I sense a cultural impasse between some Brits and some Americans. Here’s a valid perspective from today’s Observer that probably won’t make any difference:
Media-savvy crowds see through the magician in a box
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“The question of how long David Blaine can survive without food became even less relevant yesterday as the new national sport of Blaine-baiting appeared to have won its assault on the stuntman’s mental stability.
<snip>
Loud music erupted as ‘Living In A Box’ (by the confusingly named Living In A Box) followed by Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ ripped through the crowd. The Friday Night Skaters came by with their portable sound system.
Perhaps feeling he no longer had his public’s full attention, Blaine stood up. The audience erupted; this is more than has happened in hours.
‘Oy David, Oy David,’ Tim Bolland, a City worker, shouted persistently. Blaine sleepily turned his head towards him. ‘Oy David,’ Bolland pleaded. ‘Do something.’ “
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still a silly wanker in my book, and thus ripe for the piss-taking. At least he shows signs of becoming genuinely unstable, at which point I’d encourage him to come down and strat counting his new millions.
Or: At least *until *he shows signs of becoming genuinely unstable, at which point I’d encourage him to come down and *start *counting his new millions.
Thanks! I’d guess he could narrow it down, but I hadn’t realized how much he could narrow it down – and it hadn’t even occurred to me that he could incorporate the next three choices into the trick. I’m guessing that if he did that, he wouldn’t show the 25% wrong-guess tricks on TV anyway, which saves face for me (I’m pretty sure that when I saw his special, he always got it right on the first guess), but it does explain why those 25% of people don’t walk away convinced that he’s a fraud.
Thanks again; this is very interesting information.
Daniel
If you want to come over here with your big plastic box, your $7m TV deal, and your over-inflated sense of your own self-importance, please expect some of us to, er, “rip the piss”.
Come on…
In New York, he was greeted with awe-struck reverence. In London, he’s greeted with eggs and boobies. Good.
He’s an entertainer. Not a mystic. And sitting in a box for 44 days doing nothing isn’t entertaining. Putting him off, baiting him IS entertaining. Well, for those doing the baiting anyway.
At heart, most of us Brits revert very easily to playground humour. Sorry if it sounds callous, but I want MORE Blaine-baiting. I think it’s absolutely hilarious. Yes, I have a penchant for the immature. Is it showing a lack of respect? Maybe. Does he bring it upon himself? Yes. Do I feel guilty? Not on your nelly.
i went yesterday. its the singularly least impressive thing ive ever seen. securitys non existent, and theres about 6 really good sniper positions all around.
on our way back past him again about 8.30pm, the great british public were beating the living crap out of each other just near his box, while we observed from tower bridge.
so, now i have sized up the lay of the land, i shall return next sunday and open fire with my trusty cannon
“wabbit season!”
“Blaine season!”
etc etc
sense of humour is required. you make yourself a target, you will become one.
My bro went down yesterday and phoned me from next to the box. I got him to shout “Oy David” and give him the universal sign for wanker… David waved back…
Oh, by the way, I’ve been thinking about this, and I’ve realised that if Blaine had said “I’m doing this to publicise the plight of the starving in the world. Half of my fee will go to third-world charity,” rather than “I’m an artist. Nothing more.” the great British public would, I assure you, be down there cheering him on, not abusing him. But nobody likes a self-serving, self-important arse.
Throwing eggs, hitting golf-balls, etc, is not “ripping the piss”; it is the utterly infantile behaviour of the common-or-garden moron. And, I swear, there’s more of them around every year. If you don’t approve, why can’t you just ignore him? Why default to (or applaud) the actions of an obnoxious loudmouth prick?
IMHO sitting in a box for 44 days is an incredible feat of endurance. I doubt if I could last even 2 days myself. jjimm: Why can’t we just applaud one hell of a stunt for it’s own merits alone? Why must it be tied to the plight of the world’s needy just for you to accept it enough to not be rude to him?
It sounds a bit fake to me… as if you’re trying to rationalise or excuse bad behaviour by the common trick of assuming moral superiority, ie “If it were me in that box, I’d do it for Africa’s starving; since Blaine’s not, it’s OK for me to be a shit to him”.
Maybe without the faux-mysticism it’d be a bit more acceptable. Anyway, it’s been done before, according to the Sunday Papers, back in the 50s, and for a lot longer.
It’s still an impressive achievement, and I ain’t saying I’d be able to do it, but (as you always seem to do when responding to one of my posts) you seem to be implying that I am saying stuff to get on the moral high ground. Bollocks. I’m just saying that if he were doing it for charity, people would no doubt be much more supportive. Agree/disagree?
Tradition. It’s been a long time since anyone’s been displayed in a public pillory, and we’re all just upholding the tradition of throwing eggs and tomatoes at the individual so pilloried. I think it’s nice of Mr. Blaine to volunteer to remind us of our long-lost heritage.
exactly. theres no need for a moral high ground here. its expression of opinion. if Blaine was merely walking down the street and someone starts hurling abuse and throwing eggs/biscuits/weddings cakes at him, yes, thats rude. trying to be part of this media circus for entertainment purposes, thats British Stiff upper lip. what ho old chap.
if he was donating money to good causes, fair play to him. i still dont think it would make him any less of a target though. would people be throwing stuff at him in new york if he performed there? i doubt it. (although i seem to remember someone saying that the religious groups would be out in force protesting there, but im not sure about that.) above posters are right. give the numptys of britain something to go at, and they will.
yesterdays crowd at least was a bunch of tourists gawping at the box, trying to catch his attention, and in return they got a wave.
wow.
i’ll go back when he starts losing it big time in a hallucination stylee. then play living in a box etc.
or abracadabra by the steve miller band. loud and on repeat.
I agree entirely! Only the worst kind of cad is going to knock charity.
And I didn’t quite mean to imply what you said at all : it was just that you brought a moral dimension into it which I felt had no place or relevance. IMHO, whether David Blaine does his stunts to benefit the local orphanage or to purchase his second yacht, gentlemen shouldn’t be throwing eggs at him! Surely that’s just an obvious extension of the Golden Rule?
What the hell has David friggin Blaine got to do with Houdini – Houdini was an escapologist. This bloke site is a box. Without the escaping part: Lose 30 pounds and make $7 million while your at it.
It’s shame he’s not interested in the charity aspect because he’s not shy of drumming up media interest:Wanke
(I’m pretty sure that when I saw his special, he always got it right on the first guess), but it does explain why those 25% of people don’t walk away convinced that he’s a fraud.