KUDA BUX
Kuda Bux was a unique performer with an unequalled act of sightless vision. He inspired aspects of the Oracle Act from my latest stage show (which should be on C4 at Christmas), and until recently it’s been very tough to find footage of him.
This is a tricky sort of act to pull off: generally the audience have the option of either believing in it entirely (in which case it’s utterly stupendous), or not believing it (in which case it’s just a puzzle as to how the performer can see). I’d have rather liked there to be a dramatic element here to bridge the two, which there isn’t: it’s just demonstrations of something seemingly impossible. So some will be amazed, others apathetic. But for me it’s a rare treat to see it at all.
God, I love YouTube.
Dx
I’d say there’s also the option of not believing that he’s doing anything supernatural, but simply admiring how well the illusion is formed. It’s not just an intellectual puzzle – it’s also an admirable performance. Sort of like looking at a good painting – there’s more to it than seeing what techniques the painter used, if that makes sense.
It’s a cool thing to watch. Now I have to go find more of these…
I’m back…Thank God, Derren posted this link. It was starting to get a bit creepy with those pictures. Now this is interesting… a rare performance from Kuda Bux. I believe he was also a fire walker. When was this?
I would also like to know more about Lillian Kybal – I haven’t been able to get any information on her since your commentary on DVD. It’s my curious Nature I’m afraid. Please more of this!
Plus: Chan Canasta on Micheal Parkinson (You tube of course)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoq9sE7zic0
Maybe I’m just being picky, but his eye gaze seems to be very obviously tracking what’s being written on the board, much in the way someone might if they were squinting with one eye through a big wodge of cotton wool. This, to me, seems particularly noticeable as the male volunteer is writing the numbers on the board. From a performance point of view, if he is pretending to be getting the information from the board via some spooky supernatural means, could this have been done more subtly? Or is it a feature of how x-ray vision is supposed to work?
Derren, I hope you get residuals for every showing of Something Wicked…
They are, as my daughter would say, rinsing it.
“God, I love YouTube.”
Tsk. Talking to your imaginary friend now are we?
Kim your very cinical.
This is a good video,and it deffinatly gets the veiwers mind working.
A wonderful performance, it perhaps lacked the style and panache we get when we see a modern magic show of today, but the core effect is inspiring. Youtube definitely gives us wonderful sights to see you just have to root through a lot of crap sometimes to find it.
‘Tis true, You tube is genius – and has only served to heighten my obsession with t’internet in general.
Personally, I realise there is an explanation for this effect, but prefer to suspend my disbelief and be suitably awed by it. I marvel in its cleverness!!! More please. x
I too no longer delve into the whole sado masachistic world of ” How the hell did he do that!” ..but prefer now ( this kind of statement only proves that I am not handling the whole being in my 30’s thing ! ) to sit back with a nice steaming cup of Absynthe, raise my tootsies onto a refined oak and Japenese maple foot stool , raise my glass to honour all who were bemused before me and live the dream that is being a child again and believing everything is real !….P.S…all children reading this should be aware that it may not be appropriate to include the Absynthe as they enter their enchanted world, although it may assist them on their journey to get there!….x
Earlier this year I sent my brother, who has been living Down Under for several years, a copy of Derren’s Tricks of the Mind book and got the reaction “Book looks great but never heard of him!” Now due to the wonders of YouTube he understands.
I had a similar reaction to this. Kuda who? Thanks to the wonders of YouTube now I understand.
Hm, i don’t dislike this older guy. Grandpaps on stage! Grandpaps always makes us feel at home … (not at guard at all ..) but Grandpaps def. can do stuff I can’t.
He kind of looked before being blindfolded already a bit as being blind.
I have different thoughts on how it’s been done, but I can keep a secret. *chuckles*
I am a true believer of telepathy, but not in such a way that it is an exact gift. It takes different skills when you want to use it properly. Most people would not want them, if they knew what it takes/would mean. And you can beam, transfer and receive a lot of other stuff. We all have
our own preferences.
And I also believe in little ear devices, schemes, human nature, manipulation etc.
There’s a show in Holland on tv which reveals lots of magic tricks. Not much news in it, it sort of confirmed a lot, a few things gave me the AHA! feeling. (Geezzz .. how could I not have seen that?!)
Kuda Bux .. weird stage name .. I expected a more oriental type ..
Nopke: He’s Indian, listen to the accent and look at the clothing of the people on stage 😉
The show you refer to is Breaking the Magician’s Code (translated as Goochelaars Ontmaskerd), with the Masked Magician, right? I like that show, for the most part, because he does show some small tricks among the spectacular ones, and it can be a very fun thing to watch for kids that are really getting into magic (I remember being one of those kids – I still have my signed Hans Kazan VCR tape). What I don’t like is that he’s also revealing some of the stuff that TV magicians have used fairly recently, such as the walking on water stunt. Seems kinda unfair to those performers.
@anubis..i’m quite sure he was talking to me 😉
@berber Anna …cough** Hans Kazan ken er wa van…you’re right about the lame & unfairness of revealing all the tricks on that other programm, though it;s not even nice to watch…
ReligiousMarie: Hm, does that make you imaginary? 😛
I just watched the Hans Kazan tape again, now that I’d been reminded of it. Way fun.
Hans Kazan?? Barf …
Your taste def. developped … (meaning, you being here). Thank god you did not develop a trauma or such from the Dutch …
Berber anna: I think you imagine me to be imaginary but then, i honestly am not sure if i imagine rightly what you imagine with me maybe being imaginary 😛
@Johnny: The Dutch can make coins dissapear & Flowers appear instead ….there ya gooh, can you 2? lol
Johnny: Hans Kazan was one of my childhood idols, and when I met him back then, he was a very nice man. Okay, I’m a bit shocked by the fact that he was on some psychic’s money-grabbing show a while back, but I still have fond memories of learning close-up magic tricks as a child, and without him I might never even have started doing that.
I pretty much forgot about ever liking magic until about a year ago, when I discovered the tiny magic section of a bookstore in town. I’d seen some of Derren’s work on Youtube, and as I was just getting back into magic, my interest was sparked, so I bought Tricks of the Mind and ordered a few DVDs. Now, he’s one of my favorite performers. I’ve met him, too, and he’s also quite a nice guy.
I don’t think my taste has so much developed as been re-awakened. It’s more of a parallel than a rising line, so to speak, although the stuff I’m reading and learning now is probably a bit more grown-up.
Anyway, just saying – I still think Hans Kazan was pretty cool for what he did.
What a hell of a memory to memorize the path from the chalk :S
really impressive, no wonder why he is so old, must taken many years to practice
I laughed when he dotted the “i” on the woman’s Chicago for her. I also admire his impressive eyebrows. Thanks for sharing, it’s not something I would’ve looked up.
Say … you do love me you mean …
i think i watched kuda box too much i start to hallucinate i think… lol
For all lovers of magic http://itricks.com/TV/. Good fun!
I notice the very end of the Devil’s Picturebook is on that webbie 😯
Naughty Naughty!!
The only idea is – hearing a sound of chalk, but it seem also close to impossible to train yourself so good.
Kuda Bux .. hm … no, no thoughts on this (only buxus come to mind). We wolves depend on our senses, so we will not see why we should be impressed by those who blindfold theirselves and do stuff they could have done without the blindfold way more easy. It’s probably all about standing out in a crowd. We, however, do stand out in a crowd due to our senses and we will never see to a blindfold unless provoked. Our ruthless psyche stands out during those times. We hunt our prey in pack, but only one can stand out, the Alfa ..
Sincerely yours,
The Alfa Male
AlexZavalny Says:
“The only idea is – hearing a sound of chalk, but it seem also close to impossible to train yourself so good.”
The Kuda Bux vid I have has him also manoeuvring around a mini assault course, there is also a nice little article somewhere about him riding a bike round a track whilst doing this as well (he did crash at one point haha).
Here it is:
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/10/11/this-man-has-x-ray-eyes/?Qwd=./MechanixIllustrated/8-1949/xray&Qif=xray_3.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig
AHH i figured it out though!! …hmhm…reminds me of the nail in the nose!
(but i can keep a secret 2 …*shrugs*)
That was a really impressive trick but I started to feel painfully bored in the 5th minute. Maybe his rapport with the audience made it brilliant in the flesh, but Derren was unexpectedly & completely right about the stage-craft. I thought he was just being a blasé pedant, but oh no.
Still, I watched it to the end because it was only a few minutes, Mr. Bux was nice, it was an ancient & rare magic video, and I was feeling foolish for doubting the excellent Mr. Brown. It’s a bit sad that the biggest question I’m left with is why I bothered watching the whole 10mins. I hope it was fantastic for the actual audience.
I’m sure something very like this happened on TV when I was a kid. I particularly remember the gum in the eye-sockets.
ahhh crap, that sounded really rude.
I meant that I mistakenly thought Derren had underestimated how watchable the trick would be for someone who wasn’t familiar with similar stuff. Of course I do not imagine Derren as blasé, or in any way less than charming.
I just started rereading Jim Steinmeyer’s ‘Hiding the Elephant’ & I’ve got to the place where he’s groaning at Houdini’s ability to wreck the best vanishing trick in the world by presenting it all flimsily. This side of things is fascinating.
Simple and Stunning. The way he covers his eyes … yes, the audience is suspicious …. The extra dot was perhaps a bit too much … I did not need it, but some probably will not dislike this … feeling even more dumm/disguided and as a result ..amazed.
Believe it or not, apparently khuda bux is my great great (maybe even greater) grandad. through my dads side. bux being baaksh, but for some reason mine ends up buksh. khuda bux used to perform at the top the the blackpool tower. swallowing whole eggs e.t.c.
I am Engaged to Kudas Grandson and i can assure you we have all sat through replay after replay of his amazing feats. His birth name is khudah bukhsh, not how daniel writes it to be. We have Kuda death certificate. He was an amazing man and his legend lives on in great performers such as derrin brown.
your engaged to kudas grandson? where in the uk are you from. this is probably a relation of somepoint of my dad..or my grandad.