Max Maven
Max Maven performing an ESP card trick, 2007
Maven performing an ESP card trick, 2007
Born
Philip T. Goldstein

(1950-12-21)December 21, 1950
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 2022(2022-11-01) (aged 71)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Magician, mentalist
AwardsAcademy of Magical Arts Creative Fellowship, MINDVention Lifetime Achievement Award,The Allan Slaight Award for Lifetime Achievement

Max Maven (born Philip T. Goldstein; December 21, 1950 – November 1, 2022) was an American magician and mentalist whose performances were considered erudite and intelligent.[1] He is ranked as one of the most influential mentalists of all time,[2] and one of the 100 "Most Influential Magicians of the 20th Century" by Magic Magazine.[3][4]

Life and career

Maven often appeared on television magic shows to perform "interactive" mind reading tricks, namely tricks where he appeared to predict or influence the choices of viewers in real time.[5][6] Maven grew up largely in Boston, Massachusetts, where he became known for his performances at several nightspots including the then popular Playboy Club. In Boston, he was formerly a radio deejay.[7]

Maven was also a prolific author[8][9] and conceived many magical and mentalist effects used by other magicians.[10] He was a magic consultant for such performers as Harry Blackstone Jr., Mark Wilson,[11]: 215  David Copperfield, Penn & Teller,[12] Siegfried & Roy, and Doug Henning, and was a frequent contributor to industry journals such as Genii, The Linking Ring, and M-U-M.[13]

Maven was featured on the cover of over 30 such magazines over the years,[14] including The Linking Ring, Genii in 1983[15] (with Japanese magician Shigeo Takagi), and also in 2007[16] and in 2018,[17] and on the cover of Penguin Magic Monthly in 2019.[18] He was the featured magician at the annual conventions of both the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

His name was changed legally to Maven but he still used "Phil Goldstein" as a pen name for technical writings.[19]

Maven had a broad knowledge of magic history and the origins of various tricks and methods.[20] He stated that he believed it vital to preserve the history of the art and provide credit to the originators of ideas.[21]

Maven died from brain cancer on November 1, 2022, at the age of 71.[22][23][24]

Media and public appearances

Although Maven did not consider himself a comedian,[25] he spent much of the 1980s performing and headlining in comedy clubs throughout the United States.[26][27][28]

His one man show, Thinking in Person, ran for two months at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in 1988,[29] and an expanded version of the show was relaunched twenty years later in 2008.[30] The show was later mounted off-Broadway at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex in 2012.[31]

Maven occasionally played a magician character (often as himself) on various television series, such as Magic, The Art of Magic and The MAXimum Dimension.[32] He appeared in television series in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Portugal, and Chile.[33][34]

Maven appeared as a part of the traveling science exhibit called "Magic: The Science of Illusion" and the "Magic of the Mind Illusion",[35] which toured in science museums in cities such as Los Angeles and Boston.[36] He performed often in Japan[37] and spoke Japanese.[38]

Maven was a frequent speaker at the EG Conference on creativity and innovation.[39][40]

Maven starred as the title role in FOX's 1992 Halloween special Count DeClues' Mystery Castle.[41] His performed his interactive magic on The World's Greatest Magic, NBC's highest rated special of 1994.[42]

Maven hosted his own show on Israel's Channel 2, a licensed version of Penn & Teller: Fool Us called Mi Yapil Et Ha Master (Who Can Fool The Master?).[43] He was a judge for a number of episodes of the 2008 reality TV series Celebracadabra.[44]

Maven appeared in sitcoms and television dramas, including as "The Great Mentos" in the 1995 Fresh Prince of Bel Air episode "Save the Last Trance for Me", the 1982 episode of Mork & Mindy entitled "Drive, She Said", and episodes of General Hospital[45][46] and Top Chef.[47]

In 2019, he appeared on screen in the documentary about The Amazing Johnathan directed by Ben Berman[48] and was interviewed[49] by the Los Angeles Times about recent developments at the Magic Castle.

The well-reviewed[50] feature documentary entitled Max Maven: A Fabulous Monster was released in 2007[51] by Reel Time Images.[52] It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.[53]

Awards and recognition

Max Maven received a number of awards for his creativity and performance, including awards from the Society of American Magicians, International Brotherhood of Magicians, and the Academy of Magical Arts.[54] In addition, he received the following recognitions:

Selected works

  • Max Maven's Book of Fortunetelling [60]
  • VideoMind - Phases 1-3: Mentalism (3 volume DVD)[61][62][63]
  • Prism: The Color Series of Mentalism[64]
  • Nothing (2 DVD Set) [65]
  • Kayfabe (4 DVD Set) [66]
  • Max Maven's Mindgames (video)[67]
  • The New Magic of Japan (translator)[68]

References

  1. ↑ Morris, Steven Leigh (2008-03-27). "Max Maven Thinking in Person". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  2. ↑ magicianmagazineonline (2017-03-31). "10 Famous Mentalists of all Time". Magicians Magazine. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  3. ↑ "Maven". Stevens Magic Emporium. 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  4. ↑ "Max Maven – Comedy Contact. We make finding the right entertainer easy". Comedy Contact. We make finding the right entertainer easy. 2014-10-14. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  5. ↑ Ogden, Tom (November 1998). Max Maven Interactive Magic Tricks. Penguin. ISBN 9780028627076. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Max Maven's Mindgames". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  7. ↑ "Insight From Maven of the Mind : Stage: The mentalist, who will perform in Santa Ana, says he gets hints from body language". Los Angeles Times. 1994-06-24. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  8. ↑ "Obituaries (Mike Caldwell)". Genii. William W. Larsen Corporation. 58 (10): 858. September 1995.
  9. ↑ "Max Maven". www.librarything.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  10. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Photo Flash: Max Maven Celebrates Opening Night Off-Broadway". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  11. ↑ Randi, James (1992). Conjuring. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-08634-2. OCLC 26162991.
  12. ↑ Collins, Glenn (1987-07-05). "New Magic Makes the Audience Appear". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  13. ↑ "Max Maven". www.conjuringarchive.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  14. ↑ Dreams, Theatre of. "Max Maven - World's Top Mentalist (2018-09-06)". Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  15. ↑ "Shigeo Takagi - Magicpedia". geniimagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  16. ↑ "Max Maven - Magicpedia". geniimagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  17. ↑ "Genii Magazine February 2018 - Book". Penguin Magic. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  18. ↑ "Penguin Magic Monthly: January 2019 (Magazine)". Penguin Magic. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  19. ↑ Clark, James L. (2012-03-27). Mind Magic and Mentalism For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119954002.
  20. ↑ Joshua Jay Book of Magic. Workman. 8 November 2008. ISBN 9780761159681. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Max Maven: A Mentalist, Magic Consultant, And A TV Guest Star". Rebel Magic. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  22. ↑ Evanier, Mark (2 November 2022). "Max Maven, R.I.P." News From ME. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "Max Maven". Harris Online. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  24. ↑ ""Boo."". Max Maven. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Lerman, Ali (2011-10-24). "Magician or Mentalist, Max Maven is Mentally Amazing". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  26. ↑ Development, PodBean. "MAX MAVEN". talkingtricks.podbean.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  27. ↑ "Max Maven - Entertainment Booking Agency". mspentertainmentagency.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  28. ↑ "Bringing mystery back to life". bermudasun.bm. February 2, 2007. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  29. ↑ "Insight From Maven of the Mind : Stage: The mentalist, who will perform in Santa Ana, says he gets hints from body language". Los Angeles Times. 1994-06-24. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  30. ↑ Morris, Steven Leigh (2008-03-27). "Max Maven Thinking in Person". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  31. ↑ Gioia, Michael (June 12, 2012). "Mentalist Max Maven's Thinking in Person Begins Off-Broadway Run June 12". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  32. ↑ "MAXimum Dimension". Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  33. ↑ "Sleights of Mind » Magic Advisors". Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  34. ↑ "Max Maven - Entertainment Booking Agency". mspentertainmentagency.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  35. ↑ "All About Max ~ MaxMaven.com". www.maxmaven.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  36. ↑ "Magic:The Science of Illusion". Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  37. ↑ "Magic Cafe". Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  38. ↑ "Insight From Maven of the Mind : Stage: The mentalist, who will perform in Santa Ana, says he gets hints from body language". Los Angeles Times. 1994-06-24. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  39. ↑ "Max Maven". EG Conference. 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  40. ↑ "Max Maven, Mystery Theorist & Magician (EG8)". EG Conference. 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  41. ↑ Count DeClues' Mystery Castle, retrieved 2019-08-21
  42. ↑ "Max Maven - Entertainment Booking Agency". mspentertainmentagency.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  43. ↑ "iTricks.com Magic News, Magic Videos and Podcasts » Blog Archive » Max Maven: Fool Me?". Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  44. ↑ Celebracadabra, retrieved 2019-08-21
  45. ↑ "Max Maven". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  46. ↑ "Max Maven - David Belenzon Management, Inc - Max Maven". David Belenzon Management, Inc. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  47. ↑ "'Top Chef Masters': Neil Patrick Harris masters another TV genre". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  48. ↑ "Review: 'The Amazing Johnathan Documentary' profiles irascible magician in an illusory way". Los Angeles Times. 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  49. ↑ "And for the Magic Castle's next trick: Food that's worth talking about". Los Angeles Times. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  50. ↑ "Donna Zuckerbrot-Max Maven - A Fabulous Monster". Magic Reviewed. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  51. ↑ Max Maven: A Fabulous Monster, retrieved 2019-08-21
  52. ↑ "Max Maven: A Fabulous Monster". Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  53. ↑ "Amazon.com: Watch Max Maven: A Fabulous Monster | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  54. ↑ Ogden, Tom (November 1998). Max Maven, Technical Reviewer. Penguin. ISBN 9780028627076. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  55. 1 2 3 "Hall of Fame". www.magiccastle.com. The Academy of Magical Arts. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  56. ↑ "Cover page (Special Max Maven issue)". Genii. 45 (3): 1. March 1981.
  57. ↑ "The Magic Cafe Forums - Max Maven 2015 Guest of Honor!". www.themagiccafe.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  58. ↑ "Max Maven Bank Night". Magicana. 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  59. ↑ "Allan Slaight Award Recipients". Magicana. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  60. ↑ Maven, Max (1992). Max Maven's book of fortunetelling (1st ed.). New York: Prentice Hall General Reference. ISBN 0135641217. OCLC 25632502.
  61. ↑ "Videomind: Phase 1 - Parlor Mentalism - Max Maven - DVD [v2584] - $29.95 : L&L Publishing, The best in magic dvds, books, props and magician's supplies". llpub.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  62. ↑ "Videomind: Close-Up Mentalism - DVD # 2 - Max Maven [v2583] - $29.95 : L&L Publishing, The best in magic dvds, books, props and magician's supplies". llpub.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  63. ↑ "Videomind: Stage Mentalism - DVD # 3 - Max Maven [v2585] - $29.95 : L&L Publishing, The best in magic dvds, books, props and magician's supplies". llpub.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  64. ↑ Maven, Max (2005). Prism: the color series of mentalism. Seattle, WA: Hermetic Press. ISBN 0945296487. OCLC 224853800.
  65. ↑ "Nothing by Max Maven (2 DVD Set)". Stevens Magic Global. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  66. ↑ "Kayfabe (4 DVD set) by Max Maven and Luis De Matos - DVD". Penguin Magic. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  67. ↑ "Max Maven's Mindgames | VHSCollector.com". vhscollector.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  68. ↑ "Fully Booked | New Magic of Japan". www.vanishingincmagic.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
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