if sankey and oz are so good, why does blaine have a tv show and not them????....believe me oz rips off so many people (lee asher, tommy wonder, guy hollingworth,....etc.) and Sankey is not that creative either he just puts out alot of stuff that is old material with a spin


David Blaine is on a whole nother level where he does need to put out books or dvds on how to do magic.

And think of this if David Blaine was terrible, then why would Paul Harris, Bill Kalush and Michael Weber hang around with him and help him?

It is really no big deal for a survey like this. Most of us had a limited number of favorites when we started. As we advance our knowledge and understanding does too.

To be fair, I can't immagine that Oz would feel comfortable being on a "Best of" survey with Copperfield. I don't immagine that he feels he is in his league. But if we change this to a "Who is your favorite?" then there is no argument. When I started, Bill Malone was my favorite. I still like him, but I liked him then because his L&L series was the first one I bought--so he was my favorite.

Also, you have to distiguish between someone we like to watch, and someone we like to learn from. Blaine doesn't care whether we are impressed with his inventiveness or his teaching. He is performing for a TV audience. I learn more from Gazzo, or Vernon, or Devant then from him. I like Gazzo the best, because he does the type of magic I happen to like. Someone else might like Copperfield best. No one will study Gazzo today to learn cutting edge card magic. No one should study Blaine to learn how to be a street performer (but he might be OK to learn to do strolling magic.) It is all a matter on how well the magician provides what we want as magicians or spectators or both.

I don't know of any laypeople who know of Oz Pearlman. He is only known on Penguin. David Copperfield is international. He performs all over the world and millions of people know of him.


Those to magicians are in completly different leages. Copperfield is international and Sankey again doesn't go much beyond Penguin.

Remember, very few knew Vernon and fewer knew Marlo. This is true of all close-up magicians (and most stage.)

I do agree that Copperfield is in a class by himself, but this is not a knock on Oz, who is still young. Copperfield is far better than most magicians, even some that are more well known or respected.

We got front row seats to Copperfield in vegas coz we were from New Zealand. I'v also seen Joe Labrero but Copperfield is the best. Its unique and all his own.

For sure, but at the moment you can't compare Oz and David because one is so much better that the other. But in the future, who knows?

But someone could say we shouldn't be comparing them at all, because one does Close Up and Card Magic, and one does Stage magic.

I am pretty sure everybody who is a magician knows who vernon and marlo is.....except on penguin magic, because very few people on here are magicians!

My post was in response to the argument that Copperfield is great partly due to his popularity. It is a factor, but not much of one, since most close-up greats aren't popular in that sense of the word. I realize that all magicians know who Vernon and Marlo are.

I personally think that Copperfield is the best out of the listed magicians. Look at that again. Out of the listed magicians. He is not asking for the best in the world. One thing some of you are getting mixed up with though is that DC creates all of his illusions. Chalet magic has made a few and Jim Steinmayer (spelling?) has designed and made a few. There have been other companys also but I don't know of them. Yes he has created some but only the ideas. A guy I used to work for owns one of the illusions that used to be a highlight in his show. It was featured on DC's Niagra Falls special. There are only three of them in the world and they cost 25,000 dollars each. He doesn't create all of his illusions. Right now I don't know if there is even an original illusion in his show. I mean that as in illusion it self. Not routine.

Why in the heck is Morgan Strebler on there? In someone's mind I guess it could be their favorite but I don't know why. The only reason I have ever heard of him is because he put out Liquid Metal. Liquid Metal is basically a grouping of other people's material.

Nate

David Copperfield>Sankey+Oz+Noblezada+Strebler+Blaine... that easy...how many people know the others around the world?but Copperfield is the most entertaining,creative and known magician in the world.this is a wierd poll in my opinion...

David Copperfield is the best magician ..

I think the best magician is houdini and carddini and criss angel and many more good magicians out there.

ask any layman... any one of them to name a magician. you think the first name is going to be oz? noblezada? very few layman even recognize sankey. now i am trying to get my point across and i know it isnt a popularity contest between magcians and layman because one of the most popular names amongest magicians with laymen is blaine, cooperfield and even lance burton.

someone said that people argue that cooperfield and sankey or oz etc. couldnt be compared because one does stage and one does close-up. what makes cooperfield so amazing is his ablility to make small tricks look big and big tricks look even bigger.

out of that list, cooperfield is by far the best all around magician

I think this survey or poll is uncalled for. The comparisons are incredibly outrageous.

It isn't right comparing copperfield to the rest. He has made quite a mark in magic...and i mean, quite a mark. Having said that though, yes I agree that Blaine has increased magic so much more after the telecast of his specials. That is very commendable, because although Copperfield performed jaw-dropping, mind-blowing magic, I feel he didn't create such an awareness that Blaine did.

And the rest have contributed to magic too, just at different levels.

Each definitely has their own forte. But still, this comparison, in my opinion, is unwarranted.

Though Sankey has been creative in the past. He also has released other peoples' work and claimed origionality on it. Out of the list, perhaps may be the most creative. But as of late, he seems to basically be re-releasing his old material over and over again.

Then there are Copperfield and Blaine, who are performers. They take other peoples' effects for the most part, and put their creativity to turning them into remarkable performances of magic.

Sankey on the other hand, takes other peoples' effects for the most part, and puts his creativity to turning them into effects that he sells to others.