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Felix Dennis of Maxim, The Week
Related websites
General thoughts
Dennis seems similar to Walton and Cuban in that he tends to be the more action-oriented risk-taker in his partnerships. (p176)
Chronology of Success
grew up poor
worked for a magazine (Oz)
got sales experience by selling the magazine; also gained an insider's view of the magazine industry, which helped him make decisions in the future. this is similar to a lot of other entrepreneurs (carnegie, kroc to an extent, the founder of the pet shop boys mentioned by dennis)
while dead broke, he got EXTREMELY lucky by deciding to write the first biography of bruce lee just before bruce lee died. he rushed the completion of the book and was smart and skilled enough to capitalize on the opportunity and make a bunch of money by selling other knick-knacks (pins, membership cards, etc.). he took it international.
at some point he decided he wanted to publish a comic, so he went through hell trying to figure out how to get it funded and published. it was a complete flop, but he learned from the experience.
he then started selling monthly magazine-posters of bruce lee (poster on one side, magazine on the other side).
at some point (late '70s, early '80s) he decided to start publishing a PC magazine back when PCs were totally new and only used by nerds.
his magazine grew with the computer industry and he eventually started branching out into other types of magazines: videogame magazines, young men's magazines, etc.
Articles / videos
1970.11.10 - The David Frost show - Dennis being interviewed about Oz
I found it pretty painful to watch, the hippies come across really badly
you first see him at 1:03, all the way on the left, in the brown leather jacket and long brown hair with a brown beard, right behind David Frost. Within 10 seconds of getting on stage he reaches to his pocket to pull out a water pistol and aims it at the camera or audience.
2:46 Another guy uses the phrase "buffalo shit" before Dennis has said anything
3:08 You can see Dennis in the bottom right of the screen as another guy is talking
4:22 You can see him on the left starting to shout out
5:20-5:25 You can see him smoking, he says the first audible thing: "It's been running for the past 10 minutes" (referring to a camera that had been moved, which the hippies wanted to come back)
5:37 He picks up a phone(?) and jokingly says "Just leave the cameras alone"
6:15 Felix says "cunt"; he's off-screen at this point: "He's not a reasonable man, he's the most unreasonable cunt I've ever seen in my life."
6:22 He shows up on screen and shoots at Frost with his water pistol...agh it's so disrespectful...
2004.02 - TED - Odes to vice and consequences
he gives very intense readings
He reads a poem called "Never go back", which he says was one of his mother's big mottos in life
Poem: "To a beautiful lady of a certain age" - It's about convincing a woman to stop trying to hold back the effects of time
"America has done for me, ladies and gentlemen, more than Britain ever has, or ever could have done."
"convenience owns America, convenience owns our soul"
Poem: "Love came to visit me"
Here's a link to Jesse Winchester's "Do It": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwarp9kK0Dw
If the wheel is fixed
I would still take a chance.
If we're treading on thin ice
then we might as well dance.
So I play the fool,
but I can't sit still.
Let me get this rock
to the top of this hill.
Do it 'til you're sick of it.
Do it 'til you can't do it no more.
Friends'll pity you;
I guess that what they're for.
But they just take you like they find you
when they find you on the floor.
But you do it 'til you're sick of it.
You do it 'til you can't do it no more.