BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) GETTING LAMER BY THE TRICK
A few years ago, I got swept up in it. I enjoyed catching “Mindfreak” whenever I saw it was on. Mostly it was on late at night in mini-marathon chunks so it became fine background fodder as I was online or working on a project. I started to enjoy it and started to buy the hype. But then as time went on, each “illuuuuuuusion” got lamer and lamer. I mean I know it’s a trick and a deception, but there’s an art to it that can make it one of the most entertaining forms of entertainment out there. It’s almost as if his bag of tricks was tapped, yeah, pun intended. At first I was annoyed by escaping the building that was being imploded. It felt so sloppy and cheap that the entertainment value of it was just completely negative. For real, it was anything but suspenseful. It was downright HILARIOUS. I mean, really… a “Home Levitation”?! Criss proclaimed he was going to make the audience AT HOME levitate. In one of the most embarrassing moments of my adult life, I followed his instructions and gave it try.
(THREE) HE’S A TOOL
He’s a failed rock star who refused to buy new clothes. Each season, his hair got shorter and his ego got bigger. There are surprisingly a lot of reports on his being a jerk, stealing tricks, and all that stuff but I’m going to focus on one that really irked me. Perez Hilton, not someone I’d a super big fan of, went to “Criss Angel Believe” Vegas show with Cirque Du Soleil. He did not like it and tweeted about it during the show. Afterwards Angel himself went on a cursing tirade towards Hilton. I’m not sticking up for Hilton, but he had the right to express his opinion anyway he saw fit. This just comes off as a b**ch move on Angel’s part. Then when you think of the fact that this was a Cirque Du Soleil show, show some class! And another thing… “Criss” Angel? Who spells their name “Criss” without having a “y” at the end like a “Three’s Company” character. The problem is that Crissy Angel is more like “Larry”, the sleazy neighbor upstairs. Then another side of it is that, magic is NOT all stunts and paid extras hired to be your “complete strangers”. The general public’s view on what “magic” is jarred by these shock stunts.
(TWO) HURTING THE ART
His shtick is doing more harm to magic than good. Yes, it’s brining a lot of attention to it, but not in the way it should be. His persona rubs people the wrong way so much that people go out of their ways to discredit his tricks. This doesn’t do anyone any good. I know logic-minded people will always try to figure it out, but his doucheyness and the internet opens up a can of worms that gives the magic industry a black eye. When researching this, I ended up coming across many websites, forums, and pages talking about how his “illuuuuuuuuusions” are done. A lot of this stuff is the same tricks or in the same ballpark as what others out there do so it rains on their parade a bit in the cross fires.
(ONE) THERE ARE BETTER
Criss Angel has a style and people like him. He’s made millions of dollars, dated hot celebrities, and is I’m sure living a dream. You can’t hate him for wanting to earn a living and to entertain, but he’s just turned into something of a cartoon character of his younger self. Meanwhile, David Blaine lurks out there in the night. He creeps me out, but he’s just as popular as any other magician out there. He and Criss Angel are almost in the same boat. Blaine does big stunts as well and does “complete stranger” street magic. The difference is that Blaine, while creepy, still comes off as a magician and does plenty of old school work. Then there’s Penn and Teller are out there and are doing pretty damn good for themselves as well. While not being rock star looking poster boys they have just as much “edge” if not a million times more of it.
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