David is an admirer of Houdini, so he must know this isn't true, right? Or could the drama of the Tony Curtis movie somehow be stuck in his head? I guess David Blaine is just doing what David Blaine does best. Baffling us!
Thanks to Dave Thomen for this clip.
Related:
- Is David Blaine reviving a Houdini myth?
- David Blaine's Beautiful Struggle started with Houdini
- The biggest myth
In Blaine's book, the first paragraph in the chapter on Houdini, explains exactly why Houdini is just that.
ReplyDeleteIn the larger context of time, Blaine could be correct, in that he went to the hospital, (only it was a few weeks later) after a mishap doing the WTC, (injured ankle, which could have made him feel faint?) where sometime later, he died. What does getting punched in the stomach, poisoning, etc. have to do with a good story?
Remember this is show business.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZgzXbPfpko&pp=ygUQcHJpbnQgdGhlIGxlZ2VuZA%3D%3D
I really hope that isn't how David Blaine justifies this. I don't know him, but in my mind, he's a better person than this.
DeleteThat's all my speculation/thinking, won't put that on Blaine.
DeleteNor would he need to. As discussed elsewhere, in my opinion, the 1953 film is the best movie, (not documentary) about HH.
Next thing you know, someone is going say HH being trapped under frozen-over ice and breathing in the air bubbles.......
I honestly don’t get it. He knows full well the true story so with all his fame he feels he needs to tell a “better” but untrue story? I would love to ask him why?
ReplyDeletePerry from NJ.
The USD was a breath hold and he fainted and had to be taken to the hospital. WTH was he talking about? It was an escape, not a breath holding endurance feat. It feels like he's trying to dovetail HH's legacy into his career. Invoke the name of Houdini to fire the afterburners.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with invoking the name of Houdini to fire the afterburners. I recommend it! But you can also do it accurately.
DeleteHoudini is a tree branch Blaine has been clinging to for years. Out of gratitude he should at least get his facts straight--especially on air.
DeleteI had the privilege of watching Blaine perform in the Cleveland area, which included his underwater tank performance. It was the closest thing I saw to Houdini performing. Having said that, I believe there is a big difference between a Houdini "fan" and us Houdini "nuts". I don't believe Blaine was for some reason purposely misstating Houdini's death, there are too many nuts to correct him which I don't believe is a good look. No, I believe he just didn't know. I also had the privilege of watching Chris Angel perform at the Goodyear Theater in Akron, the same place Houdini once performed for three nights during 1926--six months before he passed. I was waiting for Chris to mention at least that Houdini once performed on the same stage. He never did. Again, I don't believe Chris was deliberately withholding that info. I believe he honestly did not know. Like I said, there's a big difference between Houdini "fans" and us Houdini "nuts"! --Dale from Cleveland.
ReplyDeleteIn Blains book he clearly writes about Houdinis death so he knows well the true story.
DeleteHi Dale--what exactly was Blaine's underwater tank performance?
ReplyDeleteHi Leo. It's been a few years, but here's my recollection. He was in a large water tank for a long time, right in front of the audience (like a foot away), to the side of the seats. We got to see his preparation, I believe he was inhaling oxygen, very deep, exaggerated breaths, beforehand. I don't believe he was upside down and I don't recall him being shackled. I recall him sitting, eyes closed, facing the audience, as if in a trance. He was under for really a long time and it was tense. I could not see any means of oxygen to him during his performance. Overall show was very good and for a lot of his stunts he'd come off the stage and right in front of the audience, going from person to person like some of his street magic (e.g., needle in arm)--I was in first row so got to see stunts up close and personal. --Dale from Cleveland.
ReplyDeleteI had the opportunity to see the live show when DB was in the DC area. Dale describes it accurately [hi Dale!] ; It is an endurance feat and was the last part of his show, and was very very strong. He really builds it up , has a former navy seal trained medic there with him in case something goes wrong, hyperventilates for a long time before going under. After some three-four minutes or so had passed of DB being under water, members of the audience seated near me where screaming for him to end it, as they were afraid he would drown. They were so riled up, I can imagine that it was a very similar reaction to what Houdini's audiences did when he was in the water torture cell - actually he would have already escaped, but was behind the curtain biding his time - and it was in that moment that I understood DB's immense popularity, and that he "got" the essence of HH's ability to truly connect with an audience on an emotional level.....
ReplyDeleteas to the misstatement of how HH died, I don't understand why DB would do that. He is sophisticated, studies HH and collects HH material, and must certainly know the real story. Maybe he was for some odd reason, just focusing on the Tony Curtis movie scene.....
Wonderful description. Thanks for sharing. I gotta see his show.
DeleteThank you Dale and Anonymous for that great description!
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