Magic Faker of the Month - Dave J Castle

Magician Dave J Castle continues to send me an email every other day touting the latest great offer from his "Learn Magic" website. You don't know who Dave J Castle is? Well he's rapidly making a name for himself as the newest masked magician. He collects all of the "tutorial" videos (read "exposure videos") on YouTube and the other similar sites and posts links to them on his site. And I mean literally a dozen new links every day.

This, he claims, is to teach people how to do magic.

It's funny, because I thought if you BOUGHT the latest trick from Wayne Houchin or Jay Sankey, it came with instructions and that's how you learned it. No, according to Dave J Castle you simply watch a web tutorial from some 12 year old kid and now you can do it, no money need ever change hands.

Oh, unless of course it's DAVE J CASTLE DOING THE SELLING. Like his latest ebook (by latest, I mean the one he emailed me about today, tomorrow I'll get an ad promoting another). Here's what Dave J Castle says:

I just bought Dwayne Altadonna's NEW ebook called Magic Secrets Revealed and I LOVE IT! He reveals how to do a ton of magic. The ebook is over 80 pages. He does reveal how to do a ton of David Blaine magic as well as other popular effects. I just did the David Blaine mind reading effect on my mom and she was going crazy! She could not believe that I could have her pick a number between 50-100 and within seconds I revealed it! Plus, this book came with cool bonuses If you want to fool everyone you see everyday get this ebook today!

The ebook is only $27.77 and chock full of secrets created by other people, none of whom will receive a cent for their efforts. The "author" will get most of the $$$ and Dave J Castle will get a commission for everyone who buys via his link.

So what is Dave J Castle's philosophy on magic? Does he love it and wants everyone to share the thrill and mystery of magic? That's kind of hard when his own website, the one where you can book him to do a show, links to his other which reveals all the secrets.

As you can see in this picture, he even promotes his exposure website at his shows - "Hey kids, you like that trick, go to my website and find out how I did it!"

Does he respect the art and it's artists? I doubt it judging from this quote from his latest email.

'I hate when magicians give these secrets away!' - David Copperfield

So is he a magic prostitute? I don't think so... see a prostitute can sell it, and still has it so they can sell it to the same customer again and again. Once Dave J Castle sells a secret to a trick, it's hard to sell the trick a second time let alone the secret.

Perhaps he's trying to create a whole new generation of magicians? Magicians who have no concept of any of the rules of magic like.. respect the intellectual rights of inventors? Or... practice before performing a trick? Or... NEVER REVEAL A SECRET???!!!

No, I think the answer is right in front of our face.

Dave J Castle is a small time magician who does kids shows in his local area. He's discovered, through the wonders of the internet, that he can pick up a few extra dollars here and there by becoming an affiliate seller of ebooks that reveal the secrets of other magicians effects. In order to create a database of people to sell to he collates videos created by others giving away the secrets of other magicians effects.

He has no ethics, no respect for other magicians

Dave J Castle has also made about 80 "tutorial videos" of his own. He exposes (sorry "teaches") effects including 'David Copperfield's Arm Illusion', The Dove Pan, The Crystal Silk Cylinder, The Coin Slide, Crazy Man's Handcuffs, Jumping Knot of Pakistan, Change Bag, Torn & Restored Dental Floss, Spirit Slates, Black & White Surprise, Appearing Cane, Disappearing Cane, Magic Coloring Book, "Criss Angel's Mugs Up Trick", Chinese Sticks, What's Next, and the "Hindu Flash Force Criss Angel Uses".

Rather than reveal anyone else's secrets, here's the "tutorial video" of the one and only trick Dave J Castle teaches that he "invented".

So, have we learned anything today?

Yes. That there is a vast resource of videos on the internet exposing magic secrets.

But I think we already knew that.

What I have learned is that the J in Dave J Castle stands for JERK.