There’s a great article about two great magicians in today’s edition of Broadway World & TV. David Blaine and Zack King have huge internet followings and for good reason — they are good at magic and very, very savvy.
From the post at BW&TV (we don’t know if that’s their actual acronym but if it isn’t, it should be:
Today, digital superstar and viral illusionist Zach King released a Youtube collaboration with world famous magician David Blaine. In the video, which was uploaded to Zach’s Youtube channel with over 8MM+ subscribers, Zach and David are shown on a video call showing each other some magic tricks. David advises Zach to up the ‘fear factor’ of his tricks by showing some of his infamous tricks – coughing a tarantula out of his mouth and igniting a fire on the palm of his hand. This collaboration comes on the heels of David announcing he will attempt to float over the Hudson River using only helium balloons.
You can check out his promotional video for the stunt aqui.
Can we say this?
We have fear every time David Blaine takes on one of his stunts. Getting shot in the mouth by a 22 caliber round was scary, being locked in ice, holding one’s breath under water for 18 minutes (but felt like an hour), standing on a narrow pole for more than 24 hours and then jumping into boxes from said pole. Coughing up spiders and frogs from one’s belly — or the opposite — going without nourishment for 40 days in full public view all scare us.
We know his plans are well considered and he is far from reckless but, golly, he sure does a lot of scary stuff.
We were okay when he would rub ash on his arm to reveal a playing card previously selected by clearly inebriated spring-breakers, or throwing a deck of cards against a window and having the selected, signed card appear on the other side of the glass.
We might be okay with him performing a Finger Chopper effect if it is the kind we grew to love during our years of performing as “The Mini Magician” for our schoolmates in reform school during the 1940s. Even that could involve risk if you stuck your finger in the wrong hole or didn’t set it right.
Basically, what we are saying is that we are cowards. We eschew things that could hurt us. We don’t even like being as tall as we are. We avoid walking down aisles in darkened movie theaters (back when such things were done) for fear we would fall into the lap of some theater patron with an embarrassing thud — as opposed to the non-embarrassing thud, we suppose.
But there is something in Mr. Blaine that causes him to push the envelope until it contorts into something that looks less like an envelope and more like a coffin.
We cringe at gymnastics of any kind being practiced by anyone — even circus performers. Escape artists cause us to cringe without recourse. We can’t get images out of our mind or worry about the people involved and the people watching — all could be effected by a trick gone wrong.
So, once again, Mr. Blaine will try the impossible — to Ascend over the New York skyline by holding onto a group of balloons. The thing is the does not need to do it. We would like and respect him regardless — and even irregardless.
Mr. Blaine we worry for you. Please be careful.
Check out Mr. Blaine’s website and tremble here.
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