David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, USA) is an American illusionist and stunt performer. He made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. His father was Spanish-Puerto Rican and his mother, Patrice White, was of Jewish and Russian origin.
David Blaine | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1973 |
| Occupation(s) | Illusionist, stunt performer |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
Magic career, stunt artist
Street Magic
David Blaine began his career by bringing street magic to the public, performing card tricks and illusions such as levitation or bringing dead flies back to life. He used a small camera crew to record his act live in front of everyday people providing the basis for his television specials, David Blaine: Street Magic and David Blaine: Magic Man. His first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic influenced the way magic is performed and portrayed on television. With its strong focus on spectators' reactions and showmanship, Blaine entertained unsuspecting pedestrians without the use of the typical magic props used by other magicians.
Premature Burial
Beginning on April 5, 1999, Blaine spent seven days buried inside a glass coffin at the bottom of an open pit in front of a New York City building provided to him by Donald Trump. Water was poured in, filling the hole, before an acrylic glass top was placed over it as a cover. The surrounding area was covered in dirt. Passers by could watch him 24 hours a day. He emerged on April 12 on schedule. In a homemade video, a shadow on top of the coffin forms a cross, which Blaine comments on in his book.
Frozen in Time
On November 27, 2000, Blaine began a stunt called "Frozen in Time," which was covered on a TV special. Blaine stood in a closet of ice located in Times Square, New York. A tube provided him with air and water while his urine was removed with another tube. He was encased in the box of ice for 2 days 13 hours, 42 minutes, and 15 seconds before being removed.[1] The ice was on a stand, with space between the ground, and the ice was transparent, to prove he was inside the ice the whole time. He was taken to the hospital immediately after being removed because doctors feared he was going into shock. [2]
Vertigo
Blaine's next stunt was called "Vertigo." On 22 May 2002, Blaine performed the stunt in Bryant Park, New York City, where a crane lifted him onto a 105 ft (27 m) high and 22 in (56 cm) wide pillar. He remained on the pillar for exactly 1 day 10 hours and 23 minutes. With his legs weak from standing atop the pillar for so long, he ended the feat by jumping down onto a landing platform made otrf a 12 foot (3.7 m) high pile of cardboard boxes and suffered a minor concussion.[3]
Mysterious Stranger
On October 29 2002, Random House published David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic. Part autobiography, part history of magic, and part armchair treasure hunt, the book also includes instructions on how to perform card tricks and illusions.
The treasure hunt, Blaine's $100,000 Challenge, was devised by game designer Cliff Johnson, creator of The Fool's Errand, and solved by Sherri Skanes on March 20 2004, 16 months after the book's publication.
Above the Below
On September 5, 2003, Blaine began his 44-day endurance stunt sealed inside a transparent Plexiglas case suspended 30 feet (9 m) in the air to Potters Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The case, measuring 3ft by 3ft by 7ft (0.9 x 0.9 x 2.1 m), had a webcam installed so that viewers could observe his progress. Blaine claimed he went 44 days without any food or nutrients, just 4.5 liters of water per day however this was not verified and the water not inspected for added nutrients. The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper that documented his 44 day fast and the re-feeding that is perhaps the most dangerous part (see below).
The stunt became the subject of much media attention and a large degree of derision and ridicule. For example, Page 3 girls and glamour models from various men's magazines flashed at him and a burger was flown up to the box by a remote-controlled helicopter as a taunt [2]. It caused speculation when eggs that had been thrown from the crowd were cleared from the box, as he wasn't meant to communicate with anyone. British documentary makers Richard Gordon and Lauren Hannon reported in their documentary Below the Above that five people lived below Blaine to show their support for what he was doing.[citation needed]
Blaine emerged on schedule on October 19, murmuring "I love you all!" and was quickly hospitalized. He appeared gaunt and he claimed to have lost 54 pounds (24.5 kg) during his fast.
Drowned Alive
On May 1, 2006, Blaine was submerged in a 2.4 metre (8 feet) diameter, water-filled sphere (isotonic saline, 0.9% salt) in front of the Lincoln Center in New York City for a planned seven days and seven nights, using tubes for air and nutrition. He concluded this event by attempting to hold his breath underwater to break the world record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds. Blaine also tried to free himself from handcuffs and chains put on him upon coming out after the week in the sphere.[4] He seemed to have trouble escaping from the last of the handcuffs. Blaine failed in his attempt, holding his breath for 7 minutes and 33 seconds before showing signs of distress and being pulled up by the support divers.[5] Blaine did claim to have succeeded in setting a record for being fully submerged in water for more than seven days straight (177 hours). Blaine underwent multiple short hospital visits after the stunt ended and has entered an agreement with doctors from Yale University to monitor him in order to study the human physiological reaction to prolonged submersion.[6] During the stunt, doctors witnessed skin breakdown at the hands and feet, and liver failure.
In an interview on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius satellite radio, Blaine spoke of the week-long fasting he did before the "drowning alive" stunt, to avoid having to be concerned with defecation. For urine, he wore an external, condom-style catheter.
His attempt to break the breath holding record was somewhat controversial due to his breathing pressurized air from a regulator. Breath holding athletes typically breathe above water, at atmospheric pressure, before submerging for their record breaking attempts. Therefore Blaine may have had a physiological advantage due to higher oxygen saturation of the blood.
Revolution
On November 19 2006, Blaine announced his next stunt. He told reporters that he would be suspended 50 feet[7] in the air while strapped by shackles inside a giant gyroscope. His goal was to escape from his shackles after the gyroscope had been spinning for 16 hours. The gyroscope was constantly spinning at a rate of eight revolutions per minute while hanging above an empty lot in Manhattan near Times Square.
The stunt began on November 21 2006, with Blaine declaring, "This one's exciting for me. This one's a fun one." After spinning in shackles in the gyroscope for two days, Blaine emerged with a crash only a half hour after being allowed to try.[8]
As a result of his success, Blaine led 100 children selected by The Salvation Army on a shopping spree at Target, after each child received a $500 gift certificate from the retailer. Blaine said the stunt was particularly important since The Salvation Army had provided him with clothing while he was growing up. "This challenge is close to my heart," Blaine said.
Personal life
- He has dated Fiona Apple, Madonna, Josie Maran, Lonneke Engel,[9] and Daryl Hannah[10]
- He attended Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, New Jersey.[citation needed] Blaine graduated in 1991.
Trivia
This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (July 2007) |
- During his appearance in Last Call with Carson Daly, he pretended to pull his heart out and fainted. The segment was staged, but NBC almost cancelled the illusion. It was told that the audience was completely shocked and some members ran away crying or screaming.[11]
- In 2007 David Blaine recorded a series of commercials advertising the NBA Playoffs on TNT.
- Blaine also appeared on the British morning television show GMTV, being interviewed by Eamonn Holmes. During the interview Blaine was monosyllabic in his responses, saying almost nothing for the first part of it. The interview is often replayed on TV clipshows and Holmes cites it as one of his most challenging interviews to date.
- He has Primo Levi's concentration camp number, 174517, tattooed on his left forearm.[12]
References
- Mysterious Stranger, Blaine's autobiography published by Vilard Books and Channel 4 books. ISBN 0-7522-1989-8.
- BBC news pages on Blaine's time in London - 1 2 3
- Korbonits M., Blaine D., Elia M., Powell-Tuck J., "Refeeding David Blaine: studies after a 44-day fast", New England Journal of Medicine 2005;353:2306-7. PMID 16306536.
- ^ http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/frozenintime.shtml
- ^ David Blaine - Fearless (DVD), Buena Vista Home Entertainment, shows footage of his hospitalization including the exclamation "He is going into shock!"
- ^ http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/vertigo.shtml
- ^ Blaine Out For Record, Sky News, 2006-05-01
- ^ David Blaine: Drowned Alive? Part VII "Curtain Down" Deeper Blue
- ^ Cnn.com - David Blaine out of hospital
- ^ http://www.malibu.in/2006/random/david-blaine-and-his-gyroscope-stunt-in-new-york/
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/23/AR2006112300753.html
- ^ Liquid Lust, New York Post, 2006-07-04
- ^ , but the only reason any of them wanted to date him was to learn the secrets behind his magic.[1] News for David Blaine at IMDB
- ^ Video of Blaine pulling out heart.
- ^ Jews With Tattoos - Boston Globe Aug 15, 2004.
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