.O. gives readers a little insight into the world of this man without a plan.

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Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2009 > May > 01 > Entry

By Geoff West | Friday, May 1, 2009, 04:20 PM

This entry comes from Statesman features writer Geoff West.

Just outside the Paramount Theatre, where inside hangs a portrait of Harry Houdini and newspaper clippings about his visit to the show house almost 100 years ago, illusionist and entertainer Mike Super pulled off his own headlining event. He guessed one. Super, the winner of the NBC show “Phenomenon,” made a bet with ticket holders. On April 22, he shipped a package to the Paramount that he said predicted the American-Statesman’s front page headline on May 1. If Super was wrong, he would refund tickets.

Outside the theater on Friday, Bridget & Carey from Mix 94.7 opened the package and pulled out the prediction — written on a piece of paper and recorded on a cassette tape. They then aired the tape on a small boom box rigged to speakers, and read the prediction out loud.

Not only was the headline correct (“Spread of Flu Virus Might Be Slowing”) but Super also predicted the top left insert as well (“Dull Blades”).

The crowd of 30 or so applauded, but left empty-handed.

The headline came together through “automatic writing,” Super said, a form of stream-of-conscious writing. (“There’s nothing supernatural about it,” he said.)

He has done this before, though sometimes he writes and records the prediction so far ahead of time, he’ll forget. Like this time.

“I get a little nervous,” he said. “So don’t boo me.”

Brooklyn Barbieri, marketing and public relations associate for the Paramount Theatre, and Rob Faubion, editor and owner of AustinOnStage.com, signed and dated the package when it arrived Tuesday.

They then sealed the parcel inside a larger plastic wrapping, also signed and dated, and locked it inside a newspaper vending machine, which was placed atop the Paramount marquee until Friday. The key was inside a theater safe.

Ron Cartlidge, who wrote a book about Houdini’s tour of Texas and his stop at the Paramount, was impressed.

“I’ve got some ideas how he did it, but I don’t know for sure,” he said. “He did an excellent job.”

Tickets are still available for the shows Friday and Saturday, though Barbieri says sales are “picking up quickly.”

Super promises a suitable encore: “It’s nothing compared to what you’ll see tonight.”

Photo by Deborah Cannon AMERICAN-STATESMAN

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