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C.W.G. Loyal user 275 Posts |
Hi All,
Over the last few days I've been thinking about the effect that David Blaine has had on modern day magic, and its hit me how astounding that effect is. As a showman alone, the man has inspired a new generation of magic and magicians, I know that he inpired me to become a far better card worker and I've no problem in admitting that. I'm tired of coming on to magic forums and seeing so many people bashing Blaine for whatever reason, because lets face it, if it wasn't for him we really don't know where magic would be today. Think about that seriously. Its occurred to me that magic and magicians are a lot like music and musicians... There are a lot of snobs. I've noticed that a lot of magicians I talk to seem to think its far "cooler" to know the name of some obscure magician, than it is to acknowledge a known working performer? In other words because David is famous and because his tricks aren't the most difficult sleight of hand tricks out there (thats the words of others... I think his card work is brilliant) people think its grand to verbally bash him... But think about this.... No one is sure what his next stunt will be, yet everyone (both fans and haters) has been speculating for months about it, secondly, as with all his previous stunts, you can bet that there will be THOUSANDS of people in attendance there and millions more will see it on TV. When was the last time the world had a performer like this? A performer who made it his point to get close to the people, a performer who has invented a new art form in which he has blended with magic? When you think of where he has come from and the acclaim he has achieved, it really is amazing? And for all those idiots who say "whats so magic about sitting in a box for 44 days without food".... Well you try getting your fat ass to do it? Or how about his Vertigo stunt? Or the Frozen in Ice stunt? These are major achievements and lets face it, no one has done them before or will be enough of a performer to do them again. I wanna take my hat off to this very unique performer who really gives his all in his work, and I really want to wish him the best in what he does... And I also hope that Chris Angel has a really nasty accident that breaks his stupid face. |
daviaac Veteran user 351 Posts |
Finny,
I agree that blaine is a worker and has some nice sleights to his name however he comes across as an ahole and this has come from the interview with richard and judy the guy didn't speak just held his hand up with an eye on it (why the hell would you do that) that was the single most embarressing magician stunt on tv it was voted by a lot of people. lay people have asked me why he did it because it was stupid and I don't have an answer. if you strip out all the bashing discussions it generally is agreed by a lot of magicians you can either bash them or just get on with life. a lot of people will slate him but that is the same no matter whom you are talking about I personally like david stones magic others don't but that's ok its a matter of taste. but before I go shouting off about why people don't like him I will have the utmost respect for those I am talking to. I think you should have done that in this case. I'm just going to get on and hope mr blaine has a prosperous career and has sacked the pr person whom advised him to do that stunt. I don't hate blain just the image he embodies sometimes. by the way last time we had performers like blain well try Copperfield chris angel houdini jaun Tamariz paul daniels the herrmanns robert houdin penn and teller I could go on and beleive me when I say each of these people have far better entertained an audience. luke by the way I'm not here to attack I just feel that you should have sat on this a couple of days before throwing insults one last thing if you think david's repetoir will make you a better card magician please take a look at jean-pierre vallarino's work that is whom I aspire to and have the same feeling of a wanting to increase my skills as a close up magician
- the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources
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gaddy Inner circle Agent of Chaos 3526 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-10 17:51, Finny wrote: You know, Mike Doogan and I were just talking about this the other day...
*due to the editorial policies here, words on this site attributed to me cannot necessarily be held to be my own.*
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Bill Nuvo Inner circle 3094 Posts or 2742 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-10 21:09, gaddy wrote: LOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!! |
C.W.G. Loyal user 275 Posts |
Hi Luke,
First off just let me say, I did not, nor never wish to come on here and throw insults (unless we're taking about Cris Angel), I'm sorry if that is the way it appears in the post but it is not my intention, secondly I respect everyone that I communicate with in the Café, and that is the reason for me writing this post, the opinion of my fellow magicians is of importance to me hence I why I post here, I wanna hear what they think about certain situations. This one in particular bothers me and I don't think its fair that David gets slanted so much when he works so hard to create the things he has. I think you took the post up the wrong way which I can understand. What the message was meant to be is that I think that we should respect Blaine for what he has done because lets face it, he's probably been the reason that we got booked for some of our gigs? And the man has created a household name for himself through pushing himself to the absolute limits. It just bugs me that people (some of the famous names in magic in particular) are quick to knock him just because they guy is doing well, yes I admit he's a bit weird at times but that still doesn't take away from what he has accomplished And when I said about being influenced by his card work, what I mean there was when I started out my card work was at a fairly armature level, then when I saw the impact of what could be done with cards in his early TV specials it pushed me to learn as much as I could about cards from all the best names out there. I will agree with you about the hand thing, that was silly in the least and I think he did it for publicity alone, which he most definitely got? One fun thing worth noting about that incident was that Eamon Holmes (the guy who was interviewing him at the time on GMTV) showed up to Davids Above The Below stunt and the two of them were laughing about it and Eamon said something to the effect of "I really enjoyed our interview, must do it again sometime". However I cant agree with you on the list of performers in comparison to David. Most of all Cris Angel? I do not consider him a magician or performer as he has done so much to damage the reputation of working magicians that its just not funny. The only other performer I would hold in the same esteem is of course Houdini, who to be fair, is Davids biggest influence and one can see why David went down the path he did. The reason I don't hold Copperfield, Daniels, Tamariz or Penn and Teller in the same regard is, they haven't communicated or touched their audience as much as David has. All are fantastic performers I agree, but any of Copperfields stunts were camera tricks with paid "audiences" watching (I'm referring to the outdoor ones here), Daniels was a great TV performer/stage illusionist but didn't have much else to offer and did nothing new, Tamariz to be honest, I only know of his card work so I cant comment, and Penn and Teller..... I just cant stand them to be honest, they are two arrogant magicians that reveal magic for money... I don't get it why magicians think so much of them, to be fair I've only seen interviews with them and the odd thing on Youtube, but nothing they have done that I have seen has impressed me and they strike as performers who care nothing for their audience that they seem to take for granted? And before anyone goes thinking that I'm David Blaines biggest fan... I'M NOT!! There are lots of other magicians that I think are amazing but I do want to see credit where it is due and I think he has been unnecessarily mistreated by the magic community in general. Its easy for us to knock those in a higher place than us (yes I am aware of what I said about Angel and Penn and Teller) but when we achieve what they have, then I think we might think differently Sorry that this post was so long but I think that I got out what I needed to say this time. |
daviaac Veteran user 351 Posts |
Finny, thanks for responding sorry if I came off a bit argumentative I'm a natural a deeply respected member of the Café here has brought the subject up before and it is viewable in bill palmer's thought section under the heading why it is stupid to bash david blain or something to that effect and it should be mandatory reading for all those whom want to bash david
luke
- the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources
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C.W.G. Loyal user 275 Posts |
Ok hard man (hiding behind your keyboard).... Whats so funny about it? Or are you capable of writing out your points in a sensible manner?
Judging by your last post I seriously doubt it. |
Donny Orbit Special user 944 Posts |
I can't say anything about David Blaine other than thank you. His first magic special aired when I was 16 and I have been hooked ever since. I connected to his magic at the time because he seemed like a down to earth guy. I guarantee if I would have seen a special where a man was in a tuxedo doing a stage act or even a close up parlor act I would not have been as interested. Blaine's appeal to some is that he is akin to Joe Everyman. He doesn't dress flashy, he doesn't have sequens or sparkles all over his outfit. I appreciate what he has done.
DO |
C.W.G. Loyal user 275 Posts |
Cheers Donny, now that you say it I remember shortly after Blaine came out and a new wave of beginner magicians followed, some of who are now some of the pros on the circuits of the world (name the last magician that did THAT), I remember that whenever they would mention David at meetings or on forums, the so called experienced members would always be there to put David down and to talk up some guys DVD or book that THEY had just bought, that my friends was sad.
Most notably, and my reason for writing this, two of the performers I respect the most in the magic world, have publicly (one on DVD and the other in an interview) slagged off David for no reason, one can only put it down to jealousy I guess? Also, the great Derren Brown is a fan and good friend of Davids, and in my book if he's good enough for Derren.... |
Corona Smith Inner circle Airstrip One 1689 Posts |
Cyril is the best.
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Scott Compton Special user Hampton, VA 747 Posts |
Finny makes a brilliant observation, in my mind.
I am reminded of something that I read. It said, "At the time they were performing, Thurston was selling out theatres while Houdini was creating a legend." Would any disagree that Thurston was the superior magician? The animosity that Houdini had for other magicians is legendary, and he was ridiculed as a poor magician (only by other magicians - the lay public considered him the greatest at the time). But ask someone today to name a famous magician of the past and one name comes to mind, and it's not Thurston. Houdini created a legend, and that is what he wanted. Thurston had his own issues, but they seem to be looked over. It has become in vogue to bash the popular magicians of the day. Heck, it was the same later with Copperfield. Move forward to modern day. David Blaine comes onto the scene and performs (mostly Paul Harris) effects that had been in print and performed or bypassed by the magicians of the day, and performs them with a presentation that took the world by storm and here they come out of the woodwork..."Oh, that is a simple effect...I could do better than that....can you believe he used a simple DL and people freak, heck I have been doing that for years...there are much better moves that are much harder to execute..blah, blah, blah" And it wasn't just the levitation, although that was a great hook, but remember the Dallas Cowboys cackling and hooting it up when he performed "simple" card tricks? Remember Fruit Loop? David understood and connected with the public. No one since Houdini had done that.We, yes me included, had every chance to do the same thing, but did we? No, we were more interested in performing the latest and greatest "new & difficult" moves that, frankly, the public didn't care about. When I saw Copperfield fly it was the most magical thing I had ever seen. But he was on a stage and people just didn't connect. But when DB floats just inches above the ground right in front of them on the street, it was something that people could relate to. DB has a better grip on the mindset of the public than any magician since Houdini. Once I accepted that, I began to appreciate him more than ever. I spoke with Eugene Burger about this and he related a story that I will never forget. He told me that he went to a convention knowing that DB would be there and he was "pretty sure that I wouldn't like him". He saw David sitting at a table with a young man. The kid was telling David about his magic and asking David about his. What Eugene noticed was that David was locked on this kid, giving him his undivided attention. Eugene said that when David talks to you his eyes never leave yours. How many times have you been in conversation with someone and their eyes dart over your shoulder to glance at something or someone? How does that make you feel? When you talk to DB, he makes you feel important by giving you his full attention - he understands his audience. After his first couple of TV specials when I approached someone with my magic, I was no longer associated with the cheesy tuxedo-clad-birthday-party-magician performing the same old lame presentations. DB alone was responsible for that. When I am asked about Blaine, I say a silent thank you to him! He opened many doors for us. And to paraphrase Finny, anyone that is good enough for Eugene... Whew, now I feel a little better.
Magic is an art. I am merely a tour guide.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scott-Compton-Magician/160270640674735 "You are the magic" Jay Ose to Albert Goshman |
C.W.G. Loyal user 275 Posts |
Cheers Scott,
you got the point across a lot better than I did. |
Scott Compton Special user Hampton, VA 747 Posts |
Cheers to you, my friend!
Magic is an art. I am merely a tour guide.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scott-Compton-Magician/160270640674735 "You are the magic" Jay Ose to Albert Goshman |
Eddie Garland Inner circle Hells Kitchen, New York City 4207 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-11 21:28, Scott Compton wrote: So true Scott! Blaine manages to connect with and give his full attention to each spectator during his live events...it is a remarkable thing to watch. I tried to capture that aspect of the man in this video... http://darkartsmedia.com/Blaine.html |
C.W.G. Loyal user 275 Posts |
Thanks for the vid Eddie.... It captures Blaine at his best and shows us just a part of the reason he became the legend he is.
I should stress something else that impressed me about David that I didn't mention earlier.... When he "made it big", he did it with very standard and easy tricks. No big elephants, no flashy show girls. These were probably effects that other big name magicians would have laughed at if you suggested to them to use those effects as their big chance on TV. But it was Blaine's character and belief in what he did that wowed the audiences and pulled them in. Kenton Knepper often talked about people being congruent in what they say and do, and Blaine proved him right. I've often read that when he's doing an effect, that he, for the duration of the effect, believes that the magic he's doing is real. that's the best form of acting out there (just ask two time Oscar winner and greatest actor of all time Daniel Day Lewis who stays in character all through filming his movies and that's exactly what makes his characters so compelling to watch) and its that "act" that seperated David from the thousands of other magician's through out the world (who must have had "better" effects to perform) that wanted to make it big at the same time. If anyone here has read Derren Browns essential book Absolute Magic, he raises the point of why don't we act as if we actually had these powers that we display to our audiences? And if we did have these powers we wouldnt need playing cards or props to perform the magic we would "just do it". But the sad fact is we DO need cards and props, so how do we get around it?... By being believable, which is what David did. I'm rambling, excuse me.... I hope you get the point I'm making though. |
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