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My first question ever on this forum! Any suggestions please on what to do to make it easier to extract magical props from the pocket without fumbling? I'm thinking mainly doing magic in impromptu situations.
You've maybe got your change and other bits and pieces in your pocket and you'd also like to carry a TT, maybe a sponge ball or dye tube too in the hope that an opportunity will present itself.
I'm thinking of maybe stitching some little holders or dividers into my trouser pockets but I don't want to re-invent the wheel. Any advice gratefully received.

I don't know if this is what your looking for.
http://www.sankeymagic.com/detail.aspx?ID=48070

I'm aware I'm not completely answering your question here, but if you want to be impromptu when going out with your mates you can't do too badly in just carrying just a few things, like a single deck of cards and TT in your pocket and haunted key on your keyring. If I plan to do magic I throw a couple of decks of cards in my pocket (a normal one and an ID) and when I get it down to a fine art I'll take my haunted key out with me. I could carry a notepad and pen out with me too without much more hassle with finding stuff.

Although I could be barking up the wrong tree and you could be talking about doing wandering around magic in a restaurant and having good pocket management, in which case I apologise for being so utterly and completely unhelpful and wasting your time!

kolm wrote:but if you want to be impromptu you can't do too badly in just carrying just a few things, like a single deck of cards and TT in your pocket and haunted key on your keyring. If I plan to do magic I throw a couple of decks of cards in my pocket (a normal one and an ID) and when I get it down to a fine art I'll take my haunted key out with me. I could carry a notepad and pen out with me too without much more hassle with finding stuff.

lol


im⋅promp⋅tu
  /ɪmˈprɒmptu, -tyu/ [im-promp-too, -tyoo]
–adjective
1. made or done without previous preparation:

I think THIS is the sort of thing the OP is after.

This post is directed to magicians on nights out specifically...

Isn't this a bit OTT? Magical practicality has to be balanced with the factor of resembling that over enthusiastic Uncle Charlie type of magician, who wears a tie with a large playing card on. It's one step away from donning an eccentric bow tie and looking Professor Wheetos of the Wheetos cereal box. Surely even working pros or hobbyists should get by with conventional clothing... For instance, I used to despise the "Tom Ford Look" (i.e. blazer / suit jacket with jeans), feeling this trend looks horribly naff, especially when someone has blatantly just borrowed the jacket of their 2 piece suit as an ad libbed look on a night out with magic. Having said this, the Tom Ford look is the lesser of two evils when it comes to the naffness of 72 pocketed waistcoats.

Even if you were a working pro, it is abundantly clear that a 72 pocketed waistcoat is nothing short of the ridicule one would be subject to if one was to wear a bum bag or - as the Americans refer to - a "fanny pack". The aptness of this term need only be mentioned in passing.

However, i think a good casual blazer can look amazing, and you have at least 4 pockets to hold enough props and decks to perform fresh material for hours.

I think that you should try to carry less things.
I know that means learning more, and mroe practice on sleights and things, but i think it's worth it, because then you can perform whenever you want and only have to carry a few things.

either that, or use your back pockets (and don't sit down).

Of course, other definitions of 'impromptu' describe it as meaning "Spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation; extemporaneous."

In music, the term can mean "a short composition performed in an offhand or extemporized style." I think that could easily be applied to magic, if you change 'short composition' to 'trick'.

Strictly speaking, almost anything could be performed impromptu. "I haven't really prepared anything, but I just happen to have these funny looking sponge balls with me and this pack of cards, in case someone asked me to do something."

There is an argument about the strengths of looking like you've not prepared something vs. clearly having some magic props with you, but that's not directly relevant to the question.

Going back to the original post, I think that's simply too much stuff. If it's getting to the stage where you have to have dividers in your pockets to incorporate all your kit, you've probably got too much crammed in there. I think a walk-around performer would be carrying too many props if he or she had that problem, and that goes double for someone looking to perform less formally.

There's no reason why anyone should perform for hours 'off the cuff', although there may be some merit in being able to do so. Have a few bits with you (and/or learn to do effects with everyday objects), and leave the audience wanting more.

Who is that chappie who has published a dvd of a lecture in which he basically uses a pencil for a good twenty minute act?

Get a ring/pencil/hanky/coin/spoon routine and then you really can be impromptu (notwithstanding that you need hours of performance practice first and you need to have a £2 coin with you and a snotty cotton hanky won't be a pleasant as a nice crisp silk square).

There's probably an art in itself in devising an entertaining visual routine with found objects. Hmm, maybe we need a DVD ...

Or you could just be a Naked Mentalist. Or a spoon bender.

well if it's any use to you I did two gigs last night and only performed 5 different tricks at either one.

Gone are the days of carrying around loads when working but i carry loads on the meet ups and things to try out new things.

Pocket management is key, if carrying cards I prefer a jacket to jeans as they get ruined.

You could of course work out your sets then work out the pockets you need and have the suits made up to fit that so you don't look too bulky. James Prince seems to have the jacket with most pockets I've ever seen without looking like the michellin man

IrieMagic wrote:I don't know if this is what your looking for.
http://www.sankeymagic.com/detail.aspx?ID=48070

Thanks for the suggestion. The ASSASSIN'S POUCH solution could work well for some occasions. I'm thinking about it!

kolm wrote:I'm aware I'm not completely answering your question here, but if you want to be impromptu when going out with your mates you can't do too badly in just carrying just a few things, like a single deck of cards and TT in your pocket and haunted key on your keyring. If I plan to do magic I throw a couple of decks of cards in my pocket (a normal one and an ID) and when I get it down to a fine art I'll take my haunted key out with me. I could carry a notepad and pen out with me too without much more hassle with finding stuff.

Although I could be barking up the wrong tree and you could be talking about doing wandering around magic in a restaurant and having good pocket management, in which case I appologise for being so utterly and completely unhelpful and wasting your time!

No, I wasn't thinking of wandering around a restaurant and thanks very much for your suggestions. The situation I had particularly in mind is going out to a semi-formal function with the extended family and perhaps being asked to perform. I would want to have my favourite tricks with me (cards, sponge rabbits etc) without advertising the fact, since depending how the function develops it may not be appropriate to do any tricks. Maybe I should be working more on a routine for limited pocket space, and as you say, card tricks are probably the best solution.

Rufio wrote:This post is directed to magicians on nights out specifically...

Isn't this a bit OTT? Magical practicality has to be balanced with the factor of resembling that over enthusiastic Uncle Charlie type of magician, who wears a tie with a large playing card on. It's one step away from donning an eccentric bow tie and looking Professor Wheetos of the Wheetos cereal box. Surely even working pros or hobbyists should get by with conventional clothing... For instance, I used to despise the "Tom Ford Look" (i.e. blazer / suit jacket with jeans), feeling this trend looks horribly naff, especially when someone has blatantly just borrowed the jacket of their 2 piece suit as an ad libbed look on a night out with magic. Having said this, the Tom Ford look is the lesser of two evils when it comes to the naffness of 72 pocketed waistcoats.

Even if you were a working pro, it is abundantly clear that a 72 pocketed waistcoat is nothing short of the ridicule one would be subject to if one was to wear a bum bag or - as the Americans refer to - a "fanny pack". The aptness of this term need only be mentioned in passing.

However, i think a good casual blazer can look amazing, and you have at least 4 pockets to hold enough props and decks to perform fresh material for hours.

I agree about the waistcoat, and a jacket does indeed provide more pockets. However, at least for semi-formal functions the outer jacket pockets probably should only be used to carry items that don't make them bulge. Trouser pockets are generally a lot more forgiving - and the most natural for extracting and depositing items. So I'd like to work out how best to extend trouser pocket utility! Any ideas?

Jing wrote:I think that you should try to carry less things.
I know that means learning more, and mroe practice on sleights and things, but i think it's worth it, because then you can perform whenever you want and only have to carry a few things.

either that, or use your back pockets (and don't sit down).

Yes, thanks, I agree. I think magic using slights with coins and cards (and a few other common small props) is ultimately the most satisfying too! When I look at most of what I've collected over the years there has been a lot of money spent on trying to bypass the hard work of developing magic with 'natural' items!

Agecroft wrote:well if it's any use to you I did two gigs last night and only performed 5 different tricks at either one.

Gone are the days of carrying around loads when working but i carry loads on the meet ups and things to try out new things.

Pocket management is key, if carrying cards I prefer a jacket to jeans as they get ruined.

You could of course work out your sets then work out the pockets you need and have the suits made up to fit that so you don't look too bulky. James Prince seems to have the jacket with most pockets I've ever seen without looking like the michellin man

Adapting the James Prince idea of adding pockets to a jacket, maybe some kind of pocket strip that can be pinned into whatever jacket you want to wear, or perhaps clipped to the inside pocket. Thanks so much for the idea.