The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

Globe trotting, skydiving, Speedo sporting helicopter pilot, who along the lines of Cher, Beyoncé, Fabio and Liberace prefers to simply be known as "Hatz!" sits down with the one and only Mr. Brian Casserly to talk all things "up'! It's an upbeat and entertaining chat fueled with great stories, insights, and a fair amount of booze, making it a perfect addition to the Lunatic bonfire.

Taken from the pages of one of the greats, Mr. Moe Viletto, Brian Germain sits down again for something a bit more like story time, bouncing from naked jumps, bowling balls, the highs and lows of AFF instructing, living through your own fear and dealing with fear for others and the fact that like it or not, luck plays a part in it all (its just how much luck you're comfortable with). With 35 years and counting, Brian has stories galore to share with those both in and out of the Lunatic Fringe.

Starting out in 2013 at a time when "something" was exactly what she needed, Shauna Finley came across exactly the right something. Taking over quite quickly, Shauna found that her passion for skydiving wasn't just the sport or even the people itself, but a drive to give back as much as she could to something that gave her exactly what she needed.  Master Rigger, PRO rated sponsored athlete, Eastern USPA Director and enormous advocate for our sport, Shauna take a little time to sit down with Brian Casserly to talk all about her love for our wonderful Lunatic Fringe.

Back in the can for another round, Mr. Derick Massey, 26 plus year veteran of the tandem game plugs in to talk to me about some of the most memorable, and flat out stupid moments he (and I) have had both in the air and on the ground. We talk about skill, luck, bad decisions with good outcomes, and what it's like to look back on more than a quarter century of experiences after paying the sometimes stiff physical and mental price for our time in the Lunatic Fringe.

On this edition of Lunatic Fringe, I take a back seat and give my tired stories a rest while Mr Brian Casserly takes over the hot seat to talk all things skydiving with his Pussfoot cohort and load organizer Kevin Boorom.  From which boogies have the most ridiculous parties, to just how many jumps you need to have before you can go out and have fun with them, Brian and Kevin get down to a proper bonfire session to cover all the things that have drawn them to the Lunatic Fringe.

On this edition of The Lunatic Fringe, old friends and favorites to the podcast, Olga and Junior sit down to talk about, among other things, old injuries and new, and how sometimes the ones you thought were no big deal can have a way of coming back to haunt.  With a few suggestions, tips and stories about what not to do, the three of us flop our bent and broken selves into the studio to see what we might have done differently, and what advice we can give on how to be and old and still vital member of the Lunatic Fringe.

Back in the can for another virtual bonfire, Pablito Perazzoli, Master Rigger, Tandem Examiner, world traveler and a curator of one of the most spectacular handlebar mustaches this side of the 1800's sits down to talk a little about rigging, jumping, travel, loss and life. Join us for a fun catch up and informative chat with another wonderful life-long member of the Lunatic Fringe.

Back in the can for round 2, Chris Stewart and I dispense with the more formal "get to know you" podcast, and just go straight to talking lifestyle, parties, close calls, wild times and stupid decisions!  As a test jumper for NZ Aerosports, you might be tempted to think that Chris's close calls all came hanging under untested nylon, but you'd be underestimating his desire to test out daredevil stuff on the ground as well. Join in on this episode to find out about missing teeth, eyebrows and hot times with this lifetime member of the Lunatic Fringe.

You'd be hard pressed to find many professions where twenty-five was considered a late start,  but at the top of that very short list would most certainly be Freestyle Motocross, yet late to the game was exactly what Scott Fitzgerald A.K.A Toppdog was.  From Mini's off massive ramps at the very beginning of his Lunatic journey, to the real deal with none other than the world famous Nitro Circus, Scott has gone big, almost from the start. With legends and friends riding along with him, the idea of skydiving went from something he might want to do someday, to his new (and most certainly safer) stoke. Join us as Toppdog and I talk about everything from backflips with 5 on a bike, to playing the old man while hucking a scooter off a ramp and how to avoid shredding yourself with a weak flare at the one and only Funny Farm on this edition of Lunatic Fringe

It started with an accident onboard a commercial airliner over Austrailia, or at least the catalyst did.  In an event that will forever be a part of Simon Colmer, part of learning to get past it was a bucket list that happened to include skydiving; yet for someone scared of heights dealing with the after effects of a traumatic experience onboard an airplane, it was one that took a bit of time to get around to.  Now, splitting his life quite clearly between the "real" world of an IT job, and weekends as a freefly coach and up and coming canopy pilot, Simon takes time to tell us about his rough beginnings in the air, lessons learned through injury, experience and travel and a host of incredible characters and mentors, and how he keeps the passion going in a sport with changing trends and appearances as he balances between the regular world and the Lunatic Fringe.