'MAD MAX'

by Jason Walters

Mercury Rising #6, April - July 1992

This issue we take time out to pay our last respects to Mad Max, a long time member of San Francisco’s messenging community. Although many of you probably have mixed feelings about him, he too has his place in our hall of fame; Max defaced more elevators with his unmistakable emblem than anyone in history. Next time you get on an elevator and see his name carved into the metal inspection plate (or if you see the now deceased Swooner’s name, for that matter), ponder the following thoughts:

Max was a nice, healthy, and well-intentioned guy who liked shooting up with heroin. He always seemed cheerful and upbeat, and I remember him organizing a couple of Russian River Rides in the late 80's. After a while Max liked shooting up more than being healthy or holding a job his years of being a partying messenger turned into a single, blurry land scape in which he could not distinguish the party from his life. He dropped out, lost his girlfriend, ended up a street person, and eventually died of an overdose in a shitty room above the Covered Wagon Saloon. This paragraph is probably the only obituary poor Max is ever going to get.

I think a lot of messengers could take a hint from Mad Max’s untimely death. After a certain point, the party has to stop (a least for a little while). There’s a difference between being an addict and having a good time. If we all think about this fact when we see Max’s name in the elevator at 333 Broadway, maybe there wouldn't be any more drug obituaries in Mercury Rising. Dig?

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com