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Playing Card Chat ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦ => Playing Card Plethora => Topic started by: Don Boyer on January 07, 2012, 12:18:51 AM
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. These should generate at least that much around here!
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:o :o :o
Thats awesome! And he gave you those things???
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Um, excuse me, HOW DID YOU MEET HIM!
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Did you meet him when you went to his building to get your deck replaced? That's awesome!! Must have been quite an experience 8)
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Oh, so the week I leave NYC this goes down. :P
You're a lucky guy Don. David Blaine has been my childhood hero. I think the free swag is worth nothing compared to the experience itself. Did you guys talk about anything?
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Awesomeeeeee!
I don't know what to say more ::)
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How'd you get to meet him Don? That is awesome! The goodies are great, but the experience is truly priceless.
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OK, here's the story...
I ordered two boxes of the two-deck set with the gaff cards. They arrive, no problem. Then I ordered two Variety Boxes. They arrive, but while the decks are intact, the boxes are damaged. I email DB Productions about the boxes, asking if I can get replacements. They send me two boxes - of the previous order, the two-deck sets with gaffs. So I email back, saying that instead of shipping things back and forth, why don't I just come down to your office and we can swap everything in person? After a little email hesitation (probably checking with the boss), I'm told, sure, come down Friday after 4pm.
I arrived about 4:30 to the address given. The security at the door brings me down, informing me that people coming for David usually use a different entrance behind the building. So I go with Security Dude to the sub-basement, walk a maze of corridors, and arrive at a door with the db logo on it. A lovely young woman answers, I mention my name, she knows who I am and why I'm there right away and invites me in.
The room looked like, well, a makeshift office of sorts - long table with computers, stacks of merchandise, just lots of stuff, but still very spacious. I show her the damaged goods, return the extra two-deck sets to her, and she has me wait a moment while she heads up a spiral staircase. She returns shortly, inviting me to come up. I had a hunch of what would happen next, but I was trying not to build up my hopes.
Sure enough, the stairs end and there's a big living room space, with a small kitchen area in the back and a corridor leading to more rooms (the skunk works, it would seem). I approach, there's a few people mingling around, and sure enough, on this big sectional couch, there's David Blaine, getting up to approach me and shake my hand!
There were a half-dozen people on hand: two ladies who appeared to work for him as administrative assistants and four guys who were all magicians - one of whom turned out to be Asi Wind (he's the guy who graciously signed my Bike Masters). Both he and Blaine were showing me astounding tricks with sleight of hand and even a little mentalism. I have no clue how they were performed, but I did catch David once or twice turning an in-the-air riffle shuffle into a false shuffle!
(By the way - I learned what is probably one of the least-known hidden features to the White Lions deck! I have to test it when I get home, but it's a mind-blower - though it's also a one-shot deal; no way to reset it as far as I can tell. Either that or David was using a highly-modified version of the deck, which is entirely possible! I'm not sure if I should even pass it around - while I didn't sign any disclosure agreements, it's got to be one of the most amazing secret features to a deck of cards I've ever seen.)
So there was some chit-chat; I mentioned my hospital volunteer work and they told me about a program they run that gets magicians into hospitals, which I thought was cool. At one point in the chat, David asked me to perform one of MY tricks for his assistants, claiming they didn't know anything about magic! I'm standing in the kitchen of his office, deck in hand, with freakin' David Blaine and Asi Wind watching me and my silly sleight of hand! My phone rang mid-trick and David asked "Is that part of the trick?" Damn, I wished it could have been! But they were appreciative of my effort; Asi told me he actually performs that trick and that I did it well.
I was practically light-headed by this point! As you can see, I got a photo or two with him on the couch. See the backgammon board to David's left? He was trouncing Asi - I saw Asi win only once, and in the end David was up twenty points. One of the other magicians, Sean Bogunia, joked that Asi wasn't working for pay, but to pay off his backgammon debt! (You don't want to know how much, and I doubt he'd want me advertising it...) Eventually an order of Indian take-out arrived (second take-out order of the evening; the first was Thai) and I was invited to grab a plate and help myself!
All in all, I spent two hours with him and his entourage. He replaced the damaged Variety Boxes with new ones - one of which, as you can see, he personalized! He said that of all the 250 boxes, mine is the only one that he personalized, making it a genuine one-of-a-kind collectible. He also offered me a choice of an autographed poster or an uncut sheet - I think you know which I chose! He said the uncut sheets aren't for sale anywhere, and that this one was both autographed (twice!) and personalized made it that much more unique. (While I was there, I even got a peek at a PURPLE White Lions uncut sheet! Mine was a blue Split Spades Lions.) Basically, the only way to get one of those sheets is for David to give one to you! I was tempted to ask for a purple WL deck or two, but decided it would be bad form to do so.
When the time came for him and his crew to get down to serious work, I took my cue, grabbed my gear and excused myself. The reality of it all hasn't quite sunk in yet. Oh, and I mentioned that if he ever needed an extra pair of hands for a project, I'd be glad to help out, to which he replied that I should email my contact information to his assistant, saying that he did indeed have a few things he was working on!
By the way - the reason he chose me of all possible people to do all this for? He noticed we have the same initials!
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That was a great read. :) Hit him up on that offer, Don! And let us know how everything goes.
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That was a great read. :) Hit him up on that offer, Don! And let us know how everything goes.
I have, and I will, you can bet on it!
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Wow Don, that was an extraordinary read, great work. I wonder what it must feel like to perform in the presence of David himself. I would just pass out! Also, wouldn't it feel quite scary walking into an unknown area with his body guard like that. I mean, a big rough dude leading you to who knows what. It would probably be a dream of mine to spend a day with David Blaine. You are one very fortunate individual! You could professionally work for David one day and be apart of his gang! Also, one last question I wanted to ask is that if he have you ALL the items in your last picture. I mean, that's like a brick on Ghosts, a few LTD's, a 13-pack of Bicycles (which I've never seen before), and the Lucite case.
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Wow Don, that was an extraordinary read, great work. I wonder what it must feel like to perform in the presence of David himself. I would just pass out! Also, wouldn't it feel quite scary walking into an unknown area with his body guard like that. I mean, a big rough dude leading you to who knows what. It would probably be a dream of mine to spend a day with David Blaine. You are one very fortunate individual! You could professionally work for David one day and be apart of his gang! Also, one last question I wanted to ask is that if he have you ALL the items in your last picture. I mean, that's like a brick on Ghosts, a few LTD's, a 13-pack of Bicycles (which I've never seen before), and the Lucite case.
OK, first of all, the security guy was security for the building, not David Blaine. He was a nice guy, not mean.
Performing in front of David, Asi and the others was a hell of an experience. I was practically going from muscle memory, I've done that trick so many times. If I thought too hard about it, maybe I would have froze or choked, but I didn't. The fact that the reality of it all hadn't sunk in until I left also helped! (Actually, it still hasn't sunk in!)
Yes, I would absolutely love working for David Blaine. He's a very down-to-earth and easygoing guy. I spent very little time talking, much more time listening.
As far as the other items, that's just the top shelf of my playing card collection. You're looking at:
In Lucite:
a LTD and a Black Ghost 1st Ed.
sealed:
a brick of Black Crowns, four each of Black Ghost 1st Ed., Red Artifice, Gold Arcane and LTD.
open:
a pack of each, except the Crowns, which were in my briefcase.
The big box in the back: I bought that empty on eBay and filled it with plain old Bikes. I thought it looked cool.
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Wow what an amazing experience, and deffinetly take that offer up, cant hurt to email :) lets hope even more good things come from it for you.
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That email is already done and dusted. I included my deepest thanks for such an incredible experience.
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(By the way - I learned what is probably one of the least-known hidden features to the White Lions deck! I have to test it when I get home, but it's a mind-blower - though it's also a one-shot deal; no way to reset it as far as I can tell. Either that or David was using a highly-modified version of the deck, which is entirely possible! I'm not sure if I should even pass it around - while I didn't sign any disclosure agreements, it's got to be one of the most amazing secret features to a deck of cards I've ever seen.)
WOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!This whole thing is crazy.....I am so jealous. Oh well, Ill have my chance.... :P
Plz can you tell me the hidden feature of the white lions? I have some and I am really curious. I know that they're marked, I also know how to read it, but what else is there?
( hehe now im gonna move to America, change my initials to DB, order some boxes and damage them, ask If I can come to replace :P)
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WOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!This whole thing is crazy.....I am so jealous. Oh well, Ill have my chance.... :P
Plz can you tell me the hidden feature of the white lions? I have some and I am really curious. I know that they're marked, I also know how to read it, but what else is there?
( hehe now im gonna move to America, change my initials to DB, order some boxes and damage them, ask If I can come to replace :P )
I haven't even determined if it's a feature on the regular deck or if David was using a special deck, so I'm holding my cards close to my vest for now.
As far as your "master plan" goes - I wouldn't count on lightning striking twice in the same spot!
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That is amazing but the only comment I can think to make was my first thought; 'Wow! You had dinner with Matt Dillahunty?!'. It took my a few seconds to realize I was looking at you and then catch on.
(http://www.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width/hash/Matt%20Dillahunty.JPG)
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I read your story and I feel very excited.
DB is very kind and you are sooooo lucky.
I never met a famous magician in my life.
Hope that I could meet someone in future too.
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That is amazing but the only comment I can think to make was my first thought; 'Wow! You had dinner with Matt Dillahunty?!'. It took my a few seconds to realize I was looking at you and then catch on.
That's funny! There's a certain physical resemblance, I suppose. I've also been told I look like Andre Agassi.
I read your story and I feel very excited.
DB is very kind and you are sooooo lucky.
I never met a famous magician in my life.
Hope that I could meet someone in future too.
If it was exciting for you to read, imagine how it was for me to live through it. It's got a certain dream-like quality to it. I'm just glad I held it together and didn't do anything to make an utter fool of myself. An "earlier version" of me might not have been so lucky. His friendly demeanor also eased things for me.
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I already thought you were lucky for winning the Mana deck, but that's just crazy! :o
Looks like you made a good impression, too! Good luck for what will follow. ;) What did you feel like when you left the building and went back home?
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I already thought you were lucky for winning the Mana deck, but that's just crazy! :o
Looks like you made a good impression, too! Good luck for what will follow. ;) What did you feel like when you left the building and went back home?
Well, I knew the moment had to end sometime, as much as I didn't want it to. There's still just a huge "HOLY COW!" vibe to the whole thing. I had considered that, since I was going to his office, sure, I might see him while he's busy somewhere, not really get a chance to meet him, but I never expected anything like what happened. For a couple of hours, I was a part of his entourage.
Now, in retrospect, when I think of that trick I performed, I could have used a much, much better card control than what I did. It probably seemed a little amateur by his standards. But being the guy that he is, he didn't say a word about it and was nothing but encouraging, as was Asi Wind. They were both really great people - hell, they were all really great people.
When I got home, though, as big as the moment was, I really missed my fiancee when I saw her meet me in the building hallway!
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Excellent read!!! Seems 2012 is already a lucky year for you!
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Congratulations man :D you are insanely lucky. Just reading your story and looking at the pictures gives me goosebumps! David Blaine is the reason I got into magic, so I have always looked up to him. I dunno if I would have been able to preform in front of him though, my nerves would be going nuts. Kudos to you though for keeping it cool and preforming your magic :)
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Did u tell him about this awesome site so that maybe he would drop by? Btw the are seriously very nice people. I bought a black split spades recently from a local card shop and it had a cut in one of the corner of the double backer. I emailed a pic of it to them and they agreed to replace my deck without any questions asked. When the package arrived, there was not one but 2 decks(one red and one sepia split spades) in that db leather box. And best of all, both decks are autographed by THE man himself. That really made my day.
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Still waiting to hear about this secret feature in the deck. Why can't you at least tell us about it because someone here may know if it is a feature in the deck or not.
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so i REALLY hate living in a small town. :( you are very lucky. :( jaw dropped when i read this. :)
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Amazing story!!
Told my wife about it and the first thing she asked... Did he levitate for him?
HAHAHAHAH
Women...
CBJ
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Don, you are so lucky first you won a mana deck and that is pretty lucky, then you meet DB!!! That is amazing he is my favorite magician. I think you should go buy a lottery ticket!
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Excellent read!!! Seems 2012 is already a lucky year for you!
I've been VERY lucky since taking up magic. All the more reason to stick with it, right?
Congratulations man :D you are insanely lucky. Just reading your story and looking at the pictures gives me goosebumps! David Blaine is the reason I got into magic, so I have always looked up to him. I dunno if I would have been able to preform in front of him though, my nerves would be going nuts. Kudos to you though for keeping it cool and preforming your magic :)
It felt a little hairy getting up to do it, but once I was in the rhythm and performing, I just stuck to the routine and rolled right along.
Did u tell him about this awesome site so that maybe he would drop by? Btw the are seriously very nice people. I bought a black split spades recently from a local card shop and it had a cut in one of the corner of the double backer. I emailed a pic of it to them and they agreed to replace my deck without any questions asked. When the package arrived, there was not one but 2 decks(one red and one sepia split spades) in that db leather box. And best of all, both decks are autographed by THE man himself. That really made my day.
I didn't get a chance to mention the site by name. And yes, they're awesome when it comes to customer service. Look at what happened with me!
Still waiting to hear about this secret feature in the deck. Why can't you at least tell us about it because someone here may know if it is a feature in the deck or not.
I'm going to look independently first to see if it's already on the 'net. While I didn't sign any disclosure agreements, he was kind enough to me to show me the trick and I'm not sure how widely he wants it to be known.
so i REALLY hate living in a small town. :( you are very lucky. :( jaw dropped when i read this. :)
Hey, there are benefits to living in a small town. You're not paying over $1,200 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, are you?
Amazing story!!
Told my wife about it and the first thing she asked... Did he levitate for him?
HAHAHAHAH
Women...
CBJ
That's a valid question! But I think at this point, since he did that on TV years ago, he's moved on to new material by now. There was a bit of mentalism and a good handful of card tricks. Asi Wind did quite a few of those - one of the more impressive ones was, using my deck (the Bike Masters in the picture that I asked him to sign), shuffling the mixed deck, cutting it perfectly in half, revealing that each half was perfectly sorted by color, then stacking the halves back together, placing the deck with my hands, asking me to shake it a few times, then asking me to fan the NOW REMIXED deck!
Don, you are so lucky first you won a mana deck and that is pretty lucky, then you meet DB!!! That is amazing he is my favorite magician. I think you should go buy a lottery ticket!
Perhaps... Or perhaps this IS my winning lottery ticket! ;)
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OK, so I searched on the Internet and on the first Google page I found out that the White Lions secret that David used on me for his effect has already been published and is in the webiverse. I won't reveal the entire trick and how it was performed, but I will tell you what's already out there.
When you open a box of White Lions, you probably do as I do: stick your fingernail into the paper seal and tear it along the curve of the "thumbnail" cutout in the back of the tuck box. When you lift the flap, you'll see the phrase
P L A Y I N G C A R D S
but with the center portion of the phrase covered by the top half of the deck seal. Peel that back, and there's a reveal underneath - the phrase actually reads:
P L A Y I INDIGO C A R D S
David found a very unique way to use that reveal than by simply peeling the sticker back. It was really cool - but that part will still remain a secret, at least until he performs it on video somewhere... Meanwhile, you'll have to think of your own creative ways to use the reveal!
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I dont do that, i flatten it out with an exacto and then slowly run the blade around the thumb cut out
but sounds awesome!
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I dont do that, i flatten it out with an exacto and then slowly run the blade around the thumb cut out
but sounds awesome!
To quote one of my more irreverent co-workers, "Same sh1+, different smell." ;)
Whether your tool of choice is an Exacto blade or your fingernail, you (like most people) cut it along the thumbnail curve at the top of the back side of the pack. Some people just make a straight razor cut, but then you have a piece of the sticker still exposed, which you need to remove or do something with, and the "under seal reveal" is a non-starter - sure, it's still there, but it's not hiding under the sticker seal, is it?
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I like to use a card from another deck to cut the seal. I just use the edge of the card like a knife/fingernail. ;)
Usually it cuts right along the curve naturally, but sometimes the sticker just decides to be an ass and cuts in a straight line... And then your seal is ruined. :(
That's an interesting reveal, but I can't think of any ways to use it right now. Then again, I don't perform magic anyway. ::)
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I like to use a card from another deck to cut the seal. I just use the edge of the card like a knife/fingernail. ;)
Usually it cuts right along the curve naturally, but sometimes the sticker just decides to be an ass and cuts in a straight line... And then your seal is ruined. :(
That's an interesting reveal, but I can't think of any ways to use it right now. Then again, I don't perform magic anyway. ::)
David thought of a killer way to use the reveal - of course, since he had the reveal made, right? But I'm still keeping that a guarded secret. I might want to use it someday myself!
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Hey gang - I just heard back from one of David's assistants! She said they'd be in touch!
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Great story, love to read it! :) You lucky... :D
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Wow, someone went into the wayback machine for this one. Glad they did.
Don that is friggin crazy cool. Did you ever hear back from them?
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I've up this topic because I find a link on a thread posted by Don, two days ago :) And why not, because it's a great story, I wrote a few words :D
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Wow, someone went into the wayback machine for this one. Glad they did.
Don that is friggin crazy cool. Did you ever hear back from them?
It was less than two years ago - about 21 months. That's "wayback" for you?
After that last contact I mentioned, I didn't hear back. I stopped trying to reach them and let it be. I might bump into him again through Bill Kalush sometime down the road - I'd be curious to see if he remembers me.
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Glad this got bumped up - a great story and I never would have seen. Always good to hear about talented famous celebrities who aren't jerks in private.
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Wow, someone went into the wayback machine for this one. Glad they did.
Don that is friggin crazy cool. Did you ever hear back from them?
It was less than two years ago - about 21 months. That's "wayback" for you?
After that last contact I mentioned, I didn't hear back. I stopped trying to reach them and let it be. I might bump into him again through Bill Kalush sometime down the road - I'd be curious to see if he remembers me.
I think he would remember you. If he's like anyone else who enjoys playing cards and is involved in the industry, he's trolled around on the boards. As a producer, he has to be curious of customer opinions. He might not admit to knowing you from here though.
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Wow! A great guy, talented magician, out in front of the card industry, and David Blaine had the honor of meeting him! ;)
See what I did there
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We all put our pants on one leg at a time. I played poker with James Woods once at Foxwoods. Mr. Woods was playing well until I got seated at his table. I ended up going heads up with him on two hands, beating him both times. I must of loosened him up because he busted out shortly after at 1 AM in the morning. Sometimes you just know when a player is ready to go home. I did not know who he was until everyone at the table wished him a good night. Had I known, I probably would have folded a hand just to keep playing with him.
Don's got a BIG PAIR OF BALLS asking to drop his stuff off in person. I don't know that I would have done it. Still a great story.
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I think he would remember you. If he's like anyone else who enjoys playing cards and is involved in the industry, he's trolled around on the boards. As a producer, he has to be curious of customer opinions. He might not admit to knowing you from here though.
I was referring more to the fact that we met in person rather than knowing me from this board. I'm inclined to doubt he checks the boards. Sy over at D&D has flat-out said they don't check the boards.
Don's got a BIG PAIR OF BALLS asking to drop his stuff off in person. I don't know that I would have done it. Still a great story.
Actually, it was more about applying logic. They'd already paid shipping on the wrong item, and there would be shipping costs to both send the item back and get the correct item shipped. That cash adds up, while a half-gallon of gas was a lot cheaper. They weren't obligated to have me meet David - they could've simply made the exchange in the downstairs office and bid me farewell.
I'd considered it a possibility I'd meet him, but I certainly wasn't holding my breath on it - and I figured if I did meet David, it would have been a simple "hi" and a handshake, done. Instead, because we shared the same initials, David decided on a whim to meet me. I got pretty lucky.
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I think he would remember you. If he's like anyone else who enjoys playing cards and is involved in the industry, he's trolled around on the boards. As a producer, he has to be curious of customer opinions. He might not admit to knowing you from here though.
I was referring more to the fact that we met in person rather than knowing me from this board. I'm inclined to doubt he checks the boards. Sy over at D&D has flat-out said they don't check the boards.
Don's got a BIG PAIR OF BALLS asking to drop his stuff off in person. I don't know that I would have done it. Still a great story.
Actually, it was more about applying logic. They'd already paid shipping on the wrong item, and there would be shipping costs to both send the item back and get the correct item shipped. That cash adds up, while a half-gallon of gas was a lot cheaper. They weren't obligated to have me meet David - they could've simply made the exchange in the downstairs office and bid me farewell.
I'd considered it a possibility I'd meet him, but I certainly wasn't holding my breath on it - and I figured if I did meet David, it would have been a simple "hi" and a handshake, done. Instead, because we shared the same initials, David decided on a whim to meet me. I got pretty lucky.
I thought you and David had met up a few times since then? I remember right after the White Lions Blue Series B release, you posting about sitting with David in his office while they were investigating emails reporting false defective decks. Something about people using the same damage pictures for two different complaints?
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I thought you and David had met up a few times since then? I remember right after the White Lions Blue Series B release, you posting about sitting with David in his office while they were investigating emails reporting false defective decks. Something about people using the same damage pictures for two different complaints?
Nope - that all occurred the same night.
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This story is crazy awesome. One of my friends got invited to Blaine's in-suite-party during Blackpool magic festival a while back and he said he was super nice. (He also said Dan & Dave were incredibly weird but there you go)
Phill
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This story is crazy awesome. One of my friends got invited to Blaine's in-suite-party during Blackpool magic festival a while back and he said he was super nice. (He also said Dan & Dave were incredibly weird but there you go)
Phill
It's not something I'll forget anytime soon.
The Bucks aren't that strange, but then again, I met them in a slightly more informal setting. They seemed OK to me. I wouldn't have given them a lift to their hotel otherwise! :))
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Just ready the whole story, Don. Unbelievable! Very jealous you got a chance to pick his brain! If i had the chance to do card tricks in front of him, im almost sure the entire deck would be falling out of my shaky hands the entire bit. lol