The Magic of David Blaine

In three decades, David Blaine has succeeded in transforming the world of magic and magic around the world. Born of humble beginnings in Brooklyn, New York, Blaine's earliest exposure to magic was watching a street performer in a New York subway. He was just four years of age at the time; however, the experience had a profound impact on the youngster. After learning his first trick, the "Pencil through Card," which he purchased at a Disney shop, Blaine continued to practice and refine his skills. Tricks with cards became the logical choice for a young man of limited financial means. What's more, Blaine found he had a natural aptitude for card manipulation. Soon he carried a deck with him everywhere he went - taking advantage of every opportunity to perform for friends and strangers alike.

When Blaine was ten, his mother, Patrie White, remarried and they moved to New Jersey. He continued to dream of being a master magician. At the age of 17, he moved back to New York. It was here on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen; Blaine began to polish the skills and unique performance style that would later help him astonish TV audiences around the globe. These hard-won performances honed his skills to a razor sharp edge.

He was becoming an accomplished performer. Yet his approach was different. It was more hip, more contemporary. In addition, while Blaine did not fit the image most people had of a magician - his street audiences accepted him, because he looked like them. He was an "everyman," but an everyman that could perform seeming miracles. An urban shaman, as card man and magic columnist Jon Racherbaumer would later put it.

In 1994, at the age of 21, David Blaine's mother died of cancer. With this devastating loss came a renewal of self-purpose.  Blaine’s drive to succeed against the odds became stronger than ever. He worked harder to promote himself. His performances began to attract the attention of top celebrities around New York. Soon he was performing his "in-your-face" miracles at fast, inner circle parties for the rich and famous. Places you might see Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro. Blaine also became a good friend of Leonardo De Caprio around this time. Blaine's pals in the entertainment business encouraged him to send a video tape of his magic to ABC-TV.

In 1997, his first special, "David Blaine: Street Magic," aired. Audiences in the United States were so impressed; ABC syndicated the special worldwide. The impact of David Blaine’s magic transcended all cultural barriers.

David Blaine's second TV special aired in 1999. Called "David Blaine: Magic Man," it featured some more exotic locales than the first special, including Haiti and South America. The focus of the magic was even more offbeat than the first - interspersing close-up tricks with mentalism and some obscure Eastern magic effects. To promote the special, Blaine was buried alive for seven days in New York.

In his third special last year, "David Blaine: Frozen in Time," Blaine was frozen inside a block of solid ice. More of a stunt than a magic trick, it generated a huge amount of publicity and inevitably some controversy for being over hyped.

This year, David Blaine appeared in his fourth television special entitled, "David Blaine's Vertigo." Blaine, known for his headline-making daring and his death-defying feats of physical and emotional endurance, put his life on the line by balancing on a small circular platform one hundred feet above the crowd for 35 hours. He finished the stunt by falling into cardboard boxes - live - on the special. Viewers were also treated to pre-recorded segments of David Blaine performing his unique brand of in-your-face style street magic to astonished onlookers.

In his most recent endeavor, "David Blaine: Drowned Alive", millions of ABC-TV viewers tuned in for two hours to see if he could hold his breath for over 8 minutes and 58 seconds - the current world record. While, he ultimately came up short, a little after seven minutes; it was clear his attempt had earned the respect of the live audience that had witnessed it and many of the television viewers as well. Some magical effects were also interspersed with background pieces on the challenge and David's life.