Ahh yes the Balducci, this is another proof that the Balducci leavitation doesn't "suck" as some people say, if it did suck would Blaine achieve those reactions he achieved by his spectators?

Well said Jared. By the way, those who think the Balducci "sucks" are either not doing it properly, or are not satisfied unless they actually float in the air. Anywho, I usually have Wild Lev ready to back up Balducci, though it hardly ever needes it. Makes for a killer combo.

That's the problem. I have a feeling you're pretty young and haven't been doing magic for too long. Either way, I'd also say that you're not a big fan of speaking in front of people. The problem is that he uses great gimmicks and a Morse Code presentation and people look at him as being revolutionary. It's not. He's a guy that went to Tannen's, bought a lot of stuff, and decided he wanted his style to be as simple as possible. I did mention that someone would say that his "no presentation" style was his presentation, but that's a ridiculous claim. That's like saying someone with no technical ability while doing card tricks is making that work for them. While it gives hope to people that don't have the skill, it's not going to make them any better. The people that were "out performed with their tired old schtick" have been on every national talk show you can name. He's doing weekly shows and supporting himself and his wife for it. He's been good friends with Orson Welles and many others. I've also seen him perform the same show almost a dozen times and am still amazed, even though I know what he's doing. So far, all that Blaine's done is met some great magicians and talk to so many higher ups that they finally listened to him. He wouldn't have had the show if it wasn't for the Balducci. They didn't care about him until he did a levitation. That's the only trick he can present. If it wasn't for his acting with that one trick, no one would know who he is.

A few points:


Wrong and wrong.

No, I'm a blabber mouth. I don't try to emulate Blaine, personally. Every actor has to find his own style. That doesn't mean I don't respect his presentation.

What's the problem with that?

It's morse code to you, because YOU don't understand it. Oddly, people who know absolutely zilch about magic, or public speaking, or any of these issues, understand it implicitly.

If your friend is really that famous, I don't see why you can't just name him. Anyhow, that's great, I wish your friend all the success in the world, but if he's on television the same time Blaine is, I know what channel I'll be watching.

Big of you to admit that his acting (i.e. presentation) involving that trick is what made it succeed. But it's absurd to say that his success revolves around that whole trick. There is probably about six hours of Blaine footage that you can purchase at your local video store, and his levitation makes up a whopping 4-5 minutes of all of that.

All of this reminds me a little bit of the history of Jazz music, and later Rock 'N' Roll. In the early days of the genres the musicians who have studied all of the old classics proclaimed that the new form of music was not technically correct, that it violated sacred principles of the artform, it should be shunned like a disease. But all their windbag proclimations didn't stand up to the simple fact that people liked it.

What you refuse to understand is that ABC didn't care about him until he walked around the room knocking on furniture, looking for the "spot" and did the Balducci. That's the only effect he has any presentation for. The Morse Code presentation is my way of saying he uses Watch and Look like they are Beep and Beeeeeeep. I made that comparison yesterday. I'm glad to know that you would rather watch some guy with a messiah complex and the ability to do average effects with no presentation over another magician that's dedicated his life to telling stories through magic and making you believe what's he saying. That shows me why magic is once again becoming a dieing art. Those that actually care about the classics are looked at as washed up and those that hate presentation in their magic are the new blood. It's actually kind of sad. Arguements like yours are the reason that we have so many kids here that want nothing more than to buy a new trick and have it mastered with no presentational style and without making it their own.

First of all, don't worry about your precious "classics." They will always be classics, and they will always be here. Jazz didn't kill Mozart, and Rock N Roll didn't kill Jazz.

Don't say I "refuse to understand" -- I didn't know that, there's a big difference. Now that I know it, well, I find it very humorous. You on the other hand are all full of piss and vinegar over this funny little anecdote. I wonder why. So Blaine had a good meeting with the TV executives. Why does this aggravate you so much?

To get just a little bit more mileage out of the music analogy, when saxaphone legend Charlie Parker first starting performing one of the reviewers wrote "He lacks the basic skills to play Taps in whole notes." while another wrote "Parker is to music what epileptic seizures are to dancing." Like yourself, when presented with something more deep and profound than their understanding allowed for, they dismissed it as garbage and bemoaned the death of their artform.

I agree, there is way too much piss and vinegar on these forums.

I would like to add my two cents. Everyone knows i am anti gimmick and anti blaine, but before your dismiss what i am saying, I am looking at both sides.

Blaine's style is supposed to be lack of style. Or, in other words, like the things he does are SOOOOO natural to him he almost gets bored it. It would be like you typing, You thinks its almost boring and non complex, yet someone who didn't know wabout keyboards or typewritters would FREAK OUT! This style shows us exactly how he acts about magic. He wakes up and he says, " well i HAVE to go perform for my next video." This lost of intergrity can be seen because he hasn't done anything new for quite a while. The con to this style is that it becomes appealing to younger magicians because it is easy. Now, starting magicians are al into the self working tricks and want things to just happen without real work ( generalizing!!!) So when they see a performing style that is what it looks like, nothing, they become apealed to it because it is so easy. This thought of everything be handed to them is where the idea of a lost art comes from. We dont want to work anymore. We see this guy on TV that has gimmick tricks that has a nothing attitude, but he has a TV spot and that guy at the SYM that is funny and animated, doesn't. We follow by example and do what looks easy and gets on TV. Blaine. The lost art idea is somewhat true. Sure, these people have a style, but it is not theres AND it is not entertaining.

About the levitation. I will full heartedly admit that this trick is the reason why DB is famous. Ask any layperson who DB is and they will tell you ," That guy who floated?" I used to perform that trick, but i have stopped it because too many people know it. EVERY LAYPERSON KNOWS THIS TRICK AND HOW TO DO IT.

proof? lets say a layperson watches david blaine special on TLC and sees him levitate. they go upstairs to their computer and type in DAVID BLAINE LEVITATION in the search at google.
they get this page-
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=da ... gle+Search

then this page-
http://www.levitation.org/david-blaine-levitation.htm
then this page
http://www.levitation.org/balducci-levitation.htm
so they now have the name of it, so they go to search for it n pictures-
http://images.google.com/images?q=Baldu ... &hl=en&lr=

and the second picture given it how to do it. Over exposed? yes

true. this is how i learned the balducci. google. no clue what it was called though at the time

wow if you just serach certain words on google then you can easily find out how every levitation trick is done.....thats just stupid they shouldn't do that why would you tell everybody how its done when people havent even bought it yet?

OK.... what is acr anyway?

ACR is Ambitious Card Routine, a classic effect.

They will tell me, "David who? Isn't he that congressman from New Mexico?"

My spectators don't run to Google everytime they see a magic trick to find out how it's done. My spectators can only name ONE magician, and that's David Copperfield. I can fool my spectators endlessly with simple DL's and they never catch on.

Here's my advice for your dilemma: You need to get yourself some new spectators.

Hi all

As I'm from UK, i'll add my two pennies.

David Blaine uses gimmicks. We've all established that. When I started magic, many years ago, I used gimmicks. I showed friends, family and friends of friends. I got reactions, and a felt great. To another magician I showed these tricks. "Ah young man, you've discovered the hopping halves" he said. Not, "Wow, thats very good sleight of hand" like the laypeople did.

If you get reactions, and entertain people along the way, does it really matter how it is done? Greg Wilsons ring to finger gets great reactions, yet its so simple.

If you use gimmicks, I recommend learning many gimmicked tricks if neccessary, then closing with a sleight. Hit them, trick after trick in a routine, and don't give them time to think of the last trick.

After getting better and developing my skills, I now work in China Whites in London. I perform fairly regulary, and have had a few TV spots, including Big Breakfast, This Morning (Richard and Judy) mainly promoting charities. and I still use gimmicks. Granted, not as many as I used to, by why make it totally hard for yourself, if theres an easier way. As long as you dont get caught. Use the gimmick, if someone says wait a minute, make sure you can do an ungimmicked version. Rising card can be done with a borrowed deck. Learn it.

People who's audiences figure out tricks, don't perform well enough, or repeat the trick too many times. I have had my fair share of slip ups, who hasn't.
Most of you are not in the position to critisize David Blaine. Well, you can, but you are not on t.v, you are not in the media, and quite frankly, David doesn't really care what petty people say about him in [edited] little forums like these. He has made his fortune, whether using gimmicks or not, and now can sit back and make money from you people who buy his stuff.

Entertainment is entertainment, if you surprise people, delight people, and it makes you feel good, who cares what other performers think? You don't go out there looking to fool other magicians, or at least you shouldnt. I can do a show for a magician, and he/she might know how to do EVERY trick, but they will still be entertained because a) I'm relativley well known in UK so I must be good and b) its the performance that is entertaining them, I make them laugh, cry, fear me, whatever it is.

You're all arguing over someone elses talents and abilities, what he can and can't do. Why not look at your OWN talents and abilities and what YOU can and can't do. Then you might actually get somewhere in your magic.

My 2 pennies

Spoken very well by a wise man indeed (above me, read it).