David Blaine –

Personally, I think he is an awesome magician, I own his DVD and his book. I was out of magic for years until I saw his special and he is what drew me back into my child-hood practice.

Someone always draws you in to an artform and it is generally someone “trendy” and “worldly.” Brittany Spears does not “suck” she is a better singer than probably all of us, but is she as good a singer as Aretha Franklin or Janis Joplin or as versatile or will she one day be a legend like them? Probably not, but she is “trendy” and she might be the one who introduces some aspiring singer to music.

Blaine is good, but he is not God. (re-read that sentence) Use Blaine as a door way to something better – take your art to the “next level” if you are ready. And if you are not – it does not matter. Some people are content to listen to top 40 radio their entire lives and never get into the bands and artist that built rock and roll. But bear in mind, as I am sure you do not only listen to one “single” band in music, you should also study and try to be open to more that one or two magicians.

I think there is a lot to learn from the “Masters” who paved the way to make Blaine who he is today. Blaine is a skilled magician and because of his popularity and wealth, I guess that makes him a success. (Just as YOU would be a successful magician every time you pull off an effect that amazes people)

Another thing to think about, his effects and magic shows have aired on TV several hundred times. The public has been over exposed to all of those effects. Why would you want to perform one of his routined effects for someone now? People have been conditioned to those effects (not that they are not good) but if you just do them the way that he does them, people will just respond, “Oh, I saw that guy on TV do that.”

You should always be looking for ways to blow people away – not show them things that they have seen on TV. It’s like going to a night club or a prom and watching a cover band play a top 40 hit. It sounds, ok, but who cares….

I say if you want to get serious about your art form:

1. Study the masters (or at least a wide variety of magicians). It’s what you would do with music, or do you ONLY listen to one band?

2. Learn from dusty books. You get way more magic for your money and you don’t need a computer or TV to practice, you can take them places.

3. Get a mentor and be open to new things. Definitely harder to do, but worth it if it is available to you.

David Kenney Magic
Davidkenneymagic@aol.com
http://dkmagic.blogspot.com/ - New effects every week!

I strongly agree here. I also got back into magic after watching his special, but now I don't find him so amazing. Too many a young magician worships that man. I also just can't stand all of his "Godly" feats(sitting in a box for 40 days). Now I go to do a trick in public and everyone asks to see the one that "the guy on TV does". It gets old...trust me.

Although I do not strive to become a David Blaine style magician, I respect him very much.
He takes the simple tricks, (Raven, Ambitous Card, Balducci Levitation, Invisible Deck...If that counts as exposure PM Me) and turns them into direct, beautiful peices of magic. He is really a showman. Most lay people can do those tricks, but the way he presents them is what makes him so popular.
Regards,
Oscar Brett

Yes, I think Blaine is very respectable. He revolutionized magic, not for magicians like Vernon or Marlo did, but for laymen, he made magic cool again. He made a huge step in breaking the "dorky magician who has no life" stereotype.