What is all the more disturbing is that it appears to be a uniquely British reaction. “I’m truly amazed by this abuse. David never gets this in the States,” says his friend Ben, a London-based American who turns up regularly to give moral support from a deckchair beneath the box.
Blaine certainly endured none of this last year when he stood unharnessed on a tiny platform 90 ft above a New York park for 35 hours. The response of the American public ranged from admiration to indifference, but never downright nastiness.
“I’ve never seen this before,” admits Blaine’s girlfriend, model Manon von Gerkan, 30, who was so incensed by one egg-thrower last week that, when the guards caught up with the man, she urged them to hold him down while she reciprocated with an egg herself.
An estimated 30,000 people-a decent Premiership crowd – have already made the effort to see a lethargic man do nothing much in a box. Staff at Tower Bridge Underground Station have even erected a sign giving directions to “David Blaine” as well as to the Tower itself.
Of the crowds gathered beneath the crane, a handful could be described as devotees, waving banners and squawking the sort of “We love you!” inanities usually reserved for boy bands and Tim Henman.
Francois Greef, 44, a campaigner for the handicapped homeless, has taken to engaging Blaine in a game of chess using giant plastic pieces and hand signals to interpret the magicians moves (thus far, scores are even).
Most people just stand and gawp for a few minutes, waiting for a wave. And forget any attempts to credit this scene with some sort of artistic merit. In 24 hours at this spot, I hear only recurring topic of conversation-and it is lavatorial.
The greatest excitement occurs every few hours when Blaine wraps a sheet around himself and proceeds to relieve himself through a funnel connected, via a long plastic tube, to a small, to a small beehive contraption on the ground from where a bored… Continue reading The Latest From The Blaine Watch
We have already declared our opinion that Dan Sperry is not
one of the best dove workers but THE best dove worker. He has brought a
new sense of energy and imagination to this specialized part of our
art. He has two new websites you should check out.
www.dansperry.com is his personal site and www.extremedovemagic.com is
exactly as the title suggests — it is extreme in every way.
Both sites will be on the Inside Magic Links of Fame.
Mark Borkowski?s ?Stunt Watch? column in the Guardian Unlimited has featured consistently fine writing and analysis.Today is no exception.Mr. Borkowski points out that in the book Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women (by magician Ricky Jay), each of the performers were photographed smiling as they were hung, burned, dropped, dragged, chained, impaled or otherwise tortured in their act.So what?So, argues Mr. Borkowski:
?The smile primes us to expect excitement, it makes us open and receptive, and we can’t help but like and empathize with a person so patently cheerful. This is something we’re all going to enjoy together.
Not to get overly analytical about it, but the smile creates a relationship between audience and performer: we want the act to work, and even if it were to turn out a magnificent con, who cares? We’re mates, and we certainly had a good laugh.?
Mr. Blaine, on the other hand, does not smile.He does not share with the observer the sense of connection that those performers of the early days thought essential.As a consequence, Mr. Borkowski suggests, the news media write what they can.On day one, it is, ?Man Sits In Box And It’s Amazing!?and now a week into the stunt they write ?Man Who Sits In Box Is Really Arrogant and Boring and No One Likes Him.?
Check out his column for some insightful analysis.You might agree or disagree but there does seem to be something to the smile making a bridge to the audience and encouraging their participation in the event.Houdini, before he jumped into a river, hung upside down or entered into the Chinese Water Torture Cell, would share a smile with his audience ? to ensure that they… Continue reading Smile David, Smile
The
front page of the Washington Post this morning displays a picture of an
American soldier atop a tank guarding the area where a funeral is to be
held.
The stories are grim and the death toll announced in the various articles from locations around the world, is far too high.But within the Post, there is a wonderful article that will make you smile ? I predict.Check it out.
Barry?s Magic Shop in D.C. gets its due with a nice, short description of what it is like to stand at the counter of a traditional magic shop.
It will no doubt bring back memories to you of how you would hang out all day watching effects and, perhaps, buying an effect.You
would likely then practice the trick the rest of the day and
intermittently seek the assistance of the demonstrator or owner.
The following brought such a smile to my face that the other guys in my holding cell thought I was making fun of them:
Magicians
appear here — amateurs and pros of every stripe who come to talk and
perform tricks. But it’s kids who often fill the place, eagerly
watching a trick and then imagining their own potential audience for
it. That was how Barry, now 50, fell in love with magic: “I’d burst in
on my mom in the bathroom. ‘Mom. Mom. You have to see this.’”
I was on a plane flying somewhere ? which made sense at the time ? and by pure chance was seated right next to Giovanni Livera. Giovanni is from Orlando and I was from Orlando ? another pure coincidence.I knew Giovanni from the IBM Ring meetings in Orlando where he displayed his incredible talent and taught with the patience of a saint.He had no recollection of me.
This only proves that coincidence holds up only so long.
Giovanni was gracious and willing to show me trick after trick during our flight.We discussed the tremendous success he had as one of the two founding magicians and overall fun-makers (not at all like the Mentos ?fresh makers?) that revolutionized the NBA with stunts and events.
Wait, what?s the point of this story?
The point is determining odds ? figuring out the chance of something happening.
Giovanni explained to me that he had just figured out how to use a faro shuffle ? a perfect faro shuffle ? eight times to arrange a brand new deck into an incredible poker deal and how to use the same perfect faro shuffle two times to arrange it into a Si Stebbens order.Giovanni did not claim discovered this system, only that… Continue reading What are the Odds? Giovanni Sits Next To Me — And Doesn’t Ask to be Moved?
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