THE
FULL REAL STORY BEHIND
DEREK LEVER AND CARL DE ROME
(This
is the very same Derek Lever that was kicked out of the Magi a number
of years ago
And also stripped of his honorary life title from them, Apparently
his goal since been kicked
out of this club is to totally extinguish
this society, Hence him starting up the Manchester
Circle of Magicians.)
Derek
Lever and I originally fell out the first time roughly about 13 years
ago,
Or should I point out it was actually Derek Lever whom fell out with
me and my wife.
I had
just spent literally £3000 or more with him over a 2 or 3 months
period, this was when he
was situated in his Tommy Cooper shop right
under the Big One on the Blackpool pleasure beach,
I had and also given his shop address details to ALL the Scandinavian
magicians, as at the time
there was no fantastic magic shops in Norway,
So all these magicians then ordered there tricks
from him. So he was making a small fortune out of me, and what business
I had passed on to him.
One item
I bought, His copy version of Simon Drakes SLIDING KNIFE IN ARM and
it was utter crap.
So I sent it back to him with a small note, NOT asking for my money
back, but asking for a credit
note to be used on my next order from
Taurus Magic as he was also known as, Anyway Instead
of a Credit note
back, I received a very nasty letter back together with £68 the
cost of the
sliding Knife, plus a banning order from his shop or ever
doing business with him ever again.
As myself and my wife/assistant Merete were never again welcome in
his premises.
Then about
7 years ago, Cyril Critchlaw a very nice old man, and a very good
close friend to me
and my wife, Cyril was also then the reigning
President of the Blackpool Magicians Club,
We was in Blackpool over from Norway Visiting my family at this time,
and we had just called
round to see Cyril and his wife at his house
on the Thursday night for a nice chat and cup of
tea, As it turned out on the Saturday night that followed it was to
be the GRAND OPENING of
the Blackpool Magicians Clubs brand new Club
Room
downstairs at the Savoy Hotel on the North
promenade, Cyril invited
me and my wife Merete as his special guests of honor for the opening
party, Well that’s how Cyril put it, So Saturday night we picked
up Cyril and all drove down
together to the Savoy Hotel for what we
hoped
would be a great night out with some old friends.
We went
downstairs at the Savoy,
Cyril popped to the Toilet, and we waited in the entrance of the club
room for him to return.
But whilst we was waiting for Cyril, Derek Lever came up and evicted
both myself and my wife
Merete from the Hotel as we were not invited
guests, and in his words he was in charge of
everything, and he was
the only person that decided who could attend and who could not,
And he had defiantly not invited us to this event at the BMCs new club
room opening night
party, I heard later from many people that Cyril was fuming with Lever
when he found out,
But it was far too late as we had already been evicted personally from
the building by
Derek Lever, Plus we would not have stayed on anyway after what he
had just done to us,,
and my wife was really insulted, by the manner of what she classed
as a raving lunatic,
In the end a few weeks later, the Blackpool Magicians committee sent
us a personal apology
on the matter, But Merete said then that she
would never ever have anything to do with
Derek Lever again.
I always use to Bring with me a party of Norwegians to the Blackpool
Magic Convention,
and at one time it started with about 20 or more of us that came over
and attended,
but over the years this total went down and down, and eventually got
to the point that no
one from Norway wanted to come to a Blackpool
Convention, as they thought the standard
was dropping year after year
and the expense of attending from Norway was simply not worth
it. And as one Norsk Magician pointed out,
“ If that’s all
the UK has to offer then god help everyone.”
Anyway
a few years ago I was bringing over at this time only 7 Norwegians
to the Blackpool
Magic Convention, plus at this same time I was also
trying to sell 2 big Illusions I no longer
had use for, One was my Fan and the other was my Table of Death Illusion,
Both these
Illusions were advertised on MagicWeek, to cut this short
I was nearly Scammed by the
overpayment scam that’s popular from
Nigeria, This is where you ask a price for something;
the scammers contact
you and want to buy it from you, And when they pay you for it you
end
up getting a cheque for double the amount, so you end up paying them
back the extra
money, only a
few weeks later to find out the cheque is a forgery and the bank insist
on there
money back, Please DO NOT FALL FOR THIS, IT IS A REAL SCAM.
Anyway
I knew all about this scam and I took contact with my banks security
department,
Now as I am English, Living in Norway, with not just a UK Barclays
bank account, but I have
an off shore UK bank account based in the
Isle of Man, The security people at Barclays asked
me if I would help
them try and catch the scammers. As with what I've said above they felt
they could delay them long enough to catch them. And I'm happy to say
that they did manage
to confiscate there bank accounts and arrest 2
people In the Netherlands who where Nigerian,
BUT at
the same time Barclays had frozen/Blocked my Isle of Man Bank account,
This was to make sure No money could ever be paid out to these Scammers
by accident.
And Barclays did not tell me they had done this as a security precaution.
So this
was at the same time I had also sent Derek Lever and the Blackpool
Magicians Club
my personal cheque for about £950 to cover all
the tickets I had ordered for the convention.
This was stopped by my Bank as they had frozen the account at this
time.
Derek Lever phones me up, and was going mental at me and shouting like
a lunatic
Saying how dare I send money for tickets, when I had no money to pay
for them, and If I
had not got The full payment to him by 12 noon the next day, we would
personally cancel all
the tickets booked, and I would then have to Explain to all the Norwegians
that had paid me
there hard earned money, How I had stolen and spent all there money,
I told Derek Lever what
had happened with the Bank, And the scams and all would be OK if he
waited a few days, but
he did not care about anything at all,
I then
telephoned my good friend Cyril Critchlaw and told him what Lever
had just done to me,
TWO hours later Cyril called me back and told me not to worry anymore
as he had taken care
of it, when I asked Cyril what he had done, He
informed me that he had been down personally
and paid the bastard in
cash the full amount I owed the BMC for the whole party to attend,
These were Cyril’s actual words as he could not stand the evil
little bastard either.
Cyril told me not to send the money to him, but to pay him back in
cash when I came over
for the convention. This is how much of a good
friend Cyril was to me, and a really nice guy
as well.
Then……… I
think it was about 3 or 4 years ago,
Right after a Blackpool convention on the Monday night a Norwegian
Lecturer called Jarle Learpol
Also a great friend of mine, he was at the time also the president
of the Norsk Magic Circle,
Anyway he was doing a lecture the day after the convention just for
the BMC in the club room,
Jarle asked me if I would come with him to help with any translation
problems he might have
And help with other things.
Merete my wife refused to attend as she knew Derek Lever would be there
and cause problems,
but I thought I would help Jarle out as I honestly did not think Lever
would do anything as I was
helping a fellow Norwegian out and also
the BMC.
How wrong I was Derek Lever again had me evicted from the Hotel as
I was not invited by him
And so was not welcome ever in his club room as he put it, when I got
back home, my Wife
Merete said to me I told you so, I really should have listened to her
and also not said yes to Jarle,
Anyway
the last 2 conventions in Blackpool 2007 and 2008 I honestly can
say Were the biggest
load of shit I have ever attended, Merete spent
a total of 20mins in the dealers I spent about
1 hour, and we both
walked out of the shows on both the Saturday and also Sunday night
And when we got up to leave the theatre, loads of others also did the
same, wow was it bad,
If you was not there ask anyone who was, abysmal
is a good word for these shows.
We then swore there and then never again to attend, if it was going
to be that bad.
So this
summer I sent Arthur Casson a personal E mail asking him if he could
inform us about
any of the line up booked to perform or lecture for
the 2009 Convention, And I said that if it was
going to be crap again,
we were not attending, and might just instead book only the Sunday
Gala
show. I forgot to mention that my friend Cyril Crithchlaw had passed
away in April and that Arthur
Casson did a great Job of sorting out the
readings and other things at his funeral, the service was
held in the
grand theatre on the Stage. So in my letter to Arthur Casson, I took
the time to thank
him personally for what he did at Cyril’s
funeral.
Anyway
I got a reply back…..NOT from Arthur Casson, But from my good
friend Derek Lever.
Banning Me and my family from all future conventions, This I expected
from him As its what
he does best, he banns everyone that has the audacity
to say anything against him,
He banned
Magic Dealer Peter Diamond from having a stand at Blackpool all because Peter
told
him to mind his own business; Peter has had a stand at Blackpool
as far as I know for about 43
years. I first saw Peter when I was 8
years old attending my first Blackpool convention when it
was held
at the pleasure beach all those years ago.
Anyway Derek Lever could not just leave it there, and he just had to
carry on the letter to me
and ended up at having a dig again at me
and also in a way my dear friend Cyril Critchlaw,
I am enclosing the letter at the bottom of this letter, and as you
will see the second part of it
Was not called for, and was a deliberate insult against the both of
us.
This is why I am now so trying to get Lever to do us all a big favor
and stand down and retire.
As Cyril is not around to put things right or to defend himself. Anymore,
and Lever knew this.
I posted
a letter on the SEMCs web site, and it started to get replies and
everyone was agreeing
with me. Derek Lever called Colin Richardson
up and DEMANDED for it to be taken down,
Colin "thank god" Told him what to do, this mail is now posted on my
web site www.cdrmagic.com
under INFO Link.
And since this posting its been all out War with Derek Lever, against
Me, Colin Richardson
Geoff Prestcot. Alan from the Tommy Cooper Joke shop in Blackpool, The
only problem we have
is that Lever seems to have a lot of people in
his back pocket who do what he says, The likes
of Duncan Trillo
of MagicWeek, lots of Moderators on the magic Forums especially the
Magic
Bunny, its weird how things get blocked on forums for no reason
what so ever, or missing articles
on magic’s biggest web site,
where everything always gets a link to it, if its been in the national
press and is related to magic, Unless the article is against Derek
Lever, then the links never
seem to appear on the site, But it also
seems very strange, maybe even a
little weird? or is it
just one hell of a coincidence? That at this
years 2009 convention, Duncan Trillo and Magic
week just happen to
get awarded The prestigious Murray award from Derek Lever and the BMC,?
This is one award I don’t think I will ever be up for.
Chris
Angel, well you can read everything bad the press say about him and
his Vegas show,
But Derek Lever, well if it’s a good article you can read about
him, if its bad press NO LINK,
Then there are also those few magicians that don’t know the real
Derek Lever that seem to
think that the sun shines out of his back
side.
But these are the people that think Derek Lever will help them move
up in the magic world,
and get more bookings from him. God help them
when they piss him off,
as then they will find out just how much of a nasty evil little BASTARD
Derek Lever really is.
Derek
Lever has banned Alan ( New owner of Tommy Cooper Magic Blackpool)
plus all, his Family
and friends, Including Alan’s 13 year
old daughter who has done no harm to anyone at all, and
loves magic,
But because of her banning she is not allowed to attend the Blackpool
Convention.
Also when Alan gets new people to work for him in the Tommy Cooper
magic shop, demoing trick
He can not keep any of his new staff, as Derek Lever contacts all the
new staff and tells them
that if they continue to work for Alan in
his shop, Then they are also banned from the BMC, the
Blackpool Convention
and also anything to do with the Manchester Magic Club that Derek also
set up. He did at one time place a ban on every member of the Surrey
magic society as Colin
was a member, He banned Mike Danata as Mike was helping out run the
gala show at the SEMC,
And any dealer that had a stand at the SEMC Convention he has banned
for life from the BMC
This also went for the Artists that were to perform there at the new
convention in Surrey,
Except for a few exceptions where Derek has turned a blind eye at,
as he does have double
standards.
Derek had his aids contact artists booked at the SEMC and offered them
more money if they
cancelled there contracts with the SEMC and did
Blackpool Instead.
He gave people free or discounted stands at Blackpool If they said
No to the SEMC convention.
Mike Danata had seen a Illusion act called Magic Unlimited in Spain
and recommended this act
to Colin Richardson to maybe concidder booking
for his next years convention SEMC 2 day event,
but after sending in to Magicweek a DVD of there performance/Showreel,
Duncan refused to
publish a report on Magic Unlimited as this act used
to many copied and pirated Illusions,
Then as if by magic a short while after Duncan had been sent the DVD
from Mike,
Derek Lever had all of a sudden booked this act Magic Unlimited to
perform at Blackpool.
Coincidental, or was Derek Lever tipped off about the SEMC plans for
2010? ….. you decide,
remember
the Murray Award ?
This year
2 of his lecturers at Blackpool, were due to do other lectures the
week after Blackpool,
One at Davenports in London and the other for International Magic,
He has even banned these two lecturers from doing it at both these
events,
As far as I know Davenports and International are angry as hell, and
Davenports are talking of
Pulling out of Blackpool next year because of what Lever is up to.
I really hope they do.
Well I
could go on and on for pages,
As you will see I do not like Derek Lever one little bit, as I think
personally
He is the biggest low life Tosser ever to be even called a magician/Dealer/human
being,
and I think he is a total utter disgrace to magic and magicians worldwide,
I'm hoping that others will realize this themselves before its too
late and they are also banned
Unfortunately
it will not happen quickly as people see him as something he is not,
and he
sees himself as god, I see him as Hitler, hence my photos
of him, Derek Lever is just as
nasty as that evil dictator and I think
they could even be related somehow, I did have one
laugh last week at
the convention, as I found out that Derek Lever is actually of Jewish
faith,
This I did not know, and it
made my weekend, I do hope it is true
This is
the letter Derek Lever sent to me, that started it all of again
-----Original Message-----
From: Derek Lever [mailto:d.lever1@sky.com]
Sent: 09 July 2008 22:17
To: cdrmagic@online.no
Subject: Re: Blackpol Convention 2009
Dear Carl,
Since you are so disillusioned with the Blackpool Convention it would
be a pity to let you waste your money on the 2009 Convention.
I am therefore informing you that we will not accept your registration
for any further Blackpool Conventions.
This will save you money and will save Arthur Casson the trouble of
attempting to process your bouncing credit card.
Cyril Critchlow was indeed a good friend to you having paid for you
and your party to avoid you being refused entry to our Convention due
to your credit card having insufficient funds.
Yours,
Derek Lever,
Convention Organiser,
Blackpool Magicians Club
After
all that has happened over the last 9 months or so, It seems that
I have really helped Derek Lever get his act together, as everyone
I have talk to have said this time, what a great convention he has
managed at last to put on for 2009, even though he poached some of
the acts booked.
I do believe that if none of this mess between us had got started then
magicians all over would again
Have been subjected to another 2009 convention well below par,
and on equal terms of dribble put on in Blackpool over the last few
years of 2007 and 2008.
So I am extremely happy that I have at least contributed to getting
Blackpool back to what it use to be, but I doubt that Derek Lever will
ever admit to any of this. I just hope that Now Derek Lever will stop
Banning everyone he feels like, when ever he feels like, and mainly
for no real reasons what so ever.
After
Derek Lever printed that dribble and insults about me in his 2009
convention brochure that went out to at least 4000 people, (see the
full article below) and is now in the BMC history books.
He informed everyone that I was “trying to ruin there convention”,
where as what I had at last succeeded in doing, was to make it probably
the best convention they had at Blackpool for years.
As I was
also personally Banned for life from the Blackpool Magic Convention
by Derek Lever, and my photograph (along with a few other banned
people,) was posted up all over the walls for the security people
to look out for me, and to stop me attending the event,
Plus Derek Lever also stole from my web site a photograph of me with
a GUN placed to my head, and beamed this image up onto the stage of
the opera house on a giant screen in front of 3500 people,
With the Nike logo below, and the wordings GO ON THEN……DO
IT..….I DARE YOU
I do not
understand how after all this, I was then personally sent an INVITATION
( see full invite below ) to take part in his brand new BEAT THE
WAND competition at the convention to be held on the Saturday evening
right after the Saturday nights show,
where he had just dared me to blow my brains out on stage in front
of everyone.
This competition I unfortunately had to decline, as the organizer of
the event could not issue me with a letter to get past the security,
as I told him that I was not officially attending the convention.
because me and the convention organizer did not get on at all. I was
however asked if I could do it next year. Very funny really.
From: Beat the Wand [mailto:beatthewand@hotmail.co.uk]
Sent: 10 February 2009 20:07
To: cdrmagic@online.no
Subject: RE: BEAT THE WAND
Hi Carl.
We've had a look at you in action (on you tube)
and we would love you to be part of the show!
You have five minutes to do whatever you like!
We will email you later this week with more details, and where to meet
up on Saturday afternoon for a quick double check over all the details
for the night.
Thanks for your interest and we look forward to seeing you in action.
See you soon
Andy
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