The sad thing about Criss Angel

[fercloseupartist]

The sad thing about Criss Angel is that in the real world with just a few coins and a deck of cards he wouldn't be able to do much. Aaron Fisher would destroy him with sleight of hand, Lee Asher would leave him speachless, Dan and Dave would school him at Flourishing.

It's just sad that he never ever does sleight of hand on tv, it brings the question, how good is he really at doing sleight of hand?

I still think David Blaine is far more superior than Criss Angel, he might not have the money to make all those illusions but in the real world with just a deck of cards he would do much better.

With all that money, with all that jewlery, with all that eye liner, I would like to see him try to fool Aaron Fisher or Lee Asher with a card trick.

"Are you ready?" is his phrase, and to be honest, I've been ready to see some real magic without camera tricks but up to today I can count with my fingers the tricks he's performed without the help of a camara or expensive apparatus. His "Sinful" performance was aweful.

I know he won't but I sure would like him to read this post.

 

[btaylor]

keep in mind that he has put more time into illusions. sleights are not his thing. and the saddest thing about criss angel is that they let him on tv.

 

[spikormikor13]

I would have to disagree. I don't love Criss, I don't hate him, but I highly doubt that he "wouldn't be able to do much." The fact that he was able to get his own show proves that he has some talent. Maybe he isn't the best magician, but the man is a genius and very good at what he does.

 

[MikeGoyke]

The fact that he was able to get his own show proves that he has some talent. Maybe he isn't the best magician, but the man is a genius and very good at what he does.

I think thats a VERY good point, that alot of people overlook alot when discussing criss.

 

[adjones]

His genre is stage magic, and he's pretty good at it... even though I don't necessarily like him. Each magician usually excels at a certain genre of magic, and merely tinkers with the other. The truth is, you're comparing him to legends like Lee Asher, and the two people, Dan and Dave, that are pretty much the top of the food chain in flourishing. It's not fair to Criss, simply because those aren't his areas. Dan and Dave would rip me apart in flourishing; it's not what I do. I don't really have much else to add, except you're giving him an unfair disadvantage.

 

[Jakeh]

Sleights aren't his thing, though. You can't compare someone who prefers "big things" with someone who just does card effects and sleights, you know?

And for the record, I've seen heaps of things that are sleights on his show.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

I haven't even been watching his show lately.

 

[Jakeh]

I'd just like to say something a bit off topic, but I have to applaud the maturity of the posts so far compared to that of a Criss Angel thread at say, Ellusionist or somewhere else.

Also, another point I'd like to point out, Dan and Dave would "school" a lot of people at flourishing. Especially the people, like Criss, that don't even do flourishing!

And, I thought his Sinful was good.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

Jakeh has a good point. There are few who can match the Flourishing skills of Dan and Dave.

 

[adjones]

Look, I've been a Criss hater, and I still don't respect him at all, but I must admit, he knows how to present and play out effects, even if they are camera tricks, stooges, etc. I gotta give him credit for that, at least.

 

[AllanLuu]

I don't like the guy ut at oen point, I had all the respect for him, right around made in japan, I thought he was amazing, the goth look, I liked it. But then when I read that he changed his dressign style because he would amke more money and change his personality to get more viewers, that kind of ticked me off.

I know it is buisness but I feel you should stay true to yourself.

 

[fercloseupartist]

He doesn't do close up, or stage magic, he does CAMERA TRICKS. It is much more difficult to fool people on stage, but on the street with a bunch of cameras and all those stooges that he uses. come on guys. He has hired so many people to pose as spectators, that's what bugs me the most about him.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

Look, I've been a Criss hater, and I still don't respect him at all, but I must admit, he knows how to present and play out effects, even if they are camera tricks, stooges, etc. I gotta give him credit for that, at least.

I think Criss can sell an effect, but David can make it look REAL.

 

[adjones]

But is it entertaining? Yes. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have as many fans as he does. Now, I don't like it any more than you do, simply because he's setting the bar too high for us without the ability to use camera tricks, but he does entertain people, which is the core center of a magician's goal in performing. And yes, he does do close-up magic, and he does do stage magic. Apparently you've never seen the show. Just because you've never seen it marketed or can't figure it out, doesn't mean it's a camera trick.

 

[Jakeh]

He doesn't do close up, or stage magic, he does CAMERA TRICKS. It is much more difficult to fool people on stage, but on the street with a bunch of cameras and all those stooges that he uses. come on guys. He has hired so many people to pose as spectators, that's what bugs me the most about him.

Of course he does stage magic. How do you think he got where he is? And what do you think he's doing in the coming months? A stage show, yep. He also isn't the only magician in the world to use stooges, I know I do - they work like a charm.

 

[Jakeh]

Just because you've never seen it marketed or can't figure it out, doesn't mean it's a camera trick.

Spot on!

He is definitely creative when it comes to his effects, so much so that people just pass it off as camera stuff because they can't come up with an explanation. Which I think, is a great compliment. Whenever I get accused of using a trick deck, I feel so happy because it means my sleights were so convincing that people just can't think of anything but gimmicks.

To fercloseupartist, if you haven't watched the interview with Banachek a member of this forum has posted recently, I think you should because he explains that a lot of things aren't stooges and camera tricks.

 

[adjones]

I don't know why people make such a big fuss over Criss. I mean sure, he's a disgrace to our art, but what can we do? I simply choose to ignore him, and if we all did that, he would stop getting attention, and would eventually go away. We are only disrespecting ourselves by calling him names, accusing him of camera tricks, etc. Like I said, I don't like him, but I'm not going to sink to a new low and call him names and stuff. I will however, say I have no respect for him, and that will probably never change.

 

[Spock]

Well, there is a reason that he is so popular and was able to get his own show. I dislike him as much as the next magician, but I don't think that everything he does is camera tricks or even bad, for that matter. I mean, couldn't walking on water be done on a stage in a clear swimming pool or something? And flourishing would be probably a bit out of character for someone who focuses more on a gritty, straightforward style. Just saying. I did get mad that he impersonated David Blaine, though.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

When I heard about the impersonation of David Blaine, my heart almost stopped I was so mad.

 

[adjones]

I didn't think that was as bad as the Jim Callahan episode. But, it's not my place to point out the mistakes of others... unless it's a magic video (), so I'm just gonna let Crissy go on with his life and not worry about it anymore.