Maxi’s Taxi, Interviews of People You've Probably Never Heard Of

A story I made twelve years ago in pursuit of a dream.

In the ‘70s when I was a kid hanging on Barberie Avenue, there was a little house close by that was always full of Summer people.  That was the Huvane house, which was really just a bungalow at the time.  It always seemed crowded, boisterous, and welcoming, as if the Huvanes would embrace you or anybody who walked in the doorway into their huge Irish clan, headed by Jeannie and Martin.  Marty is now 92 and lives in the house year round.  He meets celebrities through his sons in the movie industry, and he still remembers every fight he ever had.  

Superstorm Sandy tore at the heart of downtown Highlands just before Halloween in 2012...Maxi’s Taxi revisits five of her victims, including the Canary Man on Bay Avenue and the Artist in Leonardo.

Kevin Smith, native son of Highlands, New Jersey, will always be a filmmaker to me, but he is also the predominate perspicacious entrepreneur raconteur of our generation.  When I went to one of his 37 podcasts, "Highlands: A Peephole History", I was looking for stories of the hometown we share...but what I found was the story of a comic store, the Secret Stash, and the thirty four year friendship that shaped the “Stash".  (To be clear, this episode is completely distilled/stolen from a couple of re-edited “Peephole” episodes.  They can be found at SModcast.com.  You’ll have to cough up 5 beans, but you get a lot for your loot).   Rated R, er, Double R.  

Brett Thomson talks about her neighborhood acorn fights and playing in the woods overlooking the ocean, venturing off the hill to hang out downtown with the “bad” boys, dating Dave Maxson, and helping her Mom leave Highlands forever.