David Blaine

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes)" Episode: David Blaine Release Date: February 12, 2025

In this captivating episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, hosts Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson reconnect with their longtime friend, the legendary magician David Blaine. The conversation delves deep into Blaine's extraordinary career, personal philosophies, and the unwavering bond he shares with his co-hosts. Skipping all advertisements and non-content segments, the discussion remains focused on the essence of Blaine's life and magic.

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1. Introduction and Guest Overview

Ted Danson opens the episode by highlighting David Blaine's monumental contributions to entertainment:

“For decades, he's performed some of the most unbelievable feats known to man, from his famous street magic to death-defining stunts like catching a bullet in his mouth or standing in a block of ice for days in Times Square.” (00:25)

2. Early Life and Fascination with Magic (00:20 - 04:22)

David Blaine recounts his early inspirations and the genesis of his passion for magic:

“I grew up in Brooklyn with a single mother, and she was always trying to take me to things like museums, libraries, Coney Island. And so often I would see street performers... And I think just my fascination began early on.” (01:49)

He shares a pivotal childhood moment when he first performed a magic trick, igniting his lifelong love for eliciting reactions:

“Every time I did a trick to my mom, it was like I succeeded. So I became kind of in love with the concept of getting people to react and magic was the best way.” (02:48)

3. Early Career and Stunts (04:55 - 12:21)

Blaine discusses his initial forays into professional magic, including his time at the Neighborhood Playhouse and his early television appearances:

“Orson Welles had this quote. A magician is an actor playing the part of the magician. Let me see how far I could push it.” (03:23)

He reflects on early stunts that were met with mixed reactions and how these experiences shaped his approach:

“The producers of Jon's show said, no, no, you have to do something bigger... It was terrible, but it was the beginning of mixing real things with magic tricks.” (04:57)

4. Pushing the Limits: Endurance and Sleep Deprivation (12:21 - 30:35)

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Blaine's extreme stunts, such as sleep deprivation and holding his breath for extended periods. He explains the physiological challenges and the mental resilience required:

“The less there is of me, the more there is of the person that I'm doing magic to.” (02:48)

Blaine elaborates on his struggle with sleep deprivation, detailing a particularly harrowing experience:

“When I stood on the pillar and the buildings behind me started to look like animal heads... my heart was bruised.” (10:28)

Woody Harrelson highlights the dangers associated with Blaine's stunts, emphasizing the fine line between pushing limits and risking one's health:

“But that's got to be a pretty serious one, you know, getting a million volts into your intestines.” (12:08)

5. Life in Paris and Family (24:33 - 41:57)

Transitioning to his personal life, Blaine shares insights about balancing his intense career with fatherhood:

“I'm very lucky. She's my best friend in the world. And, yeah, it's the greatest gift in life.” (32:48)

He discusses the challenges of raising a daughter in Paris while maintaining his demanding schedule, ensuring his stunts do not overshadow his role as a father:

“I love to be there because I'm with her, but I'm pretty happy. And I've never been specific to which city I prefer.” (41:57)

6. The Philosophy of Magic and Human Connection (41:47 - 52:45)

Blaine delves into the deeper meanings behind his performances, emphasizing the emotional and psychological impact of magic:

“The most gratifying thing is when you can distract somebody who's dealing with a lot and kind of break that difficulty and make them smile, make them laugh.” (51:17)

Ted Danson draws parallels between magic and acting, appreciating the element of surprise and the authentic reactions Blaine elicits:

“When I see a performance, I don't want to see what's coming in advance. What delights me when I see a performance is... I did not see that coming.” (60:20)

7. Fame, Evolution, and Future Endeavors (52:50 - 61:34)

The conversation shifts to how fame has influenced Blaine's approach to magic. He notes that anonymity allowed for more profound and believable performances:

“As they started to know me, they knew I was a magician... It made it more difficult to blur the line of what's real, what's not, and then the magic is that much stronger.” (56:13)

Blaine also shares his plans to transition towards more charitable work, bringing magic to hospitals and children, ensuring his legacy extends beyond mere stunts:

“I'm going to shift to probably what people like see we do more, which is just magic and bringing it to hospitals and kids in hospitals.” (27:09)

8. The Joy of Magic and Final Thoughts (61:34 - End)

In the closing moments, Blaine reflects on the joy of performing magic and the genuine delight it brings to people:

“Every reaction for me is amazing. Like even the non-reaction or the thinking reaction or the skeptic reaction... all of every reaction to me is just incredible.” (52:45)

Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson express their admiration for Blaine's relentless pursuit of excellence and his ability to inspire joy and wonder in others. Blaine emphasizes the importance of authenticity in his performances, ensuring that every show is a true reflection of his skills and intent:

“If I don't believe the reaction, then I don't use the footage. So no matter who it is, or what it is... If I don't like and don't believe that it's a full, honest reaction, then I don't use it.” (55:41)

Conclusion

This episode offers an intimate glimpse into David Blaine's extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings in Brooklyn to his status as a global phenomenon in magic and endurance stunts. Blaine's dedication to pushing human limits, coupled with his profound appreciation for genuine human connection, makes for a compelling narrative. Hosts Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson adeptly guide the conversation, uncovering layers of Blaine's persona rarely seen by the public. For listeners, this episode not only highlights the marvels of Blaine's performances but also underscores the importance of humility, resilience, and the simple joys of making others smile.

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Highlighted Quotes:

• David Blaine (01:49): “I grew up in Brooklyn with a single mother... my fascination began early on.”
• David Blaine (02:48): “Every time I did a trick to my mom, it was like I succeeded.”
• David Blaine (10:28): “When I stood on the pillar and the buildings behind me started to look like animal heads... my heart was bruised.”
• Woody Harrelson (12:08): “But that's got to be a pretty serious one, you know, getting a million volts into your intestines.”
• David Blaine (32:48): “I'm very lucky. She's my best friend in the world. And, yeah, it's the greatest gift in life.”
• David Blaine (51:17): “The most gratifying thing is when you can distract somebody who's dealing with a lot and kind of break that difficulty and make them smile, make them laugh.”
• David Blaine (52:45): “Every reaction for me is amazing. Like even the non-reaction... all of every reaction to me is just incredible.”
• David Blaine (55:41): “If I don't believe the reaction, then I don't use the footage.”
• David Blaine (60:21): “I did not see that coming.”

These quotes encapsulate Blaine's journey, his relationship with magic, and his profound impact on both himself and those around him.

Transcript

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[Woody Harrelson]

So there's probably almost no other stunt that you're afraid of.

[David Blaine]

Oh, no, there's one that I'm highly intimidated by. That'll be my final thing.

[Ted Danson]

Well, let's rephrase that. Let's rephrase that. Welcome back to everybody knows your name with me, Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson, sometimes. Today we're with a close friend of Woody's, the world renowned magician, David Blaine. Have you seen David's stuff? I don't need to convince you that he's one of our greatest living entertainers. For decades, he's performed some of the most unbelievable feats known to man, from his famous street magic to death defined stunts like catching a bullet in his mouth or standing in a block of ice for days in Times Square. Still, he finds new ways to amaze us. I loved meeting David through Woody. I went into this intimidated by his powers, but he just bowled me over with his. His humility and his warmth. Just see for yourself. The amazing David Blaine.

[David Blaine]

Well, thank you for having me, Taylor.

[Woody Harrelson]

Thanks.

[Ted Danson]

My jaw's dropping because we just watched you do a lot of your stuff and the entire studios in awe. You said you saw somebody in a train station or a subway or something when you were four doing magic.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, Well, I grew up. I grew up in Brooklyn with a single mother, and she was always trying to take me to things like museums, libraries, Coney Island. And so often I would see street performers like guys doing rope tricks or the sword swallowers in Coney Island. And I think just my fascination began early on. And then I. I think just having a deck of cards at the age of four or five and holding it every day. And one day a librarian walked me through a very simple self working mathematical trick and I performed it to my mother and she went, to this day, my favorite reaction of all time. You know, every time I did a trick to my mom, it was like I decided. So I became kind of in love with the concept of getting people to react and magic was the best way. And so slowly I tried to understand how to. How to make it stronger and stronger. And what I realized was like, less is more. The less there is of me, the more there is of the person that I'm doing magic to.

[Ted Danson]

I'm jumping a Little bit. Because I also know that later on, you went to the Neighborhood Playhouse.

[David Blaine]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Which is in Sandy Meisner Technique, which is a little bit of what you just said. Don't do anything until someone else makes you do it. It's about the other person.

[David Blaine]

That's right. Or living truthfully in a given imaginary circumstance, which was, like, pasted on the wall. And my teacher, Richard Pinter, who was amazing, had me stand up on stage because there was no means for a closeup magician to make a living. So I was like, okay, well, Orson Welles had this quote. A magician is an actor playing the part of the magicians. Let me. Let me see how. How far I could push it.

[Woody Harrelson]

And.

[David Blaine]

And I was doing a trick on stage, and I was reading the patter of the trick, and the patter of the trick is ridiculous. It's, like, very wordy. And it was like, really? And the teacher, Richard, said, really? Read that. And I kind of stopped because I was alone on stage, and I actually read the script, and it was so silly that I started laughing hysterically. And Woody. That's something me and Woody do all. All the time as we laugh into tears. So I was laughing, and the more I would laugh, the more I'd try to read it, the harder I would laugh. And I had snot coming out of my nose, tears out of my eyes. And when I finally was done, Richard said, look at everybody. And everybody was on the floor kicking their legs, laughing hysterically. And that's when I understood that, like, you don't need the patter and less is more. And trying to be honest, which is ironic in magic, makes it that much more effective. So that was, like, a pivotal moment for.

[Woody Harrelson]

But I never even knew that you went to that playhouse, but you were thinking to become an actor possibly.

[David Blaine]

Well, there was no means for magic. So I was like, what do I do? Entertainment is my thing. So. Yeah. But I got lucky because I was invited at that point to go on to Jon Stewart's first pilot of his first show. And I did a magic trick, and that was kind of the beginning. So it kind of paved the way for what I actually did my whole life.

[Woody Harrelson]

I didn't know that that's what started it.

[David Blaine]

Yeah. But I would say, what was the trick on Jon Stewart? Yeah, I hammered. It's terrible, by the way, because it was my first thing. My second thing was with Conan, by the way, my second public appearance. Yeah. And that was where it worked. But I tried to force a card, first of all. I just wanted to do the card Tricks. But the producers of Jon's show said, no, no, you have to do something bigger. So I was, Could I do. So I was like, okay, I'll come up with something bigger. And I force the card. They take the card John took, I think the seven hearts or something, or seven of diamonds. And then I hammer a nail into my nose, which I just learned, and then when I pull it out, starts bleeding, and then it's a seven of diamonds or hearts or whatever on my shirt. So it was, it was, it was terrible. But it was the beginning of kind of mixing real things with magic tricks. So. And I got lucky because after that, you know, I was doing this, this illusion trick that I tried to do to you 30 years ago, the levitation. And so when I, When I, When I put that on tv, years after I did it to you, but when I put on TV, YouTube just started exposing all the secrets, or Google. So it was, it was immediately revealed everywhere about how the levitation trick works. And it was like an on the fly thing that I used to do. And it kind of led me towards the realization that in order to do things that are more interesting when revealed, the behind the scenes of it has to be much more compelling. So the method of something has to be more interesting than what they're seeing, almost based on information becoming so available to everybody. And when I did the levitation too, I used to floor everybody with it, unless they knew magic. And, And I did it to Woody. He's like, I know what you did. That was a beginning of our friendship.

[Woody Harrelson]

That's right.

[David Blaine]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

What does Google do to you when you, you know, hold your breath or freeze yourself?

[David Blaine]

No, but that's when I started on that.

[Ted Danson]

Google.

[David Blaine]

No, but. No, no, but, but still, it was funny because being a magician, every. All of the, all the, you know, Google, YouTube, all the outlets were revealing, saying, oh, I had secret tubes. I had this. So I was basically pushing my body to the breaking point. But because I'm a magician, nobody believed any of it. They all thought it was a trick, and it started to go away. But then reflecting back, I realized that that was a lucky thing because if it was just what it seemed, if they were like, oh, he's holding his breath. It's not as interesting as what's the secret technique to what he's doing. So it's almost like. It's almost like that kind of, you know, question mark made it more entertaining.

[Ted Danson]

Did you play sports because you are incredibly athletic, obviously.

[David Blaine]

No, I wasn't a good athlete, but I Was good at endurance. So I did place. I moved from Brooklyn to New Jersey and When I was 10, I started playing baseball. And I wasn't good at the actual spirit. I was born, my feet turned in, I had asthma and all that stuff. But what I started to realize is that I could endure more than, than everybody. So even in baseball we'd have to run and it would be long distance run, you know, around the field when anybody would do something wrong. And that was easy for me. So I was able to kind of early on just push the extreme. And then I would wear like a T shirt all winter when it was really cold and, and I would just, I, I kind of developed a resistance and an ability to endure things. Purposely, not with a plan, but yeah, purposely just you know what it was to like toughen myself up, like to be, to be good at something.

[Woody Harrelson]

And what about the lack of sleep thing? When did you.

[David Blaine]

No, no, I'm terrible at that. I, I, I've been experimenting with that, but I'm terrible at it. I, you know, you've seen me, I, I fall asleep in the middle of meetings. As soon as I, like I'm near bed, I'm out.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, but I mean, you, you, but you have done like.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, I mean, I've done like five days.

[Woody Harrelson]

When you stood on top of the thing for 70 something hours.

[David Blaine]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Wait, describe that.

[Woody Harrelson]

And you said you were having, what was that called again? The. So we got it here.

[David Blaine]

Sleep deprivation.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, but the name of the vertical vertigo.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, when I stood on the pillar and the buildings behind me started to look like animal heads and everything. Yeah, that was crazy. But basically, I think the hallucinations kick in from sleep deprivation. No. Food dehydration as well. And then the hallucinations come quickly because your brain's trying to get you out of that situation, so it tries to fool you. And yeah, you came and helped me when I was in electricity, when I started to hallucinate and you talked me through it a little bit. And that's when you need really close people that can kind of guide you or tell you it's okay. And then I wanted to do no water, and you were like, you need to take water. And you were right because once it starts to go bad, it just gets worse and worse.

[Ted Danson]

Wait, describe that moment between the two of you. I don't, I don't quite understand.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, you know, he, he does things that, you know, it's like, it's, it's a mixed bag having him as a good buddy because he does Things that I really seriously worry like a mother, you know, like, I'm like, I can't believe you're doing this, dude. Don't do it. You know? But that one scared me because you're up there with all that. Well, you.

[David Blaine]

You're standing with the 75 pound chainmail suit. And I was standing within seven Tesla coils that were zapping me the whole time. And what happened was my. The first thing is your. Your feet start to expand, so it's edema, so they start to swell. And it ripped through the chain mail. And then nobody could come up there. And I started to get shocked through the bottom of my, you know, openings where, where my ankles were. And then the catheter, the. You know, I usually have a trucker's tube which I use, but that was a whole nightmare situation because of the O3 that was being released by all the Tesla coils. They were pumping air up so I wouldn't breathe the O3 because it's a silent death. You don't even know. So every time I go to the bathroom, the air would do this. I was like, okay, I'm done drinking water. I'm not going to drink anymore. But then the hallucin, the hallucin, the hallucinations became awful. And that's when you. Woody was there and he was talking me through and he's like, you're drinking water. And so they lowered the coils enough and my doctor came up and they kind of sealed the legs, which was good. So now I was semi okay, but then I was drinking electrolyte water through a tube, and when I spit it out, it hit a coil and the coil went right inside.

[Ted Danson]

Oh, my God.

[David Blaine]

And I think it bruised my heart wall. And I, I think, I think it did some pretty good damage to me, actually.

[Ted Danson]

And your best friend here is laughing.

[Woody Harrelson]

Because he's, he's getting damaged every direction all the time.

[David Blaine]

I just dislocated my shoulder again.

[Woody Harrelson]

But that's got to be a pretty serious one, you know, getting a million volts into your intestines.

[David Blaine]

But yeah, that was a big one. That was a crazy one you have.

[Ted Danson]

Doc, obviously, because you're not an idiot. You have doctors, scientists, people going, yes.

[David Blaine]

But they're always so over the top of their caution that that almost becomes the danger. So there's a balance. You know, there's, there's, there's, there's one part of it that's like, you need to explore very diligently, very carefully with the best team, which I always do. So I never just jump into something. First I have to see proof of concept on some level, and then I have to see somebody do it successfully, even if it's not as far. And they say, oh, can I endure the same thing? And then slowly I test it. And I have a team of experts around me. I never just do it alone in a way that, like, I can suddenly kill myself. So it's. And that's something that's important to me. And obviously I have a daughter. I don't want anything bad to happen, and I don't want kids to ever copy and just think, oh, he just does these things. So I really do have. And luckily, when I do any of these things, I have the most incredible team surrounding me.

[Ted Danson]

Right. I saw also you trained with the Navy seals. So was that because they're all about endurance and not letting their mind tell them, oh, no, it's too cold, I'm too tired.

[David Blaine]

That's right. Yeah. And that's great. All of the. All of those things where you push yourself, just where you. Where you build up the ability to just keep pushing yourself a little bit further and a little bit further all add up when you're doing a breath hold or anything.

[Ted Danson]

And were you David Blaine then? So they said yes or did. How did that come? Because not everyone can go train with Navy seals.

[David Blaine]

No. But I think they. Once they saw that. That I can hold my breath, then it became, you know, the. They were happy to help, I think, because I was pushing. I was doing seven plus minutes, just straight breath holding before I even started with them. So I was doing good.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. You know, I was with them one time and I, like, I. I did a thing. We were at a pool. I forget whose house it was. And you probably don't remember this, but anyway, like, I went like down and back and like, maybe back again. Like, it was quite a feat.

[Ted Danson]

Yes, I believe.

[Woody Harrelson]

You know, and everybody's. Yeah, yeah. And he's like, listen, I bet you I could do. You know, you did three links. I say, I could do five. Five. Then I'm looking at him like this fucking guy. I am not. You know, he says, I bet I can do six. And I'm like, jesus, is he out of his mind? 7. He says, I could do 8.

[David Blaine]

I remember that. I remember that.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, I'm not doing the bet.

[David Blaine]

I'm not doing the bet.

[Woody Harrelson]

But of course, you know, I didn't. I didn't even know that you could do the breath hold. You'd never brought it up or shown it or anything.

[Ted Danson]

You must be Woody's most frustrating friend because you are competitive. Woody, want to try to.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. We can't. What do you owe me? $200,000 from the back gamut.

[David Blaine]

Oh, you also owe me, like, six. So. So when I. One time I was with Woody, and he said, oh, I gotta do this jump off of this cliff. And he says, I gotta go do this jump. So I'm like, okay, great. So I was training for Vertigo at the time, so I was jumping into cardboard boxes repetitively. And I watched him do a. I think a two and a half. Right. Or it was a brand. I think it was a brownie.

[Woody Harrelson]

One and a half with a full twist.

[David Blaine]

Right? One and a half with a full. Full twist. And he landed straight on his face.

[Woody Harrelson]

If I'd have had another foot, you would have been. I'd have been good.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, that's probably true. But he landed right on his face. Both eyes bulged out. Blood was coming out of his nose. It looked like. I mean, it was so disturbing. So I'm like. I ran and got ice, and I'm putting ice on him. And everybody comes like, we're going to call doctor. He's like, I'm not doing a doctor. I'm going to fix this myself. Right? No, no. By the way, sorry. One eye was bulged out, the other was just black and blue. So what he did is he is. He's trying to fix out. He blows through his nose, and the other eye just bulges out. So now both eyes are like this. And he can't see. He's, like, looking through this little slit. And I'm sitting with him because I'm just, like, disturbed, but also taking care, trying to take care of him. And I just gotten whiplash from a jump. So I was sitting there, and he says this to me. Looks up, he can't see. He's like. He goes, I gotta fucking do it again. And he can't see, he has no eyes. And he climbs back up to the top.

[Ted Danson]

Oh, my God.

[David Blaine]

And does the fucking flip and lands it perfectly. And he's like, if I didn't do it, I'd be afraid of it. So I had to do it. And then he was fine. Then we iced and, you know, his eyes were sealed shut probably for a while. But that's when I realized that, no, he's insane. I would wait, I would do it again. But, like, three months later.

[Ted Danson]

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[Woody Harrelson]

You were in ice for 63 hours at 2000 special frozen in time. Now, what. What inspired you to do that? This is pre. Like nobody had ever heard of, you know.

[David Blaine]

Well, no, I was buried alive before that. So I was in a coffee for a week, but that was really easy to do. And then I went on a vacation, kind of like a work thing. And I remember I saw a bug in a piece of amber. And I think that's when I was like, oh, that looks beautiful. What if I'm in ice? And that was the beginning of it. But I also spent winters walking with just a T shirt. And I was really good at. And I would always get into really cold ice baths and things like that. So I was really good at that and I really liked it because I could push it. I was so.

[Ted Danson]

Can I ask without taking away the magic, the combination real and magic that what. What it allows. What allows the human body to be able to do that?

[David Blaine]

No, no. The ice wasn't pressed against me. It was carved out a little bit. It was basically like an igloo. So it was really standing up the whole time with the cold air just radiating against my skin. But it happened to be a warm November, so it was the end of November. It was supposed to be cold. And because it was so warm, it kept dripping on me. And it was like torture because the ice kept dripping. But at the same time, the air that was blowing through was 68 degrees or so. So it made it semi bearable. And then the turning point happened at about hour 55 and just lights switched off and I was tripping out of my mind. And it became the most terrific endeavor to this day. Basically more difficult than 44 days with just water, which when I did that, he also did the same fast. He had vegetable juice and things like that, but he did it with me. So I did 44 days. And I think you did exactly 44 or more.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, well, not like you. I didn't do 44 days. Water. Remember I was trying to get you. I was saying, well, why don't you just take a little bit of, you know, like something. Yeah, like. Like blue green algae or something to just kind of sustain, you know, you would not do. I'm not taking any other.

[David Blaine]

That was just for the purity of it. But luckily, I think the fact that I just had pure H2O, nothing, no minerals, nothing. My body went into starvation mode. And I think that's probably what allowed me to recover, I think fully, for the most part. So I feel like if I would have cheated. And my doctor, who was one of the top starvation experts in London, he thought I was cheating the whole time, even though they were collecting my urine and doing all that stuff. And when I came out and went to the hospital, he put me on the IV and my phosphate levels went crazy like that. And I almost went into shock and could have died. Then he was like, oh, this is all real. And so they started to collect real data, blood samples, everything. And then he published the paper on the refeeding syndrome, which is after long starvation, when, when people are refed, that's the part where they can suddenly go into shock and die during the fast as well. But I'm saying the refeeding part is the most delicate part, I think. Wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

Ah, I never thought. But, but it's 44 days. Like a record of. Well on water.

[David Blaine]

I just like the number four. Four and no, there's a lot. No Bobby Sands. Lots of hunger strikers and people had done 60 days. Yeah, but he went 66 days, I believe until he died. But, but I used a lot of their data.

[Woody Harrelson]

You know, you get the record. But you know, there's a downside.

[David Blaine]

I also had a physiologist who, who used to work at NASA and, and, and he, they search real records and he found documented examples of, of people surviving 43 days to full recovery on just water. So I was thinking like, if I bulk up, which I did, which messed me up to this day, and then in the. And then come in and have serious fat reserves, then that should help significantly. And if I isolated my movements and I did it publicly. I've always been obsessed with fasting because every stunt was a fast. That Buried alive was a seven day fast. But I had to fast before that for a week so I wouldn't go to the bathroom. And I started to love fasting like you do. And I started to realize that the reason monks and gurus and everybody does fasts is not to harm themselves. I don't recommend it for anybody, but they do it because it does bring a different state of mind. That's incredible.

[Woody Harrelson]

It changes your outlook and it cleanses the body.

[David Blaine]

Exactly.

[Woody Harrelson]

Me and Joe are on a cleanse now. Day 10 Juice.

[David Blaine]

Really?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, juice and fruit.

[David Blaine]

Adding the fruit really helps to do that. Obviously.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's great. You know, I never did that before. I've always been too extreme. But. But now I add the fruit and you just juice it in your mouth. Back in whatever the early 1900s, they called it fletcherizing, but you just juice it in your mouth so it becomes just completely.

[David Blaine]

So you mean you're still chewing it?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. I'm chewing it.

[David Blaine]

That's great because then your saliva, the enzymes help break it down more efficiently. That's great. That's great.

[Woody Harrelson]

But it works just as effectively. So anyone who out there who's thinking of doing a juice fast, think about adding the fruit and chewing it. Well, yeah, you gotta really. And also. So it's a multiple reasons why it's good because the, the fruit, you know, actually goes through your body and helps bring debris out. So it's helping with the cleanse itself. It's also getting you used to the concept of every time I want. This is a concept I want you to imbibe. Every time that I need a snack, let it be fruit, you know, that's good. You know, and so anyway, that's, that's good. It's kind of changes the mindset.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's great.

[Ted Danson]

I should be asking both of you this, but I'm asking you, David, do you think that you will know when. Oh, maybe I shouldn't do this, this extreme anymore. Or are you an addict?

[David Blaine]

You know, so it's funny you asked that. I always looked at my cutoff point is I'm very superstitious, which is part of the 44 days. The 44 was from a ridiculous point of view. It was my birthday's 4 4. So I've always been obsessed with 4 4, which is 8. But anyway, so Harry Houdini, who's always been my, my favorite and my big inspiration for, for so many things, he died when he was 52 and he kept pushing his body and he stayed very fit. He, he was just always, he was rock solid and he had done the water tank, collapsed on stage because he didn't want to disappoint the audience, even though he had a severe stomach pains and then was rushed to the hospital and died. So I always, I always thought 52 should be. That should be kind of the mark of you don't want to keep pushing to the point that you break. So I was thinking of a few more years of pushing and then I'm going to shift to probably what people like see we do more, which is just magic and, and bringing it to, you know, hospitals and kids in hospitals and all that stuff, which I love doing. And you get the best reactions and you feel the best after. So. But I love the, the push. So I love pushing myself, but I don't want to push myself to the point where you actually break.

[Woody Harrelson]

What's the, what's the stunt you were. You wanted to do, but you just haven't done or you just thought was too extreme?

[David Blaine]

Well, that, that one, that, that I was unable to do with sleep deprivation when I could. Oh, I was saying. Sorry. I was saying that the idea of fasting is, was eat. It started with Buried Alive and I, and I. And, and it changed my brain in such an incredible way. And then I did the ice, which was more fasting. And then every stunt had fasting secretly as part of it. And I was like, oh, I'm going to do something just about fasting. But the other thing that the stunts had was sleep deprivation. Extreme sleep deprivation. Because if you fell asleep in the ice and you're face goes against the ice, your face freeze and they, you know, you get frostbite, be really bad.

[Woody Harrelson]

And then when you peel it off.

[David Blaine]

It'S like, yeah, then it's no good. But so sleep deprivation I started to play with. But that one is a tough one. That's a tough one.

[Woody Harrelson]

And that why they do that when they torture people, try to get secrets out of them.

[David Blaine]

That's right. And they don't recover. The ones that were tortured in North Korea, the Americans that came back, it was a. Sleep deprivation that they could. Because when, when the brain is slipped some. And that's the, the, that's the scariest thing to me. And, and yeah, like you said, it's, it's, it is the most effective form of torture. I, I think.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[David Blaine]

So, so I, I wanted to do sleep deprivation. I was obsessed with it. And the, the doctor who's the head of Stanford who's like the top expert, his name ironically is Dr. Dement, and, and the guy and, and, and the guy who tried to do it, that was a radio dj, his name was Peter Tripp. And at the end of a week of sleep deprivation, he, his brain didn't fully recover, apparently.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, that. I don't think there's any upside to that particular stunt because, you know, first of all, people like, oh, well, that's pretty cool. Always gone seven days. Really cool. And then you never come back.

[David Blaine]

Then you're gone.

[Woody Harrelson]

You.

[David Blaine]

But what I did like about it was there was a guy named Randy Gardner who Dr. Dement documented, I think in the late 60s or mid-60s. And I don't think anybody's broken it since, but it was about 11 plus days of sleep deprivation. And then when you think about 11 point, I forget what the exact number is, but about 11 and a half days, I believe is a million seconds. So I got obsessed with the idea of a million seconds without sleeping because that's just like a cool. And then when I spoke to Dr. Dement, he said, yeah, but we're going to check for micro sleeps. And I was like, okay, there's no way I'm going to do it because that's a microsleep and you fail. So it's really hard.

[Ted Danson]

I don't know what you mean by micro sleep.

[David Blaine]

Like, as soon as you do that, your brain goes out. That's a micro sleep. As soon as you. If your eyes. Just one second. Yeah. If your brain's not active. I guess so. And plus, it's not worth the repercussions. So that. That's the one that. That I. The. The big one that I was into, that I kept trying and just couldn't get there.

[Woody Harrelson]

And so there's probably almost no other stunt that you're afraid of?

[David Blaine]

Oh, no. There's one that. That's. That I'm highly intimidated by, but I'm working diligently on putting it together. It'll be my final thing. Secretive.

[Ted Danson]

Well, let's rephrase that. Let's rephrase that.

[David Blaine]

There's one that's a culmination of everything that I've ever done that I'm obsessed with, but it's a pretty over the top, ambitious idea. So I'm trying to put it together, and it will be the. It'll be my last one before you.

[Ted Danson]

Move on to card trick.

[David Blaine]

That's right.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[David Blaine]

Not my last one. I'm going to die my last one before I do the.

[Ted Danson]

We believe in irony, you know? Yeah. In his podcast, he said it.

[Woody Harrelson]

I wanted to ask you about, you know, like, of all the things that you've pulled off that most people thought impossible, the one thing I thought might be impossible for you to pull off. Fatherhood.

[David Blaine]

I knew this was coming. I knew he was gonna go there.

[Woody Harrelson]

You are the best father of all time, dude. You're such a great dad. I just love how you are with Des. It makes me so freaking happy to see you guys together.

[David Blaine]

I'm very lucky. She's my best friend in the world. And, yeah, it's the greatest gift in life. And it's funny because when everybody shows you their kid pictures until you have a kid, you don't understand. But when you have a kid, you're like, look like every screensaver on your phone, everything. That's it. My greatest achievement is anything that she does.

[Ted Danson]

You want to see magic?

[David Blaine]

Look.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, I mean, just watching. Because earlier we watched a performance of Dessa that she did with her father in Vegas and to see his pride over it at Raft afterward. And hugging her, I mean, I started bawling.

[Ted Danson]

It's so first off, just astounding her talent and how beautiful. And you know, out of the blue, you know, during COVID she learned how to do this.

[David Blaine]

But by having a daughter, I learned something that I never realized, which is the female brain versus the male brain. So overall, there's no way that I could ever focus like she does. She'll do four hours of training, but no breaks. If I'm watching, I have to beg her to take a sip of water. If somebody walks in, it doesn't matter. She's just like this. And that's something that, like, you know, I think I could never, I could never, ever, ever if my phone. But I'm like, wait a second, I'll be ready, you know, or somebody. If somebody walks in, that's like a 10 minute. But, but, but, but when she trains and she just started training during COVID it for her it's just all in, no distractions, and it's amazing to see. So when she decided that she would, would like to do something, yeah, it's a highlight. It was the highlight of my career, period.

[Ted Danson]

And you know, the audience and it's.

[David Blaine]

Her, but there's nothing that I was more proud of ever. When it's me, I'm like, oh, why'd I do that? That sucked. That was terrible. But with her, I'm like, ah. What?

[Ted Danson]

Is there anything that you go, oh, shoot, I need to handle this in my life. I just, you know, to me, you're like Superman. I'm listening to all these things. And the self control.

[David Blaine]

No, no, that's specific to like that, that, that's the thing is people think, oh, you could do this. No, I'm good. If like, I have a specific thing and there's a window to. So if like, oh, I'm going to go 44 days with just water, then I understand the beginning and the end and then it becomes numbers and I. And I can relate to that. Or if it's. I'm going to hold my breath for the record is this number. I'm going to hold it for this length. Then it's numbers and it's a numbers game and I break it down. I first do half and then, so if I'm holding my breath, let's say I was going for. My actual record was 20 minutes and 2 seconds. But so first I go for like, okay, let me get to 10 minutes. Then when I get to 10 minutes. I'm like, okay, this is a starting point. And then I start from there and then I start counting seconds and breaking it all down. So I think it's a slow training and long process, but eventually it becomes the numbers. So.

[Woody Harrelson]

But you really have to. Because when I've done breath holds, which I started doing, you know, those Wim Hof things in the morning, you know, obviously much shorter breath, but for me, long, you know, like minute and a half, two minutes is a long breath for most people.

[David Blaine]

I saw you do four minutes or three. 45 or something, I think.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, around three.

[David Blaine]

No, in Hawaii.

[Woody Harrelson]

Was it? Anyway, I don't know. But the point is, like, you know, you. You have this thing. In fact, I had it in Hawaii. I got. I was out surfing with Matthew's son, who's a great surfer, by the way, at Livingston and. And. Or Levi, rather. And. And. And I got. You know, I shouldn't have even been out there. They were big waves onshore. We were out at a reef and it was huge. Anyway, I got eaten by the wave and I'm down what felt like forever. And so when I'm down there, I'm just like. I needed a breath because the way it happened is I was trying to get over the lip of the wave because a kind of a rogue wave came and didn't make it. The guy next to me just got over. I just didn't make it. And I'm just like, you know, you're like. And then suddenly no breath. Like your breath was coming. Every millisecond, another breath, and now suddenly no breath. And. And I start fighting like, I need to get that next breath. So now I'm fighting for worse. You need to let go. But anyway, the point is that when you're. When you're doing these breath holds, you're. There's something. There's shit going on in your brain that is just demanding another breath. Right?

[David Blaine]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

And. And you have to be able to still your mind.

[David Blaine]

That's right.

[Woody Harrelson]

And so. But what is the technique of just saying, oh, it's just pure bliss, you know? How do you do that?

[David Blaine]

Well, I mean, that starts, I think, with training. So it's a slow process. So it's not like you can just hold your breath all of a sudden. You have to understand, like, what's going on. So you have to understand that the CO2 buildup is the reason that you need to breathe. It's the pain that it's like trying to trigger you and give you the signal that you need oxygen, but really the O2 is there and it'll shunt, it'll rush towards your vital organs and protect you for much longer than you think. So once you learn that it's a CO2 buildup that's making you feel like you urgently need to breathe, then you can learn how to build up a resistance to CO2, which is. I mean, that's the main. First.

[Ted Danson]

Rain resistant, you mean?

[David Blaine]

Yeah, CO2 resistant. Your. Your body can endure much more efficiently. Like, like when you go into an iceberg ice bath. The first time you go in, you can sit for a minute. The next time you can push it and go to two minutes and you go three minutes, you know, And. And they used to say, bite the bullet. Right. Because when they would do that, you have your arm blown off from a cannon and they had to use a hot rod to seal everything. Yeah. They would give you a Carter. Bite the bullet. Right. Or breathe. So you can't breathe when you're holding your breath. But it's the same principle. It's like acceptance and then focus on what you're doing and, and then you know, know that you have the ability to push much longer than you think. The opposite is panic. So if you panic suddenly, it makes it much more difficult and you'll black out quicker.

[Woody Harrelson]

And is there a physiological thing that happens with panic? Like more CO2 or.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, every. Everything You're. You're not efficient. Yeah. The most efficient way is to just be calm and, and wait. If you're connected to something, if you're trapped on a coral or something, you have to release yourself, then that's different. You do need to panic and get out of situation. But if, but if you're just under, you can just wait. And if you wait, it'll be much more efficient. When I was a kid learning how to hold my breath, I was like 5 years old at the YMCA, and like I said, I was born, my feet turned it so I couldn't swim efficiently and I would lose all the time. But what I started to do is just not breathe. And then the older kids would come to watch and I would just hold the ladder and standard water. And then what I realized is I could hold my breath much longer because they would have to go up and down to get their breasts. But that's not efficient. Going then back down is not as good as just holding and being patient and just waiting. So I learned young how to just hold, wait, and be patient. And I think that related to everything that I did. So I think early On I kind of learned that lesson. And then it. It. It's even friends that I grew up with, they. They all remember that, like when. If. If we were wrestling and I was like, under a mattress, I would just stay there. If I was covered and I couldn't breathe, I would just relax and wait. Then they p. It would all be claustrophobic. But I understood from just early on breath holding. You just wait, you be patient, and things will change.

[Woody Harrelson]

But at this time, like, when you were a kid doing those kind of things, did that bring ridicule from the other kids or did that.

[David Blaine]

No, no, no. That made the older kids come watch and think that was really good. That they couldn't beat me. Yeah. Because I couldn't swim. I wasn't good at the other. It's the swim races. But I was good at holding my breath, which made me better at swimming, but which really made me better at a skill that was unique. So. And I think that's kind of. That's kind of been like the arc of my entire life, you know?

[Woody Harrelson]

Now. What about. Cause you're living now mostly in Paris.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, about half the year.

[Woody Harrelson]

Which is frustrating because it used to be every time I'm in New York, I can look you up. We have the best time. But now a lot of times you're in Paris. So what do you think? New York, Paris, which do you like better?

[David Blaine]

Well, I love. I love both cities. I love. I'm. I'm not particular about places, but my daughter's in school in Paris, so I love to be there because I'm with her, but I'm. I'm pretty happy. And I've never been specific to which city is.

[Ted Danson]

Which came first. Your daughter went there or. Sorry. Or. And. Well, my daughter went for.

[David Blaine]

I mean, no, my daughter was. Was born in New York and her mom is French. So when. When Dessa was three, we decided, first of all, and I agree, like, there was a great school that she would be able to, I think, you know, get into. And it's academically incredible. And I had friend. Friends who. Their kids went there. And so she started early and. And went to this incredible school which gives this amazing education and, And. And yeah, and I love. I love France, but I also love New York. I also love every state in the US I've been to. So I'm not particular about location. I kind of think, like, wherever I am, I'm. I, you know, I'm pretty happy.

[Woody Harrelson]

But you also didn't want to go on the record saying, yeah, I like Paris better than New York. You didn't want to say that. I mean, you got to say the architecture. How's the architecture?

[David Blaine]

Spectacular.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, but come on. New York's alive 24 7. It has so many incredible museums, parks, adventures. Every. Now, come on. But both cities are amazing.

[Woody Harrelson]

Look, New York.

[Ted Danson]

You went with New York. Sorry, Paris.

[David Blaine]

No, no. I have to say, I love both equally. I'm not even joking. It's not like. It's not like a political. But it's just. Actually, I love both equally. It's true. I do love that you can walk everywhere. In both cities.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[David Blaine]

That's also pretty incredible.

[Woody Harrelson]

And in L. A.

[David Blaine]

You cannot walk, But I have a motorcycle here to get around, which is pretty amazing. And in California, you're allowed to, like.

[Woody Harrelson]

Ye. Yeah, I like. They let you go.

[David Blaine]

You drove here, right? That was your bike?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Electric.

[David Blaine]

He takes my motorcycle, and the first thing he does is like, boom.

[Ted Danson]

Puts it down.

[David Blaine]

Yes. Right away.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, yeah, I do have a little. Because it was much smaller than I. One time. Remember that time I borrowed his bike, I came and got it, and I was working in upstate New York just a couple years ago, and, like, he.

[David Blaine]

Gives me pieces of the bike bag, you know, I'm not kidding. He'll take my bike and he'll be like, oh, here's your mirror. It fell off. And I dropped the bike. And here's your tail light. It also fell off. I'll have pieces. I have pieces of my bike. I take pictures and send them to him. Years later, I said, do you want to borrow anything else of mine?

[Ted Danson]

He backed out of our gate up in Ojai, took it right off the track. You know, it was days before I could get the fence work.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ted Danson]

Sorry I had to bring it up.

[David Blaine]

Or. One time he stayed at my apartment in the city, and I. I don't have many things. I have, like a. A few pieces of clothing. They're all identical, and sometimes there's just one, and it's like, then therefore, it's my favorite thing. But also my. I have, like, one dressy coat, and I come back and I had to go do a gig, so I need this coat. I'm looking where, and then I find a note, and it's in some rolled up, dirty coat. I think it was a hemp coat, but it was, like, all ripped. It was crazy. And in the pocket it said, hey, I left you this. I was thinking I took one of yours, but I left you this. This is my favorite jacket. So I'M so happy to leave it with you. And I had a gig. That's true. That's a true side.

[Ted Danson]

Was there just one second of that guy? Just one second.

[David Blaine]

No matter what, you always just. No, you can't. Then you read the letter and it's. You're laughing and it's hilarious. And yeah, I show up without a coat, so it means I have no pocket. So normally to do magic, you need lots of pockets. It kind of like it limits the amount of magic. But it's fine. I improvise.

[Woody Harrelson]

I do sound kind of bad in this.

[David Blaine]

Oh, by the way, I never saw that coat again either.

[Woody Harrelson]

Neither did I.

[David Blaine]

So when he says I owe him all that money, it's like, here, we're good. That coat, that motorcycle, we're equal.

[Ted Danson]

Oh, my God.

[Woody Harrelson]

So good.

[David Blaine]

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[Ted Danson]

Auto insurance amica.

[David Blaine]

Empathy is our best policy.

[Starbucks]

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[Woody Harrelson]

So you're spending a lot of time in la because you're on have to be on this coast?

[David Blaine]

Well, no, I'm with, I'm with Dessa and we've been here for the whole month and yeah, we've been looking at what we can do and she's been training and I've been working on magic and been work. We went to Rio together where we're shooting this episode for Nat Geo where I'm trying to find people that do really difficult, crazy, almost magical type things. And then the idea is if something is done by one, it could be done by others. So I find people around the world that have these unique abilities that have been passed down from centuries or generations and basically convince them to share their secrets with me. And Desa came and I lit myself on fire and jumped off a bridge. And of course REM dislocated my shoulder, but it was fine. Broke a rib, but okay. But it's okay.

[Woody Harrelson]

How's desert? When you come up and she can see going.

[David Blaine]

Well, I kind of don't show it too much. I think I'm like, you heard that? Yeah, but I don't show it anyway. Too much. Much. I kind of laugh it off.

[Ted Danson]

It's the old stunt stuntman thing, you know? You okay? You okay? Sure. Walks around the corner, steps into an ambulance and goes to the hospital.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, yeah. What was that? Oh, that was. Was that Houdini? The. Some. Some magic movie where the guy does this trick, swallows poison or something, and then just walks out, gets into an ambulance or something.

[David Blaine]

Not Houdini.

[Woody Harrelson]

What you just said it wasn't Houdini. It was.

[Ted Danson]

I don't know.

[Woody Harrelson]

Anyway, some magician movie. Well, never mind. It's knows about it. I just remember that scene.

[Ted Danson]

Hey, let me ask you. Not. Not obviously you love what you're doing, but what. What is the best gift you get out of your fame? Your. Your. You know, I think.

[David Blaine]

I think I'm so lucky because as a magician, you can just do magic everywhere. Anywhere that you go to anybody.

[Ted Danson]

But why does that delight you?

[David Blaine]

Besides your good favorite. Besides being with my daughter? That's my favorite thing.

[Woody Harrelson]

Turns people into children.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, you just enjoy the child. Everybody. You do magic and everybody lightens up. And it doesn't matter where, what situation. I mean, I'm so like. Like, I'm so into it that, like, if I see two people fighting, like in Paris recently, I saw a guy get into a fight with a delivery guy on a bike and a guy delivering Pakistan, and the guy has his bike lock in his hand. So this is a. And there's a whole line of cars. And. And by the way, I had like, my ankle's all messed up, so I'm not very functional at the moment.

[Woody Harrelson]

So hobble over.

[David Blaine]

Hobble right in the middle. And they're about to go at it, and I just pull out my deck of cards and I'm like, think of a car. And the two guys look at me and they're so confused that the fight is over. And I do that often. But anytime that I can do magic. And by the way, the reason I'm off and late is because if somebody asks me to do magic. Magic, it's very difficult for me to say no, by the way. I also look at it as, like, it's a constant. You can always be practicing. And every time I do something, I learn something and I change it and I tweak it and I add to it. So, you know, you're not trying to be good, but you're always trying to Be better and better has no ceiling. So you can always keep doing a little bit to always get better, better. And I think that's part of the joy being a magician. I think that's the highlight of being a magician for me at least, you.

[Woody Harrelson]

Know, but you go and like, you, you go to like burn wards and.

[David Blaine]

The hole in the walls, underage prisons.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. Everywhere.

[David Blaine]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

That must be really gratifying.

[David Blaine]

The most, the most. Beyond it. And now I have Dessa doing it as well and she's performing and she's way better than me, of course. But, but anyway, yeah, that, that is the most gratifying thing is just when you, when you, when you can distract somebody who's dealing with a lot and kind of break that difficulty and make them smile, make them laugh. That is the highlight of being a, for me, of being a close up magician.

[Ted Danson]

You know, I was, we were watching you out before we started the podcast. You were entertaining the troops here. And one of the things that struck me is like we're so used to being, thinking we're in control, thinking we've got life figured out. And to be so fucking delighted when we sit there and watch you and have, I mean, watch you like our nose was two inches away from the cards and be just stupefied to have no idea. That's also a gift to people. Go, you don't know everything. And enjoy, enjoy this moment because I'm going to startle you, you.

[David Blaine]

But even when it's a skeptic, when you have somebody that's like trying to figure it, that's also good because it adds another little shift into the performance, you know, so, so it's like any reaction for me is amazing. Like even the non reaction or the thinking reaction or the skeptic reaction or the great big reaction, like all of every reaction to me is just incredible.

[Ted Danson]

Thank you. Sandy Meisner. That is Sandy Meisner.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, yeah, it was. Richard Pinter was the guy that walked me through it and it was amazing. And even when I was working on my stage, I would get all of his feedback and I think that really helped. Yeah. So cool. I think that looking, I think reactions are truthful. And when I shoot my shows, my TV shows, for me, it's like I'll work for a year to make one hour. And it's because if I don't believe the reaction, and that all came from Neighborhood Playhouse or just listen and react, but if I don't believe the reaction, then I don't use the footage. So no matter who it is, or what it is. If I don't like and don't believe that it's a full, honest reaction, then I don't use it. And when I first started, people weren't, you know, the cameras, they would kind of act up for them. So I had to learn how to break the ice carefully with the camera far away and start by doing something that would, like, engage them and then slowly have the camera, because I wanted that truthful reaction. And even when we did magic with Kanye, I knew that he was going to be. He was going to be really tricky. And. But I. So I knew if I took the ice pick and shoved it through my hand, it would, like, then break the ice, literally. And then you could do the other magic because you've already.

[Woody Harrelson]

Don't bleed on my.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[David Blaine]

I was like, I don't know if.

[Woody Harrelson]

I'm gonna bleed or not.

[David Blaine]

I was like, I have no idea. Which made it more, you know, scary, I guess, or. But, but, but don't do this at home. No, but do not do any of it. That's for sure. But I think part of the reason that I shifted over to doing those things that are pushing the body or doing things that are. Are a little, you know, I think, like, threatening to see or scary or is because now that people are so used to the whole magic and reaction thing, it's almost like to get the reaction, you have to really break their sense of disbelief. You have to make. So you have to do something that's so visceral and so real and so believable that then you can apply magic to it. Once you take that defense layer down so that, you know. So it's. It's been a constant. And. And. And my stage show, I was trying to figure out for years, how do you. How do you bring those reactions to a stage? Because when people on stage, they can often act up or. So it's like, oh, if I, you know, eat their ring and then put a hanger down my throat and pull their ring out, they. You can't deny it. So I would. I started to search for magic that no matter how skeptical you are, if you're watching up close, you have to believe it, and then, therefore, you'll get a real reaction.

[Ted Danson]

I haven't heard a word you said. After hanger retrieving the ring, I'm going, wait, what?

[Woody Harrelson]

It's a wild one. It's a wild one. Your first special, and I assume the one that launched you in fame was. Yeah, the street magic. What? What?

[David Blaine]

Well, that one. No, that One. Not. Not a lot of people saw that. Yeah. It was when I buried myself alive, which was after that, that suddenly everybody. Yeah, people took notice. And then. Yeah, and. And then.

[Woody Harrelson]

And what was that evolution like from, you know, anonymity to just suddenly everybody knows you? And of course, they're also all wanting to test you and wanting you to.

[David Blaine]

Well, made it a little. The one difficulty was, as an unknown magician, when I would walk up and kind of play that character of a magician who's doing these weird things, people would really react. But as they started to know me, they knew I was a magician, which means then, therefore, oh, he's making a TV show. So it made it more difficult, actually. Like, when I'm in another country and I'm doing magic and people don't know me, it's incredible because I could really push that. You know, I could play with that line of like, oh, wait, what's going on here? And I could really, you know, blur the line of what's, you know, what's real, what's not, and then the magic, to me, is that much stronger.

[Ted Danson]

Sounds like it doesn't hassle you, then your fame.

[David Blaine]

No.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah, that's great.

[David Blaine]

No.

[Ted Danson]

Will people let you play serious card games?

[David Blaine]

Well, I think that's. Ricky J. Said. I think It's a catch 22. If you win as a magician, they say that you cheated, and if you lose, they say you're a bad magician. So I just avoid. But I'll play back with him and get really serious. And we have friends that we play with. But, no, I would never cheat to win. It's not fun. It would not be interesting. One time when I was young, I showed my friend that was doing a college game. I was like, I'm gonna take everybody's money, but then I'm gonna return it. And then I showed. I beat everybody dealing the cards, and I was like, by the way, guys, here's what I did. I cheated you all. And then I. Them. But I just wanted to see if I could pull it off. And it was very easy to pull off.

[Woody Harrelson]

And they were. They were a little alarmed, and then. Cool.

[David Blaine]

No, no, no. They. Yeah, yeah, they. Yeah, they were like, that's crazy. You really just did that. Yeah, yeah. And. And magician could easily cheat at cards. Like, for sure. It would be very easy to mark a deck or rig a deck or set a deck up in a secret way and then put it into play.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, my dad was quite a card shark, and, you know, that's how he used to make a Lot of money doing that. And it's like. And so me and my brother one time says, well, so how do you do it? And he goes, I cheat.

[David Blaine]

Wow. That's amazing. That is amazing. So that's why you were so skeptical when I was first doing magic to you a long time ago. Not skeptical, but you were like, you were on it. But then what would happen is he would be in on it. So when I would be doing magic to other people, he would act like he didn't know it, and he would kind of egg the outcome on. So it would like people. And he'd be like, ah.

[Woody Harrelson]

But it still delights me. Even tricks I've seen a million times, it delights me because, you know, just their delight, their joy, it's really one of the great things you can do for people is magic, because it brings them back to that childhood simplicity and love and excitement and all the pure things that we kind of lose as we get older. So I love how you can just turn a whole gaggle full of, like, felons into, like, joyous, you know, children. You know what I mean?

[David Blaine]

What's also funny is lot were you. I know he was a magician, but were you a magician ever?

[Ted Danson]

No, no, no.

[David Blaine]

Lots of our friends, lots of people that we know when they were young were magicians. So it's like, there's a lot of people that did magic here and there. So it's like there is some sort of. And I think magic, it's. It's one of those things that, you know, it's. It's logic, it's performance, it's math, it's science, it's. It's estimation. It's so many fun things to combine.

[Ted Danson]

What I lock onto immediately is the connection to acting. I mean, when I see a performance, I don't want to see what's coming in advance. What delights me when I see a performance is.

[David Blaine]

Whoa.

[Ted Danson]

I did not see that coming. That is amazing. And that's all you do is delight people.

[David Blaine]

Thank you.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah. This has been the best hour, but.

[David Blaine]

I want to say one. I want to go back in time one more second. So I just. So you were saying, what stunt would you not do? And I said, the one I couldn't do is sleep deprivation. He won't bring me to plays anymore because I always nod off in the middle of plays. I get, like, an elbow.

[Woody Harrelson]

You can hear, you know, he's like, no. Yeah. So you don't want to bring him to a place.

[David Blaine]

But the other thing is just the amount of time that we've spent laughing.

[Woody Harrelson]

Into hysterics, just, just on the ground, rolling around.

[Ted Danson]

I can see that.

[Woody Harrelson]

Crying with laughter so many times. I really. You've given me more laughter, I think, than anybody I know. So thank you for that as well.

[David Blaine]

Thank you.

[Woody Harrelson]

But thanks for coming, buddy. I really do appreciate it.

[David Blaine]

Thank you.

[Woody Harrelson]

Really been a great hour.

[David Blaine]

Yeah, it's an honor. Thank you.

[Ted Danson]

That was the magnificent David Blaine. It was so surreal to experience his magic in person. And thank you, Woody. Thank you for sharing him with me. It was kind of funny. I said goodbye to David after we were recording and I went and washed my hands and got my stuff and was going to leave and this was like about 15 minutes later. He was still. David was still, you know, in the building entertaining, you know, about 20 people doing sleight of hand for about 20 minutes. He cannot not perform. It was amazing. I want to mention David's new documentary adventure series coming soon. It's called David Blaine do not attempt. Produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. On the show, David Blaine visits remote communities across the world looking for local practitioners of magic. The show premieres March 23rd on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney and Hulu. Don't miss it. That's it for our show this week. Special thanks to our friends at Team Coco. If you enjoyed this episode, please send it to someone you love. Be sure and find us on YouTube where you can watch full length episodes. As always, subscribe on your favorite podcast app and give us a great rating and review on Apple Podcasts. If you have some time, we'll have more for you next week. Where everybody knows your name.

[David Blaine]

You've been listening to where everybody knows your name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson. Sometimes the the show is produced by me, Nick Leow. Executive producers are Adam Sachs, Colin Anderson, Jeff Ross and myself. Sarah Fedorovich is our supervising producer. Our senior producer is Matt Apodaca. Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez. Research by Alyssa Grohl. Talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Batista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Genn, Mary Steenbergen and John Osborne. Special thanks to Willie Nelson Everett. We'll have more for you next time. Where everybody knows your name.

[Starbucks]

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