Chriss Angel- All Illusion?, Is he all illusion, or something more? Options

Hey all,

I myself don't really possess much of anything that could be called 'psi'. I can move a pendulum, flicker a flame, you know, little tricks and such. But my post here is about Chriss Angel.
I know he's an illusionist, and I realize that like 90% of it is just smoke and mirrors. But some of his stuff just seems to go beyond that. Maybe I'm totally off base with this, cause' I hate when I can't explain how something works, and, well, he falls into that category all too often.
I mean, passing through the solid glass window of a random store front? Levitating a stranger? And the one that really got me, when 'teleported' those people last season. The performance I' m talking about there is that one where he was in the hallway of the hotel and stated there were no camera tricks. Then he told these people to close their eyes, stepped in front of them and suddenly they were like a hundred feet BACK down the hall just walking around a corner.
I know that he could very well be using camera tricks, but somehow I trust him when says he's not.
All in all, this whole rant is about his abilities. Do you think he's ALL illusion, or a combination of such and true psi. Psi would explain the levitation stuff and a few other things, but I'm really interested in the opinion of this community that I can't say I'm a part of. My thing is CM personally, so I don't know a whole lot about these things. Any opinions? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused012.gif)

I've seen a Japanese magician move a coin through a glass table, back again, and eventually leave it inside the glass itself.

No idea.

Most of what he does is for real, there are something things that defy logic. Of course I'm sure he does do some stuff that's purely stage magic but for the most part I would say it's a sophisticated blend of both. I've seen this guy puts hooks into his skin get lifted off the ground by those hooks via helicopter and go over a mountain. There's not much illusion there, if anything it exposes the illusion of this physical world most people trap themselves in. I've seen him catch an arrow shot towards him, not an illusion, I know blackbelts that can do the same thing. Give the man credit for training like a champion and if you can go try to see some of his stuff live then you'll be able to truly appreciate it.

This post has been edited by Bb3: Jun 3 2006, 03:49 AM

Moved here from psionic forum. This is more about entertainment than psionic discussion.

Kinjo- sorry, I wan't sure where to put it.
Bb3- I apologize if I came across as demeaning to his work. I absolutely love what he does and I admire greatly the dedication he gives. My question was about the source of his performances. Basically, is he more of the Houdini tradition, or the occult tradition? I guess I was asking mostly out of the fact that I'd love to know if these things are possible for a guy like me. I know next to nothing about stage magic and probably couldn't do the least impressive of it's 'tricks'. But I do know quite a bit about occult practices, and if he was using one path or other maybe I'd be able to explore it during my off-time. Really, I was just curious, 'cause Chriss Angel always seems to be lightyears beyond his contemporaries.

I've seen this guy puts hooks into his skin get lifted off the ground by those hooks via helicopter and go over a mountain. There's not much illusion there, if anything it exposes the illusion of this physical world most people trap themselves in.

Saw that too. No magic involved - it's actually just a rip off of a Guiness World Record, where someone suspended themselves by hooks in a cage on the back of a truck and toured the US, ending at Vegas.

I've seen him catch an arrow shot towards him, not an illusion, I know blackbelts that can do the same thing.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Seen a blackbelt catch paintballs without them breaking. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif)

Basically, is he more of the Houdini tradition, or the occult tradition?

Hard question to ask - because the Houdini tradition doesn't reveal how the tricks work, so you wouldn't know. Something you might want to keep an eye on is the Guiness World Records thing - a lot of his stuff will cross over with world record attempts, and that alone should tell you whether it's occult or not.

I've seen this guy puts hooks into his skin get lifted off the ground by those hooks via helicopter and go over a mountain. There's not much illusion there, if anything it exposes the illusion of this physical world most people trap themselves in.

Saw that too. No magic involved - it's actually just a rip off of a Guiness World Record, where someone suspended themselves by hooks in a cage on the back of a truck and toured the US, ending at Vegas.

I've seen him catch an arrow shot towards him, not an illusion, I know blackbelts that can do the same thing.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Seen a blackbelt catch paintballs without them breaking. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif)

Basically, is he more of the Houdini tradition, or the occult tradition?

Hard question to ask - because the Houdini tradition doesn't reveal how the tricks work, so you wouldn't know. Something you might want to keep an eye on is the Guiness World Records thing - a lot of his stuff will cross over with world record attempts, and that alone should tell you whether it's occult or not.

Only saw one Chris Angel episode, where he demanded they build a cage from which he could not escape. And he didn't. So, I guess you might say he got exactly what he demanded. Impressive magick. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sweatdrop.gif)

If he was capable of really walking through storefronts, etc., then I don't see why he couldn't just walk through the glass of the cage (more like a tube, really).

Chris Angel's alright I guess... but David Blaine can raise the dead. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bicycle.gif)

I don't know, but in my mind hanging by hooks in a cage is a pretty incredible feat, not as impressive as the sioux sundance where they pierce their pectorals and hang for several days straight until the flesh tears, but it's still an inspiring act.

Even the most basic of stage magics has the potential to become something of a truly magical nature when done properly and at the right time. It's the shock value of such stage magics that helps the witnesses open their minds to the idea of something that can't be explained.