When magic goes wrong

Voodu Child · 01-04-2008 02:59PM #1

Use this thread to post any anecdotes or videos of performances gone south :pac:

This is a particularly eye-watering video, it's of an amateur magician performing the spike trick, with a volunteers hand. And it goes wrong. Pretty irresponsible....ouch! :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMwrFKrM3U

6th · 01-04-2008 03:10PM

to post youtube link use:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMwrFKrM3U

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6th · 01-04-2008 03:21PM

Voodoo, would you mind if I changed the thread title and made this a thread to post all cool vids etc. No reveals rule but it would help keep the place tidy.

Voodu Child · 01-04-2008 03:31PM

Yeah, if you like. I thought 'magic gone wrong' would be an interesting thread though... theres some famous examples of tricks gone awry - sometimes with funny results, other times with more sombre, or even gruesome outcomes (eg bullet catching effect). They wouldn't all have videos, but i know some guys here would have read up enough on the history of magic to have some interesting takes and anecdotes on things like that.

6th · 01-04-2008 03:35PM

Grand so, seems pretty specific so I'll just leave it as is.

Cheers

6th

zuroph · 01-04-2008 04:06PM

thats the first video i thought of when i saw the thread title!

bigslick · 01-04-2008 07:52PM

zuroph wrote: »

thats the first video i thought of when i saw the thread title!

exact same here

humanji · 02-04-2008 11:39AM

I don't have a link, but I remember years ago on some talent show, there was a magician who came on and from what I remember, he got into a big black velvet bag and had someone tie a rope around the top, from which he was supposed to escape.

But after about a minute of struggling, you could hear a muffled whimpering voice call "Help!". I think Keith Chegwin was one of the judges and had to get a scissors and cut him out while in absolute stitches laughing at the poor magician. All 3 judges, the entire audience and my family, were crying as the guy struggles out of the bag.

But he then starts into the rest of his act as if nothing happened, to which Chegwin had to tell him that he was out of time and had to leave the stage. I felt so sorry for the poor guy, but it was just too funny. I think that one of the judges told him that if he could make an act out of getting tricks wrong he'd go far

humanji · 02-04-2008 11:42AM

Oh and there's also one that's always shown on those "It'll Be Alright On The Night" shows, where a guy was doing a card trick for a group of children when one of the kids pointed out that one of the cards had another card stuck to the bottom of it. The magician tried to bluff his way out of it, but the kid kept at it and then reached out and peeled the hidden card from it. I'm sure there's a youtube video of it somewhere.

Voodu Child · 02-04-2008 12:33PM

humanji wrote: »

I don't have a link, but I remember years ago on some talent show, there was a magician who came on and from what I remember, he got into a big black velvet bag and had someone tie a rope around the top, from which he was supposed to escape.

But after about a minute of struggling, you could hear a muffled whimpering voice call "Help!". I think Keith Chegwin was one of the judges and had to get a scissors and cut him out while in absolute stitches laughing at the poor magician. All 3 judges, the entire audience and my family, were crying as the guy struggles out of the bag.

But he then starts into the rest of his act as if nothing happened, to which Chegwin had to tell him that he was out of time and had to leave the stage. I felt so sorry for the poor guy, but it was just too funny. I think that one of the judges told him that if he could make an act out of getting tricks wrong he'd go far

Actually, I remember seeing the exact same show :eek:

One of the scariest failures i've seen was Bill Shirks version of 'buried alive'. I'll see if i can find a video link, but it's often featured on those 'when BAD thing happen!!' clip show type things on sky1.

He was performing it with a clear plexi-glass coffin, and using concrete instead of dirt. A few seconds into the escape, and all of a sudden the level of the concrete suddenly dropped a foot or two. The coffin had broken!:eek: It was horrific to watch the emergency procedures swing into place, a JCB started widening the hole, and it was a few minutes before they pulled the guy out, covered in concrete and looking half-dead. I'll see if i can find the video, it's pretty gripping.

He made a full recovery and is still around, but I do know of another guy (Joe Burrus) who died in the exact same way. Very dangerous stunt.

Sabre0001 · 02-04-2008 12:38PM

voodoo_child wrote: »

One of the scariest failures i've seen was Bill Shirks version of 'buried alive'. I'll see if i can find a video link, but it's often featured on those 'when BAD thing happen!!' clip show type things on sky1.

He was performing it with a clear plexi-glass coffin, and using concrete instead of dirt. A few seconds into the escape, and all of a sudden the level of the concrete suddenly dropped a foot or two. The coffin had broken!:eek: It was horrific to watch the emergency procedures swing into place, a JCB started widening the hole, and it was a few minutes before they pulled the guy out, covered in concrete and looking half-dead. I'll see if i can find the video, it's pretty gripping.

He made a full recovery and is still around, but I do know of another guy (Joe Burrus) who died in the exact same way. Very dangerous stunt.

Saw clips of being buried alive going wrong! Quite scary...

That spike one makes you think twice about volunteering though :eek:

humanji · 02-04-2008 12:39PM

I remember that one too. It really was freaky when the concrete just sank and everyone knew it had gone wrong. I think I'll take my time before I progress to the level where I'm risking my life

Popinjay · 02-04-2008 01:35PM

humanji wrote: »

I remember that one too. It really was freaky when the concrete just sank and everyone knew it had gone wrong. I think I'll take my time before I progress to the level where I'm risking my life

See now? This is why it's important to test these things before you do them. I'm sure it's not too difficult to make sure the plexiglas you're using is actually strong enough to support the weight of the cement you pour on top of it. Seems like common sense to me. Some magic accidents are genuinely unfortunate. Some just seem to lack a certain amount of careful forethought. I could be wrong and it might have just been a faulty sheet of plexi but surely it should have been tested for load-bearing anyway.

6th · 02-04-2008 01:45PM

I'm glad to see the likes of America/Britains Got Talent on the TV, I genuinely missed variety shows.

Also a great source of fcuk ups!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI3tCFkKjXM

oeb · 02-04-2008 01:57PM

I think it was Owen Lean who while vinishing his spike routine managed to stab himself in the forehead in Galway. (He finishes the routine by crushing the second last cup with his face.)

Voodu Child · 02-04-2008 02:02PM

Popinjay wrote: »

See now? This is why it's important to test these things before you do them. I'm sure it's not too difficult to make sure the plexiglas you're using is actually strong enough to support the weight of the cement you pour on top of it. Seems like common sense to me. Some magic accidents are genuinely unfortunate. Some just seem to lack a certain amount of careful forethought. I could be wrong and it might have just been a faulty sheet of plexi but surely it should have been tested for load-bearing anyway.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened to Joe Burrus. I think his frame of mind was questionable (he was a recovering drug-addict, desperate for fame, financial troubles etc.) and common-sense pretty much went out the window. Apparantly he stood on the lid to test it's strength, and even then a hairline crack developed which he just super-glued or something.

Without getting into methods, I think it's quite possible he didn't even plan on being in the coffin when the full weight of concrete came down on it....was just a mess-up in terms of timing and organization. Very tragic anyhow, his young kids were in the audience

I think it was Owen Lean who while vinishing his spike routine managed to stab himself in the forehead in Galway. (He finishes the routine by crushing the second last cup with his face.)

Lol, plus ouch!

King of Kards · 02-04-2008 06:59PM

voodoo_child wrote: »

Use this thread to post any anecdotes or videos of performances gone south :pac:

This is a particularly eye-watering video, it's of an amateur magician performing the spike trick, with a volunteers hand. And it goes wrong. Pretty irresponsible....ouch! :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMwrFKrM3U

A guy i know did that to himself, i never laughed so hard in my life! (I know i'm evil):D

zuroph · 03-04-2008 06:11AM

i think i read that the guy whose coffin collapsed that didnt die had worked out the weight of the dry concrete, but hadnt factored in for it wet being heavier. does that make sense? is it heavier? maybe i dreamt it!

6th · 03-04-2008 08:09AM

cement = x

cement + water = y

x < y

bigslick · 03-04-2008 03:11PM

oeb wrote: »

I think it was Owen Lean who while vinishing his spike routine managed to stab himself in the forehead in Galway. (He finishes the routine by crushing the second last cup with his face.)

I think i remember Owen talking about that before lol! Cant remember if it was him thou.

dionsiseire · 07-04-2008 12:39PM

sounds like something Owen would do alright heheheh

i think grafton street misses him

Popinjay · 07-04-2008 12:52PM

It definitely was Owen. He rang a mate of mine from A+E. He had to get one or two stitches IIRC but it was nothing major. He was lucky he didn't push all that hard for once.

6th · 16-04-2008 02:59PM

I presume this is a spoof but its very funny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXOgejLHGs

dionsiseire · 16-04-2008 03:03PM

that is pretty funny alright. i remember myself and a young thomas quigley out in the slaughtered lamb in swords

we did a card through window effect on a group of lads where the card went through the window, and into a pint glass on the far side , but it wasnt just one pint glass, it was in the middle of a group of pint glasses stacked behind the bar.

Suffice to say, the guys went nuts