Forget that one. I can "google it".

I was very upset when Prism came out as I'd just spent $867 on a copy of your Orange Book of Mentalism, and then found out it wasn't even one of the colors! I should have known better. The guy had nothing but negative feedback. Oh well, I'll just stick it on the shelf next to the brown one I bought last year.

Someone told me they heard you say something very funny. A spectator was thinking of a card, and you put one face-down in their hand. The spectator said, "If I turn this card over and it's the one I'm thinking of, I'm leaving!" You said, "Goodbye." I love that.

I can't wait until you publish all of your stuff in a big, hardbound book like Stewart James. I can see it now..."Max Maven in Print: The First Month"

Seriously Max, I hope everything's going well for you, and that we can meet again one day, have a coffee, and discuss the permutations of the Faro shuffle. Well, that or the Hippity Hop Rabbits...

All the best,

Chad

Are you THE Chad Long, the guy who came up with "The Shuffling Lesson"? That is an awesome trick, and if you are he, then kudos to you, man.

It be he!

Thanks for the kind (and amusing) comments, Chad.

The "Goodbye" story took place in Chicago in the 1980s. I was in a bar with Jay Marshall and Jim Steinmeyer. Someone (I don't recall who, but it was a magician) walked in. Either Jim or Jay said, "Good. Max has been doing The Trick That Cannot Be Explained for the past hour and a half, and no one can have luck that good, so maybe you'll break his run."

The fellow looked at me. I said, "Name a card." He said, "The five of hearts." I pointed to the deck, which was sitting on the table, uncased and untouched, and said, "Spread the deck."

He said, "If the five of hearts is reversed in that deck, I'm leaving." And I said, "Goodbye."

(The five of hearts was reversed, but he didn't leave.)

Oh -- in answer to your initial question: Helium.

Helium???
my grandfather told me that they had caught a fake psychic who claim that she can ressurect the dead. the psychic pump the dead body with helium and put it inside the coffin. where in effect the dead seems to rise...

To those who are interested, I had the fortune of seeing Max perform what he referred to as, "The Trick That Cannot Be Explained On Steroids" at Eastbourne last year. He did it twice in a row and I nearly fell out my chair both times. Jim (or Jay) was right - no one can possibly have luck like that so consistently...

Max, perhaps you'd like to talk about "The Trick That Cannot Be Explained": the circumstances under which you'll typically perform it, how your unique version of it evolved, and why you are so fond of it (assuming you are). I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.

Best,
Stephen