You're Reading it Here First: David Blaine Barred from SAM Con. Dealers Room!

[Mike Rubinstein]

I'm curious...if a BIGGER celebrity came by, say, Mohammed Ali, do you think He would have been let in? I think there are double standards even within the celebrity community.

[Tim Ellis]

This thread is quite fascinating, especially as the career path we are on, as entertainers, should take us to - and perhaps beyond if we are lucky - the level at which Blaine has currently reached.

As entertainers we all begin being paid to attend functions and events to entertain. We don't have to buy a ticket ourselves, but we don't get the same privileges as the other guests who have.

Then, if we reach the status of a 'local celebrity', we may be invited to attend these events as a guest, without having to buy a ticket or perform, and we get full guest privileges. This is because of the thinking that the whole event will be seen as more "successful" or may "glamourous" if some of the guests are well known from the entertainment, sporting, or business worlds.

Finally, you may become a 'major celebrity'. Someone who will not only be given free admission to events, but actually be paid to attend as a guest. You won't even be asked to perform. Maybe sign an informal autograph or two, or pose for a photo opportunity. These events, needless to say, are usually black-tie, charity dinners where there is no chance of the 'major celebrity' either being mobbed or set up at a table to sign a never ending stream of autographs.

David Blaine and Daryl Hannah, regardless of what you might think of them artistically, are 'major celebrities'. Try calling either of their agents and asking them to attend your next dinner function. You will most likely be quoted a very large fee and given a long list of what they will and won't do.

Now, because they both WANTED to attend the SAM (albeit at the last moment) they obviously were not going to charge any fees. The fact that some at the SAM felt they should actually pay to come in showed a lack of understanding of the way SHOWBIZ works, by people who are supposed to be a part of the SHOWBIZ community.

Yes, in a world where we are all equal, Blaine & Hannah should have paid. If they wanted to show 'support' to the SAm they could have offered to pay. If the SAM wanted to act as gracious hosts, an SAM organiser could have come and met them to personally "show them around".

However, we are not equal. If Jim Bloggs the no-name magician is advertised as the star of the SAM Convention, he won't draw many registrants. If Blaine is going to be there, even though he won't be performing, people will come out of the woodwork to take a look at him. (Just like how Copperfield got mobbed repeatedly).

As entertainers, we are commoditities. The value placed on us is determined by how many people want to see us. On TV they call it Ratings. The movies call it the Box Office Take. By that definition alone, we are not equal, and as such the same rules cannot apply.

As Homer Simpson wisely said: "They're celebrities. They're better than us."

TIM ELLIS
www.MagicUnlimited.com

[Pete Biro]

Laymen that wander into a magic shop often become real magicians... y'know, buy a trick and do it in a show that same night... just like real magicians. :cool:

[Gerald Deutsch]

WOW! I didn't realize how lucky we are that David Blaine didn't charge us for coming to the convention.

I wonder if he pays for groceries----

[Brad Jeffers]

(as entertainers) we are not equal, and as such the same rules cannot apply.

What a bunch of crap! While the "rules" are indeed, often applied differently, based on one's celebrity status, to say that "the same rules cannot apply" is hogwash! Just ask Jim Zee! Obviously he could, and did, apply the the same rules to everyone. Sure, it may have been worth the publicity to get David Blaine and Daryl Hannah to attend the event, but only if they had been scheduled to be there in advance of the sale of registrations. What good does it do (revenue-wise), to let them enter the dealers room on the last day of the event? The SAM should have seen to it, that the same person who was given the authority to check badges and turn people away, should have also had the authority to sell day passes. Then prehaps this whole thing could have been avoided, as I feel sure that Blaine would have been willing to pay for them. At least I would certainly hope so!

[Richard Kaufman]

I agree with Pete--why should anyone need a badge to get into the dealer room? No reason. None.
In the case of the SAM, they decided this past year that NO dealers were going to be given any badges for dealer-room-only admittance for people who help them at the table. Any person you wanted to help you at your table had to pay the full $200 registration fee.
I can't understand this type of thinking.

[Brian Morton]

My post about Blaine was purely in the context of the fact that the dealer room was considered to be part of the convention. I'd prefer it if the dealer room at any and all conventions did not require entry passes.

I was in L.A. for the Magic History Conference last November, and would have loved to just hang around the dealer room (Although I hear it would have been really bad for my bank statement). As it stodd, I just had to watch people coming back to the Castle that Sunday night talking about all the fabulous goods that were in there.

brian ---> color this envious green :cool:

[Guest]

Scott, this link works for me as of tonight:
http://www.jimzeemagic.com/
Hope that helps.

[Scott]

Thanks Jay, the server much have been down when I was looking as that's the address I had as well.

Thanks again,
Scott

[Guest]

Integrity.

[Jon Racherbaumer]

ENTRE FOOEY

Hmmmmm
Where to begin?

The frisky, misty business about David Blaine being barred from a Dealer Room ishow shall we put this?an innocuous cause celebre. Its the kind that gossip columnists wring out ten forgettable lines of titillation.

Blaine, as a symbol and celebrity, of course is still able to polarize magicians in magicdomas evinced by the feisty, wind-whipped messages recently posted on this forum.

So, why do we bother to comment?

Unfortunately, I see as many sides as possible. (Bucky Fuller liked to say that understanding is tetrahedronal.) Would I have personally barred Blaine from the dealer room?

No.

However
in my squinty-eyed view, magical societies are unlikely to welcome the likes of David Blaine. To the Old Guard, Blaine is the anti-Christ of Close-upa drugged up doper and a strung out, grungy, mumbling, bumbling boor. They also presume that he is a fluke of Naturesomeone who has been stupefied by the angry fix of sudden fame. If they had their way, he would be exiled to join the Masked Magician in the fifth circle of hell. In fact, to regular, older, card-carrying members of the Society, hes unpredictable, dangerous, and probably certifiable. One thing is certain: Hes definitely not the poster boy of Americas oldest magic society. If anything, he is postmodern mutant. Why not bar the doors and windows? Hide the children. Lock up the silverware.

Although the Houdini stamp had been hailed and unveiled at the S.A.M. Convention, pretenders to the mantle are taken lightly. The other David, looking a bit haggard and suffering from a cold, was at the unveiling of the stamp. He said a few well-chosen and mercifully brief words, which sanctified the proceedings. At least he wore a suit and was gracious, civil, courteous, and obliging. Although he looked a bit spooked and weary, more middle-aged than wunderkind, he looked the part of magicdoms hale-and-hearty poster boy. Never mind that the Old Guard still longs for the debonair, handsome, formally-dressed wizards of yesteryear. The specters of Channing Pollock, Fred Kaps, and Tony Marks float in the air. I still remember the grumbles that greeted Doug Henning, who seemed too whimsical a flower child. His Age-of-Aquarius garb, flowing long hair, bell-bottoms, and whizzing gee-whizzes were off putting and off track. Penn and Teller were no better, always mocking what the Old Guard cherished. Ricky Jay was provisionally acceptable, a skilled anomaly. He was, despite his ax-murderous look, articulate and arcane. He talked the Talk and could be Yellow Kids great-nephew.

Dark-Man Blaine is another matter.

Re the Blaine Incident: I was near the epicenter of that trivial dust-up. That night just before the Dealer Room reopened, I ran into Mark Wilson in the lobby. He had just arrived from the west coast and planned to register the next day. Unfortunately, registration was closed. He asked me if it was possible to get into the Dealer Room. Neddless to say, security was an issue. Therefore, I entered the dealer room and found Jim Zachary. I asked, Can you to intercede on behalf of Mark Wilson and get him into the dealer room without a badge? Zachary agreed, talked to the security guards, and Mark was permitted inside. No problem.

Later, I was told that David Blaine was turned away from the Dealer Room. Although this did not surprise me, I wanted to check out what happened. When I looked for Blaine in the nearby vicinity, he had already split. However, I finally tracked him down outside the hotel. He and Darryl Hanna were ready to bolt by motorcycle. We subsequently spent 45 minutes together discussing this and that.

Bottom line: Blaine wasnt trying to crash anything or bully there way without paying. Registration was closed; nobody was accepting cash. They merely wanted to mingle with magicians and say hello. As RK pointed out, Darryl wanted to buy some tricks for her nephews and nieces. Whats it like in there? she meekly asked. (I was tempted to say, You dont want to know)

When the dust settled, neither was miffed or upsetonly puzzled and a little disappointed. David was philosophical: Its kind of weird, he said, I only wanted to hang out awhileI didnt want any trouble Later, David and Darryl did hang out in the bar and lobby. They posed for pictures and watched some young magicians perform card tricks. (The Buck twins, among others, demonstrated their amazing flourishes.) Therefore, the entire incident was not a complete fiasco.

Unlike some celebrity magicians who do not fraternize with magicians or sign autographs or permit fans to photograph them, Blaine and Copperfield are generously accessible. The difference between these two celebrities is a matter of perception. Copperfield is an asset. Blaine is a liability. Copperfield is Neil Diamond. Blaine is Eminem. Blaine is an outlaw and does not represent what the S.A.M. stands for in terms of image, aspiration, and past tradition. He is undeniably a celebrity, probably having reaped more international publicity than Houdini ever did. Yet many magicians (including members of this forum) are hostile to Blaine and do not like what he represents. To them, he is alien, grungy, and ghetto. So, when someone like him arrives uninvited, unsponsored, and riding a motorcycle, (Vin Diesel with Bikes in his back pocket?), no wonder he is barred. Not having a badge made it easy.

Seeing Blaine, softly lit under the marquee of the hotel, was surreal. He stood, silent and serene. Darryl was equally tranquil, obviously connected by some invisible and fragile bond. Young magicians and gawkers were moving around him, agitated and excited. Man, hes bigger than I thought he was. Hes built! whispered one youngster. Blaine just stood there, grinning, unshaven, wearing a Steetcar-Named-Desire tee-shirt, blue jeans, tattoos fully exposed, ready to rumble. Whos the hottie hes with? asked another. Darryl Hannah, without make up, still a come-hither blonde (looking almost as good as she did in Splash) smiled. Then she flashed a hint of the kiss-me-deadly look of the android in Blade Runner. She was off the clock. I asked: Ever get tired of all this? She nodded, still the android.

Would I have given them a pass?
Yes.

I think that the Dealer Room, relatively speaking, is a neutral area of commerce. In the old days, it may have been rightfully reserved for card-carrying, dues-paying, fully registered magicians. But today its a madcap free-for-all (as long as you have a stinking badge).

Maybe its a good thing Im not King? Like I said, Id have given the Outlaw and Mermaid a free pass.

This is why Im not a king or anything approximating one. Maybe this is also why I was blackballed by both magic societies in the 60s? Back then I was young, radical, politically incorrect, and obviously heretical. Back then I cheered Lennie Bruce, Lord Buckley, Joan Baez, Abbey Hoffman, read underground newspapers, and applauded most outlaws, protestors, firebrands and gate crashers. If David Blaine had been around back then, I would have sought out his friendship.

Onward

[Cugel]

Thanks Jon - great post. The Neil Diamond and Eminem analogies pretty much sum up the attitudes of magic society diehards...

I have never been able to understand why laymen aren't allowed access to the dealer's room. The only difference between a curious layman and the delegates at a magic convention is that the delegates got to the magic shop first.

[Andrew Martin Portala]

I think Blaine should have taken his little bike and road right in the dealers room.
All kidding aside
I think this is another David Blaine publicity stunt.So his name will be out there.
Look, 4 big tv specials, here and in the UK,he was Buried and Frozen alive.Everytime you perform for someone his name comes up?
And this guy can't get in a magic dealers room.
Come on
Who else was a witness????

[John LeBlanc]

Originally posted by Dustin Stinett:
And the speed limit signs – 65 MPH for you and me, but if you have a Lamborghini and a TV show, it's 85.)

Michael J. Fox covers this very nicely in his book, "Lucky Man" -- which, by the way, was one of the best books I've read this year. Yes, there most definitely is a different world for the rich and famous.

After giving this some thought, it seems utterly stupid to have turned away Blaine and Hannah. I'd rather think it was a misapplication of "those are the rules" than typical Blaine hatred.

John LeBlanc
Houston, TX

[Dale Shrimpton]

when i go to a convention, one of the great things that strikes me, is how there is little or no difference in the atetude of those attending. wether magic is a hobby, part time job, or career, we all are there because we are magicians, and share a common interetst.
Now Blaine should respect that, and pay his dues like all the rest of us.
If he doesnt, the guy must have some serious chip on his shoulder. And hanna, well, she isnt a magician is she?
she wants to buy magic for kids! then she shoul go to a toy store like every other layman.

[Guest]

"Now Blaine should respect that, and pay his dues like all the rest of us.
If he doesnt, the guy must have some serious chip on his shoulder."

Jon Racherbaumer pointed out the following:

"Bottom line: Blaine wasnt trying to crash anything or bully there way without paying. Registration was closed; nobody was accepting cash. They merely wanted to mingle with magicians and say hello. "

I think this is alot more reasonable and this is also from someone who happened to be there in the midst of it all.

"And hanna, well, she isnt a magician is she?
she wants to buy magic for kids! then she shoul go to a toy store like every other layman. "

Nice attitude. I am so thankful that when I walked into Al's Magic Shop for the first time that Al didn't say "If you are not a magician, you should buy your magic at a toy store. Now GTFO!".

Andrew Wimhurst posted this:

"The only difference between a curious layman and the delegates at a magic convention is that the delegates got to the magic shop first. "

He is absolutely correct. I would add that layman are usually less irritating.

[Jackie Huang]

I suspect...

For every ten "magicians" out there who bashed David Blaine, nine of them secretly wish they were him and have his celebrity status. (And his chick?)

Or should I make it ten out of ten?

[Steve Bryant]

Nice story, Jon. NOW I'm jealous that I didn't make it to the NYC convention.

[Larry Horowitz]

Let's see, Mark Wilson, David Blaine, Daryl Hannah, Who else couldn't get a badge?

No one has mentioned the obvious solution, have the regestration open whenever a convention event is taking place.

I attend the Las Vegas jewelry show every year. It costs me nothing. There are seminars, dealers booths and parties. The dealers pay a hefty sum to have a booth to sell their products.

Why should it cost me anything to go in and look at products at a magic convention that I may buy. I find it a bit insulting that I have to pay money for the right to spend money.

As a business man, I would prefer that the potential customer has as much money as possible in his pocket when he walks into the dealer's room.

Maybe if it didn't cost upwards of two hundred dollars just to show up, many more people would attend the conventions. I know I would.

[Richard Kaufman]

I can assure you that this was not a publicity ploy of any kind on the part of the SAM. I spoke with a high official of the SAM who outlined his reasons why Blaine was not allowed into the dealer room. He was dead serious. And I don't think the SAM wants THIS kind of publicity.
When I returned to my room that evening I posted the starting message of this thread. No one asked me to do it--I did it because it was news.
Now that Racherbaumer has informed us that he witnessed Mark Wilson being allowed in with no badge on an earlier night, well, what can you say? Does that fact gives Blaine possible fuel to sue the SAM if he wants to? How could you justify letting Mark Wilson in but not David Blaine?

[Dustin Stinett]

Originally posted by Larry Horowitz:
No one has mentioned the obvious solution, have the registration open whenever a convention event is taking place.

I don't attend too many of them anymore, but those that I do seem to have a desk right up to the last event, and usually right outside the dealers' room. I just assumed the SAM would too. Shame on them if they don't.

Originally posted by Larry Horowitz:
Maybe if it didn't cost upwards of two hundred dollars just to show up, many more people would attend the conventions. I know I would.

$200 is a drop in the bucket. An annual convention for my industry that I occasionally get to attend has a $1,200 registration fee (no, it doesn't include the hotel – always a high-end resort). No unregistered guests are allowed into the vendor area where one can find software applications where a single license costs thousands of dollars, so how much are these folks paying for the opportunity to sell their wares?

Convention costs are going through the roof, just like everything else (and the increases are exponential: the nicer the venue, the higher the increase). As these cost go up, organizers are going to be hard-pressed to find nice hotels/resorts at which to hold their magic conventions at affordable prices.

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
Now that Racherbaumer has informed us that he witnessed Mark Wilson being allowed in with no badge on an earlier night, well, what can you say? Does that fact give Blaine possible fuel to sue the SAM if he wants to? How could you justify letting Mark Wilson in but not David Blaine?

With all of the facts now in, You can't justify it – no-way, no-how. While I wouldn't think it's worth litigating, I believe that it may take it out of the area of the “double standard” and puts it very near the realm of discrimination.

Originally posted by Joe Kelly:
For every ten "magicians" out there who bashed David Blaine, nine of them secretly wish they were him and have his celebrity status.

Semi-guilty as charged (I don't wish to be Blaine, but I did bash him). In my posts, I implied that both Blaine and Hannah are chest thumping prima donnas. I did this without all the facts, and that was poor form (on the outside chance that either of them actually read this; you both have my sincere apologies). However, I stand behind my comments regarding celebrities with an attitude of expectation of special treatment.

(And by the way, how did you know that I consider myself a “magician”?)

Originally posted by Joe Kelly:
(And his chick?)

Do you suppose that I have a video copy of Summer Lovers because of her (and Valrie Quennessen's) acting prowess?

Dustin

[EdAndres]

RK says:Mark Wilson being allowed in with no badge on an earlier night, well, what can you say? Does that fact gives Blaine possible fuel to sue the SAM if he wants to? How could you justify letting Mark Wilson in but not David Blaine?

Is Mark Wilson a member of S.A.M? ...for that matter is Blaine?

I think that would make a big difference. It may even be the main factor. If this was Wacky Wild Wonder Weekend, and no club was involved than maybe all the neat-o people could get in FREE!

Ed :p

[Guest]

I am for sure not a fan of David Blaines' kind of magic but I will accept and admire the fact that he has brought magic to a kind of audience that would not give a damn about magic at all. If I like it or not he became one of the best know magicians in the USA in a incredibly short time.
Sure he and his girlfriend (congrats David she is a hottie) are able to afford the door charge easily but do you think that he should? Like it or not, He did more to make magic popular in a couple of years than most of the SAM brass will be able to achieve together in a lifetime.
In other fields people who progress the art get recognition and are honored are we magicians to jaelous or are we just complete idiots?
Whoever made that decision has hurt the way people look at magic more than he should. Thank you SAM!

[Jackie Huang]

Originally posted by Dustin Stinett:

Originally posted by Joe Kelly:
[b](And his chick?)

Do you suppose that I have a video copy of Summer Lovers because of her (and Valrie Quennessen's) acting prowess?

Dustin[/b]

Thanks for the tips. On my way to Blockbuster... :p

[pduffie]

If it was publicity Blaine was after he would have made sure there were reporters there. As is it - he got no publicity. One can hardly call a tiny number of magicians discussing the issue on an internet forum as publicity!

[EdAndres]

You Must answer this Question FIRST!

Are Jeff Sheridan, Mark Wilson, David Blaine and any other (you're in/you're out) guys members of S.A.M????

This is a club, you must pay dues to belong. This should be factored into the discussion.

If someone who IS NOT a member gets turned away so what.

If they let a member slide in.. so what, it's their club.

Now if they are all not members it is still the private clubs choice.
On the other hand if they are all members.... well than you have a problem.

Then again .... this could all be fixed by getting off your duff and sending in your registration in advance! That way you wouldn't have to go around asking for (or expecting) special treatment. :(

Ed

[Guest]

All very entertaining...better than watching TV!

[Richard Kaufman]

A very entertaining thread which has run itself out. I'll lock it if no one has anything thoughtful to add.

[Geno Munari]

Were David and Hannah actually denied entrance into the room?

[Dustin Stinett]

Geno,

Yes, they were denied entry. Here's the unofficial recap:

For DB & DH being barred: 8

Against the snub: 18

Neutral/Undecided/Unrelated/Unintelligible: 27

Long post with no paragraph separations: 1 (Since I couldn't read it, I have no idea what it was about.)

Bob Dylan Reference: 1

Communist Dissenter (that's right Pete - I'm callin' you a commie-pinko; "let 'em all in" indeed. Hey man, the 60s are over and we LOST!): 1

People who agree with Pete: 6 (Okay fine - I admit it, I acquiesced.)

"Just the Facts Ma'am" post (with Neil Diamond/Eminem analogy no less; but hey, we already had Dylan, so why not?): 1

Dustin makes fool of self posts: 3

Uhhh; make that 4.

Dustin

[Guest]

Thanks Dustin, that clears everything up for me. It would have been helpful to have someone from the SAM discuss this matter and give their position on it.

Later, Nick

[Pete Biro]

Dustin: You got too much time on your hands. :eek:

[Rene Clement]

Originally posted by Larry Horowitz:
Let's see, Mark Wilson, David Blaine, Daryl Hannah, Who else couldn't get a badge?

Other names in magic who arrived at the convention and not comped to the dealer room were Harry Lorayne, David Roth and Jeff Sheridan.

[MaxNY]

I can only wonder...can Jeff Sheridan and Mark Wilson get a cab in New york City?

[Steve Bryant]

I can only wonder...can Jeff Sheridan and Mark Wilson get a cab in New york City?

Maybe. But they can't get a date with Daryl Hannah.

[Luis]

Rules are to be followed, if we don't like them, we should change them.
If I were the schmuck at the SAM convention,no one would enter without a pass, or without a tie at the Castle, no matter if he is Blaine, Copperfield, George Bush or....Richard Kaufman. :D

[Scott]

I don't get it. I've never been to a convention (and probably never will), but why would you not let someone into anything at a convention, providing they were magicians?

Take, for example, Harry Lorayne. What's the problem with letting him in? Providing he pays, of course. I don't get it. What are they trying to protect or preserve? I'm all for rules, but sounds like the rules weren't well thought out. I agree with a previous post. Why doesn't someone from the SAM come on and give us a good explanation of the events?

If they treat fellow professional magicians like this, why in the wide wide world of sports would anyone want to join this type of organization? Let me see if I have this correct....

Legend in magic....Harry L..... can't come to the exclusive room because of late registration..... So, you could have had the chance to interact with him and perhaps have a great moment, but instead, you sent him packing. What a complete bunch of idiots (who are probably sitting around in board meetings saying "What can we do to stop the membership numbers from falling").