Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• David loves doing magic because it brings out the inner kid in everyone:
  • “At the core of everybody, there’s like an innocent kid somewhere, maybe he got really far lost, and magic just pulls that out of people” – David Blaine 
• David learned to hold his breathe for long periods of time because kids at the YMCA could swim faster than him and David realized that if he could hold his breath longer, it would make him a faster swimmer
  • Holding your breath is all about your tolerance to CO2 buildup, not lack of oxygen
    • “If you relax and efficiently keep your oxygen and not make the CO2 build up more extreme, you can actually hold more efficiently” – David Blaine
• The longest he’s held his breath was for 20 minutes and 2 seconds. His heart rate dropped to 8 beats per minute!  
• When David was a young magician, he would go to fancy restaurants in New York City and ask if he could perform tricks for guests. There, he learned that how you interact with people is more important than the trick itself:
  • “You start to understand the psychology of the magic is way more important than the tricks” – David Blaine 
• David’s new special is called “Ascension” and premieres on YouTube live on August 31. He plans to hang on to a bunch of balloons and float up to around 25,000 feet. He’ll then let go and skydive back down.

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org



David Blaine is an illusionist, endurance artist, and extreme performer. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance and has set and broken several world records. His new special "Ascension" premieres on YouTube live on August 31. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwzvNAAqH3g