Czarcasm:
That is absolute bullshit. There is an uncountable number of professional illusionists that are much more successful than he could possibly be. He is a third rate magician at best, and if it weren’t for gullible idiots and those (like the author) who want to be in on the con he would have disappeared into obscurity decades ago. Real artists constantly hone their craft to entertain others.
This might be the dumbest thing you’ve ever said on the board. Probably not, but it’s in the running. I’m positive you know that the vast, vast majority of professional magicians have never had a chance for the success Uri Geller has enjoyed. And he is absolutely not a 3rd rate magician, he’s definitely 2nd rate.
Monty:
While this is The BBQ Pit, I, for one, would greatly appreciate some semblance of reputable substantiation for that load.
First of all, learn to read for comprehension and go back to the OP. Or is the NY Times not reputable enough for your ignorant ass. Then look at this post correcting my own misimpressions from a professional magician member of the Dope :
It may be the case that you have never heard of a professional magician calling Uri anything but a fraud, but how large is your data set? I am very confident I know more professional magicians than you do, and have known them for longer, and mix and mingle with them on a more regular basis. The number who have anything bad or unkind to say about Uri is very small They are in a tiny minority. Most are either neutral towards him or like him very much. I’ve been friends with Uri for years, and I think he’s a really nice guy.
Uri has been welcomed to several major magic conventions over the years, most recently the ‘Genii’ anniversary convention last year, where he was interviewed for two hours about his life and work and won a standing ovation. I wasn’t at that particular event, but I was at the Macmillian International convention in 2008 when he was given a prestigious award and spent hours afterwards with hundreds of magicians who wanted to shake his hand, have their photo taken with him and get his autograph. He was enormously popular, and it was rather like watching a rock star sign autographs for a couple of hours for enthusiastic fans!