OK, here's the story...
I ordered two boxes of the two-deck set with the gaff cards. They arrive, no problem. Then I ordered two Variety Boxes. They arrive, but while the decks are intact, the boxes are damaged. I email DB Productions about the boxes, asking if I can get replacements. They send me two boxes - of the previous order, the two-deck sets with gaffs. So I email back, saying that instead of shipping things back and forth, why don't I just come down to your office and we can swap everything in person? After a little email hesitation (probably checking with the boss), I'm told, sure, come down Friday after 4pm.
I arrived about 4:30 to the address given. The security at the door brings me down, informing me that people coming for David usually use a different entrance behind the building. So I go with Security Dude to the sub-basement, walk a maze of corridors, and arrive at a door with the db logo on it. A lovely young woman answers, I mention my name, she knows who I am and why I'm there right away and invites me in.
The room looked like, well, a makeshift office of sorts - long table with computers, stacks of merchandise, just lots of stuff, but still very spacious. I show her the damaged goods, return the extra two-deck sets to her, and she has me wait a moment while she heads up a spiral staircase. She returns shortly, inviting me to come up. I had a hunch of what would happen next, but I was trying not to build up my hopes.
Sure enough, the stairs end and there's a big living room space, with a small kitchen area in the back and a corridor leading to more rooms (the skunk works, it would seem). I approach, there's a few people mingling around, and sure enough, on this big sectional couch, there's David Blaine, getting up to approach me and shake my hand!
There were a half-dozen people on hand: two ladies who appeared to work for him as administrative assistants and four guys who were all magicians - one of whom turned out to be Asi Wind (he's the guy who graciously signed my Bike Masters). Both he and Blaine were showing me astounding tricks with sleight of hand and even a little mentalism. I have no clue how they were performed, but I did catch David once or twice turning an in-the-air riffle shuffle into a false shuffle!
(By the way - I learned what is probably one of the least-known hidden features to the White Lions deck! I have to test it when I get home, but it's a mind-blower - though it's also a one-shot deal; no way to reset it as far as I can tell. Either that or David was using a highly-modified version of the deck, which is entirely possible! I'm not sure if I should even pass it around - while I didn't sign any disclosure agreements, it's got to be one of the most amazing secret features to a deck of cards I've ever seen.)
So there was some chit-chat; I mentioned my hospital volunteer work and they told me about a program they run that gets magicians into hospitals, which I thought was cool. At one point in the chat, David asked me to perform one of MY tricks for his assistants, claiming they didn't know anything about magic! I'm standing in the kitchen of his office, deck in hand, with freakin' David Blaine and Asi Wind watching me and my silly sleight of hand! My phone rang mid-trick and David asked "Is that part of the trick?" Damn, I wished it could have been! But they were appreciative of my effort; Asi told me he actually performs that trick and that I did it well.
I was practically light-headed by this point! As you can see, I got a photo or two with him on the couch. See the backgammon board to David's left? He was trouncing Asi - I saw Asi win only once, and in the end David was up twenty points. One of the other magicians, Sean Bogunia, joked that Asi wasn't working for pay, but to pay off his backgammon debt! (You don't want to know how much, and I doubt he'd want me advertising it...) Eventually an order of Indian take-out arrived (second take-out order of the evening; the first was Thai) and I was invited to grab a plate and help myself!
All in all, I spent two hours with him and his entourage. He replaced the damaged Variety Boxes with new ones - one of which, as you can see, he personalized! He said that of all the 250 boxes, mine is the only one that he personalized, making it a genuine one-of-a-kind collectible. He also offered me a choice of an autographed poster or an uncut sheet - I think you know which I chose! He said the uncut sheets aren't for sale anywhere, and that this one was both autographed (twice!) and personalized made it that much more unique. (While I was there, I even got a peek at a PURPLE White Lions uncut sheet! Mine was a blue Split Spades Lions.) Basically, the only way to get one of those sheets is for David to give one to you! I was tempted to ask for a purple WL deck or two, but decided it would be bad form to do so.
When the time came for him and his crew to get down to serious work, I took my cue, grabbed my gear and excused myself. The reality of it all hasn't quite sunk in yet. Oh, and I mentioned that if he ever needed an extra pair of hands for a project, I'd be glad to help out, to which he replied that I should email my contact information to his assistant, saying that he did indeed have a few things he was working on!
By the way - the reason he chose me of all possible people to do all this for? He noticed we have the same initials!
