# David Blaine **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469 "2002-04-13T19:41:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![neisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4bbf92/32.png) [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/1 "2002-04-13T19:41:23Z")
David Blaine has to be the best magician I’ve ever seen. He’s scary. I know there has to be logical explanations behind his **Street Magic** but, I don’t know what they are. Do you? [http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic3\_small.jpg](http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic3_small.jpg) How does he levitate? And… [http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic4\_small.jpg](http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic4_small.jpg) get inside someone’s mind to tell them the exact card they are thinking about?! How does he put something in someone’s pocket that he never made any physical contact with? ---
**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/2 "2002-04-13T19:53:50Z")
Do a search on [David Blaine](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?action=showresults&searchid=30321&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending). Here are a couple of the results: [How Does David Blaine Levitate?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=52441) [David Blaine](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=26332) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/3 "2002-04-13T19:54:14Z")
I’m sure someone will come along with exact cites, but the levitation “trick” is just that, a “trick”. Notice how the camera never gets too close and you don’t get to see all sides of him. Most of the people he performs with are planted there by him before he starts his “show.” For the most part, Blaine is an overrated hack (IMHO). ---
**Author:** ![neisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4bbf92/32.png) [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/4 "2002-04-13T19:57:59Z")
\*\*But, \*\* real people on the street, just like you and me, were right there watching the whole thing! They were astonished! I did a search, silly! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here trying to still find out the answer. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/5 "2002-04-13T20:01:15Z")
Did you bother to read the links I gave you? They answer your questions, _silly_. ---
**Author:** ![SuziQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@SuziQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuziQ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/6 "2002-04-13T20:38:41Z")
This has been talked about to DEATH. Do some F-ing research before you post!!! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neisha \* > \*\*David Blaine has to be the best magician I’ve ever seen. He’s scary. I know there has to be logical explanations behind his **Street Magic** but, I don’t know what they are. Do you? > > [http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic3\_small.jpg](http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic3_small.jpg) > > How does he levitate? > > And… > > [http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic4\_small.jpg](http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/images/streetmagic4_small.jpg) > > get inside someone’s mind to tell them the exact card they are thinking about?! > How does he put something in someone’s pocket that he never made any physical contact with? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![neisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4bbf92/32.png) [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/7 "2002-04-13T22:52:33Z")
**_Suzy, Suzy, Suzy,_ …** I must say, I’m glad you’re finally showing a little back bone. You can get offended by what I said in your job question post but, the fact is, I used to be you. Let me tell you about you…you want everyone to like you, you want everyone to think you’re a sweetie pie, you don’t want anyone to think badly of you so, you pretend, pretend, pretend, to be someone that you think everyone will approve of. Hell, the name **SUZY Q** says it all. Not to mention the expression **friggen**. You don’t like change? I know tha because you like everything to be all hunky dorey in your little world. And if those other girls are being secretive about something, you don’t like that because you’re on the outside. It sounds like you like your job but, worry about the people aspect of it and let that side cloud your logic. I guess only growing into your own with time is the only answer. ---
**Author:** ![neisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4bbf92/32.png) [@neisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neisha)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/8 "2002-04-13T23:07:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jazzmine \* > \*\*Did you bother to read the links I gave you? They answer your questions, _silly_. \*\* That’s amazing! Now I feel pretty dumb. **Except!** , what about the mind reading trick? He told them what card they were thinking of! Answer me that one… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/9 "2002-04-13T23:29:19Z")
Peronal attacks? in GQ? won’t somebody think of the children? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/10 "2002-04-14T00:31:08Z")
Short answer: some basic magic tricks and the ability to do post-production tricks in a TV studio. Long answer: The Balducci Levitation is a simple trick that can be done by anyone, do a search on the web. It’s useful for doing in front of a small group where you can control the angle they are watching you, and you only appear to rise a few inches. This is what DB does first and gets the crowd reaction shots. Then, he tells folks he wants to show them something else, brings in a crane, is hoisted up in the air and films this as well. In the studio, he splices the two together to make it look like he’s levitating high off the ground and you see the reaction shots to the Balducci Levitation trick. You can do a lot when you get to use a film studio. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/11 "2002-04-14T00:36:09Z")
No, it’s real, I swear. I saw it on _South Park_ and he beat Jesus at the miracle game and then the Super Friends had to animate a giant John Wilkes Boothe to defeat Lincoln. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/12 "2002-04-14T00:40:50Z")
The following link is very good at explaining both the Balducci Levitation and the post-production edits that Blaine did. [http://www.magiclearn.50megs.com/photo2.html](http://www.magiclearn.50megs.com/photo2.html) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-blaine/103469/13 "2002-04-14T01:21:32Z")
**neisha** , your comments to **SuziQ** were completely uncalled for. Personal attacks belong in the BBQ Pit and nowhere else. Consider this a formal warning. If you do that again, you will be banned. **SuziQ** , saying “Do some F-ing research before you post!!!” is not the best way to win friends and influence people. Just a suggestion, but a firm suggestion. To keep this thread from getting even further out of hand, I will close it. bibliophage moderator GQ