Max Davidson is a magician and mentalist, based in New York City.
(00:00) Choosing New York over Denver to pursue magic
(01:32) Grandma, The Wizard’s Chest, and the $6 trick that started it all
(03:58) First effect: sponge balls—and the early “this is possible” spark
(05:42) From hobby to “maybe a career” (pre-college to junior year)
(08:06) Lessons with Charlie, magic camp, and finding a supportive tribe
(10:55) Practice vs. performance: few shows then, learning by doing now
(13:12) Loving the mic: public speaking, surprise as a gift, and why it stuck
(15:48) Support at home, realistic self-assessment, grit, and self-awareness
(18:56) Influences: Nate Staniforth, Ossie Wind, plus the Penn & Teller axis
(22:04) Audience psychology: memory, story-shaping, trust, and “forced empathy”
(25:36) Skepticism & ethics: James Randi, “it’s not real”—and that’s why it’s interesting
(29:18) Pandemic Zoom reps: 100 shows, lifestyle test, deciding to go pro
(32:47) Building demand: email list, The Nudge partnership, and touring playbook
(36:21) Political-comms major, hating office life, taking the NYC leap
(40:02) Creating Stand-Up Magic: West Side start, The Gutter move, adding Tess & Jason
(51:02) NYC magician community: tight network, jams, collaboration, getting sharper
(55:03) Leaning into mentalism: memory stunts, names, “phone passwords,” methods & ethics
(59:12) The business & future: corporate rates, touring/venues, mediums vs. magic, defining success
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.