HOLY MOLY! DAVID BLAINE UNDER WATER
Someone just sent me the link to Gothamist which has the first pictures of David Blaine in his human aquarium and a nice little article describing what's going on. Ok people, TW has officially reached the point of freaking ouuuut. Just looking at these photos makes me all short of breath. How can he do this for a week?? Plus, this is something new I learned from Gothamist:
The stunt is no longer just a week underwater (but he does have oxygen and will be fed nutrients by tube) followed by holding his breath for 9 minutes - it's now a week under water, get dragged out of the water and then get shackled wtih 150 pounds of chains, put back in the water to hold his breath for 9 minutes and break out of the chains.
150 pounds of chains???! Oh, sweet Jesus better be watching over this fellow. I can't stand it!! Plus, I also read that he blacked out on Friday while practicing holding his breath. Oh Dear!
PLUS! We have our first pics with David Blaine sent in thanks to reader Jay (both boys very cute)! Thank you!
Related post: 7 minutes, 8 seconds
Related post: 7 minutes, 8 seconds
posted by Tabloid Whore! at 5/01/2006
28 Comments:
This guy is remarkable. Most of us can't get over bills or little Sally that broke Jonathans heart and so on. He's an individual that has no bounds. He just may well be the first human being to have killed an ego...
Maybe if David was raised with social skills and graces and not by a pack of wolves he wouldn't have to constantly vie for the public's attention in this manner. The dude is one creepy sonuva-bee. Thanks for the pics though, now I can place my wager. I've got 5 to 1 odds he falls to a collapsed lung. But after hearing your update I may bet it all in him choking to death on "nutrients" from his feeding tube.
Does anyone out there think he's not really inside?
Oh JP! I just KNEW you would pop up sooner or later with your doubts about my dear david! People saw him enter the sphere...how can you fake that? I wish he wasn't really inside, then i could calm down. He's inside.
Hmmm...which seems more likely, that he found a way to trick people into thinking he's inside and reap the rewards of pr and $...or that he willingly risks his life in one of the most miserable possible ways...just because we don't know how he's tricked us doesn't mean he hasn't...i'm just saying, the simplest answer is usually the right one. but it's not fair to throw out my theory without a solution, so i'll work on that...
OK everyone, he's an illusionist...just like Houdini. Didn't you ever watch those magicians unmasked shows?
Someday someone will do one of those type shows and reveal all of David Blane's illusions and how he duped us all.
It is a bit entertaining and fun to watch people like our TW buy it hook line and sinker. If there weren't people like her he'd have no career.
I don't know how he can fake it when people were there and watched him go inside the sphere, move around inside and then have the top closed on him. Not to mention, interact with people afterwards. If they brought out the sphere with him already in it, I would say you have a point, but they didn't and so you don't. He does these endurance stunts in addition to his illusion tricks y'know. Maybe if you chose to learn more about the guy you would understand why he does this endurance stuff, instead of just automatically being negative and a skeptic. Magician unmasked shows? Petew! That's for the shit copycat kris angel does. Give me a break!
I have no doubt that David's doing this for real and I like you TW, think it's rather tough to fake all of this. The man's crackers, which adds to his creepiness. But I'll be the first to admit that it does intrigue me. I just fear for the younglings, that by chance, "interact" with Mr. Blaine when he's trapped in his human fish bowl. Those poor passerby kids could be traumatized for life with just one Blaine stare. Plus, who can resist the temptation to treat him like a pet gold fish and over feed his nutrient tube. And don't get me started on tapping the glass.
PS: Thanks for jumping on this way back when TW. You inspired one of my illustrations involving Mr. Blaine. :)
http://theartpitt.blogspot.com/2006/04/if-spotted-in-blaine-view.html
Trevor: Now your comment made me laugh. good stuff. PLUS, I checked out your illustration, it is AWESOME! you are so talented. Totally digging on the sketchbook stuff, sir. very nice.
I live in Lincoln Center and just checked in on him...at 1:30 AM. They had the top cracked open and were monitoring his pulse, changing his gloves, etc. They communicate with him with a magnet writing board! Have no doubts, he is in there.
Why thank you my dear anonymous 10:41! Sounds so cool. I knew it! If you can, send me pictures!! Nightime ones would be awesome!
Houdini's "illusions" wound up killing him. So how fake were the handcuffs and being underwater? DB does these things to challenge himself. I think it's nuts, but reality often is.
ok people, think about what your hands look like after a nice long bath...what do you think will happen to your body after a week? (besides the hands and feet, i see they covered those up) What about bowel movements? How do Mr. Blaines people explain that? Urination? Does he have a catheter hooked up and are they changing the bag constantly? Are people witnessing that? Please use your heads and speak to a medical professional (one not associated with this stunt) about the probablity of all this and the reality of it and post what they say. Ask what they say he should look and act like when this is all done and see if it comes close to what happens. I challenge you.
And read about David Blaine to "learn" about him? Why? You report on tabloid stuff all day and know very well that people can say and write anything and claim it to be "truth".
It's entertainment and he's very good at it, i give him that.
And it's great that so many people buy into it. Otherwise, Mr. Blaine wouldn't have a career.
I bet you beleive he can have names magically appear on people's arms, pull string out of his stomach and levitate too!
He is really inside; I interviewed at the prop company that created his 'bubble'. Nothing magical about it.
Ok... I know this is kinda late in the dialog. But first of all Houdini died from internal hemorrhaging from a sucker punch to the stomach, not from his escape stunts.
Secondly, the sphere does not have to be "gimmicked" for the stunt to be a magic trick. Many illusions rely on clever switching of "crew" for the magician during the procedural part of the trick (i.e. tying up, chaining, etc.)
We know that Kelly Rippa went into the sphere and that people "work on him" and his gloves etc. I propose that David Blaine is regularly switching out with one of the crew, during "maintenance" opportunities. He gets a good meal, rest in a bed, etc., why some other doofus clocks some hours in the sphere. Then during more "maintenance" he switches himself back into the sphere, does as much live PR as he can, until some other doofus takes over for him again.
Even though this approach makes the trick workable, it is still a pain in the butt to spend even a 1/3 of the day in that sphere, which is why you won't see Copperfield or anyone else that has over 500 million dollars doing that. It is still an impressive illusion that requires an entire week to pull off, including a number of true hours in the sphere.
In conclusion, anyone who thinks the endurance stunt is being executed exactly as Blaine claims is forgetting that he is a magician. If there isn't some deception involved, then it is not a trick. And Magicians are in the business of high class deception. Based upon some of the responses from passionate believers, Blaine is clearly one of the best.
1:09: that was a really intelligent and thought out comment you just posted, thank you. I wish more people would take the time to back up their responses with facts like you did! You have some good points. Since I'm not in NY, I have no idea if things could be switched up to get him out of there..i mean, they'd have to cover the ball up and what not for that to happen, no? I still am a believer of his endurance stunts and love his magic, so I also choose not to spoil the fun for myself. But like I said before, I would almost feel better knowing there is a trick part to it because, oh, I worry sooo about the guy! Thanks again for your thoughts.
Let's also remember that MANY people have lived in salt water for more than a week in far worse conditions after a shipwreck. I believe he is in the tank but I will tell you as an experienced freediver that his illusion will be holding he breath for 9min....I guarentee he can't do that without some "magic". Oh, and how many of you would sit in a fishbowl for a week for 10 million dollars?? I know I'd give it one hell of an effort. :)
js
The man is PURE EGO. He’s not “drowning” himself quietly in his neighborhood pool.
I happened upon these shenanigans yesterday while walking to work; I had no prior knowledge of the event. I was surprised, entertained for 10 minutes but not at all impressed.
He wears some massive oxygen hat, strange gloves and some sort of aqua pants. He's not just hanging out in swim trunks, floating around, as the pictures may suggest.
The coolest thing is that he appears to be communicating via a mag-na-doodle (to write to "outsiders").
But he’s not going to die. That would suck for ABC. And his crew would chisel open the sphere to save him at the first sign of trouble.
At best this is really crappy performance art (it IS in Lincoln Center). For something better see STELARC (hung himself from hooks!) and his daring Australian artistic brethren.
What I want to know is what he saw while doing this (like in his minds eye). David Blaine, if you are out there, did you find god? What was the content of your hallucinations?
Don’t miss the gripping finale. And be sure to buy his $100 poster. He needs your money, maybe even more than he needs your attention.
Some of you need to pick up a dictionary. Magic isn't just sleight of hand or illusion. ONE definition of the word on dictionary.com is "Magic 2.a. The practice of using charms, spells, or rituals to attempt to produce supernatural effects or control events in nature."
I wonder how many of the above well informed critics have read Kafka's A Hunger Artist. It is amazing and magical to watch someone push the limits of the human body along with typical wants and needs. That is what truly captures our attention, I feel sorry for you if you truly believe most people are going to tune in to see if he dies or not. Maybe a couple will, hopefully Darwin will deal with them. It appears to me he is the master of his ego.
Hello Guys I actully am a magican myself. David is more of a dare devil actully he actully did do this i was there and he actullly came out before 9 minutes he couldn't manage to get his legs free and he was loseing controll. Jp no he wasn't faking it he actully went inside. If he were faking it he wouldn't have come out with two minutes to spare he came out in around 7 minutes. He was under there for 7 days and he had the skin peeled off to prove it i saw him as he walked out of the bubble. He was rushed off to the hospital it was real. The best, i dont know. A great deffinatly, Tim If any one has any more questions please comment back alright thank you. I have worked a little with Criss Angel and David myself but not as big please i can take questions. There were people inside the tank with him and they all did have keys around there neck incase somthing happened the did take the chians off of his legs but he hands he did hiself. Everyone felt sorry when he came out he was in there for 7 days without feeling air. He had to have 3 people bring him down he latter all of this for a act? No. David Blaine was trained by the Navy Seals to work for this this is the real deal. He isn't an illusionest. If he were he would show up on the other side of the building. He was handcuffed by the NYPD head diver and chianed comment back tomarrow I hope you have questions.
This is all real.
Hey guys again I am Tm i am a magican and this is a stunt. He is a stunt guy more than a magican. This is no fake i was tehre when he walked out. He came out in 7 mins.
"This is real. I saw it." That's the most ridiculous argument ever. Yeah, and I also saw David Blaine float, make cards appear to jump from a deck into his esophagus, saw David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear, etc...all with my own two eyes.
The whole point is that David Blaine is a master illusionist. The fact that you "saw" him do something only means that you DIDN'T see him do something else. You have no clue how that globe was constructed, whether or not there was a tube inserted into the center that allowed him to leave the sphere or if something else was concealed in the globe.
To the person who allegedly interviewed the company that created the globe, do you really think they were legally permitted to disclose the full details of the 'tank' to the public? If it's an illusion, then Blaine had them sign a confidentiality agreement with enough penalties in it to keep them, their families, friends and neighbors from knowing or discussing it. C'mon...that's just silly.
The fact is, we don't know ANYTHING about this particular illusion/stunt. Anyone and everyone involved is sworn (legally) to secrecy. And, the fact that it seems real only proves that he's king of what he does, not that he actually did it.
I know magicians have their "secret code" of not revealing how tricks are done, but just because someone here claims to be a magician and certifies that it's real because he was "there when he walked out" only proves that David Blaine is in a league all his own.
And, the "fact" that he couldn't complete the record portion of the whole stunt, illusion or whatever you call it, doesn't prove anything. If I wanted to "sell" the illusion from a PR side, the failure lends him, the illusion or whatever, some credibility because the believers among us will argue that "if it was a 'rigged' stunt, he would have broken the record, right?"
To me, that's an equally silly argument. If it wasn't a real stunt, he couldn't have really broken a record and so, of course, he didn't break it. Right?
Were portions of it real? Maybe/Probably. All of it? Who knows. All I know is that when it comes to illusionists...there are no "facts". None of this really matters to me because whether real or not, it's still amazing to me that it was either done or someone was industrious enough to conceive of a way of making it look like it was done. Each is equally fascinating to me.
its all fake
damn some of you are morons
ok. heres my take on it ,1 does the bubble have a bottom hole ,with an escape tank below ground , 2also would it be possible to project video scenes of mr blain onto the glass like a 3d effect ,now for the hard part , there is no way on this earth that he held his breath for 7min plus ,if so he should be in some record book for second longest time under water but it would mean he would be watched by professionals , bloody good scam, i think hes entertaining and deserves all the money he can swallow ,,, dan
I'm sick of you guys making these farfetched senarios up. "there is really a screen on the outside projecting him" or "his stunt double is going in there." Think about what your dumbasses are saying. He stayed in a tank for 7 days and held his breath for 7 minutes and 8 seconds. Stop being jelous that you can't figure it out yourselves.
Which is more far fetched...
1) An illusionist lives underwater for a week during which his body has supposedly been destroyed by the elements and he has been deprived from proper nutrition, he is miraculously capable of spending more time under water without oxygen than most healthy people (including professional divers, olympic swimmers, etc.); or
2) An illusionist proves that he is among the best, if not the best, in the world at his profession?
By the way, if you're going to throw out ad homonym attacks at people, you might as well learn how to spell.
Sue, you're my hero! Excellent, well thought out posts. You expressed what I was thinking better than I ever could have.
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