Evolution

David Blaine was on the season premiere of Hot Ones (an interview show where they eat progressively hotter wings). As you might expect of someone with his pedigree, he handled it like a champ.

You can see so much love for him in the comments on that video. Who had Blaine being one of the most charming, relatable and likable magicians in 2022?

25 years ago a bunch of dildo magicians were like, “Where’s his patter!?!?!” “All he does is stare at people!!!” “I can do those tricks myself!!!”

Yes, he played up the “mysterious stranger” persona at a time where he could cast himself in that role, and at a time where secrets were still somewhat hard to come by. But he wisely changed with the times. If he had a special in 2022 where he did the Invisible Deck and stared into a woman’s soul afterwards, the clip would be on YouTube 20 minutes later with a link to where to get the trick on Penguin. There would be no traction for that sort of persona in today’s world. So he became more himself in his tv specials and appearances.

And, of course, he mixed in endurance feats and stunts with his magic. Some things he does are very real, some are like half-real, and some are pure fiction. In a previous post I talked about manipulating “belief” as the medium in magic. And that’s something he has definitely done in his evolution.

I think magicians sort of understand why he has evolved the way he has over time. I think they see why what he was doing 25 years ago wouldn’t really play today. But here’s the thing: the factors that played into Blaine’s evolution also affect the casual performance of magic as well. And yet the vast majority of magicians assume they can perform magic socially the same way Harry Lorayne did in 1962. That sort of thing doesn’t work anymore. I mean, it “works,” but that type of interaction just doesn’t carry the same amount of weight.

Secrets aren’t hard to find. And anyone who wants to see a magic performance can watch one any time of day while they take a shit. These days, social magic has to emphasize connection, immersion, and conversation if you want to give people something they can’t just get on their phones.