Marie Castello
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fortune teller and psychic reader
Psychic reading
A psychic reading is a specific attempt to discern information with clairvoyance and the resulting statements made during such an attempt. The term is commonly associated with paranormal-based consultation given for a fee in such settings as over the phone, in a home, or at psychic fairs...
who worked on the Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
, boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
from 1932 until 2008. Madam Marie was the longest running tenant on the Asbury Park boardwalk.
Castello was a fixture in Asbury Park for decades, telling fortunes on and off at her tiny booth on the boardwalk which is nicknamed The Temple of Knowledge. She read the fortunes of celebrities ranging from Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
to Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. According to accounts, Castello reportedly told Springsteen that he would be a huge success. Springsteen later jokes that she told all her musician clients the same thing.
Springsteen mentioned Castello in his 1973 song, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
"4th of July, Asbury Park ", often known just as "Sandy", is a 1973 song by Bruce Springsteen, originally appearing as the second song on his album The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle....
", which earned her a certain amount of fame among his fans. Springsteen wrote in the song's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
of Castello, "Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do." Castello was never arrested during her career, according to Asbury Park deputy mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
Jim Bruno. Bruno added that, "...Springsteen turned her into an icon."Also in his song Brilliant Disguise,in writing about his failing first marriage he sings, "As we stood at the altar the gypsy swore our future was bright, but come the wee-wee hours maybe baby the gypsy lied". Springsteen reportedly never forgot Madam Marie and often visited her when he was back in Asbury Park. "He always comes by to say hello...He knows where he came from," Castello told the Asbury Park Press
Asbury Park Press
The Asbury Park Press is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state...
in a May 2008 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with reporter Bill Handleman.
Personal life
Marie Castello was born in Neptune City, New JerseyNeptune City, New Jersey
Neptune City is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,869.The Borough of Neptune City was incorporated on October 4, 1881, based on a referendum held on March 19, 1881...
, on May 25, 1915. Her Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
father made a living building "things" (in an exact quote from Castello), including pots
POTS
POTS may refer to:* Plain old telephone service, basic wireline telecommunication connection** POTS codec, a digital audio device** DSL filter, also known as a POTS filter* Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a medical condition...
, hand fans and baskets. Her mother was from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, while her maternal grandfather was originally from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. "Quite a combination, ain't it?" said Castello in a May 2008 interview while referring to her ethnic heritage.
Castello and her husband, Walter Castello, a car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
salesman, were married for over seventy years. The Castellos, who "married young," had four children and fourteen grandchildren. Walter Castello died in the late 1990s. Castello claimed that her family surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
, Castello, was the name given to her late husband's grandfather by American immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
officials when he passed through New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
during the 19th century. Castello was not sure what her family's name originally was.
Madam Marie
Madam Marie began telling fortunes at her small, twelve feet square booth called the Temple of Knowledge in 1932. She, and her small stand, would remain a popular Asbury Park fixture on the city's boardwalk for much of the next seven decades. According to Castello, when she opened her business in the 1930s the Asbury Park boardwalk was a much more formal place than it became in later decades, "You couldn't walk on the boardwalk without shoes. You couldn't go on the boardwalk in a bathing suit. And there was never any drinking." At the time, many of her customers wore dresses, evening gowns and tuxedos to walk the boardwalk.During the 1960s, Madam Marie became popularly known as "the gypsy queen of the boardwalk." Castello did not know why people began calling her gypsy, but reportedly did not mind the nickname as she felt that mystery was good for a fortunetelling business. The nickname became especially popular with locals, especially teens who worked in the area, such as a young Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen began visiting Madam Marie, as Castello was known on the boardwalk, around the age of 17, and often played his guitar outside of her booth. According to stories told by Springsteen, Castello predicted that he would be famous. She would later be immortalized in his 1973 song, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
"4th of July, Asbury Park ", often known just as "Sandy", is a 1973 song by Bruce Springsteen, originally appearing as the second song on his album The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle....
".
Castello gained a following among celebrities who often stopped at Asbury Park to perform at the nearby Asbury Park Convention Hall
Asbury Park Convention Hall
Asbury Park Convention Hall is a 3,600-seat indoor exhibition center located on the boardwalk and on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It was built between 1928 and 1930 and is used for sports, concerts and other special events. Adjacent to the Convention Hall is the Paramount Theatre; both are...
during her long career on the boardwalk, especially during the 1960s. Her famous clients included Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
, Gorilla Monsoon
Gorilla Monsoon
Robert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
, Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
and Diahann Carroll.
Castello continued to work on the boardwalk despite the decline of Asbury Park during the 1970s. She became one of the few businesses who remained on the boardwalk during the 1970s and 1980s as tourism in Asbury Park declined. She did not talk about the decline of Asbury Park during the 1970s stating, "It's something I want to forget," in a May 2008 interview.
Castello closed down her regular daily business on the boardwalk in 1997, which coincided with a decline in business in Asbury Park. She continued to read fortunes in nearby Ocean Township, New Jersey
Ocean Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
Ocean Township is a township located in east central Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 27,291.Oakhurst and Wanamassa Ocean Township is a township located in east central Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
.
Return to Asbury Park
Madam Marie returned to fortunetelling at her Temple of Knowledge in Asbury Park on July 4, 2004, after a seven year hiatus from the boardwalk, her longest absence since the 1930s. Her return coincided with renewed investmentInvestment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
and a boom in new businesses in Asbury Park. She resumed giving fortune readings to customers on weekends only, charging between $5 and $35 for her predictions. Other family members worked the stand at other times, including her granddaughter, Sabrina.
Castello continued to work as a fortuneteller at her booth in Asbury Park until her death in 2008. She suffered from arthritis during her later years, which sometimes kept her away from her business. However, she remained mentally sharp throughout her life.
Death
Marie Castello died unexpectedly on June 27, 2008, at the age of 93. According to Castello's great-granddaughter, Sally Castello, "She really wasn't sick. She just wasn't feeling well. She was very, very strong until the day she died." The American flag at the Convention HallAsbury Park Convention Hall
Asbury Park Convention Hall is a 3,600-seat indoor exhibition center located on the boardwalk and on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It was built between 1928 and 1930 and is used for sports, concerts and other special events. Adjacent to the Convention Hall is the Paramount Theatre; both are...
-Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre (Asbury Park)
The Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is co-located with the Asbury Park Convention Hall on the boardwalk along the Atlantic Ocean. The two are connected by an arcade that spans the boardwalk, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and Bradley Park on the west. A statue of...
in Asbury Park was lowered to half staff in her honor
Half-staff
Half-staff is the American term for to describe a flag flying a flag below the summit of the flagpole . The rest of the English-speaking world uses the term half-mast. Technically the flag should be flown one breadth lower to allow for the invisible flag of death...
.
Bruce Springsteen issued memories of Castello and condolences
Condolences
Condolences are an expression of sympathy to someone who has experienced grief arising from death, deep mental anguish, or misfortune.When individuals condole, or offer their condolences to a particular situation or person, they are offering active, conscious support of that person or activity...
on his website, saying:
"Back in the day when I was a fixture on the Asbury Park boardwalk, I'd often stop and talk to Madam Marie as she sat on her folding chair outside the Temple of Knowledge. I'd sit across from her on the metal guard rail bordering the beach, and watched as she led the day trippers into the small back room where she would unlock a few of the mysteries of their future. She always told me mine looked pretty good — she was right. The world has lost enough mystery as it is — we need our fortunetellers. We send our condolences out to her family who've carried on her tradition. Over here on E Street, we will miss her."
Castello's family continues to give readings from Castello's booth on the Asbury Park boardwalk.