Medieval Max and his Tall Tales

Finding Medieval Max and his Tall Tales

    When I first began storytelling I tried several ideas in bringing Traditional Arthurian (King Arthur) tales to the general public through storytelling but all failed miserably and eventually I dropped these programs.  I love telling Arthurian tales but I have to have a program that an audience will come to hear or buy into and after years of experience I now believe that I have a way to bring King Arthur back to a modern day world.

    I decided to take the concept of the Arthurian stories and turn them into Tall Tales. Technically they are not that far away from that as they are.  Depending on what sources you use such as the Mabinogion tales, those stories are already tall tales by today’s standards. The traditional tales could be easily construed as such.

   But why would I bother? Why not let the dead lie? Good Question.

    The one reason why the Arthurian tales have survived all these centuries is because they strike a human chord that has haunted man all down through the ages:  An innocent boy who would be king, a man with power who does not abuse it, a man with power who believes in doing what is right for everyone not just the rich and powerful and those themes are just for starters.  These are all values that America was built on, values of right and wrong, values of justice and these were all issues that drove the powerful and the lowly during the medieval ages. In fact man has spent the last 4000 years ( pick a number any number  from 2000 years on back and you would be right) trying to get past these issues.

  So I feel that King Arthur and his stories are still of great value but how can I retell them in a Tall Tale fashion and make them fun and new for young and old audiences.  The problem is that many of the stories would be perceived as adult themes in today’s world. In truth they are grown up stories, whether you are looking at the traditional tales or the complicated stories of the Mabinogion.  Even though these stories were probably meant for family fare when they were 1st told, the value systems of that time was quite different than today. Plus folk of that time would have easily understood the values of those stories in that time because of the symbols utilized and references to what would had been modern day or recent events. Even though they have been construed with youth and children in mind for ages that is because the stories have been written and rewritten dozens of times. 

    So how do I turn the stories into Tall Tales, Easy, you change the story and make it accessible to the younger audience but keep the values.  As I said the stories are not that far from Tall Tales to start with.  It does not matter whether the stories were based on a real character or not.  The fact is what today we call Arthurian tales are little more than a cornucopia of stories.  Over the years the Arthurian tales took on their own life.  If you were to seriously study the Arthurian tales (as I have)  you would discover a strange labyrinth of twisted development as the stories bounced from one source to the other. Was there ever a real King Arthur, as far as history can say? No! Absolutely no proof of any such character.  No matter who claims what there has never been one hard shred of evidence to support his existence. Are the stories probably based on some character or characters that did live, odds are yes. Almost all legends are based on a real character. He was probably a leader in a small locality with noble ideas. He had to be a standout. There is no doubt of that. Also consider that the stories of Arthur started during the dark ages, a time when records were lost , destroyed or not even taken and when Britain was in great turmoil from invasions.

   One of my past goals was to create historical programs that encouraged kids to read and learn. Hopefully this program will have the same end. Even today the name of King Arthur brings to mind castles and knights to all who hear it. So that is my prime focus with Medieval Max and King Arthur‘s Tall Tales. Like a blacksmith creating a magic sword I will be the melting pot of King Arthur and his knights and all the good stuff that goes with it; Battles, jousting, horses, swords, dragons, trolls and of course magic and so on. I have re-conceived some of the stories and characters based on what I like and what I think the kids and adults would enjoy.  I have turned some of the characters upside down.  I have stretched some of the ideas to ridiculous regions. I have had lots of fun with King Arthur and his clan. Dragons shall attack, Trolls will destroy and battles shall be ensued. Still Arthur is noble and his followers are classic and they abide the kings rules even unto their own undoing, though none of his knights are all that particularly impressive because these guys are just plain human (sorta).

  With all this in mind I needed a delivery man for my stories. Just like Shiny Buzzard I wanted a specific character with back ground and style. Just like Shiny I am drawing on my past storytelling experiences and my short acting career to bring this character to life. Again I am blending the two to make a one.  Medieval Max is my storyteller for my Arthurian  and Medieval Tall Tales. He has the look of a man who knows more than he is telling ( a little too big for his own britches if you ask me) . He will mix historical facts with fiction and blend the two till you can’t separate one from the other.  Some will call him a magician because when he tells his stories they will seem to come to life. Others will say that he is just a silly old man who is prone to excessive imagination and has lost all his marbles. Well, both are true. 

MAX

p.s.     I will start pushing Max hard next year (2014). I plan to post a video of one of his stories a little later this year. Oh and watch your purses when he’s around. He’s a sneaky old devil.