Thanks to our friends from LOL Events and Livescape Asia, we were given the opportunity to meet the one and only David Blaine in the flesh! In case you haven’t heard (and can’t fathom why you could’ve not heard), David Blaine is here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of his “Real or Magic” tour. The show is happening this Friday (5th September)!
But, before that, we got a chance to see him at the press conference (did we already say in the flesh?) in the city and interrogate him politely ask him some burning questions that we’ve always had about his craft. Was he down-to-earth? Yes. Was he accommodating? Like you wouldn’t imagine.
Hi David! It’s Lainey from Hype Malaysia. You’ve done so many death-defying stunts in the past e.g. “Vertigo”, “Frozen in Time”, “Buried Alive”, etc. How much research do you do before performing them?
“Well, those were pretty much experimental and just “testing time” so I put a coffin in my friend’s living room and started sleeping in it just to see how I could do. Then I started learning to fast for an extended time. So that one was pretty much self taught. And then the ice was..my second stunt, it was the same process. We went to a freezer locker and built blocks of ice just to see how long I could withstand it. But then I as started working on things like holding my breath or fasting for 44 days, I started to study with physiologists and I’ve met some really great doctors and scientists so I started to have more access to more people. And the Internet started to expand and research was more available so I started to incorporate that to what I do.”
What was the first magic trick that you learnt and who taught you that trick?
“One of the first things that I remember was when I was about 5 years old and my mother used to work multiple jobs so I would wait at the library. The librarian noticed that I always carried cards with me but I didn’t know what to do with them. So she worked me through a book of magic which was..I believe self working card tricks. And when my mother showed up, I did something very simple but reacted like she had just seen something amazing. So, I believed that I was able to do magic and that was the beginning of my love for performing. I didn’t perform for kids though because I didn’t want to be made fun of – probably smart!”
How do you feel about magicians who expose or reveal show secrets of magicians to the public?
“I think that’s just bound to happen in any art form. There’s always a few people who want to put the easy stuff out to make their quick dollars. Real magicians would never do that because they work too hard on their craft. Usually, the guys that entertain or that you’re fascinated by, they work so diligently and practise so hard and work through so many failures that they wouldn’t just put their craft out on a platter like that. But those guys are rare and a few.”
What can people expect from your “Real or Magic” show at Stadium Negara this Friday?
“I’ve bringing some of my favourite performers from around the world to give me a break while I rest in between recovering from one thing before I go to the next thing so..the show should be about 90 minutes. There will be some incredible, incredible talent that breaks up my piece, yeah. I’ve been working with them for awhile now and they’re phenomenal – I’m just worried that they probably will outshine me. One of the guys’ name is Yann Frisch (French magician), who is considered one of the best magicians in the world..he does this juggling act that he made up that’s just mind-blowing. Another is a dancer named Salah who to me is..he redefined dance. He is the guy that everybody looks up to, studies, and emulates. I’m excited about the show and putting it together but it is very experimental and anything can go wrong, anything can go happen. I don’t have props, I don’t have things hidden, I don’t have things behind me. What you see is what you get so this isn’t like the typical illusion show where you’re seeing a lot of things that are behind-the-scenes. I won’t have sleeves on so everything that you’re seeing it what it is. And I think that’s what makes it interesting because technically I’m actually just giving you everything that..I put in my life..into my magic.”
If you wanna grab those last minute tickets to his “Real or Magic” Kuala Lumpur show, tickets are still available here. Probably not for long though so you better hurry!
For more pictures from the press conference, check out our gallery here:
Also, we’ll be updating live from David Blaine’s “Real or Magic” show in Kuala Lumpur so don’t forget to follow us via our Twitter or Instagram accounts.
For more information, visit David Blaine’s official website.
