David Blaine - Never Ceases to Amaze

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

On this one, I'm not so sure. I think he's playing the real/unreal line pretty cagily, just to keep people wondering, but I think he avoids making outright claims of any real powers. He even sells "how to" videos at ellusionist.com. (And he obviously knows that this same site sells instructions on how to do the levitations he does when seen live. Anyone can do them. Well, I can do them badly.)

Loudmouthed fraudbuster Penn Jillette has no problems with David Blaine. On his radio show (Radio Penn) he devoted an entire episode to Blaine, and that didn't even come up. So I take that to mean Blaine hasn't overtly pretended any higher powers and is not really seeking a cult. Penn would have been all over that. (Penn has nothing but harsh things to say about Kreskin, who does the same kinds of mentalist tricks, but most certainly wants you to believe.)

Ever watch the special that they show all the time? He does the levitation thing, and then he acts like the effort drains him...lying on the ground, acting hurt, and telling people to call for help. Feh.

[Moonliner]

Wow! This guy is a certified genius, I mean really just the other day I was thinking to myself "Man, what will this guy do for an encore?" After the excitement of watching a grown man float in water for days, followed by the action packed finale of a grown man holding his breath... What could he do to top THAT? Now we know. He's going to the zoo.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

Does anyone remember Doug Henning, the sort of flower-child magician who always smiled? He was such an opposite of David Blaine and, IMO, far more talented. He always stressed that what he performed were simply illusions, not "tricks" and I liked the honesty. He was an incredible sleight of hand magician and was a master of "close-up" magic.

I do remember the name, Doug Henning, though I never saw anything he did. I'm with you, I like honesty, that it's illusions. It is, it's slight-of-hand. Tricking the eye and getting you to look where he wants you to look. I know what it is and it's fun.

I haven't been impressed with David Blaine at all. Boring.

[flippyshark]

Ah, good old Doug Henning. He was planning to build a Transcendental Meditation theme park here in Central florida, but it never happened. (Not on this plane, anyway.) He was very likeable, with the biggest teeth you ever did see.

I admit that the earliest David Blaine specials were fun, and I liked how the street magic format placed the emphasis on people's reactions to the tricks as much as on the illusions themselves.

Nowadays, most people I talk to think Blaine has jumped the shark. Wait a second! David Blaine - Live in the belly of a shark! Now, that I'd watch.