talkmagic.co.uk

Michael Jay wrote:Fair enough.

Mike.

The probelm is apparent here. If you do "some" camera tricks, then you might as well do "all" camera tricks. There's no difference in the final product. All of his illusions could be fake. What's the point in that?

Banacheck's part of his team? Why?

Edit: wrong quote there, ignore please

For Banachek, no doubt it is a paycheck.

For Angel, it is credibility (in part) and the fact that Banachek is a great thinker. If you are familiar with "PK Touches" by Banachek and you've seen Angel's "Shadow Touches," it becomes immediately obvious that it was little more than an adaptation of "PK Touches."

Also, Banachek was the originator of Penn and Teller's bullet catch (although they've changed it quite a bit, the root method is Banachek's). So, if you're going to have a staff of creative consultants, Banachek would be high on that list.

And Banachek is only one of the big names in the consulting department.

Mike.

I know exposure isn't allowed, but can you give me some very vague idea of how he might have done the end of the human candle trick without camera trickery? I can't even see this being possible surrounded by people without the audience seeing the switch.

JAlexBrown

I'm not implying anything, but Criss' brothers look a lot like him. If they were at a distance you probably couldn't tell the difference. He MIGHT use them for some of his effects. Remember when he was covered with a trash can and in 5 seconds was on top of the roof across the street? Maybe it was one of his brothers on the roof? I don't know, it's just a theory. I don't know if it would apply to the "Human Candle" stunt, but who knows?

some of his magic is too over the top but other than that i really enjoy his tricks

I must be honest and say i am not a huge fan of him. I respect him as an entertainer and the fact that he gets people interested in magic again. However, certain 'things' have no place in magic (IMHO)

Josh i know what your saying remember when he went trough a wood chipper. A lot of it is also camera tricks

stephenmagic wrote: However, certain 'things' have no place in magic (IMHO)

Like squirrells for example.

Whether you like Angel or hate him doesn't really matter, to the average joe on the street his tricks are amazing. Remember that we are in a priviliged position, knowing more about methodology than most and that threads like this have reinforced (or introduced) suspicions about cameras in our minds. I would say that the general public suspect camera trickery with most TV magicians, but they aren't sure and that's the key.
If he entertains folk and raises the profile of magic it has to be a good thing, right?
Personally I don't like his style, but some of his effects are very good.

Mindfreak was originally a live theater show, there was no camera trickery. He doesn't need it.

He used to be very cool. I have chatted with him back in the past and he knew a lot about me that he had bothered to read about a forum.
this was back... 3 years i think. He used to telephone fans, even people in the UK.

Now however he has lost contact with his fans as he has gone down the road of all other tv magicians. Selling air fresheners and bending to fit the publics opinions of a tv magician

Don't judge him just on his recent series though, he does still have the scars of his past stunts. He is not a one trick pony.

^ I've seen Criss perform in his broadway show last 2001. He brought a lot of stuff there to the television, which includes the vertical building walk.

I also do not like his show that much. Sure, hanging with hooks stuck on your back via chopper over the Valley of Fire in Nevada is something cool to look at on TV, but it is more of a stunt than magic. I really believe his style is stage magic. His craft does not fit the streets. Streets should have impromptu magic, everything he does need a lot of setup (and stooges).

Plus, I don't like how they treat him on the show as the "best magician in the world" or the "Biggest star in Vegas". What happened to Siegfried and Roy, Lance Burton and all those stars?

So Criss as a stage performer: Good
Criss as a magician on TV: Bad

I believe he will start performing stage shows in the Luxor with Cirque du Soleil soon.

What happened to Siegfried and Roy??? Umm.....

Lance Burton is an incredible performer, don't get me wrong. He is a superior magician in every respect. The difference is (and it's the only difference, in my opinion), he doesn't have a tv show.

You can't judge the popularity of a magician solely on how known and respected they are by the magic community. Dai Vernon is an excellent example of this. He is a god amongst magicians, and largely unknown by everyone else. I've heard countless names labelled as "the best card magician ever" by the general public - almost none have mentioned his name.

Criss Angel has the most public exposure of acts in Vegas (with the exception of Penn & Teller), so yes - it can be said he's the biggest magician in Vegas. Best magician in the world can be argued (he did win a few championships), but that's more for hype than substance. It's a selling point. Would people go to a show if the marquee said "One of the top 600 magicians in the world"?? Probably not. Also, travel to Vegas. EVERY show is touted as the greatest show in Vegas!

Amongst magician's he's not the best, by far. However, going from public recognition, he's up there.

It should be noted that on his show, and in numerous interviews, I have heard Criss Angel speak highly of many of the top performers (he has stated numerous times that he has the utmost respect for Seigfried and Roy and Lance Burton).

Cyril Takayama is touted as a street magician, noodlesoup - and quite a few of his effects require preparation and controlled environments. I'm getting tired of this argument over what is street magic. Broken down to it's barest essentials, street magic is simply that: magic performed on the streets. What you do and how you do it is inconsequential. Saying that it needs to be impromptu and requires no props or preparation is ridiculous.

Demitri wrote:What happened to Siegfried and Roy??? Umm.....

Lance Burton is an incredible performer, don't get me wrong. He is a superior magician in every respect. The difference is (and it's the only difference, in my opinion), he doesn't have a tv show.

You can't judge the popularity of a magician solely on how known and respected they are by the magic community. Dai Vernon is an excellent example of this. He is a god amongst magicians, and largely unknown by everyone else. I've heard countless names labelled as "the best card magician ever" by the general public - almost none have mentioned his name.

Criss Angel has the most public exposure of acts in Vegas (with the exception of Penn & Teller), so yes - it can be said he's the biggest magician in Vegas. Best magician in the world can be argued (he did win a few championships), but that's more for hype than substance. It's a selling point. Would people go to a show if the marquee said "One of the top 600 magicians in the world"?? Probably not. Also, travel to Vegas. EVERY show is touted as the greatest show in Vegas!

Amongst magician's he's not the best, by far. However, going from public recognition, he's up there.

It should be noted that on his show, and in numerous interviews, I have heard Criss Angel speak highly of many of the top performers (he has stated numerous times that he has the utmost respect for Seigfried and Roy and Lance Burton).

Cyril Takayama is touted as a street magician, noodlesoup - and quite a few of his effects require preparation and controlled environments. I'm getting tired of this argument over what is street magic. Broken down to it's barest essentials, street magic is simply that: magic performed on the streets. What you do and how you do it is inconsequential. Saying that it needs to be impromptu and requires no props or preparation is ridiculous.

Got your point. Everyone knew what happend with Siegfried and Roy, but I'm just referring their "status" as performers.

I guess maybe "Street Magic" does not really have an exact definition, but what you have said could be the closest one, it's plainly magic in the streets. Although most of the stuff he does on tv are not really magic, mostly "Believe it or Not" stuff. I'm not saying it's not good, it actually clicked. People love those kind of stuff.

Noodlesoup wrote:So Criss as a stage performer: Good
Criss as a magician on TV: Bad

Agreed!

Ok i am mad at the fact that criss cant do magic without saying CUT, yet he does make all of us look good. He is making magic very popular ecspecially in America. WE may shun him for his camera fixes but we must praise him for his ability to make "us" as a community to be more well known then we were.
I am so mad that at the fact that people at my school dont know who dai vernon is, but hey they know crizz angel. BTW houdini isnt a magician he's an escape artist. EVERYONE WHERE I LIVE THINKS HOUDINI WAS THE BIGEST MAGICIAN TO EVER LIVE. honestly . thats my bit

Houdini was, indeed, a magician. Before he focused on escapes and publicity stunts, he performed traditional magic (one of his most famous effects was the Metamorphosis).

He also considered himself an accomplished Card magician (even touring and performing as the "King of Cards"), though that was largely untrue.