I just wanted to get your thoughts on this guy.

Every time I watch this guy perform his stunts and illusions I am AMAZED.

On certain occasions he shows exactly how he does it, but there are so many stunts he does that makes me scratch my head in disbelief. How can he walk through glass, how does he levitate or make someone else levitate? How can he break a piece of glass, put it in a napkin and in the matter of seconds the glass is back in one piece.

I think this guy is incredible and truly has certain powers that are indescribable.


**Diamond** Quote

I saw a show where they actually gave away the secret of his levitating from 1 rooftop to another. all it needs is a huge crane and piano wire in a harness under his jacket - and for the 'flight; to be shot from specific angles so the crane is out of sight. Quote

never seen a show but would love to. Sounds like a great show Quote

I was in Vegas a couple of months ago, and was at a club and Angel walked in and some of the people there had negative things to say about him, calling him a fake.

But you know how that goes.

Whenever somebody is up someone's always trying to knockem down. Quote

Naturally there will always be skeptics and those that don't believe. I'm sure to many Criss Angel is considered a fake, but there is no doubt in my mind that he is quite the performer. I just got done watching an episode called Mass Levitation in which he takes a room full of people at Circus Circus and actually levitates them. I haven't yet to see him perform live yet, but I hope to be able to see him the next time I'm in Vegas.


**Diamond** Quote

I believe he sold his soul to satan Quote

Naturally there will always be skeptics and those that don't believe. I'm sure to many Criss Angel is considered a fake, but there is no doubt in my mind that he is quite the performer. I just got done watching an episode called Mass Levitation in which he takes a room full of people at Circus Circus and actually levitates them. I haven't yet to see him perform live yet, but I hope to be able to see him the next time I'm in Vegas.
**Diamond**


I'm going to vegas in two weeks diamond, now you got me curious. i'll go check him out.

that's if i can pull myself off the black jack tables lol

Quote

I'm going to vegas in two weeks diamond, now you got me curious. i'll go check him out.
that's if i can pull myself off the black jack tables lol


He has a show at the Luxor called Believe. I think it is a year round show. Have fun on your trip.


**Diamond** Quote

I LOVE CRIS ANGEL!!!!! Quote

Do you love him or do you LOOOOVE him? lol...


I don't wub him, but he is pretty cool. ROFL...



**Diamond** Quote

I wanna get married to Chris Angel ( I m his fiancee as you may already notice, we have already last name ANGEL )
When I will find out how he does his illusions I will let u know Quote

I find him entertaining and interesting, but I'm not sure all the stunts are real. Quote

Criss Angel and his staff always emphasize these stunts he does is illusions. It sure would be cool to have the talent he does though. The way he presents everything is so elaborate, even if the trick seems simple. Some of the things he does is just so shocking, that people are like no way- that can't be real. I saw one episode when he walked through a glass door. He pounded on it first to show it was real, had a few onlookers put a sheet in front of the glass as he proceeded to walk through it.

Just too cool.

Thanks for replying..


**Diamond** Quote

I think that he is very wierd because I've seen his show a lot and some of the things he's done makes you wonder if he has a pact with you know who but hey maybe it's just me lol. Quote

alright diamondback, i figured i would give you my insight on your topic. i have performed close up "sleight of hand" magic tricks for years and have studied up on bigger illusions. as a warning, if you don't want to know how magic is done or have some sort of feelings towards criss angel that could get hurt, then DON'T READ MY POST. otherwise.. read on and i will break down him and magic for you.

first: magic is an illusion. no, he isn't REALLY levitating.. sorry. more important than the illusion is the angle in which the audience is watching it from. when you're watching a close up magician and they tell you to 'move over here so you can see better' they're doing it for two reasons. the first is because you really do need to be over there to see the illusion the way it's intended to look. the second is because if you stay where you're at you are going to be able to see the secret 'move'. while its mainly important for 'street' magicians (any magician who doesn't perform on an actual stage) it still holds true for acts like david copperfield, lance burton or penn and teller, but is easier for them because those are stage shows and the tricks can be designed knowing exactly where the audience will be.


second: magic is all about the art of distraction. ever wonder why magicians flail their arms around and make it look all dramatic? it's so that you'll pay attention to the bigger move that actually is masking the small move. there's a trick i do in which i need to flip over the top card in the deck. if i just did that in front of you then you would see it, so instead i put the cards in my left hand and drop them to my side and use my leg to flip the card. simultaneously i am moving my right hand in big circles as i talk about something else. no one EVER see's me flip the card over because they are naturally drawn towards the bigger movement. on the big stage shows that's why there is so much smoke and lights and pyro.. to distract you.

third: never tell what is going to happen in the trick. if i tell you before i start my trick that i'm going to make the card you select disappear and then end up behind you on a table, then guess where you're going to be looking the whole time? right at the table. and that would make it damn near impossible to do my trick. this sorta ties into the last point, it's all about distraction.

fourth: never repeat the same trick twice in a row. this ties into the last point as well. if you do the trick again then people are going to be trying to find out how you did it. that makes magic way less fun when you are performing for 'that guy' who is only trying to make the magician look bad.

fourth: practice and performing. anyone can learn how to find a card in a deck. what makes some magicians better than others is that they are more fun and entertaining to watch. as a magician you don't want to get caught messing up the trick so you practice, practice, practice. there's some tricks that i could do in my sleep before i ever attempted them live.



so how does criss angel do it? well first of all he has a great creative staff that works for him. just like singers have songwriters, magicians have magic developers. if you want to know more about criss angels main guy the google up Jay Sankey. Sankey has been at the game for decades and has been credited with creating some of the most clever magic tricks around. ever seen the magic trick where you pull a signed card out of a balloon with the rest of the deck still securely inside? yep, that was his creation.

the magic you see from criss angel is also on tv. meaning, we don't know how many times he actually attempted the trick and got it wrong. we see the video of the time he got it right, but he could have f-ed it up numerous times before.. guess which take they're not putting on tv?! ever find it amazing that for a big time magician, walking the streets of vegas that he only has around 20 to 30 people watching the trick? most magicians that do street magic pre-select their audience (sorry to burst your 'i'm going to go find him and figure it out' bubble) to ensure that they get the reaction they're shooting for. this is NOT to say they are actors, but merely people who are more.. uh, let's call it 'gullible' than other people. as any professional though, criss angel is great at what he does. even though i know how to do the majority of his tricks, i still respect the guy for being a great entertainer.



ready to give it a whirl?! i'll teach you one of the simplest magic tricks around. again it's all about showmanship so practice it a lot and have fun!!

VANISHING SALT SHAKER
to do this trick you will need the following:

-salt (or pepper) shaker
-typical PAPER beverage napkin (like what they use at a bar)
-a coin
-a table
-a chair

this trick is best done in a bar or restaurant setting as a casual fun trick. you never announce that you're going to do "magic" but instead say "check this out: i'm going to make this coin disappear" as you hold up the coin to show everyone.

*sit in the chair and pull it up to the table. then tell everyone to move to the opposite side of the table so they can "get a better view".

*next place the coin in front of you about six inches from the edge of the table directly in front of you.

*now place the salt shaker on top of the coin and wrap the paper napkin around the shaker. make sure you are holding the napkin tight so it will form around the shaker.

*next lift the shaker up a few inches and place it down on the coin while counting "1, 2, 3". on 3 lift the salt shaker up and act excited like you believe the coin is gone. bring the shaker with the napkin around it back over your lap and look a the coin that is still (obviously) sitting on the table. act embarrassed and say "let's try again"

*repeat the same process and again look embarrassed. this time, however, when you bring the salt shaker back over your lap secretly loosen your grip on the shaker and let it fall in your lap. if you've wrapped the napkin tight enough around it though it should still look like the shaker is still under it.

*now you tell everyone that it's "too hard to make the coin disappear so you are just going to make the salt shaker disappear instead!" now bring the salt shaker back over the coin, count "1,2,3" again but this time smash your hand down on top of the coin and flatten out the napkin.

*lift up the napkin to show the shaker is gone and then reach down and grab it out of your lap! it'll seem like you pushed the shaker right through the table!!!

REMEMBER it's all about showmanship. the more embarrassed you act and the more people are laughing at you, the more spectacular the end result is! and NEVER do this trick twice for the same people or they'll start looking under the table and it'll ruin your trick. good luck and have fun! Quote

alright diamondback, i figured i would give you my insight on your topic. i have performed close up "sleight of hand" magic tricks for years and have studied up on bigger illusions. as a warning, if you don't want to know how magic is done or have some sort of feelings towards criss angel that could get hurt, then DON'T READ MY POST. otherwise.. read on and i will break down him and magic for you.
first: magic is an illusion. no, he isn't REALLY levitating.. sorry. more important than the illusion is the angle in which the audience is watching it from. when you're watching a close up magician and they tell you to 'move over here so you can see better' they're doing it for two reasons. the first is because you really do need to be over there to see the illusion the way it's intended to look. the second is because if you stay where you're at you are going to be able to see the secret 'move'. while its mainly important for 'street' magicians (any magician who doesn't perform on an actual stage) it still holds true for acts like david copperfield, lance burton or penn and teller, but is easier for them because those are stage shows and the tricks can be designed knowing exactly where the audience will be.
second: magic is all about the art of distraction. ever wonder why magicians flail their arms around and make it look all dramatic? it's so that you'll pay attention to the bigger move that actually is masking the small move. there's a trick i do in which i need to flip over the top card in the deck. if i just did that in front of you then you would see it, so instead i put the cards in my left hand and drop them to my side and use my leg to flip the card. simultaneously i am moving my right hand in big circles as i talk about something else. no one EVER see's me flip the card over because they are naturally drawn towards the bigger movement. on the big stage shows that's why there is so much smoke and lights and pyro.. to distract you.
third: never tell what is going to happen in the trick. if i tell you before i start my trick that i'm going to make the card you select disappear and then end up behind you on a table, then guess where you're going to be looking the whole time? right at the table. and that would make it damn near impossible to do my trick. this sorta ties into the last point, it's all about distraction.
fourth: never repeat the same trick twice in a row. this ties into the last point as well. if you do the trick again then people are going to be trying to find out how you did it. that makes magic way less fun when you are performing for 'that guy' who is only trying to make the magician look bad.
fourth: practice and performing. anyone can learn how to find a card in a deck. what makes some magicians better than others is that they are more fun and entertaining to watch. as a magician you don't want to get caught messing up the trick so you practice, practice, practice. there's some tricks that i could do in my sleep before i ever attempted them live.
so how does criss angel do it? well first of all he has a great creative staff that works for him. just like singers have songwriters, magicians have magic developers. if you want to know more about criss angels main guy the google up Jay Sankey. Sankey has been at the game for decades and has been credited with creating some of the most clever magic tricks around. ever seen the magic trick where you pull a signed card out of a balloon with the rest of the deck still securely inside? yep, that was his creation.
the magic you see from criss angel is also on tv. meaning, we don't know how many times he actually attempted the trick and got it wrong. we see the video of the time he got it right, but he could have f-ed it up numerous times before.. guess which take they're not putting on tv?! ever find it amazing that for a big time magician, walking the streets of vegas that he only has around 20 to 30 people watching the trick? most magicians that do street magic pre-select their audience (sorry to burst your 'i'm going to go find him and figure it out' bubble) to ensure that they get the reaction they're shooting for. this is NOT to say they are actors, but merely people who are more.. uh, let's call it 'gullible' than other people. as any professional though, criss angel is great at what he does. even though i know how to do the majority of his tricks, i still respect the guy for being a great entertainer.
ready to give it a whirl?! i'll teach you one of the simplest magic tricks around. again it's all about showmanship so practice it a lot and have fun!!
<center>VANISHING SALT SHAKER</center>
to do this trick you will need the following:
-salt (or pepper) shaker
-typical PAPER beverage napkin (like what they use at a bar)
-a coin
-a table
-a chair
this trick is best done in a bar or restaurant setting as a casual fun trick. you never announce that you're going to do "magic" but instead say "check this out: i'm going to make this coin disappear" as you hold up the coin to show everyone.
*sit in the chair and pull it up to the table. then tell everyone to move to the opposite side of the table so they can "get a better view".
*next place the coin in front of you about six inches from the edge of the table directly in front of you.
*now place the salt shaker on top of the coin and wrap the paper napkin around the shaker. make sure you are holding the napkin tight so it will form around the shaker.
*next lift the shaker up a few inches and place it down on the coin while counting "1, 2, 3". on 3 lift the salt shaker up and act excited like you believe the coin is gone. bring the shaker with the napkin around it back over your lap and look a the coin that is still (obviously) sitting on the table. act embarrassed and say "let's try again"
*repeat the same process and again look embarrassed. this time, however, when you bring the salt shaker back over your lap secretly loosen your grip on the shaker and let it fall in your lap. if you've wrapped the napkin tight enough around it though it should still look like the shaker is still under it.
*now you tell everyone that it's "too hard to make the coin disappear so you are just going to make the salt shaker disappear instead!" now bring the salt shaker back over the coin, count "1,2,3" again but this time smash your hand down on top of the coin and flatten out the napkin.
*lift up the napkin to show the shaker is gone and then reach down and grab it out of your lap! it'll seem like you pushed the shaker right through the table!!!
REMEMBER it's all about showmanship. the more embarrassed you act and the more people are laughing at you, the more spectacular the end result is! and NEVER do this trick twice for the same people or they'll start looking under the table and it'll ruin your trick. good luck and have fun!


Excellent response to this post. Thank you for the insight.

**Diamond** Quote

I believe he sold his soul to satan


Oh! nevermind I was watching Tv and realized that it was David Blaine that I was thinking of LoL Quote

Excellent response to this post. Thank you for the insight.
**Diamond**


no prob. i wanted to reveal magic for what it is: an art form. hope you all enjoyed the insight! Quote

Lots of his vids on youtube. Some of his tricks are just plain freaky. But you can also find out how he does them. Would be great to see his live act because he is a talented illusionist.

Merc Quote