Blaine: Houdini or Hoax?

hgc

Penultimate Amazing
hgc
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Is David Blaine a Houdini or a Hoax?

That is the question posed in a viewer poll on Good Day New York (Fox 5) this morning (within context of reporting on his current stunt). This question doesn't even make sense though. What is a hoax in regards to his stunts? He's a magician for crying out loud, just like Houdini. By definition, what he does is trickery.
 
Perhaps they mean did he really survive in a block of ice, in a perspex box, on a pole, buried alive, or was he cheating somehow.
 
Sure he cheats. So does Houdini. What makes it magical is not knowing how he cheats.

When a magician sticks a sword into a beautiful assistant, we assume he is cheating, rather than committing murder.

That being said, I don't think Blaine is comparable to Houdini. Houdini actually performed tricks and escapes. Blaine sits still until rescued. It's more like performance art than magic.
 
I'm not a big magic guy, and I don't care about Blaine one way or the other. But his "performance art" is just as much magic as Houdini's escapes, in the sense that they are clever trickery and the general populace doesn't know how he does it, right?

But I can't for the life of me figure out what the basis of the poll question is. In what way would Blaine be hoaxing that is different what Houdini or any other magician would do to fool the audience?
 
hgc said:
I'm not a big magic guy, and I don't care about Blaine one way or the other. But his "performance art" is just as much magic as Houdini's escapes, in the sense that they are clever trickery and the general populace doesn't know how he does it, right?

But I can't for the life of me figure out what the basis of the poll question is. In what way would Blaine be hoaxing that is different what Houdini or any other magician would do to fool the audience?
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Most people don't realise it's clever trickery. That's what the poll is about, it's another way of asking "does David Blaine really have almost super-human abilities to survive in ice or is he secretly really in no danger and all of that ambulance stuff was just for show?". Equally, they probably don't realise that Houdini was not as tied-up as he looked, and that it wasn't just a case of miraculously untying the knots or picking the lock.

Look at it another way: when he does that levitating trick, the poll might be asking "can David Blaine really levitate or is it a trick?". A lot of people really believe he can levitate, sadly.
 
tkingdoll said:
Most people don't realise it's clever trickery. That's what the poll is about, it's another way of asking "does David Blaine really have almost super-human abilities to survive in ice or is he secretly really in no danger and all of that ambulance stuff was just for show?". Equally, they probably don't realise that Houdini was not as tied-up as he looked, and that it wasn't just a case of miraculously untying the knots or picking the lock.

Look at it another way: when he does that levitating trick, the poll might be asking "can David Blaine really levitate or is it a trick?". A lot of people really believe he can levitate, sadly.
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I see. It just occurred to me that the only possible logical way to interpret the poll question is to assume the following premises:

1) Houdini did supernatural stuff
2) If Blaine isn't, then he's a hoax

What variety of idiot is writing viewer polls on Channel 5?!?
 
hgc said:
I see. It just occurred to me that the only possible logical way to interpret the poll question is to assume the following premises:

1) Houdini did supernatural stuff
2) If Blaine isn't, then he's a hoax

What variety of idiot is writing viewer polls on Channel 5?!?
Click to expand...

The same variety of idiot that knows full well an awful lot of people believe David Blaine has magic powers.
 
hgc said:
I'm not a big magic guy, and I don't care about Blaine one way or the other. But his "performance art" is just as much magic as Houdini's escapes, in the sense that they are clever trickery and the general populace doesn't know how he does it, right?

But I can't for the life of me figure out what the basis of the poll question is. In what way would Blaine be hoaxing that is different what Houdini or any other magician would do to fool the audience?
Click to expand...


I'm not talking about his levitations and such...those are genuine illusions, just as Houdini's were, and he's quite good at them. I'm talking about sitting on a pole for three days, or being buried and waiting to be dug up.

Houdini would have been buried and then escaped. That's a magic trick. Waiting to be dug up is performance art, IMHO.
 
I watched a press conference with Blaine last night online ( a promo for his upcoming stunt) and he said that this time, after he spends a week in a tank of water, and attempts to hold his breath for 9 minutes, he will then be pulled from the tank, trussed up in--I think he said steel chain and 150 padlocks--and he will be put back in the tank to try a Houdini-like escape.

I'm glad this thread was created, however, as I've been wanting to ask if anyone knows what would or should happen to his skin during this stunt?

I dunno, I just can't help but wonder. I spend 30 minutes in a bath, and I'm painfully wrinkled. What happens after a week?
 
NobbyNobbs said:
I'm not talking about his levitations and such...those are genuine illusions, just as Houdini's were, and he's quite good at them. I'm talking about sitting on a pole for three days, or being buried and waiting to be dug up.

Houdini would have been buried and then escaped. That's a magic trick. Waiting to be dug up is performance art, IMHO.
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Oh, well if he really is staying in there without trickery, then I agree that it's performance art and an incredible display of endurance. But I was assuming that he's using some illusion. Frankly I don't know.
 
A possibility, also if they don't pump hyperoxygenated fluorocarbons down his throat through the mouthpiece they could still change the gas to 100% oxygen for X amount of time before he is timed to start the stunt. He could've worked out how long he needs to hyperoxygenate
before he started the stunt in order to make the nine minutes. What's the significance otherwise of choosing 9 mins?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_breathing
 
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Well here's how the BBC are reporting it, no hint at all that it's anything other than a real endurance feat.

Illusionist David Blaine has failed in his bid to break the world record for holding his breath under water, while simultaneously escaping heavy chains.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4983768.stm

It's my understanding that being able to hold your breath for 9 minutes is achievable only after years of training (and even then being one of the best free divers in the world). This is also only done in a state of total relaxation (ie absolutely minimising oxygen usage).

That DB could 'barely beat' the record while trying to escape from chains would mean that he could smash the record if he was remaining still. Yet the BBC make reference to it being a trick or stunt, and present it at face value as a a genuine World Record attempt.
 
pjh said:
Well here's how the BBC are reporting it, no hint at all that it's anything other than a real endurance feat.

Illusionist David Blaine has failed in his bid to break the world record for holding his breath under water, while simultaneously escaping heavy chains.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4983768.stm

It's my understanding that being able to hold your breath for 9 minutes is achievable only after years of training (and even then being one of the best free divers in the world). This is also only done in a state of total relaxation (ie absolutely minimising oxygen usage).

That DB could 'barely beat' the record while trying to escape from chains would mean that he could smash the record if he was remaining still. Yet the BBC make reference to it being a trick or stunt, and present it at face value as a a genuine World Record attempt.
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It is David Blaine that has said he was going to make an attempt to beat the world record at the end of his submersion. (See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4964488.stm) How else should the BBC then present it - say David Blaine is wrong and he isn't going to do what he said he would do?
 
SteveGrenard said:
A possibility, also if they don't pump hyperoxygenated fluorocarbons down his throat through the mouthpiece they could still change the gas to 100% oxygen for X amount of time before he is timed to start the stunt. He could've worked out how long he needs to hyperoxygenate
before he started the stunt in order to make the nine minutes. What's the significance otherwise of choosing 9 mins?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_breathing
Click to expand...

The current world record is eight minutes, 58 seconds so in saying 9 minutes he is saying he wishes to beat the current world record.
 
PJH & Darat - you're both right, really.

Blaine is claiming he can hold his breath for, what was it, 7mins 8 seconds whilst struggling to escape from heavy chains and padlocks AND after 7 days of submersion (as the Beeb points out, the submersion alone has plenty dangers).

So, it seems reasonable to assume that if he can achieve this under such considerable strain he must surely be able to smash the record under normal conditions. So why doesn't he?
Clearly it must be a trick.

As with all of Blaine's stunts, he makes no allsuion to it being a trick at any time. He clearly states he is going for the world record, so the Beeb are obliged to report his claims.


Here's a question, does anyone know if there were any representatives from Guiness there? They would have to witness and oversee any genuine record attempt, wouldn't they?

I'd also like to see footage of the chains and padlocks being put on him. Guess I'll have to wait a while for the UK airing of the show though.
 
I was under the influence of thinking Blaine is a magician and therefore uses technology, low or high tech, to pull off his stunts or tricks. I didn't know he graduated to genuine world record holder challenger.
 
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