The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

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. 

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

Across multiple generations and varied backgrounds come the European branch of the PD Factory team to share not only the individual paths taken to reach one of the longest and most successful skydiving teams in the sports history; but to share hard lessons learned, paths to future successes through hard work and team training, the future of canopy piloting though hard earned experience and innovation, and a few laughs along the way over spilt drinks and thick accents. Sit back and enjoy Mr. Pablo Hernandez, Brian Vacher, Armando Fattoruso and brother Mario Fattoruso.  

It’s yet another instance of skydiving saving a life. Fighting through difficult times and a past that wouldn’t let go, Dan Blakeley turned to skydiving with a doesn’t matter if I die attitude. Doesn’t matter, right up until he found himself in freefall wanting to live every second of life he could, having just literally fallen into his purpose. With luck in the sport that only a 90s skydiving newbie could appreciate, Dan was handed opportunities that allowed him to carve out a successful career as a camera flyer and instructor for many years. Now retired from the sport and on a different path, Dan looks back on a fulfilling career happily knowing that regardless of what the future holds, he is and will always be a member of the Lunatic Fringe for life.

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 not so long ago 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.  

At 13, Sydney was 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, 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 years, and both he and Michelle have a pretty good handle on how to balance the still "wild" skydiver side of tunnel flying with the teenager they've let loose in our world! This one's a great listen! 

A Kiwi born and raised, Antz Hansen had been around aviation from a very young age, so when the daydream of making a skydive finally presented itself, the outcome wasn't quite as he'd expected.  As it turned out, round parachutes weren't his thing...  But then, after he'd already established himself as a professional photographer, the chance to try the new "Square" design presented itself, and boom! Working behind the lens his entire adult life, specifically as an "extreme" photographer, Antz has gone out of his way to put himself into some seriously sketchy situations, and is happily not only still here, but happily is sitting down to tell us about his path with the Lunatic Fringe.

Intimidated by the sport. In his own words "lacking natural talent"...  Words that only Ernesto Gainza would use to describe himself because nobody I know would use anything other than "Calculated" or "Driven". Maybe "Forward Thinking" or even "Fucking Crazy" (that was me...).  Currently holding the record for the smallest canopy every landed, the man has taken on challenges that very few ever would, and he's done them with success and professionalism to say the least. Join me as I get the wonderful opportunity to catch up with my friend Ernesto, and find out how he ended up with all of us deep in The Lunatic Fringe.

At 17 he knew. Well, he knew after he talked his mother into signing the release anyway. Marat Leiras showed his dedication to the sport of skydiving almost right away with a 400 kilometer drive one way to the dropzone just to get through AFF. With some serious skill, some wonderful luck and a whole lot of great timing, Marat managed to travel the world, train and jump with some of the best the sport had to offer and even marry the Iowa girl of his dreams; all without ever overstaying his visa!  join us as we talk about everything from wind tunnels and BASE jumps to what a crowd of 70,000 looks like from above.  All on this edition of Lunatic Fringe Into the Void.

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.

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!

On this episode of The Lunatic Fringe, we've got Chloe from Alta Psychotherapy back in the can to talk all about PTSD—from symptoms to solutions, and how to get yourself off the roller coaster before things spiral. 

So yeah... A charmed if not short career in skydiving is exactly what Mandy Curry had. Stumbling into amazing situations and lucking her way into rubbing elbows with skydiving royalty, she can't help but look back at her time in the sport with rose colored glasses! A mother of two on a vastly different trajectory, Mandy takes the time to sit and reminisce with me about trips to Eloy, landing on glaciers, guns and death threats in Mexico and dollar bills at the strip club cause she met me while I was sans pants in a thong looking for a "champagne room" customer, she's most certainly got a few stories to tell! Wait, this one might not have been the best idea! Please join me on this episode of Lunatic Fringe with one of my dearest friends (who knows way too fucking much about me), Mandy Curry.    

From the top of his game with multiple US National and World championship titles under his belt, to wondering if walking would ever again be an option, the journey Nick Batsch has been on over the last three years is a tough one to imagine. Years of training and top level athletic reflexes turned a landing that could have just as easily taken his life into the challenge of a lifetime, pushing Nick to work not only toward the physical demands a rebab of his type takes, but the often un thought of mental hurtles he had to overcome, not simply to live a normal life and perhaps even skydive again, but to once again stand on the top of the podium at the US Nationals. Join in on this edition with the US National CP Champion Nick Batsch and hear in surprising detail all about his continuing journey with the Lunatic Fringe.

Multiple lives all rolling after and on top of the other.  Mitch Steere, software engineer, father of 2 teenage daughters.  Mitch Steere, sliding off a motorcycle at triple digits, dirty downwind on his first jump, downsize demon. Mitch Steere, building a full database on how to perform beautiful flock dives with as much safety and precision as possible. Having come through his truly "sketch" times with the help of a great mentor, Mitch and his crew are looking toward the future of XRW and canopy flocks with great anticipation! Check it out on this edition of Lunatic Fringe!

Matt Gerdes and Mike Steen of Squirrel Wingsuits may not have set out to reshape the face of BASE jumping and skydiving, but it seems they may have gone about 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 cutting edge wingsuits and BASE specific equipment designed to enhance performance, increase safety and push the boundaries of human flight. 

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 part of her story into the Lunatic Fringe!

Join us for the second episode in our Spiked series with Alta Psychotherapy as Chloe helps us start diving deeper into the mindset of the extreme sports athlete, from novice to world champion, and how at every level your mental health plays the most vital of roles.

Only in the sport for 4 years, Dario Basile's time in both skydiving and BASE has made quite an impact in his life, and those that he meets. From A license to D, this base jumping, bull running, world traveling Tandem Instructor from Sussex NJ is absolutely going to let you, the guy sitting next to you and pretty much everyone else in earshot know that he is a skydiving, chili pepper eating high energy member of the Lunatic Fringe. Join in with Brian Casserly on this amped up chat.

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.