THE WORLD’S NUMBER- ONE MEN’S MAGAZINE

ISSUE 71 JUNE 2017

MORNING

F1
WHIZ-KID
GLORY
HOW WOMEN
REALLY FEEL
ABOUT A.M. SEX

THE RISE AND RISE

OF MAX VERSTAPPEN
$90M
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT ’s JETS
INSIDE VIP
PENTHOUSES
IN THE SKY

M A I T L A N D
THE CONTROVERSIAL
AUSSIE REALIT Y TV ON TOUR WITH
BABE BARES ALL BLISS N ESO

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CONTENTS
12 SPOTLIGHT Getting 66 FILM Luke Bracey —
I S S U E 7 1 — J U N E 2 0 17

to know pocket-rocket
MAXIM girl Alana Wolfe
20 MACHINES The
Ferrari J50, 2018 Aston
how the Sydney-born
star of Point Break and
Hacksaw Ridge stepped
off the rugby pitch
and into Hollywood
40
Martin Red Bull 001,
Vanguard Roadster and 68 BUSINESS Inside the
Beast hoverbike. Plus, world of NBA franchise
private jets and why owner and social media
the rich and famous maestro Mark Cuban
are opting for top-tier

32
72 TRAVEL Mountains,
charter services an abandoned theme
32 MAXIM MOUTH We park, sex toys and
chat to Red Bull Racing a 30th birthday. Yep,
gun Max Verstappen, it’s our A-Z of Japan.
the driver taking the Plus, what to bring on
F1 world by storm an island getaway — by
36 BAR Why the humble Alessandra Ambrosio
highball is all the rage, 80 WOMAN OF THE
plus Japanese whisky WORLD Outstanding
reigning supreme Croatian-Serbian model,
40 COVER GIRL actress and glamazon
Married At First Sight Dajana Gudic. Go NOW!
contestant Cheryl 90 GROOMING Beer
Maitland reveals all isn’t the only awesome
50 STYLE Forward
fashion with versatile
Australian actor
Firass Dirani. Plus,
thing available in a can
92 GAMES Tekken 7
and The Elder Scrolls
Online: Morrowind
62
luxury accessories 96 SEX There are some
for your next ride
and updated looks
for the modern golfer
62 MUSIC Hitting the
things women will never
understand about men
and “the morning shag”
98 24 HOURS TO LIVE
28
road with Australian Witty weather presenter
hip-hop trio Bliss N Eso on Sunrise, Sam Mac,
takes us through his
final day on Earth

TWO GIANT
FOLD-OUT POSTERS
ALANA WOLFE / DAJANA GUDIC

50
8 MAXI M.COM.AU
 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Santi Pintado
(spintado@nuclear.com.au)

Phone +612-7900-6786
Mail PO Box 230,
Double Bay NSW 1360
Email maxim@maxim.com.au
Web www.maxim.com.au
facebook maximau
twitter maxim_aus
instagram maxim_aus
youtube maximaustralia

Art Director Luke Shaddock

(lshaddock@nuclear.com.au)

National Advertising Manager Peter Balinski

(pbalinski@nuclear.com.au)

Marketing Director Natalie Downs

Managing Director Michael Downs

Fashion Editor Adriana Dib

Grooming Editor Shonagh Walker
Motoring Editor Bill Varetimidis
Gaming & Tech Writer Chris Stead
Staff Photographer Wayne Daniels

MAXIM WORLD WIDE BRAND LICENSING

Chairman and CEO, Biglari Holdings Inc. Mr. Sardar Biglari

Senior Paralegal & Rights Manager Catherine Baxter

© 2017 MAXIM Inc. The name “MAXIM” and the MAXIM logo are registered trademarks of Maxim Media Inc., and used under license by (publisher).
All rights reserved. The United States edition of MAXIM is published monthly by MAXIM Inc. 268 W. 44th Street 5th Floor New York, NY, 10036
For international publishing or licensing inquiries: maximworld@maxim.com

1 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
SPOTLIGHT

G E T TI NG TO K N O W…

ALANA
Time for you to get acquainted with one of our favourite pocket-rocket models…

WOLFE P H OTO G R A P H E D BY

HAIR & MAKE-UP

W AY N E D A N I E L S
A N D R E A DA M YO N

1 2 MAXI M.COM.AU
S W I M W E A R , N O R M A C A S TA D I VA / N O R M A S W I M W E A R . C O M MAXI M.COM.AU 1 3
SPOTLIGHT
shoot is… that it’s my first time shooting
for MAXIM Australia and I feel very excited
to do so! The whole team was amazing
and working with photographer Wayne
Daniels is always great. And the location
itself – Casablanca Bar in Sydney’s Double
Bay – is iconic to me. The fact it will closing
down in July makes it so much more special
to me. I’ve had many fun girls’ nights there!
I currently live in… the Sutherland
Shire in Sydney. I’m actually currently
staying in my grandparents’ house while
they are caravanning around Australia.
It’s so beautiful as the house is on top of a
valley with a bush track behind it. Although,
when you have friends over playing pool all
night the “bender birds” are not that great.
When I’m not posing for MAXIM I…
have modelled for other publications but
shooting for you guys is very special in
comparison. This being in my country
and not international is great and gives my
social media fans the ability to purchase it!
Also, attending the VIP MAXIM parties have
always been top of my social event list and
getting to know the MAXIM girls and cover
stars, such as Imogen Anthony, have been
a ball. Other than attending parties and
walking my dogs I kind of live a quiet life.
The funniest thing that’s happened
while attending a MAXIM VIP party
is… sitting back and watching the scramble
for the illustrious VIP goodie bags. They’re
always so good and the poor MAXIM girls
handing them out are always bombarded!
The craziest night I’ve had… was
recently at my friend’s house. It always
begins with Wet Pussy shots and some
1 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
Status
Update
Jack Daniel’s, with some innocent pool
being played, too. Once the shots kick in HOMETOWN:
Sydney, NSW
people start cheating at pool so we move
LIVES:
onto other games such as King’s Cup Sutherland, NSW – “I’m
– except it’s a modified version and there’s a Shire girl but city girl at
heart.”
everything from Nerf Guns to truffle pigs
BORN:
involved. It’s always crazy fun, though! December 18, 1989
HOBBIES:
My go-to drink is… a Lychee Martini “Day drinking and dogs.”
with Belvedere vodka. I’ve had arguments HIDDEN TALENT:
“I like to think I can have
with people over the taste and many are conversation with my dogs
convinced Grey Goose is better, but for – LOL.”
FAVOURITE CAR:
me Belvedere just sits better. Nissan GTR
FAVOURITE MOVIE:
My hangover cure is… Domino’s Pizza. “Casino, with Sharon Stone,
or Wolf of Wall Street, with
The ONLY reason why is that nothing else Margot Robbie.”
opens in my area until 5pm and everyone FAVOURITE FOOD:
is hungry around 11am. I should just learn “I was going through a big
pasta phase but dumplings
to stock my fridge prior to the weekend have since taken over!”
but I do love their garlic bread. FAVOURITE JUNK
FOOD:
“A Double Quarter Pounder
I feel sexy when… I’m out at a place medium meal with Coke
called Level 6 at The Ivy in Sydney with and six nuggets with sweet
‘n’ sour sauce with a sachet
my favourite cocktail, The Gabriela, in hand of mayo.”
and I catch someone looking at me from ULTMATE
across the room. It’s a sexy sense of power SUPERPOWER:
“To go invisible. I’m such
knowing you caught someone’s attention a people watcher that
and the next move is mine. it would indulge me to
be able to watch people
without being seen. OK,
My best asset is… my eyes because now I sound creepy but
honestly who doesn’t
they change colour depending on my people watch?”
mood. It’s really bizarre and my friends GIRL CRUSH:
“Margot Robbie. What an
always point it out to me. I can now look absolute Aussie stunner.
back at photo shoots and remember what Seriously, what water is she
drinking?”
I was feeling to connect to my eye colour
INSTAGRAM/
in those photo shoots. TWITTER/
SNAPCHAT:
@MissAlanaWolfe
I can beat anyone at… Tekken! There
used to be an old arcade on George
Street in Sydney and I pretty much owned
a machine in there. When I sat there, and
other players tried to take me on to play The worst word in the English
the machine, I rarely lost. It was just so language is… anemone. Even as I’m
funny watching some guys get so upset trying to spell and say it I’m googling how
with themselves for losing to a girl like me. it’s done. From spelling to pronunciation
it just fails as a word.
The last thing that made me LOL
was… a Tinder profile. My friend took a The most embarrassing moment I’ve
screenshot of this girl’s profile and sent ever had is… plenty but not many I’m
it to me. Imagine this cute 23-year-old girl willing to share! OK, so after a big night
sitting next to a dog bigger than her – it out catching up with my gay friends in the
was a Anatolian Shepherd, which is exactly city, I had someone pick me up rather than
the breed of dog I have. OK, not so funny, getting a taxi home. Girls usually go to the
but the kicker was in her description – bathroom in pairs but I was the only girl on
“My dog can eat you so don’t f—k around. this particular occasion and didn’t go for a
Only on here to find a SD to fund my wee all night. My lift arrived and I got into
travels”. I almost peed myself laughing as the car, when all of a sudden I needed to
she’s using this super-rare breed as her go badly. I called a girlfriend who lived
security buffer on Tinder. If anyone saw close by, so I could pee at her place, and
it, knowing this dog, they would instantly rushed there, but didn’t quite make it. There
know whose daughter it is! I was on the side of road in a cute cocktail
MAXI M.COM.AU 1 5
SPOTLIGHT

dress, laughing and crying while my

girlfriend was still on Bluetooth and my
friend driving the car videoing me!

A guy is more likely to get lucky with

me if… he’s a gentleman and opens doors,
buys drinks and takes me on dates. I’m old
school and love to be wooed.

One thing a guy should always know

about women is… we all have our
moments. If you accept a girl every day
of the month, then you’re in. We can’t
always control our moods.

What I find sexy about men is…

intellectually and being able to hold a
conversation with good humour. Physically,
under that collared shirt of his needs to
be a victory V.

My perfect date would be… if he sent

me a dress to wear prior to picking me up,
then open the car door for me and take us
to a restaurant for dinner. He would take
care of the menu and wine for the evening
so my only focus was getting to know him.
Good food, good wine and better company
is my perfect date.

Public nudity is… something that should

definitely be embraced! In my home my
friends have gotten so used to me walking
around in nothing but my knickers that even
a couple of them have started doing it, too.
It’s natural so why not? But we should start
with topless beaches and ease everyone
into the idea.

My favourite way to get into trouble

is… just to give me Tequila! Everytime
I have even one shot, or if it’s in a cocktail,
I don’t remember my night – which, yes,
always leads to trouble.

The naughtiest thing I’ve ever done

in my life is… being naughty in public
places. Probably the most recent was being
naughty while someone was driving. And
I don’t mean leaning over the centre console
either — we shared the driver’s seat!

At bedtime I wear… my knickers and

sometimes my water bottle. I tip it to have
a sip and sometimes it just goes all over me.
Someone needs to invent something better
than a straw for these situations.

One thing I’d change about the world

is… helping society to not be so closed-
minded and to open their minds to new
experiences. From there we will all become
more accepting of everything. ■

1 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
T H I S PA G E :

SW I M W E A R , S H E R I DY N S W I M

S H E R I DY N S W I M . C O M . AU

O P P O S I T E PA G E :

S W I M W E A R , M O D E L’ S O W N

MAXI M.COM.AU 17
SPOTLIGHT

1 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
 “IT’S A SEXY SENSE OF
POWER KNOWING YOU
CAUGHT SOMEONE’S
ATTENTION AND THE
NEXT MOVE IS MINE.”

B I K I N I B OT TO M S , S H E R I DY N S W I M / S H E R I DY N S W I M . C O M . AU MAXI M.COM.AU 1 9
MACHINES
Ferrari J50 ENGINE:
3.9 litre twin turbo V8
TRANSMISSION:
7 speed double clutch
Ferrari love nothing better than celebrating
— themselves. So to mark 50 years of Japanese
sales, they are building 10 custom 488 Spiders,
calling them the J50 and restricting sales
exclusively to Japan. Bring on the sushi train.
Rarely ones to misstep, Ferrari kept many
mechanical nooks and crannies from the
488, meaning the J50 still uses a 3.9 litre
twin-turbocharged V8. However, gains are
now up by 20 horsepower, for a total of 681
horses. Did it need this? No, but we always
2 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
POWER:
508kW
TORQUE:
561 ft lbs @ 3000 rpm
TOP SPEED:
325 km/h
welcome any additional power — always.
While the front end gives a nod to
the exclusive-breed 2015 Ferrari Sergio,
the windshield was intentionally designed as
a helmet visor, in order to provide more
downforce. The rear diŽ user, meanwhile,
features an extractor shape inspired by jet
aƆerburners which are very much lit.
In keeping with tradition, Ferrari wanted
to keep the Targa roof that has been an
iconic feature from the 1970s and 1980s.
0-100KM/H:
2.8 seconds
PRICE:
$2.5 million
However, instead of a powered, folding
hard top, the J50 has a liƆ-oŽ, carbon bre
targa-style roof — which is tucked away
behind the seats.
The interior pretty much follows the 488
blueprint, although Ferrari did add some
hugging sports seats and red and black
detailing — looks like the lucky 10 Japanese
J50 owners will be getting the most bang
for their yen. ■
BY B I L L VA R E T I M I D I S
MAXI M.COM.AU 2 1
MACHINES

2018
Aston Martin
Red Bull 001
ENGINE: Naturally-aspirated V12 POWER: 746kW TOP SPEED: 322 km/h 0-100KM/H: 2.2 seconds (est) PRICE: $3 million (est)

Ever since it appeared as the Red Bull X1
prototype in Gran Turismo 5, Aston Martin
and Red Bull Racing have been on a mission
to make their 001 creation the fastest street-
legal vehicle ever — and perhaps create a new
category beyond super, or even hyper.
The team insists their AM-RB 001 project
isn’t just about lap times and numbers,
obviously throwing shade at the almighty
Bugatti Chiron. Still, it will be powered by a
V12 in sync with an F1-style hybrid system,
mounted behind the mini-sized tear-drop
cockpit. But that’s not where things get epic.
Thanks to its active suspension and
phenomenal aerodynamics, the 001 will
generate 1815 kg (4000 pounds) of down
force — enough for the track version to literally
drive upside down (given the right speed
and driver). In addition, it will corner at
the Formula 1 equivalent of 4.0G, removing
any doubts about its grip game — but what
about acceleration?
The 1000 horsepower engine only needs
to haul 1000 kg, so speed won’t be an issue. It
will hit 320 km/h in just 10 seconds compared
to the 1341 horsepower Koenigsegg One:1
supercar getting to 300 km/h in 11.92 seconds
— now that’s power to weight ratio, folks.
Add to that the monstrous brakes that will
cut that speed to zero in half — and you have
heart palpitating stopping power. Expect 175
examples of these potentially record-breaking
machines; 150 for road use and 25 for the track
— several of which have been snapped up by
current F1 drivers. Looks like 2018 is going to
be one fast year — for some. ■

2 2 MAXI M.COM.AU BY B I L L VA R E T I M I D I S
MACHINES
Vanguard Roadster
ENGINE: 1917cc V-Twin TRANSMISSION: 6 speed with shaft drive
Vanguard may not be a household name
amongst bike enthusiasts but thanks to their
solid background they are anything but
newbies; for the Vanguard Roadster is the
brainchild of former Confederate designer
Edward Jacobs and partner Francois-Xavier
Terny. The boys plan to eventually stock a
three model range under the Vanguard banner
— including Cruisers and Racers — but for now
they are unleashing the one model: the Roadster.
Surprising absolutely no-one, the Roadster
2 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
TORQUE: 110 lbs-ft CURB WEIGHT: 550 pounds
shares its many engine parts and design cues
from various cycles from the Confederate range,
including the tablet sized LCD dashboard, the
integrated exhaust system, and the rear view
cameras in place of mirrors. Already dressed the
part, this machine is powered by a 1917cc V-twin
engine which cleverly doubles as the frame
— and packs a healthy 110 lbs–Ɔ of peak torque.
The design process is done using computer
generated 3D printing, which massively cuts
down on lag time typically experienced with
TOP SPEED: 230 km/h PRICE: $29,995
traditional motorcycle development.
This millennial form of manufacturing
simply involves emailing design les to a
network of engineering companies online and
going from there. Feeling old? Vanguard aim to
have it in production by 2018, at a starting cost of
$29,995; a bargain considering the full metal
bodywork, the bullet-proof rear disc wheels, and
the total wages of a network of computer geeks.
BY B I L L VA R E T I M I D I S
MAXI M.COM.AU 2 5
MACHINES
The Beast
Hoverbike
While it looks like the futuristic
fusion of a turbo/guitar/vacuum,
it’s actually a space-age racing bike
that would be the perfect fit for
The Fast & The Furious 80. But
even if this concept vehicle were
to see a factory oor — it would
never touch the track. That’s
because this Beast is created to
y — or, more specifically, hover.
Just looking at the design,
you’d think German designer
Rico Kersten was a huge fanboy
of the many vehicles and vessels
in the Star Wars universe, but
strangely enough his xBeast
Hoverbike’ was largely inuenced
by the box office bomb Tron.
Instead of a motor, this solo-
person runner is powered by a fan
2 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
propulsion system — not too
diŽerent than those found in
everyday cooling devices like hair
dryers or computer graphics
cards. Replacing the predictable
front wheel, there is a large radial
fan which would have enough
turbine kick behind it to generate
liƆ and get this bike skywards.
Working with the fan, the body
will be equipped with a set of low-
mounted wings to assist steering
while, on the tail, two reverse
thrusters take on braking duties.
Contrast to its tiny seat, it
features an out-of-control power
source, bright chrome touches,
vibrant red paint, and in-your-face
body-styling — so forget your wet
dream about owning a jetpack;
airborne cycles is where it’s at. ■
BY B I L L VA R E T I M I D I S
MACHINES
PENTHOUSE
IN THE SKY Struck it rich? Forget buying your own plane. These days, celebrities and
billionaires are opting for the convenience and variety of top-tier charter services...
BY J A R E D PA U L S T E R N
In the past few years, as Uber-style aviation services have proliferated,
the concept of the “private jet” has lost some of its meaning. At the
same time, technology has improved, resulting in business jets that
are both faster and more eƀcient than their predecessors. Designers,
meanwhile, have created eye-popping interiors for their deepest-
pocketed clients: The most impressively equipped executive jets now
rival multimillion-dollar penthouses and megayachts when it comes to
luxurious appointments.
But these days you don’t necessarily have to own a jet to experience
ying in ultimate style. In fact, with very few exceptions, owning makes
less sense than ever: Some of the richest and most successful private
iers instead rely on top-tier charter services that essentially place an
entire eet of aircraƆ at their disposal. True luxury is being able to y
anywhere, anytime, in the perfect jet for the job — the equivalent of
possessing a private air force.
“The words xprivate jet’ used to carry the cachet that you as an
individual or company owned the aircraƆ,” notes Michael Farley, chief
revenue oƀcer of Private Jet Services (PJS), a US$100 million-per-year
company whose high-prole clients include Beyoncé and Jay Z,
Rihanna, the Rolling Stones, the Boston Bruins, Vice President Mike
Pence, and a number of Wall Street titans. PJS has a half-dozen major
celebrity-musician clients on world tours at any given moment, and all
of them have specic aircraƆ requirements.
It’s not just about what you can aŽord — though with a VIP-
congured ULR (ultra-long-range) jet that can get you anywhere in the
2 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
world clocking in at upwards of US$65 million, cost is certainly a
consideration. A single round-trip ight to Seoul from New York on
a ULR can run around US$1 million. But those planes are less than
ideal for shorter hops. “Ownership is oƆen an imperfect solution,” Farley
notes. “A single type of jet will never fulll all of your aviation needs.”
In addition to a charter eet of over 1,000 jets capable of everything from
speedy commutes to decadent global crossings, what PJS’s core clientele
of ultra-high-net-worth individuals values is discretion, reliability,
and the ability to comply with any request.
Nobody knows luxury aviation from the inside like Eddie Sotto,
designer of the Skyranch One and Skyacht One editions for the Brazilian
aircraƆ manufacturer Embraer Executive Jets. “Our designs are not
projects but experiences, as the client is involved from dream to reality,”
he says. “It’s not just about acquiring something. [We] wanted to see how
far we could take xcustom’ by infusing it with emotion and story. On my
projects, we engage the client and make the process the thing they love
the most. We start with the xWow’ and go backwards into the design.”
In the cases of Skyranch and Skyacht, these design elements might
include exotic wood panelling and inlays, the world’s nest leather
upholstery, and bespoke touches like a massive bison-horn beer tap in the
built-in wet bar. This emphasis on experience is sacrosanct to the best
luxury jet providers — and their clientele. “We simply refuse to accept
mediocrity,” Farley says, “and so do our clients. They task us with
amazing and sometimes outlandish demands, and we deliver.” If a
boldface name wants to be able to record a song in midair, the necessary
 equipment will be installed, even if it’s only for one trip. “We have own
aircraƆ solely with a client’s pets on board, as they did not want to get
their own jets dirty,” Farley recounts. “I have had a client dictate that
their fruit salad contain exactly 70 percent blueberries and 30 percent
melon. And we’ve catered everything from a bachelor party” — the client
requested in-air rst-class adult entertainment — “to a dog’s birthday
bash that would make an heiress blush.”
But not everyone needs fancy fruit salad to feel like a deity. “Luxury
is not physical or tangible,” says Jay Beever, vice president of interior
design for Embraer. “True luxury is about time. In a private jet, you can
( TO P ) C O U R T E SY O F A I R J E T D E S I G N S ( B OT TO M ) C O U R T E SY O F J E T M AS T E R
KISS THE SKY
JetSmarter CEO Sergey Petrossov on the
coolest jet and the future of flying private
“My personal favourite aircraƆ model is the [US$65 million] Gulfstream
G650 — it is the largest purpose-built private jet on the market, and
has the tallest, longest, and widest cabin in its class. There is abundant
natural light in the cabin, and the design is luxurious and nearly perfect.
It’s able to travel near the speed of sound, which is much faster than

actually speed up time, arriving at your destination faster, while also commercial jets, and it has the lowest pressurised cabin altitude of any
accomplishing tasks without interruption… Private jet travellers are business aircraƆ. Gulfstream aircraƆ are the fastest and most innovative
given the ability to connect with the previously uninhabitable outside of their kind — from speed to cabin technology, they’re setting a new
( O P P O S I T E PAG E & P R E V I O U S S P R E A D ) C O U R T E SY O F W I N C H D E S I G N

world, via large windows, at 45,000 feet, providing immersion into standard in private jet travel. I y them as oƆen as I can on our
exotic environments and even destinations that aren’t available to those JetShuttle ights.
without a private jet. Time is valuable, and that value is further increased “My outlook for the private jet industry is that mass travel between
by the reliability and eƀciency of private aviation. Simply put, a private 100 and 1,000 miles will all be private air travel in the future, and large,
jet is a time machine.” airline-style commercial aviation will be a thing of the past in 20 years.
Having own the winners of 10 World Series and 92 Grammy I also believe that operational costs will signicantly decrease due to
Awards (including ve Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees) and hybrid-electric aircraƆ, and that with proper sharing technologies like
earned their repeat business, PJS has proven the worth of going the the JetSmarter app, private aviation will be priced at a more accessible
extra mile. That includes dedicated crews who won’t turn around and level. [We have] fundamentally rewired the marketplace and reinvented
sell a story about a client throwing a Kanye-size midair temper tantrum an industry for the on-demand economy. Consumers like the ease of
to the tabloids, or blab about how many gorgeous groupies serviced a being able to book on demand from the palm of their hand.” ■
certain rock star on that ight to Mustique. “For us,” PJS’s Farley says,
“it’s about being the best and the most trustworthy.”
It’s also about making sure their clients look good — “You don’t want
to show up in a prop plane, or worse, some kind of Uber, when everyone
else is ying Falcons,” Farley says — and reliability. Delayed ights just
don’t cut it; time literally is money for people in this bracket. And because
exibility is now more important than ever, PJS has worked to become
a leader in the competitive jet-card business, though theirs is more
like a black AmEx. While many so-called private jet services have
“decided on a cookie-cutter oŽering, which the client has no choice but
to accept,” he says, “celebrities of all kinds call us because we truly
understand what’s xmission critical’ and how important the right add-ons
are. When 70,000 pumped-up fans are ready for you to hit the stage or
the eld, you can’t disappoint.” The Gulf Stream G650, with the tallest, longest, and widest
cabin in its class, has set a new standard in private aviation

MAXI M.COM.AU 3 1
MAXIM MOUTH

The
WHIZ
-KID
BY S T E WA R T B E L L

With his razor-sharp moves and breathtaking

natural speed, Red Bull Racing driver
MAX VERSTAPPEN has taken the
F1 world by storm. MAXIM caught
up with the talented 19-year-old
Dutchman to talk about the
season, the art of the
overtake and why
the Formula 1
Singapore
Grand Prix
will be a huge
challenge…

3 2 MAXI M.COM.AU
 Status
Update
Name:
Max Verstappen
Born:
September 30, 1997
Hometown:
Hasselt, Belgium
Lives:
Monte Carlo,
Monaco
Car number:
33
Entries:
43 starts
Wins: One
(2016 Spanish
Grand Prix)
Podiums: Eight
Championships: 0

Max Verstappen has redefined the term Æyoung gun’ as the driver of his generation, living up to all the hype
that preceded his F1 debut with Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso in 2015 at the age of just 17. His confidence,
natural speed and razor-sharp passes make it almost certain he will become world champion one day. Last
year, Verstappen came alive — winning on debut for Red Bull Racing in Spain, the brand promoting him in a
desperate bid to hold on to him long-term. He took six other podiums in 2016, and made the move of the year on
Nico Rosberg in Brazil, going round the outside in the pouring rain. Not to mention he passed 11 cars in the last
16 laps. Verstappen may have been born in Belgium, but he’s most certainly considered Dutch — as the son of
Holland’s former F1 driver Jos “The Boss” Verstappen. Jos didn’t hit the heights, but he’s made sure his son hasn’t
followed suit — with Max earning not only a slew of youngest-ever records (winner, podium, points, fastest lap),
but last year passing more cars (78) in a single season than any F1 driver in history. To say that his teammate
(Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo) has a challenge on his hands is the understatement of the century, but it’s no secret our
local hero has the talent and speed to take Verstappen head-on — and win. It’s going to be an epic battle, though.

What are your thoughts on the new
car? It looks very clean in design.
Yeah, it’s just a philosophy the team worked
on. We are always struggling in terms of top
speed, so you just try to make a car that is
very efficient on the straights.
It was a very good season. As soon as
I got an opportunity to race in a top team,
I think I handled it pretty well. And I enjoy
it as well. It’s a really nice team to be in,
and they give you a lot of confidence and
that’s always very important.
When you’re about to make a move,
what are you thinking?
At the time, you want to see if it’s possible or
not — so you go for it, and then once you go
for it you have to commit to it, and you just try
to do it in the best way you can.

It’s amazing that this will be your first
full season with Red Bull Racing.
To be honest, I never really think about it too
much. I just try to do the best I can every
race. And also, for me, it’s also very easy
— what happened in the past, I put that aside,
I just want to focus on what’s ahead.
You were supreme last year. How was
the season from your perspective?
You were supreme in 2016. The move
of the year was in Brazil, around
the outside of Nico Rosberg at Turn 3
in heavy rain. But, what was your
favourite pass?
It’s really difficult to pick one. I’ve had a lot
of good moments, in terms of overtaking.
I think Brazil, in general, was very enjoyable
but Silverstone [again on Rosberg] was
good as well.
How do you feel in the cockpit when
you’re about to pass a driver?
It depends on which situation you are at.
Sometimes you are very relaxed in the car,
sometimes a bit more aggressive.
What’s that elation like when you make
it stick? Is it the same feeling you’ve
always had since you started karting?
Yes, it’s the same feeling. It’s a bigger car, of
MAXI M.COM.AU 3 3
MAXIM MOUTH
course, but you know how big it is and how
much space it needs to stay on the track.
Your racing style came under fire from
last year, especially the way you moved
under braking. Do you feel that heat
from other drivers?
Ah yeah, but I see that as a compliment. I’m
pretty easy about it. You always have that.
The thing is, if you come into a sport, you
always have critics and stuff but you just go
on with it and try to do the best you can once
you’re sitting in the car.
How do you feel about the battle with
your teammate Daniel Ricciardo?
I think everyone is putting a lot of focus
between us but I don’t see it that way.
We try to improve the car together so I’m
not focusing a lot on that. I just try to do
the best I can for myself and hopefully we
i SPECTACULAR SINGAPORE
There’s plenty on the line as Red Bull
Racing’s teammate battle heats up
between Verstappen and Australia’s
own Daniel Ricciardo; and if you want
to see them on the limit — head over to
Singapore in September, where you can
relax trackside in balmy weather, while
the drivers are put through the wringer.
The 10th edition of F1’s original night
race should be the biggest yet - with an
epic entertainment line-up headlined by
American pop superstar Ariana Grande,
British synth-pop veterans Duran Duran,
US pop-rockers OneRepublic and US DJ
duo The Chainsmokers. Along with famed
British singer-songwriters Seal, and Lianne
The 2017 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX will be held from September 15-17. For more information go to: singaporegp.sg
3 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
will be the quickest team, but I never really
put much focus on trying to beat Daniel.
That’s not in my head.
How do you assess your strengths and
weaknesses versus his?
[That’s a] difficult one. Daniel is just a quick
all-round driver, but it’s not like we are very
weak in a certain spot or something. Daniel is
quite a lot more experienced than me, so
that’s always a positive — but you just gain
that by driving.
How much did you have to prepare for
the new season physically?
The physical part was really important so
I trained a lot [in Monaco], I worked out a lot
to get stronger for this year and actually
I think in testing everything went very well.
I didn’t feel too tired and I think that’s always
very important. The stronger you are, the
better you can perform.
Many people have spoken about how
tough they’re expecting the hotter races
to be, like the Formula 1 Singapore
Grand Prix. Thoughts?
It will not be a lot harder than last year but for
sure with the [heat and] humidity it’s very
warm in the cockpit. It’s 35-40 degrees
Celsius outside, so the cockpit gets to 50-
55 degrees so that’s quite a big difference
and makes it hard for us to drive.
La Havas, and spoken word performer
George the Poet. More acts will be
unveiled in the coming weeks.
It’s easy to make it work as a
quick getaway, as a short flight from
all Australian cities and only a few days
needed either side of a weekend. It’s
also fantastic value with hotel and travel
packages to suit every budget, with
single day grandstand seats starting from
S$128 (AUD$120 approx.), three-day
tickets starting from S$248 (AUD$235
approx.), new multi-grandstand
combination packages from S$498
(AUD$470 approx.), and junior-priced
ticket categories for selected grandstands.
ALL I MAG E S C O U RTE SY O F R E D B U L L CO NTE NT P O O L

THERE’S NO VERSTAPPEN HIM (clockwise from top): Max Verstappen stops for more soft tyres on his way to seventh place in last year’s Belgian
Grand Prix; On the podium in Malaysia with teammate Daniel Ricciardo; Celebrating his incredible win on debut for Red Bull Racing at the 2016 Spanish
Grand Prix; Ricciardo and Verstappen in their lederhosen-themed race suits at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, a classic move by the drinks brand

What do you think Singapore as an
event — the night racing, music acts, city
backdrop and great food and shopping?
It’s a special event. A night race makes it
special and then the track itself, street circuit,
is always very interesting and yeah it’s
a good vibe in the city as well. So for me,
it’s always very enjoyable to go there.
The interest from the Netherlands has
been amazing, with fans following you
around the globe. What’s that like?
Yeah, it’s nice to see. I mean, even in
Australia you can see it a lot. So it’s very
enjoyable that it’s growing a lot every year. Finally, what road car do you drive?
Also for general sport in Holland I think it’s I’ve got an Aston Martin coming, so I’m pretty
helping a lot. I’m very happy with it. happy with that. ■
When you’re not racing, what sort of
things do you get up to?
I go karting a little bit. I also just try to hang
out with my friends and cruise around on
scooters in Monaco just enjoying the time.
Do you have a decent music playlist?
I’m not really a music guy, too much. I always
put on something but it’s not something I rely
on or something. It’s just the latest tunes.”

MAXI M.COM.AU 3 5
BAR

HIGH Why the humble

highball is all the rage

ROLLING
BY M EGAN KR IG BAU M

Odds are you’ve been drinking highballs since you’ve been drinking.
Gin and tonic? Highball. Vodka soda? Highball. Rum and Coke?
You guessed it. By simple definition, it’s a combination of booze and
something fizzy — not shaken, not stirred, just poured in — and served in
a highball glass with ice. Long ignored by the drinking establishment,
highballs have improbably become the darling of cocktail bartenders
in one of the most fickle drinking cities on Earth — New York.
The reason is that bartenders secretly love to drink them. They’re quick,
they’re not too boozy, and they taste good. As a result, a new wave of
highballs is turning the basic construct on its head.
Blacktail, the new Prohibition-themed, Cuba-inspired spot on
Battery Park’s Pier A from Dead Rabbit creators Jack McGarry and
Sean Muldoon, is the leader of this movement. Through extensive trial
and error, bar manager Jesse Vida devised an eight-drink roster of
highballs that involve a good deal of mixology magic — twists like
enormous ice cubes, dry (not sweet) specialty sodas, and a technique
that involves stirring while adding the fizz. At Blacktail, a Rum & Cola
is made with Champagne, and the Vodka & Celery uses Dr. Brown’s
Cel-Ray soda (celery-avoured, and not as bad as it sounds); verjus,
which is made of unripe wine grapes; and citric acid. The combination
is refreshing and light, like all good vodka sodas, but with just enough
tartness to make it sing.
At Chumley’s, a beautifully restored 1920s speakeasy tucked in the
West Village, bar manager Jessie Duré is using top-shelf spirits to craƆ
anything-but-basic highballs. Each option will feature an original recipe,
but the menu will also recommend alternatives designed to amp up
the drink’s avour profile. Order the Chaplin — a Bowmore 12-year
scotch highball with Contratto Fernet and specially craƆed chocolate
ice — and swap in Paul John Edited whisky, a world-class single malt
made, surprisingly, in India, which imparts the drink with a smokiness
and mint character.
“It’s fun to confound people’s expectations about what you can and
cannot do with certain spirits,” says Chaim Dauermann, managing
bartender at The Up & Up, a Greenwich Village bar known for its
smart, inventive cocktails. He makes his appropriately named Insanely
Good Scotch & Soda with Bruichladdich’s limited-production Islay
Barley scotch and a dash of orange bitters, a welcome reprieve from
the anonymous blended scotch you’ll find in the well at most bars.
“We’ve pushed the envelope so far into the extreme and the obscure,”
Dauermann says, referring to the byzantine cocktails that crowd most
drink lists. “This is a way to loosen your tie a little bit and give people
permission to order and enjoy simple drinks and still feel like they’re
having the same experience as everybody else.” ■

i Blacktail’s Rye & Ginger

2 dashes Angostura bitters
¼ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
¼ ounce Rabarbaro Zucca amaro
1 ½ ounces rye whisky
Ginger beer or ginger ale
To a highball glass, add bitters,
lemon juice, simple syrup, amaro,
and whisky. Add ice and stir until
combined. Throw in more ice and,
while stirring, top off with ginger ale
or, for a spicier drink, ginger beer.

3 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
BAR

SPIRITED AWAY
In the competitive world of whisky, Japan now reigns
supreme. Here’s a look at the best of the East
BY ERIC BLAIR

If you happen to regard yourself as a whisky fundamentalist, you may

want to plug your ears. Many of the rarest and most acclaimed single
malts and blends don’t actually come from Scotland or Kentucky
anymore. Over the last decade, Japan has slowly and methodically
come to dominate the category, sweeping awards and earning record
prices at auction. As the third largest producer of whisky on the planet,
it now even outranks Ireland.
Japan’s single-malt tradition dates back to 1923, when Shinjiro Torii
established Yamazaki, the country’s first malt-whisky distillery, but it
owes an even greater debt to Masataka Taketsuru, who moved to
Scotland in 1918 to learn the art of distilling and returned to found the
Nikka brand in 1934, which has inuenced the country’s craƆ ever since.
But it wasn’t until 2001, when Nikka’s Yoichi 10 Single Cask won Whisky
Magazine’s coveted Best of the Best in a blind tasting, that anyone in
the West took much notice. Then, in 2003, Suntory claimed the top
award for its 30-year-old Hibiki at the International Spirits Challenge —
and never looked back. Over the next 13 years, Suntory has crushed the
competition, with its 18-Year Yamazaki winning six consecutive Double
Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2015,
Yamazaki’s Sherry Cask 2013 was named World Whisky of the Year
by Jim Murray of Whisky Bible, the leading authority in all things malt.
For the first time, not a single Scottish whisky even made the top five.
And now the market has caught up. At a major Bonhams auction last
year, a single 700ml bottle of 1960 Karuizawa 52-year-old “The Cockerel”
sold for US$118,465, the highest price ever paid for a Japanese whisky.
And Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Cards Series, a 54-bottle special-edition set,
Karuizawa 52 Year Old, “The
52-Year-Old The Cockerel
Cockerel”
made history with a gavel of US$489,635. For aspiring collectors, One of the oldest single-malt Japanese whiskies ever auctioned, “The Cockerel,”
here’s a short list of the greatest whiskies ever to emerge from the land which is known for strong earthy notes of aged wood, rich cocoa and vanilla
bean, sold for a record US$118,465.
of the rising sun. ■

Yamazaki 50-Year-Old Hibiki 35-Year-Old Hibiki 30-Year-Old Yamazaki 18-Year-Old

Released in a limited edition of 150
bottles in three separate expressions,
a dram of this rare nectar is hard to find
for less than US$65,000 these days.
Flawlessly aged in mizunara oak casks,
flavours of intense spice, umami and
supple hints of smoke are captured
inside an exquisite crystal bottle with
hand-etched lettering.
Housed in a unique ceramic hexagon
engraved by the 13th Imaemon Imaizumi,
an artist who’s considered a living
national treasure in Japan, a single
bottle from the limited series of 150
sold for US$17,376 at Bonhams’ Old
& Rare Whisky auction in Hong Kong
this year. Expect persimmon, plum, aged
honey and a light, crisp citrus finish.
The anchor blend of the house of
Suntory has earned top prize at the
International Spirits Challenge and
multiple World of Whisky awards. Aged
a minimum of 30 years from Yamazaki
and Hakushu malts, it’s presented in
a 30-faceted bottle — one for each
year of the process. It brims with fruit,
cinnamon, sweet toffee and oaky spice.
The eight-time Double Gold Medal
winner at the San Francisco World Spirits
Competition is arguably Suntory’s finest
and most provocative single malt, garnering
the most acclaim at an approachable
price point of about US$300 — if you
can find it in stock. Mizunara oak aging
produces a long, smooth finish with
a raisin, café-au-lait nose.

3 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
COVER GIRL

4 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
 The gorgeous Married At First Sight star has had her fair
share of controversy recently and this stunning MAXIM cover
shoot is sure to raise a few more eyebrows. Yes, it’s time to get
to know more about Australia’s reality TV babe of the year…
P H OTO G R A P H E D BY A N G E L R I L E Y / A N G E L R I L E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y. C O M
I NTE RVI EW BY S A N T I P I N TA D O

MAXI M.COM.AU 4 1
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4 2 MAXI M.COM.AU

MAXIM cover. How do you feel?
Is this real? Someone pinch me! I feel
so very lucky to be featured in MAXIM
let alone on the cover!
Why did you want to do this shoot?
Well, it’s the first photo shoot I’ve done
and I wanted to do it so I can look back and
have nice pictures of myself. I’m at the stage
in my life where I am super comfortable
in my body, and how I feel and look, so I
wanted to capture these natural and earthy
pictures. I loved how comfortable Angel [the
photographer] made me, as I was pretty
nervous at the start, but once we got into it I
became a lot more relaxed and it felt natural.
What was going through your mind
while posing for this shoot?
Is my bum poked out enough? Am I sucking
my tummy in? Is my face relaxed?... Let’s
just say I was thinking A LOT, which I guess
you aren’t meant to do but it was super
hard not to think, “How do I look?”
Well, you look gorgeous. When do you
feel sexy, Cheryl?
Oh, thanks! I am super comfortable and
feel great every day – even when I’m at
home relaxing – but I do feel sexy when
I get glammed up for an event. I mean,
who doesn’t?
What is your best asset?
I feel like I am very humble and I treat all
people as equals. I know everyone is going
through different experiences in life so I just
try and make sure they are treated the same
as I would like to be treated.
AND HOW I FEEL AND LOOK,
r those who don’t know a lot about
you, tell us more about yourself.
OK, well you may want to grab a seat and
get comfy! No, I won’t take that long. Well,
I was born in Scotland and moved to Perth,
Western Australia, when I was a toddler.
I grew up on an acreage there and my
childhood was nothing short of amazing.
I have a large family – three sisters and
three brothers – and wouldn’t have it any
other way. My sisters and I all grew up
around horses which I have a massive
passion for. Then once I’d finished school
I felt like I needed a change in life, so I
moved to Queensland and have been here
ever since. If I’m not working I’m travelling
and seeing as much of the world as
possible – I try and do at least one Bali trip
a year and then a large trip. Travelling is a
major part of my life and I want to see a lot
of the world before settling down.
When you’re not modelling for
MAXIM magazine what do you do?
Well, I definitely don’t classify myself as
a model – I’m just a typical girl. I work
full-time and when I’m not working I try to
make the most of my spare time by seeing
friends or going on adventures. I love being
outdoors and exploring.
Describe a typical day in your life.
Work, eat, sleep – repeat! I know this
sounds funny but my days are quiet normal.
I get up for a walk with some girlfriends,
work and then relax at home. Of course,
weekends usually tend to be different so
sometimes I’ll go out for dinner and other
times I’ll just have a chilled weekend.
It really just depends what’s on.
“I’M AT THE STAGE IN MY
LIFE WHERE I AM SUPER
COMFORTABLE IN MY BODY,
SO I WANTED TO CAPTURE
THESE NATURAL AND
EARTHY PICTURES.”
You featured in the most recent
season of Married At First Sight.
How would you best describe your
experience on the show?
A roller coaster that I don’t realy want to
go on again. LOL!
How do you feel about your portrayal
on the show?
I didn’t think too much into how I was going
to be portrayed – if you do you start to
overthink every situation. I just tried to stay
true to myself and how I felt and overall
I feel like I was portrayed how I am.
Is there anything you would’ve done
differently in this experience?
It is a very overwhelming experience and
hard not to let certain things get to you too
much, but I feel like I handled myself very
well considering. I don’t regret anything
I do. It makes me the person I am today.
I am also a massive believer in everything
happens for a reason.
Do you keep in touch with any of
the other couples from the show?
I speak to Lauren quite regularly – we
bonded a lot due to having to deal with
Andrew – and I also speak to Susan and
Sean every now and again, as well as
Nadia and Simon. The others... well,
isn’t that already obvious?
Has your attitude towards marriage
changed since doing the show?
Marriage is a major step in anyone’s lives
and something I thought I’d only ever do
once in my life. Since doing Married At First
Sight everyone keeps asking me, “If you got
MAXI M.COM.AU 4 3
COVER GIRL

4 4 MAXI M.COM.AU

married again would it be different? Have
you ruined that special moment?” No, it
hasn’t changed a thing. When I do – yes,
I still plan on getting married to someone
I love – I feel it will be the most amazing
moment and completely different to the
show. Yes, the show is all about marriage
but in my eyes it wasn’t “real” – it’s more
of a commitment to see how you would
go with a married lifestyle.
What do you think is the biggest
misconception about reality TV?
At the end of the day it’s reality TV. No-one
wants to watch everyday things – everyone
wants gossip and scandals and the “wow”
moments. I feel like some moments may
be exaggerated a little but they all happen
– it’s just more intense on TV.
What advice do you have for anyone
wanting to do a show like Married At
First Sight?
Stay true to yourself. Don’t let anyone
try to make you feel a certain way or do
something you wouldn’t normally do!
You have to be super strong and know
why you are doing it and what you want
from it. As a person you need to know
who you are, even after the show is done,
and you have to deal with all the aftermath.
If you don’t know who you are as a person
it can be extremely difficult.
You’ve had your fair share of media
coverage since the show finished.
What’s the funniest rumour you’ve
read about yourself?
I have read so many things that I didn’t
even know were happening in my life. For
a moment there I think I was pregnant – or
so the press wrote! You just have to have
a laugh and shrug it off. I got a lot of hate
and negative comments – so I must be
doing something right? – but I honestly
don’t let it get to me personally. However,
when it comes to attacking people I care
about that’s when it gets to me.
What message do you have for the
haters and social media trolls you’ve
had to endure?
Haters gonna hate.
And what would you like to say to your
legion of fans?
It’s so strange to know I have fans. One girl
even made a fan page of me on Instagram
– yes, I did notice and thank you! It’s very
surreal and I appreciate all of you. I do read
all the lovely emails and messages I receive.
It’s made this whole experience much easier
for me having all of you.
On the show your dad was notorious
for being very protective of you and
the guy’s you date. Is there anyone
who he’d be happy for you to be with?
I was waiting for the question about the
crazy Scots man – LOL! Look, he’s not
normally that protective, I just think in the
circumstances of not knowing who I was
with, it made him even more protective.
My dad knows me very well and only wants
the best for me – he’s a lot wiser than me
so I do respect what he has to say. He’s
happy if I’m happy, so if I’m with someone
who makes me a better person he’d be
happy for me.
Since Married At First Sight wrapped,
you’ve actually met a guy. How is
everything going there?
Yes, I have met a guy – the love of my life,
actually. Sure it sounds corny but it’s true.
I feel like the show has made me realise
a lot about myself and what I should have
in a partner. Then BAM the universe gives
me him. I love everything about him and
absolutely adore him, too. We are both
so happy in our relationship.
What have you learnt about men over
the years?
I hate when people categorise guys as
being all the same – they’re not!
What’s one thing men should always
remember about women?
That we aren’t all crazy!
If you had to take MAXIM on a date,
what would it entail?
I’m a massive fan of being outside and
being spontaneous. I grew up with horses
so they played a massive part in my life
and still do. I’d love to go on a horse ride
through the forest and onto a beach,
“I DON’T REGRET
ANYTHING I DO.
IT MAKES ME THE
PERSON I AM TODAY.”
followed with a picnic. I think dates should
be fun and romantic at the same time.
Have you ever used your popularity
to get you out of trouble, like maybe
a parking ticket?
No, it’s actually quite the opposite – I swear
the parking officer follows me around! So,
unfortunately, I don’t really get myself out of
anything like this – I might need some tips!
Since becoming a public figure you’ve
been to some cool VIP parties. What’s
been the best one?
I actually don’t think I’ve attended any
parties since being part of the show.
Beforehand, I attended a couple of Hugh
Hefner parties in L.A. and let’s just say they
were incredible. Oh, and I recently just got
back from Coachella and it was such an
amazing experience.
What’s been the wildest night out
you’ve ever had?
I think my wildest and craziest nights are
the ones I can’t remember, right?
What can we get you at the bar?
Should I just print off a cocktail menu?
I do love red wine but I’m a sucker for
an Amaretto Sour.
Got a hangover cure?
Probably not to drink in the first place?!
I’m not too sure but maybe hair of the
dog or just keep going?
Do you have any hidden talents?
Haven’t you guys seen the video of me
that went viral?
We stand corrected. What’s the
weirdest thing anyone has asked
you on social media?
Someone offered me $200 for a pair
of my sweaty socks – he was legit!
What’s next for you?
I’d love to know what’s in store for me but
I don’t really have any massive plans yet.
Who knows what’s around the corner. I try
not to think where I’ll end up or what I’ll be
doing – I try and just focus in the now and
whatever happens, happens. ■
MAXI M.COM.AU 4 5
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4 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
Status
Update
HOMETOWN:
Perth, WA
LIVES:
Gold Coast, Qld
BORN:
May 17, 1991
HOBBIES:
“Horse riding, water
sports, exploring,
socialising.”
PHOBIAS:
“Anything with more
than four legs.”
GIRL CRUSH:
“Scarlett Johansson
and Jennifer Hawkins.”
FREAKY FACT:
“I didn’t have my first
kiss until I was 19.”
LIFE MOTTO:
“Everything happens
for a reason.”
INSTAGRAM:
@hotlikeasunrise
SNAPCHAT:
@cherylmaitland

MAXI M.COM.AU 4 9
STYLE

S U N G L A S S E S , R AY B A N ;

S H I R T, A B E L A R D ; B O W -T I E ,

M I L A N A ; PA N TS , T E D B A K E R

5 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
 FLAIR
PLAY Whether it’s playing
a tough guy on Underbelly,
an endearing dad on House
Husbands or shooting it up
with Mel Gibson in epic war
flick Hacksaw Ridge, Australian
actor FIRASS DIRANI is
P H OTO G R A P H E D BY RUPERT KALDOR I NTE RVI EW BY S A N T I P I N TA D O as versatile as they come...

MAXI M.COM.AU 5 1
 STYLE

“USUALLY I’M
JUST BUTT NAKED
AROUND THE HOUSE,
COOKING EGG
OMELETTES WITH
HALLOUMI AND
LIP SYNCING TO
JAMES BROWN.”

WATC H , A U D E M A R S P I G U E T,

WAT C H E X C H A N G E . C O M . A U

5 2 MAXI M.COM.AU

hat did you enjoy most about shooting
this fashion feature, mate?
There was so much going on. From
lathering foam and cut throating to Jesus
diving and olive spitting at the bar – it’s
eclectic. The jumping and face planting
onto the bed was my personal favourite.
Over and over again. I couldn’t get enough
of it. I really enjoyed the quirkiness of the
shoot and how everyone collaborated
instinctively and had so much fun with it.
You’re all a bunch of weirdos.
Well, you were actually heavily
involved in the concept. Discuss.
The idea was to explore my outlandish
and weird side, so we got a little silly. The
concept was defined by our environment
and our fierce imagination. This is a story
of the well-dressed gentleman, his myriad
of ticks and conniptions and his warped
adventure into the abyss. Always a concept
people can connect to... and one lost in
the abyss. It’s really entertaining when
the MAXIM Editor and the crew are just
as insane – it works well.
What’s the story behind the white
rabbit which features throughout
these images?
Follow the white rabbit. It’s one of the
themes of the shoot and it’s also paying
homage to a personal connection a certain
someone has with the white rabbit as a
symbol. It represents hope and love in the
series – the angel who looks after you. It’s
subtle but a positive thread in these images.
The rabbit also played more like a polygenic
symbol because we actually shot this on
Good Friday. Yep, we’re deep bastards.
Do you consider yourself a bit of
a fashionista?
No, but I do enjoy wearing clothes that
make me feel good. And by good I mean
projecting confidence and charm. As I get
older I’m definitely getting into clothing
that is more comfortable. I find jeans more
uncomfortable by the month, so I try and
ay away from them. I definitely dress in
rallel to the way I’m feeling – if I’m feeling
ded with energy or silly I may reach for
e more statement piece or something
ighter than usual. I don’t do colour every
day, though, and I’m a big fan of blacks
and whites.
Do you have a favourite designer?
Tom Ford makes great suits and amazing
ties but I don’t have a favourite designer.
I’m sure there are lots of designers out
there doing extraordinary things. I’m still into
the classics like a white T-shirt and a pair of
comfortable chinos. Comfort is bliss at the
moment and I love designers who have a
good balance of masculinity and curiosity.
If there is piece that evokes something in
me, I will mostly likely give a spin.
Describe your fashion style.
My fashion style is revolutionary thuggish
with inflections of ostentatious gentlemanly
charm – whatever that means.
What do you look for in a suit?
There’s nothing worse than a man in an
ill-fitting suit. The suit has to be tailored to
perfection. I love an amazing three-piece
suit – a suit that is crafted to the contour of
your body and presents power and nobility.
And make sure to think about the shoes,
because you don’t want to ruin a
meticulously-designed suit with mediocre
footwear. Take some risks, homeboys.
What clothing would we mostly
find you wearing day to day?
The chinos and white T-shirt, I mentioned
before, with maybe some kind of cap or
hat. Usually I’m just butt naked around
the house, cooking egg omelettes with
halloumi and lip syncing to James Brown.
If you released your own clothing
brand what would you name it?
I would call it, “This Is Not Original by
Firass” because it would be original.
Wouldn’t it?!
What’s the most embarrassing
outfit you’ve ever worn in your life?
I wore a koala suit once, but it was for
an acting job so it doesn’t count. I wore
MAXI M.COM.AU 5 3
STYLE

“I FEEL A CERTAIN
DEGREE OF ADRENALINE
PERFORMING AND I’M
ALWAYS IN SEARCH
OF THE NEXT RUSH.”

T H I S PA G E :

S U I T, U B E R S T O N E ;

S H I R T, H U G O B O S S

O P P O S I T E PA G E :

H AT, B R I X T O N ; WATC H , R O L E X

WAT C H E X C H A N G E . C O M . A U ;
S H I R T, B E N S H E R M A N ;

C O AT & PA N T S , T E D B A K E R ;

5 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
tearaway Puma trackies about 15 years
ago? I heard they’re coming back in?

What’s the worst thing your mum

made you wear as a kid?
Mum always wanted a girl before I was
born. When I arrived people commented
to her about how pretty her little baby girl
is. So, she grew my hair and put bangles
on me. There you go. Stop asking me.

Did you always want to be an actor?

Yep. I remember watching Michael
Jackson’s “Thriller” video and thought it
was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.
The make-up, the dancing and the horror.
I loved it. I knew I wanted to entertain
people whether it was making them laugh or
performing magic — I wanted to take people
on a journey and enjoy their reactions. I feel
a certain degree of adrenaline performing
and I’m always in search of the next rush.

In 2011 you won the Logie award for

Most Popular New Male Talent and
the Graham Kennedy award for Most
Outstanding New Talent. Are these
on par with your 2010 CLEO Bachelor
of the Year gong?
Nothing compares to the naked statue
of love and humility that is the CLEO
Bachelor trophy. Don’t ever undermine
my accomplishments like this!

Where do you keep all your awards?

I think my Logie awards are at my brother’s
house and some other awards are at my
mum’s. I actually broke my CLEO statuette
on the night – I left it at the bar and
someone found it the next day with its
head chopped off. True story.

You’ve done a lot of TV work – do

people on the streets recognise you
more for your role on House Husbands
or Underbelly?
Both. Most people say, “Hey, you look like
the guy that played… what’s his name?”
I respond with, “Yeah, I just look like the
guy who played the other guy.”

You starred in Oscar-winning film

Hacksaw Ridge – how did this role
come about?
I remember being at the gym and seeing
Mel Gibson on a news and they were
reporting he was in the country location
scouting in Ballarat for the film. I quickly
called my agent and told her to do
everything in her power to secure me
an audition. She did, I auditioned and
they offered me the role of Vito Rinnelli.

MAXI M.COM.AU 5 5
STYLE

“MY FASHION STYLE IS REVOLUTIONARY

THUGGISH WITH INFLECTIONS OF
OSTENTATIOUS GENTLEMANLY
CHARM – WHATEVER THAT MEANS.”

5 6 MAXI M.COM.AU STYLI NG & MAKE-U P ADRIANA DIB HAIR SORA BAE LO C AT I O N QT SYD N EY
 What it’s like working with Mel?
I’m a fan of Mel’s acting and directorial films.
He brings a certain quirky charm to all his
films, which always inspired me. Braveheart
is still one of my favourite films. So, when
I realised I’d be spending five weeks on
this film with him it was an absolute thrill.
Mel brings a level of grunt and realism to
his stories. When we were shooting the war
scenes there wasn’t much acting – it was
head down, rifles forward, be conscious
and present. And try not to step on any
pyrotechnics that could blow your foot off.

You’re pretty fit — what’s one thing

to always remember in a fight?
That you’re not Bruce Lee and even if you
were you can still be shot and killed. But in
a physical sense, as soon as you feel that
there is an imminent threat of chaos, step
away so you are not in reach of a punch or
kick and try and de-escalate the situation
using your words. If that doesn’t work,
and an attack on you is surely looming,
get in before they do and make sure you
land with the first punch otherwise you’re
in for a tussle. If you’re accurate with the
first fierce strike, that’s all you need. If they
have a knife, remember you have legs and
f–king RUN!

Do you have a scar that tells a story?

I fell so often as a kid that my head is full of
scars. In fact, I have the map of south-east
Asia on my head. During my childhood I fell
down a four-metre hole and landed on my
head. When Dad was shovelling snow
once, he accidentally lifted the shovel above
my left eye socket and split me open –
I walked into that one. As a four-year-old
I also walked on hot coal and completely
burnt my feet. Pain and bad luck followed
me around.

What do you love and hate about

your occupation?
Make-up every morning becomes tiresome
and the waiting in between takes can
suck the life out of you at times. I love the
different people you meet and listening to
the different stories, travelling to incredible
locations is definitely part of the attraction
and this all counts for what keeps you
coming back for more.
T H R E E - P I E C E S U I T,

H U G O B O S S ; S H I R T, Finally, finish this sentence:

ABELARD; TIE, TED If I ruled the world for a day I would…
BAKE R; SHOES, Abolish taxes and free the innocent. And
FI RASS’ OWN maybe legalise marijuana – everywhere. ■

MAXI M.COM.AU 5 7
 STYLE

NO. 1

NO. 2

NO. 3

1 . WATC H , R O L E X

WAT C H E X C H A N G E . C O M . A U ;
2 . S U N G L A S S E S , R AY B A N ;

3 . B L A Z E R , S H I R T & PA N TS ,

B R E NT WI LSON; 4. CAR,

R O L L S - R OYC E P H A N TO M ,

C L AY T O N B E S P O K E
C L AY T O N B E S P O K E . C O M . A U ;
MODEL, KARIM GHARBI,

T H E V I P SY D N E Y. C O M

5 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
 Behind
The Wheel
Luxury accessories for your next cool ride

P H OTO G R A P H E D BY RUPERT KALDOR

STYLE D BY ADRIANA DIB

NO. 4

MAXI M.COM.AU 5 9
STYLE

Dressed NO. 4

To The Tee
Updated looks for the modern fairway

NO. 5
P H OTO G R A P H E D BY

M A R K P L AT T

STYLE D BY

ANDREW PORTER

NO. 3

NO. 2

NO. 6

NO. 7

NO. 8

NO. 9

NO. 1
1 . WATC H , R O L E X ; 2 . S U N G L A S S E S ,

J O H N VA R VAT O S ; 3 . G LO V E , G - F O R E ;

4. BALL, TITL E I ST; 5. C LU B, PXG; 6. S H O E S,

G - F O R E ; 7. S W E A T E R , D U N N I N G ; 8 . P O L O ,

L A C O S T E ; 9 . J A C K E T, B E N S H E R M A N

6 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
MUSIC

On Tour With…
BLISS N ESO
Recently releasing their sixth studio album, Off The Grid, Australian hip-hop trio Bliss n Eso are pumped
up for their huge national tour which kicks off this month. And as the ARIA-award-winning dudes play
to packed gigs around the country, we chat to them about all things touring and life on the road...

MC BLISS

DJ IZM

6 2 MAXI M.COM.AU
 “THE CROWD’S REACTION IS
ALWAYS AMAZING TO FEED OFF
AS SOMETIMES THEY SCREAM
THE LYRICS HARDER THAN US.”
– MC ESO

MAX (MC Eso)

What’s the best Australian city to tour?
That’s an extremely hard question as every
city has its own magic. It would have to be
a draw between our hometown Sydney and
Brisbane for always brining the raucous!
The big cities are always a pleasure
because the crowds come out in numbers.
But the smaller, more rural towns are so
thirsty and hungry for live music to come
through their town that their energy and
enthusiasm is through the roof!

What’s your favourite track to perform

to a live audience?
Easily “Addicted” – there is a surge of
energy that runs through me and the boys
which is a force that is unexplainable. The
crowd’s reaction is always amazing to feed
off as sometimes they scream the lyrics
MC ESO
harder than us.

Are there any other songs which get

the crowd going?
Besides “Addicted”, “Woodstock” is
definatly a crowd pleaser with its heavy
industrial drums and back and forth BNE ROAD WORK: MC Eso describes crowd
surfing off stage onto a blow-up raft as one
rapid fire flows. of his scariest momentson tour (top); Last-
minute touches to the set-list (above)
What’s been your scariest moment you
guys have had at a gig?
Crowd surfing off stage onto a blow-up raft,
where the crowd passed me all the way to
for the roadies. It’s always good to have
the back. I was quite concerned they were
something nice and light to snack on and
going to take me out of the venue and all
if you’re not feeling well the ginger and
the way back to one of their houses to party.
honey goes down a treat.
Luckily, I made it out alive.
How do you guys prepare yourselves
before a tour?
TARIK (DJ Izm): A week before a tour or show we do two
What’s on your rider these days? or three days of rehearsing, then we usually
Our rider consists of water, a cheese get to our destination early so we can get a
platter, fruit platter, ginger and honey, a few good sound-check to make sure everything
beers and a couple of bottles of something is nice and tight. Once that’s done we go

MAXI M.COM.AU 6 3
MUSIC

i Bliss N Eso Off The Grid Tour

Where and when to catch the boys around Australia.
All tickets available at www.blissneso.com

May
26: Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane
27: Night Quarter, Gold Coast
28: Brother Leagues Club, Cairns
29: Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville
30: Magnums, Airlie Beach
June
02: Studio 146, Albany
03: Metropolis, Fremantle
04: Metro City, Perth
09: Shadows, Mt Gambier
10: Adelaide Entertainment
Centre Theatre, Adelaide
15: ANU Bar, Canberra
16: SS&A Club Auditorium, Albury
23: Forum Theatre, Melbourne
24: Forum Theatre, Melbourne
25: Pier Bandroom, Frankston
28: Enmore Theatre, Sydney
30: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
FEEL ME FLOW: “Everywhere we go is a little different – the people,
culture and landscapes are always changing, which is one of the best things
about touring.” explains MC Bliss (above)
July
01: Waves, Wollongong
06: Villa Noosa Hotel, Sunshine Coast
07: The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
08: Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
09: Club Forster, Forster
10: Panthers, Port Macquarie
13: Gap View Hotel, Alice Springs
14: Discovery, Darwin
20: The Cinema, Burnie
21: Club 54, Launceston
22: Macquarie Wharf, Hobart
27: Neck of the Woods, Auckland
28: Meow, Wellington
29: Winnie Bagoes, Christchurch
30: The World Bar, Queenstown
Bliss n Eso’s
album Off The
Grid is out now

back to our hotel, get a good feed and

rest up for the show. Right before we get
onstage, whoever is a part of the tour at
the time, or with us onstage, we do a
special handshake or chant something
relevant, like a friend who past or the name
of the city we are in, and then – BOOM –
showtime! It’s pretty straightforward – we
don’t have any superstitions or anything
like that. We just make sure that we are
well rested and maybe do a few vocal
warm-ups, but that’s about it
What do you guys think about when
you’re onstage during a gig?
Sometimes you’re so caught up in the
whole show – the crowd, the music,
the energy... that it can go in a flash.
But usually there is a sweet spot where
everything slows down and you look at one
another and the crowd and just take a step
back, take it all in and then BANG you’re
right back in it again. It’s such a beautiful
moment when you can feel the crowd’s
energy and they can feel yours. Also, eye
contact and a cheeky smile is important.
What’s been the craziest gig to date
and why?
One of the craziest gigs, in my mind, would
have to be the Sound Relief concert at the
MCG for the Melbourne bushfire appeal.
Nothing crazy really happened, it was just
one of the most incredible shows at the time
of our career. I had never seen that many
people at a concert let alone to be onstage
performing. It was raining but the energy got
more intense the heavier it rained and then
halfway through the heavens opened up
and it stayed dry for the rest of our set.
JONATHAN (MC Bliss):
What’s the most epic tour you’ve had?
Every tour has been epic in its own way.
Touring Afghanistan was pretty insane,
though. Rocking out with a whole bunch
of soldiers in the middle of a war zone was
pretty surreal. There was no alcohol allowed
on base but the energy of the crowd was
still some of the craziest we’ve ever seen!
How do overseas audiences compare
to their Australian counterparts?
Everywhere we go is a little different –
the people, culture and landscapes are
always changing, which is one of the best
things about touring. It keeps it constantly
interesting and fresh and we’ve been lucky
enough to have hard-core fans wherever
we go in the world. So, the shows are
always awesome whether we’re in
Australia or overseas.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s
happened on tour?
We played at the San Remo Hotel
in Victoria once, where they have
accommodation on site, and we stayed
upstairs at the venue. After the show
DJ Izm and Adam, our manager, thought it
was a funny idea to chase Eso through the
hallways with a firehouse spraying water at
him. Eso got so bedazzled that he jumped
down the entire staircase at the venue and
tore the tricep off his elbow – he was
screaming in pain so we stuck him under
a cold shower to try and calm him down.
The next day we were headlining the St
Kilda Festival in Melbourne and had to drag
Eso onto the stage with us – after dosing
him up on painkillers – and he got through
the show like a champion. It was the biggest
show we had played – 40,000 people – at
that point in our careers and he walked off
stage straight into an ambulance. After the
show we had his arm X-rayed and found
it was indeed FUBAR. Hey, that’s bloody
rock ’n’ roll for ya!
What can audiences expect from this
Off The Grid tour?
A totally new show filled with new tracks
as well as some our classics. We’ve got
some special surprises in store for our fans
on this tour, too, and will also be with a full
band which is always a lot of fun because
the energy of all the players, combined
with us, is off the chart.
What are you guys most excited about
for this tour?
Playing the new songs we’ve been working
on for the last two years for the first time
– LIVE! – and vibing out with our fans and
seeing how they react to the new material.
It’s gonna be a crazy party at every show. ■

6 4 MAXI M.COM.AU I N T E R V I E W BY S A N T I P I N TA D O
FILM
Big
Break
How this Sydney-born star
of Point Break and Hacksaw
Ridge stepped off the rugby
pitch and into the spotlight
BY M I TC H M OX L E Y
S
ometime between shivering atop
France’s Mont Blanc and peering over
Venezuela’s 979-metre-high Angel
Falls, Luke Bracey realised his life
had changed dramatically. The Australian
actor came from seemingly nowhere to land the
lead role of Johnny Utah in the 2015 reboot of
Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 surfer classic, Point Break.
The shoot took him to nearly a dozen countries
— from Tahiti to Italy to Mexico — and nearly
launched Bracey into an elite category of next-
generation leading men.
For a kid who grew up surfing the beaches
of Sydney, landing the role of Utah, made famous
by Keanu Reeves, was no small feat. “There were
so many moments where I went, xOh, my God,
you’re Johnny Utah, dude,’˨” says Bracey, who
still marvels at the opportunity. And things are
only looking up for the rugged 28-year-old actor.
He’s the new face of the fragrance Polo Red and is
coming oŽ a career-making turn in Mel Gibson’s
critically acclaimed war epic Hacksaw Ridge.
In fact, Bracey is just now entering his prime.
It almost never happened. Bracey signed
on to play professional rugby aƆer high school,
but aƆer being discovered by a local television
producer, he landed a part on Aussie soap Home
and Away, that has also featured future stars
including Heath Ledger and Chris and Liam
Hemsworth. Bracey appeared on 224 episodes
6 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
“ONCE I READ THE SCRIPT
AND COMPOSED MYSELF,
WIPED THE TEARS FROM
MY EYES, I WANTED TO BE
ANYTHING IN THIS FILM.”
of the show before making the leap to the big
screen. In 2011, he starred in the Selena Gomez
vehicle Monte Carlo and moved to Hollywood,
where he crashed in the same pad where the
Hemsworth brothers had stayed when they first
arrived in L.A. (The three Aussies share the
same manager.) In 2014, Bracey had his breakout
moment playing a CIA officer in November Man
alongside Pierce Brosnan and appearing in the
Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Best of Me.
In early 2015, Bracey was sent the script for
Hacksaw Ridge, which tells the story of Private
First Class Desmond Doss, one of the first
conscientious objectors to receive the Medal
of Honor, the U.S. military’s highest honour.
“Once I read the script and composed myself,
wiped the tears from my eyes, I wanted to
be anything in this film,” Bracey says. The
most incredible thing about the story, Bracey
thought, was that it was true. “What this guy
did was truly superhuman.”
Bracey auditioned for the role of platoon
leader Smitty. He was called in to meet with
Gibson but came down sick and was forced
to cancel. “I was depressed for a couple days,
thinking I’d ruined my chances for this film.
Then I got a phone call from Mel, and we
chatted for an hour about World War II. I’m
a bit of a history buŽ, and at the end of it he
said, xI’ll see you in Sydney.’ I thought, Oh, my
God, I think I’ve got this movie.”
Working with veterans like Gibson and the
movie’s star, Andrew Garfield (The Social Network,
The Amazing Spider-Man), who plays Doss, was a
valuable learning experience for the young actor.
“You realise how much these guys love making
movies and love telling stories. That really comes
through,” Bracey says. “I’m very aware of how
little I know, and so I try to get all the help I can
get that way. That’s a really exciting thing about
this job, that you’re constantly learning. You can
always get better and better and better.” ■
BUSINESS

The
MAVERICK
BILLIONAIRE
Mark Cuban — NBA franchise owner and social media maestro —
is having a lot of fun, and he’s taking the rest of us along for the ride...

BY B I LL SAP O R ITO
P H OTO G R A P H BYBRIAN DOBEN

I
t was all working according to plan for Mark Cuban. He had sold created a media portfolio that includes Magnolia Pictures (again with
his žrst business, MicroSolutions, in 1990, retiring handsomely Wagner) and bought the Landmark Theatre chain, which specialises
rich at age 29. He bought a lifetime, y-anywhere-with-a-friend in restoring historic movie houses. Magnolia has produced movies
forever pass from American Airlines and had envisioned an (Little Men) and documentaries (Zero Days) for theatrical release or
immediate future of reasonable if dedicated debauchery. The plane-and- distribution on his HDNet Movies. His AXS TV is a music-focused
party proposition gained some altitude, but as sometimes happens, channel that features concerts by rock legends such as the Who.
a woman kept diverting him back to his adopted hometown of Dallas. Vertical integration is a beautiful thing, especially when you own it.
“I was having a blast. But there is always that girl who gets in the Despite this busy mogul’s schedule, Cuban still has time to be a
way,” Cuban told me via email, a medium in which he is famously social media re hose with nearly 6.9 million Twitter followers. A hit-to-
responsive. Pity that romance didn’t work out, but then again, spending all-elds provocateur, to the NBA he’s a veritable ATM, having paid
more time in Big D to be near “that girl” would lead to him cofounding, more than US$1 million in nes for repeatedly mouthing oŽ about
with Todd Wagner, Audionet in 1995, just as something called the oƀcials, among other league shortcomings. He has dissed the NFL
Internet was catching on. as greedy (“Hogs get slaughtered,” he said, referring to the league’s
Cuban took Audionet — later renamed Broadcast.com — public in ever-expanding television schedule). He stood up loudly to the U.S.
1998, and a year later sold the company to Yahoo at the peak of the dot- Securities and Exchange Commission over an insider trading allegation
com frenzy for about US$5.6 billion. He netted some US$1.3 billion. and slam-dunked the agency in court (“Torched their ass!”). He dove
“We are still friends,” he says of that lost love. “But don’t tell her into a gloriously entertaining ame war with one Donald Trump.
about this!” Today, the 58-year-old Cuban is having more fun — and He even played the president in Sharknado 3 — not much of a stretch
continues to make more money — than the rest of us, but at least he’s considering that he used to take acting lessons.
happy to let us go along for Self-reliance was a trait
the ride with him. he developed as a
He’s the people’s teenager growing up
billionaire: the fanboy owner in suburban Pittsburgh.
of the Dallas Mavericks His grandparents were
who turned a broken immigrants from Eastern
franchise into an NBA Europe. While he was
champion; a US Shark Tank growing up, Cuban’s father,
megastar with a portfolio of a car upholsterer by
investments in companies profession, made one thing
whose products he sells as clear: Young Cuban would
part of his own Amazon have to work for what he
collection. His sights are wanted, including college
increasingly set on tuition. And so Mark
Hollywood. A onetime Cuban worked. He sold
aspiring actor, one of the few whatever he thought would
January 2012: The 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks meet then President
avocations he hasn’t yet Obama in the White House East Room. Cuban has recently joked about selling sell: garbage bags, disco
mastered, Cuban instead 10% of the franchise to the former President of the United States lessons, collectible stamps.

6 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
“I WAS HAVING A BLAST.
BUT THERE IS ALWAYS
THAT GIRL WHO GETS
IN THE WAY.”

MAXI M.COM.AU 6 9
BUSINESS
As a business student and rugby player at Indiana University, he
would eventually buy and run a local bar — until it was shut down by
authorities. (A sure sign you’re running a popular joint!)
AƆer college, Cuban started his rst tech business, MicroSolutions,
a business soƆware provider, aƆer getting red from his rst real job,
at a Dallas soƆware retailer. His oŽence? Stopping at a customer’s
business to pick up a check, a down payment for an order he’d sold,
rather than opening the retail shop on time. Sale rst, he reasoned — get
the money. Get lost, said his boss.
He did, taking the order with him. Cuban got funding from another
customer to ll the rst order. MicroSolutions was up and running.
Cuban had no technology background, but he taught himself
everything he needed to know about business soƆ ware so that he’d
understand what the customers needed. “Always ask how you would
design a solution if no current solution existed” is one of his rules for
business. Here’s another one: “Be nice.”
What is the Internet? That was the headline of an early promotional
release Cuban wrote for Audionet in 1995. The question seems hilarious
and quaint, sort of like asking, “What is a dial tone?” But in the mid-’90s,
the Net was still a mystery to much of the dial-up American mainstream.
Audionet was in the business of using RealNetworks’ soƆ ware for
taking radio programs from whatever stations it could sign up and
making them available on this newfangled Web thingy. “People talk to
each other and communicate using words. Computers talk to each other
using text, pictures, audio, and in some cases, video. That is what makes
the Internet so special,” Cuban wrote.
What made Cuban so special was recognising the Internet was
a perfect home for programming, rst by posting previously recorded
shows and then going live, especially with sports. In other words,
Audionet became an early adapter of streaming. He hadn’t counted on
the dot-com boom. It simply found him, a bit like that girl in Dallas.
“When we started Audionet and Broadcast.com, the whole angle was,
the Internet is just happening, multimedia is going to happen,
and somebody’s got to dominate it,” he recalled at an Inc. magazine
conference. “We didn’t think, We’re going to take this public.
We thought, All right, we’re going to have to make money.”
The stock market’s appetite for anything Internet obviated that need.
“Did I plan or did we know that the stock market would just explode?
No! The scale was luck,” he confesses. (And as luck would have it, this
year Yahoo, battered by Google, Facebook, and others, was sold for
US$4.8 billion, US$900 million or so less than it paid for Broadcast.
com.) You would be mistaken to characterise Cuban as another Bill
Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. He’s not a dot-com lottery winner or a one-
idea geek with immaculate timing.
Instead, Cuban is much more the classic
entrepreneur, dedicated to the idea of
uncovering customer needs before others and
meeting them. He learned how to run a
business from the ground up. MicroSolutions
was protable every month of its existence,
he has noted. The company had to be, since
Cuban, then sharing a three-bedroom Dallas
apartment with ve other poor slobs, had no
other source of income. Likewise, in his Shark
Tank role, Cuban told me he sees a common
bond between himself and the successful
entrepreneurs he’s funded: “the continuous
eŽort to learn about your business, a vision
to ever improve, and a focus on sales.”
Following the sale of Broadcast.com, the
now immensely rich Cuban did not confuse a BIG MONEY: Cuban has paid more than US$1
bull market with brains: He began selling the million in fines for repeatedly mouthing off about
NBA officials... among other league shortcomings
Yahoo stock he got in the buyout as soon as he
7 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
could, a diversication plan that would ultimately double his net worth
to more than US$3 billion. Then it became, in Cuban’s words, “WTF
time.” Why not buy a jet? He did, purchasing a Gulfstream V for US$40
million. He bought it over the Internet, the largest individual Web
purchase ever. (He gave his father the airline pass.) Cuban also bought
a 24,000-square-foot mansion he didn’t need. WTF, indeed.
When he bought the moribund Dallas Mavericks in 2000, it wasn’t
some rich Texas kid (George W. Bush, say) getting a ball team to play
with. Cuban brought the same rational, details-oriented approach to the
Mavs that he did to MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com. He upgraded
everything, from the locker room towels to the basketball analytics to
the building itself — last season, for instance, the Mavs claim the NBA’s
most advanced mobile phone app. Back then, the personnel needed the
most work. “The week I bought the Mavs, I was asked by Nellie” — Don
Nelson, then the Mavs coach — “if I wanted to bag the season in order
to get the best draƆ pick that we could,” he wrote on his blog.
“My response was xNo. At some point this franchise has to learn how to
win and develop a culture of winning.’˨”
Cuban built that culture around the Mavs’ lanky German giant,
Dirk Nowitzki, a superstar power forward with a feathery touch and a
relentless work ethic. By 2010, Cuban had surrounded Nowitzki with
an operations manager in guard Jason Kidd and NBA grown-ups such
as Tyson Chandler and Jason Terry to add some gravitas. He hired the
highly respected Rick Carlisle to coach the team. The culture Cuban
established paid oŽ in the 2010–2011 season, when the Mavs defeated
the LeBron James–led Miami Heat to claim the NBA title.
Although he got crazy-rich in a technology boom, Cuban has became
wary, and critical, of the current version. Start-ups promising to become
the next Uber, WhatsApp, or Twitter are kept under private ownership
and accorded “unicorn” valuations of US$1 billion or more rather than
going public in IPOs. The number of public companies has declined from
7,459 at its peak in 1997 to less than 3,700 this year, a trend he thinks is
harmful. “Going public is far better for the economy and our country,”
Cuban says. “The trend toward acquisitions rather than IPOs has
signicantly reduced competition. Instagram, Oculus, WhatsApp —
they might have been competing with Facebook had they gone public,
and Facebook would look much diŽerent today. How much would
Instagram be worth today if it went public?”
Going public, he also notes, spreads the money around faster to
employees, early investors, and founders, and it has a compounding
eŽect: They can reinvest. Cuban is still reinvesting. Today, he says,
“I look for companies that automate automation — deep learning,
machine learning, computer vision, and the like.”
The Mavericks need some attention, too, and you can’t automate
a shooting guard. AƆer winning it all in
2011, they have had three successive rst-
round exits from the playoŽs, while the Golden
State Warriors have added megastar Kevin
Durant to their already stunning line-up led
by Stephen Curry. Cuban is unfazed. The
Mavs’ culture will adapt, using Cuban’s
analytical bent combined with his focus on
winning and, if necessary, his checkbook:
“We try to be countertrend. We use zone
when teams don’t practice against zone.
This last year, teams practiced switching
everything. We looked for ways to counter
this to gain an advantage.”
And at every home game, Mark Cuban
was there sitting behind the bench, screaming
and yelling, enjoying himself and behaving
like some lunatic fan. Or like someone who
owns the joint. ■
TR AVE L

The A-Z of
JAPAN BY DAN I E L STE I N E R

I recently went to Japan with two friends to celebrate my 30th birthday. A mountain was
climbed, peculiar sex toys were purchased, an unlikely affection for 7-Eleven blossomed and
an abandoned theme park was explored. For ease of reference, below is an alphabetised
list of reasons to get over there – and only one of them involves purchasing panties...

Alife Carly Rae Etiquette

Roppongi is a Tokyo
party hotspot, and
it straddles a line
between sleazy and,
uh, more upscale
sleaze. Alife (actually
pronounced: A-life) is dark, cranking, and
inadequately air conditioned upstairs
(we barely spent any time downstairs;
shout out to having friends who know VIP
hosts!), with all the essentials for a 30th
birthday shindig: ’90s and ’00s hip-hop,
models (mostly from places ending in -stan),
and crazily overpriced bottles.
Burgers
Just down the street
from our AirBnB in
Asakusa (pro tip: the
accom is tight, so
it’s best to stay with
someone you are
intimate with, wish to be intimate with,
or just get along well with) is Freshness
Burger, where coŽee stirrers have existential
messages written on them. I managed to get:
“YOU THINK TOO MUCH”, which can be
troubling if you’ve just turned 30, haven’t really
achieved any life goals and are sweating Vodka
Red Bull onto your grilled chicken combo.
Jepsen
Good news if, like
me, you’re a Carly
Rae Jepsen fan (her
sales gures, and the
demographic of this
magazine, would suggest you aren’t), since the
Japanese are as well! Her last album, Emotion,
was not only released in Japan before anywhere
else in the world, but it’s the only country
where it made decent sales — hence why she
also stars in an ad for a shampoo named Moist
Diane, the high-water mark for any pop career.
Don
Quixote
Ever been to a place
that has everything?
Here you will nd
things like expensive
watches, groceries,
novelty underwear, cool cosplay outts,
hardware, stationery dildos and little moulded
rubber vaginas and supplements to help you
f—k better and… yeah, the odd thing is that
all the sex stuŽ was just metres away from
the Back To School section. Anyway, it has
everything, and with the Duty Free discount,
those dildos are a steal for any discerning
man... or woman.
Not that I’m familiar
with the Japanese
equivalent, but in my
three weeks there
I didn’t hear any
locals use the word
“c—t” — not even as a term of endearment!
Sure, the trains are a pushy, personal space
nightmare (that’s more to do with the volume
of people), but the stereotype of Japanese
folk as respectful and polite is totally true.
Fruit Ice
Blocks
Our time in Japan
coincided with a
heatwave that scarily
led to multiple deaths
and hundreds of
hospitalisations. Out of this relentless hellre
came one beautiful discovery, though: fruit ice
blocks I don’t know the English name of.
Made to look like slices of the fruit they
represent, Watermelon has milk chocolate
chips for seeds and Rockmelon has white
chocolate chips for seeds. These things are a
hydration hero that’ll make your inner child
piss his pants with excitement.

7 2 MAXI M.COM.AU
MAXI M.COM.AU 7 3
TS RL UA VGE L
Garbage
There isn’t any on the
streets! But there are,
like, zero bins on the
streets! How?! Why?!
Well, nobody seems
to eat or drink in
public, and in cases where they do, they don’t
just chuck their trash on the pavement aƆer.
There are some pretty stern/puzzling anti-
smoking signs about, too, which do make you
think twice about tossing your butt/the abyss
that is addiction.
Helicopter
Whether you are
looking to wow a lady
friend or just for an
excuse to belt out Fat
Joe’s “All The Way
Up” with the boys,
the 20-minute xHelicopter Night Cruising’
experience in Tokyo is worth the $300 price of
admission. The city looks like bioluminescent
phytoplankton when you’re up that high and
makes for one hell of an Instagram Story.
Insert
Coins
What’s better than
heaps salty, heaps oily
ramen when you’re
hungry? Being able to
purchase said ramen
by inserting coins into a slot and then selecting
your meal of choice on an electronic display.
Yes, the Japanese have even managed to
gamify the act of ordering food. If you’re real
lucky, your chosen ramen joint will have porn
(manga and photographic) to peruse while
you’re waiting for your meal to arrive, as the
one in Taito does.
7 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
Mount Fuji
Celebrating your 30th
birthday warrants
doing something that
you can boast about
and that makes you feel
like a real man e.g. killing an animal bigger
than you, having sex with someone hotter
than you, eating a meal larger than your head.
I’d never climbed a mountain before, and
I won’t ever climb one again, but taking on
Mt Fuji was a landmark life experience.
I began by losing my passport (I ended up
nding it, but it was an inauspicious start).
AƆer a few lengthy bus rides, we arrived at
Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station (2,300m
elevation) and began the ascent. It started oŽ
easy enough. Then the rain came. Then it got
really cold. Then my legs got heavy. Then
Justin I realised how unt I was. Then I wondered
whether “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
For the price of one
helicopter ride over was actually an eŽective inspo track.
Tokyo (and then AƆer ve Snickers (haven’t had one since),
some), you could cop two cans of Coke, a couple packets of beef
a VIP ticket to the jerky, a Hydralite-infused 2L bottle of water,
Tokyo leg of Justin and long stints of gasping, I rocked up at the
Bieber’s Purpose Tour. This is a thing my xlodge’. Our crew of four kicked it at the lodge
mate and I did. Cons: his dancing was for about ve hours before the second-half of
sluggish, he lip synced a lot, and the crowd the trek. To its credit, the food was incredible
was more about lming the entire concert — (meat patties with rice and sauce), though
on iPad, even — than turning up. Pro: the I may have just been keen for something that
more expensive your ticket, the earlier you wasn’t Snickers.
got to leave once the gig was over, so getting Following a very brief, very cramped
home was a breeze! snooze, it was time to make the push to the
summit… at 11:30PM. Climbing in the dark
when you’re drowsy and sore is a special kind
Kobe Beef of demoralising but in order to make the
Shortly before this 4:30a.m. sunrise, that’s what you gotta do.
trip, Kobe Bryant Then there’s the altitude situation. In terms of
retired. Out of pure famous mountains, Mt Fuji isn’t that high
respect for him and a (3,776m), but if you’re unfamiliar with altitude,
love for quality meat, you feel every centimetre of that climb — as in,
xEating Kobe Beef in it feels like your head is in a vise that’s being
Kobe’ was a no-brainer for me when it came to tightened while your nose is being pinched
the itinerary. Steak Land seemed to be the shut. Snickers can’t help you at this point, so
obvious place at which to do this, and the it’s primarily a mental battle (they do sell cans
buttery avour volcano did not disappoint. of oxygen, but this seems more like an
Steak Land’s curious renaissance decor added
a touch of gravitas to proceedings, too.
opportunistic placebo).
What kicks your arse into gear is seeing the
elderly, kids, and even smokers — yes, people
Lights were smoking during the climb — passing you
The frantic districts by. Thankfully, we made it in time for sunrise,
of Shibuya and which was, for me, the nature version of seeing
Shinjuku are truly Mischa Barton and Olivia Wilde kiss on
overwhelming, not The O.C.. Sadly, the thing about mountains is
just because of the that you have to go back down them to get
amount of bodies home. The path down was pretty much a long,
surrounding you but also thanks to the winding ramp composed of loose rocks — in
overload of illuminated signage ickering 35C heat, mind you — and I was at a point
and dancing for your attention. Top night where I really couldn’t even be f—ked standing
pics guaranteed. up. Happy birthday, indeed. Never doing it
again. If you feel like adding a modest
achievement to your own life, Mt Fuji climbing
season is between July and September.
 Oishii
Nara This word roughly Rabbits
Dreamland translates as “tasty”
in English, and is
If you’re in the mood
for a cuteness
South of Kyoto is
Nara, best known for an exclamation you overload aƆer a
its large and revered can both use at monster night out,
deer population. It’s restaurants or when a Rabbit Cafe should
a pretty place, and a girl you fancy walks do the trick. Don
the 1,200-plus deer are cute — then again, by. Because women enjoy having “Tasty!” some Crocs and socks, slip on a dumb yet
they weren’t shy about nipping me in the arse, yelled out at them in the street, right? colourful apron, and you’re good to go! For the
like a gang of adorable thugs — but we came next half hour it’s just you feeding and holding
here for something else: Nara Dreamland. various bunnies and forgetting that you
Abandoned for a decade, this former theme Pachinko probably have cirrhosis.
park was supposed to be Japan’s version of What, exactly, is
Disneyland, but licensing issues led to it Pachinko? I have
played it, and yet
Seventh
instead just being a knockoŽ version of “The
Happiest Place On Earth”. I still do not know. Wonder
Part-pinball machine, Alcohol. Fruit Ice
Having never urban explored before, my Blocks. The Best
two buddies and I approached this mission part-poker machine,
and all-fun, what I do know is that it’s a Goddamned Snacks
clumsily yet enthusiastically. Once we’d On The Planet.
nished complaining about the spiderwebs sensory overload that involves placing ball
bearings into a device and turning a handle, A bove -Avera ge
and spiky plant life, we went into Call of Sushi. Above-Average Meals In Boxes.
Duty mode, all purposeful gestures and swiƆ while a lurid anime plays in the background
and loud noises loop. I won $150 and a packet Service With A Bow. Seriously, 7-Eleven in
steps. Turns out it didn’t matter, since security Japan is a religious experience, and the
mustn’t work Sundays, so we were free of Cheese Almonds for my eŽorts (yes, it’s an
almond-cheese-cracker snack), and was country’s second-most convenient store aƆer
to roam the sprawling, spooky grounds. Don Quixote.
Three things to note: climbing dilapidated simultaneously mesmerised and mindf—cked
rollercoasters that haven’t undergone during my time in the parlour.
maintenance in a decade — especially a Transport
wooden one — feels rather unsafe; the xEmpty Quiet You don’t appreciate
Fun Park Vibe’ shiƆ s from creepy to Whether it’s trains or punctuality until
comfortable aƆer the rst hour (it does take restaurants, silence is you’ve been the victim
hours to properly explore the place); and, golden in Japan, so of delays and no-
as we leƆ, we discovered you could walk right you best mute your shows. When you get
into Nara Dreamland from the street, so our phone and keep the a taste of Japan’s rail
xnd and climb through a small hole in the convo volume to a network, it dawns on you that you’ve been
fence’ operation wasn’t necessary. The site is minimum (or why not just play it safe and sleepwalking through your commuting life and
due to be demolished soon, so if you wanna don’t speak). Should you decide to bring you’re only now awake. The (clean) trains come
check it out — hurry! the noise, people are generally too polite to when they’re supposed to, the network is easy
have a go at you, but, oh, how they will scowl. to navigate, and the Bullet Train is like riding
inside a slick metal cloud. N.B. Denitely get
a Japan Rail Pass before you head over.

MAXI M.COM.AU 7 5
TR AVE L

Underwear World Yen

Already
Unwashed. In a
worn.
Kyoto Here’s a fun game to
play while you’re
One man’s highlight
packet. With an boozed: try and think
is another man’s
image of the wearer of as many Instagram
lowlight. Take this
on the front. You can caption puns as you
approach into World
buy this in Japan. can using xYen’. Our
Kyoto and you’ll have
Smelt like fabric soƆener, though, so seems standout was xTwo and a Half Yen’. Zing!
a legitimately lit time. It’s dark, everyone’s on the
a little dubious.
Vodka Red Bulls, the bangers and clientele are

Views
split between Western and Japanese, and the
branded tees are a size too small — so just peel
Zen
Tenryu-ji Temple,
OK, so you’ve got that shit oŽ and helicopter it!
which neighbours the
Himeji Castle, which
famed Arashiyama
even has its own
emoji, and, of course,
Xiphias Bamboo Forest in
Honestly, words Kyoto, is basically a
Mt Fuji, but there
beginning with X are Zen Garden come
are also some quality
hard to come by… to life, with a stillness and symmetry that
urban venues to peep the city from:
Xiphias refers to will make you feel the complete opposite
Two Rooms Grill (solid cocktails); Cerulean
the genus swordsh of how you do when you’re reading YouTube
Tower (fancy lounge); Park Hyatt Tokyo
belong to, and the comments. Take a moment, and just be. ■
(yeah, yeah, from Lost In Translation);
sushi made by them is a must-try — especially
and Hotel Gracery (a to-scale Godzilla head
if you like exxy nigiri that delivers on the fat
was mounted on the rooƆop when I visited).
and avour fronts.

7 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
TR AVE L

WHAT TO
BRING ON AN
ISLAND GETAWAY
Not everything goes into your suitcase...

C O LU M N BY ALESSAN D RA AM B R OS I O
R E G I N A YA Z D I
I L L U S T R AT E D BY No.1 Good energy
Before I leave on vacation, or even
when I go out for the day, I always
set an intention. It might be to
Alessandra Ambrosio — there’s
live in the now instead of thinking
no Victoria’s Secret Angel who about what’s next, or to discover a
spends more time on the beach… magical place to snorkel or a new
and we should know! Born in restaurant, try a new sport, or nd
inspiration to share. It’s easy to be
Brazil, she grew up by the sea;
overwhelmed by all the bad news
her motto and favourite hashtag in the world, but if you’re heading
is #foreveronvacation. out to an island, turn your mind
But that’s only one of many oŽ and prepare to get lost in the
reasons why we love her. beauty of nature!
Ironically, the effortlessly
No.2 A sense of adventure
elegant Alessandra is usually I like to nd something
working when she’s at the thrilling everywhere I go. The
world’s most iconic resorts. But Bahamas has a nearly vertical
when she’s not shooting magazine water slide called Leap of Faith
surrounded by sharks (totally a
covers, walking the runway in jewel-encrusted wings, GoPro moment), and there are
designing her collection ále by Alessandra, or filming, plenty of other water slides. But
she’s a real-life sea siren. In this article by Alessandra, you can also nd destinations oŽ
the beaten track that might require
whom we’ve named our Special Lifestyle Editor,
a special boat or small plane to
she shows us how to make a splash on the beach reach. (There are 700 islands aƆer
no matter where you are... all!) On the Out Islands, famous
for their crystal blue water and
white and rose sand beaches,
blue lagoon called Boiling Hole.
The tide creates bubbles, which
led to folklore about a sea monster
lurking below the surface. It’s
a great spot for glimpsing
stingrays, baby sharks, and the
exotic birds that nest among the
mangrove trees.
Loving water and sea legends
as I do, this was a must-see, and
would be a lovely surprise day
trip for any aspiring sea siren.
They say a mermaid lives in Bain
Town, where there’s a 10-foot-
deep Mermaid Pond with four
holes leading to underground
caverns and passageways. The
locals claim she’s real!
No.3 A sunga and… Relax,
but look good doing it: some
style advice for guys
Vacation is a time to relax some
fashion rules, but you can still look
stylish in warm weather.
Baseball caps. I always pack
a big straw hat from my Ále by
Alessandra collection (a lot of my
Angel friends love them for sun
protection), but I’ve been known
to borrow a baseball cap at the

I
’m sure it’s no surprise that when the beach is my destination, you’ll nd the Exuma Cays Land
I always travel with more than one bathing suit (one of my passions & Sea Park, where you can take beach or while hiking. Word to
is designing them), but there are other things that are just as a nature hike to see incredible the wise: It never hurts to pack
important. In fact, some of the best things to bring are not even tangible! wildlife, such as the endangered two caps because you never know
The Bahamas certainly oŽers enough variety in scenery, from lagoons Northern Bahamian rock iguana, who will want yours!
and blue holes to tidal pools and ocean laced with coral reefs, to justify or hit the Bimini Nature Trail. Being Brazilian, I grew up
a diŽerent bikini for each destination. There are hundreds of islands Be sure to see Andros Island; with bikinis, and the men in
with lush landscapes — pine trees, orchids, fig and frangipani trees you can kayak there, and it’s been Brazil are just as adventurous
framing blue water so crystal clear you can see starfish walking — called a naturalist’s wonderland with their swimwear choices —
oŽering a diverse and rich nature experience. Nassau and Freeport because there are so many they are famous for wearing sunga
have their own special attractions, but in my opinion, you haven’t really deserted beaches. (cut diŽerently from American
been to the Bahamas until you’ve visited the Out Islands. The Exumas I love a place with a good story, Speedos). But if that’s not your
are practically oŽ the radar compared to other spots in the Bahamas, and on Cat Island (one of the cup of tea, I love anything tted
which is precisely what makes them so desirable. Sometimes being least explored of all the islands), and not too baggy, unless you’re
a little low-key feels just right. Here we go! Armbrister Creek ows into a surng, of course! ■

7 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
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P R E F E R A D I G I TA L S U B S C R I P T I O N ?
SEAR C H ‘ MAXIM AUSTRALIA’ THROUGH
ONE OF OUR DIGITAL PARTNERS
 A
WOMAN OF THE WORLD

With a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Broadcasting, a flourishing modelling career and a big-screen role alongside

8 0 MAXI M.COM.AU
A GUDIC
Jamie Foxx, Eva Longoria and Jeremy Piven under her belt, this Croatian-Serbian glamazon is definitely one to watch...

P H OTO G R A P H E D BY D R E A M S TAT E PR: R AV E N D U R A N , M U S E MAXI M.COM.AU 8 1

WOMAN OF THE WORLD

ell us a bit about yourself, Dajana.

I was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia — my parents
and I lived there during the war. The tragic
war took a toll on their marriage and my
father moved to America. I stayed with my
mother and joined my dad later on when
I was 14. My parents decided I would have
better opportunities in America but I didn’t
even speak English back then so I was
fresh off the boat. I have a Bachelor’s
degree in Journalism and Broadcasting,
I’ve been modelling for a long time and
I recently started acting as well.

What’s the best thing about Sarajevo,

Bosnia and Herzegovina?
My father is Croatian and mother is Serbian
but I consider all three countries my home.
Croatia is by far the most beautiful as I’m
sure you heard about yacht week and
amazing islands like Brac or Hvar. Dubrovnik
is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe,
too. Also, our seafood is amazing!

Tell us about this shoot.

This shoot was in Laguna Beach,
California with my favourite photographer.
I always enjoy shooting with him and my
fans love and support our work the most.

How does it feel to be in MAXIM

Australia for your first feature shoot?
It feels amazing to be in MAXIM Australia!
I love you guys and I’m so honoured to be
featured in your magazine. I can’t wait until
my uncle from Melbourne sees my sexy pics!

What do you do when you’re not

posing for MAXIM?
I’m too busy loving life, going to castings,
shooting commercials and movies or
reading. I strongly believe in self-growth
and learning something new every day.

How did you get into modelling?

Randomly. I was 15 and I picked up a job at
a cute clothing store in our local shopping

8 2 MAXI M.COM.AU
centre. The owner approached me and
asked if I would model for them instead of
being a sales clerk. Needless to say, I said
yes! I remember I was hiding it from my dad
at the time and at one point I was on ads
all over our town. The funny thing is he
didn’t even notice and he would drive by
my posters every day!
What is the best about being a model?
What I love about being a model is my
freedom — I don’t have to be somewhere
every day at the same time and that’s
priceless. Also, shooting a lot of swimwear
and lingerie also keeps me motivated to
work out and look good.
If you weren’t modelling what would
you be doing?
I would be volunteering all around the world
which I actually plan to do in the near future.
What’s your best asset and why?
Being kind and compassionate. I also
have a very positive outlook on life and
I’m so grateful for everything and everyone
around me.
You play a night club host in the
upcoming movie All-Star Weekend
starring Jamie Foxx , Eva Longoria
and Jeremy Piven. What was that like?
It was a dream come true to work with so
many talented people. I was in a scene with
all three of them and they were amazing to
work with. I got to the set late and ended
up doing my own make-up in two minutes!
All I could think is, “Oh my God, I probably
look crazy” but no-one noticed! All-Star
Weekend will be the funniest comedy of the
year — I can’t wait until it comes out this fall.
You’ve said that the favourite place
you’ve travelled is Bora Bora — why?
It must be because I’ve never been to
Australia! The water in Bora Bora is so
calm and beautiful and the snorkeling is
incredible — I even got to touch a nine-foot
Lemon Shark which I probably shouldn’t
have done. I was the only girl on our tour
who was crazy enough to do it and I have
a video to prove it for whoever doesn’t
believe me. For anyone travelling to Bora
Bora, the aqua bike activity is a must, too.
It’s only possible to go aqua biking in two
places in the world and this is one of them.
What’s the first thing you think about
when you hear the word ‘Australia’?
Kangaroos! I also think of beautiful beaches
and super cool people. All the Aussies I
know are beyond amazing. I love that you
guys say “Barbie” for Barbecue, too. I also
know that Australia was the second country
in the world to allow women to vote and
I completely adore that!
If you could live anywhere in the world,
where would it be?
Everywhere! This world is way too beautiful
to stay in one place and I love to explore.
If you could spend a day with anyone
in the world, who would it be?
Oprah! She’s such an inspiration.
What’s one thing you’d change about
the world?
Only one thing? OK, I would turn hate
into love and war into peace!
What’s the best way for a man to win
his way to your heart?
To feed me. But, in all seriousness, I’m a
huge foodie and my dream date is always
a romantic dinner somewhere tropical.
What do you find sexy about men?
I don’t go for looks. I really don’t like pretty
boys. I go for smart, educated and hard-
working men. It’s so sexy when a man
knows what he wants and inspires his lady.
If you took MAXIM on a date, where
would we go and what would we do?
I’d let MAXIM take me on a date instead
of me planning it — LOL! And there had
better be good food involved or else!
Noted. What would make you kiss
a guy on the first date?
It all depends on if there is chemistry or not,
but if I have no desire to kiss him on the first
date I’ll probably never see him again.
Who is your ultimate girl crush?
My girl crush is actually Australian! Can
“I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL MY
UNCLE FROM MELBOURNE
SEES MY SEXY PICS!”
you guess? OK, well it’s Margot Robbie.
She’s hard working, talented and the
most beautiful woman in the world.
Have you ever been mistaken for
another famous woman?
No! There are so many beautiful women
in the world and I wouldn’t mind if I looked
like one of them, but people usually say
that I have a different look!
What do you wear to bed — underwear,
PJs or are you a commando kinda girl?
I just wear undies to bed. I like to be
comfortable. Who wears PJs these days?
What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve
ever done in your life?
Hmmm... not sure, I do naughty things
every day so it’s hard to pick just one.
What’s the best piece of advice
anyone has ever given you?
My favourite advice is about self love —
“The love you seek is your love. Learning
to love yourself is the key to happiness.”
What do you do to relax?
I love my alone time. To relax, I light a
candle, listen to music and take a bath.
What’s next in your career?
My career has been growing rapidly and
I just found out I got a role in another
movie that I’ll be filming in November but
I have to keep it a secret for now. So make
sure you follow me on my Instagram to
keep up with me — @dajanagudic.
Where do you see yourself in five
years time?
I see myself travelling and helping people
around the world. I want to inspire kids who
think their dreams are out of reach. As a
woman whose first memories are tragic,
and who comes from nothing, I know
how discouraging the world can be. ■
MAXI M.COM.AU 8 3
WOMAN OF THE WORLD

8 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
MAXI M.COM.AU 8 5
WOMAN OF THE WORLD

8 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
MAXI M.COM.AU 8 7
WOMAN OF THE WORLD

Status
Update
NAME:
Dajana Gudic
BORN:
September 28, 1993
HOMETOWN:
Sarajevo, Bosnia and
Herzegovina
LIVES:
Los Angeles,
California
HEIGHT: 174cm
NICKNAME: “I have
a million embarrassing
nicknames — one being
Dirty D, from Michael
Jackson’s song! I just
like to be called by
my name which is a
mission for Americans
to pronounce because
it has a letter ‘J’ in it —
it’s pronounced Diana.”
INSTAGRAM:
@dajanagudic
TWITTER:
@xoDacaxo
SNAPCHAT:
@dajanadaca
8 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
 DON’T BE ANTI-SOCIAL
FOLLOW MAXIM AUSTRALIA
EVERYWHERE

FACEBOOK/MAXIMAU
TWITTER/MAXIM_AUS
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YOUTUBE/MAXIMAUSTRALIA

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GAMES

Fightin’
Words
Two decades in the
spotlight and the mighty
Tekken is still kicking
butt and taking names
GAME: TEKKEN 7
GENRE: FIGHTER
FORMATS: XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC
DEVELOPER: BANDAI NAMCO
OUT: JUNE 2

Fighters have been a part of

video gaming ever since the
beginning. They’ve been
sucking the coins out of gamers’
pockets at arcades and gluing
friends to the couch for hours to the
sounds of skin-tearing cracks and savage
lung-busting thuds. Some big name ghting
series have come and gone in that time, and
others have wavered in awesomeness over the
last three decades, but one consistent bastion
for quality combat has been Tekken. Perhaps
that’s because one man has been behind the
series since its very start.
Katsuhiro Harada (pictured above) has
been working on the Tekken series since the
early 1990s, joining the Namco team ahead of
the original game’s 1994 release on PlayStation.
Having studied judo, karate and taekwondo,
he was just the man to take the genre out of
the 2D experiences of the 16-bit era and into a
new generation of 3D combat on PlayStation.
He recently visited Australia to tour Tekken 7
and MAXIM was given an exclusive audience
with the great man to learn more about his
exciting new release...

9 2 MAXI M.COM.AU

You’ve been
working on the
Tekken series for a
quarter of a century now,
what keeps you so motivated to
keep returning to the series?
I’ve always had an interest in not just
fighting games, but games where you
can play against other people. These
experiences have always been very
enjoyable to me. More recently, I have
been able to go to many different countries
promoting the series and in doing so, I’ve
had the chance to interact with the local
communities and see how excited they
are about Tekken. So that helps motivate
me to keep making the series.
What is it about Tekken 7 that you
are particularly proud of and why
was implementing it so rewarding?
There are several features that weren’t
originally thought of for Tekken 7
specifically, but we were finally able to do
with this instalment. For example, super-
slow motion [where combat enters almost a
bullet-time like state]: it was quite satisfying
to finally be able to include that. Another
element is in the story. Tekken has always
had pre-rendered movies as you play
through the story, as well as opening and
ending sequences, but now we have been
able to make a more comprehensive Story
Mode. It now shifts between pre-rendered
movies and real-time battles. It was really
rewarding to be able to implement this
into the game.
This is the first Tekken game on
Unreal Engine; why did you make
that technology shift and how has
it changed the gameplay?
Up until now, our team has always
programed the game engine on our own, so
it took quite some time before the graphics
could be seen on a screen. It was only from
that moment forward that the designers
could adjust the combat. It took such a long
time to get to that part [of the development
process], you were left with less time to
i Fists of Fury
Tekken 7 is glorious to behold. The
blisteringly fast animations, detailed
character models and vibrant arenas
bring tears to your eyes even as you
viciously beat down your opponent.
The healthy roster of 38 playable
characters — which includes a
cameo from Street Fighter’s Akuma
— gives you plenty to experiment
with as you try and define your own
fighting style. Between them, there
is a great variety in kicks, punches,
special attacks and combos — no
doubt more than most gamers will
ever be able to master.
Combat is fast, but incredibly
deep, forever opening up more
strategy to you as you gain an
understanding of the movesets. The
arenas are in 3D, so you can step in
and away from the screen, as well as
roll and attack from fallen positions.
The real thrill comes in getting
your opponent on the back foot,
and then connecting with a host
of attacks before flinging them into
the air where they are vulnerable to
a powerful special move.
Special mention must also
go to the story. Fighting games
are not known for their immersive
narratives, but Tekken 7 bucks
the trend. By seamlessly shifting
from movies into combat, you
find yourself quickly becoming
addicted to the melodramatic tale
of a super-powered, but fractured,
family seeking revenge and control.
Yes, welcome back Tekken — we’ve
missed you!
work on the actual gameplay and make
changes [than we wanted]. We moved to
Unreal Engine because the ease of being
able to show graphics on the screen quickly
gave us more time to spend on the game’s
design and make the tweaks that we want.
That was why we went with Unreal Engine
in the first place, but also — when we tried it
— we found we were able to get high quality
graphics up and running within a week.
So we were more easily able to imagine
the kind of graphical level we could attain
with the current hardware, which helped
us decide on the direction of the game
and its design earlier.
The early Tekken 7 build we have been
playing is running at 4K resolution;
can a better resolution actually
improve your fighting performance?
It doesn’t really affect a player’s
performance. Think of a game like Call of
Duty; if you compare playing long ago with
a more recent instalment, you don’t get
better at the game because of an improved
resolution. It is more about the play
experience. In Tekken 7 that’s the stage
environments and how exciting it feels, and
how cool the characters and animations
look, which are a result of the leap in
resolution. It doesn’t fundamentally change
the gameplay.
MAXI M.COM.AU 9 3
GAMES
There are 10 new characters in the
game, which seems like a lot. How do
you go about defining a new character
and how hard is it to add a new face
to such a tight fighting engine?
New characters are quite important in
keeping the franchise fresh and relevant.
There’s always the characters we have
had throughout the series, too, so a lot of
fans hope we will bring all those characters
up-to-date. But on top of that, they hope we
will add new characters. There is a certain
optimal number of characters [in a fighting
game] where you have enough choices, but
not so much that it becomes overwhelming.
It’s a very difficult balance to keep that
number in mind, as you want to have the
most popular characters returning while
having enough new characters for the game
to feel fresh. However, depending on the
audience, some people may feel different
[about that number].
When two friends sit down on a couch
for the first time to play Tekken 7,
what two characters do you think
they should choose?
First I would choose Katarina Alves, who is
new Brazilian fighter, as she has very easy
command inputs and it’s simple to string
together a succession of kicks, punches
and combos. So she is accessible to
beginners, but it’s not like you have to
change characters when you become
more advanced as you can carry her
pretty far along. You can even compete
in tournaments with her. Then I would pick
9 4 MAXI M.COM.AU
Claudio Serafino, a new Italian fighter,
because he is very strong, but has
combos that are pretty simple to input.
He is a very straightforward character,
too, and will teach you a lot of skills that
you can transfer to other characters.
Plus, he just looks really cool.
How have you structured the online
mode so that local gamers can fight
their way up the ladder and become
a name on the Tekken scene as an
eSports star?
Fighting games were originally born in
arcades where you would have physical
qualifiers that would then lead into
tournaments. But the idea of having people
go to an arcade to play against each other
has been gradually replaced by players
using connected consoles to fight online.
The term “eSports” is one that is coming
up more frequently, but the fighting genre
always had a competitive scene well before
eSports. Even back in the nineties people
would have their own tournaments, so
we’ve always kind of had that competitive
infrastructure. [Tekken 7’s Online Mode]
has been more influenced by that history
than the recent growth in eSports. We’ve
put a lot of effort into the online mode to
help recreate that experience of getting
together in an arcade and playing Tekken,
but not a whole lot to funnel people into
eSports. The tools are there if you want to
grow into that scene, but not everyone is
trying to be an eSports player: most people
just want to pick up Tekken and enjoy it. ■
The Elder Expands
A massive online world moves forward by returning to its glorious past
GAME: THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: MORROWIND BY: BETHESDA SOFTWORKS GENRE: MMORPG FORMAT: XBO, PS4, PC RELEASE: JUNE 6

T
he Elder Scrolls needs very little introduction. Bethesda’s epic
RPG series has been The Lord of the Rings of the game world
for decades, delivering the most immersive, medieval experience
available. The previous core game in the series, The Elder Scrolls V:
Skyrim — recently re-released in HD form on current consoles — was
a blockbuster in every sense of the word, topping the charts and
delighting critics.
The one thing missing was multiplayer, but the release of The Elder
Scrolls Online in 2014 changed all that. In the tradition of great
MMOs like Everquest and World of WarcraƆ, it threw thousands
of gamers into the same experience, set on the continent of Tamriel.
This diverse and vast landscape is populated by everything from small
villages to huge cities, ancient ruins to deep dungeons, wild beasts to
friendly allies, and lush forest to volcanic mountains. It’s a full, living
and breathing world.
As well as the quests, random events, loot grabbing, lore learning,
levelling-up and general freeform open world exploration fans of the
series know and love, The Elder Scrolls Online asks you to play a role in
Tamriel’s fate. Set 1,000 years before the events in Skyrim, the continent
is in turmoil. A powerful, dimension hopping Daedric Prince is trying
to consume the world, while three diŽerent factions ght for the vacant entire original Elder Scrolls Online world as well as Morrowind, making
imperial throne. it the best possible place to get started on your Tamriel adventure.
How you impact that overall storyline, aloongside For existing players, it brings a tonne of new content. On top of the
thousands of other human players, is part of the fun. addition of the massive Morrowind province, it opens up an all-new
There are 10 races and four classes to cho oose from, storyline to follow where you help p a legendary warrior-poet nd
and you are free to tackle large parts of the t game the cure for a mystery illness. There’s content for players of all
solo, or join in the action with other playeers either levels, a brand new Ɔh charactter class to try, in The Warden,
against the environment, or in stunning playyer versus and a new PvP experience called Battlegrounds where three
player (PvP) battles. teams of four go up p against each other.
AƆer a tonne of smaller DLC additions, this
t full retail Whether you’re already a dedicated player,
release represents the rst major expansion n to the a lapsed fan lo ooking to return or a newbie,
game, adding Morrowind — one of Tam mriel’s The Elder Sccrolls Online: Morrowind is an
nine provinces — to the game. The setting of the RPG fan’s dream.
d Unlike other MMOs,
beloved third game in the core series — releaased the game is freee to play once you have bought
in 2002 — the huge area is full of familiar and the title, so just think of it as a new Elder Scrolls
wondrous sights. New players get access to the game and get adveenturing! ■

MAXI M.COM.AU 9 5
SEX

9 6 MAXI M.COM.AU
 MORNING
GLORY Men love to shag at the break of dawn, and that’s a fact, yet most women prefer
to shag at dusk. However, there are some things women will never understand
about men and “the morning f—k”. So, listen up, and help us understand…
BY VA N E S S A D E L A R G I E
W
hat exactly is it with men and morning sex? I’ll be having
a nice peaceful sleep and I’ll feel a boner jabbing into my
back. I’ll be having a nice peaceful sleep and I’ll feel
my buttocks and breasts being groped — and a hand
playing with my vagina! “Men build up testosterone overnight,
which boosts their coital instincts in the A.M”, says Ph.D. and
sex-therapist, Tammy Nelson. That’s great guys — you want to unload
— I totally get it. However, there a few factors, women don’t fully
understand, to take into account. Like…
MORNING BREATH
Why don’t men care about morning breath? It’s the million-dollar
question that all women want to know. Shouldn’t it concern you that our
mouths smell like we’ve just licked a ceiling? Obviously not. Whilst you
might not care about butt-breath, let me tell you, women do! Can’t you
at least wait until we’ve cleaned our teeth or grabbed some mints from
the bedside table? Sheesh! If you can’t wait to get it in, I suggest the
spoon-dog position — this will make your partner feel a whole lot more
obliging, trust me! Plus, it’s a sure-fire way to give her a G-spot orgasm.
Now that’s my definition of xbreakfast in bed’.
THE WIZZ
Dear, Men, I realise you’ve just woken up and your penis is at full
attention. I also realise there’s a woman’s vagina lying next to you, that
you’d like to place it into. Bravo. But wait a sec — you’ve just woken her
up but she’s busting for a piss. Yes, women wake up with a full bladder
in the morning. “The same muscles necessary to stop urinary ow are
the muscles that control orgasm,” explains Tammy Nelson. So, yeah, be
a gentleman and let the poor woman urinate before you jump on her.
CAFFEINE
Can somebody tell me what the rush is with blokes and their morning-
shag routine? I’ve literally woken up with a penis thrusting inside of me
on many occasions — I actually thoroughly enjoyed it, but that’s not the
point! Can’t you wait 10 minutes? Like, until we wake up... and have
some caŽeine? Or do you guys like to have sex with a Zombie Starfish?
Which leads me to my next point…
NO GYMNASTICS BEFORE 10A.M.
Many a man believes he can wake up a woman for morning sex then
expect her to be a contortionist or show him her gymnastic skills. Here’s
a tip — it’s NOT happening, buddy! You want to f—k her before coŽee,
before a shower and before minty breath? Well, then, you have to settle
for Zombie Starfishes and low-key, low-energy positions like spooning.
Yep, that’s all you’re getting — be grateful.
KEEP IT CLEAN
Obviously, morning sex is very primal for men. So, worrying about
cleanliness or the fact that your female partner has just opened her
peepers is the last thing on your mind. No oŽense, guys, but women
like to feel confident about themselves when they have sex. You know?
Sexy! We don’t feel very sexy when our eyes are sewn together by
sleep-crust and, like Homer Simpson, we’ve been drooling on our pillow
all night. Allowing us a quick shower to freshen up would be much
appreciated but hey, you seem to have the inability to wait for some
reason. Again, I advise the spoon-dog.
In conclusion, morning sex can be a great start to the day for both
men and women — with just a little bit of compromise. ■
Vanessa de Largie is an Australian actress, sex
columnist and freelance journalist based in London
MAXI M.COM.AU 9 7
24 HOURS TO LIVE
Sam Mac
The Australian comedian, and witty weather presenter
on Sunrise takes us through his final day on Earth…
How do you want to leave this world?
In an UberBLACK because everybody
deserves a little luxury. Also, I won’t have
to deal with the receipt once they email
it. #dreambig
Are you going to Heaven or Hell?
I really want to get into Hell because
it’s more fun – that place is lit AF! –
but apparently it’s 1:30am lockout
laws so Heaven may have to do.
#sadface #mikebaird
What’s the first thing you say
to God when you get up there?
“OMG!”
Which legendary people will you
hang out with in the afterlife?
Probably 2Pac. We have A LOT to catch
up on — we be sippin’ Alize’ & droppin’
freestyle flow all up in herrre!
What’s the greatest Sam Mac joke
or body of work that never saw the
light of day?
I was in rehearsals to form an S Club 7
tribute act called “S Club 1”. It’s a one-
man show where I perform their entire
back catalogue a cappella style (Sam
Macappella). I have no idea why not a
single RSL Club was interested in my
nine-hour extravaganza. Enquire within.
To whom on Earth do you think
you owe an apology?
S Club 7, according to my legal team.
What quality advice will you take
to the grave with you?
Tequila is never a good idea. Never.
What’s your greatest achievement
during your time on Earth?
Either creating the Leg Hair Beard
#LHB (pictured right) or re-releasing
“Strawberry Kisses” with Nikki Webster.
What’s the dumbest thing you
ever did on Earth?
Creating the Leg Hair Beard. #LHB
Kisses 2017” is available on iTunes
9 8 MAXI M.COM.AU
Name one thing you’re glad you’ll
never have to do again?
Shave my legs and use Clag glue to apply
the subsequent leg hair to my face. #LHB
Is your single “Strawberry Kisses 2017
(feat. Sam Mac)” on high rotation in
Heaven or Hell?
Both, because it has broad appeal and
cut through in all key demographics.
How does Nikki Webster react to
the news of your death?
By placing one final strawberry kiss on
my forehead and whispering, “You did
good, soldier.”
What are your mates saying over
your casket?
“It’d be a waste to leave that Omega
watch on him wouldn’t it?”
What are your family saying?
“Thank goodness we’ll never have
to hear him rap again.”
What are the Sunrise team saying
over your casket?
“Hey, he looks familiar. Was he the dude
in the finance department?” With someone
replying, “Oh, I don’t know.”
What’s written on your tombstone?
“Ain’t no party like an S Club party!”
Got any last words?
“Ignore the haters, the trolls, the disses...
and always believe in ‘Strawberry Kisses’.”
Catch Sam Mac weekdays on
Sunrise between 5:30am-9am on
the Seven Network. “Strawberry
– all proceeds go to Starlight
Children’s Foundation Australia
INTERVIEW S A N T I P I N TA D O