real magic or clever contrivances?
I remember watching David Copperfield on the telly a long time ago, and being impressed by a few things -
Later I saw the 100 greatest tricks of all time, and at number one was David again, being sawn into 2 parts by a giant circular saw, in plain view. All done with mirrors, they say. Probably. But these are still awesome tricks!
Yesterday they showed a program in which a magician revealed the secrets behind some popular magic tricks. It was amazing how the magicians use a combination of optical illusion, clever machinery and devices, distractions, sleight of hand and plain skill to pull off the most spectacular tricks. In most cases, most of us would just kick ourselves for not spotting the explanation behind the trick we witnessed - they're that simple.
That really brings me to another gifted contemporary magician - David Blaine. This David has a different style and performs a different set of tricks. Some tricks like card tricks are very easily explained by sleight of hand. Doesn't make the tricks any less baffling, because the untrained eye can't spot the sleight, and it does bring a smile on our face when something unexpected happens! What throws you off completely is the informal and apparantly impromptu surrounding in which the tricks are usually pulled off.
But apart from cards, some of the tricks David performs boggle the mind. Levitation, mind reading and things which border on paranormal activity are just some of the things which leave you wondering whether David indeed has a greater gift than just being a talented conjurer.
I think either David is extremely gifted - spiritually (perhaps even having ESP), OR more likely, the tricks he performs are very very ingenious. Which one is it? I can't make a call on that because I have never seen him perform in person. If I were asked to make a guess, I would opt for the latter possibility.
- The aplomb with which the show was carried out
- The beautiful and sexy magician's assistants
- The sheer awesomeness of the magic tricks performed
Later I saw the 100 greatest tricks of all time, and at number one was David again, being sawn into 2 parts by a giant circular saw, in plain view. All done with mirrors, they say. Probably. But these are still awesome tricks!
Yesterday they showed a program in which a magician revealed the secrets behind some popular magic tricks. It was amazing how the magicians use a combination of optical illusion, clever machinery and devices, distractions, sleight of hand and plain skill to pull off the most spectacular tricks. In most cases, most of us would just kick ourselves for not spotting the explanation behind the trick we witnessed - they're that simple.
That really brings me to another gifted contemporary magician - David Blaine. This David has a different style and performs a different set of tricks. Some tricks like card tricks are very easily explained by sleight of hand. Doesn't make the tricks any less baffling, because the untrained eye can't spot the sleight, and it does bring a smile on our face when something unexpected happens! What throws you off completely is the informal and apparantly impromptu surrounding in which the tricks are usually pulled off.
But apart from cards, some of the tricks David performs boggle the mind. Levitation, mind reading and things which border on paranormal activity are just some of the things which leave you wondering whether David indeed has a greater gift than just being a talented conjurer.
I think either David is extremely gifted - spiritually (perhaps even having ESP), OR more likely, the tricks he performs are very very ingenious. Which one is it? I can't make a call on that because I have never seen him perform in person. If I were asked to make a guess, I would opt for the latter possibility.
posted by the grim sleeper at 1:22 AM
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