Saturday, December 1, 2012

advocate diablo


Sometimes I love to be the devils advocate, but I love what Wayne Houchin does. So this terrible incident happened and Wayne does the right thing by milking it to the extreme. First the FB-message... then a few hours later the first three photos and a day later the video. On the Genii forum he posted a lengthy statement what exactly happened BUT no mention of his medical condition. How bad is it really? I'm wondering.

But I do applaud him for milking the incident. Shouldn't have happened but at least he is making the most of it gaining him talk. And maybe even some sales.

The advocate has spoken.

26 comments:

Unknown said...

"..milking it.." Really ?
How jaded are you?

Anonymous said...

"milking it"?
"Maybe even some sales"?

Your a dumb fuck.

Chris said...

Cynical indeed

Anonymous said...

Milking traffic for controversial sludge for this site much.....?

Anonymous said...

Very bad taste!

Does this look like a publicity stunt to you?
http://itricks.com/news/2012/12/graphic-pictures-of-wayne-houchins-face-after-burning-attack/

Roland said...

Hey asshole, pay attention: I wrote this post on december 1st. Two days prior to the published photos, which where posted december 3rd. And no it does look like a public stunt to me and I didn't mention anything in that regard. It's a terrible thing that has happened. Wayne had a few options. First: Not to tell anyone. Second: To tell all the media. And Third: to use social media. Why did he chose the last path? I don't know, nor do I claim to know. I'm saying that for what happened he makes the most of it. And I'm sorry to call you asshole, but I don't know what else to call you. Leaving a comment without a name means you are an asshole, a pussy or paranoid. And I don't think you belong to the last two categories.

Lewis said...

Hi Ronald,

Your post was crude and insensitive, end of story. At the end of the day, you could have read what you wrote, and had the common sense to rephrase what you said.

by the way, check your dates.
Photos where released on November 29th.

http://img.ly/qgUm

Roland said...

Hi Lewis, the pictures of the burnt face (see iTricks) were not released on the 29th... but let's not get lost in details. Is my post insensitive... YES! OF COURSE. That's the whole point of "a devils advocate" post. Crude? YES! Mean spirited no. I wish Wayne the best. I wish that he recovers quickly, that the scars are not permanent (physical and psychological) and that he keeps doing what he does. I like his magic and have nothing against Wayne. ALL I WAS saying is that he made the most of it. That does not imply that he caused it, asked for it or that it was his fault. Nothing like that.

Wayne Houchin is very media aware and he uses it correctly. And please excuse the fact that within all the tragedy I don't run around just feeling sorry for him. I'm keeping a cool head. Pun intended.

Anonymous said...

You pretty much dug your own grave with your last comment, saying you wrote the post prior to the published photos?

The how in the hell did you know that there was both photos AND a video?

In your original post: "First the FB-message... then a few hours later the first three photos and a day later the video". Trying to cover up, as if you didn't know the pictures/video existed.

All in all, your post was in bad taste.

Roland said...

Are you stupid? I think not. There are TWO distinct sets of photos. One where he get's burned... and one, a few days later, where his face is seen all burnt.

The first set was released Nov 29th. And those I referenced in my blog post. The other set I have seen TODAY. And those are linked above in a comment. And to those I referenced in my comment post.

Roland said...

And bad taste... YES, you don't come here very often, do you?

Ted M said...

Honestly, you should probably award yourself the WMF for this post.

Roland said...

Will add that to my list.

Anonymous said...

At first, I thought it might have been some sort of publicity stunt. The video certainly shows a lot of flames, but people there didn't look to upset about it and the host who set him on fire was standing around afterwards. So it was hard to tell - at least, I thought it was hard to tell. Then, someone on the genii forum noted that when bad things happen in a performance setting like this, people think that it is just part of the act and don't react strongly. That may be the case here. In any event, the photos of his face and neck burns certainly show it was very serious. There is no doubt that it was not a publicity stunt, but a very unfortunate attack.

In all of this, though, Wayne did 'milk' the event in a positive way. He seems to have managed the release of info well via social media. He kept the story going and it has now been picked up by the major media outlets. He is turning lemons into lemon aid for himself. What's wrong with that? I admire him for this. It also shows he is quite a tough guy, not just physically, but mentally as well. Most people would want to hide and feel sorry for themselves, but not this guy. His attitude (at least I am imaging his attitude) is akin to 'the show must go on', no matter what attitude. Right after it happens he is letting everyone concerned he's OK and his view of the event. Pretty cool, IMHO. I think all magicians can learn something from him.

Mudrow

Anonymous said...

You want jaded? How about this.

Some reasonably well known magician gets some facial burns that will heal and people are sending money, screaming for the attackers blood and carrying on like it's some sort of terrible tragedy. Try getting out of your sheltered little bubbles and look at the world, there's people far worse off all around you, but they don't do some pointless fucking magic tricks and have a social media following that gets them enough attention to have craven sycophants huffing and puffing and sending money and get well wishes.
Wayne has enough money to get his injuries looked after, if he has half a brain he's got insurance too, but hey, the extra money being collected for him might help him purchase some extra luxury that most people can't afford.

If this event has made you feel like offering support, be it financially, physically or psychologically, give it to someone who really needs help. How about you go down to the local homeless shelter. Or how about sending a few dollars to your local community support agency. There's always places for well meaning people to assist at the local soup kitchen. Since Christmas is here soon, how about using the money you were thinking of sending to Wayne and buying some presents for needy or in crisis families. If you want to stay in the burn arena, there are any number of burn survivor support agencies that would love your money, and it will go to helping people that actually need the help, and not some financially comfortable celebrity magician who can more than look after himself.

I think what happened to Wayne is disgusting, and I don't have an issue with how he has dealt with it thus far, but the outcry from the magic community makes me fucking sick. It shits me to tears when stupid people dip into their pockets to "help" some celeb when they wouldn't give their time, let alone their money to helping people who REALLY need it. As for Wayne being oh so strong and having such a great attitude, FFS, where did you get that? I've seen some pics, a video and some short messages on social media, how the fuck does that make him a great example and something other magicians can learn from? How about waiting until he actually does an interview or something else that actually does show how he has dealt with it before waxing lyrical about how fucking strong he is.

And yes, I posted this anonymously, although Roland knows who I am and I suspect a few people will recognize me from this post. To be honest, there's too many fucktards in magic and I'm exercising some healthy paranoia to avoid personal blow back from idiots who'll be all upset about having the truth thrown in the ignorant little faces.

Michael Jay said...

Well, I'm not anonymous and I don't worry too much about blow back. I agree, fully, with the anonymous poster above. Well said, sir, whoever you are.

Anonymous said...

I hope Mr Houchin is back to doing his little tricks soon, but honestly I've seen sunburns worse than that.

Dan Cunningham said...

The whole 'pathological sending of money' thing is ridiculous.

As for Houchin 'milking it' via facebook? People use facebook to tell everybody about things that happen to them in everyday life. Noting that it is not uncommon for some to feel the need to inform everyone of the mundane (being bored/having a cup of tea, etc) I recommend, compared to that, having your head set on fire might be worth a mention.

Barry Solayme said...

Well, the folks at Landover Baptist Church see things a little differently:

http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?p=955812#post955812

BS

Dan Cunningham said...

Fucking hell! That is a spoof site surely?

Anonymous said...

Its a very funny spoof site. The best read though is the mail they get from people who believe its real..hysterical.

Barry Solayme said...

Nonsense. Landover Baptist Church is as real as I am.

BS

Marplots said...

Are those supposed to be heat injuries? Not a chance. They are, at the most, chemical burns. More likely, an allergic reaction. You don't get bad burns and keep your eyelashes and eyebrows and all your head and facial hair.

Might be a burn on the ear, but the face stuff is something else.

Michael Jay said...

No, those are burns. He was doused with liquid, which means that his hair would act like a wick and not burn off but the heat would still effect the skin. I know this for a fact because I am a fire eater. On various occasions over the 30+ years that I've been doing this, I have burnt my face and/or lips without losing any of my mustache (and I have a prominent mustache). When ever I see whisps of flame in front of my eyes, I know that I've set the mustache on fire...But the fuel on the mustache gives it a wick effect and the mustache doesn't even singe. I don't panick. I have a damp towel close to hand which I use to put the flame out, wipe the mouth area and continue on.

So, just because his hair has not burned off doesn't mean that his skin didn't burn. It did.

Unknown said...

Perfectly said, friend!

Anneman said...

Also, scientifically speaking, alcohol mixed with water actually isn't that bad. The water that is in the spirit will absorb the heat. It will burn but not as bad as pouring fuel on someone. I'm not saying he didn't get burned at all. I'm just saying maybe what happened there was the equivalent of a sun burn. In any case, I wish Wayne all the best and no scars!