talkmagic.co.uk

I can just picture the scene - D.Blaine is being interviewed after this 'surgery': 'Tell me, Mr.Blaine, didn't you feel a little prick?' ' Well, I must admit I did feel a bit stupid!'

Dale

The point I'm trying to make here is that you stated that this 'skin piercing in a channel' handling was the method employed by Blaine, and I was merely disputing that.

I agree, as previously mentioned that Fakirs and the like would perform all sorts of crazy insertions and penetrations in the name of gross-out art, but I fail to see that Blaine would take such a risk (as you state, it's DUMB).

Eastern magic takes a mystical and spiritual form, and the belief that the body can be controlled to ignore pain is strong, even to the extent of being part of religious festivals in some countries to this date, which involve piercing rituals and life-threatening insertions (how does a pushbike through the side walls of the mouth sound??? it's true!)

And as for the reference to belly button piercings... an ex-girlfriend of mine underwent this procedure before it became a 'national pastime', and the pain, infection and two weeks of bruising were not what I'd call a painless experience (and neither would she!).

My authoritive American source, who is a walking encyclopedia of magic, claims that the effect performed by Blaine on the TV show would have required a 'channel' of about four inches laterally parallell to the surface of the skin in order to be performed. And logically, due to the transparency of the skin in that area, BLACK thread would need to lie under about 1/6 - 1/8" below the skin for most of the whole 4 inches. Not pleasant!

Orchante indeed also performed the effect, along with sword swallowing and fire-breathing etc, and I would not dispute that someone like him could use this method (especially as I remember, he wore a cummerbund, which could facilitate a shorter sub-skin channel).

There's no denying that there have been REAL odd piercings in the past, but if you've ever seen this effect performed with latex (or indeed the excellent Anderson version of 'needle through arm' - including blood from the wound), the prosthetic effects are practically indistinguishable from real, and a lot less painful (except trying to get latex of hair!) - and because magicians are all about ILLUSION, the latex route seems obvious.

It only increases the 'mystical' image that Blaine portrays to hear tales like 'yes, the string really IS in his stomach', and I imagine that is what he wants, as it seems his goal to appear as a 'powerful magician' to the world... BUT... would a man who performed a quite obvious and 'camera enhanced' version of a Balducci levitation go to that trouble for his art??? His public love him, and believe in him. And we respect him for that.

I think that this is my own opinion, and I'll not force further judgement, that Blaine used makeup. And I would imagine that most modern magicians would go the same route.
The day that magicians cross the border between reality and illusion will be the day that the Knife through Arm illusion is done with a real, standard kitchen knife, and not an £85 prop (would you pay £85 for a blunt knife???).

i know im gonna get flak for this but i gotta put my 10p worth in...
most of david blaines "effects" are well documented about the net.. here is just one!(click on street magic at the top of the page) that shows the thread through skin effect.. plus if you watch david blaine perform this trick youd see how the skin slightly stretches at the point of exit, i am aware of the elasticity of skin but this is a bit more than that... anyways all im saying is that in my humble opinion the effect was done with latex. Now if anyone wants to get on at me for disclosing secrets, im very sorry but it had to be done... anyways... you all did it first!!!

Nice one Mog!
I'm glad to have heard from someone who's actually seen the Blaine effect performed (I had not seen it) who can comment.

I guessed it was latex from the start, but to be fair, anyone seeing the Blood Brothers version would beg to differ (although their over-useage of fake blood could hide anything, I guess).

well to be honest ive never heard of the blood brothers never mind seen any of their stuff... i just dont like the idea of people mutilating themselves for the sake of one effect...

and i saw the pushbike through mouth thing in FHM mag once.... along with adjustable spanners and hacksaws..... would like to see david blaine do that one... hehe

Blood Brothers Link:
http://www.consent.freeserve.co.uk/

I don't quite think Blaine is in the same league as far as self-mutilation goes!

gonna go check it out now...lol

hmmmmm... must say i prefer simon drake for bloody magic... and the thought of the drill up my nose really just makes me want to vomit...hehe

I agree about Drake.
If he did a version of 'String out of Stomach', he'd probably use barbed wire or something, with his heart tied on one end!

hmmm... got me wondering how i could go about that with some latex.... hehe

Daleshrimpton would probably recomment you have surgery

hmmmm i could open up my stomach with that rusty craft knife... shove the wire and fake heart in with a couple of pints of blood , staple it closed.. a little make up over it to cover the small superficial scar and id be set...lol

Who said anything about a fake heart... hehehehehe

Sorry for opening such an old, and intriguing thread!

I have recently got hold of some C****ex, which I am experimenting with. Can anyone suggest what is the best thing to use for skin colouring?

The white blotches look very obvious, unless I'm spreading it rather too thickly. Can someone PM me regarding this if it's exposure.

Thanks!

Freddie

'String from stomach' - 'old thread' - very good ! It might be better if you removed the name of the product above just to be on the safe side but in response to the coloration aspect, it's possible to buy such stuff in a skin tone from some on line stores. The match is probably variable but perhaps putting normal cosmetic makeup on top might be one way of using the non-coloured substance you mention. OK you'll feel a bit daft applying a bit of Max Factor to your lower abdomen but, hey, don't knock it till you've tried it !