# David Blaine rocks (and floats) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326 "2001-11-14T15:37:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326/1 "2001-11-14T15:37:40Z")
We watched his show last week, me and my son. It was great! I loved where he bit a piece off someones quarter, then spit it back right on the other piece. oooohhhh My son said he levitated. I wasn’t looking, had my glasses off so i didn’t see it. How’d he do that??? ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326/2 "2001-11-14T16:10:31Z")
It’s called [Balducci Levitation](http://shepherdfj.tripod.com/puremagic/levitate.html) and is pretty simple to do at home. ---
**Author:** ![ObiWan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e47774/32.png) [@ObiWan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ObiWan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326/3 "2001-11-14T16:18:19Z")
**—WARNING SPOILERS—** Be warned, you will be disappointed! [David Blaine and the Balducci Levitation](http://shepherdfj.tripod.com/puremagic/levitate.html) A quick [Google](http://www.google.com/search?q=balducci%20levitation&sourceid=opera&num=100) search on David Blaine and/or the Balducci Levitation will produce lots of links. It has also been discussed on the SDMBs from time to time. Here is one example: [How Does David Blaine Levitate](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=52441) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326/4 "2001-11-14T16:21:44Z")
Here’s a previous discussion of David Blaine, which might shed some light: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=26332](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=26332) ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326/5 "2001-11-14T18:05:47Z")
What makes Blaine so good is a combination of excellent deadpan presentation and a few editing tricks (especially involving the levitation). He’s very entertaining to watch, and I’m pretty sure that his other stunts (being buried alive, being encased in ice, etc) are legitimate and not illusions… ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine-rocks-and-floats/93326/6 "2001-11-14T20:01:31Z")
IAAAM (amateur magician), and I think David Blaine is decidely unspectacular. I can do most of things he does, and those that I can’t, I can’t because I don’t have a camera crew and video editing skills to make it look good. Spitting the coin back together is one of the tricks he does that looks cool on video, but to my mind (knowing how it’s done) is a really stupid application of the prop he’s using. Basically, he has no more or less skill than most of the amateur or professional magicians I’ve known/seen. However, I hate that he makes even the most mundane illusions (coin spitting, ech!) seem new and mysterious. He also pulls idiotic stunts like sealing himself in a block of ice. Za? What does that prove? If he had escaped, I would have been impressed, but he merely survived until he had to be pulled out, the same as if any of us was in the same situation. Wow. Looking back over this rant, I see I’m in GQ. Sorry for the hijack, but at least I didn’t use any profanity. As for levitation, Balducci’s levitation is impressive as a bar stunt, but if you really want to wow them, use [Andruzzi ascending](http://www.crosswinds.net/~gcgordy/andruzzi.html). It’s much more convincing.