The Bain of Blaine?

One of the most common questions I get from people when they find out that I’m a professional magician is, “What do you think of David Blaine or Criss Angel?”

When David Blaine first hit the scene, there was a lot of animosity toward him within the magic community. And while it has lessened to a certain degree, some of it still lingers even today. For the most part, that malevolence is due to the fact that the magic Blaine performs, at least the magic he performed early on in his career, was not very technical and most of what he did took very little skill to accomplish. The hard-core sleight of hand guys were quick to point out his lack of polish and amateurish-looking performances.

But you know what? The home audiences loved it!

This is proven by the fact that Blaine has become the performer he is now, and by the fact that his first ABC special received very high ratings. Blaine’s idol is Harry Houdini – a man who has been dead for over 80 years, and yet people still talk about him. Houdini made a name for himself by performing all sorts of stunts – mostly escapes – and his motto was it didn’t matter what kind of publicity you got, just as long as they spelled your name correctly. And while that may not be the best approach at establishing your name and reputation, there’s something to be said for that level of tenacity. I have heard that the way Blaine secured his ABC deal was he just went out into the street and performed some tricks for strangers passing by while his friend video taped it. He then finagled a meeting with an ABC executive, showed him the tape, levitated in his office, and said, “That’s what I do.” The rest is history, and I think David is well on his way to gaining the type of fame Houdini has enjoyed.

The magicians that gave David flack then – as well as now – could, quite possibly, be jealous of his success. What they are not realizing is that David Blaine single-handedly brought close-up magic to a much wider audience than it had ever enjoyed up to that point. Until David Blaine, most people only thought of stage magicians and big boxy tricks when they thought of magic. Very few people had ever been exposed to magic up close, or in an intimate setting. Thanks to David Blaine the art of close-up magic has begun to receive the respect it deserves, and many close-up magicians are getting more work.

So what about Criss Angel? I'll have to talk about that next time. It's a lot more involved.

Shawn McMaster

Conjured-Up Creations
P.O. Box 973
Newbury Park, CA 91319
805-480-0703
www.conjuredupcreations.com