Imprompt-true

Party Goer: “Hey Jeff, show us a magic trick!”

Jeff: “Oh . . . I can’t.”

Party Goer: “Why Not?”

Jeff: “Because. I don’t have my Svengali deck, my sponge balls or my thumb tip . . . duh!”

Party Goer: “Um . . . what are sponge balls? Is that anything like Tennis Elbow?”

Jeff: “Um . . . No”

Hopefully, I’m the only guy in the room who has experienced this. Unfortunately, I know that this just isn’t the case. Obviously nobody expects us to be real magicians and wield real powers. However, even an entertainer/fake magician with fake powers shouldn’t have to be in that situation. Don’t get me wrong . . . I have no problem with keeping a few things handy (thumb tip, etc.) on my person for seemingly impromptu moments. In fact, there are plenty of great tricks out there that seem impromptu to the spectator, but in reality are not – by any stretch – impromptu to the performer. I want to discuss true impromptu magic. Of course, it depends on your location. For example, if you’re at a restaurant, it’s completely legit and “imprompt-true” to use stuff from the table . . . silverware, napkins, salt shakers, etc. If you’re at the beach or a park or something, then it’s “imprompt-true” to use the sand, the grass, the rocks in the environment. I would argue that keeping a gimmick or something in your wallet is impromptu, but not imprompt-true. It’s impromptu, most of the time. However you may not always have your wallet on you. I was talking to a magic friend of mine, and he asked this question:

What if you were an actor who was an amateur magician . . . you were on David Letterman (Leno, etc.) promoting your latest movie. You weren’t there for magic . . . just your movie. But Letterman knows you’re a magician and he asks you on the spot to show him a trick. What would you do? You didn’t come prepared with anything (you weren’t expecting to perform). What do you do?

My answer was to look on his desk and try to find a rubber band or borrow a bill from him or some change and go from there. What would you do?

This question got me thinking. What is truly impromptu and what isn’t? If you have to borrow something, is it impromptu? Honestly, I don’t know if I have an answer. What I do know is that having to make sure you put that extra something in your pocket before leaving the house (e. g. thumb tip, sponge ball, etc.) is not impromptu. Having a gimmick on your key chain or having something in your wallet . . . that’ probably impromptu, maybe even imprompt-true.

Root:

Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root:  Be ready to perform at a moment’s notice. The question we must all answer is what is the definition of impromptu for me (for you)? I would argue that if you’re at work (or school) and someone says, “show me a trick” and you do something – say Gregory Wilson’s Recap with a pen that was sitting on the desk, then you’ve pretty much achieved imprompt-true-ness. I think, for me that true impromptu (imprompt-true) is not being limited to your own “stuff.”

To do magic, there are always other things involved unless you do Meir Yedid’s Vanishing Finger stuff . . . or Paul Harris’s ridiculous Biological Vanish. Otherwise, you need some object to act upon whether it be a borrowed ring, coin, pen, lipstick, a wandering salamander, etc. So, my contention is that if you can perform a trick in any environment using things native to that environment, you have achieved imprompt-true-ness. The only caveat I would add is that you must be able to perform the trick without having to have brought with you anything extra.

Some examples:

• Outdoors: pick up some rocks and do two-in-the-hand-one-in-the-pocket.
• Beach: classic-palm vanish a sea shell
• Swimming Pool: vanishing nose-plug (I’m serious)

Obviously the ultimate imprompt-true state is basically impossible (other than vanishing your own fingers as mentioned. There are other effects (e. g. Balducci Levitation) that meet the perfectness I’m theorizing about.   However, were I truly a master of the unnatural and I were at a beach and someone told me to “do a trick,” I’d likely part the ocean or cause a small wind storm to blow sand all over the place. So barring real magic, I want to get as close to that illusion as possible. Let us attempt to approach a state of imprompt-true-ness.

Branch:

Let’s build our branches. For the next 30 days, I want you to consider 5 or 10 effects that you could do without having to carry anything with you. What could you do on the spot with no preparation with something in the environments you spend the most time. If you never go to the beach because you live in Montana then don’t think about the beach. Think of the places you frequent and imagine what you would do if you were put on the spot to perform an effect. This month, I reviewed Max Maven’s Nothing, Steve Gore’s Trick Photography and Paul Harris’s SuperSlim Hip Pocket Mullica Wallet. Each of those products demonstrate a different level of what I’m offering you as a challenge. The Harris/Mullica wallet is something that I carry with me everywhere I go. It has about a 25 minute show packed into it. As long as I have my wallet (which I pretty much always do), I’ve achieved a fair level of impromptu-ness.

The Nothing DVD is more about putting together a complete formal show (or at least the hypothetical challenge of it) by stopping at a drugstore on the way to the show . . . sort of. That again is a level of impromptu-ness – nowhere near the Harris/Mullica level, but still a level. Finally, the Trick Photography effect –  this one can be done using 100% borrowed items as long as one of those items is an iPhone. In my opinion that’s pretty darn impromptu.

My challenge to you is to come up with at least 5 effects that you can do in an effort to approach the highest level of imprompt-true-ness. They don’t have to be effects you invent. For example, I would seriously consider the Balducci Levitation. Obviously the angles are an issue. However, this effect can be done buck naked. Based on the places you frequent and the things native to those environments, come up with those five or so effects that do not require you to have any extra stuff with you. Good luck!

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.