Well, why shouldn't he .....

[easy]

Apparently David Blane has been asked to pay for the cost of policing around the site of his box.
Seems fair to me, in fact I'd assumed he was paying private security staff to do it.

Anyway, can anyone tell me why he's doing it.

[SoupDragon]

Publicity?

[easy]

but what sort of publicity, I've heard of
Famous for being Famous, but this takes it to extremes. Perhaps he's just happy to be considered "Famous for being though a tw*t"

I just hope no-one has him on a chat show to ask him what it was like.

I really think that the costs to London should have been hammered out when he asked planning or whatever permission (I assume he needed some sort of permission) to do this.

Even if I lived in london I wouldn't go to look at him. In fact I might even go out of my way to avoid it.

[SoupDragon]

In America, he's treated more like a hero for his stunts though. That's what he was hoping for (I think) We don't seem to have given him the same respect... I suspect he won't be coming back.

[easy]

The americans sometimes revere the strangest things.

LOL sunchowder et al.
please give us the U.S. view on this

[sunchowder]

I thought all of these "stars" paid for their own security people, I think it is gross to think that whatever country you are visiting will handle it for you. I know this is terrible, but I never even saw his special!!! I believe he is on the discovery channel or something, but I am not really interested in magicI am so damn into reality! So...I hadn't read about him being mistreated in any way or stoned by the public therehaven't watched BBC news yet tonight, it comes on at 6:00 PM here and it is only 4:45PM. Do tell! I know this is totally unrelated, but the gal in Africa is not going to be stoned to death for having a baby with another man out of wedlock when she was separated from her own husband for more than two years. The article in the Times said that in Islam you can gestate up to 5 yearsI don't want to do Islam bashing of any sort, but I really thought the human gestation period was 9 months! Goodness, if there are any practicing Muslums on the website, I send out one thousand apologiesthe gestation thing seemed so bizarre to me though. And..geez, I could not possibly represent America--only Sunchowder!!

[Jimjams]

I thought it was private security around his box. Maybe there are other policing issues though, crowd control, traffic congestion, Paul McCartney beating up photographers etc. I don't really mind his stunt tbh,although I preferred his magic. Mind you during his monosyllabic interviews I've always though he was taking the piss. Having seen everyone's comments here I now realise that he was being serious@! In which case he's a pratt.

[JJ]

My husband loves his "street illusions" but thinks his stunts are fairly stupid. That's the definitive American male view, by the way .

Americans do seem to be very entertained by illusions/magic. (Speaking out of my a@#e here.) But I can remember Penn and Teller and David Copperfield being really popular when I was younger. Penn and Teller were great.

[Paula71]

The street illusions were great.

I wonder if the rumours about his end of stunt fake death are true or just to keep folk interested.

Apparently he is going to crash his box to the ground, everyone will think he is dead and then he will reappear somewhere else. Honestly, if I had been interested I would have taken more details!

[mieow]

It is Private security around him. Our friend is one the them.He was the one that made that bloke bleed, The £100,000 bill is for two!!! police officers to stand and guard for the 44 days, didn't realised they got paid that much!!!!!!!! The security get £100 p/shift