Welcome with the Good Stuff. I'm Jacob Shick and I'm joined by my co host and wife, Ashley Shick.
Jake is a third generation combat Marine and I'm a gold Star granddaughter, and we work together to serve military veterans, first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and their families with mental and emotional wellness through traditional and non traditional therapy. At One Tribe Foundation, we believe.
Everyone has a stored itself, not only about the peaks, but also about the valleys they've been through to get them to where they are today.
Each week, we invite a guest to tell us their story, to share with us the lessons they've learned that shape who they are and what they're doing to pay it forward and give back.
Our mission with this show is to dig deep into our guest journey so that we can celebrate the hope and inspiration their story as the offer and Welcome to the Good Stuff.
Our guest today is always looking for the next big adventure. He's a Daredvil wild Man street bike Tommy Passamonte.
He is part of Nitro Circus, which is an action sports company with some of the biggest events in BMX, FMX, skate and scooter, and he tells.
Us a story of some of his craziest stunts in the accident that actually started him down this venturesome path and eventually led him to time travel to ancient Egypt.
You're gonna hear about a lot of wild stunts, so kids, needless to say, don't try this at home.
And as another quick disclaimer, we actually recorded this episode a while back and a few things have changed in Tommy's personal life since then, but he told us he wouldn't change a thing that he said.
Tommy loves so hard and I love this man. He understood the mission of the podcast the moment we discussed it with him, So let's jump right in. Here is Street Bike Tommy Passimonte. But then they turn it off and they're like, I got this. That's your point, you get, all right, So hype up your day. Yeah yeah, I mean to put on your bad ass cape. I'm the courage to put on your badass cape and do epic shit.
Y yeah. Or even if you can't do epic shit, just go ahead and enjoy your ride.
Yeah, you only get one shot around the sun.
You know, I would hate for somebody to compare themselves in my life, because my life is like you couldn't even I don't even think I know what I'm doing. But to be able to like just enjoy every breath. People they try to plan on the future too much and they really try to like live in the past or like, oh well I did this, and oh man,
I'm really bummed I did that about my life. The main thing that I've learned in life is just to chill and like enjoy what's happening around you, like smells, tastes, I mean, just the people you're around, because like who knows, you never know what ride somebody's on, you know, right, Absolutely.
St podcast episode for coming.
No, No, that's awesome. We are so excited today to have Stuntman, wild Man, Adventure Man, Friend, Contractor, Contractor, street Bike Tommy or Tommy Pasamonte here with.
Us on the good Stuff.
Dude. It's a it's an honor and privilege to have you on. Man. You know, I love you to the end of the.
Honored privilege to be invited on the show. But I greatly appreciate it. It's great to see you. We've had some times and uh, I feel like we don't we don't do it enough.
Agreed. You know, I know you've been told this before, but one thing that really connected me to you in the very beginning. I mean, you love hard, bro, you love all the way I'll come be damned. Yeah, and we just need we need more souls like yours. It's magnetic.
I feel like that's the first time anybody everybody's actually like verbalized that. But like, yeah, that's truly like how I like to live my life. I don't have like acquaintances. If you're around me, it's because like you're an awesome person and I love you like fully.
Soul feeders not bleeders.
Right, Yeah, that's right.
Your career, your life, your path has been one to make sure you have as much fun as possible.
Yeah, and just even if it's not fun, it's like just life, Like I want to experience the word life as much as possible. You only get one go around, and I'm not wasting a single second of this thing exactly.
And that shows in some of the daredevil risks you've taken, but also the path that you've led. You're actually famous for having one of the most brutal crashes in extreme sports history.
One of the most viral videos of all time. I think it was a top download of the Internet in like five or six something like that. And yeah, back when nobody got paid.
So timing is everything. Back in the MySpace days, I mean that life forever ago. You're also the coast of Sorry, the co host of the Explosion Show.
Yeah, Tory Bilichi's my man's shout out science channel. That was twenty twenty when we did that. That was a lot of fun, most fun job I ever had because I wasn't scared. It was It's a lot of fun. We went around blue stuff up. It was like the best job.
Ever I can somewhat relate.
He's got chokes.
Still too soon, Still too soon. It's been eighteen years. Still too soon, Tommy Pasamonte. We're so excited to have you here on the good Stuff. You've lived a life full of risk taking and adventures, and we're excited to hear about some of those today. You definitely pushed the extremes that most people can only comprehend they've only seen him on TV or when they go viral on social media.
But striving for these ultimate highs has also led you to some of your most deep, philosophical and spiritual places. You've ever been, so oh yeah, we want you to tell us about the journey that you took from your first done as a teenager to the pyramids of ancient Egypt.
When I was a kid, I didn't do anything that was dangerous at all. Like my brother and I and my sister got dirt bikes and stuff, and like we got him super late, like I beg my dad for him, but we didn't have money at all, and he finally, like you know, he's working man, he like finally saved up enough dough to get dirt bikes, and my brother and his friends like took to him real quick. Like
they would just like jump. They would build all these like wood ramps and like dirt ramps and they would go jump, and I was like, oh, whoa, that's so cool. But every time I tried, just hurt my feet when I lay on the pegs and I was just like over it from there. So I was like, no, no, I'm not doing that. And then like that kind of
kept me from being like too crazy. In high school, I got my first car, which was a Ford Explorer, and that was right around the time that Gone in sixty Seconds, the movie with Nick Cage had come out Eleanor and oh dude, Eleanor and me and my friends were like super into cars because fast and furious one
like that was like my era. Jackass was just getting huge, and like you just had that new genre of people that were making money and making livings off of just doing what your friends do stupidly and garages and you know, just hanging out after school or whatever, and like they're making livings off of it. I was like all about that life. I was like, those guys seem like they're so cool, They're gonna be my best friends. And so, you know, locally, I was always known as the kid
that would just do whatever. You know, I'd take any bet you want to eat those French fries covered in the whole bytle of hot sauce for twenty bucks, all right, twenty bucks twenty bucks. So like I was doing stuff like that. And then one night, me and my friends were just playing video games. I need gym shorts or something stupid from my house. So like we jumped in my truck and we were driving to my house. My driveway is like a full mile of like asphalt before
you can even get to my house. But that's where I would drive fast because you don't have to worry about two way traffic, but it's only like a fifteen mile on our zone and the road kind of sucks and you don't think about things like tire pressure and
stuff like that. So like I was like always driving like super fast around this one corner and especially like during the fall, like like the truck would settle on the suspension and like you could feel it like slide across the leaves and then like catching and I'd go again, and like it was just like I'm super fast, you know, and all my friends saw I was like the sick
like drift driver. Turns out like every time that I was doing that, like I didn't I wasn't checking my tire pressures and then in the fall, like your tires, uh lose pressure. Just from that the temperature change. On top of the fact that I was just terrible to my first vehicle. I don't think I ever changed oil, not one time. This one night, we're going to get Jim shorts and it's nighttime, so it's like even colder, and there's a bunch of people at my house. But
we weren't trying to go to this party. It was like party my brother was having. We're going down my driveway and like my one friend's in the front and he's like older, and he was like the coolest kid in high school. He's like prom king and all that stuff. So he's like, you won't go as fast as you
can around this corner. And I was like what And he was like, go, baby, go, so like the button on the on eleanor in the movie, you know, he was like, go baby, go and he's and then I was like all right, bah, you know cause like you know, who won't. I had a lot of pepper when I was younger. I mean I ha a lot of pepper.
So I like punched the gas. And then my buddy that was in the back, Nick, he was like the only friend that was like old enough to be out of high school, and he was like an older, wiser friend. He was like no, stop, no, like laid down because like he thought we were gonna crash. And I take the corner like I had a bunch of times, and the tires just folded right off the rims. Like it was like as soon as I set that suspension, and it just like instantly sent us into like a flip
and I rolled the truck. But right on that first flip, luckily, I wasn't wearing my seat belt, and I got ejected out of my driver window, so like my head smashed that window and I went out that window. If I was in the vehicle, I wouldn't be sitting here today.
There was like blood spatter like where because I went out and up and like police were there measuring the scene and all kinds stuff, and then there's a big old blood splatter twenty plus feet in the air, like it like I went up and just smoked this tree
and fell down, like that's where they found me. But apparently they couldn't find me for a little while because once the truck came to rest, Nick who laid down in the back, he just got a seat belt in his mouth and ended up like splitting his lip real bad. But he was generally okay. My other buddy in the front like had a concussion and like corn rotator cuff
and wasn't in the greatest shape. But if my seat, like if I was in my seat, like it looked like somebody had can open or this pillar like it ripped through the door and the roof, I probably would have been like decapitated by it, because it was just like that like open sharp whatever caught that space of the truck and peeled it. But luckily I got ejected and Nick called my friends like my brother at that party,
and everybody thought we were like messing with him. But then he called back another time, had that like voice, and I guess my brother like rounded up the house full of kids at a party, so now you have like fifteen drunk kids that were like leaving the house. And then they got to the crash scene and they
called the paramedics. They called a helicopter, but they had a hard time deciphering like who was drunk and who was in the accident, and there's all these kids everywhere and like, but I had no clue what was going on. Apparently I had woke up and I started yelling. A deer jumped out in front of me. A deer jumped out in front of me. I don't know, even in an unconscious state, I was still looking out for myself.
I think the first memory that I have of that, because I still don't have a memory of the actual accident.
I have just right up until we rolled and then like nothing until like they were pulling me off the helicopter at the hospital because the first thing I remember is like being super cold, looking up at blades and like looking down, and then the sheet that they had on me like blew off, and I was completely naked and they wheeled me through the whole hospital with my wiener out and I was like, man, that kind of sucks. So right now, that was my first recollection from the accident.
Butedi that was Baltimore Shock Trauma, one of the best trauma hospitals in the world, thankfully, and they took care of me because I had like seventy hairline fractured or some crazy number like that. I don't think they got an actual count, but that's what they said as doctors was like, you just have a massive like from here to like mostly this side in the front, which ended up healing back with like calcium deposits and stuff. So I have a very thick skull for real, like not
even like joking. I think I have really tough nugget.
Pretty sure anyone who's familiar with you has no problem believing that. No.
Yeah, I've had quite the illustrious career of like head injury. One instance where we did that barrel in the three D movie, Me and Jim de Champ we had the same head injuries and he had a brain bleed, and he's still not okay from it, like he still has remnants of that that he deals with on a brain level daily. But I've been super lucky as far as the stuff we've been through. I mean even from birth, I was premature and like they thought it was like they read me my my my last rights when I
was born. So really, like my whole life, I've just been lucky to be here. So I'm here for a reason.
Take us back to the hospital bed. What when you wake up? What's going on?
Like at the time, I ended up getting some memory back, and that's where I remember the chopper blades and stuff like that. But like at the time, at the exact moment, like when it happened, I was playing video games in my buddy's room, so like I'm sitting there playing like PlayStation and I'm like and all of a sudden, it was like somebody just chopped like a movie, you know how, like you can take film and like splice like one one into another, like back in the day before like
computer editing. But it was like you took one film and then you put another film that was totally different, and like it was just like I went from playing video games and all of a sudden, controller's gone. I look down and I'm in a gown. I'm laying down in a hospital bed. I'm looking around hospital bed, and I'm kind of smiling as I'm coming to It was
like the Wizard of Ozz. So it's like my dad, my mom, and like all my friends at the time, and everybody's like around the bed and they're like crying, and I'm like, what is what are you all crying about? And then like the nurse was right there. I was like, why am I in the hospital? And all of a sudden, like as soon as I say that, like all this pain set in, like in my back and like in my head, and I was like whoa. I was like
what happened? And like the nurse, like on cue, was like, you crashed your truck, honey, And I was all like at the time, like I'm fast dripping the world, and so I was like, yeah, bullshit, whatever, No I didn't. They're like, no, like you really wrecked your truck. And I was like, was anybody with me? And they were like, yeah, your friend Nick and Brian, and I swear to god, this was like a movie. As soon as she said Nick and Brian was with me, the curtain to my
side opens up. Like I was like, we're good, bro. It was like Brian he's in a gown and his arms all jacked up and he's got like half an ear hanging off, you know, Nick sitting there, he's got stitches in his mouth. He's like, yeah, dude, we're good. And they're like holding on too little IV things. But it was like on cue, like it was like a movie, like they had planned all these things and like that's
all just happened naturally. And then over the next two weeks, I was pretty much just in and out of consciousness because of how bad my concussion was. The world didn't feel real. There was too many coincidences where I was like, there's no way that that happened in that time. That's
just too much. And like from that point, like I've even today, like if I start thinking about things and situations that have happened in my life, and like I start thinking about them when they happened, I can actually put myself in a place where like this isn't real, like and it's like a really weird headspace. But then I'll shake it off and I'm like, all right, this is reality. Don't be stupid.
Wow, So that's crazy, like go crazy, you.
Know, No, it's definitely like my brain. It's so weird the things that I've experienced inside my own head in my lifetime to where you're just like, what's it all mean? Like even sleep, Like I get caught thinking all the time, like in my sleep, where do we go? Why do we do that? What sense does that make? To no longer be on this plane for eight hours a night or whatever you end up getting sleep? Because I've woken up from dreams I war to god they were real.
I mean, like as real as this is happening right now. I've woken up and been like, oh, this is real. But is it? The brain's a weird place.
Do you feel like this wreck, like these injuries, is that what set you on this path of being able to go into this almost alternate.
It's funny because like before the car crash, I was always like super cautious as far as like pain levels and stuff like I never really wanted I was like sissy, I was like, oh, man, that's gonna hurt. But then like after that crash, I was like, when it hurts that bad, your body's just going to turn it off. So like, what's the matter. Like, once it gets to you know that level, like what you're scared of, you're
not going to feel it. If you actually get into a situation where your body thinks that this is the end, like it automatically does the chemical dump that is like really weird. So I was like, Oh, I don't really have to worry about that, So it's gonna live life.
Yeah. Absolutely. What effect did the crash have on your family?
I never really asked, but like I had never seen my dad cry before, and I like saw him cry then, and I haven't seen him cry since. I saw him really super upset with me after I crashed the street bike because that was only like four years three three years after that truck crashes when I crashed the motorcycle, and he just had that face like you're gonna be done with this, and I was like, yeah, I'm gonna be done, and then.
And then you work done.
Then I got better and I made a whole career out of it. I jumped off a cruise ship one time, and like I saw my grandma like right after, and like I had my face it was basically like from here to here, it was just like swollen, shut and purple cause like I had hemorrhaged my left eye from hitting the water so hard. And she was like, Oh my god, your face.
What happened? What happened to your beautiful face? I thought you wanted to be a scientist.
It was the funniest thing. Yeah, it was so good. Oh and when I got my show on Science Channel, I was like, hey, Grandma, check it out. I'm on the side. I'm scientist.
That came full circle.
It's kind of funny, she laughed.
So what was the tipping point? Like how did you then jump into this as a career for life?
Well that's I get that a lot, Like how did I become part of Nitro Circus? And it's just such a weird question for me personally because everybody thinks that, like you think of it now as like a brand. It's like Nitro Circus is a thing. I was just hanging out with Travis for STRONGO and like I wasn't even hanging out with Travis, Like I was hanging out with Jim de Champ and Greg Powell, Travis's cousin who both of them lived at Travis's house at the time.
We were just kind of kicking around, goof and off. We were just hanging out and he was shooting DVDs, and I thought I was gonna be super famous, you know. I was like, oh man, this is a DVD that's gonna be a motorcycle shops and maybe even Walmart. This is crazy. I'm gonna be so famous. From having that thought to seeing where it is now, it's crazy because like I didn't sign up for anything. I wasn't part
of it. I helped create it, you know what I mean, Like, I like it became something because of what we were doing, and now like I've gone around the world four or five times with it.
When that started, there wasn't a Nitro Circus yet.
No, there was only Jackass and that was only an MTV thing, Like it wasn't even movies yet thing.
Okay, I was just clarifying as I was like, oh, pretty sure. Niner Circus came later.
So when I did my street bike flip, the reason why I even did it was because I was at a party where Jim de Champ had just started dating a family friend of mine. We were always at parties and stuff like that, and my friends were like, oh my god, Jim to Shamp, he's so cute. Oh my god, he hangs out with Travis Pastrana, because like Travis was like super locally talked about because he's like our famous guy.
Jim lived at his house and like Travis's house was just on cribs and like all my friends were like super impressed by him, and I'm super like, I'm like, talk about that guy. I'm way cooler than that guy, you know what I mean. They were filming Nitro Circus one, the DVD. They had just shot pretty much all of it and they were in the editing process of it, but they were so pumped on how the first one was turning out that they were already filming for number two.
I talked smack on the first one because Jim showed it at a party and like all my friends were like, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen. I was like, if I had that kind of money and like, you know, I could do better, And Jim was like, oh yeah, you think you do better? Put up a shut up basically and invited me over to do a film shoot to see who could come up with the best footage for two grands. So like a bunch of teams went out over a twenty four hour period to see who
could get the coolest footage. Didn't matter what it was, it just had to be the coolest footage. I ended up overshooting the phone pit and I won the two grand.
Yeah, I mean I would imagine. I know you haven't seen this video. Yeah you can't know.
I don't like yucky stuff.
Yeah, well you don't see the yucky stuff.
I mean you can imagine that. You can imagine the yucky stuff because when street bike, it's street bike, Tommy, Yeah, okay from Yeah, some people referred someone as a crotch rocket. Like, we're not talking a dirt bike, We're not talking a jump bike. We're talking a bona fide street bike.
It was a two thousand and two Suzuki GSXR one thousand.
I've watched that video multiple times, and now that I like know you and I love you and you're my bro, I'm like what I want to be like, what were you like? Don't do that ever again?
I mean, in my defense, I didn't plan on missing the phone pit.
You just really wanted to win that two thousand dollars.
Yeah, I mean so in my brain I thought that because I had jumped it before at like twenty five miles an hour, and I just like was like and like barely went in the phone. And then my only other buddy, because Travis wasn't here, nobody else here. They were out film and trying to get their own clips. And my only buddy that had any dirt bike experience at all was like a plumber friend of mine. His name's Wayne, and he's the one that actually shot the
famous clip from the ladder in the tree. He was like, you can hear them on video. He goes, you can go twice as fast, and like I went twice as fast and.
Physic Yeah, And clearly you didn't learn your lesson in the Ford Explorer when your friend had said you won't go.
Well, there was no money on the line then.
Though, Yeah. Yeah, And like I said, I had a lot of pepper, a lot of pepper when I was younger.
After this second close escape from death happens, now suddenly the world knows who you are and you're reunited with Travis Pastrow. What happened next?
Well, at that point, you know, one of my biggest things was like, cause I really like going out of bars and stuff. I do enjoy the company of a female, so like, I don't ever want to be like the boring guy at a bar. Like I was young, and I was like, just how I'm gonna get chicks?
Little?
Does anybody ever tell you that you get more dudes than anything with the life that I've chose to live.
So you became really popular with the guys.
Oh man, man, the bros are my man, those are my homies. Because if it wasn't for the bros, no chick ever know at all what I do. They're always like, you don't know who this is? And they're like, no, why would I know who that is? And then they show them the clip and they're like that's stupid, and I'm like, I didn't go anywhere I thought that was gonna go. So but yeah, that's pretty much my original drive was just to like party because like after that,
I became like the hot girl at the bar. You know, everybody was just buying me drinks and stuff, and that still happens to this day. Like I cannot go out on my birthday. If I go out on my birthday, it's just like out of hand. So I tend to limit myself on holidays and stuff like that because people do really like to get me going because I'm a lot of fun when I drink.
This is what's crazy is because you're you're a lot of fun anyway. Yeah, right, so then you know, you throw in the chemicals and it's like it's rocket fuel.
Yep ye, So you decide to make another go at the ballpit.
So the thing was, It's like because after after the each DVD was made with Travis, he would rent out a theater in our hometown, a Napolis small theater and play it on the big screen to a whole theater crowd. And I was always sold out because he would sell tickets through a bike doctor in Annapolis and it would always get a sold out crowd. And in my brain, you know, oh my god, they played it on a
movie theater. So like I'm like, well, I'm a movie star, right, literally, somebody rented it and like you know, it's like a one theater thing. That was like the coolest thing because I showed up hammered. I was still in a wheelchair, and like all my friends were like feeding me drinks, like because we're partying because I'm a movie star now. And that night like right as like the movie ended
and everybody was walking out. Greg Godfrey, who was the original producer of Nitro Circus, he came up to me and my friends because we were like the last ones in the theater, so like high five and then like passing each other drinks and stuff. And he comes up and he goes, hey, man, and I see you're having a good time, and I don't want to like interrupt, but I just want to introduce myself.
Hi.
I'm great, God for you, God forre you entertainment. I was like, oh, whoa, you're like a big Hollywood producer, you know, And he goes, I just wanted to say Hi, I introduce myself, and I wanted to give you my card in case you feel like doing anything else, because I don't know, if you know what you have here, you're gonna have one of the biggest clips of all time.
Like you can either always be that guy at every bar and everybody's gonna be like, oh my god, like that's the guy that did that thing, or if you want to take this ball and run with it. Let me know, just give me a shot. And he like flicked his card at me, and I was like, all right, cool, dude, that's sick. And I got, you know this this director's card. It's like, oh my god, and he told me he wants to work with me. I got to come up with a really good idea. I want to do this forever.
So that's when I had the idea to jump off that cruise ship. And uh yeah, that's an even longer story, but long story short, I jump off hemorrhage to my left eye and I still had pins in my foot at this time, Like I was still super injured from the street bike thing. But I didn't want to like waste the opportunity. So like I jump off the side of his cruise ship and I had my buddy film it from a jet ski, but he was like super
far away. The footage ended up really sucking. He just looks like somebody threw like a dead body off the side. It was like, ye, it was just like a little dot like it made nitro circus lock and load and it was either lock and load or three. But they like had to put like one of those like zoom in circles on the little dot and be like that was Timy that jumped off a cruise ship. It was
really terrible footage. Otherwise, like that would have been huge too, because there was like a kid that jumped off a cruise ship not too long ago, but like the it was like on a cell phone that was actually pretty good and his video went crazy. So I feel like if I had something like that, it would have been
way better for my career. But that got me in the door because once I actually did that, because that's where the name street by Tommy comes from, because I took that number and I called that number and all of a sudden, it was like ring ring, ring, ring, Hello God for you entertainment, this is the Stacey's Sea,
How I help you? And I was like not planning on talking to a secretary, So I was like, uh so, and like in my brain, I'm like, how am I going to make myself sound important enough for her to actually transfer me to Greg. I was like, I'm a Tommy from the last video. I was a guy on the street bike the crash the Pumastrana land Champ Tommy
like because it said it on the video. I was like, yeah, Tommy street Bike Tommy, the guy with the Tommy guy with and she was like yeah, hop please and like and then it was like fifteen minutes later being like on hold. Greg picks up the phone and he's like, so you got a nickname now? And I was like, what are you talking about? And he was like, street bike Tommy. I like it, And I was like, oh
my god, that's the dumbest name. All right, yeah, all right, Greg Godfrey who's famous and like producer guy that I want to work with. Sure, that's my nickname. And it
just stuck. That's how I got my foot in the door was that he didn't believe me once I told him that I was going to jump off a cruise ship and when I was going to jump off cruise ship, because I still wasn't like I wasn't even remotely from the street by crash, I did that and I actually did it, and from that point on he was like, I gotta have like an actual camera on this guy. Like from now I'm like, he has to have a crew.
And every time he called me up invited me out on a shoot, like I'd always get really good footage, and I just kept getting the invite and I kept showing up. But the thing that nobody tells you is that I didn't get a single paycheck until we are actually on MTV, and I actually had quit Nitroy Circus because they just wouldn't pay me at all. Like in the DVD days, I was in like seven DVDs and like I had not gotten one paycheck, not a single
red scent. All the early day stuff was you know, you're basically throwing yourself to the wolves and like risking your life for beer and T shirts because you get out on these film shoots and you know, it's the most fun ever because you're with like some of the gnarliest dudes to ever live, and we all go really hard, and you know, you do your stunts during the day, but afterwards it's like the best party could ever see or think of, And like, you just don't you don't
want to be left out like that. FOMO is really what kept pushing me to do as much as possible. And then I got to travel, like after like I jumped off the cruise ship. The very first trip that I ever went on was to Spokane, Washington. I had never been anywhere but Florida before, or Ocean City, Maryland. But now all of a sudden, I'm flying to Spokane, Washington, and I watched Travis do the very first double backflip to dirt ever, which was this huge step up.
So what were you up to that got you from Spokane, Washington to ancient Egypt.
So shortly after I did the cruise ship jump, and then shortly after I learned that backflip, I was like, you know what, I think I can do backflips. So like, I learned how to do a backflip and I landed a backflip to dirt on a two stroke two fifty, so a full sized dirt bike. But then I was like, you know, because I was trying to do a front flip on the street bike. I was like, man, nobody's ever done a front flip on a dirt bike. I
bet you I could do it. So then I was like dead set on like learning how to do front flips. So I start jumping in the phone pit like all the time trying to do a front flip. But like the phone pit is super unforgiving. Everybody thinks it's like, oh it's a pitophone. Sure it makes it so like you can land and like live, but there's so many different things that can go wrong in a phone pit. Like one you can miss it, like go over it.
You can miss it to the side because like you hit and like you kind of g out because like you maybe you pulled harder with your right hand than your left, like all your movements are multiplied.
And you really think you check both those boxes with the step bike jump.
Yeah, so the street bike I went straight over. And then another time after that I actually landed on the side wall of the phone pit because I was like just showing off for this like chick that had to sturt bike. That was like I can't backflip my motorcycle because it's a one twenty five And Tray was like, Tommy can do that, and I was like, yeah, I can. And then like yeah, and I like I did like the flip, but in it on like the actual wall of the phone pit and like threw my hip out
for a little while. But that never even made film. That was just something that's stupid that I did. But this time you don't let go of the bike because like there's been a few times like in the movie, like I was going for a backflip and there's so much power that it like blew out of my hand, so I didn't even like mean to lick o of it, and it just goes up. Well, you hit the phone
and then it hits you. Oh yeah, So like it's basically like somebody dropping at dirt bike on you from like twenty twenty five feet a two hundred and fifty pound motorcycle like.
That can do it sucks, that can do some damage.
Well, another thing that nobody ever really thought of was like when I go up and I get stuck under the bike, you're wedged and you're at the mercy of whoever jumps in sticks the hook around the tire and then pulls the bike out first, and then you have to like wiggle out, you know, because you're wedged in there.
And a lot of times they would have to like dig to me because I would compress the phone so much that I couldn't move, Like I was at the mercy of like however, however my body was it's like a really hot avalanche like that you have to get somebody to dig you out of. And then this particular time I was going for a backflip on Travis's really expensive race bike, and I go for this backflip or no, at that time, I was going for the fronts. So I'm going for the front, and I'm like landing on
my face and I'm getting like super wedged in. I'm like super deep, and then you don't see anything. It's super dark, like it's it's completely black, and you can't breathe at all. As soon as you hit, you got to kind of like make a little cavity of air because like otherwise if you just go like can't you know, you suffocate yourself that way. So like I land upside down.
But as soon as I land the little nipple cap Normally you have like this breather tube, but Travis had the gas cap ones and like the little top popped off, so it was like streaming race gas like on my neck. I was like, oh no, And like I tried to like put my head to the side. I got nothing but race people. I put my I had this way, nothing but race fuel. And then like I was like, oh, there's nothing I can do. I'm literally stuck breathing only race fumes. I was trying to find air anywhere, and
then all of a sudden. I was getting that feeling, which you probably know all too well, is like when they put you under anesthesia and the world just does this yeh, And I just like and I passed out on race fumes and I come to in my head. I don't come too but I'm now aware. In my head. I basically like look up, and my friend Chris is on the side of the phone pit, standing like looking at me, and I'm like, what are you doing? And he's like what I was like, throw me the hook
and he's like I can't. I was like, what do you mean you can't. He's like, phone pits haven't been invented yet. And I was like, what do you mean they haven't been invented yet. I'm sitting in one. He just do phone pits haven't been invented yet. It's like when he said whatever year it was, it was like something dumb like thirteen forty two. I forget what it was, but like it was like ancient Egypt times, like in my brain whatever that number was. And I was like,
what do you aren't we in Travis's phone pack. He's like, no, dude, We're in Egypt. And I was like all right, and like I just I some in my hallucinization. I accepted that. I was like, all right, cool, I guess I'll just wait. So like all the all these like years start passing by, and like in my head, this is like real time, as real as this time is passing right now, these
years start passing. And I was like in this phone pit, just hanging out like for year and a year, and I was like, bro, you know, there's gotta be something like you've got to throw me a hook that's like super hot. So like I think I'm in the desert because like now I'm starting to feel like I'm burning. I was like, bro, like I have to get out of here. I'm burning, like something like the sun's burning me. And he was like all right, hold on, and he's like, oh,
good news. This thing's a time machine or whatever. And then like I was like, oh, like and it's just this was all making sense to me, you know, as normal, see as normal, get normal. I was like, all right, sweet, good thing, this is a time machine. He was like, let's just go in the future. It's gonna take about forty years. I was like, okay, cool, now I'm waiting forty years and like this time is like literally passing, and like as soon as he said that, there is
a time machine that started moving. Now this phone pit that like I'm in looking up, so like you, I only see an upview of the world around me. So I'm like seeing like Egyptian things and like they're like slowly passing, and like this thing's moving, like you know, it's a time machine, so it's passing like it's in Egypt, but it's traveling towards Maryland, like where Travis's phone pit actually is. So I'm like staring up at the sky.
I'm seeing all these different views and then all of a sudden, I see nothing for a really long time because like I'm crossing the Atlantic, and then like after like you know, whatever amount of years has ended up being like probably thirty years. It's like when I started seeing like trees and stuff, and I was like, oh, I'm almost there, you know, when I started seeing East Coast trees, and like forty years past, forty real years in my head pass by, and like I look over.
I was like can I get out yet? He's like yeah, man, And then like I'm like on fire. I'm literally like burning. I'm like I'm so glad that you know, I'm here now. And it was weird because the whole time that was moving, there was also like I've seen like hawks, like when something really wild where I think I'm having like a near death experience, like I've always seen like a hawk, but in my hallucination there was like a hawk, and I just I always felt comfort when I saw this hawk.
It was like looking out for me. That's happened like multiple times throughout my life too. It's been really weird. But then like I was like, throw me in the hook. He was like all right, and then like no joke, like God's hand like came down, but this like there was like here and like I just grabbed God's hand. I was like yay, all right, here I go, and like it was like the normal thing, like nothing was weird about that, and like I like start getting pulled
out and I was like, yeah, this is awesome. And then all of a sudden, the real world actually happened. Like I took a deep breath and I was like and like, all of a sudden, I'm in the real world again, and like it's back at that time when it actually happened, I was like in my brain. Forty years had gone by, but I was like, weird, It's like now I'm here again. I felt like I was
getting a do over. And then I look up at the at God's hand, which ended up I was just holding onto the hook, like the actual hook you know we used to pull our bikes and stuff out with. And I'm like, hey, hanging on to it. And then like I get out and like I have this whole thing and I'm like, can't believe that, Like I'm back. And then still to this day, like I think about
that hallucination, like I still feel those forty years. It's almost like I got those forty years in my life just laying there.
I mean, I've always been fascinated with dreams and you're subconscious, right because it's so real and so you even sharing some of the experiences that you've had throughout your life, when you look back on that time, those forty years, it feels like it was part of your life.
Yeah, it's as real to me as this time right now. Even talking about it kind of freaks me out. That's another that's like kind of rewind all the way back, like when I was talking about that kind of stuff when we first, this conversation was like, you don't know, I don't understand the different plane. Like, I feel like there's so much more out there that we don't know about because of what I have personally experienced and don't
understand in the slightest. But I feel like there's so much more we don't understand how to unlock it yet. But I feel like whatever it is, it's going to be rad because I've been I've touched bits of it, and I'm just I'm trying to absorb as much as I can see.
To me, the I think some people refer to it as an out of body experience. I think some people were referred to I mean, there's, as you well know, especially in this country, there's no shortage of opinions, right, and the good thing is is that everybody can have their beliefs right even if you disagree, you can still love each other in this country. That's okay, right, And so I hear you tell that, and yeah, I could see that. I mean, without a doubt, it's.
Crazy, like I've always heard it out of body experiences, and I I feel like I've never had that. I've never ever in my whole life felt out of body. I've always felt out of plane.
Okay, yeah, that's interesting. But I think part of that in Jake's experience that too, But he's experienced that two on some level, and I think that does allow the two of you to have such a different experience and even compassion for other people. Yeah, and that desire to live life to the fullest.
I think it awakens a part of the human spirit that usually lies dormant in self protection and self preservation.
One hundred percent. I mean, I've had over a dozen times in my life, a dozen for short, solid ones, where I have accepted that I'm dying. Like I've been like, Okay, I'm today's right now, this is happening, I'm going to die, and then luckily I've made it through it. But there's been that many times in my life where I've truly
accepted that that was the end. And if I met me in high school versus me now now, like I would be so just upset at myself, like I can't believe what it's even just the travel that I've been able to do and meet the people that I have because you're just you're so stupid, I mean, just you know nothing until you get out there and experience life. It's crazy how small this world is. I originally was a drywall hanger from Shadyside, Maryland that was never going
to see the world at all. And I thought, like, you know, I knew everything. You know, I truly in my brain was like, oh yeah, you think you got to handle on. You don't know the first thing about nothing.
I mean, that's why it's a saying yeah yeah.
And travel, I mean it's so important to us because it does it broadens your horizons. It allows you to see how other people live and to know their environments and what they've gone through or what they go through on the daily. And it's ye, love travel. It's extremely important to us. What are your loved ones think about your lifestyle?
Like, once again, I don't really I don't know if.
You know.
I mean they think it's cool. Like my dad's like super proud nowadays, Like he whenever we're on job sites and stuff, you know, because I'll still work with him every once in a while. I know, he's like bragging on me all the time. He does like a lot
of work with storage facilities. There's these people that work the front desks and stuff like that that like are responsible for the properties, but like it's like, oh my god, you're his famous son, blah blah blah blah blah, And I'm all like, yeah, I'm super famous, sign autographs and home depot and talking to you guys.
Like that's awesome, proud dad.
Yeah, I've been able to achieve the fame, but I've never been able to achieve the financial freedom to like have that kind of insulation. So like, I'm a very normal guy, Like day to day, I'm still a carpenter, and I still you know.
What, say you do get hit with that fortune, you know.
Even though you've already got the I don't think I would ever change you.
Wouldn't change a bit, dude. I think you and now work with your dad just to go work with your dead.
I truly vibe that now. I feel like when I was younger, I would have been like, oh yeah, I'm gonna buy an airplane and all this stupid stuff. But I feel like, honestly, like nowadays, the lessons that I've learned in life, I wouldn't change anything, but I would just my go on life at this point. If I do ever hit like that massive fortune, the only thing that I would do is just turn off my social media and actually truly live the life that I portray.
You know, I mean, I live the life that I portray, but I don't get a chance to really experience it for myself because I'm always trying to have something to show the world, so you don't truly enjoy it for yourself. And I enjoy what I do, don't get me wrong at all, but I would love to actually be able to enjoy the life that I do live for myself.
I'm just curious to know what motivates you to get up and keep going through the grind every day, then you have to go do a world tour, then you have to come back and go do this job, or et cetera, et cetera. What motivates you to keep on grinding with grace the way that you do.
For me personally, it's just being able to do both really is everything, because when I do one or the other too long, I get like these vibes that like, what's the point I'm doing the same thing that I've
always done over and over again. Like if I'm working a lot, I'm like, Okay, now I'm seeing the same seven dudes that I see all day every day, telling the same stories all day every day, doing the same work all day every day, and I start to get this like anxiety, like this like I gotta go do something, and then like you know, then I'll jump on and
go do some rad stuff. And then if I'm doing that for such a long time to where I start feeling like I'm living out of a suitcase, and then that has its monotony, because like when we were doing the live tour, I haven't done a live torn four years. I've done two shows just recently, but other than that,
I haven't been on the Live tour at all. Because it got to the point where I was just getting to these places in the world, like when you have a regular spot in Russia or something like that, you know, like, oh, I'm going back to Japan that restaurant that I go
to all the time. As cool as that is, you're just like I need to do something different, you know, and then like I'll change it up, cause like even like even through COVID, I was a traveling contractor, you know, like I just went and did heavy timber frame stuff randomly to go from state to state, and like I had no plan at all. Like I was just getting
by experiencing as much as I could. And it was just such a really weird time in my life that I truly value because like I was staying with friends wherever I was going, but in between, like when I was going from state to state, I was driving and I had like, you know, the overlanding set up on my expedition, I was like sleeping in my tent and like parking on like rad canyon sides and stuff like that,
and like living that vagrant life. It was really crazy, Like you just you don't expect that's where you're gonna be at some point in time. You just never know. So like, never stop living because every single day we'll throw you a curve ball, no matter how in deep You're like, oh, this is going to mean my life
because this happened nasun guarantee. You don't know nothing about tomorrow guaranteed, you know, just just keep waking up, keep doing it while you can, because one day you're not gonna wake up, and you don't rush that because we all get one life, So what's the point of wasting a single day of that? And like I've you know, I've been sad I've been down, especially like being what you see is successful but not successful, you know what
I mean, Like you get down on yourself. But like that's the one thing that's kept me going through anything. Has just been like Tomorrow's going to be different, good, bad, and different. Tomorrow is going to be different. You go through spells and as bad as stuff as I've experienced in my life, you know what, Like I've experienced like just as much, if not more good. It's peaks and valleys, and I'm gonna ride the roller coaster till it's truly over. I'm not going to rush the roller coaster.
That's beautiful. Thinking back on your life's journey, is there one person or organization or entity that's made a huge impact on your life?
I mean, obviously Travis Pastrana and like, because I didn't care about doing anything that I've done in life until it just organically happened. But yeah, I mean there's probably there's got to be a hundred of those, no matter who tells you they've done it by themselves or whatever. Like there you don't have anything in life happen without
another person. And like I've been fortunate enough to have the ratus group, and like whatever it is that brings us together, Like our group has this gravity that just brings the greatest people on Earth together. But Travis Foreshore, Joe Lene like are the original cast members of Nitro Weekly. You try to anyway, But just lifelong friends. I mean even like my friends back before anything ever happened, Like kids that I've been hanging out with, like my Explorer buddies.
You know, they're all still my best friends. It's just people that have been in my life and have stayed in my life.
So what do you do to recharge in unwind?
I mean I say that like I love just sitting on the couch watching TV and like sleeping in like without an alarm. That's my favorite RESTful things. But nothing like truly recharges me like life experience or learning something new, taking a risk and having a new education on something that like I never thought I would have. That feeds me because I want to be the most capable person I can possibly be, Like I got my CDL, I
ran a restaurant up until COVID screwed that up. You wouldn't believe the things that I've done just to learn how to do something that I wouldn't think that I would be able to do. And like it's just it's very organic. It's not something that I was like, oh, I want to do that. It's just something that happened to come into my life. And I was like, that'd be cool if I learned that, and I just that's I just I love learning.
That's yeah. Absolutely. And the final question what feeds your soul?
Love feeds my soul? Friends, just the intimate connection that I have with who I'm with. You know, I've had now three girlfriends of my entire life, Like I had two up until recently, and then like now I'm with someone that I truly care about amy Hood. I can truly say that, like this is the happiest I've been in over ten years. Wow, Honestly, I haven't known a love like this yet. Like she truly compliments me, and
I just this is very new. We've dabbled for like eight years, but we've just recently like decided like that let's just be together. She truly feeds my soul because I feel like this is like the first time in my life that I've found like my mirror, Like wow, she is like the hot female version of me. Like it's crazy. It's crazy. Man, I really do think that she's the one for me. So I'm pretty currently.
If we don't get an invitation, Bro, you're gonna be visiting a hospital.
Oh bro, I'm gonna get you standing up there with me. What are you talking about?
And you know what, after the last one I did, I looked at Ask and I was like, baby, I'm I'm never doing this again. I'm over it. I'm overcoming the thing I would do that.
I would especially because Jake knows exactly what everything you just said, like, he knows exactly what that feels like.
So oh yeah, humility, that's the humility flowing out of Ashley's face.
Right, I love that. I love that.
I'm so happy for you, man.
I compreciate you.
And she's a badass daredevil too.
Yeah.
Yeah. And that's the thing, like since we've gotten together, we truly compliment each other. And we've had like opportunities that have already come up in like this first two months of being together that like we just feel like this power couple vibe. We're going to tag team this thing, you know, And it's like, not only do we truly enjoy each other, but like, we're going to have a lot more opportunities to enjoy life together because of we're
being together. And that's what's what it's all about.
If you're gonna share this crazy, spinning ball of chaos that and habit, yeah you should share it with somebody that challenges you to be.
Better one hundred percent. And like, this is the first time in my life I've ever had that, and I feel really excited about it. So I'm enjoying every moment for it is what it is, and I'm not taking a single moment for granted, like not one.
It's so inspiring to hear because we do get into our rhythms and we get into our patterns and we get into our day to day. But yeah, we've got to live. Life is so short, we've got to live it to the fullest. So Street Bike Tommy, thank you so much for being on the good stuff. We truly appreciate your words of wisdom and thanks for opening up and telling us your stories of all the times you got your butt kicked and came through on the other side.
Yeah, I appreciate you guys taking the time and the invite.
Yeah, dude, I mean courage, your stupidity. Let it be your choice. I love you, always have day one man, and I can't wait till you get back together whatever that looks like. For whatever reason in the flesh, right.
I have to do a double date somewhere cool done, absolutely Dane.
I dig you bro, A dig your spirit and a dig your soul, and thank.
You fam rather you man, nothing but.
Love the Man, the Myth The Legend Street by Tommy Passamonte.
Dude is hilarious and like you said, it's clear he loves so hard, like he does everything so hard.
I feel like, yeah, he his halfway button.
Just is inop sounds like someone I.
Know, Yeah, I know. But it's one of the reasons I think we connected so well from the very beginning. And I just love his passion for life. I love his love of life. And when he says like I don't want to waste a single moment, right, that's exactly what he means.
And that's the biggest takeaway for me on this episode and this conversation that we had with him, is that life is short and sometimes we do we get bogged down. We need these reminders of hey, you know what, Today's an opportunity. Today is a gift. I've got to go out and I've got to live it to the fullest and give it everything that I've got.
And he's one of those guys that just reminds me and it's okay to take risks and fail, right, that's okay. You know you have permission to fail. And the difference being in Tommy's case, he brings me back to the old thing. If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough.
I was about to say, you might have some broken bones, but that's okay.
But seriously, one of the greatest guys on the planet who has a true love for all things adventure, and Travis Pastrano has been such a great friend to him, and I know that their bond's unbreakable, and I just think it was awesome to have him.
Great human great lesson. Absolutely enjoyed it and don't be afraid to take risks. Thank you so much for listening. If this episode touched you today, please share it and be part of making someone else's day better.
Put on your bad ass capes and be great today. And remember you can't do epic stuff without epic people. Thank you for listening to the good stuff.
The Good Stuff is executive produced by Ashley Shick, Jacob Shick, Leah Pictures and q Coode Media. Hosted by Ashley Shick and Jacob Schick, Produced by Nick Cassellini and Ryan Counts. House post production Supervisor Will Tindi. Music by Will haywood Smith, edited by Mike Robinson, sound effects by Eric Aaron, Mixed by Ryan Sanchez