GARY SCOTT

Magicians biggest flaw..?

I was wondering what you thought the biggest flaw magicians seem to have as performers....and is there anything that you have come across over the years that would correct this?...

MAX MAVEN

Obviously, there are a lot of magicians who have technical limitations -- but I believe your question is not about flawed sleights or inept stage deportment or poor audience management. Rather, something larger.

I think the most common flaw among magicians is to undervalue what they do. The magicians of the 20th century (and into this century) have managed to take something that is inherently profound, and render it trivial.

YANIV DEAUTSCH

Hypnosis

I know that you have practiced hypnosis in the past.

I would like to know what is your definition of it?

MAX MAVEN

Scientists cannot agree as to the definition of hypnosis. My own belief is that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, so when it is an interaction between a hypnotist and a subject the result is "externally guided self-hypnosis."

The hypnotic state itself is a form of intense focus with distractions canceled out, so that the subject is in a state of high suggestibility.

YANIV DEAUTSCH

Publicity Stunts

Just wondering what kind of publicity stunts did you used in the past?

Is it true that you used to do The Balducci Levitation?

MAX MAVEN

I don't really do publicity stunts. However, some of the television pieces I have done have had the "once-in-a-lifetime" aspect that is similar. The most recent example would be the piece I did for British TV that aired late last year, where I was in the Tower of London and a newscaster was on top of the BBC building six and a half miles away. Under rather stringent conditions, she drew a picture and I did the same (in real time), and the results matched.

As for the Balducci levitation, I worked out an interesting presentation back in the 1970s that I did occasionally for a few years -- not in formal performance circumstances. It was a strong piece, but did not really fit me, so I stopped doing it.

GARY SCOTT

Character

How would you define Max Maven as a performing 'character'?

What do you want the ' character' of Max Maven to project to an audience whilst on stage?

MAX MAVEN

My on-stage character is an exaggeration of my off-stage character.

As for the definition, I'll let the press describe it:

“CHARISMATIC”

— Los Angeles Times

“DELIGHTFULLY DROLL”

— The Stage, London

“BRILLIANTLY SARCASTIC”

— The List, Edinburgh

“SERPENT-LIKE HUMOR”

— Variety

“WONDERFULLY ESOTERIC”

— Chicago Tribune

“CATEGORY- DEFYING”

— New York Times