I agree with criss 110%!!

Mmmmmm but what about him doing magic with stooges and camera tricks on TV.

Are you with that 110%

Should I talk and post on my website about these things so that the general public knows that he is not a real life magician like they could hire for a event?

Jack

H.12/O.17A-X

Jack you seriously don't think that Angel could be hired for an event? Yes he uses cameras, etc., etc., in his shows. The guy has skills, if you want to believe that or not that is up to you.


Jack, why would you be both? That makes no sense at all. Why would you need to be a magician if you have real powers? That seems really odd to me.

For the right price, Angel would do an event... $1 million bucks for a swank charity event? You betcha!

I don't know Criss Angel personally. I only know what I have seen on his television specials and in interviews.

This is my opinion of Criss Angel as a performer (you may disagree):

1. To me, he is not a "nice person". He does not really engage or connect with his audience. Rather, his persona is one of a bit of a whiner who must bash other magicians (onstage and off) to build himself up (which is not necessary and strikes me as being the sign of somebody insecure).

2. His chops, compared with other real-world pro's, are comparatively stinky. Although he does manage to pull some stuff off, a lot of it looks clunky and rushed.

3. He seems to be as original as whomever's effects he is (rapidly) learning (ouch).

Maybe in time he will mellow out, invent some stuff, and hone his chops. I do wish him the best of success, and I'm not saying his shows are not without their "moments".

Obviously, there is "room" for Criss Angel in the world of magic. It just seems sad that he feels there is only room for himself.

In the meantime, some of his stunts are fun to watch (in a sort of Pink Floyd way, if you know what I mean).

Endnote: I am not challenging Criss Angel to a duel, I am not saying I am better than Criss Angel, nor am I seeking my own television special. This is merely my review of a magic act, taking into account other magic acts I have seen in person, on the telly, via DVD and the web.

If you like Criss Angel's performances, then God bless you, for you perhaps can perceive things or appreciate things that I (an obvious bitter curmudgeon), cannot.



Douglas M.

One thing I noticed in a show I saw yesterday. It was "the building walk". WHere he walks down the side of the Aladin. Which I thought was a cool looking thing.

Well before he walked down the building he went up there to lean over the edge. Why did he have to do that? just from layman point of view. If you can do it in the morning why cant you do it right now? Why are you four feet away leaning over if in the morning you are going to walk down the front of it? I liked the stunt. I just did not understand the reason behind this? Any ideas of why it had to happen?

Don't misread me. I've enjoyed Chris Angels shows. I also bought the DVD. However....He's changed over time. He allows David Blaine to be slagged in one of his shows ( They could have edited it out...however I think it was actually scripted...Just Me I guess). His comments about MOST MAGICIANS being Hokey and not giving a %$%&* about what they think also turn me away.
The script written for his Mother doesn't really work. I'd honestly NEVER let my aging Mother believe that I was completely chewed up by a wood chipper a spewed out as bloody wood and human chips....Never! Not for one second! Who would?
Either he did this...Or his Mother is IN ON IT and it's all just an act. Not real in any way.
That, CHI CHI, is why so many things don't make scense...Like walking down a wall, that he could barely peek over before.

Wow CarlD,

I think that your comments were "amongst the rudest, most ignorant and un-called for comments I have seen on the forum". The guy just said he was too lazy to go and listen to the interview and wanted to know what was said. I feel the exact same way, in fact, I find it aggravating that the whole topic was posted like it was. If Slim had something to say, he should have said it. What I, personally, am not going to do is go and run to listen to something that may or may not have any relevant point.

In any case, I am not here to bash Slim, I am here to bash you. Salsa AGREED with you and in your twisted little mind, you turned that into some sort of sarcastic, subtle insult. Get over yourself, sometimes all a person means is EXACTLY what they say. Take me for example, when I say that you are a self-centered, egomaniac that doesn't know what he is talking about, I do not mean you are a nice, reasonable person. But if you want to twist it all around, then feel free.

-Carlos "I mean what I say, imagine that!" the Great

WOW!

Yes exactly ChiChi

Okay, I was going to stay out of this but I have an opinion, why not give it. In fact, I have several opinions.

1.) Most magicians are hokey. I also do not give a **** what they think. The bottom line is Criss' bottom line. Show business is a business. Anybody who cares what the industry thinks (as opposed to what their market thinks) is a poor business person. Your primary concern must be to your audience, period. I have an MBA but you don't need one to realize that. You also don't need to be a spectator to realize that >90% of performance magic is crap.

2.) People are in on the tricks?! Say it isn't so, say it isn't so. What in the heck are you thinking? Once again, this is entertainment and I would be worried if everybody in the production crew wasn't in on it. They need to know what to shoot, from where, and what the real dangers (if any) are. Once again, show business is a BUSINESS. People who look at magic as an art or as something other than business will never make as money or be as succesful as they should be.

3.) Laypeople think magicians are lame. I think that is because most magicians are lame. By distancing himself somewhat from the typical magician, Criss eliminates the negative connotation associated with magicians. In marketing parlance, this is known as the third P of marketing, positioning. He is doing a brilliant job and probably why he is more successful than most people who are getting offended because he gave his honest opinion (HOW DARE HE!).

4.) I didn't like Criss' show at all at first. However, I AM NOT HIS TARGET AUDIENCE. I started looking at his show as a PRODUCT and he is actually doing things quite intelligently. He is bringing in big names to help his product positioning (Mandy Moore, Korn), he is selling a product by incorporating commercials into his show (NBC has started doing the same thing, watch Las Vegas from a few weeks ago where the snowboard fans were part of the episode and the show and a commercial were merged), he is positioning his own stage show, and HE HAS ANOTHER SEASON ON TV. Absolutely brilliant.

5.) Nobody seems to have a sense of history or even a memory at all. Many individuals have incorporated the techniques that Criss uses (Houdini, for example anyone?) but for Criss it just "doesn't make sense"?

6.) And this is my honest opinion. Magicians who bash Angel and even Blaine (who I can't stand) do so for one of two reasons. First, and 95% of you (at least) haters fall into the jealous category ("that is just an invisible deck and that dude was in on it, that isn't fair he is getting that kind of reaction"). The other group are people who just don't like how the magic is presented (maybe it is being presented as real mind reading or whatever). I started disliking Blaine when he felt up a chick while he was reading her mind, but that is just me. Most haters are just jealous because they think they are better magicians than Blaine. Funny thing is, maybe they are. However, they are not business people so they are doomed to mediocrity and, furthermore, they are magicians, not something else like Blaine and Angel position themselves and remember, people hate magicians (and, generally, I tend to agree).

-Carlos the Great

Or they could be advancing themselfs in the same way Chris is.

Jack

H.12/O.17A-X

Good point, Jack, I didn't think of it that way. I still that would fall under the jealous category though ("why is he successful when I am not", for example). I did leave the door open for exceptions, there always are some but wanted to give my honest opinion. Did it come out? ;-)

-carlos

Carlos. I think you hit on a lot of key stuff there.

Number 3 and 6 are on the money in my opinion!

Not that everything you said did not have some merit!

Thanks. As I said, just my opinions. I obviously think they are the right ones but I may be wrong and (and I have said this before), I am one of those people who likes a good debate. Many of my points (esp. 3 & 6) will not sit well with many and I think that is a good thing.

-Carlos

I think Carlos made some excellent points; specifically those defending me.

chichi,

When you are wearing shoes with thousands of tiny suction cups on the soles, you have to test them out first, to make sure they hold. (You need to know just how much to lick them beforehand, etc.) Thus, the leaning first. Just safety precautions that they caught on film.

Seth

No, no, no. All of his points were excellent, well articulated, and handsome (I don't know how points are handsome but I know this Carlos guy and his are), lol.

-Carlos

He walked down the side of a building with nothing more than suction cups? I am still banking on wire. If he really did walk down with suction cups the guy has some serious juevos

Obviously you guys aren't offended. He didn't call "YOU" Hokey...Just the "Other" Magicians........... Arrogant? Misguided? Blinded?
You've all( Not really all, Just most of you) placed yourselves in the ranks of the Higher Magician types ....Not the "MOST" section of Magicians. So he wasn't talking about you.
Interesting!
Almost every Magician I know is VERY GOOD! I'm not a member of any of the magical organizations...Is this where all the geeky hokey dudes hang out? Just wondering where the "Most" bad magicians can be found and are they the ones buying that Soda Can Trick that Angel sells?