The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

One year almost to the day of the release of not only one of my personal favorite episodes, but of the most popular, it is also soon to be the one year anniversary of the passing of the one and only, Moe Viletto. He's the skydiving icon that most of the younger jumpers will have never heard of, even though there's little doubt they've seen him in action. For as sad as we are that we don't have Moe around anymore to tell those incredible and sometimes unbelievable stories, we are all lucky that he was here to tell them the first time around.  As a tribute to one of the most unique souls ever to touch nylon, please enjoy this re-release of his wonderful episode on Lunatic Fringe. Thanks Moe!  

With one of the most unique stories of how skydiving entered his life, Moe Viletto had just survived an impromptu zero gravity aerobatic flight by the skin of his teeth when he and his pilot buddy spotted canopies off in the distance. Knowing the instant he landed from his first jump that this was what life had been aiming him toward, he embarked on what this year would have been five decades of skydiving, rigging and BASE jumping. Living life on his terms as a rigging gypsy king, scoring a bit of luck here and there and having an incredible time, he did it all without any real plan. From drougeless tandems and AFF before it was a thing, to living in a VW Beetle while trying to find a home for his sewing machines, to BASE jumping with a tent and then on to Hollywood, Moe Viletto and I only scratch the surface of his fifty years of Lunatic Fringe adventures. From his antics to his rigging, Moe Viletto was a trailblazer in every sense of the word and we aren't likely to ever find another quite like him. On what was suppose to be the first of many installments of "Story Time With Moe", he shared with us just a little of what made him such an incredibly loved icon in our sport.  Recorded not much before his passing, I feel nothing but lucky I had the chance to meet the man behind the Lunatic Fringe legend.

Back before the hanger. Back before the smiley face that greeted every jumper and spectator. Back before The Tiki Bar, the swoop pond, the back deck or the Maxi Pad in the ghetto, there was a little dropzone in the middle of nowhere New Jersey called CrossKeys started by a guy named John. As far as CK people go, Bert Navarrete and just a handful of others are about as OG as you can get. Having been there for everything from Johny 9-Lives street skiing up the runway dragged behind a car, to the "Peanut Butter" incident, to the "unofficial" world record tandem day, to Monkey Claw Freefly antics and literally countless other wonderfully crazy, exciting, over the top and sometimes tragic events, Bert was either deep in the mix, or at least witness to it all. Taking time away from his "real life" in finance, he sits down in the studio to share just a small handful of the stories that epitomize exactly why we are the Lunatic Fringe, and why he is truly a lifelong member.

There also happens to be In attendance a bit of a mystery man who refuses to acknowledge the microphone will not .speak, and demands to remain Anonymous. We’ve dubbed him The Quiet Guy” during the podcast, 

We have decided the first five people that can correctly identify this mystery man who will not speak gets a free signed copy of the new Lunatic Fringe Book sent straight to their home!  So after listening to the podcast if you think you know who quiet guy is, just send us your guess to the Lunatic Fringe Podcast page on Facebook. And score a really fun read!

For Monica it was pretty easy to get started. For Alejandro, not so much. As the Niece of one of the few intrepid skydivers in Mexico at the time, Monica watched her uncle Tony jump throughout her entire childhood, so when given the opportunity to take that first leap, she didn't hesitate. For Alejandro it was quite a bit different. Not knowing how, but knowing he wanted to fly, he spent his childhood trying to come up with his own ways to do it, until the first time he saw someone skydiving. Both young, both entranced by the world of skydiving, and eventually both working at the same drop zone run by Monica's uncle, that's how these two met and started an incredible life together. Now, tens of thousands of jumps behind them with all the ratings and having traveled around the world, both Monica and Alejandro have more than a few stories, bumps and bruises to show for it. Join us for an entertaining rundown of their time with the Lunatic Fringe.

Growing up watching his mom huck herself out of airplanes in California, not only making over a thousand jumps on rounds, but earning herself a California State Championship, there was simply no way that Billy Sharman wasn't going to at least try one jump.  Of course, as seems to be the case, with a first wonderful experience at Skydance in Davis, CA and a little salesmanship from Ray Ferrell, Billy was well and truly hooked!  A few bumps in the road (or ditch) aside, he was well on his way to what would become a lifelong career in the sky, and the windy tubes.  Now, the proud owner and operator of Skydive Pretoria in South Africa, Billy has many years under his belt, and twice as many stories to tell about his travels with the Lunatic Fringe.

Simply Badass. there really isn't any other way to put it.  Starting her skydiving career as a twenty-something in 1968 Kansas, at the insistence of her friend, Alice Hicks and a few intrepid friends spent a day jumping off picnic benches to perfect their PLF techniques, and then just went and did it.  With a bit of a reputation as a "sidespinner", Alice didn't have the chance to jump with too many others during those early times, until on her last jump back in the day, her then boyfriend (now husband of 52 years) dove hand in hand with her to finish off her first life in the sport. Cut to 1996.  A life-long career as a school teacher and guidance counselor in the books, the same Alice Hicks decides after watching her daughters make tandem skydives onto their own property in Kansas that she should give this new version of jumping a whirl, and BAM! Back in the sport she was. She fought her fears and pushed through to find the "fun" that skydiving had to offer, already knowing it had an amazing community, of whom her husband was still an active member. Now retired, and traveling the country, spending months on end jumping pretty much every weekend in Eloy, Alice Hicks, and her Skydiving, Pilot badass husband are officially lifelong members of the Lunatic Fringe. This is one of the most pleasant and enjoyable chats ever had on the podcast, and one you won't want to miss.

Back in the can to talk all things air sports, travel, artwork and Barney?  Well, one thing you most certainly have say is that Mr. Regan Tetlow has made the rounds to say the least! From bar tender and pub owner, to the meet and greet face man at Skydive Emporia Brava. From randomly being asked to announcing a swoop event on the beach to becoming the voice behind some of the largest skydiving events in the world (and if you can believe it, balloon races...). DJ and MC turned pro skydiver and actor Mr. Regan Tetlow has stories and insight galore! Join us on the second round of conversation as Reagan dives deep into his reasons behind his lifelong journey with the Lunatic Fringe.

20 years is a long time for any profession, but especially when its one as physically demanding as working with concrete. Having made his first tandem skydive years back, Grey Milner thought it was just about the most amazing thing he’d ever experienced and was ready to go all in, but as it has a way of doing, life got in the way. It wasn’t until recently that he found himself back in the air on tandem number two, and just like the first, his immediate desire was to go all in. This time, getting at it was exactly what he did, and a week-long trip from Oregon to Arizona and their accelerated program found Grey going from Tandem Passenger to “A” Licensed skydiver. Now comes the really scary part… Sell the house, buy an RV and hit the road to find his way in the big little world of skydiving on his own path toward the Lunatic Fringe. It’s an adventure that so many have dreamed of but never done; but it’s not one that Grey is going to let pass him by.

Back in the can for another addition of Lunatic Fringe, Jarrett Martin and his father Brett take the opportunity to sit down and talk with me about what it's like handing skydiving down from generation to generation.  having dealt with injury and loss first hand, yet pushing through to continue to compete and excel in our sport, both Brett and Jarrett understand the drive and determination our sport can sometimes demand. Running a successful rigging and manufacturing loft with Summit Parachute Systems and still actively jumping, Brett and Jarrett are fantastic examples of the incredible community that is The Lunatic Fringe. 

At an age when most kids are still learning to tie their shoelaces unassisted, Zack Rosser was tossing on his kid sized climbing harness so his father could take him up on a tandem paraglide session; and before he was old enough to know he had choices available to him, he'd already made his. With paragliding not as accessible in his area in Australia, his father took him out to the local DZ when he was twenty, and set him up on a tandem skydive to see if that might be a good fit. In no time at all, Zack became the DZ's "anything you need" guy, pushing hard to find his angle into the sport. It didn't take him long at all to realize the canopy side of things was exactly his fit. Working now as a tandem instructor, video guy, and primarily a canopy coach, Zack's passion for nylon has led him to everything from competition Canopy Piloting to organizing flocking dives all over Down Under, with plans to branch out to New Zealand and beyond as soon as travel allows. Bringing a youth and exuberance to everything he does, you'll understand when you listen that Zack Rosser has only just begun his path along the Lunatic Fringe.

From a very early age, Dave Singer knew exactly what he wanted, which was exactly what most other 8 year olds do. A sewing machine... wait, what? Okay, so Dave may not have taken the more traveled road, but it the path that he was absolutely sure he was suppose to be on. From military jumper and rigger, to civilian camera flyer and eventually on to the Mecca of the times for cutting edge skydiving in Perris Valley, Dave never had a doubt that skydiving was his life. Working his way through college to earn an engineering degree specifically to put that knowledge to work in the construction and manufacturing of skydiving equipment, Dave is one of that rare breed of person that knows he is exactly where he's suppose to be, deep in the Lunatic Fringe.