http://www.canada.com/national/nationalp......f2b9a284

Wonder what the 'catch' is...

Good question...doesn't sound too exciting.

It sounds pretty good. I bet none of you could do a highwire act over manhattan on TV.

My favorite line of the story is when Blaine states

"I think magic is whatever the individual defines it to be. I say it's all magic."

and it is. Good for him.

I couldn't disagree more. A highwire act is magic ... just because someone wants it to be? Well, I suppose I could go waterskiing, and tell people it's a magic act. I'm not sure they'd agree.

That's why we know who David Blaine is, and will never care who you are.

Blaine can see that the way he is doing things is getting boring and alienating to an audience and so he is bottling it and going for something that will work. He even says its family entertainment and calling it "fun and easy" kind of says it all.

Blaine and principles just don’t go together.

He's "going for the money"

Intelligent response. Thanks for taking part in the discussion.

It's the truth though. You're just some no name and we all know who Blaine is. Perhaps his success is because he looks and does things differently than your typical hack magician.

This post is just an exuse to bash Blaine, probably one of the most successful TV magicians today. Tarbell said it all when he wrote 70 years ago about how amateur/hack magicians constantly crap on successful magicians.

Maybe we should look at Blaine as an example of how to move beyond the stale and boring illusion box shows. When people see Blaine, they say wow whatever he does could be real/might be magic instead of the "if I bought that brightly colored box I could do it too". Blaine says its magic, and becuase the audience buys him they buy it. If he went waterskiing he could probably pull it off calling it magic because he is who he is. You on the otherhand, wouldn't be able to call it magic.

Holy cow. When exactly did I say I don't like Blaine? I'm watching him right now. I'm not a "fan", but I'm not a "basher" either. I enjoy watching him work, just as I enjoy watching any magician work.

I merely disagreed with his statement. Is that allowed? Or is anyone who disagrees with something Blaine says automatically wrong?

You're reading things into my post that were not there.

Now, without insulting me, explain to me how a high-wire act is magic. That would be an appropriate response to my initial post. There is no mystery to a high-wire act. There is no "how did he do that"? It's just impressive that the performer can do it. There are many impressive feats that are NOT MAGIC. And Blaine is entitled to perform these stunts to promote himself. More power to him. But the stunts themselves are not magic, and I don't see how they can be interpretted as such.

So, please enlighten me: how is a high-wire act magic?

First off, you don't know who you are talking to. Many people use aliases on this board, some of whom are "known" names. Therefore, you don't know if what you said is the truth or not.

Second, not everyone who isn't Blaine is a "hack". Are you saying that "typical" magicians are hacks?

Seeing as how someone must be a "name" to have the temerity to make a statement about Blaine, what exactly are your credentials to call others "hacks"?

Well, basically I misread your (barry) post by melding it with the posts above it. Didn't mean to call you (barry) a basher.

It is magic because the public sees David as magical. Whatever David does is magic. Hence, since he calls it magic, it is magic. Some normal guy doing a hire wire act isn't magic, but when David does it, it becomes magic because he did it.

And to irishguy, unless barry has a show in vegas or is David Copperfield, then yes he is unknown and I am probably very safe at calling him such. You can probably count the number of famous known magicians who are working today on one hand.

Also, it would also be safe to assume that the typical amateur/hobbiest magician is a hack that damages our art every time he performs in public. If there was a magical american idol, the typical magician would be personified by William Hung. Completely clueless as to how terrible he is.

Actually, Blaine didn't say that magic was what rich and famous magicians define it to be. He said it's what "the individual" defines it to be. So the water-skiing analogy holds firm: if I want to tell people it's magic, then according to Blaine's statement, it is. And according to your definition, it's magic in the eyes of those who have seen me perform. (Except, according to your rule, I have to perform in Vegas, be on television, etc. How deflating. Here I was thinking I was a magician. But please allow me to suspend that rule for a moment.)

Let me present a few scenarios:

1) David Blaine does a highwire act, and says "it's magic". Is it?

2) David Blaine eats a bowl of Alpen cereal, and says "it's magic". Is it?

3) I perform a show for twenty-thirty people. Then I stand on my head for ten minutes and say "it's magic". Is it?

4) I go to my office job the next day, and stand on my head for a member of my staff, and say "it's magic". Is it?

5) Johnny Smith performs an engaging ambitious card routine for his girlfriend -- the only audience he has ever had. Then he shoots free throws and says "it's magic". Is it?

6) David Blaine, Johnny Smith, and Magicbarry stare at a wall for an hour. Johnny's girlfriend, my audience, and Blaine's cameraman look on. Nothing happens ... but that doesn't matter, because all three of us say, "it's magic". Are we all right? Or are we all wrong? Or is Blaine right because he's Blaine and everything he says is true?

7) David Blaine does his high wire act. Immediately afterwards, and for the same audience, a circus performer uses the same high wire to do his own high wire act. Blaine calls both performance "magic", despite the fact that the circus performer has never performed magic in his life, and no one has ever thought of him as a magician. Is it magic?

8) At the circus, the same performer does his high wire act. No one says it's magic. Is it?


My contention is that without mystery, there is no magic. But since I'm a hack, I'll have to cite someone who is "famous" and therefore qualified to make such a judgement: Dai Vernon said the same thing. Are we both wrong?

No, neither of you are wrong. The mystery with Blaine comes from Blaine himself.

Well, by those extremely strict requirements Ed Marlo was a no-name. Vernon? No-name. Lorayne? Fechter? Harris? No-name. No-name. No-name.

Blaine has never played Vegas, nor is his name Copperfield. I guess he is a no-name, too.

I'm glad we got that cleared up.

Wow, amazing how one can post a link in the MAGIC NAMES IN THE MEDIA about what a fellow magician is DOING IN THE MEDIA and get with comments like:

"This post is just an exuse to bash Blaine"

I simply posted the link and stated "I wonder what the catch is." I don't believe it will be simply him doing a quick high wire act. Maybe it will be for an extended period, maybe he'll be doing something extremely interesting, who knows. He has a flair for doing things in very 'diferent' ways.

Its really a shame we get people like this who are just looking to try to start some kind of flame war with others. At first I was just amazed at the level of immaturity Ivan was making with comments like:

- I bet none of you could do a highwire act over manhattan on TV.

- That's why we know who David Blaine is, and will never care who you are.

- You're just some no name and we all know who Blaine is. Perhaps his success is because he looks and does things differently than your typical hack magician.

However, the one comment that helped me understand the 'boy behind the idiocy' was the following:

- And to irishguy, unless barry has a show in vegas or is David Copperfield, then yes he is unknown and I am probably very safe at calling him such.

If he really believes that is what makes someone 'known,' I now understand and wouldnt expect anything more than this kind of obtuse rhetoric.

Excellent points Irishguy.

Ivan, you are WAY off-base on this one pal.

Ivan, I'm a Blaine fan and I'm sorry that I didn't find the hire wire act that impressive.....it just seems to me that he could think up of something better then that. I think if Blaine wants the individual to decide what is Magic or not, most of the Indidviduals watching the program on TV are going to think of the high wire as a circus act and NOT a magic act. So just because Blaine think it's magic the viewers on TV (paying Blaine money) are NOT going to agree that it is.

You're right, I couldn't walk over NYC. And no doubt, I'm both a hack AND a no name! I do agree Blaine is very talented, and has marketed his name amazingly...Props to him!

Did this air yet??

Michael

I have watched Blaine, and to be honest, I don't get the hype. He must be doing something right because I can’t get that kind of billing and so I guess I do feel jealous because I don't see him as very dynamic or entirely forthright with his presentations as 'edited for TV". I think there is a lot of work that is carefully extracted from his presentations. My guess is Dave is the master of center tears and impression boards because what I see on TV? I can see no way to recreate exactly as they are shown. Am I Blaine bashing? Maybe, and I admit it may be sour grapes I have seen far more talented and skilled magicians locally and touring the convention that are only known inside the circle. I mean look at Max Maven, probably one of the most brilliant and creative minds in magic/mentalisim and how long did it take him to finally get TV time? And yet he still isn't as well known as Dave. Look at guys like Burger, Mullica, Lovell, Eason, Hilford, Sankey. All 100 times more entertaining and skilled then Blaine and yet he got lucky. Good for him and I wish him the best. But still, I personally just don't see the draw. I am a hack and I still think I can be far more dynamic in my presentation, especially if I could edit my act like his. ::sits back and adjusts the target and hinds our bows and arrows.::
More to the point I think he is a master manipulator (mental not finger flinging) and showman even if his persona is drab, dead and intrusive n my mind. Again he has to be doing something because he wouldn’t have gotten the repeat specials he’s gotten by being a total hack, but then Jerry Springer is popular too.