Paul Daniels Dismisses “Scruffy” BlaineInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

But, Paul, please tell us what you really think of David Blaine. Mr. Daniels is featured on England’s ITV and in the UK Press for comments some would consider negative. You be the judge.

Mr. Daniels told reporters that US magician looks like “a bum on the street.” We understand that “bum” can mean one of two things in the UK; either a hobo/street-person, or a butt.

We think he is saying Mr. Blaine looks like a hobo/street-person.

The sentence doesn’t make sense if he is saying Mr. Blaine looks like a “butt on the street.”

Anyway.

ITV wrote, “Daniels, whose lighter brand of magic has been eclipsed in recent years by illusionists such as Blaine and Derren Brown, said the New Yorker had only done ‘half a dozen tricks very well.'”

Mr. Daniels went on:

“Blaine isn’t glamorous, he’s scruffy. He can’t be bothered to get dressed up. He’s wearing what a bum on the street would wear. I don’t think Blaine puts anything into magic at all – I think he was a street performer who did half a dozen tricks very well.”

Well, sure, but . . .

Daniels continued, “I’ve never actually seen David Blaine do a complete trick, so I’ve really no idea whether he can do it or not. His programmes are heavily edited – you never see a trick in one camera shot.”

But still, Mr. Daniels, he is seen on television an awful lot. Isn’t that success?

“TV – who wants to work on TV?? he said.? There?s no money in it. Television is the crap end of magic. It’s the bottom end of show business and it’s never been my major source of income.”

Ironically, Inside Magic just purchased the website, crapendofmagic.com. We thought it was going to be a real winner but then Mr. Daniels comes out with this negative comment about the site.

We are trying to find a lawyer who will let us sue Mr. Daniels for defaming the good name of our new site, http://www.crapendofmagic.com. He makes it sound bad, like television magic. Very unfortunate.

We agree with his opinions about Mr. Blaine though.

Mr. Daniels is only giving a voice to the common magician’s feelings. Mr. Blaine doesn’t really do magic unless you mean by “magic” not doing magic. His heavy editing makes all magic suspect and we all tire of either being compared to what Mr. Blaine and a video studio can do.

But most recently, he has been more noticeable for his absence.

After the glass box stunt, he vanished.

We know from his prideful claims shortly after the event that he disregarded medical advice and thus ruined a study being done to examine the effects of starvation. The UK’s doctors have been working to help alleviate the disastrous effects of starvation that seem to linger long after the patient or victim has returned to eating.

Mr. Blaine agreed to help in the study to help post-chemo and radiation patients recover from the effects of starvation. We even wrote about it.

He decided to eat cheeseburgers and drink alcohol while in the medical facilities despite agreeing to follow a “re-entry” diet. Remember how he boasted that he had sex while in recovery and the change in his blood pressure and heart beat caused the doctors monitoring his vital signs to panic?

But really, that was the last time we heard from him. His website has not been updated since the glass box stunt began and consists of one page.

He abandoned his plans to perform a Death Jump from a helicopter into water.

We didn’t see him at the Toledo Glass City Conclave this weekend or even at the Abbott’s Close-Up Convention two weeks ago.

We tried to call Daryl Hannah but the number we got for her is wrong.

A man answered the line and said he was not the former actress. He said he never dated David Blaine or even watched his shows.

The man who is not Daryl Hannah also complained that many people make the mistake of calling him while looking for the magician.

He had no comment, however, on Paul Daniels’ diatribe. He said he doesn’t really watch magic on television.

We asked him if that was because he thought it was “the crap end of magic”?

He was apparently offended by this comment and hung up.

Mr. Blaine came and left.

It is strange that the only stories we read about him are those using his glass box stunt as a metaphor or simile.

We do know he is on the witness list for the Michael Jackson molestation trial.

And then there are Mr. Daniels’ comments.

Where ever he is now, we bet Mr. Blaine doesn’t really care. He probably doesn’t even watch television. Ironically, we think he would agree with Mr. Daniels’ comments.

You can read the ITV piece on Mr. Daniels and Mr. Blaine if you want.