My pal Mark Evanier has, of late, been doing some one-on-one video interviews with fascinating friends. The one he did last night was with Max Maven, one of the world’s great mentalists and magic historians. I’ve seen Max perform several times, including a decade or so ago here in St. Louis, when he was the featured performer at the Midwest Magic Jubilee, an event that I emceed for several years. I think the last time we crossed paths was at one of James Randi’s Amazing Meetings in Las Vegas.

As you watch their conversation, you’ll see that Mark and Max are both wonderful storytellers. They touch on topics such as the good and bad aspects of televised magic, the crossover between great magicians and great standup comedians, the challenge of doing a heavily verbal act for audiences that don’t speak English, and a lot more.