Copperfield wore a rather large sweatshirt when you saw him because he was going "Flying". It had nothing to do with what style he wanted to project, if he could do Flying in a white button up he would have worn that. Most pro's often change their appreacence and clothing to match a paticular trick - I grew my hair long for a paticular levitation I do, the pony tail is a secret gimmick of mine.

You don't just decide what you want to wear, or what you want to look like ... you decide what tricks you want to do, then figure out what clothes you must wear to get the most out of those effects.

As for looking normal, Blaine certainly would not look "normal" in my neighborhood - he would look more like a bum. Of course, his special was filmed in areas like the Compton Projects, so he fit in nicely there. The "normal guy" was planted in your mind by the nararator, NOT his clothing ... it also controdicted the "special powers" statement, as a normal guy wouldn't have special powers.

His clothing was far from "normal", as that would imply everyone was wearing tight teeshirts and jeans. Did you see anyone else dressed like him in his special? I can speculate he wore tight teeshirts to impress upon his audience that there was nothing up his sleeve, something I myself have worn for that very reason.

JoeJoe

Is there really that much of a difference?

Maybe it should be modified into "Who would we rather watch perform, Jerry Seinfeld or Bill Murray playing the part of a used car salesman?" They both are hilarious in the right context.

Busking vs Street Magic!
There is know contest, if you are working for tips you are a busker if you are being paid to do a show on the streets as in a fixed fee you are street performing.

I do both, the test is when you ask if you can busk while you do a paid gig normally you will hear a big NO, some times a YES but normally a NO. Those that book you do not want you to Busk that says it all because you are not Busking never mind what you think. If you are allowed then you are busking and very lucky happy busker.

Happy Fat Hats.
Mario

Maybe a failed busker is a street magician.

This has been discussed Ad Nauseum, but one of the whole points of street-magic is that youre doing it in places where busking is NOT allowed or sanctioned. Often, we work places where buskers WISH they could perform (theme parks, strip malls, etc.) Street-mages don't do "Paid gigs", at least not that I've ever heard of.

I think they probably "looped" the wagons as close to a circle as they could. Hollywood got it right once and then put it in the "stock footage" section so it shows up in multiple films

I did it once (technically, twice) while in DisneyWorld. While on line for Peter Pan's Flight (a ride I recommend FastPass for in the future!) I pulled out the deck of cards and was doing color changes and other stuff for the people in the next part of the rat maze! Another time, while waiting for Aladdin and Jasmine to come out and sign autographs/pose for pictures, the couple in front of me was having problems with their little girl who was getting "antsy." I said; "I see why you're getting so jumpy..." and pulled a sponge ball out of her ear! "I'd be jumpy too if I had one of these stuck in there!" I did a quick sponge ball routine (Mark Wilson's Encyclopedia of Magic) quitting at the "gone from my hand, both are in yours" stage. (It was getting close to Aladdin and Jasmine and that was a better stopping place than anywhere else in the routine.

I've also done card springing for cranky kids. It's bright, colorful and makes a rude noise. 99 times out of a 100, it gets them quiet to where they forget why they were crying in the first place. (I had a bus actually applaude when I got some father's kid quieted down with card springing!)

No tips though, Disney wouldn't allow it of course.

Regarding the 'Hit & Run' style guerrila magic, where it would be wise at times to make a mad dash outta the hizzy, I can believe it happens...way back in the late 80's I dropped outta school and left home with zero money in my pocket. All I had was a very small box of magic tricks and a back pack of clothes.

When I left home (small hicktown) I moved to Olympia Wa. then to Tacoma and then Seattle, I worked the streets and lived like a street urchin I started when I was 17 and ended that lifstyle at the age of 22 on the east coast, magic took me places. I had many adventures, made enough money to survive, but not pay all the bills required to live like a normal person.

I called what I did Ninja Magic because it sounded cool and sorta described what I was doing. I also was a small time con man and pickpocket at times, however I felt it wasn't the right thing to do and stopped almost as soon as I started.

So there is folk who do this type of magic to be sure, but it must be a small group.

johnny

Until David came along and usurped the name street magic and turned it into a new descriptive term for his style of street magic I led a contented and well ordered life with a clear understanding of what street magic is/was. Now its like what has happened to the word "gay". It used to be that if you called a guy a "gay fellow" you were saying he was happy - now you have to pick you guy carefully!
Same with the term street magic. Before David caused people to retool the term street magic was doing fine thank you very much.
Street Magic was magic done on the street if you asked for money than you were doing street magic to busk. If not then a bit of magic in a lineup was perhaps street magic but not a street magic act. If you staked out a pitch and just did it for fun it was street magic pure and simple and just because you didn't get paid did not mean that you were unskilled nor unhassled by the local constabulary.
Many times the term was applied to the type of magic that had certain limitations as in Stage Magic versus close-up but even that is not without blurred lines.
I simply refer to the latest Magical Assault system as a style of Street Magic.
It was so simple 30 years ago.

Gollymrscience
I like your point, well said.
Mario

Normally I'd chime in with a retort......but the truth is I havn't really done much street-magic since landing the table-hopping gig at Disney. I've 'gone legit' as they say. I still did a little the last time I went to Europe, but it was just for fun, not survival. But yes, it WAS 'so simple' 30 years ago....when buskers had a monopoly on the street and street-mages were never-heard-of bottom feeders. Now with 2 street mages at the top of the food-chain (Blaine & Angel) encouraging all manner of spin-offs....well, all you have to do is scroll up & back to read all the bitterness.

Where are you, "world," or "land?"

If WDW, where do you perform? I'm planning on visiting 2007 and would like to drop in on whatever restaurant you're in.

I have a retort: I don't work for Disney -- I'm a full time busker living out of a suitcase -- and you know what, I'm also "legit". I'm legitimate because the street is the original theatre. And, even more important, I'm legitimate because my audiences say I am.

I'll be legit so long as there's a public square around the next corner and there's a sparkle in my eye; you're legit until Disney decides you're expendable, or until another performer undercuts your fee.

Working for Disney makes you "legit" like walking into a Burger King makes you a french fry.

To Mandrake: It's world, and you'll find me at Fulton's crabhouse (the big riverboat).

To Chance: Easy man...'gone legit' is just an expression...I'm not saying that having a paid-pro gig in a fixed venue is the only sort of legitamete magic. It's just that since street magic (unlike busking which is usually done in specific approved areas) is often done in places where it would be illegal, when a street-mage gets a regular pro gig it's called going legit.

I'm going to try and be in Disneyworld in 2007.

I'll have to look for you.

Quick question. While my wife will _love_ the idea, I frankly hate seafood.

Do they have non-seafood on the menu?

(I looked on the website, but they didn't have a full menu. Just the fact that the Alaskan King Crab is a favorite!)

Sure.....there's FiletMignon, strip steak, and free-range chicken. And it's a great place to do table-hopping magic. It's 5-star, so you get the good (read: high-tipping) clientele, but it's still Disney, so theres a LOT of children, who, as I've said oft before are the achilles-heel of ANY crowd.....or table.

-yum-

I'll look for you "fool."

So just a quick question. some people actually pay you to work on the streets of lets just say nyc? I don't mean like a david blaine guy but just a magician that cant find anywhere to work. like a hobo magician. like a street vendor, kind of? maybe nyc could finance you to add to their tourist attraction. I don't know.

.....Uhm, well....I suppose that COULD happen, but it sure seems like a longshot. Still, I'm so intruiged by the idea...I might look into it if I lived in NYC.

A hobo magician? I hope you did not move to NYC to try this. Busking seems like a hard life, and there is no shortage of street musicians and other performers in NYC.
Charlie