ARTEMISDARCMAGICK

What’s the hardest audience you ever played?

What is the hardest audience you have ever performed for/with.

In my experience I find that performing for British Soldiers is always taxing (not that I have anything against them as I am One) as they seem to question everything.

Just wondered from your experience, what’s been your hardest.

MAX MAVEN

Probably the most difficult audience I ever experienced was back around 1979, when I performed as part of the "Chicago Fest," a free event involving dozens of different shows in assorted venues. The one I was booked in was a 5000-seat monstrosity at the Chicago Navy Pier. Intense heat, with windows to the outside so that there was sunlight in the room and hence no way to create an atmosphere.v

I was to do two 45-minute shows. The first went okay -- not great, but not bad given the conditions. The second show was different. As part of the festival there was a Charlie Daniels concert at a nearby stadium (Daniels has a popular "cowboy" band), and more people showed up than the stadium could hold. So, one or two thousand of those turned away decided to come to my show.

In those days, my opening routine was a psychological "contest" between myself and an audience member, where if I couldn't control her choice she'd win a hundred dollars. In this show, when the routine concluded successfully, the Charlie Daniels crowd exclaimed, "Hey, he didn't let her win the money! What a b*****d!" And they started booing. This was picked up by some of the others, so about half the hall was booing.

I don't know if you've ever heard the sound of two or three thousand people booing, directed at you personally. I can distinctly remember standing on the large stage, covered with sweat (both from the weather and the circumstance), and thinking, "I have 41 minutes before I can leave this stage."

It took some time, but I did eventually turn them (I.e., bring the audience to my side), so the show ended well. But that was truly a moment in Hell.

ELWOOD

Did this cause you to rethink the presentational angle of "Audience vs. Mentalist", Max, or do you think that a bit of confrontation is ok?

Personally, I believe that a certain degree of (for want of a better phrase) "Look at this - I can do something you can't" is essential in an opening effect. While you need the audience to like you, they also need to place you at a higher level of respect than their peers, not quite put you on a pedestal, but look up to you and your "Wonderful abilities/strange skills." Without this separation, you and them are no different.

MAX MAVEN

I don't think there was anything wrong with that routine per se, although it no longer suits me. In general, I don't think "confrontation" is the basis for a good relationship between performer and audience. However, there are related elements that do work well.

SMOOTH

Along with artemisdarcmagick, I find it hard to perform for Marines, but strangely I found it a lot easier to perform to British and Australian military forces. And in performing, I mean in the performance of magic. But for performing Mentalism I have found it extremely tricky when performing for Japanese people.

My plan is take on this art as a profession once my enlistment is up this December. I've been doing a lot of research into Japanese culture, the language (which I'm speaking more and more of each week), history, comedy and music. And it was a shock to me when I found out that you, Mr. Maven, did what I thought was impossible. A foreign Mentalist on Japanese TV, speaking Japanese. Although I have never seen it with my own eyes, my Japanese friends have told me they recognized you from the cover of your Videomind series that I have.

Either way, I'm forced consistently to do regular magic because it is more flashy and visual. But my heart really is in Mentalism.

My question to you is if you found presenting Mentalism to Japanese audiences as tricky as I have.

MAX MAVEN

Performing mentalism in Japan is certainly not easy. As you mentioned, there are both cultural and linguistic hurdles. When I started performing on Japanese TV back in the 1980s, there had been no mentalism in that market. It caught on, and by the end of the decade there were countless black-garbed Japanese mentalists. That boom (as is always the case with booms) ran its course, but there is still a market.

YOSHI

Japan

You seem to have an infatuation with Japan; you have published books on Japanese magic; you have sold effects like Kurotsuke and Shinkansen; you have written routines for Tenyo, you have collaborated with people like Ton Onosaka on numerous occasions, and the most noteworthy of all, you have performed in your own shows on Japanese television, performing in very fluent Japanese. I'm very interested to know how you first got interested in the country and its culture.

Secondly, what is your opinion on the place of magic in society, in Japan and in the west? Are they similar, or do they serve different purposes? And how, from your own experience, do audiences and their reactions vary between the Orient and the Occident? And who do you prefer to perform to, Japanese spectators or Western spectators?

Finally, this isn't really a question, but I watched the new year magic show starring you, Lennart Green, Henry Evans, Tomo Maeda, Tom Stone, Andrew Goldenhersh all together, with extra footage with performances by Guy Hollingsworth and Dr Sawa (UK and US residents, you missed a truly great show!) and I loved your performance of the book test with the 'osoroshii' and the torn out page, and the replication of the picture of a bear that the girl drew. But the highlight of the show for me was the magic collaboration with the eight of spades, when you forced it and did mind reading, Lennart Green found it, Andrew Goldenhersh turned it into an 8-ball, and Tom Stone flattened it back into the eight of spades. That kind of collaborative effort is seldom seen and so it was such an exciting watch. You all looked like you were having a lot of fun as well! I just wanted to say that I had seen your performances on video before, but I was so impressed that even among those masters of this art, you stood out with your aura of experience and such high calibre.

MAX MAVEN

Thank you for the kind words.

My first opportunity to visit Japan was in 1981, when Shigeo Takagi suggested to Ton Onosaka that he bring me over for a lecture tour. When I arrived, I found myself greatly intrigued by the culture (about which I knew very little). I also hit it off with several people, particularly the Onosaka family, and solid friendships developed.

So, I plunged into learning the language and getting a handle on the culture, and managed to do a reasonable job at both. I have been back about 35 times (I've lost count of the actual number), and been very involved in performing and producing there, as well as helping book Japanese magicians in the west.

I think the position of magic in Japanese society is not that different from other cultures. As in the west, it is frequently relegated to a rather trivial position. But, now and then, good work breaks through. There are "boom" periods in Japan, not unlike the west, but sometimes more extreme. For instance, at the moment there is a close-up magic "boom" there, which has led to some very good television shows (and some not so good). This will probably last another year at most.

Audience reactions are not that different, if/when the audience feels license to react.

Regarding the "collaboration" routine on the NTV special back in January, I'm glad you liked it, as it was my doing. The producers had a vague idea that some sort of group piece would be a nice way to finish the show, but had no idea how to put it together. So, I plotted out the sequence based on knowing the other performers' repertoires, and the result was a lot of fun.