NO.

101
DECEMBER 2022

VANISH MAGIC MAGAZINE

MAX MAVEN
1950 - 2022
Paul Romhany
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VANISH WO
D
D
FROM

R
R
THE
MAGAZINE EDITOR
PUBLISHER
Paul Romhany & Joomag

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & DESIGN LAYOUT

Paul Romhany
FAREWELL TO MAX MAVEN
COVER PHOTO

T
Desgin Paul Romhany his issue is a very special tribute to Max Maven. I was fortunate enough
to meet Max many years ago and was a huge fan of his work prior to
that meeting. What struck me was how giving he was of his time. He was
BACK COVER PHOTO fascinated in the cat book I had written and was very complimentary. I never
Thanks to Xavier Mortimer forget seeing him flick through the pages and a little smile and raised eyebrow
appear on his face. That's when I knew he 'got it.'
THANK YOU TO The cover is an original piece of artwork I created where I combined his last
Chipper Lowell written words that were shared over social media after his passing, with the
strong image of his face. It took me over 40 hours of intricate work and is
available as a commemorative poster measuring 16.5” x 20.5” from Nielsen Magic.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lupe produces the best quality posters and this one is a fine giclee printed with
Nick Lewin UV Inks on CANVAS. See the advert for more details.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Hal Meyers, Ben Robinson
CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Romhany, Louie Fox, Nick Lewin,
Connie Boyd, Pierre Hamon & Gus, Dave
Attwood, Patrick Kuffs, Nigel Harrison
plus all 47 contributors for the Max
Maven tribute
The number of tributes that came in from all over the world was overwhelming
and I decided to take out regular articles so we could feature all of them. This
would not have been possible without the hard work of Nick and Susan Lewin.
They went above and beyond to help me get this ready in time and they deserve
a huge thank you. We have over 45 contributors, and we would like to thank
them all for sharing their stories and memories of Max. This shows just how much
he was loved and respected by magicians all over the world.
We also continue the Illusion design series by Nigel Harrison. These are proving
extremely popular with some great feedback. If you are looking for original
illusions check out this series.

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR I wish everybody a happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2023 be your
Jennifer Holden year and bring you all that you deserve and wish for. In the words of Max Maven,
“I learned we should be kind to one another and forgive people for being flawed and
CREATIVE DESIGNER & LAYOUT prideful.”
Paul Romhany
I will be moving back to Canada in January and will be traveling more and
getting to conventions. I hope to meet many readers at the events I plan on
VANISH CONVENTION DIRECTOR
attending.
Steve Hocevar

CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION

Joomag Paul Romhany
ADDRESS
PLEASE NOTE:
New address so email
prior
The Great Pokkus
to posting any
product reviews to
VANISH.
editor@
vanishmagazine.com

BY PIERRE HAMON AND GUS

 TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
PAGE 05
MAX MAVEN TRIBUTE
PAGE 06

product highlight - illuminate sribe & second sight

PAGE 60

celbrating four years of wonder - charles bach

PAGE 66

breaking the magicians code part two - gustav kuhn

PAGE 76

helen coghlan - five time fooler

PAGE 82

illusion design - nigel harrison

PAGE 90

POKETUS SUBTERFUGE
PAGE 112

REIVEWS
PAGE 120
 VANISH

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& EFFECT illusionplans.ca

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116
Design by
NIGEL HARRISON

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110 82 NOVEMBER | 2022 7

MAX MAVEN
21 DECEMBER 1950- 1 NOVEMBER 2022

"Teller and I first saw Max in the 70s, at some magic

convention or something. Maybe NYC, maybe Philly.
I don’t remember. I don’t remember the tricks he
did. But I remember the feeling. Teller and I had
seen Springsteen a few times before and I remember
feeling, “I have seen the future of magic and its name
used to be Phil Goldstein.” He was amazing. I had
never seen tricks like that, totally fooled on every
single one, and a stage style that killed me dead. He
wasn’t playing the bland nice guy that everyone else
was doing then. He was something else. Something
wonderful. Wow.

And after that he just got smarter and better. When

there were magical problems that we couldn’t figure
out, we called Max, and he had a solution for us.

Max will be missed. Magic in general, and Penn &

Teller specifically, will be a little less good."

Penn Jillette
PHOTO BY ARTO AIRAKSINEN
 MAX MAVEN. A MAGICIAN WHO CONTAINED MULTITUDES.
This title is a reference to Walt Whitman’s
poem Song of Myself. The actual quote is “Do I
contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large,
I contain multitudes.)” This seems like a fine
start to any tribute about Max Maven. The
outpouring of grief over the passing of Max
has resulted in an enormous, I might say
unprecedented, number of heartfelt stories
and reminisces about this extraordinary
member of the magic community. If Max could
be described as a multitude, then it is equally
correct to say he was appreciated and loved by
multitudes.
Max Maven was born Philip Goldstein
on December 21st, 1950, in Ithaca, New
York. He passed on November 1st, 2022, in
Hollywood, California after a two-year battle
with glioblastoma. In those 71 years, he
established himself as one of magic’s finest
performers, thinkers, writers, and historians.
He also created an indelible persona named
Max Maven who worked side by side with Phil
Goldstein to touch on, and improve on, every
BY NICK LEWIN
aspect of magic they explored. Few, if any, in the aftermath of his passing. I am just going
members of the magic community have left to relate one small story that affected me on a
more creative fingerprints on their art form very personal level.
than Max.
Back in the '70s Susan and I threw a party in
Max has been showered with every kind of our home in Sherman Oaks. Staying with us at
award that magic can bestow, he has been the time were my parents from England. My
seen in live and televised performances father was an old-school British gentleman, a
around the world, all the while creating chartered accountant who had a deep-rooted
routines that will be performed by magicians love of all things mathematical. At one point I
forever. However, as we are learning more
and more from the testimony of magicians
worldwide, it was the man behind the persona
that frequently touched and moved his
contemporaries. Max was a very kind and
generous soul partially concealed behind the
somewhat sinister widow’s peak and black
clothing that made him so recognizable.
Maven was never a person to suffer fools
gladly, but equally, he never stinted in
helping a fellow magician improve their
understanding and grasp of magic. Max was
never one to desire or seek recognition for his
generosity or kindness, so it is profound how
many such stories about him have flowed out
 "What an amazing friend Max was to me; a true friend. When
others tried to harm me Max defended me and he did it without
reservation or reward. 50 years of unconditional love. Bless you Max
we shall meet soon again." - Uri Geller

noticed my dad and Max hidden in the corner

of my office with notepads of paper. My father
had a look of pure joy on his face as Max
showed him the intricacies of Magic Squares.
They looked such an incongruent pair, but for
about an hour and a half, Max took the time to
teach my dad everything he knew about the
curious art and science of the Magic Square.
Why? Because my father had a real desire to
learn and understand. My dad never forgot
this simple act of kindness and neither did I. It
is just a tiny example of Max being Max.
I want to keep my segment of this tribute
short, simple, and not cluttered with too much
detail. I decided it would be a nice idea to
explore various facets of Max’s “multitudes”
from several angles. A 40 shades of Max. I felt
this gives a better appreciation of Max than
just my words, therefore I reached out to
various other people to add their thoughts.
This was not a thorough or exhaustive
outreach and I apologize to all those who
would like to have added something but
didn’t have a chance to contribute here.
Stories and insights about Max will be shared
for years by magicians who were lucky enough
to know him.
Amongst the many attributes, Max brought
to the magic table was a fast and razor-sharp
sense of humor. In almost any situation it
was fair to assume Max would have the last
words—and they would be good ones. Max's
linguistic skills were second to none and
his words were magnificently amplified by
his deep and beautifully modulated voice. I
suppose it shouldn’t have been of no surprise
to anyone when Max had the definitive last
words on his planetary trip. However, it was! A
few days after his passing the following tweet
appeared on social media, and I can’t think of
better or wiser words to conclude my part of
this tribute.
Max Maven@RealMaxMaven:
I made my life about words, reading them
and writing them. I wish I had a more
elegant way of telling you all that I love you.
I had a good run, made wonderful friends,
shared many laughs, and I learned a great
many things.
I learned that magic allows us to be so much
bigger than we are. I learned we should be
kind to one another and forgive people for
being flawed and prideful.
The one thing I know is that we can all do
better, and I think we will.
FRIENDS
pay tribute
DAVID REGAL
I W
will forever appreciate
something Max said to me.
When I moved to California
with my wife and kids things were
chaotic and I continually worried
that I'd made a mistake. I looked
up Max not because I knew him
particularly well, but because he
was one of the few on the West
Coast I knew at all. As I opened
up to him he could tell I felt
untethered and a bit lost. He said:
"Well, you have friends out here.
Like me."
MICHAEL FINNEY GARY PLANTS
M
hat a treat it was having ax, at first glance, could
a friend like Max Maven. be very intimidating.
He was so worldly. When When I first read The Jinx
I say friend, he was a road friend. magazine, I was always intrigued
I’d never been to his house, and with the genius of Ted Anneman.
he’d never been to mine. He was Max was my Ted Anneman.
somebody I grew to know on the
road. We were booked together a
lot in the 80s, magic conventions
and clubs a few tv shows. As
our friendship grew so did my
admiration. I was getting to work
with a real master of his craft. It
was his presence while in character
that grabbed me. The dedication
to the performance and the
amazing feats of Astonishment.
“Boo” has to tell you what a great
sense of humor he had about
himself. I think that’s why we got
along. I made him laugh. If you
were in Missouri at David Sandy‘s
event you got to see my favorite
memory with Max. But I will always
remember how he made me feel. It
was a magical friendship.
 A true legend in
magic. Gone but never
forgotten.” - Jeff Hobson
JOE & MARK STEVENS
M T
ax Maven dedicated his
life to magic! His purpose
in magic was to be a
conduit for all magicians and was
always pleased to give us advice
on oh so many projects that we
have been involved with in magic
world for almost 50 years! I will
miss his NO nonsense valuable
advice! We miss you Max! Thanks
for being such a valued friend!.
MAGIC CHRISTIAN
he words seem to escape
my computer only slowly.
They seem to mourn the
same as the writer of these lines.
A good friend is gone who started
estimated over the time the
importance of magic history more
and more as the wonderful world
of deception. He tried to learn
from the old masters from the East
and West and started to learn even
Japanese to get closer to their
philosophy of life.
We started to became friends
over magical effects meeting at
conventions and specially at the
Magic Castle but became closer
being historical addicted persons
exchanging ideas on historical
fact and magic heroes. And Max
inspired probably several young
magicians to to go back to the
roots and learn their lessons from
the old masters too. R.I.P my
friend.
BILL SMITH
I
first met Max at the Magic Castle
while performing there in 1975.
Max was also a good friend of
Harry Blackstone Jr (who I toured
with for 10 years between 1977
and 1987), and Max met with
us on the road quite often. My
favorite memory was when we
were in Cleveland in 1980 at the
Palace Theater. The Palace was
connected to the State Theater
which was under restoration and
was rumored to be haunted. As
a publicity stunt to promote the
Blackstone Show, Max performed
a Seance with several local TV
reporters. I snuck into the back of
the very dark theater and watched
Max at work, center stage with
only the traditional "ghost light"
on stage for illumination and
he scared the hell out of those
reporters. It was a great lesson in
showmanship for me! Thanks, Max
for 47 years of friendship!
eNcouraging
My Pal Max Maven
by Mac King

I
a trick. And then he did a trick. Lance trick plots that fit me perfectly was
first met Max Maven when I was
and I were 18 years old at the time, impeccable. His knowledge of methods
teenager, at an Abbott’s Get Together
and as often happens with 18 year old was massive. He was encouraging and
in 1978. I was sitting with Lance
magicians, we thought we were hot shit. smart. In addition to my show, Max
Burton in the bleachers in the un-
So Max did his first trick. I looked at Lance, influenced my everyday life. Book
air-conditioned sweltering Colon
Lance looked at me. We each shrugged recommendations. Movies. Jokes. Food.
High School Gymnasium. Max was
our shoulders helplessly. Neither of us Music.
introduced and us two Kentucky
had a clue. Second trick. Fooled us just as
hillbillies had never seen anything
bad. Third trick. No idea. Every-single-trick And on Thanksgiving Day at my house
like that. The first thing we noticed—
simply pulverized us. Easily the most I’ve he always expertly carved the turkey.
obviously—was his trademark widow’s-
ever been fooled by one person at one
peak. Then that orotund Max Maven
sitting—before or since. Every day since his death I think of
voice. And then his ensemble. Black.
things I want to talk to him about. I
Obviously. But not just black. And not
Max has probably had more influence miss him so. I sure do love Max Maven.
the black puffy pants and knee length
on me and my show than any other
blouses he favored in his latter years.
person. He watches with a genius eye
No. A solid black beautifully fitting
and can come up with just the right turn
three piece suit. But without a shirt—
of phrase or little moment to enhance
chest hair proudly billowing from his
a performance. His ability to suggest
vest. And then Lance and I were like,
“Wait. He’s not wearing a shirt and yet
there are white shirt sleeves visible at
the end of his rolled up jacket sleeves.”
We thought that was so cool. Already
a mystery and he hadn’t even done

Max carving the turkey.

deTermined I
first met Max Maven in the 1970s
when he arrived at the Magic Castle
sporting an exaggerated widow’s
peak haircut and all-black clothing.
His extreme look, unusual talent, and
approachable arrogance immediately
captured the imagination of Castle
audiences, as well as a clever young
artists’ manager named David
Belenzon—who was also Harry
Blackstone Jr.’s manager.
With the emergence of Doug
Henning in the early seventies,
magic’s popularity was sky-high.
David immediately saw the potential
in Max’s unique look, style, and
mentalist talents, whose intelligent
and skillful approach to performing
created a curious juxtaposition to
his almost cartoon-like look—all of
which set him apart from the other
mentalists of his day. Unlike Uri Geller
or Kreskin—two superstar performers
during those years—Max’s style
DIANA S. ZIMMERMAN embraced an intriguing sense of
irony.
persona. Max’s popularity continued
to soar when he traveled to Japan,
differentiating himself from other
American magicians with his ability to
speak Japanese, as well as his magical
skills.
Talented, creative, and determined,
to say Max was an enigma is an
understatement. He could be arrogant,
demanding, and even condescending.
But he was also a highly respected
consultant and beloved mentor who
gave unselfishly of his time. I was
fortunate to know all sides of Max
Maven, personal and professional, for
more than four decades. As with so
many of magic’s greats, his legacy will
live on—and so it should. He was a
uniquely talented master of his craft,
who, in the end, became the legend in
magic he always wanted to be.

Together, he and David Belenzon

crafted a dynamic thirty-plus-year
career during which Max toured the
world, was a featured performer on
the college circuit, and at comedy
clubs. He also guest-starred on
dozens of television shows, both
as a mentalist and in acting roles,
often playing a parody of his own
Photo © H. Rick Bamman
polymath
JON RACHERBAUMER

I
n our shared world of magic
Max was a person, a presence,
and a phenomenon for at
least half a century. He was also
a polymath who generously
shared what he knew in print
and in person, doing it with style
and (to use a word he liked to
use) panache. My collegial bond
with Max was primarily based
on words. Both of us were driven
to memorialize tricks, theories,
ideas, and anything else related
to magic. But Max was more
prolific than I. In this regard he
reminded me of Walt Whitman,
the poet who wrote in his ”Song
of Myself”—“I am large. I contain
multitudes!”

I loved the fact that he wore

two masks to express what he
wanted to convey: He could be
Phil Goldstein or Max Maven; and
whenever I read his words I heard
his oracular voice. Other times
what I heard was affectionately
chummy. In person he inevitably
charmed me, even when he
scolded and criticized (often with
irony and humor.) But in the long Photo © H. Rick Bamman
run his words were what matterd.
They are his soulful proxy and
legacy.
I’m now remembering a quote reality. This essentially does I will miss his presence while
Therefore, when he departed by American playwright, not die but clarifies. being simultaneously grateful
the Here and Now, I sought Thorton Wilder that Max for the legacy he left to me
words to describe how I felt thought was apropos when The highest tribute to and the rest of the magic
about this discombobulating dealing with the loss of a the dead is not grief but world.
loss . Max would have known. loved one. gratitude.”
He was masterful at finding the
right words and how to provide “All that we can know about Ironically Max’s last message
explanations that illuminated and those we have loved and lost to us on social media
consoled. is that they would wish us to expressed the same gratitude
remember them with a more and love, using the right
intensified realization of their words at the right time.
 Photo © H. Rick Bamman

Photo © H. Rick Bamman

Photo © H. Rick Bamman

Photo © FISM 2022 - Richard Kaufman with Max Maven Photo © H. Rick Bamman
 LIBERTY LARSEN
A
s we all know, Max was
so many things, it would
be impossible for any
one person to know or even see
all the facets to him. A brilliant
diamond mind that impacted
the art and our community
like no other. Of all those many
layers, I’m so grateful that I got
to know best the gigantic heart
and the big softie beneath the
sharply crafted persona that was
and is Max Maven. I got to be his
kid, from the age of eight years
old, onward to the last sweet
and tender moments of life.
Max, these are just a few of the
“thank yous” I hold in my heart
forever.
Thank you for carrying my
little pink backpack over one
shoulder down Franklin Avenue
at 7:30 AM. every day (those of
you who really knew Max and
his blackout curtains don’t-call-
before-noon lifestyle know how
huge that is — that’s love!)
Thank you for answering all of
my endless little kid questions,
for always treating me like an
equal, making me feel smart
and sharpening my intellect.
Thank you for getting me
hooked on Ethel Merman and
educating me in musical and
Broadway history for years and
years to come.
Thank you for nurturing my
talents, sparking my interests,
and helping me create my very
first magic act.
Thank you for making little fairy
wings out of cardboard, big
polka dots, and pink sparkle
paper right in your apartment
office on Halloween.
Thank you for scaring my friends
and being there for my family,
as part of our family, beyond
anything I can ever truly express.
We miss you more every day,
and I will wish, as we all will, that
I could call you to talk about
magic, theater, and life — for the
rest of my life. Nothing can take
the place of that, and nothing
can take away everything you
gave, to all of us. I love you so
much.
 RICHARD WEBSTER
W
ay back in 1976, I
bought two booklets
that changed my
life: “The Horoscope Party” by
Robert Nelson and “The Blue
Book of Mentalism” by Phil
Goldstein. From memory, they
cost four dollars each, and
within weeks of buying them
I was able to make a fulltime
living as a psychic entertainer.
Bascom Jones, publisher of
Magick, gave me Phil’s address,
and I sent him a letter thanking
him for his help in kick-
starting my career. I received a
charming reply, and we began
exchanging occasional letters.
I finally met him ten years later
when he was guest of honor
at Tony Andruzzi’s Invocational
in Chicago in 1986. I thought
he’d be too busy to spend time
with an unknown mentalist
from New Zealand, but he was
extremely gracious and kind,
To the magic community Max Maven was an icon, a god, but
to me he was simply my friend, my Uncle Max. He always
made me laugh, made me think, he was supportive and
nonjudgmental. And every year he carved the turkey at our
house for Thanksgiving."
and we were able to spend
quite a bit of time together.
The following year, again at the
Invocational, I was fortunate
enough to perform in a strange
magic ritual with Max. That’s a
treasured memory.
Perhaps my most memorable
time with Max was at the Magic
Castle when he introduced me
to T. A. Waters, and we spent
an hour or two in the library
there, followed by a visit to the
séance room. A year or two
earlier, I had attended a séance
Max gave and was extremely
impressed with what he could
do with virtually no props.
He showed me some of the
gimmicks in the séance room,
but said he’d never used them.
He didn’t need to.
Over the years, he answered
numerous questions from
me on a variety of subjects,
- Jennifer Sils King
including mentalism,
mnenomics, Jewish lore, and
even tips on learning a foreign
I’ll miss Max greatly. He was
always friendly, kind, generous,
and sharing. Although he’s
language. On one occasion I no longer with us, he left a
told him how I thought he’d huge legacy of books, articles,
performed an effect I’d seen lecture notes, effects, and DVDs
on a video. His reply was one that will help performers for
sentence long, telling me that generations to come.
he hadn’t used that method. I
thought I’d offended him but A year or two ago, someone
received another letter from asked me who were the
him a day or two later telling greatest mentalists in the world.
me that he’d seen Kreskin He didn’t ask me to list them in
performing an effect of mine order, but if he had, Max Maven
on TV. would be top of my list.
In June 2012, when I was in
New York with my wife and
my daughter, Charlotte, I took
them to see Max performing his
Thinking in Person show at the
Abingdon Theatre. We loved the
show and were able to spend
time with Max afterwards.
Margaret and Charlotte had
heard a great deal about him
over the years and were thrilled
to meet him. That was the last
time I saw Max in person.
 ALLEN ZINGG
I was a contemporary of Max. I
knew him first as Phil Goldstein
when he created what seemed to
be an infinite number of packet
tricks through Hank Lee in Boston.
Between Emerson and West, Phil
seemed to put out a new creation
once every week or two. I think
the first I bought was Tiny Water a
four-card version of Oil and Water. I
met Phil at a Tannen’s Jubilee late at
night when he joined us and another
couple. He demoed Symbol Simon a
great and organic prediction effect
and Five Card Polka, a very funny
an amazing packet effect. Later I
purchased a magazine telepathy
routine he marketed through Jeff
Busby, Parasight. Another amazing
routine. He had not yet identified as
Max Maven, but his creativity was
evident even then.
Over the years I was amazed at his
creative output. I loved his droll
sense of humor as when I saw him
on Merv Griffen Show and he was
introduced as one of the guests and
there was a line of previous guests,
perhaps Zaza Gabor, Phylis Diller,
and Rip Taylor. He looked down the
line and said, “Usually I’m the odd
one.” How priceless.
What I was struck by over the
years is how he embraced and
loved both magic and mentalism
and his originality in both. By the
way, somewhere I have a New Tops
magazine with a contribution from
him titled. A Comedy Vent Routine
by Phil Goldstein. I always wanted
to confront/blackmail him with this
after he became Max Maven. LOL.
LUPE NIELSEN
GOODBYE UNCLE MAX ...
Although I met Max Maven for
the first time in the late 1980s,
while working at Hank Lee’s Magic
Factory (Hank always called him
“Phil” in those days), I started to
know him better at the 1997 Los
Angeles Conference on Magic
History, when he presented
Joseffy’s “Balsamo,” the talking
skull. He was brilliant and
remarkable in his presentation
of the effect. Throughout the
years, Norm and I saw and spent
time with Max at various magic
conventions, social events and
shows. I still remember the time
we toured Finland in 2005, it
was a treat to hang out with him
backstage every day. He even
helped us with our luggage during
our journeys by train.
Max was a true creative genius,
who left his indelible mark in
most of the magic literature of
the 1970s through the 2010s.
He was a genuinely nice person,
who really knew how to listen to
people. He was also a great trivia
wiz, storyteller, and great critic of
magic.
My nickname for him was “Uncle
Max.” The world of magic will never
be the same without him. All I can
say is that I thank my lucky stars
that I met him and that he touched
my life. Rest in peace, Max Maven,
and may God bless you always.
STEVE SCHLANGER
I’ve been a magician for a long
time, and I’ve never seen the out
pouring of love that I’ve seen with
the news of Max Maven‘s passing.
I don’t even think he could’ve
predicted it. A few months ago, I
had an opportunity to be with Max
and other magicians at a Magic
Castle séance. I asked a technical
question relating to the Sphinx
magazine and Max was not only
able to recall several articles that
were in the Sphinx, but what year
and who was on the cover on any
given month.
Several years ago, I was at the
Magic Castle in the Palace of
Prestidigitation and Max was
performing, and there was a
drunken heckler in the audience. I
have never seen a performer take
care of the situation so directly.
Max was a master in anything that
he did.
I wish I got the opportunity to
know him better; I remember a
few years ago Max stated that one
of his favorite books was Harpo
Speaks. This was very big news
to me has it is one of my favorite
books and I no idea that he liked
it. I would’ve never predicted that
we had the love of this book in
common.
I believe that Max is visiting Al
Baker, Ted Annemann, Eugene
Burger, and Joseph Dunninger
among others. Aloha Max. We all
love you.
 MARC DE SOUZA
O
bviously, Max's passing doesn't take us by surprise, but it is still dev- with us, which he was glad to do. As we were walking out the door, he asked
astating. Max was a friend for over 50 years. We met at a convention, us to call him Max. I thought it was some sort of joke, but he told us that this
probably a Larry Weeks one day affair, and immediately hit it off. He was his new stage persona and he wanted to "inhabit" the character. And so,
was going by an assumed name at that point ;) We would get together at as awkward as that was, we all called him Max. At first, he was Max Goniff, the
conventions or on my visits to Boston and spend time together talking and Thief of Thoughts. In Yiddish, that made perfect sense, but he soon realized
sessioning. that Goniff was not a very flattering term and so he changed it to
Maven, being a very flattering term. And he was indeed
Around 1975, I asked Phil to come down to a Maven of the highest order!
Philly to do a private lecture, which he did.
It was at my then girlfriend's apart- I feel fortunate to have shared many
ment. The lecture was based on sessions and talks with Max over
material that would eventual- the years. Our last was at FISM
ly become his book Classic in Quebec City. Somehow,
Tacklers. He came down I felt that this would be
the night before and the last time I would
I picked him up at see him. We shared
the Philly train some memories
station. Geoff and I told him
Strauss, Roy how much I
Snyder, my valued his
girlfriend advice,
and I were knowl-
going to edge and
a party friend-
given by ship over
some these
non-ma- many
gician years.
friends. Sleep
We invit- well my
ed Phil friend.
to come

Photo by Dale Farris

PHOTOS BY DALE FARRIS

 MAX AFTER JUDY CARTER'S SHOW

L-R - ERIKA LARSEN, SARA, JUDY CARTER, MAX

 SARA BALLANTINE

I
was introduced to Max Maven by my wonderful father,
Carl Ballantine. I had seen a lot of magic growing up, but
I had never seen anyone quite like Max Maven. He was
so striking looking and intimidating (to my younger self )
and appeared to truly have psychic powers. We used to
pick up Max and go out to dinner after my mom passed,
and Max told us how much he liked Ceil. It warmed both
of our hearts to hear him speak of her glowingly. I think
my mom totally touched his heart too somehow.

On January 9th 2007, Max did a “Castle Perk” down in the

Inner Circle where he interviewed my dad. I was lucky to
attend that perk, and I saw my dad’s mind visibly blown
by the questions Max asked him. Talk about delving! My
dad had no idea how thoroughly Max had researched his
subject. Another huge point for my heart-o-meter.

Cut to years later when Max and I were both elected to

serve on the AMA Board of Directors. We found ourselves
in lock-step with our opinions and future goals to improve
the AMA. A true kinship was formed, and I was grateful for
his insight and expertise.

Sadly, he began to get terrible headaches around May

of 2021. After his surgery, I became very involved with
just visiting and hanging out with him as he pushed on
through recovery. I was grateful to be part of a close circle
of friends who morphed into a family of love and support
for him.

Our time together was special and precious as I became

closer to the man separate from his performer persona.
Since I am not a magician - only magician adjacent, we
had wonderful talks about theatre and music and books
and movies we enjoyed. He was tickled to hear my
audition stories and was so supportive of my documentary
film “TROUPERS.” He would have been in the sequel, had
we ever gotten around to it. He was just happy when we
got together, and without spilling any confidences said
beautiful things to me. There was just a lot of love there.
And love of good food! His cat however, hated me.

It was an honor to meet his sisters Naomi and Sara. (I

couldn’t believe he had a sister with the same name and
he had never mentioned it!)

To learn more about his childhood and family life was just
so special.

I am beyond glad he had the opportunity to know how

much he was loved and beloved by so many before he
passed, and for him to receive the Masters Fellowship for
all his accomplishments and contributions to the world
of magic was surely a highlight for him. Just look at all
the lives you touched dear Max. You will be missed and
remembered forever. I like to think that Phil Goldstein
and Meyer Kessler are smoking cigars and talking magic
SARA BALLANTINE somewhere. I love you.
GenErous
SANDY MARSHALL - “BROTHER” MAX
I
can’t remember a time when Max Maven
and I weren’t friends unless you count
the time when Phil Goldstein and I were
friends. (Yes, that was his given name at
birth). We go back a long way. Max was my
brother from another mother, and he always
looked at my dad (Jay Marshall) as his
number one mentor. When my wife, Susan
and I planned a surprise 80th birthday party
for Jay in 1999, Max was the first person
we called to be on the show. He flew into
Chicago and performed a hilarious variation
of Lefty with a creepy, skeletal “Righty”
routine to the shock (and delight) of a
packed crowd.
Others are certain to tell you that Max was
a great writer, master showman, brilliant
mentalist and, at the time of his death, one
of the most knowledgeable people on the
subject of magic in the English-speaking
world. He certainly was that, but he was
so much more. You should never have
been fooled by his highbrow, sagacious
demeanor. Max was always generous to a
fault, sharing knowledge, magic, obscure
facts, and fun on a daily basis to anyone who
was interested. Just be sure not to phone
him before 3:00 P.M. He didn't like waking
up too early.
Max was also something of an actor and
in one of his many television appearances,
he appeared on “Mork and Mindy” in
1978 as Mork’s driving examiner. This was
particularly funny to those of us that knew
Max never learned to drive.
Years ago, when Max had his heart attack,
Aye Jaye and I showed up at the hospital
dressed as priests. Max couldn’t stop
laughing.
Virtually always dressed in black, with black
eye make-up and a pronounced widow’s
peak, that made him look demonic, his
opening line upon coming on stage was
“BOO” delivered in a contemptuous sort of
way. Because of this, many people thought
Max was standoffish. Nothing could have
been further from the truth. He would come
to lecture and perform at Magic
Inc. almost every year. During the
pandemic, when Magic Inc. was in
serious financial trouble, Max led
the charge (with many other great
friends) to perform on our very
successful telethon.
Susan and I saw Max’s one-man
show in London at the Bridewell
Theatre. It was very entertaining, but
I thought it should and could be so
much more. Happily, Max trusted me
to make that happen.
I produced and directed Max Maven:
Thinking in Person Off-Broadway and
brought on board a beautiful, young
actress named Melanie Crispin to
act as a foil for Max, as well as nine-
time Tony Award-winning lighting
designer, Jules Fisher, and gifted
set designer, Alan Muraoka. Mystic
Myron Lowenstein ran the box
office. The show received fourteen
New York reviews... EVERYONE an
absolute RAVE. After each show,
Max would meet with the audience
out in the lobby as they left the
theatre, signing autographs and
taking pictures with them. No, he
was hardly standoffish. I had black
tee-shirts made for the production
and on the back the words: “Those
people who think they know it all
make it very difficult on those of
us who do.” Yes (if you’ll pardon the
pun), that was Max to a tee.
What an absolute pleasure it was
working with “Brother” Max on this
project.
Maybe my favorite Max story is
when I sent him an early copy of the
biography I wrote about my dad,
Beating a Dead Horse: The Life and
Times of Jay Marshall before it was
published. After he read it, he said
in his wonderful erudite voice, “Well,
you got MOST of it right.” I said,
“So what did I get wrong? He said,
“You say that Jay attained the rank
of sergeant in the army. Well, Jay
was very vocal about going into the
army as a buck private and coming
out a buck private.” I smiled and said,
“While that made a better story, and
Jay always loved a better story, it
isn’t true.” Max can’t really have his
feet held to the fire for this bit of
Jay Marshall propaganda because
he got it from the horse's mouth,
but I told Max, I had a few things
that he didn't have. I had my dad’s
dog tags, his sergeant stripes and
his discharge papers from the army,
which lists him as sergeant. Max
smiled a wry smile, swallowed hard
and said, “Well that’s just CHEATING,
isn’t it.” Maybe so, but it still makes
me laugh. There are not many of
us who can say we one-upped Max
Maven.much of the world doesn’t
know what an inspiration and
mentor you were to so many of the
greats in our magic and mentalism
community. Well, I know.
“Brother” Max, I will miss you, your
loving friendship, your wit, your
wisdom and our shared laughter,
every day for the rest of my life.
MARK HOLSTEIN

I
was aware of Max Maven since my earliest
days in magic. His dramatic caricature
appeared in issues of Genii magazine I
devoured every month in the 70s. I studied
his books and tricks. I read his articles. I
admired his writing and his intellect. He would
show up at the early Collectors’ Weekends in
Chicago. His talks were always a highlight.
I stage managed a show he was on, at
Abbott’s I think. It was early…he still wore a
tailored three-piece suit. He opened with his
trademark “Boo!” We lit him in appropriately
spooky style. But our orbits never really
intersected. I don’t have a photo of myself
with him. He didn’t know me.

In late years, Max would participate in the

LA History Conferences. His talks were
great, and his knowledge and his memory
were remarkable. One of my favorite Maven
memories occurred at one of the last LA
Conferences. Jim and Frankie Steinmeyer
graciously invited a group of attendees to
their home after the Friday events. It was a
wonderful affair with great food, drink, and
fellowship. Jim arrived late, squeezing in one
more rehearsal after the conclusion of the
evening events.

By 2 am, the gathering was winding down, the

dishes were washed, and lights were being
turned off. Jim and Frankie were due back at
the venue in just a few short hours. But Max
was holding court in the Steinmeyer living
room, showing no sign of slowing down. My
wife Sue sprung into action. She grabbed
Max’s arm. Explaining that the evening was
over and the Steinmeyers needed rest; Sue
physically dragged Max right out the front
door and onto the front walk. Max did not
miss a beat. He continued his story, followed
right out the front door by his small audience.
It’s unlikely that he knew he’d been relocated
or by whom. The story simply continued a
Burbank sidewalk. A completely memorable
story for us…undoubtedly a completely
forgettable moment for Max.

His shadow is long and dark. His influence

undeniable. His presence unforgettable.

PHOTO COURTESY FISM 2022

PHOTO BY ARTO AIRAKSINEN
Gratitude M
ax Maven. It’s taken a few weeks to
get my thoughts into place on what
Max meant to me.
Often, we go through our lives, unaware of
the magnitude of affect we have on people
we will never meet, our words and actions
having ripple effects throughout the lives of
others. Today I want to tell you about one life
that Max Maven had a profound effect on for
over 40 years, mine.
In the late 80’s, I was a massive fan of his
writings, his column in Genii, his packet
effects and especially the Color Books of
Mentalism, now republished as PRISM.
STEVE VALENTINE
At eighteen years old, somehow, (don’t ask
me how) I landed kind of a dream job for a
teenager, resident entertainer at a nightclub
in a hotel in the former Yugoslavia. I was a
one-man entertainment team for a company
called Yugotours, who had thought that
providing English speaking entertainers to
run various nightclubs might be a fun idea.
Our job was to run the club, oversee the
bar, provide two different 25 minute shows
a night PLUS Deejay until 2 in the morning.
This would all happen over the course
of every two weeks. That’s twenty-four
different acts! They could be anything,
magic, games etc. But I saw this as an
opportunity to perform constantly in a
place where it didn’t matter - too much - if
I failed. And I was also able to do as much
close-up as my fingers could allow.
I ran the bar, so was drinking a lot for
free, I fell in love every two weeks, it was
an adventure and coming of age, an
experience that one day I’ll write about in
detail. I was there for two years and would
probably still be there if it hadn’t been
for the coming war. And throughout the

entire experience, Max was my companion.
Twenty-four different acts? What would I
do? Well, I took a giant trunk of props, and
books, including my copies of the Color Books
of Mentalism. I must have tried everything
in them, at least once. I also tried all the
Annemann Jinx acts… but that’s another
movie. I would put an act together in the
morning and perform it in the evening.
What I loved about Max’s books were
the complete descriptions of full-blown
presentations. The structure and staging and
dramatic power of many of the effects were so
well described and seductive I just had to try
them.
At times I succeeded spectacularly, often I
failed spectacularly, but the material came to
my rescue over and over. The memory of me
trying to perform DESIRE from the Blue Book,
still brings me anxiety. I had no idea what I
was doing, and my eyesight was so bad that I
couldn’t read the markings, still it’s a powerful
routine if done well, I didn’t do it well…
The Red Book gave me some of my most
successful performance pieces, starting
with FOUR-SIDED TRIANGLE - a fabulous
presentation for essentially a very simple trick.
Strong enough to close the show and always
a hit, despite me! I always used DISPOSABLE
COLOR, and if it worked it was a lovely extra
moment. VISION VERSION, also a lovely
sequence. SATAN’S NIGHTMARE was a lot of
fun at 3am with a bunch of drunk tourists and
locals in the hotel bars, it’s dark and weird, and
I always, as Max suggests in his description…
bowed deeply.
The Green Book starts with one of the
strongest and simplest card effects of all
time, an effect I do to this day if I want to
perform a mystical hands-off miracle, it’s
called DESTINY, and truly worth a try. BUT,
in the Green book is the one stage effect I
have performed the most, NUCLEUS, Max’s
version of the magnetized cards with a
brilliant presentation that literally makes
the audience jump.
I could go on, but you get the picture, not
just stage but his close-up pieces packed
my repertoire, Fine Mesh - one of the
cleanest 2 card vanishes ever - and Five Card
Polka, a wonderfully visual packet effect,
were in my wallet wherever I went. It wasn’t
just the tricks I learned from, but the theory
in his writings that continually taught and
challenged me.
To say that his work affected my magical
career is an understatement. In my old
notebooks his work stands out, including a
note, after one good show, where 18-year-
old Steve wrote ‘Phil Goldstein is a genius’. Never
did I think we would meet…
A few years later (1990) I found myself at
the Magic Castle. There was Max, and in
his most intimidating form. Impossible to
meet and get to know, but that was ok, your
heroes don’t have to be your friends.
It took a long time to get to know him, but
it wasn’t till we worked together on the
Magic Castle Awards Show that I was able to
tell him what his work meant to me. I got to
know the goofy Max, the wry Max, the Max
obsessed with wrestling, the secretive Max
- so secretive that he wanted me to team
up with him to sell a TV competition series
he’d created but refused to give me all the
details… making it impossible to pitch.
We had some wonderful lunches during that
time, conversations I’ll value forever. A few
years ago, I started an online Magic School -
MAGICONTHEGO.COM - where I teach magic
and history that could get forgotten. It’s a
growing, visually immersive course now
with over 850 videos. When I asked Max if I
could teach Fine Mesh, Nucleus, Four-Sided
Triangle and others, with all with my notes
and variations, he graciously and instantly
agreed. I felt I had come full circle.
Working with Max on the award show was
surprisingly easy, if he liked an idea he liked
it, occasionally a gentle, ‘let’s not’ came my
way. His show editing was as efficient as his
writing. His goal? To bring the award show
in on time - under 2 hours. We did it, and I’d
never seen him so happy. I can’t tell you what
that meant to me. Max even pranked me -
live on stage - at the beginning of the show.
That was surreal…
So that’s it, just one life that Max Maven
affected, well actually not just one. British
illusionist Jamie Allan was in Toronto not so
long ago, to open ILLUSIONARIUM. I went
to the premiere and discovered that when
Jamie was about 8 years old, his parents
took him on vacation to Yugoslavia. There,
they saw a skinny, geeky teenager do magic
shows every night. Somehow, he had pieced
together that that teenager was me…
Jamie told me that I was kind (phew) and
taught him magic, and it was one of the
inspirations for his career of choice (couldn’t
be prouder). But… as we talked about that
time, Jamie started recounting and almost
reliving his memories of the magic effects I
had performed and that had affected him,
and stayed with him, and the one that came
straight to mind - NUCLEUS…
Thanks Max, for everything. Bow deeply.
 MANY OF MAX’S GOOD FRIENDS WERE GATHERED FOR A
SURPRISE ZOOM BIRTHDAY “MEETING” BY ERIKA LARSEN.
WHEN SOMEONE ASKED MAX IF HE WAS SURPRISED, HE
JUST HELD UP A SIGN READING, “I’M A MIND READER, I
KNEW!” MAX WILL BE GREATLY MISSED BY ALL HIS MANY
FRIENDS IN MAGIC.

- STEVE MITCHELL

PHOTO BY ARTO AIRAKSINEN

 MICHAEL A. PEROVICH
I
knew Max Maven since he first appeared
at the Magic Castle around the mid 1970s.
However, rather than recite personal
anecdotes, I’ll focus here on two instances
where I observed him from afar, in front of
an audience, in difficult situations.
The Fifth Conference on Magic History in
1997 included an homage to Joseffy, the
eccentric magic inventor. One of his most
marvelous inventions was said to be his
animated skull – the Skull of Balsamo. This
skull was not operated by invisible thread,
nor remote controlled motor, nor clever
platform. Rather, it was self-contained. Its
illusion was dependent on the magician’s
timing, showmanship and – the mechanism
operating exactly as intended.
Max had contributed to many of the
previous Conferences, but perhaps this
would be his most challenging. Max, and
the reconditioned skull with a propensity for
mechanical failure, took their places upon
the stage. Max asked questions and the skull
responded. It responded exactly as if it were
a living entity, and had carefully considered
the questions posed by Max. It looked about,
its teeth clicked, it performed mathematical
calculations, it appraised the audience. The
illusion was perfect and the warm response
from the audience of magic enthusiasts was
loud, long, and justified.
Max was drained and, when the
performance was complete, he mentioned
his flop sweat was real – this was the first
time Balsamo had performed to script.
Not one of the rehearsals has even come
close to being this trouble free. The skull
never missed a cue. It had done its part,
seemingly coming to life to the amazement
of the audience and in tribute to its maker.
But without Max’s impeccable timing,
his authority and stage presence, the
skull would have meant nothing. It was a
wonderful treat to see. Joseffy would have and soothing tones. He soon had them
been proud. convinced that patience was not only
needed; it was, indeed, the proper course of
The second memory I’d like to recount took action.
place in Rimini, Italy in 2015. I love FISM
and have attended several. Like all FISMs, The audience knew of Max Maven’s support
this one had its glitches. Actually, it had a of, and contributions to, FISM over the years.
great many; a great many more than any His reputation was unsullied, his sincerity
of the others I attended. The registration unquestioned, his motives unimpeachable.
was a nightmare, the assigned seating a Max succeeded where others had failed only
disaster, the food unpopular, transportation moments before. Everyone was lucky he
impossible to find, and the show times was there because not only did he quell an
anybody’s guess. ugly situation; he made the remainder of the
event much more pleasurable for everyone
While the FISM audiences in China were concerned.
well-behaved, respectful, and impressed
by the dignitaries who appeared before I don’t believe anyone else could have pulled
them, in Italy things were, well, different. this off.
The crowds seemed antagonistic toward
the FISM officers, suspicious that film crews I’ll conclude with a short personal anecdote.
were responsible for the incessant delays, I asked Max to write a segment for my book,
and positive that money was flowing to The Vernon Companion. I told him exactly
inappropriate pockets. Frustration was what I was looking for. He asked me how
high and tempers were flaring, but the ship many words and when I needed it by. He
really hit the sand when the curtain on the submitted exactly what I wanted, written
jury-rigged stage was unable to fully open, if exactly as I wanted it, and precisely on
at all. Acts were forced to perform on a half time. Now, you might think this was a very
open stage or delayed beyond their shelf life. common occurrence. It wasn’t.
I truly thought there was going to be a riot
and began to gage which exit I could most Aloha Max, you made quite an impact.
quickly make my way to.
Enter Max Maven. Max, above all others,
had the angry crowd’s respect. Max pulled
up a stool, sat down and began to speak.
The crowd began to listen. Max calmly
acknowledged that there were problems.
But he also pointed out how hard it was to
put on something of this magnitude, how
hard everyone was working to overcome
problem areas, how much work was going
on behind the scenes and during the night.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Max won the
crowd over. Tension drained from what a
moment before had been an angry mob.
People responded to Max’s logic, demeanor,
 CONNIE BOYD MAGICAL WOMEN AT FISM WITH MAX

L
ike many magicians I am struggling
with the loss of Max Maven. When I
reflect on my career and highlights
many times Max was there. We taped
the first, “World Magic Awards” together
in 1999. We both admired Barclay Shaw.
Our paths crossed when we met again
in Shanghai at the Magic Festival in 2012
and I will always cherish Max’s comments
about my performance. As he graciously
said, “the enthusiastic reaction of the
Chinese audiences proves that Connie
Boyd’s magic transcends international
boundaries”.
That opportunity was thanks to Max Maven
who was always watching and observing and
who was always at the heart and the pulse of
magic.
I saw the loving care Carisa Hendrix enveloped
Max while at FISM and I knew he was in the
best hands. I fortunately have a recording
of Max’s introduction to my lecture, which
he attended beginning to end. I have my
favourite photo of Max with many of the
women who attended the talk. I am so
grateful I was given that opportunity and that
was thanks to Max Maven.
into the Magic Hall of Fame and I had the
honor of being there to watch him receive
those awards and to watch many esteemed
colleagues and friends pay tribute to him. I
was so pleased to be able to thank him and
congratulate him and to hug him a last time.
I am grateful to have known him and I am
grateful he saw something in me, as he
did with many, and that he gave me an
opportunity to soar on my new Magical
Women path. I am struggling, but I am
eternally grateful.

This year at Max’s invitation I presented a In September, I received a Special Fellowship

lecture as part of his history of magic FISM
series entitled, “How Women Influence
Magic”. I never dreamed of such an honor
and to be given a grand stage for my voice
to represent many Magical Women. It
is one of the greatest honors of my life.
from the Academy of Magical Arts and the
Magic Castle. The text on my award was
written by Max himself. It was presented
by my friend and mentor the brilliant Diana
Zimmerman. Max was presented with a
Master’s Fellowship Award and was inducted
 BILL MALONE
“He was a true one of a kind. I will miss
him forever. I really respected Max as
a wonderful person and an incredible
creative, talented performer.”

SERGEY MOCHULOSKIY
More or less serious mass magic
movement started in Russia at
the beginning of the 2000s, at
first slowly, and mostly with cards.
“Encyclopedia of card sleights”…
“Card College”… and then suddenly,
like a storm, Mentalism, it was
RAY ANDERSON
something absolutely new. Came the
Giant at whose shoulders the local
magicians of this genre are standing Max was a true legend in the world
today, professionals and amateurs, of magic. Unique. One of a kind in
official and underground. all the world. We won’t see the likes
At first, we thought there were two of him again. He dedicated his life to
giants, the information was arriving the advancement of the art of magic.
slowly. Then it became clear, Max Although I am sad that he is gone, I
Maven and Philip Goldstein read am a better person for having known
minds in the same way because him. Thank you, Max. So many are in
they are the same person. The your debt.
contribution of this person to the art
of illusionism in the world and in our
country as well is invaluable.

Thank you Giant! Rest in peace.

I JAMY IAN SWISS
t seems to me now that Max was
always ahead of us.

At a time when magic was seen

as old-fashioned and stale, Max
created a striking persona that
flew in the face of audiences’ (and
magicians’) preconceptions about
what magic or mentalism could
be.

When mentalism had been

dominated by repeated prediction
effects, without process or
motivation, Max introduced the
profoundly modern subtext of
influence and psychology. Much
later, Derren Brown would expand
and exploit this foundation and
make it the trademark of his work.

When mentalism had been

dominated by billets and
impression devices, Max ignored
those traditions and moved
to psychology as a dominant
methodological element.
(Throughout his career, Max
eschewed the use of billets
entirely.) Contemporary
mentalism is filled with
psychological methods, a fact that
is taken for granted. Such was far
from always the case.

While purists derided the use

of playing cards in mentalism,
Max’s mentalism with cards was
so breathtakingly mystifying that
he not only routinely opened his
shows with a substantial segment
of such work, but also would
consistently fool audiences of
magicians, who were incapable
of duplicating his often risky and
psychologically based effects
even if they held theories about
the methods.

Even when utilizing classic

principles—a memorized stack, a
pencil-marked index card—Max
would demonstrate his mind-
reading abilities by describing
in impossible detail the mental
machinations and purely
I first met John Thompson I was quickly faced “Every routine in my repertoire can go wrong
imagined visual elements of his
with this particular shared facet of our tastes and has gone wrong. Years ago in the eighties,
on-stage audience assistants to a
in conjuring, namely the fact that wisely I actually kind of sat down and … I looked at
degree that was unprecedented,
considered risks can sometime produce my active repertoire, the stuff that I do most
and regarded by many if not most
distinctly stronger effects. In a wonderful often, and I took out everything that didn’t have
as unduplicatable.
online interview of Max with the television at least some element of risk. Because I said, if
writer, producer and comedy historian Mark there’s no risk, there’s no fun … for me! It’s sort
Partly the reason for these facts
Evanier1 , Max recounted: of the Karl Wallenda School of Entertainment,
of his work was Max’s constant
except that when I fall down, all that gets
embrace of the role of risk in his
1 https://youtu.be/pc0VvMQY-DY injured is my pride.”
material and performances. When

When equivoque was basically
known as the Magician’s Force and
the most widely used published work
lay in forcing one of three books for a
book test, Max wrote an eight-page
essay in 1976 that became nothing
less than a foundational work.
From 1976 through 1980, a period
when mentalism was just igniting
a birth of new publishing and
interest, Max created five unpretentious
and inexpensive manuscripts that later
became known as the “color series,” and
that would come to demand astonishing
prices in the resale book market. That is, until
25 years later, when the collection would
be published as the book, Prism, which
remains a top selling and invaluable work of
practical, commercial, deceptive mentalism
to this day.
2022 BY JAMY IAN SWISS
One remarkable characteristic of all of
these historical facts and more is that Max
was actually quite circumspect about
promoting his innovative contributions.
The booklets were invariably minimally
produced and similarly priced. A
combined search on ConjuringArchive.
com on “Max Maven” and “Phil Goldstein”
delivers 1,262 entries, representing
probably about three-quarters of the
actual number in my estimation. Yet despite his prodigious
published output, Max rarely wrote about his most important
creations. The strange tragedy is that he wrote so much, but he
has not left us with the bulk or best of what he had to offer. He
certainly had more in mind, but he was not permitted sufficient
time to fulfill his plans.
In 2006, in the “Performance Notes” instructional manual to
“The Da Vinci Zone” book test, Max gave us a small taste of
his theoretical depth regarding one significant element of his
work—long after the fact of Max’s innovation and use of these
ideas. He wrote:
“Let me take a moment to address what I feel is an
essential aspect of effective mentalism the sense of process.
Mentalism is basically a demonstration of some sort of
paranormal ability which, for the sake of this discussion, we’ll
say involves the transfer of secret information. … The audience
does not observe the transmission, except in the most external
manner.
Rather, there is a starting point (some secret
information is established) and an ending point (the information
is revealed), and the only reason the audience accepts the claim
that some process was involved in linking those two events is
that the performer blithely states that it happened.
I have long contended that this is not enough. If the
performer does not convey some sort of definition, the audiences
experience is shallow. The result may be impressive, but it doesn’t
go anywhere. No wonder mentalism is frequently condemned as
being boring. Without an underlying process, it usually is.
Therefore, I am a firm believer in Process Mentalism:
approaching the presentation of such effects with a deliberate
subtext that conveys a feelings that something is actually
happening in the space between the start and end of a
demonstration.
Now, exactly what that something is remains for you
to decide. There is no “right” solution, and what works for one
performer may not fit another. The process may be explicitly
described, or implicitly incorporated into your behavior. What is
important is that you know what it is.”
I have provided that excerpt in order to enable readers to grasp the
full substance of this idea of “Process Mentalism” – a frankly huge idea
which Max innovated. The first great mentalist I ever saw perform live
and who thrilled and inspired me was Al Koran. He was a superstar in
England before immigrating to the United States. And his mentalism
act consisted almost entirely of predictions. Consider that fact, and the
sea change—that became a tsunami—that Max’s “Process Mentalism”
brought to the art.
As I mention in a memorial tribute for Genii magazine, Max was well
ahead of all of us with observations and insights that many of us now
accept and embrace as fundamental to our view of the magical arts of
conjuring and mentalism. Consider:
• “Magicians are afraid of magic.”
• “The great tragedy of 20th century magic in the larger
picture is that magicians have taken an art form that is inherently
profound and rendered it trivial.”
It would require some time for me to fully grasp the meaning and
significance of these statements. But I came to comprehend that
they were interrelated, and unarguably true, and as I reached these
understandings I could then begin to alter my work and incorporate
their wisdom in significant ways. My work grew and matured as a result.
Max did not leave us with enough, but he has left us with a great deal.
Including this:
“There are two kinds of mysteries: Those that are meant to be
solved. And those that are meant to be savored.”
I shall savor the mysteries of my friend Max Maven until the end of my
days.
 HOWARD HAMBURG

I still remain devastated and continue

to have a saddened heart with the
passing of Max Maven. Beside me
considering Max one of the top three
geniuses in magic of all time, more
important, Max was one of the kindest
individuals in or out of magic I have
ever met in my 83 years.

For years I was invited to Tapalpa,

Mexico which is a village located in
the mountains a two hour drive from
Guadalajara, Mexico. It is a special get
together comprised of magicians such
as Dani DaOrtiz, Asi Wind, Miguel Angel
Gea, Paco Rodas, Mahdi Gilbert, Yann
Frisch, Armando Lucero and notable
others and hosted by Javier Natera
who paid for all expenses including
air travel, hotel accommodations in
Guadalajara and a beautiful hotel in
Tapalpa.

Every meal was incredible and served

by the hotel staff. All restaurant bills
were taken care by Javier. He was the
ultimate host.

A few years ago, I asked Javier if he

would invite my friends Max Maven and
Allan Ackerman and Javier immediately
responded, “OF COURSE.” I asked Max
if he would like to join this unusual
get together and he immediately
responded “Yes,” as was the same
response from Allan Ackerman. Max
had a wonderful time and those paid
attendees from four South American
countries were so thrilled to see Max
who answered every question they
had. Each of us gave lectures and
Max’s lecture was the favorite of those
attending as was the favorite of the rest
of us who lectured over the five-day
period.
 STEVE SPILL
Y
ou can spot me in the lower right
corner of this 1975 photo taken
at the Magic Castle. At the time I
didn’t know Max particularly well, but
did know he was an anagram enthusiast.
When he met someone new he’d think of
anagrams or, more easily, for any words
that can be made out of some, but not
all, of the letters in their name. Oddly,
using this method, one might get the
measure of someone quite well from
their name.
How about these anagrams to prove my
point?
Madam Curie = Radium came
PHOTO
dai vernon, max maven,steve spill
Alec Guinness = Genuine class
Salman Rushdie = Read, shun Islam
Phil Goldstein used the anagram idea in
reverse: He decided what he wanted to be
and changed his name to fit. When I try for
anagrams for the name Max Maven I get:
Max Maven = Genius
Max Maven = Pioneer
Max Maven = Author
Max Maven = Mind reader
I’m a bad speller. Max was a great man.
SHAWN MCMASTER
There will never be another
magic mind like Max Maven’s.
He was simply brilliant. His
meticulousness was evident in
everything he performed and/or
published, and we in the magic
community were better off for
it. In just reading some of the
wording of many of his mentalism
effects, you can see how Max
sometimes made the effect
happen in the spectators’ minds
without him doing a damned thing
other than just speaking words!
On a personal level, he was
always a supportive voice about
my comedy magic work and
publishing ventures. He kindly
contributed interviews and essays
on more than one occasion for my
digital publication The Mandala
during the three years it ran, and
while I didn’t take advantage of it
as much as I should have, he also
had an encyclopedic knowledge of
magic and magicians. Whenever I
reached out to Max for an origin of
a trick or sleight, he never let me
down. In fact, he would quite often
give me more useful information
on the topic than I had ever hoped
for. I will miss Max. We all will
miss Max. Magic, as a whole, will
definitely miss Max.

PAUL GERTNER
W
hen you walk onstage in a
theatrical outfit, heavy eyeliner,
a hairstyle dominated by a
pronounced widow’s peak and your
opening line is “BOO!” you better have the
chops to back it up. And our friend Max
Maven certainly did… with talent left to
spare. And as most of us young performers
were tepidly stepping before their audience
hoping and praying the audience would like
us, Max dared his audience not to. With that
one-word opening and a self-effacing smile
he acknowledged what they were thinking
and invited them along for the ride. And
then having mentally disarmed them he
clobbered them with a devious combination
of method, technique and performance that
left those of us in the “know” knowing that
we had all stopped thinking way too soon.
If anything, Max Maven made bold choices.
The character, the look, the voice, and the
" Many from Siegfried &
Roy, David Copperfield and
Penn & Teller relied on his
experience when adding a
new piece to their show."
where I now reside. But for most of his life he was
Max Maven, a performer and prolific creator of
magic and mentalism who influenced performers
worldwide. A teacher, historian and unique one stop
resource that in his later years became an icon at
the Magic Castle in Hollywood in the same way Dai
Vernon, Kuda Bux, Billy McComb and Al Goshman
were decades before. Many from Siegfried & Roy,
David Copperfield and Penn & Teller relied on
his experience when adding a new piece to their
show. And Max was happy to give you his opinion,
nothing sugarcoated, but an honest one, a well
thought out one. And he would usually provide you
with an angle to think about that you had simply
overlooked.
If we all had real magical powers we would rewrite
this ending. For me it would be watching a young
magician coming to the Magic Castle for the very
first time, and when walking through the door
seeing a 90-year-old Max Maven sitting in the chair
where Vernon used to sit right outside the close-up
room. But while that chair remains empty, don’t be
fooled by the illusion. I have a feeling Max will be
sitting there, and that thought makes me smile on
an otherwise very sad day.
precision with which the words were
spoken… all of these were choices. As
was his most consequential choice to
focus on mentalism, decades before it
became the latest trend. This interesting
choice allowed his alter ego Phil
Goldstein to continue to create, invent,
write, and play in the world of mystery
and magic which caught his childhood
attention in the first place. Perhaps for
Phil-Max as we sometimes called him
in the mid to late 70s the name change
was nothing more than a clever branding
and marketing decision or perhaps there
was just too much going on inside that
amazing brain of his to be constrained to
a single persona… so why not become
two? Makes perfect sense when you
think about it.
When we first met in 1975, he was still
Phil Goldstein living in the city of Boston
 NAJEE WILLIAMS
M
ax Maven saved my
marriage (and, perhaps,
my life)! More on that
later.
I originally met Max back in
1990, when I joined the Magic
Castle, but it wasn’t until I started
working there as the “Official
Photographer” that our friend-
ship galvanize. He was a very
warm and compassionate man.
Max was, of course, an intellec-
tual. His knowledge of magic
was prodigious, but few people
knew of his awesome knowledge
of music. While working at the
Magic Castle, I started a roaming
trivia game on music of the 60s
and 70s. The game went like this:
Someone would name a popular
song from the era and the other
person had to name the artists/
group/band. Oh, the epic battles
Max and I would have. Max
would see me across the hallway
and rush to me. “Najee, I have
one for you. Who performed
Grazing in the Grass?” I would
respond, “The instrumental
version was by Hugh Masekela,
but the vocal version was by
The Friends of Distinction.” He
would light up. I would throw
something back like “Who per-
formed Cissy Strut?’” He would
quickly announce, “That’s easy.
That was The Meters.” People
around us would be astounded.
Others would try to compete
with us, but hardly anyone else
had the aptitude (Jonathan Neal
surprisingly did). Max loved
being impressed by my recall
of one-hit wonders, and I was
equally amazed by his recall. It
was a mutual respect of equals,
knowing very few could keep up.
It brought us both great joy and
pride. So much fun.
Now, how did Max save my
marriage and life? I had been
addicted to cigarettes since I was
12 years old. I tried everything
to quit. When my daughter was
born in 1978, I tried desper-
ately to quit, not wanting my baby girl
smelling tobacco smoke on her Daddy
I failed. When my father died in 1989
from lung cancer, I tried to quit. I failed.
When I saw my best friend dead on his
deathbed in 2005, I knew I had to quit.
I failed. I married my wife in 2009, while
hiding the fact that I was a smoker. She
HATED cigarette smoke and would not
have married me, had she known. She
would not have stayed with me had she
found out.
One day, in May of 2010, I was walking
outside of The Magic Castle and I saw
Max puffing on this black stick with a
blue light. I asked him what it was and
he said “It’s an electronic cigarette. It has
nicotine, but none of the tar that causes
cancer and emphysema. Also, it doesn’t
have the smell of tobacco.” He told me
where I could order it online. A few days
later, I received my electronic cigarettes.
That was May 13, 2010 and I have never
had one puff of a regular cigarette since.
I used the electronic cigarettes for a
couple months, then dropped them,
too. I’ve been free of the addiction for
13 years now, and I owe it all to Max. He
saved my marriage and, most likely, my
life.
RYAN C. REED
Growing up as a kid I watched Max
Maven’s work on TV and Video
then was able to see Max during
“The Magic at The Capital,” a local
magic convention in Sacramento
in the mid 90s.
I remember being quite captivated
by Max's eyes, deep commanding
voice, deadpan humor and dark
persona.
A few years back a friend and I had
come to Hollywood, California for
filming with James Corden, a quick
visit with Johnny Gaughan then
dinner and shows at "The Magic
Castle”.
After an exhausting day but
wonderful evening of enchanting
food and feats of archimage we
found ourselves with the evening
winding down and exiting "The
Castle”. To the right of the exit
door is a chair. I look to the right
and sitting there was the man
himself Max Maven.
Max was sitting there by himself,
one leg crossed over the other.
Taking in the atmosphere, just
hanging out and soaking in the
ambiance.
I stopped mid stride speechless
not quite sure what to say. I reach
out to his foot and grabbed it.
Max: “Well hello there!” I gave Max
a quick look of hello and respect.
Without words I let go of his foot
and exited the venue. A moment
but a moment I’ll never forget.
I didn’t want to impinge on the
man’s stillness or moment of
introspection.
I will Miss Max.
BEN ROBINSON
I
admired him greatly. I met him several times, not much
talk between us, except the first time. Max was appearing
Halloween weekend at Caroline’s Comedy Club in New
York City in 1986. I was not far away at another club with a
very well publicized bullet-catch indoors, the rifleman firing
above the heads of an audience. Somehow we got away
with it. Max knew my publisher Ray Goulet since he was a
student at Brandeis University. As coincidence would have it,
the woman I took to see Max’s show at Caroline’s had dated
him at Brandeis University. I did not know this at the time.
She told me the man on stage reading minds was really
named something other than his nom de theatre and that
she should say hi after the show.
I’d participated in a written test with him during the
show, and being fourteen years his junior, yet with the
endorsement of Harry Anderson on my book, Max said
when meeting me, “So, you bring her from my past, you
participate in my show now, and you’re appearing soon with
a gun?” I smiled that he had the whole picture in an instant.
It wasn’t competitive ego, it was professional assessment.
A silent recognition that the other guy was checking out his
show and he knew my date. Somehow that ranked for one
second in his universe.
me, “And when I told Max Maven that, he said he was going
to come see you. Like I said, not one complaint.”
Amazing? Well, to me it was a high compliment that he’d
take the time. I mean, no one ever will again approximate
his output. No one will ever know such in depth
understanding. And when I was informed of his passing I
was in the Museum of Modern Art with the magic historian
Richard Hatch who informed me. At the moment we are
in a “members only” time slot, hence the place was almost
empty. Dick and I were surrounded by Magritte paintings
when he told me Max passed. I felt as odd as the paintings
on the walls. I had to sit down surrounded by the truly
surreal. When I informed a friend of mine who knew Max
very well where I was, he remarked, “Max would have loved
that. He was a Magritte painting.”
CARISA HENDRIX
There is a big Max Maven shaped hole in the world. I feel
it every time I have a success, I want to share with him, or
need sage advice, or acquire a juicy piece of gossip I know
he'd love. Lately, when I think of him, I remember the sassy
man who had no patience for my negative self-talk or self-
doubt. He saw the best in me and when I was around him, I
could see it too. I have come to learn he made a lot of people
feel that way.
This loss has wounded us all in way we don't yet know, but
I tried to remember that the pain of his passing is just the
payment coming due for a thousand joys, and the joys were
all worth it

And what a universe it was. The Entertainment Director of

the Magic Castle smiled from ear to ear telling me my first
week at The Castle received not one complaint. He then told

Max Maven -
JEFF MCBRIDE Always One Ahead
The first thing Max ever said to
me was "Oh you're JEFF MCBRIDE
the guy who thinks mentalism
is boring!" I was completely
embarrassed, but it was true! Until
Max, every Mentalist I saw put me
to sleep.
I had recently written a short article
for a magic weekly newspaper called
MAGIC WEEK, a tiny publication
from upstate New York. It was then
that I knew I was dealing with a
very powerful intellect. I said to
myself, ” This Max Maven guy reads
everything!” I was correct! He even
reads little newsletters on the other
side of the country.
So, the first day I met Max, both of
us were waiting at 57th Street and
5th Avenue for the famous street
magician Jeff Sheridan to show up
and perform at the plaza fountain:
one of his regular performance
spaces. While we were waiting, Max
performed his famous Equivoque
coin routine. I was impressed how
much entertainment and mystery
he got out of a handful of change!
One thing we did have in common was
a performing philosophy that "less is
more." Jeff Sheridan also described to
this performance philosophy…he was a
magical minimalist.
Over the years Max and I became very
good friends. Max would offer me his
insights and critique my shows; his
critiques were hard-hitting but most
welcome. He did not pull punches;
anyone that knew Max Maven knew
that he gave it to you straight up! I
learned many lessons on how to give
and take advice and feedback from
Max.
My mentor Eugene Burger was one
of Max Maven's best friends. Eugene
had his own room here at our mystery
school named "The Dean's Room." Every
night he would talk on the phone with
Max discussing their day and what
magic they were working on.
Max was a constant presence in my life
for more than 40 years
One of the best times I spent with Max
was when he directed my online show
MAGIC QUEST. Not only did he give me
his expert direction, but he also gave
me a real benediction that I needed to
move forward in this new medium. “It's
all about the eyes,” he said, “All about
the eye-contact. Zoom is the most
intimate media ever created. The person
who focuses more on the personal
connection instead of the technology
will win this game.”
The last time I saw Max was at FISM.
He was in good spirits. We spoke about
life, death, Eugene, and what is beyond.
Now Max knows what is beyond…he is
always one ahead.

STAN ALLEN
SIXTY MONTHS
I
n the summer of 1991, I was
assembling a team of writers
to put a voice to a new maga-
zine that would premier that fall. I
wanted this upstart periodical to
have some teeth to it, to not just
be another “everything is beau-
tiful” fluff rag. What was needed
was someone to write a “call ’em
as you see ’em” monthly column.
Max Maven gave us that — in
spades.
For five years, his Parallax column
offered a steady flow of com-
mentary on what was going on
in the magic community. Often,
these were simply short bits —
“If magazine editors can afford
computers, why can’t they afford
spellchecking programs?” Wait,
you talking ’bout me?!
Other times he would write in
more detail, as was the case in
May of 1992 when he devoted
two-thirds of his allotted page to
why professionals shouldn’t talk
to amateurs. To say that that one
caused a bit of a stir would be
quite the understatement. The
piece generated the most let-
ters to the editor — a record that
stood for the entire 25-year run of
the magazine.
Max and I regularly disagreed
over his use of big words. I argued
that no one — myself included
— would know what those words
meant, unless they read the col-
umn with a dictionary close at
hand. Max countered that he
wasn’t just using big words, he
was using the right words. Ugh!
One month, just to appease me
or annoy me — hard to say which
— Max wrote the entire column
under the sub-head of “Brief
Case.” In it, he defended the use
of big words, but he did it while
only using five-letter words or
less.
The thing about Max’s tenure in
MAGIC Magazine is that, whether
you loved the column or hated
the column, you read the col-
umn. And if we’re honest with PHOTO - MAX ON THE COVER OF
ourselves, those columns — like MAGIC MAGAZINE
most of what he gave us over his
lifetime — made us think.
Yes, Max took some shots. But did
he really take shots at people, or
was he taking shots at what peo-
ple did? I know, it’s a fine line, but
it’s an important one. And again,
if we’re honest with ourselves,
some of the things we did de-
served a few shots.
And by the way, Max didn’t de-
liver his barbs anonymously or
while hiding behind some In-
ternet nickname. Nope, he said
what he meant. And he put his
name it.
Well done, Max.
Note from edtior: The article Stan is
referring to that caused such a stir
can be found in the May 1992 Parallax
column in MAGIC magazine.
Stan kindly gave permission for read-
ers of VANISH to get the PDF from
that issue.
CLICK HERE to read it.
 O
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& Friend
While transitioning from a career in music
to one in magic, I met Max Maven. We
met after I’d reached out to him seeking
artistic and technical advice with my
latest obsession, mentalism. With the
temperament of a medical doctor, Max
carefully listened to my dreams and goals.
Then, for the better part of that hour, Max
talked, and I listened as I scribbled his
words into my notebook. That hour felt like
five minutes. I spent the next several days
transcribing and organizing the pages of
notes from our session, hitting the AMA
Library to read up on some of the material
he’d suggested, make props, and rehearse
before we met again that following Friday.
We continued to meet at Cyber Java again,
and again, and again, until Max became
what I’d consider my unmistakable mentor.
Those hour-long sessions gradually lasted
longer and longer. During them he, one at
a time, helped me achieve my artistic goals.
His counsel and suggestions led to ideas
that were beyond my wildest dreams.
As our sessions would wind down, we both
opened up about who we were offstage,
and from that, learned about each other’s
 He showed me how to look at problems
through a deeper lens.

lives outside of magic. I’d learned that he, like
me, had a previous life as a musician. While
talking about rock and roll, he told me he’d
attended Woodstock as a teenager. It was a
stretch to believe that this middle-aged man
who didn’t seem to leave the house without
dark make-up and a head-to-toe all black
wardrobe walked among — and just might
have been — one of those colorful hippies in
the summer of 1969. The layers of the person
I knew as Max Maven deepened, magic
historian, enigmatic mind reader, musician,
and former bohemian boy. Max suddenly
embodied equal parts bold, cool, and far out.
That day he became much more interesting
than I’d already known him to be.
One of my dreams during that time was to
work in the Parlour of Prestidigitation at
the Magic Castle. After receiving my third
disheartening rejection letter from the club’s
talent booker, who informed me, “With all the
current death and destruction going on in the
world, please keep your macabre magic act
away from the Magic Castle.” I shared the letter
with Max. He found it laughable. “We’ll fix that.
With all the current death and destruction in
the world, magic needs you more than ever” he
said. And of course, he did fix it. He sprung the
concept of a shift from my current premise— a
funeral themed mentalism act — to that of an
all-American, boy-next-door premise. That is, if
my Norman Bates-esque persona was the boy-
next-door. That day he planted an invaluable
conceptual seed I’ve been developing ever
since.
of Magical Arts. As board members, we offered
counsel and helped make creative decisions for
the member’s and guest’s experience at the club.
During that time, I learned even more from Max.
It was in those meetings that I learned Max held
a black-belt in reasoning and problem solving.
I anticipated each board meeting with Max for
selfish reasons — I knew I’d learn something from
him. At light speed, he’d define the root of any
question or problem and find a reasonable answer
quickly and effectively. He taught me how to step
back and look at questions from many angles
before making a final decision. He showed me how
to look at problems through a deeper lens. More
effective and less reactive.
For me to call Max a mentor is easy, though words
can’t truly describe how grateful I am to him for all
he taught me. However, beyond all that he taught
me, the most beautiful thing about my friendship
with him was that we were vocal about how
much we meant to other. Max knew how much he
taught me, and if too much time went by without
me saying so, I’d remind him. He knew how much
I cared about him, how much I loved him, and I
knew how much he loved me.

Over the next 20 years, the sessions at Cyber

Java came to an end, but our friendship
blossomed in the best way friendships can. I
learned to love and admire him for so many
things beyond his place in magic; his endless
curiosity and infinite knowledge about nearly
everything, and his ability to listen and be a
good friend.

Later, I had the good fortune of serving with

Max on the Board of Trustees at the Academy
PHOTO COURTESY FISM 2022

LUIS DE MATOS M
ax Maven was real friend, a true
colleague, a profound inspiration
to me (and many), a very special
human being with whom I felt unparallel
complicity and respect.

I strongly believe that he gained his eternity

among what he called the dysfunctional
magic family. I was lucky enough to feel,
over a period of three decades, inside what

knowLedge
he liked me to define as “The Great Wall
of Max Maven.” He is irreplaceable and his
knowledge, genius and generosity will
always be missed.
 PETER SAMELSON
E
Peter Samelson veryone’s posting
- 1975 Magic Ski Fash- pictures and I have a
ion Show - created by few tied to specific Max
Wesley James events. First up is me, in tennis
togs. This is how I met Max.
It was a lifetime ago; the
year was 1975 and I was in
Boston in a Magic Ski-Fashion
Show, when Max showed up
because, well, because it was
a magic show. Afterwards,
Max complimented me on my
handling of a bare-handed
tennis ball vanish and that
was the start of a friendship.
created the Friendship
Convention in Tokyo (AUG.
8-12, 1990). Without
Max I never would have been
there. Oh, there are tales to
tell but let the photos do the
talking for now…
Like so many others, I miss
Max, but keep him alive with
my Mental Images. May his
memory be a blessing.

Max skyrocketed and

remembered his friends,
bringing them with him and
bringing them together. It
was through Max that many
of us connected with magic in
Japan and specifically
with Ton Onosaka, who

Peter, Hiro Sakai, Mama Onosaka, Ton Onosaka, Bona Ueki (of The Napoleons),
Max Maven, Lisa Manna, late Parte Koishi (of The Napoleons), and Yuka Shimoda

FR: Michael Chaut, Charles Reynolds, Patrick Watson, SimonLovell

BR Todd Robbins, Peter Samelson, Max Maven, Jamy Ian Swiss

Peter Samelson, Siegfried, Tomo Maeda, Roy, Max Maven

GEORGE TAIT / PATRICK G. REDFORD

menTor
I
n one of the last conversations Max and I had, I had made the comment that
one thing that stands out that I’ve learned from some of my closest mentors
and friends in magic that I love so dearly, is that getting old sucks.

Max being the enigmatic polymath that he is, retorted: “...you know what Dai
Vernon had to say on the subject, don’t you?”

Of course I didn’t. I also knew I was about to and I was thrilled.

“Get younger friends,” Max finished.

While I realize this was his way of gently preparing for the inevitable future that
was before us, it was also a reminder that it’s important to surround ourselves
with people we choose; as it is often easy for many of us to spiral through the
world alone. I couldn’t help but respond without thinking, “No offense intended
to anyone, but young people can be such idiots.”

Time is precious. Time is the

most valuable commodity.

“I don’t disagree with you.” Max said.

Worried that I had come off a bit thoughtless, I expanded further, “For the
record...I don’t discount myself from that category.”

Max, perhaps realizing he may have unintentionally called me an idiot,

softened it by adding, “I don’t discount myself from that category either.”

I’ve been talking with Max for all but the first eight years of my life. Though I
wouldn’t have comfortably called him “friend” until I was about twenty-one.
This was around the time I stopped being overly intimidated by his company
and we began speaking as people who know one another instead of me
being the annoying kid that occasionally asked him questions (which he
always graciously took the time to answer). He had a huge heart and always
took the time to remind me that we’re all just people.

There are people in my life that I’m not sure that I’m ever going to get to see
in real life ever again. There are people that I’m positive I won’t ever see again.
Some of those people aren’t by choice. Time is precious. Time is the most
valuable commodity. I’ve gotten a lot more picky about how I spend it these
days but I’m honored to have spent quite a bit of it with Max.
 GAETAN BLOOM
BrillIant
I
can’t believe Max won’t be helping
me anymore, and whisper me won-
der words...

I don’t even remember when we first

met, but for sure when in 1981, I visited
USA for the first time. Max was there
and acted as a wonderful host for me
at the Magic Castle. For instance one
day he told me, “Mon cher ami, I have
arranged everything for you and to-
morrow we will visit Disneyland!”

It was marvelous, Ken Brooke was there

too, and we were like children. Imagine
your first time in Disneyland. Ken was
crying of joy during It’s A Small World,
Disneyland, and the Magic Castle--two
dreams at the same time. And after
that, he took me also to Universal,
and he knew these places inside out.
Incredible Max, utterly brilliant, and
knowledgeable Max.
Yes, he took me really under his huge
black wings. Thanks to him, I also met
Eugene Burger, of course, and later, we
did memorable trips to Japan with an-
other Jedi, Ton Onosaka, who had put
the trip together—how wonderful.
I remember the day when Ton had
organized a very special dinner, a Fugu
party! Well, you know how expensive
this can be, with special old geishas in
a private room to serve the gorgeous,
but so dangerous meal. Max was really
stoic, Eugene was not as courageous,
really, but he was a fantastic mime,
pretending to eat the food, but his
knowledge of lapping did the rest.
Max, Gaetan and Jeff Mcride
But really, the best part during the
trip was to see all these people,
Japanese, Europeans, or Americans
listening to Max speaking fluent
Japanese. This was a wonderful
show by itself, and you could tell
that Max was so happy to aston-
ish all the people, groups, after
groups--so wonderful Max. He was
really very fond of Japan and his
culture.
Pretty early on I started to call him,
privately, “Uncle Max,” and every
time I had a question, I went to
him like consulting an Oracle, and
the process was always the same.
I asked him my question and Max
listened, concentrated and then a
pause, and then, started to look at me a lit-
tle bit sideways, before talking, and his first
words were always, “Well Gaetan,” and then
he always had the perfect answer, always
humorous, and often starting as an analogy
with one of his own beautiful stories. These
moments were priceless and will always
be in my heart, and in my soul. You may
think I am bombastic, but NO it’s true, one
hundred percent!
Max, Eugene Burger and Gaetan in Japan
Also, the first time at the Magic Castle, I
did a trick for him with an invisible watch.
It was more a joke than a trick, but an
interesting plot. Then, he had his mystic
gaze, and savoring the words he was going
to deliver, he said, “Well Gaetan are you
familiar with the name of Winston Freer?”
“Who?” “Winston Freer, I will tell you about
him, because I feel that you kind of think
like him, often and with that, he started to
open my mind to this incredible genius,
and without that talk, I would quite surely
have never met, years after, the absolute ex-
pert on the subject, my so dear friend Gene
Matsuura. Max had this special knowledge
of what was good for you, or not.

Even quite recently, when we knew he was

not healthy, he was always helping me Dai Vernon, Max and Gaetan at The Castle
with different contacts at the Castle lost
because of Covid, and we had planned to
meet again at the Castle. It won’t be the
case, but yes, in one way I am sure he will
be there, somewhere, in all the rooms with
his enigmatic and charming smile, and later,
some other day, he will give me an appoint-
ment upstairs, at twelve, in the old library in
the corner, writing his column, and Max and
Eugene will look at me and Max will say,
“Well Gaetan, you are late, we have been
waiting. Let’s talk about this new book we
started some years ago," and believe me, we
will write it!! Max, Gaetan and Eugene Burger

Gaetan and Max

Gaeton and Max

PHOTO: L-R Brian Lewis, Keith Barry, Gerard, Tony's daughters Kate and Lucy, Max and Tony "Doc' Shiels
KEITH BARRY

M
ax appeared on my series Brainhacker and I spent a number of days with him in Ireland which was an amazing
experience. It was magical reuniting him and Doc - two absolute LEGENDS and heroes of mine.

My favourite memory was when Doc looked at Max right between the eyes and held out his fingers towards Max's body.
After around two minutes of intense staring between them we were all bewildered as to what Doc was doing, Max included.
Doc shook his hand and said to Max “You're hurting my knuckles.” Max asked simply “How am I hurting your knuckles?” Doc
replied, “I’ve been trying to levitate you and bounce your fucking head off the ceiling for the past two minutes.” With that
Max smiled, then giggled, and then cracked up laughing. The table erupted in laughter, and we all cracked up for around four
minutes in a full-blown laughing fit.

Many people don't realise that not only was Max a scholar and a genius--he also had a great sense of humour, and could not
only tell a good joke, but he could also accept a good joke, especially when it was by one of his comrades and colleagues

https://youtu.be/J9QVP3cn3jc
"There is nothing miraculous about puzzles.
Competent mentalism is miraculous."
Max Maven - March 1977, The Red Book of Mentalism
 ANDREW GERARD
I
remember meeting Max Maven in Oregon
somewhere around 2001 when I I also got
to meet Billy McComb. I'll never forget
it. Stephen Minch saw me and wanted to
personally introduce me to Max. "Max this is
Andrew Gerard from Vancouver, Andrew is
one of the underground guys..." Max’s reply
was, “sounds dirty.” We chatted for a couple
of minutes surprisingly nothing to do with
magic. Then I mentioned to him that I had
found several novels that used his naturally
occurring book test principle. His eyebrow
raised and I smiled because that was the
face that I'd come to know through reading
his books and studying his work. Over the
years we exchanged several emails. In 2007
I started to work in television consulting,
producing, writing and being on camera.
Fast forward to 2014. I created a TV series
in Ireland with my friend Keith Barry called
Brainhacker. Keith and I made a list of guests
we wanted to have on each episode. The
names I wrote down were Max Maven, David
Berglas, Doc Sheils and Uri Gellar. Keith had
done the same. Same list same names.
When Max arrived, we felt excited, and it
was a thrill to produce his segment where
he performed his chair test. To be able to
watch him in this medium was a masterclass
in performance and audience control. In the
hallway after filming Max gestured to me
and said, "well done, let's take a photo."
I found myself in Hollywood in 2017 working
and filming when I received an email from
Max saying, “I hear you're in town.” Part of
me wanted to believe he could just sense
it through his mental powers, but I knew
that probably some of the magicians in
Karma. Max would make his decision and
town had let him know... Still, I never asked
the man would be shocked when he opens
because the mystery was greater than the
his hand to reveal that Max was wrong! The
truth. We connected and went for coffee at a
man chooses to keep the hundred and max
little cafe on Hollywood near La Brea. We sat
takes back the penny. Max explains he's quite
outside on these large picnic tables and got
surprised and the bill for the two coffees
into a very wonderful conversation that I will
arrives. The man says he'll pay for the coffees.
always cherish. This was casual Max dressed
Since he won the $100. Max exits the scene
in comfortable clothes, it was nice because at
leaving behind a small, folded card. The card
this point I felt like I met Phil Goldstein. He was
is a photo of the penny explaining it is a 1944
happy to just be himself. For the first time I felt
Steel Lincoln Cent worth $1000,000!
like we were actual friends. We were talking
about creating routines and some abstract
As if that sting wasn't enough, the coffee bill
ideas regarding a premise I had come up with
shows Max had a cup of Elida Geisha Natural
a piece that I had wanted to offer up to Max as
1029 coffee. That is $100.00 a cup. The man
a gift that would be great for a television spot.
pauses for a moment and realizes that he
didn't lose anything but gained a valuable
Basically, it was a routine where Max would
lesson about perspective human nature and
meet at a cafe with a devious person, perhaps
decision making and most of all that Max
a card cheat, or pool hustler. After a brief
Maven has very expensive taste. Max smiled
discussion about human nature and reading
ear to ear when I describe the routine to him.
people Max would bring out an old penny
Of course, his notes were that it would have
and a $100 bill explaining that the man
to be reworded … of course. IT IS MAX AFTER
should hide the $100 bill in one hand and the
ALL!
penny in the other. And if Max couldn't guess
correctly the man could keep the hundred, or
No words that I or anyone else can write can
of course the penny if he so chose.
sum up Max’s life passion work for our art. The
enormity of Max Maven has not ended as his
Round one.
work branches out into a vast expense. His
Max would deliberate before revealing where
work has inspired us all greatly and now his
he believes the $100 bill was while talking
life does as well. Thank you Max we will speak
about perception, decision making and
your name forever.
 Watch the FULL FISM interview with Max Maven & Luis De Matos

The Magic of the Gilbreath Principle – Max Maven

 I learned that magic allows us to be so much bigger than we are.
I learned we should be kind to one another and
forgive people for being flawed and prideful.
The one thing I know is that we can all do better, and I think we will."
MAX MAVEN
 Unifi
Illuminati Magic
PRICE: $USD1,250 Scribe is ideal for printing revelations such as lottery tickets,
MANUFACTURER: Illuminati Magic boarding passes, movie tickets, and receipts - in fact, with
AVAILABLE: www.illuminati-magic.com advanced image processing capabilities, you can create any

I
ticket you would like.
n 1962, Arthur C. Clarke formulated his
famous three laws, of which the third law
is the best-known and most widely cited:
“Any sufficiently Ofowncourse, if you don’t want to create your
printed prediction, you can choose from
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic”.
advanced a library of over 200 professionally designed
tickets, covering virtually every lotto ticket and

I am not sure exactly when this occurred, but technology is boarding pass imaginable.
after reviewing Second Sight and Scribe from
Illuminati Magic, I am pretty confident that it indistinguishable Housed in a professionally designed enclosure,
Scribe supports an “easy-load” feature to
was sometime in August 2022 at FISM!
from magic”. feed pre-printed thermal tickets in the print
chamber.
Scribe is a miniature Thermal Printer that
enables you to perform a multitude of printed predictions. Some of Scribe’s features include;
Measuring a mere 96x38x23 mm, Scribe can be discreetly
hidden in a myriad of locations. Ultra-fast print times. Typically, a lotto ticket can be
printed in less than two seconds.

A massive online library of effects, including lotto

tickets, boarding passes & movie tickets.

The ability to sort lotto numbers from lowest to highest,

with powerball support.

Standby time of 12 hours, printing up to 100 tickets

from a single charge.

50
60 DECEMBER | 2022
NOVEMBER | 2022
Easily switch between predictions using the App.
INTEGRATIONS IMAGE
S PROCESSING
cribe has a range of input methods and integrations to enable you to
insert all the information into the prediction automatically.
Scribe supports inputs from Second Sight, Dice, MultiSense,

PenSense, and Web Messaging and integrates with popular magic Apps
such as Inject, Wikitest, and the Magician’s Calculator!
Magician’s Calculator
The Magician’s Calculator allows you to use an ordinary-looking iOS
Calculator to key in the revelation information. Naturally, this includes
Lotto and Powerball Numbers but supports any numerically encoded data
such as birthdays, star signs, PIN Numbers, ZIP Codes, and Phone Numbers.
Second Sight
Second Sight is a minutiure NFC Reader. You may assign a text description
(or an image) to every NFC Tag, and as you scan the tags, the image
prediction is automatically rendered based on which NFC tags are
scanned. For example, you could have NFC gaffed lotto balls, and as soon
as you scan six lotto balls, the lotto ticket is printed in your pocket.
Web Integration
The Web Integration enables backstage assistants to enter reveals via a
web server, which are then printed in real time on Scribe.
Voice Recognition
You can quite literally “speak” to Scribe to print a prediction or create a
photorealistic image revelation. By saying the “trigger phase”’, you can
activate voice recognition - for example, you could say, “You said your
favorite movie was Star Wars?” and Scribe instantly prints a Movie Ticket
for “Star Wars” in your pocket!
Handwriting Recognition
You can use the integrated electronic impression pad within the App to
write free-form text, which is recognized by the AI platform and converted
into text or graphics. You can quite literally draw lotto numbers and
instantly print a lotto ticket with matching numbers
I
n addition to the Thermal Printing facilities
provided by Scribe, the Unifi App can also be
used to generate photorealistic predictions
instantly on your phone.
With a Photoshop® style interface, you can
easily move, skew, resize, rotate, blur and mask
text and image revelations.
Once an image has been rendered, it can
automatically be saved into your photo library
or uploaded to a website. You can even AirDrop
or email your designs and revelations to fellow
performers!
In the example below, we have a “base image”
of a Home Movie theatre and the App will
automatically “overlay” an image and blend it
into the background for your prediction.
The photorealistic image prediction can
be customizsed through the in built image
editor and change based upon inputs from
the Magician’s Calculator, Second Sight, Voice
Recognition, Handwriting Recognition, Dice
rolls or even from integrationss from Inject,
WikiTest, Cognito or ELIPS!

Dice Rolls
Simply by rolling electronic dice, the dice rolls themselves may be
used within the printed prediction. For example, rolling the Dice could
represent the seat number on a printed boarding pass.

MultiSense
MultiSense is a universal motion, orientation, and magnetic field sensor
that can act as an input system with Scribe and Image Processing.
MultiSense can easily be hidden inside everyday objects and trigger text
and graphics to be automatically rendered in the prediction.

Software Integration
The Unifi App integrates the most popular mentalism Apps, including
Inject, WikiTest, Cognito, ELIPS, Pi Revelations, and The Stranger.

“The ability to use your own handwriting elevates

Scribe to a certified miracle!”
Nathan Buzza
Founder, Illuminati Magic DECEMBER | 2022 51 61
NOVEMBER | 2022
 Unifi
PRICE: $USD470
MANUFACTURER: Illuminati Magic
AVAILABLE: www.illuminati-magic.com

S
econd Sight is a miniature NFC
Reader that can detect NFC tags at a
range of 125mm.

What exactly is NFC? NFC is an acronym

for Near Field Communications. This
technology allows miniature tags to be
hidden inside everyday objects, and
when Second Sight gets within range, it
instantly notifies you.
You can program each NFC Tag with a
unique audio message and vibration
sequence and customize the graphics.
The NFC tags may be hidden virtually
anywhere, from playing cards and
boarding passes to postcards and
business cards!
Illuminati Magic manufactures a broad
range of NFC accessories, including
Phoenix-branded playing cards, Tarot
Cards, ESP Cards, Lotto balls, Zodiac
playing cards, and wooden tags.
Second Sight has ultrafast scanning
speeds - less than 1/10th of a second and
can read multiple tags simultaneously
with a six-hour battery time; Second Sight
is ready for even the most demanding
schedule.
Second Sight measures only
61x38x7mm, allowing the unit to be
disguised virtually anywhere.
The instant Second Sight scans an NFC
tag; the App can generate photorealistic
image predictions, control time
prediction devices, or even send an SMS
to a confederate! Additionally, Second
Sight can print predictions, such as lotto
or movie tickets, when coupled with
Scribe.
The NFC deck is designed specifically
for magicians, with the NFC chips and
antenna incorporated into the cards
during manufacturing, ensuring that
each card is perfectly flat.
Notification can be received in a myriad
of methods:
Integrated vibrate motor with
built-in reminders.
Vibrations felt by the external
Thumper. With the Unifi App
(iOS & Android), you can edit the
number of repeats, length, and
strength of the vibrator.
Visually by the Notifier, with
custom text and graphics.
Verbally via text-to-speech,
identifying which NFC has
been chosen (using a Bluetooth
earpiece). The text-to-speech is
available in multiple languages
with customizable settings.

52 DECEMBER | 2022
62 NOVEMBER | 2022
Video review of Scribe & Second Sight

NOVEMBER | 2022 63
 celebrating
4 years
of WONDER
 Charles Bach Wonders Theatre
Celebrates 4th Season
in Myrtle Beach
As we head into 2023, the Wonders Theatre will be
entering the 5th year since we opened up the theater for
just a seasonal summer season in Myrtle Beach.

To think that I’m now a theater owner is still kind of crazy.

Prior to my son starting 1st grade, my wife and son were
able to travel with me together around Asia and then
Hawaii working for Star Cruises, Resorts World in Malaysia,
and then on NCL in Hawaii on the Pride of America. It was
an amazing time filled with family adventures, performing
together, seeing amazing countries and cultures, and
performing onstage together.

After a couple of ship contracts alone in a ship cabin,

I really wanted to find a way to be able to continue
performing, but be with my family still. That led to a
search for a tourist destination that was not saturated
by other magic shows already. After an extensive search
and lots of meetings and phone calls, I made the decision
to open in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in what was a
former IMAX theater left empty for four years. I spent a
considerable amount of savings to convert the venue
to a live performance space by putting in lights, sound,
projection and all the things required to present a magic
show.

That season was successful and we signed an agreement

to return once again the following season and then Covid
stopped everyone in their tracks for a full year. I took
that year as an opportunity to really plan for a future that
would eventually come. We had
planned a longer season and even
expanded the number of shows
offered, but after holding off for
months, we had to cancel 2020.
In 2021, a successful nightclub
located at Broadway at the Beach
closed for good due to Covid and
we were able to secure this space
to make the perfect venue for the
variety entertainment we had
planned. Once again, I turned the
space into a theater with a new stage,
lighting, sound, seating, curtains, new
signage, and more to create a 209
seat performance space.
This was the perfect size to present
our three shows at 4pm, 7pm, and
66 NOVEMBER | 2022
9pm slots during the season running
3 shows per day, 7 days a week.
World-Record juggler, Niels Duinker,
performed in the 4pm slot daily. I
did the 7pm slot with my 90-minute
“Wonders” magic & illusion show and
Steve Falcon performed a late-night
comedy hypnosis show for adults
only.
We were able to work together to
promote the shows and the theater
and we continued this format into
the 2022 year and brought in some
new shows. Wacky Chad stunt
comedy show and Spheres Bubble
Show were popular with guests this
summer and the Wonders show and
Comedy Hypnosis Hour stayed as
resident shows from March through
December in our expanded season.
I’ve never worked harder, worn as many hats,
learned so many new things, or had such
a rewarding experience as this. I thought
it would be easier to simply perform in my
own space, but it’s an all-encompassing daily
job to keep the theater running smoothly.
Performing has become my moment of
Zen and the time to not worry about all the
business side of things and have a chance to
enjoy my time with the audience. Working
together with my family is also rewarding
in so many ways and we challenge each
other to make our theater the best it can
be. Our goal is to create a 5-star experience
for each and every guest that comes to see
us. These efforts have paid off in having our
shows reach two spots for TripAdvisor’s top 5
things to do in a very busy tourist town with
lots of shows and attractions competing for
attention.

We continue to change our shows each

year, and have just begun our Wonders of
Christmas shows with brand new holiday
themed illusions and even a Bad Santa
inspired comedy hypnosis show.

Come see our shows if you’re ever in the

Myrtle Beach area.

SHOW DESCRIPTIONS
WONDERS! A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE
Experience a world-class show of magic,
dance, comedy & grand illusion in the heart of
Broadway at the Beach. Witness some of the
world’s most impressive Las Vegas style grand
illusions LIVE. Charles Bach Wonders Magic
Show is a family-friendly show for all ages.

It’s more than a magic show, it’s a Magical

Experience. Beautiful costumes, incredible
dancers, giant puppets, colorful lighting
and of course great MAGIC! When you finish
sunning at the beach, it gets too hot outside
or it rains and you are looking for things to do
in Myrtle Beach come join us in our big cool
air-conditioned theater for an incredible magic
show!

NOVEMBER | 2022 67
68 NOVEMBER | 2022
 CELEBRATING WONDER
These efforts have paid off in having our shows reach two
spots for TripAdvisor’s top 5 things to do in a very busy
tourist town with lots of shows and attractions competing for
attention.

International Illusionist Charles Bach has taken

his Wonders to 55 countries around the world,
has appeared on the hit show Penn & Teller Fool
Us, and performed for years at Caesars Palace in
Las Vegas and at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.
His magic shows will amaze you and fill you with
Wonder!

WONDERS OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC SHOW

(NOVEMBER & DECEMBER)

The Biggest and Best Magic Show in Myrtle Beach

is bringing the Christmas Spirit to town! Bring the
whole family out for a Wonder-filled experience for
all ages.

The Wonders of Christmas - A Holiday Magic

Spectacular will begin on November 13th and run
through December 31st.

Illusionist Charles Bach brings Christmas wishes

to life, creates magic with milk and cookies, makes
it snow inside the theater, and even performs an
incredible appearance with a red suited super-star!
You’ll experience incredible magic, holiday music,
fabulous dancers, beautiful costumes and lighting,
and more in the intimate Wonders Theatre at
Broadway at the Beach!

Charles Bach Wonders have been on Disney Cruise

Lines, at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, Caesars
Palace in Las Vegas, and featured on Penn & Teller
Fool Us!

Get tickets now at wonderstickets.com/wonders or

call 843-286-5003

STEVE FALCON’S
COMEDY HYPNOSIS HOUR
See the show, or be the show at Steve Falcon’s
incredible Las Vegas style comedy hypnosis show
LIVE at Broadway at the Beach. Steve Falcon’s
70 NOVEMBER | 2022
 Comedy Hypnosis Hour is a 75 minute
party for adults 18+ only!

It’s more than a hypnosis show, it’s

a Rapid Fire Mind Boggling Comedy
Experience. Stunning feats of
mentalism and influence, incredible
demonstrations of hypnosis, side-
splitting fun, incredible production
lighting, sound, and effects allow the
entire audience to become lost in the
excitement of the show! When you're
done sunning at the beach, finish
your day with a ton of laughs or start
up your night of partying with a bang
with an incredibly hilarious adult
hypnosis show! Come see the only
show in Myrtle Beach that finishes
with a rousing climax!

International Hypnotist Steve Falcon

has appeared on the hit Discovery+
show 90 Day Fiancé Happily Ever
After, 90 Day the Single Life and
History Channel’s Pawn Stars. He has
also performed for years at The Paris
Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas.

STEVE FALCON’S BAD SANTA

COMEDY HYPNOSIS HOUR
So you've been good this year?
Let's fix that! Whether you've been
naughty or nice, comedy hypnotist
Steve Falcon has reached deep inside
Santa’s sack to bring you a hilarious
comedy hypnosis show reloaded
for the Christmas Season. It’s time
to get your stocking stuffed by the
Master of Hypnosis as he jokes and
hypnotizes his way to the North Pole.
Discover what Bad Santa has been
up to this holiday season and enjoy
this adults-only X-mas show. Come

YOU'LL EXPERIENCE
INCREDIBLE MAGIC. HOLIDAY
MUSIC, FABULOUS DANCERS, IT TAKES
TWO OR THREE MONTHS TO
PRODUCE A VIDEO.
NOVEMBER | 2022 71
 see nice people being naughty while
hypnotized! This is the holiday comedy
show you didn't know you had to see.
Live on stage in Myrtle Beach. Come
one, come all (over 18, of course)
International Hypnotist Steve Falcon
has appeared on the hit Discovery+
show 90 Day Fiancé Happily Ever After,
90 Day the Single Life and History
Channel’s Pawn Stars. He has also
performed for years at The Paris Hotel
in fabulous Las Vegas.
AS WE HEAD INTO 2023
THE WONDERS THEATRE
WILL BE ENTERTING ITS 5TH YEAR.
72 NOVEMBER | 2022
ABOUT THE WONDERS THEATRE
Charles Bach Wonders Theatre at Broadway at
the Beach is located next to Dave & Buster’s in
the former Oz Nightclub. We are an intimate
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Hour and we bring in other variety shows
during the season. 2023 will be 5 years since
opening the theatre in Myrtle Beach and the
season expanded from a short summer season
to now run from March through the end of
December.
 NigelHarrison
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NOVEMBER | 2022 73
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 Does my work as a scientist
to unlock the secrets of
the human mind put me in
conflict with responsibility
as a magician to guard the
secrets of magic?

Gustav Kuhn PART TWO

'breaking'
the magician's code
the problem with exposure rules
76 NOVEMBER | 2022
3. EXPOSURE AS PART OF THE
PERFORMANCE
At this point, I would like to address magi-
cians who oppose any and all exposure on
moral grounds: Take a moment to think
about the last time you exposed a magic
‘secret.’ Once you start looking at the issue
of exposure more critically (especially if your
definition of secrets is very broad), you soon
realize that it forms part of our daily magic
routines. Most of us expose magic secrets
in the context of our performances, and
these exposures happen so naturally that
we barely notice them. Let us therefore take
a closer look at what it means to expose a
magic secret, by starting with a classic effect
that explicitly exposes its method.
Slydini’s ‘Flight of the Paper Balls’ (link) is
a wonderful performance piece, in which
one audience member experiences truly
magical effect (physical objects inexpli-
cably vanish from existence), while at the
same time, the rest of the spectators are
being exposed to the ‘secret’ method (the
magician is simply tossing the balls over the
audience members head while misdirecting
their attention). This routine clearly exposes
magic methods, and yet it is not considered
to represent a violation of any exposure
rule. I struggle to understand the difference
between me informing the public that ma-
gicians use misdirection to prevent people
from seeing a lighter visibly drop into my lap
and the paper balls over the head. Both rely
on attentional misdirection and involve a
specific choreography that is not usually used
by magicians, yet the general principles are
widely employed in other contexts. Nonethe-
less, my lighter trick was officially deemed a
violation the exposure rule. This brings us to
one of the central problems with forbidding
magicians from exposing secret method –
what exactly is the secret method, and what
secrets can be exposed?
Magic relies on people experiencing a magical
effect without realizing the true method that
caused the effect. For example, the magician
might use a false transfer to vanish a ball, in
which case the secret method refers to the
false transfer. If the magician tells people
that they are using a false transfer, they are
exposing the true secret method (e.g. Dai Ver-
non cups and balls routine). But there are of
course other plausible non-magical causes to
the effect (i.e. viable methods that happen to
have not been used in this instance). The coin
could have gone up the magician’s sleeve, or
maybe the coin was made of a special material
that can become transparent. The magician
performing the trick is fully aware of the
true secret method deployed, but, from the
audience’s perspective, exposing any plausible
method has the same impact as exposing the
true method. Any plausible, yet ‘unmagical’
method will destroy the effect, and Juan Tama-
riz explains this much more eloquently in The
Magic Way [8].
If we are serious about forbidding magicians
from exposing magic secrets, we would need
to ban them from mentioning these types
of principles as part of their performance.
And yet, magicians frequently present their
audience with plausible yet non-implement-
ed magic techniques. Any sucker trick by
definition exposes a secret magic method.
For example, you might reveal the principle
of palming, or sleeving, and even though this
specific principle is not applied in the current
context, they are often deployed in other
routines. The complexity of these issues makes
it practically impossible to describe a simple
fair set of internally consistent guidelines.
Moreover, there are often good theatrical rea-
sons for manipulating the audience’s suspicion
by exploring the complexity of explanations
ranging from plausible to impossible (see The
Jerx).
There are lots of “non-sucker trick” contexts in
which we expose secrets that are rarely consid-
ered as exposure. For example, Derren Brown
often preforms tricks in which the audience is
convinced that the effect was carried out using
a psychological technique (e.g. priming). Gam-
bling routines are often explained as relying
on sleight of hand. Card tricks that are framed
as feats of memory. If the observer accepts
these explanations as real (and sometimes, in
NOVEMBER | 2022 77
 other contexts they are real meth-
ods), then technically these types
of effects would be considered to
be exposure.
Defining and identifying secret
methods is very difficult, and
such definitions may even change
with time. Many magicians and
magical theorists are well aware
of the complexities and Andy, the
writer of The Jerx puts this very
nicely in his article on exposure.
Imagine a trick in which you ask
the spectator to pick a card after
which you spread the cards face-
up on the table and take a picture
of the spread. You then falsely
claim that your phone uses an
algorithm to work out the missing
DAI VERNON CUPS & BALLS card. To everyone’s amazement
you manage to identify the card.
In this case, the computer algo-
rithm was simply a pseudo-ex-
planation, and instead you used
a marked deck. Performed like
this nobody would accuse you of
exposing a magic method, but as
Andy points out, things get rather
more complicated if methods
exist that can do exactly what you
claim to be doing. And indeed,
there are apps that can perform
this task, and as such you are
exposing a secret method.
It is very difficult to objectively
define what you mean by a magic
secret, which makes it virtually
impossible to have a rule that pre-
vents magicians from exposing
them. Just to add to the compli-
cation, we often expose magic
secrets in contexts where they are
not framed as a magic trick and
again this seems to be acceptable.
For example, it is completely
acceptable for me to talk about
visual illusions or attentional illu-
sions, such as the ‘Invisible Gorilla’
[9] as long as I am not framing it
as a magic trick. Likewise, Richard
COLOR CHANGING CARDS Wiseman beautifully merges mag-
ic with psychology, and created
numerous excellent viral YouTube
clips that fool us with clever
psychological principles. For ex-
ample, the Colour Changing Card
Trick exploits change blindness.
78 NOVEMBER | 2022
Change blindness refers to a
psychological phenomenon that
occurs when people fail to detect
seemingly obvious changes to
visual scenes. Even if one does
not consider the Colour Changing
Card Trick to be a ‘magic’ trick in a
traditional sense, the underlying
principle of change blindness can
be used in magic tricks. Many of
his other brilliant YouTube clips
expose magical methods, and
yet, because they are viewed in
a non-magical context, they are
typically not considered to rep-
resent violations of the exposure
rule.
The closer we look at what it
means to expose a secret, the
harder it becomes to define what
it actually means. Rather than
simply focusing on exposure per
se, it might be more meaning-
ful to look at what impact your
actions have on the art of magic
more generally.
Before concluding this section,
I would also like to present one
other form of exposure that will
certainly have a negative impact
on the art of magic. This final
form of exposure, rather ironi-
cally, does not technically break
the exposure rule. It is the type
of exposure that occurs when a
magician preforms magic poorly
and inadvertently expose their
secret method. Surely this form of
inadvertent exposure does more
harm to magic than revealing the
secret is that it gives magic a bad
reputation.
4. WHY THE EXPOSURE
RULE IS SIMPLY WRONG
Victorian magicians often prided
themselves on performing
illusions with methods so secret
that they were known only to
the trick’s inventor. In those days,
publicly proclaiming that you
were performing an illusion based
on a novel secret method was a
common practice—a standard
way of drumming up publici-
ty. Today, the answers to most
 "Given the demonstrated inability of powerful governments to
prevent even state secrets from being leaked to the public, how
long can a new magic method really remain truly secret?"

secrets are only a few clicks away. Given the

demonstrated inability of powerful govern-
ments to prevent even state secrets from be-
ing leaked to the public, how long can a new
magic method really remain truly secret? Let’s
face it, if you really want to know how a trick
is done, you can usually discover the secret
online within minutes.

Secrets are an important aspect of magic, and

people seem to like the idea that magicians
actively prevent the public from discovering
them. We are fascinated by secret societies,
such as the freemasons and the Magic Circle.
When I tell people that I’m a member of the
Magic Circle, they often ask me whether I have
sworn an oath to secrecy, and this creates
much intrigue. Like freemasons, magic
societies captivate people’s imagination, and
the idea of the magicians’ code prohibiting its
adherents from disclosing secrets serves to
heighten this sense of mystery and interest.
However, I worry that a disproportionate
fixation on keeping magical effects secret
can actually distract from the larger issue of
promoting the art of magic. I believe that a
blanket rule that prohibits magicians from
disclosing their secrets to the public is not fit
for purpose.
I am not the first to say so. For example, back
in 1922 Rémi Ceillier wrote that “one might
think that illusionists, especially professionals,
take a dim view of the disclosure of their secrets,
however partial it may be. It was indeed still
like this 25 or 30 years ago; but since around
1900 a very clear turnaround has occurred.”
[10] He observed that many magicians who
had exposed some conjuring secrets to the
public had enhanced the people’s interest and
curiosity in magic and thus helped promote
the artform. While secrets play an important
role in magic, it’s important to remember that
there is so much more to magic than secrets.
People don’t go and watch David Copperfield
or Dynamo simply because they do not know
the secrets. They go and see these great
performers because they love the wonder that
they elicit. Indeed, giving audiences a small
glimpse into how tricks are done can enhance
people’s amazement, which is probably why
Penn and Teller and Derren Brown are among
the most successful magicians in the world.
The issue of exposure is one of the most
controversial topics in magic, and the modern
social media platforms often results in toxic
fanatical arguments and witch-hunts. Some
consider any revelation of a magic method to
the public is a sacrilegious act. However, as we
have seen here, once you look at the issue of
exposure more closely, it soon becomes appar-
ent that a dogmatic rule forbidding magicians
from exposing magic secrets is nonsense. That
is not to say that all secrets should be exposed.
Exposing magic secrets that harm the art form
should be discouraged. However, our obses-
sion with exposure causes more harm than
good. Our primary objective should be to
promote and advance the art of magic. Some
of our most celebrated magicians expose
magic secret to the wider public. For example,
Penn & Teller very publicly reject the exposure
conventions, and they often explicitly expose
magic secrets in an artful fashion. Derren
Brown often frames his tricks by presenting
pseudo explanations the public accepts to be
true (e.g. forcing) that are commonly used by
magicians. Richard Wiseman ‘exposes’ magic
adjacent psychological principles as part of
science communication. A simplistic exposure
dogma would technically condemn all of these
performers, and yet they are true champions
that elevate the art of magic.
The Magic Circle’s exposure committee has
tried to mitigate some of these issues by
defining lots of exceptions to the rule. For ex-
ample, it states that you are allowed to expose
a method in the context of a sucker trick, and
you can expose any method if people pay for
it. The futility of these contortions was recently
exemplified by the committee’s attempt to
NOVEMBER | 2022 79
adapt the rules in light of the covid 19 lock
down. In April 2020, the Exposure Committee
circulated a list of tricks they felt could be ex-
posed without breaking the rule. Their intention
was to offer some relief and clarification to
magicians struggling to apply exposure rules to
internet-based performances necessitated by
social distancing rules. Instead, the announce-
ment caused an extreme backlash from both
sides of the argument. On one hand, some
felt that allowing magicians to expose magic
secrets undermined the societies integrity and
foundation, whilst others questioned why it
was acceptable to expose some methods rather
than others, and who has the right to make this
decision? In a fittingly paradoxical response,
the committee stated that their announcement
merely reflected a clarification of the exist-
ing exposure guidelines AND said that they
would officially withdraw that ‘clarification.’ My
personal dispute with the exposure committee
has taught me two important lessons. For one,
many of the individuals on the exposure com-
mittee who are responsible for implementing
this rule are trying their best to accommodate
a wide range of views on the matter. Secondly,
there are so many exceptions and complications
to the exposure rule, making it not only non-
sensical, but also unworkable. Within the Magic
Circle in particular the difficulty in defining/
enforcing the rules often leads to witch hunts,
bullying, and accusations of favouritism.

Magic is a wonderful artform, and it has the

potential to not only to entertain, but also help

"The lack of respect and

individuals and society in many other ways. I
believe that increasing our scientific knowledge
is a laudable goal in itself, and we are explor-

recognition magic received

ing more direct connections between magic
and wellbeing. For example, BREATHE Magic
is an organisation that teaches children with

in the field of art and

hemiplegia to perform magic as part of their
rehabilitation program. Magicians Without
Boarder teaches disadvantaged kids magic to

entertainment poses a bigger

help empower them in other aspects of their
lives. At Goldsmiths, the MAGIC Lab has part-
nered with Abracademy to teach our undergrad-

threat than exposure of magic

uate students to preform simple magic tricks.
These lessons have demonstratably improved
our students’ reported self-esteem and general

secrets."
wellbeing. Magic provides a wonderful tool to
help people in wide aspects of life, but this can
sometimes involve revealing how the tricks are
done, and thus breaks the exposure rule. But
so what? Surely the ‘harms’ of exposure can, in
some instances be outweighed by its tangible
benefits. Our research has also shown that
people who learn to perform a few tricks in the
wellbeing workshops show significantly higher
interest and appreciation for magic.

80 NOVEMBER | 2022
 MAGICIAN'S WITHOUT BORDERS
I suggest we simply scrap the
exposure rule, and instead focus on
what we can do to promote the art
of magic. The lack of respect and
recognition magic received in the
field of art and entertainment poses
a bigger threat than exposure of
magic secrets. Magicians should
be discouraged from actions that
harm the art of magic, and in some
instances the exposure of a magic
secret will indeed have a nega-
tive impact. However, let us stop
wasting time and energy obsessing
about whether a magician should
be punished for exposing a magic
trick and instead focus our energy
on promoting and enriching the art
of magic. I have spent far too much
time thinking and writing about
the issue of exposure, and for me
at least it is time to move on to the
things that really matter: the art and
science of magic.
Acknowledgements: I would like to
Practice, C. Kassung, L. Schlicht, and
C. Seemann, Editors. 2020, Palgrave
"Magic is a wonderful artform, and it has Macmillan: Basingstoke.
8. Tamariz, J., The magic way. 1988,
the potential to not only to entertain, but Madrid: Editorial Frankson Magic
Books.
also help individuals and society in many 9. Simons, D.J. and C.F. Chabris,
Gorillas in our midst: sustained
other ways." inattentional blindness for dynamic
events. Perception, 1999. 28(9): p.
1059-1074.
thank Matt Tompkins for his excel- and “Functional Fixedness” in the 10. Ceillier, R., Les Principes psy-
lent comments and suggestions on Science Classroom. The Journal of chologiques et techniques de
earlier drafts of this paper. Educational Research, 1994. 87(6): l'illusionisme. 1922.
p. 371-377.
REFERENCES 5. Tompkins, M.L., The Spectacle  
of Illusion: Magic, the paranormal
1. Kuhn, G., Experiencing the impos- & the complicity of the mind. 2019:
sible: The science of magic. 2019, Thames & Hudson.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 6. Steinmeyer, J., Hiding The Ele-
2. Dawes, E.A., RULE 13: David phant: How Magicians Invented the
Devant’s illusion. Cabinet, 2007(26). Impossible. 2005: Arrow Books.
3. Swiss, J.I., Magic in the age of 7. Mohr, C. and G. Kuhn, Magi-
information. Genii, 2001. April: p. cians read your mind – What does
61-63. it tell us about the human mind?,
4. Solomon, I., Analogical Transfer in Mind Reading as a Cultural
NOVEMBER | 2022 81
HELEN COGHLAN
FIVE TIME FOOLER
by connie boyd
 Helen Coghlan made
entertainment history this year
on Episode 3, Season 9 of Penn &
Teller Fool Us when she became
the first and only magician ever
to fool the duo a record breaking
five consecutive times.
Helen’s silent partner and ace
up her sleeve is her Dad, the
renowned escapologist, inventor,
author and magician Arthur
Coghlan. Together they are a
formidable duo with many years
WATCH CLIP of collaboration, creativity and
performance experience. This
last performance win is a tribute
to their ingenuity, courage
and entertainment skills. With
overtones of her first FOOLER
performance in 2018, Helen
offered two different magic
effects. With her performance
and a record breaking fifth win
she has proven once again she is
truly, magically formidable and a
worthy competitor.
Hailing from “down under” the
relatively unknown magician
charmed everyone in 2018 with
her signature attitude, repertoire
and interaction with Penn and
Teller. She’s unique, she’s spunky,
she’s fearless, and she’s clearly not
intimidated by the duo.
I had the opportunity to chat with
Helen about her recent record-
breaking success and Helen
explained about this performance,
“I wanted to get away from the
escapes. My previous three
appearances on the show were
performing escapes so I thought
that it was time to go back to
magic”.
After much deliberation Helen
and her Dad ambitiously decided
to challenge the duo not once,
but twice, with two different
carefully, crafted magic routines.
Helen states, “in reality we had
two opportunities to fool them”.
It was a calculated risk with the
potential of a big payoff or failure.
Thankfully for Helen, it was a
resounding success and both of
the effects did indeed fool the
duo.
For those of you who enjoyed
Helen’s first appearance on the
show in 2018 will recall that she
performed two magic effects in
that segment and that it was the
glass of milk penetration effect
that completely baffled the duo.
For this fifth challenge one of the
two effects she presented was her
Dad’s original invention, liquid
magic milk trick, with a goal to
turn full circle back to the roots
of her first Fool Us Trophy win.
The method and routine were
completely different in technique
and performance, but everyone
who has enjoyed Helen’s first
performance could relate to
the interesting similarities this
performance demonstrated.
Helen explained “Dad created the
milk trick specifically for this show,
it had never been seen before.
The other effect was a “Jug with no
Base” trick. That prop and routine
is actually a modified version of an
effect a friend of Dad’s performed
many years ago.”
She elaborated and shared that
they had “a lot of problems with
one of the tricks” and it was only
a short time before she flew
to Las Vegas that everything
finally fell into place and began
working technically. That didn’t
give her much time to prepare
artistically. Helen admits that she
didn’t feel as confident and prepared as she Arthur’s detailed escapology book. Despite
would have liked. She revealed, “it was very, that inside knowledge, Helen’s escape on
very last minute and I was rehearsing at every the beach on the Gold Coast mystified and
opportunity I could get”. fooled them.

Helen has genuinely enjoyed all her Penn
& Teller Fool Us experiences, however this
one was different. “I put a lot of unnecessary
pressure on myself for this fifth performance”
she explains, “when you see the look on my
face when I understood that I’d actually fooled
them, that was a look of relief as well”.
Helen is a truly magical woman, we are
thrilled for her and her Dad’s continued
success. Helen has broken records and set
a very high bar for other magicians who
follow.

With record breaking Fool Us wins Helen

and her Dad have earned the respect and
admiration of Penn & Teller. This past June the
duo toured Australia and they made a side
trip to visit Helen and Arthur at home on one
of their days off. They visited “Dad’s Magic
Shed” and workshop where Arthur’s creations
form and develop. It gave them wonderful
insight into Arthur’s creative vision past and
present and to quote Helen, “it was a fabulous
afternoon”.

In 2021, during Helen’s Fooler performance

on season eight Penn and Teller revealed
they had sourced and studied a rare copy of

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Die Cabinet US $159.00

A classic in stage magic, but not often seen. A large die is dropped into an
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are closed, and a lid is placed on top. The magician snaps his fingers, and
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Provide your own silks or production materials. No mirrors!

Billet Bowl (aka Changing Urn) US $ 69.99

A beautiful wooden vase that will allow you to switch one set of billets for
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one of the folded papers; the information written down matches your prediction.

Very well made, this item does all the work for you.

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Wolfgang’s Library Prediction US $ 99.95

This is an old classic, updated with a fun presentation.

A small box is introduced that is fashioned to look like a miniature library. When it is
opened six books can be seen. They are removed and the audience can see that they each
are different colors and cover a specific subject. A spectator chooses their two favorite
subjects, and all the books are returned to the library, secured in place with a bookmark.
After a magic gesture, a magic word, etc., the magician opens the box: two books fall out,
and they match the subjects the spectator chose! All the other books are still locked in
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 One of THE most recognizable magic props of all time just LEVELED UP
for the 21st century... introducing ProCaps by Lloyd Barnes.

ProCaps
L L OY D BA R N E S
ProCaps was designed to replicate everyday bottle caps; this stealth-like set allows you to VANISH, TRANS-
FORM, APPEAR and TELEPORT stacks of coins with total ease, right under the spectator's noses.
If the ProCaps set alone wasn't enough; we've brought in Craig Petty to teach you 11 brand new, NEVER
BEFORE PUBLISHED routines in an over 2 hours long in-depth, intricate explanation video.

With tricks designed for beginners as well as challenging professional level routines,
ProCaps has something for everyone.

Available at your favorite Murphy’s Magic Dealer.

DESIGN
& EFFECT illusionplans.ca

WORKSHOP
PLAN
Design by
NIGEL HARRISON

CUT-LESS
CUTLASS
The Magician's Assistant
PLUS
Link to AR
impaled demo video
Cut-less Cutlass
BY NIGEL HARRISON

Although there isn't really anything complicated about this effect or the
supporting apparatus, this is something I've been toying around with for
quite some time. What I was looking to achieve was a work horse illusion...
something that was fairly simple to construct, transported easily, had
minimum pre-show set-up, but had a straight-forward effect with a kicker
ending all wrapped in an attractive design.

Cut-less Cutlass was inspired by various works... the classic Sword Basket
for one, as well as Moretti's Sword Box and Steinmeyer's Plate Glass Mystery. I
enjoy pieces that present the obvious effect (Assistant impaled) with a bit of
a puzzle attached (where could the Assistant possibly be hiding) topped with
a surprise finish (costume change). Wrap it in a modern yet simple piece of
apparatus and you get what you will find in the pages that follow.

I hope you enjoy.

02 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022 ILLUSIONPLANS.CA

 Cut-less Cutlass

IN EFFECT
Wheeled onto the stage, by the Magician's Assistant, is a Opening the two doors of the crate's lid, the Magician invites
small crate resting atop an elevated table. Once at Center his Assistant to step up onto the table and into the crate
Stage, the illusion is spun to show all sides (image 1)

1 2

The Assistant crouches down into the crate, barely fitting

inside, and the Magician closes/latches the lid.

Beside the table, is a wheeled rack holding twenty

swords. One-by-one the Magician thrusts the swords in
and through the crate. It becomes clear that, once all the
swords have impaled the crate, there is no possible room
for the Magician's Assistant inside (image 2)

03 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022

 Cut-less Cutlass

3
THE
ASSISTANT
IMPALED

The Magician takes a pause to spin the crate,

showing all sides to the Audience (image 3)

Reversing previous steps, all of the swords

are removed from the crate as quickly as the
Magician is able.

Upon opening the lid of the crate, the

Assistant stands, revealing herself to be
unharmed and wearing a completely
different costume (image 4)

The Magician's Assistant steps from the crate

to the stage, and exists Stage Left with the
illusion

04 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022

 Cut-less Cutlass

BY DESIGN
The illusion is comprised of two parts; one being the
rolling table and the second being the crate that sits on
the table. The table is deceptive, hollow, to house the
Assistant.
The table legs are 2" square aluminum tubing with 3"
casters. The table top and crate are constructed of 1/2"
plywood, however the bottom-most side of the table is 3/4"
thick to accommodate the weight of the Assistant once
inside.

STILT

The overall height of the illusion, from stage floor to top

edge is 55". The swords used for the purpose of this
design are 34" in length

You'll see that the crate sits on the table, elevated 1", by 4
"stilts", one at each side of the crate. These "stilts" are 3/4"
wood, 4" wide by 26" high.

For colors, I prefer the legs and trim of the table top to be
identical; metallic (satin finish) beige tone. The "stilts" and
2" outside trim of the crate are white. The crate, proper, is
a light brown. For the knobs on the lid of the crate, I
prefer brushed nickel... these are 1" in diameter

05 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022

 Cut-less Cutlass

THE
TABLE
BASE

The table has 4 1/4" of "hide" space for

the Assistant. Combined with the space
between the bottom swords and the
top of the table, the Assistant has 8" to 8
1/2" of space to lay in... with the head
positioned into one corner of the crate.

Bringing the knees toward the chest

and resting the feet at one end of the
crate will allow strategic passage of the
swords above the Assistant as well as
around and through the legs (pictured
above)

06 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022

 BLACK

BLACK

The entire interior of the illusion (table base and crate) is lined
with black velvet.

The 1/2" space between the table legs and the table top, as well
as the 1" space between the table top and the bottom of the
crate, are black.

The top and bottom surfaces of the 1 1/2" table-top are also
black.

BLACK INTERIOR
(VELVET)

07 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022

 THE
CRATE
The crate is constructed of 1/2" plywood
with 3/4" "stilts" elevating the crate 1"
above the table-top. It is 36" long, 26"
high and 18" wide. The interior of the
crate is lined with black velvet.

The lids of the crate open via piano

hinges running the length of the lids.

The underside of the crate is open to the

table below to facilitate the movement
of the Assistant into the table.

In the sides of the crate are pre-cut slits

to allow the passage of the swords from
one side to the other.

LIDS HINGE OPEN

CRATE TOP

CRATE PROFILE

08 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022

AR AND
This workshop plan has been made available for personal collection
and/or professional use only. Fabrication of this illusion for commercial
resale purposes is strictly prohibited unless previously authorized by
Nigel Harrison

CAD
The author does not assume any liability for injuries stemming from the
construction or use of this effect. Use at own risk.

MODELS
All content is © Copyright 2022 by Nigel Harrison Productions

scan the codes

Scan the QR Codes below to view an interactive 3D model of the illusion
as well as an AR video of the Cut-less Cutlass prop as it would appear, to
to view 3D
models
scale, in real-life.

Files are viewable on desktop and mobile devices

09 | CUT-LESS CUTLASS • DECEMBER 2022 ILLUSIONPLANS.CA

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 Martin Lewis
MAKING MAGIC
50 YEARS IN THE
MAKING

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and Stage, there are still plenty of stunning
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 KNOT UNEXPECTED BYJIM STEINMEYER & VORTEX MAGIC
REVIEWED BY NICK LEWIN
PRICE: $79.95
Jim Steinmeyer is considered one of the
most creative thinkers in magic, and Knot
Unexpected shows why this is. After Doug
Henning's performance of the 'moving knot'
on his television special he reached out to
Jim to come up with a method that was more
practical for his touring show. Jim created
Knot Unexpected. One of the most practical
and deceiving versions of the cut and restored
rope.
In the past other versions were sold but
they never matched the ideal knife Jim had
designed. They were either too small and
couldn't hope the rope or were cheaply made
and wouldn't cut the rope. Vortex Magic has
spent over two years designing and having
prototypes made to get the perfect knife for
this illusion. This looks and feels like a real
110 NOVEMBER | 2022
knife and will easily cut the rope. You can
now perform the moving knot and cut and
restored rope with confidence and ease using
any piece of rope.
The Effect: Two audience members hold a
length of rope, a spot is selected somewhere
near the center of the rope, the slack is taken
up, and the rope is OPENLY cut in the center.
The magician then takes the newly cut ends
and ties them into a knot. S/he then slides the HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/VJF2636AHS8
knot along the rope freely. Sliding the knot
near one end, the magician unties the knot,
leaving the bewildered spectators holding
two uneven lengths of rope. No trick ropes,
very visual, no magnets to worry about. Pure
Jim Steinmeyer genius!
Comes complete with the special knife and a
download tutorial.
Like every other magician around the
70s magic scene, I was caught up in
the excitement of Doug Henning as
he brought magic up to a whole new
era. Everyone seemed to have their
favorite routine from Doug's show,
from his awesome "Things That Go
Bump In The Night,” to the close-up
effects like “Fickle Nickel.” My very
favorite Henning was his intriguing
presentation of “The Sliding Knot.” I
watched him perform it on one of his
TV specials and dreamt about adding
it to my show. I discovered that
Doug’s sliding knot was based on a
Paul Curry routine.
I did some research and was excited
to discover that I was able to purchase
a manuscript of Curry’s brilliant effect.
When the manuscript arrived, I read it
intently and instantly realized that the
methodology to achieve the effect
was much too complicated to appeal
to me. Clever as the trick was, I knew
that the setup would be too elaborate
to travel with and perform on the
road. I guess Doug must have thought
the same thing because he asked Jim
Steinmeyer to find a way to reinvent a
simpler method to perform the trick
for his road show. That is really where
this review begins.
Jim Steinmeyer is one of the great
minds in magic and he reinvented the
basic sling knot effect for Henning.
Simplifying the handling, eliminated
problems, keeping it visual, with
Steinmeyer staying laser-focused
on the basic effect Jim created a
modern classic. This routine now
being released to the magic world.
The effect now just involves two
spectators from the audience, a
length of rope, and a knife. The
effect is simple to describe; two
assistants hold a ten-foot length of
rope stretched between them. The
magician cuts the rope in half, ties
the ends together in a knot, and
then proceeds to slide the knot from
one side of the rope to the other to
show the first spectator the situation.
Then the powerhouse finale when
the magician slides the knot under the
nose of the second spectator and unties
it, the rope separates leaving each
assistant still grasping the ends they
have been holding since the routine
began.
“Knot Unexpected” has such a smooth
handling that I strongly suggest you
view the video of it, it is as direct and
visual as magic gets. With two assistants
tugging on the rope and a magician
brandishing a sharp knife, this is the
kind of small prop/big impact effect
that can make any show seem big. The
strongest part of the smooth as silk
handling is the way anything that looks
like a move or appears awkward has
been eliminated. The performer remains
the focal point of attention throughout
the action, with the presence of the
two spectators at such close quarters
making the effect even more impressive
to a large audience.
This effect rises or falls on the strength
of the prop used to facilitate it. In a
magic magazine like this, I probably
don't need a spoiler alert before telling
you that the elegant and innocent
looking butcher’s knife is at the very
heart of the routine. Vortex spent nearly
three years perfecting the way the knife
looks and works. They did a great job.
Best of all, this is a realistic and well-
made prop that will give many years of
service. However, be warned the knife
supplied is sharp, capable of slicing rope
effortlessly. It could also slice fingers
so I wouldn’t recommend this effect
for younger magicians; for everyone
else, I think you will be delighted by this
routine.
The routine has an 18-minute online
video that teaches you everything you
need to add this effect to your show.
Watch the video, tie a rope between
two chairs, and practice for an hour
in front of a mirror, and you will be
fooled by your reflection. When you
have mastered it, you’ll have a trick to
add to your repertoire that you will be
performing a great deal. A powerful
plot, an innovative idea from Jim
Steinmeyer, and a beautifully designed
and manufactured prop make this a no-
brainer to recommend. I heartily give it a
five-star recommendation.
 PATRICK KUFFS
POKETUS SUBTERFUGE

THE EFFECT: proof, you spread the cards out again (face down) to show that the
Explain that you like to start your demonstrations with a little trick that "flipped" card is now gone. You end the sequence, dipping a free
is a warmup exercise. One person picks a card, signs it and the card (empty) hand inside the jacket to pull out a card ...the signed card.
is then lost in the deck. You explain that the demonstration is simple:
find the card behind the back. You place the deck behind you and after This presentation is inspired by the routine "The Card in the Wallet"
some gesticulation, you announce that you have found the card and published in "SIX BITS" (1936) by Frank Chapman.
even turned it over and placed it back in the center. To prove it, you
spread the cards (face up), and show that in the middle of the spread,
only one card is turned over. You ask the person, if among all the faces
of the cards visible, if he sees his selection; his answer will be "NO! In
this case, logically the card turned over should be the selected card.

Finally, you close the deck and announce that the card will disappear
from the pack. You snap your fingers and spread the deck again (face
down) to see if the turned over card is still there, but no, it is really gone.

You conclude the exercise by saying, "Every good magic trick ends with
a surprise!" You show the empty hand, slide it under the jacket, and
emerge with a card ... the signed card. Surprise!

THE SECRET:
The secret of success for this routine is mostly, rhythm. The suggestion
of demonstrating an unpretentious warm-up exercise helps distract
from the final surprise. You need a regular deck of cards (full or not), a
"double back" card of the same design. Place the special card on top
of the deck. Finally, you need a marker of your choice. Have the player
choose a card, then turn it face up on top of the deck. Have the card
signed, and finally return it to the center of the deck. You are in position
to begin the routine. Note: If the person chooses the top card of the
deck (double back). Do a double trick; with the first and second card.
Then continue as normal. This manipulation keeps the signed card on
top and places the special card (double back) in the center of the deck.

When the card is returned to the deck, put your hands behind your
back (under your jacket) and when you are ready, simply take the first
card on top of the deck (the signed card), and place it under the armpit
of the opposite arm (right hand under the left armpit and vice versa).
Note: to help you retain the card in position. Press the elbow on the
rib cage. Move slowly during the maneuver and the movement will be
almost invisible. It is possible to do the "loading" sequence with one
hand behind the back, but the maneuver is more complex than the
two-handed version.

When the card is "loaded" under your arm, come back to the front with
the deck and explain that you have found and turned over the card in
the center of the deck. You then spread the cards (face up) until you get
to a face down card (double back) and continue to spread the rest of
the cards to show that there is only one face up card in the whole deck.

Logically, the turned over card is the signed card. Immediately, you
"snap your fingers" and say that you have just made it disappear. As
112 NOVEMBER | 2022
 LOUIE FOXX
SPRING CARD FAN REVEAL
VIDEO WALK THROUGHS for Louie's Magic can be watched on Vanish
Magazine Bonus section of his blog at:
www.MagicShow.tips and use the password: vanmag

Now, we’re going to make a flap card. Split “What is your card? Show it to everyone”
the remaining queen so the face is the thick When they show the card to the audience, you
side and split the extra card, so the back is the turn the fan over, so the Queen of Spades side
When travelling I always try to visit magic shops thick side. Use the razorblade to lightly score is facing the audience.
and support them. A few months ago, I was in them across the middle of the split side. Glue
Mesa, AZ and popped into the local magic shop only half of these two cards together to make Take the selected card and hold it next to the
and on a whim picked up an Auto Spring Fan. I a T shape. Thread the elastic thread thru the fan and say, “I knew it was one of them!”
thought I would just hand it to kids to hold in sewing needle and push it through the corner
pictures after the show. On the drive to the gig, of the split back of the card, then through the PAUSE, it will take a beat of two for some of the
I had the idea below and thanks to travelling double card from the back to the face. Run audience to realize that the cards on the fan
with a kit of tools and parts for making it across the face of the card and push the have changed.
gimmicks I was able to create the gimmicked needle through the corner of the face of the
fan for the idea that I had in my hotel room that double card and finally through back of the NOTES: The construction of the spring fan
night! split card. Tie the thread, you’ll have to play sounds complicated, but it’s not that hard
with the tension so that you can open the card if you can already split cards. I imagine you
EFFECT: A card is selected and not shown to show a back, but there’s enough tension could still make the gimmick with unsplit
to you. You take some cards out of second for the card to automatically close to show cards, but it’d be much thicker than with spit
card box that instantly pop open into a fan of a queen. Glue this card onto the card that’s cards (I’ve never done it with unsplit cards, so
different cards. The selected card is shown to be showing a back on the queen side of the fan. it’s just a guess).
the Queen of Spades and suddenly all the cards
in the fan turn into the Queen of Spades! See the “notes” at the end for a link to an To help out with visualizing how the gimmick
overview of how the gimmick looks and works. works, I’ve made a video walkthrough of
You can watch a demo video of the trick here: the gimmick on my blog at: http://www.
https://jwp.io/s/efMSbKhb SET UP: Close the fan and open the flap card magicshow.tips Simply click on the Vanish
so the back is showing. This goes into the Magazine Bonus link and use the password:
NEEDED: You will need a deck of cards, an Auto empty box of cards. Set up the regular deck vanmag
Card Fan, this is usually about a dozen cards of cards so that you can force the Queen of
attached to a spring that automatically pop Spades. I use a classic force, so for me that
open into a fan. In addition to that you’ll need a card is on top of the deck.
deck of cards, an empty card box, an extra card,
and dozen Queen of Spades or whatever you WORKING: Take out the regular deck of card
want your force card to be. You will also need and force the Queen of Spades.
some elastic thread, a sewing needle, a razor
blade, and some rubber cement. “Take a card, and don’t show it to me”

MAKING THE GIMMICK: Split eleven of the
queens, so that the face is the thick side. Cut
out all eleven of the queens so that they cover
the visible part of backs of the fanned cards,
they will sort of be an L shape and glue them in
place over the backs of all the cards except for
the top one. Please notice that the upper right
corner of the back of the cards will still show a
back. This corner will be unseen when the cards
are fanned open to show all queens. Close the
fan and it will now look like a fan of queens with
one face down card on top.
114 NOVEMBER | 2022
Take out the box of cards with the spring fan
and remove the cards face down, keeping the
flap card showing the back. You can reverse
spread the cards by moving to the top card to
the right to show the corner of the backs of
the other cards.
“I think your card is one of these…is it this one?”
Point to the face card and they will say NO.
“Is it one of these?”
Holding just the face card, you will let the
spring fan automatically open. That will also
cause the flap card to flip so that it shows the
Queen of Spades. That Queen of Spades side
is facing you.
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5:56:57| 2022
NOVEMBER
DAVE
ATTWOOD
DOUBLE IT

W
hen I started out in magic, my goal
was not to make a million dollars or be
the next Copperfield, I simply wanted
to create that feeling that I first felt when I
experienced magic for others. I loved the idea
of making people feel that amazing feeling of
wonder. After joining my local club, I wanted
to be considered a ‘real’ magician by the others
that I was now associating with. They were all
talking about “corporate shows” and “private
events” and “birthday party shows”. I was only
doing magic for my friends and family and
unwilling waitresses. I felt that I needed to be
out there performing and charging for my Then came the day when I decided that my dry Moving forward, I decided to come up with a quick
show in order to be a “real” magician. cleaning and slush powder billI was enough to way to calculate my fee. Now there is no standard or
start thinking about charging for my services. scale to work off in the world of magic. I could have
I began charging what I thought a guy would just asked other magicians what they were charging
I started advertising to my social groups be reasonable in asking for. It was ten dollars. and gauge my experience and value against theirs
that I am ready to start performing shows. At the time, minimum wage was eight dollars. and come up with a mean value, but I decided I
I would perform a vanishing hanky trick or I wasn’t doing it for the money so the actual wanted a more mathematical approach.
make someone's cigarette vanish into their amount wasn’t crucial to me.
jacket and then say, “I also do kid’s parties. You
should hire me for your next function. The first First, I added up all my association costs. This
question I always got was, “How much?” Now people in the club may have assumed included memberships to local and international
that I was crushing out there because I was magic organizations, costs of lectures and meetings
performing a lot in the nineties but losing and I threw in there the cost of one convention.
At first, I was begging for the opportunity to money for the right to entertain. Then I added up all the costs of my props that I
perform for audiences, so my fee was nothing. would be using that year. After totalling it all up, I
I was running all over my neighborhood doing divided that number by twelve forecasting that I
shows for free so I could get that experience Then, that fateful Christmas season came up
would be doing one show a month.
of getting reactions to the things that I had when I was now in competition with my fellow
been performing in my den and in front of the entertainers in the club. I was hired to do a
bathroom mirror. I spent a good six month show for a “friend” and so I charged a little If you were to do one show a month and charge
of weekends running from kids’ party to kids’ bit more this time, $89. This ended up being that number, you would still be losing money for
party wearing a second-hand tuxedo and a complete catastrophe because this was the gracious gift of performing. So, I doubled that
performing the Torn and Restored Newspaper. another professional entertainer's biggest gig number.
of the year. Furthermore, I was asked to work
on that day where I was going to get paid
It was exhausting but I was starting to feel like I overtime which would have made me far more
was one of the “real” magicians in the club. cash than $89.

116 NOVEMBER | 2022

Then I realized that simply performing
had a cost to it. There is fuel to get to the
Regarding the Christmas season there
venue, drycleaning my tuxedo and all
is one specific date where you can
the added cost of all my consumables
literally write your own check. That’s the
used for the performance, eggs, mouth
Saturday night that is two weeks before
coils, newspaper, etc. Factoring all of
Christmas. That is the one night of the
this into my performance, I now had a
year that you can charge the moon and
hard number to work with. I knew what
you will get paid. Everyone is trying to
it would cost me to do a show so I had
get that date for their party and every
a number that I could give to someone
single magician in your area is already
that wanted a “friends and family”
booked so go crazy on that night.
discount, so I wasn’t losing money to
perform. Now I was able to add this to
my annual costs to come up with a solid There are also a few other days that
fee per show, then I doubled it. are one offs where there is no choice
to move the date. These are Halloween

FOR EACH YEAR THAT I WAS PERFORMING, I

ADDED ONE PERCENT TO THE FEE. FOR EVERY
AWARD I WON, I ADDED TEN PERCENT."

For each year that I was performing, I added
one percent to the fee. For every award I won, I
added ten percent.
Then, I doubled it.
night, New Year’s Eve as well as any national
holidays (July 1st in Canada). Make sure you
double your fee for these precious nights. If
you don’t get the gig, you can always relax
and enjoy the party yourself.

Finally, the way to say “no” in the

Now I had a calculation for my fee that I was
happy with. This was a fee that I would be
willing to stand behind if someone called and
said, “How much do you charge.”
Finally, there are two other factors that I
worked into my fee structure.
First, the Christmas season when
entertainment is at a premium. You are always
going to be able to charge more for your
services during the holiday season where more
people are hungry for entertainment. During
the Christmas season, or harvest season as
I like to call it, I doubled my fee. This is not
opportunistic, well not entirely. It’s just a simple
fact that if you have ten companies that are
requesting your services on a certain date, you
can command a higher fee. I take my standard
fee and double it.
entertainment biz, is to just charge through
the roof. There are days that I simply don’t
want to work. I don’t want to work on
Canadian Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve
and my birthday. The way that I say “no” to
working these days is I double my fee..and
then double it again. This way, if I am hired to
work on these days that are special to me, I
know that it will be worth it.
Now this does not even touch about
negotiating for a fee, which I absolutely
love doing by the way. This is simply just a
straightforward way for myself to structure
my pricing, so I knew exactly where to start
from.
 REVIEWS
TOP PICKS

TRICKS, DOWNLOADS, BOOKS

more than anything else I've ever seen. The way he gets in and out of
the routine ties in so perfectly and the structure is done in such a way
that the moment you must 'do something' the audience will never
notice.

01 The download also has even more bonus material and new insights
than the original version. You will need to get yourself a folding coin
and vanishing bottle to match the bottle you are going to use for 'coin
in bottle.' One of the reasons I like the download is you can use any
coin and you are limited to a US coin. This routine is what professionals
would call, 'highly commercial.' This means it is a real work horse. If you
perform stand-up, parlor or stage then the full routine would be great
in any show. For close-up you can just perform his version of coin in
bottle. Nick's handling on the coin in bottle is a real lesson in audience
management and the right amount of handling that once the coin is
inside the bottle, he allows the audience to handle it, without a care in
the world. This is very disarming and shows just how much work he has
put into this. It is a great example of not just the technical side of a trick
but also the right amount to personality to sell the trick.
COIN IN BOTTLE & VANISHING BOTTLE BY NICK LEWIN
WHO: Anybody with a little skill in magic can easily perform this
routine but the real secret is how you handle the audience and the
Price: $39.95 manner in which you present it. Thankfully Nick teaches all the nuances
Available: www.lewinenterprises.com that makes this such a killer tirck

WHERE: The full routine is ideal for pretty much any kind of show from
This download teaches two tricks both Nick's Coin in Bottle handling family shows to full theatre shows. The nice thing is it packs flat and can
and his Coin in Vanishing Bottle. The powerful and original new finale play incredibly huge because of the noise of the coin in the bottle and
to the classic coin in bottle results in four separate escalating rounds of you hand the bottle with coin out in to the audience.
applause that takes this effect to another level. Nick has featured both
routines in his professional shows since the 1970's. Great and original If you perform any type of show I would highly recommend you get
entertainment for corporate, nightclub, and stage performers, it could this download and start performing this in your act. This is what I
well become the most talked about trick in your repertoire. The Coin in would call ‘highly commerical,’ which means it is designed for real world
Vanishing Bottle is perfect for parlor and theater shows, while his coin performers.
in bottle routine can also be performed impromptu and close-up. This
download is over an hour long and teaches you everything you need
to know to add these reputation making routines to your show. The
Coin in Vanishing Bottle has been a signature effect and secret weapon
in Nick Lewin’s professional show for several decades, manipulating
sight, sound, and audience response to create the ultimate version of
a classic.

MY THOUGHTS:
This download is a masterclass in performance and not just with the
tricks explained but how to handle an audience in general. Nick is one
of the most experienced magicians today and this routine has been
in hs acts since the 70s. Every move and word in the routine has gone
through decades of shows and it is very apparent when you watch and
listen to him teach this routine.

Nick has taken two classics of magic and turned them in to a real
miracle. This is the only routine I've seen that uses the vanishing bottle
in paper bag because you used a bottle just moments ago that the
spectator got to hold and examine. This sells the vanishing bottle

120 NOVEMBER | 2022


02
SCYER'S EIDOLON BY RICHARD WEBSTER
& NEALE SCRYER
Price: $179.50
Available: www. https://www.stevensmagic.
com/shop/scryers-eidolon-richard-webster/.
com
Scryer’s Seer’s started out as a project that
grew exponentially into tombs of content. The
Annemann of the Occult – Final Edition – is
now available for purchase. Containing so
much more seances, readings, bizarre magick,
etc.
Eidolon: Early 19th Century from the Greek
eidolon and specter or phantom or an
idealized person or thing. Greek literature – an
Eidolon is a spirit-image of a living or dead
person: a shade or a phantom look-alike in the
human form.
This book contains 100% NEW CONTENT!
ALL NEW MATERIAL. All related to the same
venues as Scryer’s Seers. As such this is a
continuation of the original book. Because
there was new added material and the volume
exceeded, they decided to make it a two-part
project. This is the last of the series. Everything
that is needed for you, a lifetime of work can
be found in both the original and this final
edition – Scryer’s Eidolon. This will be the LAST
contribution of this series – which started with
Scryer’s Seer’s.
Fact: the content in this final edition has been
reviewed by authorities in the art comments
range from; “every bit as good as Scryer’s Seer’s
with some stating (in totality) better! The two
books together – will become legendary.”
Absolutely required reading for anyone in the
art.
MY THOUGHTS:
The first you will notice about the 228-page
book is the wonderful cover. It really is the
beginning of what I consider one of the best
books released by Scryer and Webster.
This book features routines from those
working in the bizarre and seance world.
Because this is such specialized work it also
means many people working in this field will
make a lot more money than any working
magician. I know that during the pandemic
many mentalists did readings online and
continue to make a better income doing this
than a regular show.
The real secret of this type of work is
connecting on a very personal level with
your audience, something that can be hard if
you are a regular magician or mentalist. The
types or routines in this book are varied from
routines using 'power animals' to our senses.
The contributors in here reads like a who’s
who of the psychic world including Neal
Scryer, Loyd Auerbach, William Barclay, Zac
Barkowski, Dr. D. Cleveland, Devil's Disciple,
Dimon, Oliver Ferguson, The Good Luck Witch,
Tony Iacoviello, Graveyard Johnny, Julie Ann
Johnson, Prince of Darkness, Scott. St. Clair,
Dr. Skitso, Dr. Chalres Snake, Ava Spellman,
Tatiana, Reverend Travis, TZ, Michael Weber,
Ricard Webster, Dr. Jeremy Weiss, and Dr.
Zombie.
Another nice feature of the book is often Neal
Scryer will make comments at the end with
ways he might perform something offering
an alternative perspective on a routine by one
of the contributors. Neal is one of the best
'readers' in the world and this book is filled
with gems from his many years performing.
I will just go over a few of the highlights as
there are approximately 65 routines shared in
here.
Here are just a FEW of my favorites.
Ahses of Sami Sesrad by William Barclay. This
is not just a great routine, but the story is
fascinating and a lesson from a person who
worked in vaudeville and used on zoom calls
today. There is a story about Swami Sesrad
known as The Psychic Scientist who used to
also do radio and sell astrological items over
the radio and made a fortune. What sells this
spooky effect is the strong theatrical framing.
This is a new adaption on a classic used in
magic but has so many more advantages
than the original. This is super easy to do but
because of the presentation people will get
spooked when they see this visually happen in
front of them. You can reveal any message that
ends up on a piece of previously blank paper,
but the one Barclay uses is very powerful.
What is interesting is who the real Sesrad was -
the personal manager of Bess Houdini!
The entire section by Loyd Auerbach, MS could
have been sold a book by itself. Part of this
includes his work on holding a seance and this
includes having one at a 'haunted restaurant.'
He explains how he works with a restaurant
to hold seances and make good money! I've
never heard of this before and anybody who
wants to do seances would seriously get this
book JUST for the tips he shares. He also does
a section on Ghost Hunting which I found
so fascinating and shares his experiences
of doing this on television. I think that with
YouTube becoming the new television
somebody could become a superstar if they
did it themselves using this medium. Loyd
gives it all away so it may spark something in
a reader.
Michael Weber offers the best pulse stopping
routine I've read. In his version you have two
spectators hold your wrist, one on the right
and one on the left. The routine itself is very
theatrical utilizing the pulse being tapped
on two glasses which starts with the same
beat, but then one becomes out of sync
with the other than it stops all together. The
original gimmick was more of a prank, but
the modified placement transforms into a
powerfully special effect experience for your
sitters.
Finally, Richard Webster offers Ten Mini-
Workshop ideas. Nobody knows more about
making a good living from doing interactive
talks than Richard. What started as free talks to
community groups turned into a very lucrative
business giving workshops at business
conventions. In this part of the book Richard
shares TEN topics he has done in the past and
written books about. He shares his ideas on
putting these talks together from the start
until the end. You aren't limited to just the
topics he uses but his advice and tips could be
applied to ANY talk in any field. One tip which
is very good is turning your pitch for your
talk into a book. He has done this himself and
made a great living from it for over forty years.
Finally, this book is filled with real gems, and
I can't believe he got some of the people to
share such amazing ideas and routines they
have made a living from. You won't find these
in another book so if this is of interest to you I
highly recommend you order this.

03
POP UP PROJECT BYGUILHERME ALMEIDA & PATRICIO TERAN
Price: $59.95
Available: All magic dealers
Wholesale: www.murphysmagic.com
When it comes to an effect in which a drawing or a photo is
transformed into a real object, we thought that we had seen it all, until
the Pop Up Project showed a revolutionary way of realizing this effect
Imagine...
The magician shows a bag with some papers and in each one is written
a different word. These papers are thrown on a table and the spectator
chooses one (before all this process the magician would have shown
an envelope written prediction on it). The spectator opens the chosen
paper and on it is written "Boat".
Then the magician takes his prediction: a card.
When he shows the card, magically a drawing begins to materialize
on its back, forming a 2D boat. When everyone thinks the magic is
complete, the magician turns this drawing into a real 3D boat, which
can be given away for the spectator to examine.
This effect is extremely easy to make and the product is 100% ready to
use.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When used correctly, the "Pop Up Project" gimmick
should last a long time. However, please watch the entire tutorial before
attempting to use it. Extra thread is included but should not be required
for a long time if performed properly.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is a trick that looks truly remarkable on film and is perfect for social
media. A drawing of a boat appears visually on a blue-backed playing
card then instatly changes to a real 3D paper folded boat. If you've seen
this on social media then you know how stunnig this looks.
The method is very clever and very easy to do as the card does all the
work for you. You are supplied with the gimmick card and two little
boats. One boat is special and you will use this for the appearing boat,
and the other you can hand out after the effect is over. I noticed the
promotional material states you get extra thread which did not come
in the box I received.The thread you can actually guy as it is the same
used in most tricks of this nature with flaps, etc. The real issue I had with
this is that the thread broke pretty much after a few trials. I watched
the tutorial first and was practicing it when it broke. They do explain
on the tutorial how to fix the gimick but it broke in a section that was
not mentioned. You pretty much have to pull it all apart to fix which is
a problem. If you are fiilming this for social media then you might only
use it the once but for $59.95 I would expect it to last a lot longer. Also
some of the glue used on the card to hold one side in place started
to come apart. An easy fix but still worth noting. I would imagine this
has been sitting around for a while and the quality of the card starts to
deteriate if it's in a box in a warehouse.
For this reason it looses a few stars because it is a great social media
trick. You could possibly do this live but it needs to be set-up in a special
way so it doesn't 'open' up by itself. They do have this in place but I do
feel it is better suited for social media.
04
TROJAN HORSE BY STEVEN HIMMEL
Price: $24.95
AVAILABLE: All magic dealers
WHOLESALE: www.murphysmagic.com
The Trojan Horse is a genius utility playing card gimmick that will allow
you to:
Transpose a selection, card, bill or billet.
Change the face or back of a selected card.
Quick, easy and powerful mentalism routines.
Produce currency or small objects!
Place a selection, very fairly, in between the two jokers. And with no
funny moves the card vanishes only to reappear anywhere you want.
MY THOUGHTS:
While this is an older release it is still a great little tool that can be added
to any deck as it will replace a joker. You would have two jokers in a
deck anyway so why not have one that would give you a powerful little
trick. If you don't use it then put the jokers in your pocket or leave them
in the case.
You receive a DVD with a gimmick card inside. The gimmick is quite
simple in nature but is well designed to hold the secret. The DVD also
shows you how to make your own gimmick if you want to use another
deck.

There are four different tricks taught with this gimmick, but I am sure
you could come up with your own. At its simplest this will allow you
to vanish a card. You could use it in a regular deck if you needed to
vanish a card but when it is done with another joker it looks even more
amazing.

The first trick on here is my favorite. Horse of a Different Color (color

changing back) where a red card is selected and placed between
the jokers. In an instant with no moves, the selection vanishes and
reappears face up in the deck. It is placed once more in between the
jokers and with a wave of the hand, the back changes color. This is a
great trick with a kicker ending. Perfect for strolling magic and you can
do this at any time.

A Horse with No Name (Mystery Card)

The next is a card to impossible location. An unknown card is place
between the two jokers. A card is chosen and signed then lost in the
deck. The jokers are picked up and the card between them is shown
to be the signed selection. This requires a tiny bit of skill but the cover
when it happens will go unnoticed. It is structed in such a way to hide
any dirty work.

Wells Fargo (Card to Coin Production)

This is a good use of the gimmick, so it is more than a card trick.
A blank card is shown front and back. The spectator draws a picture
of a coin, like a quarter or half dollar, on the blank card. The Jokers are
introduced as money makers. The card with the drawing on it is placed
in between the jokers, and with a magical wave, a coin slides out from
the jokers and the card with the drawing has vanished.

Horse Whisperer (Thought of Card Sandwich)

The spectator peaks at a card. The deck is shuffled, and the jokers are
removed. The jokers are waved over the deck and a card is seen to
appear in between them. It is the peaked at card.

I reallyl love this little gimmick and am having fun coming up with
various ideas and routines myself.
 old this is the perfect trick. The first thing I noticed is the quality of the
product. I have seen many versions, even at a higher price range, that
just don't match up to this one. If it can withhold my son taking it to
school in his backpack and kids playing it, then you know it's built to
last. The trick itself is super easy to perform and set up. This is not just
designed for kids to do but I can see adults doing this. If you do close-
up magic and walk-around for kids, it would be fun trick to perform for
kids. You could easily adapt this if you are a worker, so you print a bill
with your face on it and website etc. You can easily customize and print
your own paper money to give away.

To set this up again takes seconds so it makes for a practical trick if you
are working restaurants for example.

This one is designed so you can do it twice, so magically take a blank

THE FORGER - The Apprentice Series by Murphys Magic
PRICE: $8.95
AVAILABLE: All magic dealers
WHOLESALE: www.murphysmagic.com
EFFECT:
In this version, you take blank pieces of normal paper and place them
into THE FORGER. When you turn the handle on the machine the blank
pieces of paper VISUALLY change into REAL MONEY! You can produce
ANY currency with THE FORGER! This is a trick that is guaranteed to
capture the attention of your audience!
piece of paper and put it through 'The Forger,' and produce a piece of
paper with something not quite printed then put that through again
and then have something come out fully printed.
The Apprentice series is great because you get a high-quality video
download which also teaches a routine. For me this is what makes this
stand-out from all other easy-to-do magic tricks out there. The theme
of each of the series is important as it teaches children how to construct
a routine and give it a story rather than just 'a trick.' As a homeschool
parent this is a great tool getting them to write their own patter and
presentation.
An amazing product, great price and something kids will just LOVE!!

All Apprentice products come complete with all necessary props, online
instructions as well as a great storyline to capture the imagination of
your audience. The Apprentice Line of magic is focused on beginners
yet, many professional magicians around the world use these same
tricks in their live shows. Learn magic the right way with the Apprentice
Line of magic!
EASY TO PERFORM!
SELF WORKING!
NO SLEIGHT OF HAND!
EASY TO LEARN!
ONLINE VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS!
ALL PROPS INCLUDED!
PERFORMANCE TIPS!
STORY/PATTER INCLUDED!
GREAT QUALITY!

MY THOUGHTS:
This is one of my son's absolute favorite tricks so far in the Apprentice
series. So much so he has taken it to school to perform. For an 11-year-
THE FIFTH DIMENSION - The Apprentice Series by Murphys Magic
PRICE: $8.95
AVAILABLE: All magic dealers
WHOLESALE: www.murphysmagic.com
EFFECT:
In this version, you display a SOLID glass door and take your audience
to the FIFTH DIMENSION! You go into the future, the past and the
present ALL AT THE SAME TIME! You take a playing card and place it
in the glass door, next you take a pen or pencil and shove it through
the CARD AND GLASS DOOR! You then take the card out of the glass
door and show the card has been punctured yet the glass door has not
been damaged in any way! EVERYTHING can be inspected BEFORE AND
AFTER the trick!
All Apprentice products come complete with all necessary props, online
instructions as well as a great storyline to capture the imagination
of your audience. The Apprentice Line of magic is focused toward
beginners yet, many professional magicians around the world use
these same tricks in their live shows. Learn magic the right way with the
Apprentice Line of magic!
EASY TO PERFORM!
SELF WORKING!
NO SLEIGHT OF HAND!
EASY TO LEARN!
ONLINE VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS!
ALL PROPS INCLUDED!
PERFORMANCE TIPS!
STORY / PATTER INCLUDED!
GREAT QUALITY!
MY THOUGHTS:
Another extremely well-built prop. A classic of stage magic, and often
seen in magic kits. Like all the Apprentice series I have reviewed this
one is one of the best as far as quality and instruction goes. The tutorial
is 7 minutes but, in that time, you will learn a themed routine as well as
the trick. I love the routines they come up and this one is a fun one that
makes sense. Presentation wise they talk about the fifth dimension,
and this is the window to that dimension.
This can be examined and there is nothing for them to see. There is a
secret something that only you can see because you know about it. You
can use any playing card and you can use the same card over and over
or use a new card ever time.
For the price this is a fantastic piece of magic and again, not just for
kids because adults would be impressed if they saw this. Highest
recommendation.
THE ATOM RINGS - The Apprentice Series by Murphys Magic
PRICE: $8.95
AVAILABLE: All magic dealers
WHOLESALE: www.murphysmagic.com
EFFECT:
ATOM RINGS is a VISUAL demonstration of SOLID THROUGH SOLID!
In this version, you show four separate, solid rings of steel. You explain
how you have the ability to break down atoms and pass a SOLID RING
THROUGH ANOTHER SOLID RING, linking them together!! You do the
same with the other two rings. You can even hand out the rings to show
they have been linked together!
All Apprentice products come complete with all necessary props, online
instructions as well as a great storyline to capture the imagination of
your audience. The Apprentice Line of magic is focused on beginners
yet, many professional magicians around the world use these same
tricks in their live shows. Learn magic the right way with the Apprentice
Line of magic!
EASY TO PERFORM!
SELF WORKING GIMMICK!
NO SLEIGHT OF HAND!
EASY TO LEARN!
ONLINE VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS!
ALL PROPS INCLUDED!
PERFORMANCE TIPS!
STORY / PATTER INCLUDED!
GREAT QUALITY!
MY THOUGHTS:
When it comes to a great beginner trick for the classic Linking Rings
this is by far the best. The 10-minute online tutorial teaches a great little
routine where the spectator gets to check the rings and the magic to
happen in their hand. The rings themselves are made in such a way that
you get what might be considered a 'locking' key ring. This is all about
the design and it allows you to show rings quite freely. The routine
is well structured, and I think the perfect introduction for anybody
wanting to learn the famous Linking Ring routine.
I love the ending of this where the rings link the spectators’ hands as
this is not expected and anytime you can put something in their hands
it makes the trick more impossible.
This one requires a bit more work to get the routine down so it's not
self-working but is quite easy to do. It's a good one for the older kids
and give them something that requires skills and a great learning tool.
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