Someone who is the single most well known magician in the world did not get that way by lacking showmanship skills.

SHOWMAN DEFINITION: a person skilled in dramatic or entertaining presentation, performance, or publicity.

I would rank Blaine up there with one of the top showman in our history books. Houdini. Showmanship is probably Blaines best quality. I think you may be confusing showmanship with personality. David has a very low key personailty but that only highlights focus on his magic. Nothing more distracting then a magician with an annoying "look at me I'm great" kind of personality.

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Then how do you think he get the reactions he gets? I can tell you for fact that he does not need a camera to get such a response. And why is the world fascinated with him?

I don't worship what he's done but I do appreciate it.
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In a word: mystery!
His personality and style is evasive. People like reading a good "whodunit" novel. I think David Blaine gets the same fascination, people are intrigued by an aloof enigma.

He is a good-looking confident guy with a "different" look that is both "next door" and "foreign". He looks like he could be from Morocco or from Madison.

His look is his magic. This is what I am so surprised that people don't seem to get. They are one and the same! His technique is sufficient, the people are amazed... but more importantly they don't know what to think.

This is why the public is so enamored with him. His success is due to the "brand". He doesn't have to be the most skilled technician. He understands what ABC, Disney and MTV wants... An image that sells. That is the secret to his success.

I wish him the best, but I don't want to be him (and I couldn't if I wanted).

...as Ken Weber states in "Maximum Entertainment":

"His personality would fit (me) like a polyester suit on a hot day" (loosely paraphrased)

Sean

I wish him the best, but I don't want to be him (and I couldn't if I wanted).

...as Ken Weber states in "Maximum Entertainment":

"His personality would fit (me) like a polyester suit on a hot day" (loosely paraphrased)

Sean
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LOL, please don't go near a fire eating magician

I think Blaine incorporates what Weber defines magic as working at three levels: puzzle, trick and extraordinary moment, and strives to help create more extraordinary moments. Blaine has it all in his own way!

Agreed!

SW

Oh lord people, "best known magician in the world"?

Not by a long shot.

Accomplished a heck of a lot? Oh yes he has and I acknowlege what it is. But there is a limit.

See I believe the truth of David Blaine is right in the middle. Right directly the center of the "Blane haters" and you "Blaineacs". He is a guy who has accomplished quite a bit in his time. Lets just keep it in reality.

Yes David Blaine and Chris Angel are to 2 most well known magicians in the world right now. Danny that is the reality I'm afraid. I am not saying they are the best but they are the most popular right now. Personally I like Blaine more then Angel.

Actually far more people know Houdini and Copperfield. THAT is the reality.

Like I said, the truth is right in the middle.

Houdini and Copperfield have had 30 + years of exposure but I am sure if asked to name a magician Blaine, Angel, Copperfield, and Houdini, would be most common. So your comments of "Completely Wrong" and "Not by a long shot" were highly exaggerated and not accurate.

Who cares?

With Paul Harris and an allstar crew, who can question his skill. Next question is who has ever seen him irl perform?

You mean exaggerated like the godlike claims people make of Blaine?

Like I said the truth is in the middle.

Dannydoyle, please find any post on here by anyone from anytime that states that Blaine is like god.
It seems like the only one here making exaggerated claims and straying far from the middle is you.





You are way off thinking that Blaine is not one of the most famous magicians in the world right now.

Wow! Kamm...I could not have said it better!

Gee...I was going to avoid posting in this thread...but...

I have to admit...David Blaine kind of opened my eyes a bit, as to MY style of magic, and why it was not always working. My girlfriend told me I was too "in your face" and came across as egotistical. That hurt. I just about abandoned magic permantently after that, but then, she gave me a video tape with David Blaine performing.

She said, "Now THERE is a magician I can watch...". After my jealous rage subsided (LOL), I took a serious look at Blaine's style, and mine. Doggone it...she is ALWAYS freakin' right, and I hate it, but...I started toning it down a bit...then dropped the "magician" persona altogether. I'm no longer a semi-pro...I don't do stage any more...but...I do like to amaze people.

It's all in how one percieves the person doing the amazing things. Do they LIKE the person? If not...no amount of showmanship or fancy acting will change it. As Blaine does, I now try to establish an amiable repoir with the person(s) I'm performing for. I'm NOT trying to COPY Blaine, but adapt some of those admirable qualitites mentioned above to improve the spectator's perception of ME.

I think as we mature...these things are naturally apparent...I'm just glad someone was bold enough to point out (rather brutally) how I was being percieved. After studying Blaine's performances...I feel I am MUCH improved, and I will continue to look for qualities in others (Blaine, Chris Angel, Lance Burton, etc) that I can adapt to my own style.

Just my $.02

Doug

M__U__S__T____D__R__I__N__K____T__H__E____K__O__O__L_-_A__I__D

Man that was funny.

It is the tree with the ripest fruit at which people cast stones. Translated means the people who are on top of their game are the people that are always attacked. Usually by people who are jealous of their success and don't feel they deserve it. David Blaine is amazing. He took a stale magic world and turned it upside down. Taking magic to the street and showing honest reactions. Something that had never been done before. He went from nobody to the talk of the town. He does the tricks that all of us can do and showed us how powerful they can be. He did us all a favor by exploding magics popularity. He was paid 1 million dollars for his first special. To convince a network to do that he had to be doing something right. As magicians we should be proud of him. He is one of us and he made it to the bigtime. The rest of us would be happy to have a tenth of his success. There may be a couple crazed fans out there that would drink Blaines Kool Aid. But to make the general assumption that we all feel that way about him simply because we respect his talent is an insult.

Wow listen to yourself.

Now here is the funny thing. Read what I have written. I said the same thing and yet you argue with me and call me jealous? See where the Kool-Aid comes in?

First off to tell someone who dosn't agree with you they are jealous is just not right. You ascribe motives where you have no idea, like you accuse us of doing with your kool-aid drinking.

Next many of us are quite happy where we are, no need for mega sucess, not everyones goal.

Another thing is I have said TIME AND AGAIN I RESPECT what he has accomplished. It is just that he has NOT DONE THE THINGS YOU SAY.

Again look in the middle. I am NOT A BLAINE HATER. I don't particularly like his brand of magic, or his silly "style". It means nothing. It is one opinion. I realise most of this board started because of sleepy, but not me. I was and am at a point in what it is I do that it matters not one bit what he or CA do.

Just to not like someone is automatically jealous? So save your idiotic pop psycobable for someone who isn't in the field ok? Ripest fruit? My god man at least stop mixing metaphors please.

Let me ask you a question, is it such a contratiction to NOT like Blaine and still respect him? Is it SO hard to understand that perhaps we can say "yep" he has accomlished a lot" and not worship at the alter of Blaine. NOT be jealous?

IF NOT then guess who has been drinking Kool-Aid.

Calm down man

Oh now when a point is made without kool aid it is calm down.

Really it is sickening the way the Blaineacs paint everyone who simply dosn't like the man as a Blaine hater. Funny it is easier to stomach the man himself than the wannabes.

Although if not everyone who dislikes him is jealous, why is everyone who likes him a wannabe? Guess that is the point I am trying to make.

"Hello, my name is giochi and I'm a Blaineaholic".

...........10 steps baby, 10 steps and you'll be good as new!

Step #1: Repeat 100 times, ....."his double lift isn't that good"....."his double lift isn't that good".........
Step #2: Repeat 100 times,......."it's uncool to use homeless people as props"......

Just because we think Blaine is a good magician does not make us Blaineaholics. You guys are so extremist with your comments. Blaine is not the best technician but neither was Houdini. Many professional famous magicians are not that technically perfect and by the way its pretty cool to entertain the homeless. They are people too. I am sure the guy was rewarded well for his assistance.