Jimmy Fingers
by P. Craig Browning

"I Have Known Jimmy For Close To 25 Years Now And He Has Never Ceased To Amaze Me. He Has A Fresh Way of Looking At the World of Magic and a Determination That Can Not Be Ignored. " It Is About Time That One Of The 'The Unsung Heroes' of Our World Gets the Recognition He Truly Deserves." -- Banachek

Ok, I know already what some of you guys are thinking, “What is Craig doing, featuring a Magician in the Mentalists' column?”

Well, Jimmy is much more than being a mere “magician” and when it comes to the world of Mentalism, his contributions are down-right mind blowing… but we'll get to that in just a second, let's consider a few other things first… like how many of us have read The Amateur Magician's Handbook more than once or twice in our lifetime?

Jimmy read it over a dozen times between the time he was about eight till he was well into his Junior High school years. He had no props, none of this “instant gratification” stuff we see in today's world so he learned to improvise and visualize; he learned how to create Magick vs. learning how to do tricks.

As some of you already know, I love speaking up for the underdog; those that work in the trenches that get little in way of kudos while they seem to give so much of themselves when it comes to their passion, creativity and drive as both, performers and developers of magic. Jimmy Fingers just happens to be that kind of person; the guy that's worked with major personalities like Rodney Dangerfield, Tom Petty, Depeche Mode and Steely Dan as well as magic greats like Banachek and Mac King. Add to this a resume that takes us from the auspices of The Magic Island and the Vegas Limelight to Washington D.C. (command performances for President Bush and family) and all points in between, including clients like Coke-a-Cola, Cirque du Soleils' Quaidam touring company, and Carnival Cruise Lines.

Jimmy is what I refer to as a “trench worker” – one of those bums that just works because it's all he knows. He is a full-time pro who is exceptionally successful and yet, known by next to no one (other than those that count, it would seem) within the industry. I in fact, came upon Jimmy by pure happenstance, as I was reading about his effects and thinking at the Mentalists Sanctum forums (do note that it is the Mentalists Sanctum… not the magicians' sanctum… please respect that.)

Let me give you a couple examples of what this guy comes up with.

Standing Between Objects
You ask an audience member to remove a pen & business card from the table, fold the card in half, end to end, so that it can be torn neatly along the crease. This creates two halves of the card that are close to identical squares. One of which is placed on the seat of their chair or a nearby table; the other can being used by the volunteer as events unfold. The first part of the procedure being that the participant is asked to just think… think of any inanimate object from anywhere from around the world… “but try not go with something as obvious as say, the Eiffel Tower… it needs to be a bit more simple than that… a one word description if you would, such as “Tower”… so just think of something.

One the participant has their thought in mind they are asked to print in capital letters on the back of the card what that may be. When finished that are to fold the card so as to conceal the word.

With head turned, the performer approaches the participant and retrieves the card with his left hand and promptly places it behind his back so that it is impossible for him to see. Once this is done the performer encourages the participant to retrieve the other half of the card and jot an “antonym… a word that is the opposite of the word that the performer is holding behind his back. This slip is likewise folded

The participant retains his slip and is encouraged to relax and just let the thought of what is written on the card they hold, to flow. He explains that they now stand between two objects or thoughts…

… Slowly the mage begins to reveal his impressions and it become very apparent by way of the participant's reaction, that the two of them are on the same wavelength…

Ok… long story short, the match is made but without any kind of traditional billet handling! No "Acidus Novus", center tear, dummy billets, or shiners to be found anywhere; nor are there any kind of Impression devices! So how does it work?

Balls!

Jimmy's material isn't for the faint at heart, "Standing Between Objects" is just one example of how a miracle can be created “with nothing” but Jimmy does this in spades. His "Peekfolio" lends to you one of the best “in your face” drawing dupes I think I've seen in a very long time… the great thing is, you can make it for under $3.00. Then again, Jimmy tips his thinking on one of the better Swami devices going (I could be prejudiced on that, in that I prefer the Thumb Tip styled writers or the classic Banjo Pick over some of the others). What Jimmy outlines however isn't just your typical mode of thinking when it comes to this sort of approach and most importantly, he shows you how to make an inexpensive quality tool.

A humble man Jimmy has been blessed with some interesting friendships as well as words of encouragement. Anyone familiar with Deddy Corbuzier's "Free Will" will undoubtedly appreciate the nuances not just added by Jimmy but which come to us complete with Deddy's blessing in that Jimmy has created some new psychological elements to this classic piece of business that completely turn it upside-down and sideways; the kind of subtle alterations that allow us to transform tricks into miracles. But there are two other bits of Jimmy's that will appeal to the non-Mentalist.

The first is "Slamdown", the most economical and “safe” version of the popular Smash & Stab styled stupidity everyone seems to think they need to do these days. I can assure you however; this is nothing close to what you're used to seeing… the surprise ending delivers to the performing the kind of impact that will leave their audience clamoring for years to come and that's not just hype, this piece is that different and that strong!

The other contribution is known as "The Chopper". I'll be honest with you, my inner-pack-rat loves this piece so much that I've contemplated making an offer on one and I don't foresee any reason outside of my simply being impressed with its simplicity and cleanliness. Sure, it's just a “wrist chopper” but it is, like everything else of Jimmy's, the cleanest and one of the most impossible devices of its kind.

"Why am I taking the time to plug everything Jimmy has to offer?" you ask.

Well it's really simple… in that I mean that what Jimmy offers is just that; simple, logical, clean and practical magic for the working stiff. Though he's recently ventured deeper and deeper into the realms of Mentalism Jimmy is what you might call a "jack of all trades" showman and I'll add, in the little bit of exchange we've had in working on this article, he's a gentleman to boot; a very likable, down to earth kind of guy that honestly respects both, his audiences and his craft.

Our industry is filled with “underdogs” like Jimmy; the guys & gals that we rarely hear about and when we do it is typically long after they're gone and all we have are notes and occasional recollections here and there. One side of my agenda in this slowly evolving “new” format for the column is to let folks like you know about people like Jimmy Fingers and Roni Shachnaey as well as the new blood that's coming in and transforming our industry on so many fronts; everything from Laser Manipulation as we've seen with Jason Lattimer to psychological gymnastics via the likes of Luke Jermay and the boys at sites like The Underground Collective and of course Outlaw .

It is very rare that I encounter someone with the kind of passion for magic that I sense to exist within Jimmy Fingers; as I said to him, it's like a breath of fresh air in that so many only know about what's “cool” and commercial vs. what is real. On that front however, I hope that this article not only encourages you to investigate the world of Jimmy Fingers and his unique offerings but to likewise challenge yourself when it comes to approaching your magic… your mentalism, with a bit of savvy; free of the fear that comes by using the outrageously simple and recognizing that it isn't the method that is important, it's our ability to use those tools to the best of our ability.

… I'll even tip you off on a little something I was just let in on that fits this particular mold… a book soon to be released by my good buddy Tony Eye (Iacoviello) known as "Maximum Involvement (Part 1 – Popular Selection)"; trust me, this is material that will blow people away and yet, the method isn't just as old as the hills, it's so old and so simple 95% of is will shrug our shoulders and laugh at it while the other 5% will be out there using it and devastating our audiences with it.

When we will start waking up to the fact that less (simple) really can be more?
We really do need to learn how to get out of our own way sometimes, especially when simplicity supersedes our need to masturbate via alternative and far more complicated methods.

Catch you next month…

Craig Browning