With a packed house of 250 audience members, Max Major made his appearance for Arlington, Virginia patrons at the Arlington Drafthouse at 7:30 on June 29, 2013 for a one-night only performance of Think…An Evening of Mind Reading and Magic. I was excited to get a chance to experience first hand the performance and have a chance to conduct this interview with Max after the show.
How did you get started in Magic?
I saw a magician (David Copperfield) on television and I was called to him. I considered myself fortunate because not too many 14 year-olds know what they want to do with their lives. For the last 15 years, I have been actively involving in building my “magical” career.
What’s your favorite trick?
I do these two tricks in mostly every show. I swallow a piece of thread and then extract it from my eyeball. I also do the Russian Roulette effect. (Both of these tricks were done during the evening’s performance and pictures are included on this page). My goal is to make the audience feel uneasy and as a result I gain two things: their attention and respect.
Your ads for this show advertise as your last public appearance in DC until September. Are you going on a summer vacation?
Well, I am going on the road, but not on vacation. We are working on an exciting East Coast tour that would put our THINK show in cities throughout that area. This follows on the footsteps of during 30 THINK shows at Helix Hotel for 15 weeks and then 6 shows at Living Social Headquarters, both in Washington, DC, selling a total of 1200 tickets. At Helix, we had 60 seats and at Living Social we had 110 seats. All shows were completely sold out in these two venues and I am told that tonight’s performance at Arlington Drafthouse sold all 250 seats. I have to honestly say that Helix gave me the opportunity to “graduate” to tonight’s performance which included live video in order for the audience to closely watch my every move. Using that technology is a first for me.
What local magicians influenced you and helped grow your career?
There are three magic cities: Las Vegas, Los Angeles and you will never guess the last one – Baltimore. There is a place up there called the Denny and Lee Magic Studio that had a profound impact on my magic career.
Recently, there have been two magic movies including Now you See Me and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Although they are very different movies…one taking the humorous approach while the other is action. Does Hollywood help or hinder you?
Any magic exposure from The Big Screen is beneficial. Such activity only helps to encourage a greater audience for me since it helps to bring out the curious to witness the real thing in person. I strongly believe that Now you See Me will inspire an entire new generation of magicians.
What makes your show and its modus operandi unique and successful?
My show is not about props; it’s about people. I have a much broader spectrum including body language, hypnosis, and matter of suggestion than just a straight magic show. For the record, nothing in my show is supernatural; it may seem that way, but it is really magic.
How you would define magic?
Magic is something that can’t be explained. It’s a temporary escape. It demonstrates the potential of the human mind….and for me determining how far I can push it and simultaneously provide entertainment.
LINK
Max Major’s website.
