David Blaine to hang upside down for three days in public


I’m confused as to whether I want to respect or mock David Blaine. He does stunts that push his body to the point where he could easily die, and they’re usually uncomfortable to watch. The guy is talented, though, and when his street magic schtick started getting old he moved on to public feats of extreme masochism so daring that almost no one else in the world would be capable of pulling them off. He also managed to break the world record for holding his breath underwater – in a live performance on Oprah this April. He had just months of preparation and was successful despite his heart rate being much higher than it was during practice sessions.

Blaine’s latest stunt seems damn near impossible for anyone else, but positively easy for him -he’s planning to hang upside down for three days. The guy has to keep his name in the news and I’m not knocking this feat, but he didspend three days in a spinning top two years ago and this isn’t that much different:

Daredevil DAVID BLAINE is preparing for a dizzying new stunt – he will hang upside down above New York’s Central Park for three days and two nights.

The illusionist will be deprived of food as he is suspended six storeys up on a highwire for his Dive of Death, which will be filmed to air on U.S. TV on 24 September (08).

He will even be forced to sleep upside down.

And members of the public will be invited to interract with the 35 year old.

He says, “There are always some crazy things. I get flashed quite often. Luckily, mostly from girls.”
Blaine’s previous stunts include spending 44 days in a glass box above London and more than two days encased in an ice block.

He recently made history by holding his breath for more than 17 minutes – and is this year preparing to attempt to break the world record for sleep deprivation.

[From Contact Music via We Smirch]

The story about Blaine trying to break the world record for staying awake might not be true – he was said to be planning that last year before the news came out that he decided to go for the world breath-holding record instead. He switched seemingly on a whim, but he definitely took his training seriously.

If you’re David Blaine you don’t get a lot of rest before you have to plan your next stunt. The news cycle is fast and this guy has to do one to two big feats a year or the public forgets about him. He’s still one of the world’s foremost magicians, but that’s been done to death and with douches like Criss Angel in the same field he’s probably loathe to go back there. That’s like a successful movie actor going back to work on a soap opera. Is he ever going to be able to retire though? The guy is 35 and he’s only going to be able to push his body for so long.

Here’s David Blaine getting a manicure at fashion week on 9/6/07. Credit: MLM/Fame

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22 Responses to “David Blaine to hang upside down for three days in public”

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  1. geronimo says:

    I’d go with mock. Loved this guy when he first came on the scene doing his street magic – really startling, laugh-out-loud astonishing, pure wonderment – but then he got all arsey and up himself and I lost all interest. In a box, off a bridge, upside down, inside out, could not care less.

  2. HS says:

    **YAWN** 🙄

  3. RhymesWithSilver says:

    If you hang upside down for that long, won’t you pass out or the blood vessels in your brain start to go? The human body is not designed for that.

  4. DarthVadersLoveChild says:

    Id rather he was hanging right side up, preferably by his neck.

  5. bdthomp says:

    Hate those pictures of him getting a mani: wearing a baseball hat indoors and sunglasses. Total tool!

  6. Lauri says:

    Ugh. Has he not yet realized that his 15 minutes have been over for a long, long time?

    Time for him to go away and stop annoying the rest of us.

  7. princess says:

    Another vote for mock.
    If he really wants to do something amazing he needs to find something that will actually entertain.

    “and for my next stunt…you get to watch my manicure dry!”

  8. SeVen says:

    More Power to him. For now i’ll stick to hanging off my bed in a drunken stupor swearing i’ll never drink again.

    Same Effect really.

  9. Lalalala says:

    He’s an idiot..

    but we all talk about it when he does this stuff — so he is an idiot who gets the attention he so desires..

  10. Megan says:

    I wish he’d stop trying so hard to be special.

  11. alex says:

    He’s turning into a bat.

    People like him shoud not try to impress by dangeling around, holding their breath or being enclosed, but by being intelligent, smart, generous, and leaving a positive impact on others. Guess he never tried to pull that off….
    Some guys never grow up 😆

  12. Heidi says:

    Im not one who comments too often but DARTHVADERS comment literally made me spit out my water 😆

  13. cassie says:

    My 11 year old cousin once hung upside down on the monkey bars too long and the veins in her eyes popped. She looked stoned for a good week.

  14. vdantev says:

    I’ll be right there with a paintball gun and 1500 rounds of ammunition.

  15. Anna says:

    Vdantev, more power to you, go for it! 🙂

    I’m so sick of David Blaine. And yeah, isn’t there just a major health risk involved? I also thought that too much blood to the head wasn’t such a good idea for vessels. Then again, the man hasn’t been in need of a brain for a long time, he might as well really get rid of the extra weight up there.

    The only cool thing that comes to mind in regards to Blaine is what Londoners did when he was sitting in his glass box: attach hamburgers to little toy helicopters and dangle them in front of him. I heart the Brits.

  16. Kat says:

    Is he gonna wear the Bat suit, while he hangs around??

  17. vdantev says:

    For short periods it can be beneficial and relaxing, and help realign your spine. For an extended period the blood pressure can explode the capillaries in your brain, leading to damage, strokes and possibly death.

  18. Carena says:

    Who cares? How does this guy make a living? Seriously! Hopefully he won’t be in a stupid box this time so when they throw random crap at him it actually hits him instead of plexi-glass.

  19. Who am I? says:

    Oh, you mean he does something besides hang out with Leonardo Dicaprio?? 🙄

  20. Kevin says:

    I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t see the same thing I do with David, I don’t see David out for publicity, I see him as a unique human being. It’s not that he is trying to hurt himself. And the gyro was much easier than full upside down. Your writing is kind of distasteful so you better be a pretty girl,lol.

  21. karin says:

    think about why he annoys everyone, it’s jealousy and projection. David is alway’s searching and testing the limits of the human pysche and body. he has too, and by that i mean, in comparison to say someone who has to be a writer or an artist.

  22. a&a says:

    David Blaine is an absolute idiot. He only does it for public attention – risks his life for it!
    That’s stupid. Get famous some other way (a safer way) or don’t get famous at all!
    He is a bad example, as young kids could try these things at home and get seriously hurt!
    A bad example for everyone – why doesn’t he just have a normal life?!

    From a&a
    🙁