Top hypnotist gears up for Malta shows

Herman Grech

He has managed to make hundreds of chain-smokers quit, put an end to people's phobias, and made people run around rooms believing they are being chased by ghosts.

World-renowned hypnotist Alan Bates is gearing up to give his first show in Malta - and if his reputation is anything to go by, the chances are that he will be the talk of town for weeks to come.

Alan will be performing at a charity event at the Corinthia San Gorg on March 2 with a preview on Xarabank today week.

With his piercing blue eyes, soothing voice and sudden hand movements, Alan leaves his audiences spellbound.

He has been in the business for 17 years, and has a string of acclaimed worldwide performances to his name. His reputation has grown to such an extent that he was personally engaged by the Brunei Royal Family to perform at Princess Hameda's birthday.

He is a favourite with British television stations and is behind hundreds of routines now adopted by hypnotists around the world.

Interviewed by The Times, Alan attributed his success to his ability to communicate and entertain people with a quality presentation, and the ease with which he manages to put people under his spell.

Only willing volunteers will be hypnotised, so one need not be apprehensive about attending Alan's shows.

A susceptibility test is first performed to see whether the subject can be hypnotised - and, yes, he admits that there have been times when the test has failed.

If you were thinking of acting smart and planning to go on stage pretending to be hypnotised, forget it. Alan can see through it.

He is quick to point out that he does his utmost to shy away from the controversial and sometimes notorious aspects of hypnotism.

"I am very careful in all of my acts. There is nothing rude, humiliating or vulgar about it. And I don't try to make a fool out of anybody," he stressed.

Some hypnotists have been severely criticised for making their subjects look like fools, by making them do things they would not dream of doing.

On the other hand, Alan believes that his show should also provide entertainment for those being hypnotised.

"It's a case of respecting everybody - I never cross moral boundaries."

Alan has also practised hypnotherapy and in fact during his brief visit last month, he hypnotised a chain smoker to give up the habit.

In a process which lasted about 40 minutes, Alan repeated over and over again that his subject would feel healthier if he quit, and that from then onwards cigarette smell would affect him worse than ever.

Alan started smoking a cigarette next to him, offering champagne and money to convince his subject to smoke - he declined the offer!

Other popular routines include the ones where the subjects believe they are paupers that have won the national lottery or that they are suddenly conducting an orchestra.

Alan insisted there is really nothing wrong with hypnotism. After all, he stressed, politicians and religious people used it to a certain extent to convey their message.

For the show on Xarabank, extra caution will be taken, so as not to influence the viewers at home.

Alan said he will be carrying out what is known as the hypnotic induction process (or putting his subjects 'on ice') with selected members of the studio audience before the programme starts.

A popular Italian hypnotist had sparked controversy and chaos in the eighties, even in Malta, when his performance hypnotised some TV viewers.

"We don't want any people running around at home thinking they are being chased by ghosts," he laughed.

Being rather cynical on the art of hypnotism myself, I asked whether there have been cases where the acts are staged.

"No", was the immediate answer - and to prove his point he challenged me to take him anybody who was prepared to be hypnotised.

All proceeds from the Alan Bates' show will go towards Ir- Razzett tal-Hbiberija. Ticket enquiries may be made on 21636526 or 9942 4518.

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May Issue

Lets Do Lunch

Web posted on May 24, 2002 at 9:00:00 AM CET

Alan Bates
by
Josanne Cassar

After his unforgettable appearances on television and several well-attended shows, his face has become quite familiar to the Maltese public. Josanne Cassar met with hypnotist ALAN BATES for lunch at the Fra Martino Restaurant, within the Corinthia San Gorg in St George’s Bay
Alan Bates is as vivacious and charismatic in person as he appears on screen.

With his piercing blue eyes and silver hair, he has become an instantly recognisable face throughout the island. He can no longer walk down Republic Street without people doing a double take: “My Mum can’t believe I’m so well-known in Malta!” says with a grin.

He is obviously hyperactive: he speaks rapidly and throughout the interview, his leg bounces with restless nervous energy.

“I first came to Malta to do a private show in Gozo a few months ago and it went very well. After that I was invited to come onto Peppi Azzopardi’s show,” Alan tells me.

That memorable edition of Xarabank was the first time he had performed live on television, which he describes as a nerve-wracking experience.

“The studio audience arrived at 7pm, I had hypnotised them by 7.30pm and they were sitting on ice, so to speak. Once the show started the cue was to play a certain piece of music, but bear in mind I had hypnotised them hours ago so I was praying that the hypnotic commands would still be there!”

As he was staying at the Corinthia San Gorg, we had arranged to meet at the elegant Fra Martino restaurant in between his hectic schedule of appointments.

Greeting the staff in his friendly manner, Alan orders a delicious Asian platter which he urges me to try, while I have a home-made vegetable soup.

As he has explained before, Alan carries out the actual hypnosis off camera to prevent people at home from being inadvertently hypnotised as well. Despite this precaution, I still wonder if he ever gets qualms about something going wrong.

“No, not at all,” he says adamantly. “I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years, and I’m very responsible and conscientiousness. I always respect the wishes of the people I hypnotise and they can stop taking part whenever they want.”

He admits that his shows in Malta have gone down better than he ever imagined, because he was afraid there would be a language problem.

“The interesting thing is that people are listening in English but translate the psychology into Maltese. For example, they would hear ‘sleep’ and think ‘orqod’ and then translate the hypnosis in their own minds into which ever language they feel more comfortable with. I was also worried that there would not be enough volunteers, but there were no end of those wanting to try it!”

His stop smoking seminars have been an incredible success, and have been booked solid each time.

Probably much to the chagrin of the tobacco companies...

“I love my work, and I feel sorry for people who wake up in the morning and think ‘I’ve got to go to bloody work today’. I wake up with a feeling in my tummy which is ‘whoa!’”

His enthusiasm is contagious and you can’t help smiling back at his open, cheerful face.

Born in Liverpool, Alan describes himself as a “big family man”, visiting his parents three to four times a week and phoning them daily. He has a daughter from a previous relationship, and a 19-month-old son from his present wife.

When he was around seven, he had a strange, inexplicable feeling that he was going to be different from everyone else.

“I was a rebel at school, always into mischief and whatever was going on, Alan Bates was always in the thick of it. I wasn’t a shy little boy at all! I was never a bully, just a troublemaker, always getting into these gangs as kids do.”

He loved school, not for any educational reasons, he happily points out, but because of the camaraderie of it. When he left, it was with few academic qualifications, mostly because he couldn’t be bothered. He was, however, good at two things, engineering and communicating.

“So I became a DJ in night-clubs and presented radio shows, while attending a course to become a tool-maker, which is a very good trade. The week that I came out of my apprenticeship I got the opportunity to work on a cruise ship in the Caribbean as a casino technician. Eventually I became the casino manager. It was fun, unbelievable parties every day, and being British with mostly American passengers, it was great.”

He had found a job that perfectly suited his personality.

It was on the ship that he was first introduced to hypnosis from an illusionist who had a cabaret act. On returning to the UK in 1981, he started working as a DJ again, earning very good money. For the second time he happened upon a stage act with a hypnotist and was immediately enthralled. He tried borrowing books from the library on psychology but, in his typically candid way, he admits they were too difficult.

“They were way above me. I couldn’t understand half the words, for one. So I found reading material which was easier and then I started practising on my friends and before I knew it I had this communication skill.”

So are you saying anyone can become a hypnotist?

He shakes his head, “No, they can’t. I would love people to think that it’s a gift and I’m very special – well, actually I am special to me!” he jokes. “Hypnosis can be learnt but whether you can actually apply it or carry it off with 500 people in front of you with everyone having a wonderful night is a different matter.”

Alan was already incorporating new and crazy things into his act anyway, like fire eating and drinking competitions so one night he asked for volunteers for hypnosis and 12 people came up.

“I had studied and practised enough to know what I was doing and within ten minutes I had hypnotised five people” he says, his voice filled with awe at his own daring. “And I thought, what do I do now? It had worked and the feeling of power was unbelievable! That was when I knew that I could be good at this.”

He continued studying, practising and observing other hypnotists, but as he points out, there is nothing that can teach you personality. You either have it or you don’t and as Alan has demonstrated to Maltese audiences, personality is definitely something he’s got.

He was just 24 when he did that first hypnosis act. The turning point came when he successfully auditioned for the Liverpool Showcase; he was taken on their books and started receiving regular work. Eventually, he was accepted into the British Council of Professional Stage Hypnotists, which gave him some valuable contacts.

Since then he has progressed from small bars to giving shows for Royal Families. The highlight of his career was going to Brunei to do a show for Princess Hameda, and he can still recall with pride his opening words on that occasion.

What had started out as something of an experiment has turned into a fully-fledged professional act which he has honed and polished over the years.

“I’ve met some fabulously interesting and wealthy people and it’s opened a whole new world to me really,” he remarks.

I wonder how his family reacted to all this.

“Well, I’ve done so many mad things in my life that this was just one more. My Mum and Dad simply say, ‘yeah, OK’. However, when I got them to bury me for charity here in Malta, me Mum went mad!” he says slipping into his native idiom.

Of course, he is fully aware that there are those who treat hypnotism with wary scepticism.

“It is still a grey area. People ask me, is it religion, is it a science, is it a hoax? But nowadays, it has been scientifically proved that hypnosis does work.”

In a country where we treat most things with cynicism anyway, it is no wonder that Alan Bates’ show has also been met with suspicion. He emphasises, however, that there is no trickery involved and that he has no clue who is going to be on stage beforehand. Locally, there has even been some fear that there is something sinister and evil about his ability.

“People have mixed feelings about it,” he acknowledges. “I’ve practised it for so long that if I thought for one minute that what I was doing was wrong or bad, I wouldn’t be doing it. It is well known that hypnosis is a science and part of psychology; it has absolutely nothing to do with a special ‘power’. Some of the criticism I had from people who’ve watched it on TV is that it’s all a hoax and they can’t believe it, because they haven’t seen the induction. They can’t accept that people are doing what they’re doing, which is a compliment to me actually. That is why it’s better to see the show live. I’ve had people who were ardent sceptics who’ve come up to me and said ‘I really didn’t believe this, I thought it was a load of nonsense, but that was my brother up on stage and he would never do those things you made him do! Now I’ve spoken to him and he doesn’t remember a thing. So I believe it now.’”

Is there a certain type of person who can be hypnotised more easily than others?

“First of all you have to be a volunteer with an open mind who is prepared to relax and wants to be hypnotised. Those who fall asleep easily are also good volunteers. You can’t be hypnotised against your will or do anything against your own personal moral values. There are three types of people I cannot hypnotise: drunkards, mentally insane people and idiots, by which I mean simple-minded. They don’t have the concentration required to be hypnotised.”

Like any entertainer, Alan has had his share of hecklers.

“Mostly, I get people who come on the stage, pretend to be hypnotised, and make faces behind my back, but I can suss them out like that,” and he snaps his fingers. “I’m looking for certain traits such as Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Hypnosis is when you’re not asleep but you’re not awake either. We’re on the conscious level now, at the top of the ladder, at the bottom is the unconscious, in between you’ve got the subconscious and the other conscious state of mind. It’s like subliminal advertising, applying suggestions to the unconscious mind.”

People are put to sleep using relaxation techniques, which includes a soothing, low tone of voice that Alan has mastered over the years.

Since hypnosis can be used to help people stop smoking; the next natural question is whether it can also be applied to other addictions.

“I’ve had people alleviate drink and drug problems. I’ve even had drug dealers contacting me, ‘I’ve lost a big stash of drugs, can you hypnotise me and tell me where it is?’ The amount of bizarre people that contact you right across the board! But I never get involved in anything like that.”

Our main course arrives: a mouth-watering seabass which Alan had recommended and which lived up to our expectations.

The arrival of the food reminded me that what I really wanted to know is whether he can hypnotise people to stop eating junk food.

“I have CD’s which are for people who overeat and eat the wrong foods. It would be more of a one-to-one thing. It’s all about the power of suggestion, like stopping smoking, which they would listen to over and over again, reinforcing the suggestions.”

I ask whether anything has ever gone seriously wrong on stage.

“Well, I haven’t got as many laughs as I thought I might,” he quips and then turns serious. “No. Sometimes you get people at the end of the show who wake up disoriented and their friends exaggerate a bit, telling them, ‘you’ve been doing this and doing that’ which they haven’t been, and they can get a little upset. But once they realise that what they’ve done has been good fun, it’s OK. At the end of the day, I don’t cross the moral boundaries.”

We talk again about his ‘buried alive for six hours’ act which he did a few months ago.

I couldn’t bear to watch it...the very thought of it gives me palpitations.

“I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do it. What I did was use hypnosis to help myself relax. When I was underground I used self-hypnosis to alleviate the claustrophobia effect. People might think it’s cold underground but it’s not. When you’re alive and you’re buried it’s roasting because you perspire in the coffin, you have nowhere to go and your body heat heats that coffin up and it’s like a thermostat.”

Oh my God, I need some air...

“Plus there were creepy crawlies all over me.”

I think it’s time to change the subject...

“I actually slept twice for about 45 minutes. I was woken up otherwise I would have slept longer – they were in contact with me through a radio. To say ‘oh, let’s get buried for charity’ that’s one thing, but suddenly it slots into place and it dawns on you ‘hang on this is real now’ and that’s when the fear creeps in. I did it once ten years ago for a British charity, so I knew what I was putting myself into but it still doesn’t stop the terror from kicking in. The worst bit was when I lay in the coffin underground and the first shovel full of soil came on the lid, and it goes ‘clunk’ and another ‘clunk’ and all the voices you can hear in the background start fading. It starts getting really hot and the palpitations start setting in and you think ‘am I doing the right thing? Am I going to be OK? Am I going to survive?’ But I did,” he adds cheerfully.

Phew, I think the story is over...

He’s toured extensively, taking his show to the Middle East, Dubai and other places where there are ex-pats. At 44, he is already quite adamant that he never wants to retire, taking the cue from his own 73-year-old father who only stopped working recently.

“I love my work, it’s so much fun,” he says again. “I want to continue doing it for as long as I possibly can. If I had to win the lottery tomorrow, I’d still work. It’s not just the money; I’m not greedy. I’m materialistic to a certain degree, I do like the nice things in life, but don’t we all? What would I do if I retire?”

He agrees that his shows are physically draining, particularly when he has to travel a lot.

“Just before I came here, I drove four and a half hours to London, did a two hour show and another four hours to get back. Then I had to pack and an hour later I was on a plane to Malta.”

Even after all this time, the nervousness which he feels in the run-up to an actual show is enough to make him feel sick.

“Your stomach is turning over and it’s like aargh! And you can’t have a proper conversation with anyone. I like to be alone and I can’t count the hundreds of miles I’ve walked backstage. It’s pre-stage nerves, every entertainer goes through it and it’s a good thing because it gets the endorphins running through your body. If you could bottle that feeling of any artist before he goes on stage it would be the most powerful drug in the world. Imagine standing in front of 500 people who’ve paid to see you! You’ve got to have that performance right and that’s a lot of pressure.”

Asked how he relaxes, his answer is quite simple, he doesn’t.

“I’m always doing things around the house, then there’s gardening, and I have a reasonably active social life. There are never enough hours in the day, never!”

Would you say you’re an easy person to get along with?

“What do you think?” he replies swiftly with his charming smile. “You’re enjoying having lunch with me, aren’t you? Yeah, I think I’m a very easygoing guy, and I really love meeting new people.”

He is pleasantly surprised by his own popularity in Malta.

“I’m reasonably well-known in the UK, but if I walk along the streets here, I get everyone from taxi drivers to little old ladies recognising me. It is nice and I’ve always got time for people who want to talk to me. I even like talking to the dustman, find out what he’s up to, where he went for dinner last night.”

It is patently clear that Alan Bates is an extremely positive person.

“If something is really, really negative I’ll turn it into a positive situation. When people say ‘I can’t do that’ they’ve already told their mind that they can’t do it, so they won’t. Never let a bad time turn into a worse time. Always turn it round, you’ll live longer, you’ve got a smile on your face, and it makes people around you happier. I never criticise my kids for something they can’t do, even if they make a bad job of it, I tell them ‘that’s great! Did you really do that?’ Because if you start telling them ‘that’s awful, that’s terrible’ that stays with their subconscious mind as they grow up and you’re programming them negatively. Building their confidence gives them a headstart in life.”

His own parents took this approach to upbringing and simply let him get on with anything he wanted to do. In his case it has obviously worked, because you leave Alan Bates feeling as if you’ve been infused with a remarkable feeling of positive energy.

And he didn’t try to hypnotise me once.

Independent Online © Standard Publications Ltd 2004
Registered in Malta
Registered office: Standard House, Birkirkara Hill St. Julian's STJ09

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Hypnotism shows in aid of charity

The Razzett tal-Hbiberija of Marsascala is joining forces with EM Promotions to organise charity shows by Alan Bates, a world-renowned hypnotist, on March 1 and 2.

Bates will be performing live on PBS and on stage at the Corinthia San Gorg, on the respective dates.

The live shows have been planned meticulously over the last few months and have been stepped up in particular following Bates's confirmation of his attendance.

Xarabank was asked and accepted to host the TV show live.

This will incorporate information and footage of the Razzett tal- Hbiberija, in an attempt to raise awareness and money for the charity.

The public may phone in donations to assist in the construction of the Snoezelen Project, a multi-sensory hall to be used to treat a variety of special needs here in Malta providing further facilities in essential areas that are not yet fully catered for locally.

The second show, on stage at the Corinthia, will create direct funding as tickets are being sold for the event. The Razzett tal- Hbiberija is asking for a Lm6 donation for each adult ticket and Lm4 for children.
 

Hypnotist to bury himself alive in stunt for charity
Herman Grech

Alan Bates will bury himself six feet under.
 

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