"I even forgot that I did it" - Why magician David Blaine did not remember he had gotten a tattoo

Illusionist and magician David Blaine forgot about his last tattoo. Blaine, whose latest docuseries, National Geographic’s David Blaine: Do Not Attempt, premiered on March 23, spoke to People Magazine about forgetting all about the tattoo until the interviewer reminded him.

In the People Magazine interview published on April 6, Blaine was asked about his last tattoo. Blaine, realising that he did not even remember his last tattoo, said,

“As a matter of fact, I even forgot that I did it because it's invisible.”

Blaine explained the situation, saying,

“I did one with disappearing ink with this incredible tattoo artist in New York City, Bang Bang. I made a playing card prediction. And I haven't used it yet.”

The magician got trumped by one of his own tricks as he described how the tattoo can be revealed. In the People Magazine interview, Blaine shared that the disappearing ink tattoo reveals itself under certain conditions.

Blaine was astounded by the fact that he forgot his own tattoo, and revealed his astonishment by repeating to People Magazine, saying,

“And you just reminded me that I have this tattoo on my left wrist because it's invisible. So I have an invisible tattoo that I didn't even remember until you just told me.”

David Blaine’s New York City-based tattoo artist, Keith McCurdy, is better known as Bang Bang. The artist, who is known for tattooing numerous celebrities like Rihanna, Cara Delevigne, and Justin Bieber, has been developing the invisible ink, which he calls ‘Magic ink’ alongside a mechanical engineering professor, Dr. Carson Bruns, as per the New York Post.

New York Post notes that aside from tattooing Blaine with the invisible ink, McCurdy has tattooed himself with the pigment approximately 50 times, which is enclosed in polymethyl methacrylate. The ‘magic ink’ can be revealed by a UV light and can be ‘turned off’ by a standard torch light, as per the report.

The New York Post report also notes that McCurdy and Dr. Bruns intend to develop the ink further for medical use, which could alert a person when they are exposed to increased levels of UV rays or when their blood sugar levels fluctuate. McCurdy spoke to the New York Post about the possible medical uses of the ink last year, saying,

“This ink would tell him if he was in UV (ultra violet) light from the sun because humans can’t see UV, but it’s harmful in heavy doses”

About David Blaine’s new Nat Geo docuseries

David Blaine, who rose to fame with his death-defying tricks, is back in the news because of his new docuseries, David Blaine: Do Not Attempt, which is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. The invisible ink is just one example of how Blaine has been a trailblazer in the field of magic and illusions.

The series, which sees Blaine chart continents while exploring magic and diverse cultures, sees Blaine attempt feats such as swelling swords, as per ABC. Blaine told ABC,

“I'm discovering incredible people with unbelievable talents, pushing the limits of what's possible. It's been a privilege to learn from them. As a magician, I'm in awe of their abilities because, for me, the most magical moments aren't tricks but human potential realized.”

It is clear that the series tested Blaine’s perseverance. While speaking to Deadline about working on the series, the production of which took three years, Blaine said,

“I can’t ever do this again. I’ll, like, die”

At the same time, Blaine’s reverence to greats of magic like Harry Houdini reveals the side of the magician that is always up for a challenge. As per Deadline, Blaine spoke about his icon at a panel discussion at Disney headquarters, saying,

"He would do things that no other magician would do. That led me down a path of looking for people who would do real feats that look like magic as opposed to just illusions.”

David Blaine continues to take his fans’ breaths away as the 52-year-old illusionist keeps on challenging himself.