# Houdini: Skeleton Closet



## Abishai100 (Sep 20, 2014)

Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz in Budapest, later Ehrich Weiss or Harry Weiss; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts (source: Wikipedia).

Houdini was a master of the magic act, and his passionate and lucrative interest in escape artistry revealed a deep American fascination with the psychological perception of confinement and the terrible angst associated with claustrophobia.

Claustrophobia (the fear of tight or enclosed spaces) reveals a mental anxiety towards motility impairments and is related to a fear of ghosts --- a subconscious angst about the body's access in space.

Houdini's elaborate and amazing escape acts effectively made him an unusual icon of the supernaturalism fascination associated with a magician's craft.

Today, various American entertainment media reflect this societal fascination with magic as it pertains to claustrophobia such as the Hollywood (USA) movie "Ghost in the Machine" (1993).

It seems we can use the life and work of Houdini to understand the artistic intrigue associated with 'fantastic consumerism.'


Below is a picture I took of myself with my cell phone.  The picture is of me pretending I'm auditioning for a luscious biopic Hollywood (USA) motion picture about Harry Houdini.




Harry Houdini - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia


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## Tom Sweetnam (Sep 20, 2014)

Why don't you take a picture of you kicking yourself in the ass for starting this thread?


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