Rich -

I recall, the South-Jersey-tent's-in-back-past-the-pool-thanks-for-entertaining my mother-in-law-here's-a-tip, story.

That right there puts you in the top ranks.

;)

I was just kidding!!!

Cellini! Yeah, definitely Cellini!

Mine is David Blaine (OK, OK I know) and for sure Lance Burton, he rocks the house. I like his grace and style.

Gregory Wilson.

I don't know why you all say David Blaine doesn't count. I think he is a good street performer. BUT, I still think that Greg Wilson is the best after seeing On The Spot!

Let's face it, there is only one. All the others people discuss are not even close. Never will be.

When you ask a random geezer off the street to name one, his name will come up probably 100% of the time.

I like him because he brought magic out into a new environment. He represents the ghetto and the people of the ghetto. He knows where he came from even at this stage where he receives great fame.

Fair enough, his "tricks" might not be the best, but when you judge any magician it should be based not only on his technique but also his character and personae.

When he came to my country the first place he wanted to go was Brixton, a rough area and quite frankly. Even the people who live there fear for their lives everyday they walk out the house. Regardless of the bodyguards that he may have had, it would have been a brave thing for such a person. Incidently, "because of traffic" they sent him into Oxford streets instead, where the rich and famous wander around, and so he hated it. I'm also disgusted at the way people from my country are treating him at the moment, and when I finish university, I'm gettin' out there first chance I get.

He is the greatest I've ever seen, genius, and you know who he is.

.peace out.

Cellini and David Blaine (even though he was exposed, he's still good)

Why have so many people got a problem with Blaine? Don't get me wrong, I don't rate him as one of the greatest performers of all time, but he definitely revolutionized street magic.

I think people are just cheesed-off because he was the first to do this kind of show on TV. The proof of his effectiveness can be seen by the reaction from the people on the street. (Sorry, sidewalk—otherwise he would be hit by traffic. Huh? Then no one can be a street magician.) To me, Dai Vernon, Michael Ammar, Paul Harris, John Carney and Bruce Cervon are the best magicians (not street) but that is my opinion.

andre
south africa
ajcombri@telkomsa.net

At least the likes of Jeff Sheridan and others do real world routines that actually can be performed on real streets without the need for four or five retakes. David Blaine is, in my opinion, a TV magician only (in the context of street magic).

In fact, I don't think he'd make a dime (if he were not famous) busking on the street. He just does not have the personality to get an edge, pull a crowd and do the bottling (industry term for getting the cash).

OK, he looks good on TV but I'd happily have a competition with him to see who could make the most cash busking on any street, anywhere in the world using nothing more than one ordinary ungimmicked deck of cards, no stooges, no hidden gimmicks, just relying heavily on skill and personality and the ability to entertain a crowd in real world conditons!

I always thought that David Blaine was not a street magician, he was just a magician who did magic on the street for TV shows. I would think that a true street magician is one who makes his living or at least part of his living perfoming on the street and then passing his/her hat. I've found that anyone can do magic on the street but to make a living at it...these very few gifted performers are the true artists.

Ninety-nine per cent of the magic performers who even try this form of magic fail. Of those I have seen who are great, only Gazzo, Ken Lightfoot, Nick Nickolas and Ken Sonken come to mind. I know there are a few other, but they are the ones who I saw perform many times on the street and who hold hundreds of people spellbound!

Is David Blaine a magician? I don´t think so...No, I´m not radical, I just think that the art of magic is completely different from the persona that Mr. Blaine incorporates.

My favorite street magicians are: Penn and Teller (yes, think about that), Jeff McBride and Jeff Sheridan. I can´t tell about Cellini, because I don´t really study him a lot. I´m 18 now but I´m sure that when I get to study the way he did street magic, I´ll be enjoying it as much as I can.

I love Gregory Wilson. He may not be a street magician, but in his On The Spot videos he did a very good job in the streets.

Markus

Gregory Wilson. Even though he tried to pick up my fiancee in 2000 at a convention.

Apollo Robbins (one of the most amazing pickpocketers I've seen in a good while)

David Blaine for sure. Chris Angel seems artificial and he bores me.

Hands down—Jeff Sheridan! He can transform the street into a magical world and have a huge crowd of New Yorkers standing with their mouths open. An amazing, magical performer with exquisite slight of hand.

By the way, Jeff Sheridan does it without cameras, a crew, and retakes.

I don't like Blaine but he has done a lot for the public's view of street magic. Cellini is great, so is Gazzo, never seen Sheridan myself...but try Googling "best street magician" and see for yourself...

Nick

I think Harry Murphy is right, how do you define “street magician”?

If Ricky Booska would have put a little finer point on his original question there may have been less consternation. It is, however, an interesting question. If Ricky means a magician that was making a living of some sort, doing magic on the street for tips, that someone has seen IN PERSON, I would say Penn and Teller. I used to watch them juggle and do magic outside my studio at New Market in Philadelphia every weekend in the summer.

Harry Murphy makes a good point in that I have no idea how much time David Blain “has spent on the street” working for tips. Doing a very good TV extravaganza filmed on the street may (or may not) qualify as a “street magician.”

I have also seen Dan White work 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, he was very good.

Fight nice...
Bob

Whether you like him or not, David Blaine IS a magician. You don't have to be a part of it, but you should Respect the Revolution.