Mystery (biography)

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). An innovator 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 the self-proclaimed "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.

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.

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"[citation needed], Mystery created what has evolved into what is known as one of his Love Systems (previously known as 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".

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.

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. He has since been invited back for a second guest spot.[citation needed]

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 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.



By: wikipedia