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Designed in 1913 by Victorian/Edwardian/other architect Theophilus A Allen; John Lennon's house between 1964 and 1968; sunroom, attic and prisco stripe hibernice; Mellotron and caravan; Babidji and Mimi; mortar and pestle; Wubbleyoo Dubbleyoo; curios and curiosity; remnants and residue; testimonials and traces; (Cavendish Avenue, Sunny Heights and Kinfauns); Montagu Square; mock Tudor: Brown House: *KENWOOD*.

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Thursday 26 March 2009

Magic Alex.





Sometime television repair-man, Popular Electronics subscriber, and (alleged) designer of nothing boxes, artificial suns and DIY flying saucers, Alexis Mardas was a frequent visitor to Kenwood in 1967 and 1968. It was John who dubbed him "Magic", and he was clearly very fond of Alex for a while, showering him with gifts such as his Iso Revolta S4, a rather odd looking custom Vox guitar, and the talisman necklace. You could get the equivalent of about seven Isos for the talisman now - whowouldathunkit back then?

4 comments:

  1. Hey Kenwood,
    Adore your Blog dude!
    Tell us more about Mr Y Mardas, and his many inventions? I think John being impressed by 'The Nothing Box' was amusing, especially if I imagine him selling the idea to John..?! lol

    I believe Dunbar had strong words to say about "Magic Alex" :-/
    I found this site too:
    http://lifeofthebeatles.blogspot.com/2006/06/many-faces-of-magic-alex-mardas.html

    Peace

    Milky
    :-D

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  2. Alex's inventions might become a reality?!...Who knows if there's a Mardas Gap in friendship he had with John, especially while in India, 'Sexy Sadie' explains John's feelings (I understand there's a piece of wood, that John inscribed too :-)the ideas superceeded these and I guess we'll never know what direction The Beatles would have gone if Alex hadn't of soured the atmosphere?

    ..I can picture John staring at his Box in the Sunroom..!

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  3. One odd thing I learned from reading Maureen Cleave's famous article on John - she describes the following:

    "In the sitting room are eight little green boxes with winking red lights; he bought them as Christmas presents but never got round to giving them away. They wink for a year; one imagines him sitting there till next Christmas, surrounded by the little winking boxes."

    I initially thought that these were Alex's "nothing boxes," but they clearly can't be, as John hadn't met Alex yet (early 1966). So it looks like John always had a thing for boxes that randomly flashed lights!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah - I wonder why that was? :)

    ReplyDelete

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