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"You
don't get into magic. Magic
gets into you." -David Blaine,
1998
On
April 04, 1973, Patrice White gave birth to her first son, David Blaine.
As a supportive single mother, she would raise him to the best
of her ability, encouraging him to pursue his childhood dreams.
Living on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, the two shared a
close bond. The young boy
would never meet his true biological father, only learning about him
through stories and rumors. David's
mother would be the most influential role model in his life
Four-year-old
David Blaine experienced magic for the first time while waiting for
a subway to arrive. Standing
with his mother, he witnessed a stranger perform miracles for random
passerby at the station. Eventually,
the street magician let the curious little boy assist in an astonishing
effect.
Threading
a shoelace through a borrowed ring, the performer made young David Blaine
close his little hand around them.
There was no conceivable way the ring could escape the lace while
he held everything tightly. The
magician made a gesture over David's fist, and the boy's eyes widened
with shock. Inside his
own hand, he felt the ring melt through the shoelace, penetrating straight
through its middle. He
slowly opened his hand, one finger at a time, to discover the wedding
band. off the string.
Inspired
by this encounter, Blaine would strive to amaze people from that moment
on. Given an old deck of
Tarot Cards as a gift, he would study and practice basic sleight of
hand at local libraries to become a riveting center of attention at
family get-togethers and gatherings.
His eccentricity and talent developed at an early age.
Old
Man on the Street
"The
most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
-Albert Einstein
Appearing
rather lonely at times, Old Man Marlow would sit on his apartment stoop
during the late hours of the day, and stare off into space.
His blank stare never expressed a hint of emotion or kindness.
He sat on the same step, always holding a lit cigarette, but
he never appeared to smoke. Naturally,
this strangeness would make children avoid his presence and adults ignore
him. The sight of Old Man
Marlow, however, sparked a curiosity in young David Blaine that he wanted
to explore.
While
walking home from school one day, David Blaine met the senile man upon
his stoop, holding his cigarette and looking intently at the building
across the street. Intrigued
by Old Man Marlow's lack of emotion, David took out 52 "personal friends"
in attempt to put a little magic into his mundane life.
Eventually, the man's fixed stare directed itself toward a naïve
boy playing with a deck of cards.
"Would
you like to see a some magic?" asked David with a quiet smile on his
face. Before Marlow could
answer, he found himself choosing a card from the deck, the seven of
spades. David took the
old man's cigarette, and in plain view, pushed it straight through the
card, burning a hole in the middle.
The image was unforgettable; Old Man Marlow began to smile.
When
the young boy pulled the cigarette out of the seven of spades however,
the card visually healed itself - completely.
Impossibly, the card was as good as new, and David gave it to
the Old Man as a gift. When
he couldn't find any flaws with the card, Marlow screamed and laughed
in awe as he ran into his home with pure excitement.
The imaginative Brooklyn boy succeeded in revealing a side of
Old Man Marlow no one ever knew existed.
This is what magic does.
Article
written by ellusionist
street magic training center.
Not affiliated with
or endorsed by David Blaine. |
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