Uri Gellar Awarded Berglas Foundation - Services to Magic Award

[Richard]

Posted by Webb on Sunday, November 30th, 2008

We can reveal that at the 37th International Magic Convention in London, Famous ‘Mystifier’ Uri Gellar was awarded the Berglas Foundation - Services to Magic Award, by it’s chairman, David Berglas.

iTricks was there to cover the event that was only made public a few moments before Gellar arrived at the venue. Having flown in especially for the event from Germany.

The presentation was followed by an exclusive interview and question and answer session to those present.

Uri spoke suprisingly openly about his career, his views, the award itself, and his current projects.

Get all the exclusive info after the jump.

When asked about his career, Uri was very open about if he’s be able to start his career in todays age:

If I was to start my career now, my careere would be destroyed, the speed of the internet, the technology allowing events to be reported, I’d not be able to start my career in the way I did those years ago.

On the actual award he jokingly commented that he was “Expecting a metal one’. The award itself was for ‘Services to Magic’ which was always going to be a hot potato, the question came from those present, “are you a magician?:

I thrieve on contreversy, looking back on my career, I called myself a phsyic, I constantly need to re-invent myself, you will not get a straight answer. I have to protect the performers in my show, I owe it to them, I dont want to know how they do it, I just want to see the most mind blowing show there is. Lets say I wasn’t real, lets say for the last years I’ve fooled the journalists, the scientists, my family, my friends.. You.. If I managed to fool them, I must be the greatest..?

Gellar talked about this youth, how he found at age 5, he was struck, and gained something.

I have seen things in my life that I cannot understand or explain, I cannot bend spoons like some of the magicians, you, can, it blows my mind when I see that, I have no idea. I had the idea and cheekiness to call it physic, in fact all I wanted was to be rich and famous, I wanted to buy my mother a TV

He commented on his appearance on the Johny Carson show:

Randi set up that show, I sat there with him for 22 minutes, nothing happened, I thought “Uri Gellar you are finsihed” I went back to my hotel and packed my stuff to return home, I fell asleep and the next day, everyone was interested in me. There is no such thing as bad publicity, as long as they spell your name right! Don’t read what they write, measure it

He spoke on religion, and on if he thought he was gifted:

I dont think I am gifted, I think all of your are gifted, you must have encountered things that you couldnt understand, I never made money form bending spoons, I made money from finding oil and gold, I dont know how I did that, maybe it was luck. It’s an honor to get this award, it comes from a legend, David Berglas, it will be controversial, some of you will write on your blogs or whatever.. its lovely to sit in front of you all.

He also talked about the next Uri Gellar show talking about the contestants he said, “Hayashi has the same sort of charisma as Barack Obama” and continued:

I’ve never read a magic book, but I’ve just brought one here..

The book ? Thirteen Steps To Mentalism.

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