You know, when I started magic about 2-3 years ago, David Blaine was on television almost everyday. I told myself that he was pathetic and I could have replaced him in a snap.

Now, I kinda respect him a bit more. After all, his riffle passes are invisible and his double lifts are really unique. I dunno, what do you think of David Blaine and Chris Angel? Do you think you're just as good?

I'd say it's a big, vicious cycle. First, you see in on TV, and fall in love with him. Then you do a search and discover Ellusionist, which leads you to pick up the 2 card monte, passes, and the SHAPESHIFTER (ahahaahaha). You then progress away from Ellusionist/Penguin's material and find the better things in magic, and, looking back, you see that Mr Blaine wasn't as good as you thought he was, so then you now go around posting that he sucks.

If it wasn't for him, would you have even started? I have him to thank. For getting both magicians and laypeople "refreshed" back to the magic scene, making it something 'cool', as well as for appearing on that one South Park episode :D .

Don't you?

-Kev

Well, ask yourself this - could you have single-handedly thought of, and accomplished all the stuff he has done? Did you have the ambition and the drive that he had to do the stuff he did? Did you, and do you, have as much performing experience and as much technical skill as a guy who has been doing magic for well over 25 years? Really, before he came on the scene, magic was just a blitz of hats and rabbits and tuxedos... he changed that impression, whether anyone likes it or not. For some obsessive reason lots of people tend to zoom on and target flaws that he might have/that they think he might have - I mean, how many times have you gone to a magic board and seen the perpetual "Blaine suXX0rs, I can do all that stuff he does cuz its toooooooooo simple, lolx", the "all he does r camera trix", and the "dat guy doesnt say nuthin, lousy presentational skills" comments? If anything, those guys seem to be going out of their way to criticise his flaws instead of looking at him positively and seeing what he has done for magic... the truth is, if you gave those guys a camera and a deck, they'd go out trembling and stuttering like little babies while the wind blows their cards all over the street... few people, and ESPECIALLY those in the "I'm-better-than-Blaine-and-I-can-do-what-he-can-do" category, can lay claim to what he has done, and can do what he has done in the past 8 years.

Maybe I'm missing something, but how are his "riffle passes and double lifts" unique? They're pretty frickin' flawless (his double turnover's one of THE best I've seen), but how are they unique? Respect should not come from what he is able to do, but from what he has DONE. No doubt his technical ability IS awesome, but me... I respect him for the inspiration he's given to me, and to so many others out there, starting me off in magic, and for shaping the mould of the future generation of magicians. Without him, the magic community wouldn't be half as energetic as it is now - despite what those I'm-in-total-denial guys try to say (otherwise). Accept it and get over it, you frickin' tools.

People have the right to dislike him for their various reasons, but those guys that just intentionally zoom in on what they think are his downfalls, using the perpetual "he-uses-camera-editing-and-gimmicks-and-his-tricks-are-too-simple-and-he-has-a-lousy-presentation" slobbering and actually believing that they've just engaged themselves in a proper argument, present their "argument" in a less than schoolgrade-acceptable manner, and claim that they could replace him in a heartbeat with no justification, are asswipes. That's right, you heard me, asswipes.

Don't get me started on the entire Criss Angel against David Blaine stuff... that kinda thing belongs on boards like Penguin. You might want to look through both pages of this link...

DAMNIT!

C.

ACTUALLY.....it wasn't all so plain all along. B)
Before Blaine, David Copperfield was the household name. I don't know about US but in Singapore, comparatively speaking, Blaine hasn't gotten near the kinda of sensationalism and hype that Copperfield stirred up during his time. He was a much bigger celebrity then than Blaine is today (and seeing how his career path is cooling down) or ever will be.
My friends still refer to what I do as "that David Copperfield thing", and most hobbist magicians around my age would be lying if they were not somewhat inspired by him. To give an idea of his penetration rate, even my mom who is chinese educated and hardly watch TV knows who Copperfield is and the things he did. Everywhere he went, he created more than a stir, including Singapore when he came to perform his Flying show. (My hunger strike to blackmail my parents into taking me to see him didn't work then :( -_- )
Copperfield was the name for magicians to a whole generation of laymen.

Granted, he depended more on his publicist and good looks than magical skills and he is far from popular in the magic scene, for much more valid reasons than Blaine, but we not talking abt those. B)

And before that there was Blackstone, and before him was Houdini, and before that was Robert Houdin, (i'm probably missing out a few in betweens) etc etc...
Point is, it wasn't just all boring rabbits out of hats before (incidentally, rabbits out of hat was a very sensational trick once ;)), and there were quite a few thru-out history.

But yah, David Blaine, i think he's pretty cool :) He sure bought a lot of attention back to close up. B)

what i sort of ADMIRE him for is his:

1. Simplicity in magic
2. Ability to entertain, fool, shock, get reactions
3. Make magic more appealing

There was a time in my 5 years in magic which saw me going around saying david blaine is a fraud, doing only the simplest of tricks. But of course, as thinking matured (ahha!) i realised his magic, though simple, got some great reactions.

Which goes to show sometimes we dont have to do the most complicated of effects to entertain people. Just do a SIMPLE miracle (paperballs over head, coin vanishing flurry, reading a persons mind to reveal the selected card) and people can be JUST as shocked.

This principle, is one of my advice i give sometims to my hobbist/magi friends. Dont believe that the more complicated the effect is, the better the reaction. For some of the simplest of effects can get some of the GREATEST reactions, with the proper presentation, of course.

I like Blaine for his stunts and his looks purely. :g:

Vertigo is my favourite stunt of his. :D

Aloy, I'm not talking about popularity/big names. I meant that he (Blaine)brought the whole cool-in-your-face-close-up style of magic - it was the attention he brought back to magic and the way he changed people's impressions... I mean, look at all the guys coming into magic now, wannabes or not. Before that, even with DC's presence, lotsa guys were going around thinking that magic was just a really cheesy thing to do. I was one of them.

C.

LOL... :lol:
It might be because by the time you came along, DC was getting to be a little of a has-been. But if you can believe it, his magic (and guys with permed hair for the matter) was considered very cool and hip ;) :D
That was what i meant. You probably see Blaine as so much more real and cool now, and DC as some cheesy old foggy with bad hair and mushy plots.
But comparatively speaking, during his time, DC had a better connection with the audience and really captured the imagination and attention of the public in a way Blaine hasn't come close to yet.
There was a whole generation of layman who thought what he did is really amazing and thinks he's cool and is smitten by him, as incredible as it must sound to you. B)

overall, i like blaine. although i dun like his editing, but i must agree that he brought more attention & interest back into magic. ^_^ erm.....maybe can move this topic to other section? seems to be quite weird in misc discussion ^_^

i think DC still has a certain aura...

anyway, i also admire him because he has contributed much to preserving many old magic stuff (he's a collector). and all him $$ ensures they are well taken care of.

Kev, where to get SP ? I lost all my BT links...

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Hey hey ppl, I said I respect him now. I didn't say I didn't like him. Anyway, his passes are really invisible. Right, anyway does David Blaine earn more then Lennart Green and the like?

anybody knows what is he up to know?Is he busy "bathing" using his money?

I'm still waiting for his new stunts... Apparently, there aren't. His website is stuck in the Above the Below era.

He definately earns more.
Talk about shows and tv specials he made.
Publicity. $$

Honestly, we all have David Blaine to thank for the revival of card magic, among other things.

As Kevin has already mentioned, I'm guessing that many of us wouldn't be on this forum today if not for David Blaine.

Second, David Blaine succeeded at what Copperfield failed, namely to make magic cool, and accessible to all of us. He made it possible for us to do magic without borrowing neigh-impossible to vorrow props like The Great Wall of China, The Statue of Liberty and The Hot Girls/Female Assistants.

David Blaine has the guts to walk up to complete strangers and perform, something which I truely lack the guts for, and I have to respect him as a performer for that.

Still he has got the ability to edit all his presentations post-production, and who knows how many times he actually screwed up.

But I digress.

And I digress further: It was really cool to see him dangling above the Thames in a big plastic box, and even cooler to watch him pee and see his pee travel down a hose strapped to the side of the crane into a drain. :)

I just got the news that David Blaine is finally doing another stunt. It's gonna be a high-wire stunt, he calls it 'easy and fun'.

Well, let's wait and see. :P

kaoz i love blaine coz his levitation is video edited :g:

it looks super cool and much more better than a balducci lol

i dun think we shud compare david blaine with david copperfield.

if i wanted, i could easily say:

1. copperfield made magic "cool" as he performs for large audiences, and has many magic specials on TV
2. he does impossible magic with big stuff (not just some stupid card tricks)
3. he has the guts to perform for large audiences on stage

anyway, what im saying is that its different genres, and shud not compare it in a biased way.

btw, i think both are rather successful, although i prefer copperfield for his performance style...