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RandyWakeman V.I.P. Plainfield, ILLINOIS 1617 Posts |
On Mr. Maven
“Radio announcer, graphic designer, author, pianist, teacher, singer, actor, lecturer, screenwriter, composer, advertising consultant, and chef” —obviously, the man just can’t hold a job! When the lights came up a few years back in Schaumburg, Illinois, it was Max Maven headlining the “Funny Bone” comedy club. To say that Mr. Maven’s performance was spectacular would be inadequate; the audience was engaged, astonished, amused—and so was I. A few folks were a bit scared, I suspect. Though it may sound strange, to this day when asked, “What Is the Best Comedy Club Act You Have Ever Seen?,” my answer includes Max Maven— only because it is true. Years ago, when the “Mind Games” video came out, it generated untold hours of fun— it was the first video of its kind really worth watching, and still is. Where most videos when plopped into a player are really conversation killers, Max Maven’s Mind Games generated the opposite response. Mr. Maven will likely not know how badly he fooled my grandmother, or that he was the star of quite a few Wakeman family get-togethers—but, he was. Grandma loved you, Max! Before the dilution of magical literature brought about by regurgitated videos, a good book was a treasure, and of course, still is. One of the hot “undergroundy” effects that fooled magicians so very badly back in the 1980s was performed at conventions by Derek Dingle and others. Those who followed the written works of Phil Goldstein already knew how good it was. I use a version of it constantly to this day; it can be found in Phil Goldstein’s “Focus,” a book that is packed to the gills with quality card effects all collected between two covers. I really enjoyed working through that book, and so will anyone that cares about a collection of quality card routines. Page 50 is where the effect begins; its concise description gives you no warning as to what a stunning routine it truly is. I don’t know Max Maven extremely well, though we have met on occasion. I can tell you this, though— very, very few people in Magic have put in the relentless effort that Mr. Maven has, have been more generous with sharing the knowledge and research they have acquired, or are more willing to help sort things out when asked. Magic is a far better place for Max Maven’s presence; it is striking obvious that Max Maven cares deeply about Magic, both its rich history and its future— far more than most. For that I am grateful, and we all should be. Max Maven paid loving tribute to one of the finest magicians we have ever had in the pages of Magic. I just loved Del Ray, and I don’t recall anyone ever writing as well about him, and conveying the feeling of being around Del Ray as beautifully as Max Maven did. That was a wondrous homage to Del Ray. I’m thankful for it, and I certainly Del Ray would deeply appreciate the mark of respect Max Maven punctuated his long career with. Thank you, Mr. Maven. I could go on, but mercifully for this forum, I will not. I hope Mr. Maven enjoys his visit here, and I also hope that Magic Café visitors realize what a fabulous opportunity they have in front of them. Who knows; maybe Max Maven will be the very first to actually get a coffee cup from that slippery beast, Steve Brooks? |
Max Maven V.I.P. 266 Posts |
Very kind words, Randy. Thank you.
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Vandy Grift Inner circle Milwaukee 3504 Posts |
Max,
Randy beat me to it, but I also wanted to mention and thank you for the excellent article about Del Ray that you produced for "MAGIC" magazine. There is very little in print about this wonderful magician, your article is one of the best. Thanks for the excellent article and for all of your contributions to the art. Vandy
"Get a life dude." -some guy in a magic forum
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The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The May 2005 entrée: Max Maven » » On Max Maven » » TOPIC IS LOCKED (0 Likes) |
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