Gérard Majax: The Beginnings

Who doesn't know the magician Gérard Majax?

It must be said that with his many appearances on screen (both small and large), his magic kits given to so many children, his publications, and the extent of merchandising featuring his likeness, through stage, television, or cinema, he has become an unavoidable personality with an exceptional career, the full extent of which we may not fully grasp.

A true one-man band of the Magical Arts, let's rediscover his many talents, for rare are the magicians who have had such visibility!

I. The Beginnings

Born Maurice Faier on April 28, 1943, in Nice, Gérard Majax became a Parisian around the age of six. It was in Paris that his interest in prestidigitation was born.

A devoted reader of Mandrake the Magician comic books, he also regularly visited the Clignancourt flea market, where he discovered curious objects and thimblerig players.

As for his studies, he was a student at the teachers' training college before obtaining a degree in experimental psychology at the Sorbonne. There, he attended the courses of Paul Fraisse, a specialist in the psychology of perception who directed the laboratory of experimental psychology and physiology of sensations.

Fields that would prove invaluable for the magician he would become: audience management, attention control, NLP, communication, pedagogy, etc.

During these student years, he earned his living by performing magic acts in several cabarets, including the famous Tête de l'Art and Crazy Horse Saloon.

Hesitating between an artistic career and teaching, it was Eddie Barclay who pushed him towards his vocation.

He accepted the Olympia's Music Hall de France tour. He traveled the world presenting an original act: a pickpocket lesson.

During this sketch, he explains to a spectator who has joined him on stage how to empty the pockets of a dummy equipped with an electronic vest, which beeps at every false move. It is during this "training" that the spectator is literally pickpocketed under the amused gaze of the audience. A great stage moment, of audience management, pedagogy, and humor: he makes the audience understand that magic goes far beyond a simple demonstration of tricks and that it is a language, a mode of expression, a complete art in its own right.

His magic is refined through contact with the public: humor, wit, interactivity, benevolent pedagogy, playfulness, curiosity, and creativity make each of his performances unforgettable moments of entertainment.

His approach to magic also led him to create or participate in theatrical shows: Carré Magique, Moïse (Rock opera), Félicité (anti-racist play), Abracadabra, A la poursuite de la sorcière bleue (magic musical) and more recently: The Great Zoltan (directed by Jean-Claude Dreyfus).

II. Gérard Majax and the Media

It was through the small screen that Gérard Majax's name became indispensable.

For seven years, Gérard Majax hosted television shows: Abracadabra, Y'a un truc, Passe-passe, Magie-surprise (hidden camera show), La caverne d'Abracadabra, and Magie-Majax.

He also distinguished himself on the radio with the PUTPOCKET game every day on RTL.

He also acted in films and television series: "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe," and its famous opening credits where the initial credits display the names of the film's protagonists on a white background, or the very popular series at the time: "Marie Pervenche."

In 1990, he went to Japan to host the TV show CAMERA SPECIALE for FUJI channel.

After performing a magic trick on Club Dorothée during the Wednesday, June 1, 1994, broadcast, Gérard Majax was invited every Wednesday morning during the 1994-1995 season, to present a riddle for viewers to solve, as well as a magic trick.

From March to June 1998: "Défi magique" (Magic Challenge), a daily segment in "C'est l'heure," Jean-Luc Delarue's show on France 2, alongside Kad and Olivier.

In 1998-1999: he participated in hidden camera segments for Julien Courbet's "Les sept péchés capitaux" (The Seven Deadly Sins) shows (scams with disguises).

In 2012, he played himself in an episode of the scripted reality series "Le Jour où tout a basculé" ("I had to steal to save my daughter").

III. Gérard Majax and the Stage

Throughout this time, Gérard Majax never stopped traveling the roads of France, Europe, and the world, through his performances, conferences, galas, tours, or consulting activities.

In 1990, he received the National Order of Merit medal from François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, for the influence of his art.

In Antibes - Juan-les-Pins, he became Artistic Director of the annual Colombe d’Or Congress and hosted the stage gala with parody sketches.

And in October 1996, he embarked on the creation of a restaurant, the Magic-Hall, where he offered a close-up formula with his friends Pierre Jacques, Gérard Kunian, and Sylvain Gary.

Cinema:

1967: Bang-bang: the pickpocket professor

1972: Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire: the magician spy in the credits

1975: La Course à l'échalote: the pickpocket magician

Television:

1968: Les Dossiers de l'Agence O (TV series), episode La Cage d'Emile: the bar illusionist, directed by Jean Salvy with Jean-Pierre Moulin, Pierre Tornade, Michel Robin, Marlène Jobert, Mylène Demongeot, Noël Roquevert

1973: Le Machin (TV movie): the antique dealer

1984: Marie Pervenche (TV series): Roberto, the illusionist

1998: Les Vacances de l'amour (TV series): Leonardo

2006: Inconnue de la départementale (TV movie): Vargas

2012: Le Jour où tout a basculé (TV series): himself

2021: Astrid et Raphaëlle (TV series). Season 2, episode 1 - L'Étourneau: Carmine the magician

Host:

1994-1995: Club Dorothée

Gérard Majax, the One-Man Band

After beginnings that established him as an essential music-hall artist, Gérard Majax did not hesitate to diversify his skills, performances, and knowledge with the aim of entertaining or magically cultivating the public.

I. Gérard Majax and the Paranormal

His profession as a prestidigitator, his background in psychology, his critical mind, and his mischievousness allowed him, for 15 years, to become known also for his desire to demystify scammers, witches, healers, gurus, and other fraudsters within the framework of the "contemporary skeptical movement"; for fifteen years, he launched a "challenge to the paranormal" (the International Zetetic Challenge).

This activity led him around the world to establish the truth.

He published about forty books on prestidigitation and zetetics.

Between 1971 and 1972, he participated in a television show dedicated to the paranormal on ORTF's first channel: "Le troisième œil" (The Third Eye), where he was often called upon to participate in experiments and expose charlatans.

March 14, 1987, remains a great television moment. Gérard Majax was invited to the show Droit de réponse, hosted by Michel Polac, titled "The Geller Effect." The main guest of the show was the conjurer Uri Geller. At the beginning of the show, Geller performed some "parapsychological experiments," demonstrating his paranormal powers.

Gérard Majax, who was watching the show from backstage, then appeared on the set and re-performed demonstrations identical to those Uri Geller had just done: he twisted a metal golf club to 35 degrees, made a compass needle spin significantly faster than Uri Geller had just done, he bent a spoon by looking at it, broke a glass without touching it, or extinguished a candle remotely.

During this demonstration, Gérard Majax repeatedly used the words "trickery," "distraction," and "illusionism," accusing Uri Geller of being a charlatan and reproaching him for merely presenting magic tricks well known to magicians.

In 1989, during the television show Stars à la barre, on Antenne 2, he also challenged psychics and magnetizers to prove to the public that they were charlatans. We can cite the "mage" Nathaniel or the "sorcerer" Octave Sieber.

In March 1995, he participated in the first part "Le chirurgien, le magicien et la psychanalyste" (The surgeon, the magician and the psychoanalyst) of the program La traversée de la main, broadcast on France Culture in Les nuits magnétiques.

He was also invited to the show C'est mon choix on September 26, 2000, to debate the existence of supernatural powers.

II. Gérard Majax and his publications

As a good educator, Gérard Majax is also known for having published twenty books and created no less than 17 magic kits between 1970 and 1990: Y'a un truc, Magie Parade, etc.

Each of his publications reflects the extent of his activities: initiation to the magical art (by offering, in each, tricks structured around a theme: matches, thimbles, at the beach, at home, end-of-year celebrations...), demystification of fraudsters (Faiseurs de miracles, Garogourou, Tricheries au poker...), psychology (Magie du sommeil).

From 2007 to 2012, he also managed his publishing house, Éditions Abracadabra.

III. Gérard Majax in the 2000s

After 40 years of an already busy career, Gérard Majax seems unstoppable!

Starting in 2002, his invention "l'Hallucinoscope," which according to the newspaper La Croix is "an ingenious and very spectacular optical process that gives the impression of walking on air," a kind of "virtual reality system without electronics."

The Hallucinoscope was exhibited for three years in the scientific museum of the Palais de la découverte in Paris, at the Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin in Blois, or in the famous amusement park "Futuroscope" which used it to open the "citadelle du vertige" allowing to cross a giant Moebius comic strip.

Museums, amusement parks, and prestigious brands also use it worldwide.

At the end of 2002, he wrote and staged a musical at the Sudden Théâtre in Paris: "Abracadabra, à la poursuite de la Sorcière Bleue" (Abracadabra, In Pursuit of the Blue Witch).

He returned to theater in July 2003 at the Avignon Festival with "The Great Zoltan," the story of an illusionist who goes wrong and becomes the guru of a dangerous cult, directed by Jean-Claude Dreyfus.

In 2004, it was the turn of the "Les nuits magiques de Marrakech" Festival to be launched, under his direction.

In 2006, he inaugurated a new magical venue in Agadir: the Shalazam restaurant for the SHEMS casinos.

Still passionate about psychology and sleep, he launched EUROSOM, the first European sleep exhibition held from November 4 to 6, 2005, at Espace Champerret by HP Communication.

In the spirit of Commedia dell'Arte, he presented "Magia dell' Arte" at the Avignon Festival in 2006.

In 2008, enriched with anecdotes from the trade, he presented his show "Les dessous du Magic-Hall" (The Secrets of the Magic-Hall), inspired by his autobiography of the same name.

The Balajo theater hosted him in November and December 2008 for the show: "A la conquête du Paranormal" (Conquering the Paranormal), directed by Didier Brice.

Subsequently, Gérard Majax performs his show accompanied by mentalist magician Cédric Hédiard (Yogrid), nicknamed "Mister Tattoo," who will go on tour.

Gérard Majax also created and presents "Les Trophées Robert-Houdin" in Blois as part of the Maison de la Magie. As Artistic Director of the magic congress "La Colombe d'Or" in Juan-les-Pins, Gérard chose the theme of "Women Magicians" for the public gala in March 2009.

In 2014, Gérard Majax returned to the media spotlight by auctioning off his magic accessories.

He recently experienced a resurgence of notoriety when, in April 2022, his name was cited by Emmanuel Macron during the televised debate of the second round of the 2022 presidential election.

I forgot, in 2008, Uri Geller admitted in an interview for Magische Welt that he was "just a conjurer."

Which just goes to show, good things come to those who wait. In any case, if there's one person who didn't wait, it's Gérard Majax!

Throughout this astonishing career, in each of his publications, interventions, and appearances, we find his ability to transmit his knowledge and passion with humor, irony, and kindness.

It is with great respect for the notion of secrecy that he has awakened the vocation of magician in several generations.

They say that "the artist is a child who survived." In Gérard Majax's case, he is also the one who has the power to reawaken the child within us, and to show us that the Magical Arts are not "just a trick."

Thank you, Gérard Majax.

Photo credits: Official website of Gérard Majax.

Publications

Allumettes magiques, Ed. Mayette

Y’a un truc !, Nathan, 1970

Les 100 meilleurs tours de cartes, Ed. Nathan 1972

Le Pouvoir de la Magie, Ed. Table Ronde 1986

Les Pickpockets, Ed. J.Cl. Latès 1988

Magie à la maison, Ed. Nathan 1991

Magie à la plage, Ed. Nathan 1991

Magie à la neige, Ed. Nathan 1991

Magie dans la voiture, Ed. Nathan 1992

Magie à l'école, Ed. Nathan 1992

Magie dans la nature, Ed. Nathan 1992

Les Faiseurs de Miracles, Ed. Michel Lafon 1992

Magie du sommeil, Ed. Michel Lafon 1994

Garogourou (Les trucs des sectes), Ed. Arléa 1996

Farces magiques pour les fêtes, Ed. de l'Archipel 1998

Tours de cartes pour les amis, Ed. de l'Archipel 1999

Magie au dessert + CDRom, Ed. de l'Archipel 2000

Magie à la maison, Ed. de l'Archipel 2002

Magie en plein air, Ed. de l'Archipel 2003

Pinocchia, Abracadabra 2007

Tricheries au poker, Abracadabra 2007

Les dessous du Magic Hall, Abracadabra 2008

Les miracles de la Bible, First Editions 2018