Mystery

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Mystery is the stage name and alter-ego of Canadian author and entertainer Erik von Markovik (born Erik James Horvat-Markovic on September 24, 1971)[1]. An innovator[2] in the seduction community, he is one of the main characters in the non-fiction book The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by his then-student Neil Strauss. He was featured in the 2007 VH1 reality television series The Pick-up Artist, finished its second season. Mystery is often called "the world's greatest pick-up artist" and was introduced as the "world's most successful pick-up artist" during the premiere of his VH1 show[3].

Contents

[edit] Biography

The persona of Mystery was created by Erik von Markovik in the late 1990s for his mentalist act, entitled "Natural Magic". He has performed magic shows in many locations, including Toronto, Las Vegas, and Hollywood. The name Mystery was also used by von Markovik as his internet nickname and nom de plume. He is the author of The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women into Bed, published by St. Martin's Press[4].

A self-proclaimed "late bloomer", Mystery admits that he spent the early years of his life playing Dungeons and Dragons and having limited to no success with women until his early twenties. But his desire to love and be loved by women drove him to go out to nightclubs night after night, practicing and experimenting various ways to engage people in social interactions. Over a ten year period of trial and error, "and many, MANY rejections", Mystery created the Mystery Method. By closely examining how people engage each other during the "courtship" phase of a relationship and combining these observations with various theories from evolutionary psychology, he created a system of techniques and strategies developed to help men become better at engaging women in various social situations such as bars, clubs, coffee shops, and the like. He shared his theories on an internet newsgroup, alt.seduction.fast, and became famous for his analytical approach to the field of seduction, as well as his in-depth "field reports".[5]

Mystery instructed and then befriended author Neil Strauss, who went on to become Mystery's 'wingman', and ultimately a mentor in the seduction community himself. Together with a number of other former students, Mystery and Strauss shared a large residence in Hollywood ('Project Hollywood'), which soon became a central point for aspiring students. The friendship is recorded in Strauss's book The Game.

In 2004, Mystery went into a partnership with fellow dating coach Nick Savoy to form Mystery Method Corporation, although Mystery himself stopped teaching at regular programs in mid-2005. Nevertheless, the company continued to grow, and added approximately a dozen other instructors until late 2006, when Mystery left to form his own company, called Venusian Arts. Mystery Method Corporation continued on without him with most of the same instructors, and has since changed its name to Love Systems.[6]

On April 11, 2007, Mystery appeared on the television show Late Night with Conan O'Brien to promote his book The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women into Bed. Mystery explained concepts such as going "in field", "peacocking", the structure of a pick-up, and the importance of not telegraphing interest when approaching a group of people.[7] He has since been invited back for a second guest spot.

Mystery has also been featured in a number of magazines, newspapers, and interviews.

On August 6, 2007, the series premiere of Mystery's television show The Pick-up Artist aired on VH1.[8], transforming him almost overnight into a pop icon in the United States. So much so that the “Brian Williams/Feist” episode of Saturday Night Live on November 3, 2007 started with a sketch in which Darrell Hammond played Bill Clinton at a Halloween party, dressed up as Mystery. The show was successful enough to warrant a second season, which premiered on October 12, 2008.

[edit] Technique and contributions

Mystery is credited with coining a number of terms and concepts in the seduction community. These concepts are borrowed from evolutionary psychology and Theatre, and his experience as a magician. Some terms Mystery is credited for include:

  • Set - A group of two or more people which a man would have to approach and befriend in order to be able to woo his "target" girl. "Beautiful women are rarely found alone."
  • Peacocking - Dressing to stand out, or to have an item of clothing or an accessory that looks interesting, allowing the girl to comment on it if she is interested in starting a conversation with you.
  • The 3-second Rule - If you see a girl you are interested in, you must approach her within three seconds or you will over-think things and create too much approach anxiety, and you will risk her seeing you staring at her.
  • Neg - A backhanded compliment intended to snub a potential mate ("target"), telegraph a lack of interest ("false disqualification"), encourage the target to prove her worth ("qualify"), and simultaneously disarm 'obstacles' such as protective male or female friends.[9]

Though seminars and workshops on seduction technique preceded his involvement, Mystery is credited with introducing "in-field" workshops,[9] in which small groups of students were appraised on their technique as they approached unaffiliated women in bars and nightclubs. Mystery himself has trained many of the most notable and most respected instructors from the world's top dating companies, many of which still teach his methods with their own personal "twist"[10].

[edit] Professional involvement

Mystery was involved with the company Mystery Method Corporation until 2006. Mystery currently owns the company The Venusian Arts[1] which runs seminars to teach men seduction, organizes "in field" workshops (in which he takes his students out to nightclubs and critiques their game in a live environment), and sells a variety of multimedia products on this theme, based on his work. Venusian Art's products and services feature all of his seduction technologies, plus new enhancements from not only himself, but also James Matador and Chris Odom.

A reality series titled The Pick-up Artist debuted on August 6, 2007 on VH1.[8] In the series, Mystery and his wingmen trained eight "lonely, socially inept" men in an eight week bootcamp in Austin, Texas to compete for the title of "Master Pick-Up Artist".[8] A second season debuted on October 12, 2008. Mystery held his first college seminar on May 4, 2006 at MIT.

Mystery has also received several notable awards within the seduction community. Mystery has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Pick-up Artists Of The Year for the last seven years, and one commercial website awarded him the top spot in 2007.[11]

[edit] Bibliography

  • The Venusian Arts Handbook (2005). The Mystery Method. (ebook) No longer available.
  • The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed (2005). Mystery, Chris Odom. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312360115
  • Revelation (2008). Mystery, Chris Odom, James Matador. ISBN 978-0-9818733-005

[edit] Media Attention

Mystery and his seduction techniques have drawn the attention of the media on a number of occasions, including television appearances, magazine articles, and newspapers.

Interviews and spots

Newspaper and Magazine articles

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ↑ Getlen, Larry (August 5, 2007). "HOT SEAT". New York Post. Retrieved on August 7, 2007.
  2. ↑ Strauss (2005), p. 15.
  3. ↑ Season 1, Episode 1. The Pick-up Artist. VH1. August 6, 2007
  4. ↑ von Markovik (2007).
  5. ↑ "The Pick-Up Artist 2 Character Bios". October, 2008. VH1.com. Retrieved on January 13 2009.
  6. ↑ Official California Superior Court Documents
  7. ↑ Conan O'Brien. Late Night with Conan O'Brien (April 11, 2007). [Television Show]. NBC.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "VH1 show teaches men how to meet women". August 1, 2007. The Orange County Register. Retrieved on August 4, 2007.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Strauss (2005).
  10. ↑ "Venusian Arts.com - About Us". 2007. Venusian Arts. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.
  11. ↑ "The Top 10 Pick Up Artists of 2007". January 8, 2008. Thundercat's Seduction Lair. Retrieved on January 13, 2008.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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