Modern Day Houdini? Probably Not
I know this women who loves magicians. She finds something sexy about them. She professed a crush on David Copperfield when she was a girl. I've taken her to see Penn and Teller. But no one gets under her skin like David Blaine: Street Magician.

As a result, I've seen most of David Blaine's television specials. His street magic special where he levitates. His special where he freezes himself in a block of ice. All of them.

Personally, I don't get it. I mean, his magic is entertaining enough, but this deadpan mumbling, this cast as modern-day messiah, this belief in magic as able to transform or uplift or enlighten, it rings untrue to me.

One other thing that always grated about Blaine was his seemingly unhealthy obsession with celebrity. It doesn't seem enough for Blaine to be friends with Leonaro DeCaprio, he needs for everyone else to know that he's friends with Leo.

In the New York Times Magazine, Glen David Gold writes a good overview of David Blaine in his article Making a Spectacle of Himself. Gold tends to confirm the view that I got of Blaine.

However, after reading the article, I couldn't help but wish that I had the same sort of skill that Blaine and his brethren had. I wish I could fool people into thinking I was reading their mind.

Time to peruse the The Beginner's Guide to Magic.

Kilroy


- posted by Anonymous @ 3:25 PM