Jun 18 2012
GIF of the Week: David Bowie’s Labyrinth Skills
Now I’m not 100% sure if David Bowie actually did this. Then again did the 80s have this kind of trick photography? I highly doubt it. The only other actor I know who has hand skills like this is Val Kilmer. Remember what he does in Top Gun and in Real Genius? He can do that thing where you roll a quarter down each finger. He also has amazing skills with a pen.
Although I have to admit this little ball trick is pretty sweet by Bowie. Do you guys know any other actors who have hand skills like this? That would make for a pretty sweet list.
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This is called “contact juggling”, there are some pretty sweet examples of it on youtube.
They do some amazing things with those balls. What David Bowie is doing here is probably the most basic of what they do.
Seriously, check it out.
Bowie was not doing this. They hired someone to stand behind him and perfrom the tricks while hidden by Bowie’s cloak.
Bowie did not do this trick, there is a guy hiding behind him and doing it blindly (that is even more amazing)
darn some one beat me to it
Aww…if what feenicks007 says is true…I am deeply saddened. I was always mesmerized by that little trick in Labyrinth. David Bowie is amazeballs.
This just ruined my Christmas! You mean Santa’s not real????
Michael Moschen is the performer who was David Bowie’s contact-juggling double. From what I’ve heard, he was simply ducked out of frame for the shots. He’s one of the pioneers of contact-juggling and has some rather amazing videos on youtube. For example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OTb8tga-yg
Mebbe a little OT. but I was always fascinated by the Hands of James Coburn. It is a ptiy that later in his career they became so twisted by arthritis I doubt he could tie his on shoes. Watch him deal a hand of cards, etc. to see what I mean.
Inside the Labyrinth “Crystals”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U8fTAHxjdo
You guys sure that’s not him? I always thought that if there’s one thing David Bowie would be good at it would be juggling balls.
Mel Gibson did the same trick rolling the quarter over his fingers in Lethal Weapon 2. After watching those videos of pen spinning tricks I taught myself to do some of those tricks. I could already do those moves with larger sticks (the heavier or thicker the stick, the easier it is. Notice how a lot of people do them with those big erasers on the ends, or they use paintbrushes).
It’s so much fun once you learn how to do it that for years now whenever I watch tv, the remote is in one hand and a drumstick is in the other. I suggest starting with a drumstick and working your way down until you get used to the light weight of a pen.
FUSHIGI!