The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

In need of direction. Like a lot of us, Connor Meyer didn't come out of school with any real plan or fire in his belly. His father, a proud US veteran who worked hard to provide his son opportunities made it clear that Connor was expected to put in the work, so put in the work he did. Graduating from military academy and serving in the United States Army as a commissioned officer, Connor learned exactly what hard work and team spirit could achieve. Just in time to sit and do nothing while Covid flushed most peoples plans down the toilet; right until he made that first drive to the drop zone. Now a few years into the game with injuries and recoveries under his belt, Connor has his sights aimed towards longevity in our sports both for himself, and his brothers in arms, knowing full well what the Lunatic Fringe has to offer to those willing to give it a shot.

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Andy Ford!

Having covered skydiving from almost every angle, Andrew "Fordy" Ford had the opportunity to compete at a world class level in Skysurfing in its heyday courtesy of a proper military grooming, watch the creation of wingsuits from the beginning, and earn and exercise instructional ratings all over the world. As the story goes, "It all started with a beer. It always starts with a beer!"

One was becoming a big fish in a small pond, with beginnings on round canopies in the Israeli Military. The other was one of a rare few actually born and raised in DeLand, Florida who'd been watching canopies and meeting skydivers from the very beginning. Both not only fell in love with the sport that would become an incredibly important facet in their lives, but with each other as they pursued their mutual passions. Traveling around the United States and the world, Yonatan and Ella Ran have chased their dreams both in and out of the sky, managing to find a balance between the two while raising a child, carving out new careers, participating in incredible projects and maintaining the wonderfully close ties the Lunatic Fringe has to offer those that chose to life life on their terms.

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Pat and Shavon!

In this super fun and insightful episode I get the chance to sit down for a heart to heart chat with husband and wife Pat and Shavon about their shared love for skydiving and its community, the pitfalls and snags that come with being a couple in an "extreme" lifestyle, the parties, the close calls and what might come next.

She knew from a pretty young age that she was in a rather unique position. She also knew from a pretty young age that her dad was, well…  cool! Luci Martyn has all the normal childhood memories that most kids do, but those memories are also forever intertwined with her earliest memories of skydiving, it's community around the world and her fathers prominent position in it. It wasn't a question that skydiving would someday be a part of her life, only how much of her life it might occupy. Now one of the directors of Jyro, an incredibly successful canopy manufacturer, Luci Martyn has the pedigree one would expect for a person in her position, right along with the wild streak needed to hold the reins of a company with a reputation for pushing boundaries (and sometimes buttons) with their line crossing antics and add campaigns to match. The Lunatic Fringe is most certainly strong in this one. 

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Rook Nelson!

A third generation of jumpers that started with the 82nd Airborne, Rook Nelson comes from one of the most well known legacy families in skydiving. Having embraced the sport from an extremely young age, he's had the opportunity to try his hand at, compete and succeed in most every discipline the sport has to offer. Having been handed the reins of one of the largest operations in skydiving history after a tragic accident, he's taken what was already a force to be reckoned with and turned it into what can only be considered a cornerstone in the sport; yet with all the weight that comes along with such responsibility, he hasn't forgotten that its still suppose to be about having fun!

Back in the can for another chat about all things nylon, Zach Rosser brings us up to speed on his and the sports progression in canopy flocking and just how incredibly fast it's all evolving. It's a great look into the very beginnings of a new discipline in our sport as it just gets going, and all of the amazing potential it has, straight from the mouth of one of the Lunatics helping to chart a new course.

It's another mid-week reboot with the one and only Ellis!

Ellis Danho Bourbonnais is the quintessence of a renaissance man to say the least, but most certainly not in the way most people would think. From surfing in the Gulf and then Hawaii, to MMA, skydiving, BASE jumping and climbing, Ellis is more at home pushing his personal limits than most people are on a sofa. Attacking new passions whole heartedly is where he's at his best, and he takes this time to give us a few of the reasons why.

It's yet another story of it all starting out as a family affair, with roots in competition starting as young as 11 or 12 years old. Yes, you would be right, that's way too young to start a skydiving career, but its the perfect age to begin what has now been a more than 20 year career as a professional watersports athlete in activities ranging from  Wakeskating to Foil Boarding. All Sports that helped vault Brian Grubb toward the top of his game and landing him an incredible career with RedBull. It's also how Brian eventually made his way into skydiving and BASE because lets be honest... when you're a RedBull athlete,  you know people. Still happily in the thick of things in his Watersport career with no end in sight, Brian still manages to take any opportunity he can to learn from the best in airsports, enjoying the Lunatic Fringe in all its wonderful settings.

It's another mid week reboot with Squirrel! 

Matt Gerdes and Mike Steen of Squirrel Wingsuits may not have set out to reshape the face of BASE jumping, but it seems they are quickly on their way to doing exactly that. With a ton of paragliding experience under their belts, their single minded goal soon became BASE jumping and wingsuit BASE; and in pursuing their lofty and dangerous dream ended up designing their own line of BASE specific equipment designed to enhance performance, increase safety and push the boundaries of human flight.