Ex-Banker Becomes Alligator Wrestler
28-year-old Brian Pinky lost his job at Bear Stearns soon after the firm fell into the arms of JPMorgan in March, 2008. After 6 years in the investment banking industry, Pinky decided that he had had enough and wanted to do something very different. 'After Bear, I wanted to blow off steam, so I looked at a number of off-base career options', Pinky told Here Is The City. 'I thought about joining a circus, but I was a bit concerned that this would have been no different to working at Bear. After a lot of research, I went for alligator wrestling'.
After deciding where his future lay, Pinky started to learn all he could about alligators. 'I tried to get into Gator School, but there is only one in the US - in Colorado - and there was a long waiting list. So I started to spend a lot of my time in animal parks, watching how 'gators went about attacking tourists and chewing up little kids. That was a real eye-opener'. He continued: 'I soon discovered that it is really important to observe the 'gators in their natural habitat, so I then got to spending a lot of time hanging around with banjo-playing in-bred types in swamps in remote parts of Georgia. The 'gators were fine, but I admit the in-breds made me real nervous'.
But safety, too, is important, as Pinky soon learned to his cost. 'It's always best to wrestle an alligator on land', he says. 'You get on the 'gator's back and apply pressure to his neck, forcing the head and jaws down and covering the eyes. If the animal starts to get out of control, you stick him in the eyes or nose with your fingers'. Unfortunately, the first time Pinky tried wrestling a live one, he stuck his fingers in the 'gator's mouth by mistake. The animal bit off three fingers from Pinky's right hand. Thankfully, he's ambidextrous.
Pinky is enjoying himself in his new role though. 'I haven't had so much fun since I was mis-selling auction-rate securities', he said. And the future ? 'Not sure I've got enough fingers to do this long term', he laughs. 'So I'm already thinking about my next move. Apparently there's good money to be made in organizing bungee jumping trips - especially if you offer the service without the protection of the elastic cord. Quite a few of my ex-colleagues from Bear are interested in having a go'. Just make sure you get paid in advance, Pinky!
Postscript
Since this story was written, Brian Pinky sadly passed away when travelling in Indonesia, where he was researching his next business venture. He was electrocuted when trying to change a light-bulb while standing in a bathtub full of water. Pinky's mother told Here Is The City: 'He always was a bit stupid'.