So, fuseproject, working under commission by the government of NYC, is trying to promote bicycle helmet use by making the helmets look more fashionable. While I applaud the effort, uh, yeah. More in link.
So, a new Mike Aitken video came out a couple days ago.
While I was watching it I couldn’t help but thing about how much Aitken looked like Jason Becker when he has his traech.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jason’s story. In the 80′s he founded an instrumental metal band called Cacophany with a similarly young Marty Friedman. When Cacophany broke up Marty went on to join the Rust in Peace era Megadeth (version 3? version 4? Does the version with Kerry King on guitar that lasted for 30 seconds even count?) while Jason got the most coveted sideman spot in all shreddom, replacing Steve Vai in David Lee Roth’s solo band.
Top of the world, right?
Right after he found out that he had the gig, he found out that he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gherig’s Disease. ALS results in complete physical paralysis and in many cases, death. Jason’s already way outlived predictions on his life, but the paralysis thing…much like Stephen Hawking Jason communicates through an eye activated computer. He still writes music, but he can no longer play it. He can’t talk and on a good day he might be able to shake a finger.
Aitken went down on a trick that he could do in his sleep in a place that he’d ridden a billion times. He wasn’t doing anything crazy, just riding and he had to learn how to walk again. He was, honestly, lucky.
Next time you’re thinking about going out without a helmet, check the video. It’s worth it as a reminder.
SOLIDSTEEL Johno & the Church Gap from Clint on Vimeo.
So, this video has made the BMX blog rounds. A guy (almost) jumps the infamous Austin Church Gap, detonates his rear wheel and destroys his bars.
Alright
So, in the last handful of years one of the best riders in the sport lost the use of his limbs, two people have died and one of the most influential of new school riders had a career defining accident (Aitken’s career is now seperated into “pre accident” and “post accident”). After Aitken’s fall there was a lot of talk about helmets and safety gear in BMX. That talk lasted for about two days, and now we have this. Before jumping this massive gap, kid adjusts his baseball cap.
Alright, his choice I guess (and I have to laugh at all the people who say they hate freestyle MTBs because they’re the wrong tool for the job. Fully suspended mountain bikes were designed from the ground up to handle massive gaps, but I digress). Here’s the problem. While not a lot of people are saying that this guy was an idiot for trying this in jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap, the few that have have received the oh so hardcore reaction of “BMX is dangerous!!!!” “You’re a communist!!!!!!” “That’s why my parents have insurance!!!!!”
I just don’t get why a large majority of BMXers seem to be, at best, apathetic about safety gear and a small, but extremely vocal, minority seem to not only be actively opposed to it, but offended by the very idea that anyone would suggest that wearing safety gear is a good idea. Yeah, BMX is dangerous, (and, in fact two of my above examples either happened while safety gear was being worn or it wouldn’t have mattered anyway) but, sheesh, while other dangerous activities seek to mitigate the possibility of a horrible, painful death BMXers seem to want to increase it. I can’t see NASCAR drivers screaming that they don’t want roll cages, but Lord forbid you suggest BMXers wear helmets.
Anyway, back to the video. I’m glad the dude walked away…but he’s still an idiot.
