:: More Mindfreak

Well, the reviews keep coming in on A&E's, Criss Angel inspired, Mindfreak. The general public is certainly watching, an average of 1.7 million viewers per show, as compaired to 1.1 million for the typical A&E primetime show.

I gave my opinion on the show in general several post ago - magic on TV is Magic, if you're in the business of magic. I have thoroughly enjoyed some of Criss's maneuvers, particularly the small vignettes of magic used to fill the time between 'great escapes'.

I am not a big fan of escapes, walking on glass, laying on nails, or hanging by fish hooks. These hindu tricks have their place, and a following of fans, I'm sure. It's just not my thing. I consider these to be 'stunts', as opposed to magic.

Criss Angel has developed the persona of a 'freak', thus the surreal images in the desert of the dyslexic family, or "sidehow". Criss tries to establish his identity as a 'freak' through a series of unnatural stunts.

I's this good TV? Maybe so..

I'm not sure how the general public views these stunts. I'm not even sure how the general public views magic in general. I can perform certain card manipulations that would leave other magicians shaking their heads. But the public would not be amazed, a little perplexed perhaps, but definitely not amazed. The level of skill, and the resulting WOW factor, magicians see embedded in a trick, and what the public see's as a WOW factor, are two entirely different standards.

It's sort of like my "Angel food cake with lots of cool whip and pineapple on top" dessert that, I promise, most of you guys would find amazing.. But I doubt seriously that Emeril Lagasse or Bobby Flay would appreciate my masterpiece.

So, magicians are not best suited to review "magic for the masses". Half the magicians out there never understood David Blaine, although the general public loved him.

Half the musicians in the 60's didn't understand or appreciate the Beatles, or the Stones, or Jimi, or Sly. And half of the musicians who did 'get it', didn't understand Metallica, or thrash rock, or alternative rock, in the eighties and nineties.

Each era viewed the next era as 'not worthy', which is exactly what has happened with Blaine and Angel. Just as the sixties far exceeded the fifties, and the nineties exceeded the eighties - in retrospect - each future era carries the banner, but is not appreciated, until the future becomes the past.

Perhaps in 2020 magicians will speak fondly of Blaine and Angel as "pioneers of magic.." Or perhaps they will be placed on the same pedestal as 'glam rockers'.

We'll see..

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