Gary K. Mankavitch: Spiritual detective

More than twenty years have whipped by since Max Thrower and Phil Muscatello opened a tiny Audio production house in a room in a dodgy men’s boarding house in Darlinghurst.
They called themselves “Really Really Big Productions” because they were so small.
(That’s irony for those of you up the back who aren’t keeping up.)

Phil liked it because it was two doors away from the Tropicana and Max liked it because it was above Nicholas Pounder’s bookshop. I liked it because for over a year I would spend intense bursts of time recording several characters for a radio serial written by Max called “Gary K. Mankavitch: Spiritual Detective”.  As well as the title character, I had fun being a very Welsh Doubting Thomas with Jesus in Galilee, and a few other bits and pieces.

The national broadcaster, bless ’em, saw fit to broadcast the series a couple of times on ABC Radio National in 1995.

Through the porous membrane of memory I recall vocal contributions from Lee Perry, Laura Gabriel, Peter McCallum, Sascha Huckstepp, Monroe Reimers, Louise Howlett

Let’s see how they have weathered the intervening storms of time.


Raising Lazarus … a Galilean murder mystery


Missing Soap Star … where is Mandy Martin, star of “Next Door”?


Mexique … Mexican con women, monasteries and James Bond spirit.


Rescuing Ralph … Gary’s mentor has gone off the rails. Is he safe?


Books … Who put Grinder’s head in the bookpress?


3 thoughts on “Gary K. Mankavitch: Spiritual detective

  1. Hey Hughie – those were the days eh! What fun we had with them… have been searching for them as I only have them on cassette! Not sure I can download them from here – can you send me the files or tell me how to access them so I have a record? Your website is great – how the hell are you? Laura

    1. Hi Laura
      Will send you the files via Dropbox. They were fun days indeed … and how time flies when you’re having fun. I am well and happy. living up the MidNorth coast … blessedly single for the last 12 years … being Grandpa to my three grandkids, going to festivals and enjoying life as a pensioner. With the occassional highway patrol narration to keep my voice in tune!

  2. Well you’ve certainly been busy – sounds like a great life. Do you keep in touch with Max Thrower? I’m still in Leichhardt which has changed a lot over the years as you’d expect. We used to be the oddities in our street – actors with young kids in a street full of oldies, but they’ve all moved out (or onwards) and we’ve been here for nearly 30 years – who would’ve thunk it.. No grandkids though – yet… Mankavitch is very funny and everyone’s really good in it, though I could be biased. Great hearing from you and thanks in advance. x

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