Darren Maxwell
| Fan | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Darren 'Dags' Maxwell |
| Alias(es): | |
| Type: | |
| Fandoms: | Star Wars, Star Trek, Batman, many others |
| Communities: | Austrek, Star Walking Inc, Sci Fi Zone |
| Other: | |
| URL: | The Dag Page |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Darren Maxwell (nickname 'Dags') (13 May 1967 - ) is a fan who has been active in the Australian science fiction media fandom community for many years.
He recalls seeing the first Star Wars movie in 1977 at age 10, reporting that: "I went in as a boy and came out ... a NERD!" He discovered a local amateur theatre group called Starforce back in October 1984 and was introduced to science fiction fandom: "As soon as I walked in the door, I knew immediately this was the "social scene" for me." He became its longest active member, for four of the group's five years of operation.[1] This was the beginning of a lifetime in fandom.
After joining Austrek in October 1984, he became involved in its social community at a meeting in January 1985.[2] He remained an active member, becoming involved in many aspects of its operations, including writing the club history that remains on the club's website. 32 years after joining Austrek, he was awarded life membership to the club on 27 August 2016. He still attends club meetings.
Darren was co-founder of Star Walking Inc, which was officially launched on 14 October,1988. Twenty years later, still on committee, he joined his (otherwise retired) co-founders at an event to commemorate the club's twentieth birthday, and he subsequently retired from the Star Walking committee in October 2011 after 23 years' service (he returned after a two-year absence, finally retiring again after a collective total of 27 years' service in 2017).[3][4]
Darren also became addicted to collecting Batman memorabilia in the late 1980s, and his obsession became the subject of a documentary film, "Batman and Me, or... Pity Me, I'm a Batman Collector".[5] The film premiered on 30 June 2020 (online) at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, and among the reviewers, the Guardian newspaper questioned whether such collector obsession was 'consumerism gone mad' or 'pop culture archaeology'; and suggested the ubiquity of such cultural appropriation by quoting Maxwell as observing: "I’ll walk down the street and see people wearing Star Wars T-shirts and Star Trek jackets. That never happened back in my day."[6] Film director Michael Wayne commented in an interview that: "The film has fascinated those interested in the psychology behind collecting..." and he expressed admiration at Maxwell's willingness to self-reflect and confront this compulsion.[7]
Darren was co-founder of the Sci Fi Zone. Launched on 31 July 2016 as a community discussion forum, he quickly oversaw its evolution into a series of podcasts that have involved many local SF fans and examined many topics, including reviews of science fiction TV and films, fandom, and aspects of collectible culture.[8]
Some Other Accomplishments
Darren appeared as a team member for the "Star Trek versus Star Wars" game show on the Australian television program, Bert's Family Feud in 2008 [9] and made a second fan-related appearance on Family Feud in 2017.[10]
He wrote the fan history of both Austrek and Star Walking Inc. and is a Life Member of both clubs.[11]
He ran the organising committees for three media SF conventions: Con 9 from Outer Space in July 2012, Con 70 in March 2015, and Con 80 in March 2017.
Gallery
All photos (below) were supplied from the Helena Binns Collection and used with her family's permission.
Darren (front row, left) and others at Star Trek 3 Opening Night in Melbourne, 1984
Darren (in Star Trek costume) and others enjoy refreshments after the Opening Night of Star Trek 4 in Melbourne, 1986
Austrek Xmas Party 1986, from left: unknown, Robert Jan, Darren
Austrek 'Court Martial' meeting (1988?) - Craig Hooper (Starfleet) and Alison Wallace (Romulan) prepare for the court martial while Death (Darren) looms ominously
Austrek Xmas Party 1988 - Robert Gudgeon, Alison Wallace, Darren, Geoff Tilley, unknown, Jan MacNally, Fiona Kingdom
Austrek Xmas Party 1988 - Darren claims universal conquest
.jpg)
References
- ^ Darren Maxwell, 'Memorable Moments' on "Who is Dags Anyway?", The Dag Page (Darren Maxwell website)
- ^ ibid.
- ^ Darren Maxwell (uncredited), 'A brief history of Star Walking Inc.', Star Walking Inc (archived webpage).
- ^ Darren Maxwell, The Dag Page.
- ^ Author unknown, Synopsis, 'Batman and Me' website.
- ^ Luke Buckmaster, 'I bought these items and I couldn’t stand them': inside the mind of a Batman collector', The Guardian, 30 June 2020.
- ^ FilmInk staff, "Michael Wayne: Unboxing Batman and Me", FilmInk, 6 February 2021,
- ^ Author unknown, 'The Complete History' on Sci Fi Zone website.
- ^ "Austrek Gallery" on Austrek website
- ^ Darren Maxwell, 'Memorable Moments' and "Other Achievements, from the 'Who is Dags Anyway?', The Dag Page (Darren Maxwell website).
- ^ Darren Maxwell, 'Who is Dags Anyway?', The Dag Page (Darren Maxwell website).