In the world of "Air Sports", I have always considered BASE to be just about as hardcore as it gets, and wingsuit BASE to be the apex, but Charley Kurlinkus, Dr. Charley Kurlinkus to be precise takes it to another level in my opinion. ER doctor all night long, dealing with every accident, injury and "oops" imaginable and BASE Wingsuit jumper by day; he's traveled the world doing intense things to relax and get away from the intense things he deals with as a profession. Join in on this episode of...
Jan 20, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 57
Back by popular demand! From broken bones and burnt scrotums, Lunatic Fringe received so much feedback on Jim Mathews (one “t”) first appearance that there was no way he wasn't coming back to let out a few more of his outrageous and hilarious stories! You'd be on par with most if you were to think that Mr. Matthews was full of shit with some of the yarns he can tell, but in most cases you would be completely wrong! Come on an enjoy another too funny to believe episode of Lunatic Fringe Into the ...
Jan 13, 2020•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 52
I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll stand behind it every time. Manifest has got to be the most difficult job in skydiving. In a rare behind the window interview, I have the chance to sit down and climb into the minds of two manifest Ladies who know all the little secrets and have all the stories. With voices altered to protect the innocent (and guilty), Sparky and Susan give us all a rare glimpse into the minds that keep the skydiving world in the air. If you want to find out how t...
Jan 05, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 51
All things ratings! Interested in what goes in to becoming a tandem or AFF instructor? Thinking about making the jump into skydiving as a job and want to know if it's something that would appeal? Well then this is the one you're gonna want to listen to. Once again my semi frequent co host Junior, one of the busiest tandem and AFF evaluators sits down to tell me what goes in to a good course, a good student and a successful trip into the working world of skydiving.
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 50
With over 30 years in the sport he has most certainly seen a few things; but after a paragliding accident that gave him time to really think, he decided it was more important to show a few things to those willing to learn than just chase medals. From X-Game's competitor to Swooper to instructor to canopy designer, Brian Germain has spent his career in skydiving not only experiencing pretty much every avenue skydiving has to offer, but trying to see the sport from two potentially very different a...
Dec 23, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 49
Teen climbing instructor and a bit of a lost soul, to a 200,000 a year oil and gas man, Ryan Graney made it pretty big pretty young, and exceeded expectations in more ways than one. A hard charging BASE jumper and professional party guy, you'd be surprised at just how much thought has gone into his crazy antics over the years. Articulating his desire not only to live a life less ordinary but one with real meaning, I think you'll be more than a little surprised and what hides behind the apparent ...
Dec 16, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 48
On this episode of Lunatic Fringe Into the Void, our old friend David "Junior" Ludvik takes the reins, grabs the mic and interviews me for a switch. So this time around its a touch of Fuckin' history with flying, stripping, jumping, and a little about the epic Mount Everest and my bucket list opportunity to go and meet her up close and personal.
Dec 09, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 47
Gorazd Lah, AKA Nitka (and fellow Fuckinasshole) took a very European, and more specifically an Eastern European path in skydiving. Starting out on round parachutes then moving quickly into the world of Style and Accuracy, Gorazd managed to put his tough as nails upbringing and exterior to work for him as he became a champion in his chosen disciplines. Yet... There's a lot more behind this born again hipster than you might think! Nitka is beyond a doubt a poster child for not judging a book by i...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 43
Taking to the skies as a way to deal with personal tragedy, Mr. Nicholas Batsch knew almost right from the start that fast nylon was in his future. After having seen some of the worlds best canopy pilots firsthand, he began pushing towards a career that would eventually see multiple world championships and close to a dozen world records, yet along the way he's had to come to grips with the dangers his drive and determination placed in his path, and speaks to me while still recovering from a land...
Nov 25, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 46
At 13, she's the youngest tunnel coach out there; and although she's not much on bragging about her skills and doesn't really share what she does with her classmates at school, she's got her eyes on being a world champion one day and has a pretty good handle on just how good she really is. Soccer Mom and Dad to be sure, but on a whole new level are Sydney's parents Michelle and Andrew. As a retired skydiver himself, Andrew loves seeing his daughter embrace that which gave him so much over the ye...
Nov 17, 2019•59 min•Ep. 44
Right out the gate she was breaking the rules in skydiving! Drawn into the sport with family, jumping instantly took over her drive and motivation, and it's led her to multiple records, world travels and skills both in the sky and in the tunnel that most will aspire to but rarely achieve. Naomi Kotzee is a highly sought after instructor, coach and organizer, and because she's one of my closest friends in the sport, she's now no longer a podcast virgin. Take the time to listen in as she shares pa...
Nov 11, 2019•57 min•Ep. 41
William Booth. Bill Booth. Bill "Lord of the Three Rings" Motherfuckin' BOOTH! Astounding is all I have to say. When you stop to think about literally all of the game changing inventions this man has brought to our sport, any one of which would put him deep in the Hall of Fame, and then put them all together... WOW! You have a man who has almost single handedly shaped modern skydiving into what we know and love today. I can't lie, at least a few times in this interview I'm literally gushing with...
Nov 04, 2019•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 45
With beginnings in the sport rooted in tragedy, Nicole Ludvik turned to skydiving as a way to escape a crazy corporate life and personal hardship by hitting every one of the fifty states from above. An accomplished AFF and Tandem instructor, she's traveled the world with her husband and significant other, professional swooper and instructor extraordinaire Mr. David "Junior" Ludvik, and you can damn well bet she's got stores to tell!
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 42
After a more than close encounter with a tree at high speed, Jimmy McCarthy decided to take on something a little bit safer. Skydiving. Starting out at a high energy, high party factor dropzone in Western Australia,he moved into the life quite easily, and then slid right back out of the "normal" approach to working in the sport. A dedicated tunnel instructor and coach as well as a skydiving coach and speed skydiving competitor, this "Brit transplant" has some cool stories to tell, and great view...
Oct 21, 2019•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 40
Embry-Riddle. Not exactly what you would naturally think of as the training grounds for a world class canopy pilot. Perhaps a world class airline jock, or in his case even an air traffic controller, but not the founding member of one of the sports longest lived and most accomplished canopy pilot teams in the sport of skydiving. Curt Bartholomew began his career just like the rest of us; with that first jump. but then again, most of us didn't try (and almost manage to succeed) to complete their e...
Oct 14, 2019•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 39
Seriously, a man after my own heart. From tunnel flying, cart racing and his cursing (appropriately) kids, to random dropzone nudity, tutu's and a healthy ability to enjoy the inappropriate, Brian Casserly has embraced skydiving fully, as has his family. The owner of pussfoot.com, Brian with and 'I' and sometimes with a 'y' goes out of his way to embrace the extreme lifestyle, all while successfully managing to lead a so called 'normal' life to boot! With Puss Foot he looks to draw together all ...
Oct 07, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 38
It's heading toward the end of the summer season, and I thought I'd take a little time to catch up with our old friend David "Junior" Ludvik and see what kind of shit my globe trotting swoop champion has gotten up to over the warmer months. Turns out the answer is quite a fucking lot!
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 36
Master Rigger, Tunnel Instructor, AFF Instructor, Tandem Instructor... Fucking over achiever is more like it! Mr Rory Corrigan Started his jumping career at one of the craziest dropzone's on the planet at its peak, and has the stories to tell! Tattoos, suspension (whoa) and body modification may have been his first stroll down the Lunatic Fringe, but Skydiving has become his life.
Sep 23, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 35
Just a babe in the woods some would say. An ordained minister and a bridesmaid for all occasions others might. Even a potential regional man someday in the not too distant future! Zej Moczydlowski (M'ski to the rest of us normal people) started his career in the sport the old fashion way. He was ordered to jump! From a start in the military to a really rough first hundred jumps as a civilian, he's put a fair amount of time and learning into his 800 jump career. As one of the wordsmiths behind Te...
Sep 16, 2019•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 34
Starting out at Skydive Crosskeys in the early 2000's was a fucking trip! Just ask Mr. Will Lajeunesse... From the dropzone fix-it-all man so he could jump his ass off, to a fully sponsored athlete, Will had the chance to see skydiving from every angle, both good and bad. From crazy highs to deep lows, he's had the opportunity to taste a bit of it all. Having become infamous for some seriously sketchy shit, to becoming zen in the alps, Will has some wonderful memories to relive and great advise ...
Sep 09, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 37
Haulin' Meat and delivering flags for nearly a fuckin' quarter century! Mr. Jim Dolan found a way to not just balance a bit of a skydiving habit with the normal (or so he says) life of a school teacher, but he managed to do it as a member of one of the most unique demonstration teams in the world. Featured in their own IMAX film, the Flying Elvi have had one hell of an amazing run! A good laugh and a few lessons from a guy who's seen and done a whole lot.
Sep 02, 2019•53 min•Ep. 18
From a horrible first experience, to what should have been life altering, career ending injuries and surgeries, you would have thought Derick Massey would have either never become a skydiver in the first place, or hung up his harness years ago; but between an iron will to continue on his path with the Lunatic Fringe, along with a true passion and love for our sport, there's just no keeping him down. One of my closest friends in the world sits down to talk to me about his time in the sport and ou...
Aug 26, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 28
I think it's safe to say he may have pissed off a few people in his day. I also think it's safe to say that he gave more assholes like me with a little potential a chance to shine than most ever would. From a true country boy with a real desire to fly to the owner and operator of one of the longest running mid-sized dropzone's in the US, Mr. Ray Ferrell has his footprints all over the world of skydiving. He was there with the pioneers of RAM air canopies and a crazy new kind of flying called "Re...
Aug 12, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 32
From his beginnings in Venezuela and then on to New Zealand, it turned out to be a pretty substantial injury to his shoulder that initially aimed him toward skydiving, but it wasn't until years later that his full on love affair with nylon began. As a master rigger and skydiving instructor, he's had the opportunity to work on some pretty substantial projects all over the world, and his journey into the world of air sports certainly wasn't boring! Give a listen to an enjoyable and heart felt chat...
Aug 05, 2019•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 24
DJ Marvin, host of Gravity Lab, founder and owner of the Ratings Center, long time skydiver and professional shit shooter sits down to talk to me about his beginnings in the sport, the podcasting world and where it's all led him. A love not only of skydiving itself but the community in which its based have been the driving force behind his desire to educate and expand the wonderful Lunatic Fringe in which we live, and he takes the time to tell me why.
Jul 29, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 31
Revisiting exactly what a modern version of the American Dream really is, Sydney and Barry Williams "gave the middle finger" to an antiquated idea of happiness that just didn't fit, and hit the road in a van with no regrets and no looking back. Both retired professional skydivers, they've taken the lessons they learned in and out of the sport, both happy and tragic and used them to help both themselves and others as they hike and talk their way across America on a motivational speaking tour that...
Jul 22, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 27
The Father of Freefly. Was he the first person to be on his head in the air? of course not, but he was most certainly the first to go out of his way to stay there! Dancing around the clouds like Peter Pan for the last 30+ years, Olav Zipser has been "freeflying his mind" and traveling the world encouraging others to learn to do the same with not just technical ability, but with heart and passion. With ambitions that range from catching his shadow and its rainbow on every cloud he could find, to ...
Jul 15, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 30
Personally I'm a hell of a fan of a good cliché, and I'm willing to bet Tracy Bohm is too. She met, jumped with, stalked, moved away with and eventually got married to her very first tandem instructor, Mr. Tom Bohm. He quickly instilled in her the same passion for skydiving that he had, and they went about making a hell of a life together both in the sky and on the ground. And then everything changed. Voted the number one Load Organizer by Blue Skies Magazine more times than most, take this time...
Jul 08, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 29
Billy and Ange Sharman have each come full circle to say the least! Having both worked as "Safari Guides" to one degree or another, both are second generation skydivers that have traveled the world chasing their passions, enjoying life, and managing to get in and out of a little trouble along the way. Now that they find themselves the owners and operators of the oldest skydiving facility in South Africa, the shoe is most certainly on the other foot though and they work hard to create a one of a ...
Jul 01, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 25
Semi Professional snowboarder turned professional competitive skydiver, Mr. Mike Wittenburg has a whole lot to brag about with more medals and championship teams than most; yet if you were to ask him what his greatest accomplishment was, he's more likely to start telling you about his kids accomplishments than his own. Listen in to find out just how a world champion dad not only put himself on track toward air-sports greatness, but helped guide his children to not just national but world gold in...
Jun 24, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 26
