WMF Matt Wayne

When it comes to magic exposure there are numerous reasons and motivations by those exposing. From the honest desire to bring magic to the world (Which of course is a fallacy! As there is no magic, and why does explaining magic bring that to the world?) to the mean spirited exposers who just spoil magic secrets for the sake of it.

But the "teacher" is a rather unique fellow. We are talking about a magician here who loves magic so much, that he wants to teach it. Last year I made an audio rant about those people, who basically are imitating their heroes in order to share the same fame. In lack of material and audience they reach for the YouTube audience. The wrong audience of course.

This is where we get to Matt Wayne. I know nothing of the guy, except for the exposure of himself over the Internet. He is one of the magicians on Howcast. And he basically exposes magic secrets under the delusion of teaching it.

I have told myself not to waste time with those men anymore, as many have been featured on this blog in the past. But Matt Wayne seems to be the symptomatic embodiment of the problem. His thinking about magic and of himself is just far away from reality.

I'm going on dangerous territory here making assumptions about Matt Wayne based entirely on the footage and the advertisement of him. But he chose to have those out.

Let's start with his website. It seems like the usual magicians website. "Matt Wayne is an American magician, actor, producer and television personality best known for his work and skill as a performer of close-up magic." These are his words. And readers of this blog should know my stance on claims like that. Actor, producer and television personality. I'm sure that every little statement can be backed up by evidence, yet it is hyperbole. Being a Boardwalk Tourist on CSI NY is not acting.

I have had my share of appearances in media. Radio, Television, Movies... you name it. Yet I would never dare to call myself an actor. Because I cannot act. Neither can Matt. He comes across as a quirky man. A social accident like many of us.



Does he seem like a unique figure to you? Nope? Did you spot the name dropping?

So what evil does he do on Howcast? Nothing harmful I guess. Coin work mostly. And technically bad coin work. With the emphasis on the wrong explanation. Is it hurting magic. No!

But the illusion of grandeur in a pool of mediocrity does hurt magic in the long run.

Yet Matt Wayne does advertise himself as a magic teacher. If this is teaching magic, then magic is not a good form of art. Reminds me of that painter who wanted to teach people how to paint via YouTube. But his paintings look like crap. (The video went viral about a year ago, still cannot find it. If you find it let me know)

The only thing missing is the selfwritten Wikipedia page.