A deck of cards...

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May 31, 2008
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Maybe he's just naturally like D+M. Probably not, but you never know. A few weeks ago I was performing some magic for my best magic friend. He was impressed since he's pretty new. At the end he said, "Great job man, you're a lot like Wayne Houchin." I looked in the mirror and noticed that he was right. I stopped the way I was performing and changed myself for a while. I recently posted a video of me not being myself, and trying not to be like Wayne Houchin. Everyone told me I was trying to be Criss Angel. I looked at the video again, and they were right. I went back to being myself. I like it a lot better. I just happen to perform like Wayne Houchin. Maybe that's the case here. I doubt it though. This video looks exactly like the dangerous trailor.

Wayne...I mean Criss...I mean Dave. Yep that's it...Dave

Dave...id Copperfield

Dave
 
Oct 6, 2007
109
1
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How about everybody stop hating on the guy and give him credit for a nice video with some nice effects. Every magician/ artist/ actor has learned from someone just beacause you do panic just like arron fisher doesent mean you want to be him or are trying to be and even if you are so the F what!? DM is an awesome magician why wouldent you want to be like him? Every single magician is an actor of sorts why not emulate one of the best? It obviosly is working for this guy beacuse his flourishes are spectacular. This may sound like a dumb generalzation but it would be my guess that everyone that responded negativly to this video is under 18 and not as skilled with cards and is simply jelous dont be so quick to judge when you know nothing about this person other than he is doing magic that is similar to other great magicians grow up and look in the mirror haters
 
May 31, 2008
1,914
0
How about everybody stop hating on the guy and give him credit for a nice video with some nice effects. Every magician/ artist/ actor has learned from someone just beacause you do panic just like arron fisher doesent mean you want to be him or are trying to be and even if you are so the F what!? DM is an awesome magician why wouldent you want to be like him? Every single magician is an actor of sorts why not emulate one of the best? It obviosly is working for this guy beacuse his flourishes are spectacular. This may sound like a dumb generalzation but it would be my guess that everyone that responded negativly to this video is under 18 and not as skilled with cards and is simply jelous dont be so quick to judge when you know nothing about this person other than he is doing magic that is similar to other great magicians grow up and look in the mirror haters

You pretty much hit the nail on the head there.
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
How about everybody stop hating on the guy and give him credit for a nice video with some nice effects.

what nice effects?Black and white, a few cuts and flashes?


DM is an awesome magician why wouldent you want to be like him?

in the words of steerpike,"Congratulations! Your personality is so run-of-the-mill that we can easily categorize you as a pale imitation of another, more interesting person!"

It obviosly is working for this guy beacuse his flourishes are spectacular.

Evidently you havent seen many flourishers.

This may sound like a dumb generalzation but it would be my guess that everyone that responded negativly to this video is under 18 and not as skilled with cards and is simply jelous dont be so quick to judge when you know nothing about this person other than he is doing magic that is similar to other great magicians grow up and look in the mirror haters


Thats a pretty dumb assumption.

(btw,you mispelled 'jealous')
 
Oct 24, 2008
244
0
Savannah, GA
How about everybody stop hating on the guy and give him credit for a nice video with some nice effects. Every magician/ artist/ actor has learned from someone just beacause you do panic just like arron fisher doesent mean you want to be him or are trying to be and even if you are so the F what!? DM is an awesome magician why wouldent you want to be like him? Every single magician is an actor of sorts why not emulate one of the best? It obviosly is working for this guy beacuse his flourishes are spectacular. This may sound like a dumb generalzation but it would be my guess that everyone that responded negativly to this video is under 18 and not as skilled with cards and is simply jelous dont be so quick to judge when you know nothing about this person other than he is doing magic that is similar to other great magicians grow up and look in the mirror haters

It is a dumb generalization. For example, I am over 18, and am not jealous that he can flourish, because I don't find flourishing interesting or entertaining. And you know, if I were jealous of someone's ability with cards, there's other people I'd pick to be jealous of.

We're not just going to be nice and tell him he did a good job if he didn't. He doesn't get a reward just for putting something out there. Why should we?

It's hard to give him credit for a nice video with nice effects because he doesn't deserve that credit: Daniel does. He didn't come up with it, he just copied someone else. You don't praise someone for stealing.

There is also a difference between inspiration and outright character theft. If the dude's inspired by Daniel Madison, then that's cool - we're all inspired by someone. But, one, it's obvious he really likes Daniel Madison, and it's also obvious he is blatantly copying him here - and yes, it is a problem. You ask, "So the F what!", like we jumped on the guy and started attacking him - no, he put the video up here and asked us what we thought. We are thus allowed to tell him what we thought. I don't understand why this is confusing to you.

You also ask, "Why wouldn't you want to be like Daniel?", and I'll tell you, for my part: because I don't want to be like another magician. I want to be me. And I would think that that would be any other magician's (if not any other person's) goal.

(btw,you mispelled 'jealous')

Ironic. (just messin' with you, Vis. But it really is. But I'm just kidding.)
 
Apr 28, 2008
596
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How about everybody stop hating on the guy and give him credit for a nice video with some nice effects. Every magician/ artist/ actor has learned from someone just beacause you do panic just like arron fisher doesent mean you want to be him or are trying to be and

There's a difference between learning from somebody and trying to be them. I've learned from DM but I take what I learn and apply it to my personality and performing style. This guy has gone way too far with this. The panic analogy would work if the guy was simply performing DM's effect and using a similar presentation but it goes way further than that.

even if you are so the F what!?

Personally, I don't think a complete absence of personality or individual style deserves any level of respect.

Every single magician is an actor of sorts why not emulate one of the best?

To be honest this sounds like you've heard the quote about magicians being actors who play the part of a magician and taken it way out of context. This statement just doesn't make any sense. You shouldn't try and emulate somebody you should be yourself. Also, DM's success comes from his originality, it doesn't work when everyone tries to do it.

It obviosly is working for this guy beacuse his flourishes are spectacular.

This is such a stupid statement I don't really know how to respond to it, the fact that he has fairly good technical skill at flourishes means the whole DM imitation is somehow successful? Think about what you're typing.

This may sound like a dumb generalzation but it would be my guess that everyone that responded negativly to this video is under 18 and not as skilled with cards and is simply jelous dont be so quick to judge when you know nothing about this person other than he is doing magic that is similar to other great magicians grow up and look in the mirror haters

It is a dumb generalisation, I'm over 18 and relatively skilled with cards, there was nothing in the video that make me even slightly jealous, especially as I have my own personality. His magic isn't similar, it's exactly the same.

Also, learn to spell, you look like a moron when you type like that.
 
May 3, 2008
618
1
Maybe he's just naturally like D+M. Probably not, but you never know. A few weeks ago I was performing some magic for my best magic friend. He was impressed since he's pretty new. At the end he said, "Great job man, you're a lot like Wayne Houchin." I looked in the mirror and noticed that he was right. I stopped the way I was performing and changed myself for a while. I recently posted a video of me not being myself, and trying not to be like Wayne Houchin. Everyone told me I was trying to be Criss Angel. I looked at the video again, and they were right. I went back to being myself. I like it a lot better. I just happen to perform like Wayne Houchin. Maybe that's the case here. I doubt it though. This video looks exactly like the dangerous trailor.

Wayne...I mean Criss...I mean Dave. Yep that's it...Dave

Dave...id Copperfield

Dave

If you perform like Wayne, then don't just accept that or try to be something else. Take those little differences that you have and make them show a bit more. Exaggerate those differences that separate you from everyone else. I highly doubt that you perform like Wayne, not because you're bad, but because Wayne puts sooo much thought into everything he does in terms of presentation.
Back on topic. No matter how good a video is, and I must say I sometwhat enjoyed it, no one will respect you for it if you rip off someone else's ideas. Like I mentioned above, even if you naturally perform like someone else, then find those subtle differences in your own character, strengthen them, and make yourself unique. I know for a fact that there will be something different and you should explore those other sides of your character. However from what I can tell, you have little to no character of your own.
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
It is a dumb generalization. For example, I am over 18, and am not jealous that he can flourish, because I don't find flourishing interesting or entertaining. And you know, if I were jealous of someone's ability with cards, there's other people I'd pick to be jealous of.

We're not just going to be nice and tell him he did a good job if he didn't. He doesn't get a reward just for putting something out there. Why should we?

It's hard to give him credit for a nice video with nice effects because he doesn't deserve that credit: Daniel does. He didn't come up with it, he just copied someone else. You don't praise someone for stealing.

There is also a difference between inspiration and outright character theft. If the dude's inspired by Daniel Madison, then that's cool - we're all inspired by someone. But, one, it's obvious he really likes Daniel Madison, and it's also obvious he is blatantly copying him here - and yes, it is a problem. You ask, "So the F what!", like we jumped on the guy and started attacking him - no, he put the video up here and asked us what we thought. We are thus allowed to tell him what we thought. I don't understand why this is confusing to you.

You also ask, "Why wouldn't you want to be like Daniel?", and I'll tell you, for my part: because I don't want to be like another magician. I want to be me. And I would think that that would be any other magician's (if not any other person's) goal.



Ironic. (just messin' with you, Vis. But it really is. But I'm just kidding.)

haha I had done it on purpose.
Didnt expect anyone to catch it
 
Aug 31, 2007
195
0
Hey guys. Thought I'd just drop by and give my two cents.

Now here's how I look at it. Dontavius really is a great magician, not only on a creative level, but also with his handling. The problem comes when we all look at him as a D+M "impersonator". I have seen many of Dontavius's videos and have actually become quite angered by the fact that he is "copying" D+M. I have finally realized that I have to let this go. Let him choose how he wants to perform magic. Let him be the magician he wants to be and respect him for that! I think he has actually done quite well with the Daniel Madison persona!

Dontavius, here is my message to you. I'd really like to see what you could make out of this persona. Or perhaps you could take the Daniel Madison style and make it more of your own. The fact is that most of the younger community won't respect you as an artist (as shown in this thread) until they really see you become your own. I think you could still take the DM style and just add your own twist to it. Make it you. You've done some really brilliant work in the past and I look forward to seeing what you will do in the future.

Sincerely,
Tyler Chase
 
May 31, 2008
1,914
0
If you perform like Wayne, then don't just accept that or try to be something else. Take those little differences that you have and make them show a bit more. Exaggerate those differences that separate you from everyone else. I highly doubt that you perform like Wayne, not because you're bad, but because Wayne puts sooo much thought into everything he does in terms of presentation.
Back on topic. No matter how good a video is, and I must say I sometwhat enjoyed it, no one will respect you for it if you rip off someone else's ideas. Like I mentioned above, even if you naturally perform like someone else, then find those subtle differences in your own character, strengthen them, and make yourself unique. I know for a fact that there will be something different and you should explore those other sides of your character. However from what I can tell, you have little to no character of your own.

Thank you for that, I just try to be myself now. Sometimes I'm David Blaine, sometimes I'm David Copperfield. I just perform the way I fell comfortable.
 
Jun 30, 2008
12
0
Where is Dontavious?


Probably ignoring this thread. Usually when he posts a video it gets the same response; people yelling at him for being a poser or something along those lines. I have to agree with what has been said though. I had my freind watch one vid of Daniel and then one on Dontavious and he thought they were the same person for about the first 30 seconds of the vid. The only difference he could see between them is one had longer hair and their faces didn't look exactly the same.
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
its not hard to just be oneself.
Dont concern yourself with thinking that your acting like a certain person.

It's harder than you might think for a lot of people. It's easy to tell someone to be themselves. How do you be yourself? The most common answer is "Act naturally". That's like saying I have an apple in my hand because the object is red.
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
How about everybody stop hating

Well, 'scuse me dawg, but I ain't be dissin', I just t'ink he need to quit frontin'. Hate the game, don't hate the playa. Know w'um sayin'?

give him credit for a nice video with some nice effects.

When he posts one, I will. A-durr!

Every magician/ artist/ actor has learned from someone

There are 5 steps to mastering a skill set.

1. Emulation
2. Distinction
3. Evaluation
4. Invention
5. Innovation

See that? Emulation comes first, but then you move past it and do other stuff.

Regardless, there is still a difference between being influenced and being a rip-off. This guy is to Daniel Madison what Ctrl+Alt+Del is to Penny Arcade. Little joke for the nerds in the audience.

and even if you are so the F what!?

Would you rather see the real Iron Maiden live in concert, or a bunch of drunk frat boys playing Iron Maiden songs on Rock Band?

DM is an awesome magician why wouldent you want to be like him?

Because I'm not Daniel Madison. I'm Alex Vornoff, the Shadowlander. Huge friggin' difference!

However, if you are content to stagnate as a performer and carry out your practice of magic as a 9th rate knock-off of a better magician... well let's just say that I actually have ambition. And self-esteem, and intelligence, and creativity.

Every single magician is an actor of sorts why not emulate one of the best?

So every actor in the world should start pretending to be Marlon Brando? You would actually watch movies where every single dude in it was impersonating Brando?

It obviosly is working for this guy beacuse his flourishes are spectacular.

Ooh, whoop-dee-****! He can cut cards in a fancy way like thousands of other magicians out there! That's so unique and special!

Jesus... I don't care how fancy your moves are. If you're just a knock-off of somebody else, watching you is not worth my time. I'd rather see the guy you're ripping off, because at least he's being original.

This may sound like a dumb generalzation

Why does this not surprise me?

but it would be my guess that everyone that responded negativly to this video is under 18

I'm 24. Choke on it.

If you have to preface a sentence with, "This may sound like a dumb generalization," then you shouldn't open your mouth.

and not as skilled with cards and is simply jelous

I do six card tricks and that's it. I don't specialize in card tricks because I'd actually like to do magic for a living.

dont be so quick to judge when you know nothing about this person other than he is doing magic that is similar to other great magicians

I don't know anything about him because he's hiding behind someone else's identity. That's why he's being criticized! Hello! Christ, did you actually think before you typed any of that?

grow up and look in the mirror haters

Little boy, do not tell me to look in the mirror, as I would posit that you need to do the same. I would suggest that you are only defending this piece of **** video because you yourself have no originality and can only steal from others.

Also, anyone who uses the word "hater" as if it were a valid criticism rather than a puerile ad-hominem needs to be caned.
 
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
I didn't really see the point in you sitting there doing XCM.

1. The moves and everything had nothing to do with the music. It didn't fit.
2. Why were you dressed like Daniel Madison?
3. What exactly was the point of you ripping off Daniel Madison's filming style?
4. Why were you dressed like him?
5. Fo shizzle.
 
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