Bam Margera
Bam Margera | |
---|---|
Born | Brandon Cole Margera September 28, 1979 |
Occupation(s) | Professional skateboarder, stunt performer, actor, musician, filmmaker, television personality |
Years active | 1998–present |
Spouse(s) | Melissa "Missy" Rothstein (2007–2012) Nicole Boyd (2013–present) |
Website | www |
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera[2] (/mɑːrˈdʒɛərə/ or mar-JAIR-ə; born September 28, 1979) is an American professional skateboarder, stunt performer, actor, musician, filmmaker, and television personality. He came to prominence after appearing in MTV's Jackass crew. He has since appeared in MTV's Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union, all three Jackass movies, and Haggard and Minghags, both of which he co-wrote and directed.
Early life
Margera was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the son of April (née Cole) and Phil Margera. He is the younger brother of Jess Margera and nephew of Vincent Margera. His grandfather nicknamed him "Bam" at the age of three after his habit of running into walls.[3] He attended East High School and cites friend Chris Raab as his only reason for attending high school.
Career
Television and film
Margera began shooting videos of himself and his friends skateboarding and doing stunts, which eventually turned into the CKY video series.[4] He independently released CKY. CKY2K, CKY3 and CKY4 have also been released. CKY stands for "Camp Kill Yourself", a reference to the film Sleepaway Camp. These early videos feature many of Margera's friends, including Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Rake Yohn, Chris Raab, Brandon Novak and others who form a loose collective known as the CKY Crew. CKY is also the name of a rock band featuring his brother Jess, and the history and relationship between the video and band projects is heavily interlinked.
Following the CKY success, former Big Brother editor Jeff Tremaine noticed Margera's videos and drafted him into the team which would eventually become MTV's Jackass. Margera and Ryan Dunn became mainstays of the cast while other CKY crew members played supporting roles to various degrees. Margera went on to appear in Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, and Jackass 3D. Several skits in the first Jackass movie were CKY style pieces filmed in and around West Chester, but similar scenes in the second movie were removed after the arrest of Margera's uncle Vincent Margera.
After Jackass, Margera was given his own MTV series entitled Viva La Bam, which ran for five seasons between 2003–2005. The show followed Margera and his crew as they performed various stunts and missions. The show was primarily filmed in West Chester, Pennsylvania but also visited New Orleans, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Brazil, Finland, Mexico, Amsterdam and Transylvania. In addition to the regular series, special episodes have included "Viva La Spring Break" and a "lost" episode included on the Viva La Bands CD.
Following the show, in 2007, Margera was engaged and the wedding was filmed for Bam's Unholy Union as a follow-up to Viva la Bam. The show follows Margera, his then fiancée Melissa Rothstein and their friends in the lead-up to their wedding.[5] Also in 2008, Margera had a "prominent, non-sex role in" a pornographic film by Gina Lynn called The Fantasstic Whores 4 with Brandon Novak.[6]
In 2009, Margera appeared on Nitro Circus.[7]
In October 2010, Margera appeared in Jackass 3D and the movie broke box office records.[8] He visited Europe doing press for the movie in late October.[9]
Margera appears with Dunn and pro-skateboarder Tim O'Connor on Bam's World Domination, a half-hour Spike TV program that debuted on October 13, 2010. The first episode showcased Margera and his friends' attempt to conquer an obstacle course race, in the Tough Guy Competition, held in Staffordshire, England.[10][11]
Skateboarding career
Since 2003, Margera has been a member of Team Element, the demonstration team for Element Skateboards.[12] He is also sponsored by Speed Metal Bearings, Adio Footwear, and Fairman's Skateshop.
Independent films
Margera has written, produced and starred in three independent films. Margera co-wrote, directed and starred in Haggard (2003), an independent film based on real events in the life of his friend Ryan Dunn. Dunn played himself as the main character while Margera played "Valo", a character based on himself and elements of HIM singer and friend Ville Valo.[13]
Margera also directed Minghags, formerly titled Kiss a Good Man's Ass.[14] The film is a loose sequel to Haggard and will feature the "garbage juicer" invention from that film.[15] This film was confirmed on Radio Bam and the front page of FilthyNote Records by Tim Glomb. Filming started April 5, 2007.[16] On an episode of Radio Bam, Margera said that they are trying to make the movie PG-13 rated,[17] but with the amount of swearing and a shot of nudity, an 'R' Rating could not be avoided.[18] They had its first viewing of the rough version of the film on August 7, 2007, at Sikes Hall.[19] The movie was released straight to DVD in December 2008.
Subsequently, Margera released a Christmas-themed movie entitled Bam Margera Presents: Where the#$&% Is Santa? in December 2008.[20] The movie is about Bam and his friends going to the Arctic Circle in Finland on a quest to find Santa Claus. The film features Ville Valo from HIM, The Dudesons, Hanoi Rocks, Mark the Bagger, and more.[20]
Radio Bam and music
Margera began a weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show on Sirius channel 28 Faction on November 24, 2004 called Radio Bam. The show features Margera along with friends from the CKY and Jackass crews.
In 2005, Margera started a music label, Filthy Note Records, and has directed music videos for Clutch, Turbonegro, Viking Skull, Vains of Jenna and several for CKY. He also directed seven music videos, "Buried Alive By Love", "The Sacrament", "And Love Said No", and "Solitary Man", for the Finnish band HIM, and three for The 69 Eyes, "Lost Boys", "Dead Girls are Easy" and "Dead N Gone". He also plays the keyboard in a novelty band called Gnarkill along with Brandon DiCamillo, Jess Margera, Rich Vose and Matt Cole.
Margera's hip hop project, Fuckface Unstoppable, was written about in 2013 on the Buddyhead website and the article questions the seriousness of the band ("a joke band(?)"). The band featured Margera, his brother, his girlfriend and Brandon Novak. Chad Ginsburg, from CKY, was the band's guitarist before quitting.[21]
Documentary
In January 2015, Margera announced that he had been working on an autobiographical documentary film which he hoped to premiere in the near future. On April 9, the first trailer for the film, entitled I Need Time To Stay Useless, was released to YouTube and other media outlets. The film will deal primarily with Margeras life after the death of his close friend and co-star, Ryan Dunn, who died in a car crash in 2011. According to Margera the film has been three years in the making, and will give viewers a glimpse into his childhood, career and rise to fame, while focusing mainly on his recovery from the death of Dunn.[22] Musician Brent Hinds of the band Mastodon will play Dunn in what has been described as "dramatic fantasy interludes" that ties the film together while also re-enacting what Margera considers his "darkest moments" after Dunns death.[23]
Other projects
Margera has been animated as a character in pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk's video games Pro Skaters 3 and 4, Underground and Underground 2, American Wasteland, Project 8 and Proving Ground. He also voiced a character in the video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. He made cameo appearances in the movies Grind and Destroying America.
In late September 2008, Margera opened a bar/theater called "The Note", in his hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania.[24]
In late 2009, Margera released a book containing private writings and pictures titled Serious as Dog Dirt.[25]
Personal life
Relationships
Margera was engaged to Jenn Rivell, a divorced single mother. Rivell played a prominent part in several of his projects and the couple appeared to be cohabiting in various episodes of Viva La Bam. However, the relationship ended in 2005.[26] In November 2006, Margera filed for "Protection From Abuse" from Rivell after she allegedly broke into his house.[26]
In 2006 Margera became engaged to childhood friend Melissa "Missy" Rothstein.[27] The events leading up to their wedding (with about 350 friends and family in attendance) on February 3, 2007, in downtown Philadelphia, were chronicled on the MTV series Bam's Unholy Union—the couple's honeymoon was in Dubai. In 2008, during an appearance on LA Ink, Margera told Kat Von D about US$13,000 in damages that was caused during his wedding celebration, explaining, "I was kind of ready for it, though. I was like: 'I’m inviting the Jackass crew. If something doesn’t get broken then that’s not right'."[28][29]
In July 2009, Margera was taken from his West Chester home to hospital by paramedics and state troopers after Missy called 911 following a four-day alcohol binge.[30] In regard to the drinking binge, Margera said, "I may get a divorce... booze helps."[30] In October 2010, Margera told Howard Stern that he and Missy were living in separate cities, they meet once a week, and that Missy knew about his girlfriends in San Francisco and West Chester.[31][32] The couple divorced in November 2012.[33]
On October 5, 2013, Margera married Nicole Boyd in Reykjavík, Iceland.[34]
Name, residence and assault
In an October 24, 2007 interview with the Cleveland Free Times, Margera stated that although he had completed paperwork that would legally change his first name to Bam, he was "still debating" filing it after a conversation with his father.[2]
Margera currently resides in "Castle Bam", a large house in Wawaset, Pennsylvania. The house has a gothic theme, a skatepark in the driveway and is situated on 14 acres (57,000 m2) of land. In January 2007, Margera built a ramp in his backyard, near the old casino seen in Viva La Bam. The ramp itself caused trouble with the township.[35] Margera's parents and select members of the CKY Crew lived in the house while shooting Viva La Bam, with Margera's uncle residing in a house on the property.
On Saturday, June 12, 2010, Margera was allegedly attacked with a baseball bat outside of his bar, The Note, in West Chester, Pennsylvania.[36] Margera spent the night at Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he was treated for head injuries. According to Elizabeth Ray, the alleged assailant, Margera used "the n-word, with black in front of it".[36] Ray denies attacking Margera.[36] Margera, on the other hand, denies having said the words, claiming "I called her a crazy bitch and an idiot, but I definitely didn't use the n-word".[37]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Jackass: The Movie | Himself | Writer |
2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Irish Dock Worker | Cameo |
2003 | Grind | Himself | |
2003 | Haggard: The Movie | Valo | Writer, director, executive producer |
2006 | Jackass Number Two | Himself | Co-producer |
2006 | The Dudesons Movie | Himself | |
2007 | Jackass 2.5 | Himself | Co-producer |
2008 | Bam Margera Presents: Where the ♯$&% Is Santa? | Himself | Writer, director, producer, executive producer |
2008 | The Fantasstic Whores 4 | Himself | Cameo |
2009 | Minghags: The Movie | Lenny | Writer, director, executive producer |
2010 | Jackass 3D | Himself | Co-producer |
2011 | Jackass 3.5 | Himself | Co-producer |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000–2002 | Jackass | Himself | Starred 25 episodes |
2003–2006 | Viva La Bam | Himself | Co-creator, executive producer |
2005–2012 | Punk'd | Himself | Host 2 episodes |
2006–2009 | The Dudesons | Himself | 2 episodes |
2007 | Bam's Unholy Union | Himself | Co-creator, executive producer |
2008 | Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover | Himself | TV special |
2009 | Nitro Circus | Himself | 3 episodes |
2010 | Bam's World Domination | Himself | Co-creator, director, executive producer |
2011 | A Tribute to Ryan Dunn[38] | Himself | TV special |
2012 | Loiter Squad | Himself | Guest star |
2014 | Bam's Bad Ass Game Show | Himself | Co-creator, executive producer |
2014 | CKY: The Greatest Hits[39] | Himself | TV special |
DVDs and videos
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1999 | Landspeed presents: CKY | Himself |
2000 | CKY2K | Himself |
2001 | CKY3 | Himself |
2001 | CKY Documentary | Himself |
2001 | Hook-Ups Presents: Destroying America | Himself |
2002 | CKY4: The Latest & Greatest | Himself |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | Himself | |
2002 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | Himself | |
2003 | Tony Hawk's Underground | Himself | |
2004 | Tony Hawk's Underground 2 | Himself | |
2005 | Tony Hawk's American Wasteland | Himself | |
2006 | Tony Hawk's Project 8 | Himself | |
2006 | Scarface: The World Is Yours | Liquor Store Owner | Voice |
2007 | Tony Hawk's Proving Ground | Himself |
Discography
- With CKY
- Volume 2 (1999)
- With Gnarkill
- Gnarkill (2002)
- GnarKill vs. Unkle Matt and the ShitBirdz (2006)
- With Fuckface Unstoppable
- Fuckface Unstoppable (2014)
Bibliography
- Bam Margera, Serious as Dog Dirt (MTV; November 17, 2009) ISBN 1-4391-4773-6
References
- ^ "Dan Gross: Margera at the Murano". Philadelphia Daily News. August 5, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ a b Niesel, Jeff. "Soundcheck: Bam Margera: Jackass/international Celebrity". Retrieved October 24, 2006. [dead link ]
- ^ Nieratko, Chris. "Big Bro Interview". Retrieved August 20, 2006.
- ^ "Bam Margera, 21, making the leap to fame". Tribune News Service. July 19, 2001. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (December 14, 2006). ""MTV makes room for Margera", Hollywood Reporter, 2006-12-14". The Hollywood Reporter.
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: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) [dead link ] - ^ "The Fantasstic Whores 4". AVN. 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Did Bam OD, or was he thirsty?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009. [dead link ]
- ^ Jackass 3D' box office boom, New York Daily News, October 18, 2010
- ^ "'Jackass 3D' blows up the competition with $50-million opening". Los Angeles Times. October 17, 2010.
- ^ 'Bam's World Domination' Premieres on Spike TV Wednesday, October 13, PR Newswire, September 20, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010
- ^ "To Daniels, a 'Precious' film". Philadelphia Inquirer. October 20, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2009. [dead link ]
- ^ "Team Element: Bam Margera". Element Skateboards. 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
- ^ Ahlroth, Jussi. "HIM: the metamorphoses of Ville Valo". HELSINGIN SANOMAT. Archived from the original on July 12, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
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(help) - ^ Epstein, Daniel Robert. "Bam Margera Interview". UnderGroundOnline. Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ April 2, 2007 episode of Radio Bam on Sirius 28 Faction.
- ^ "Radio Bam". Radio Bam. Episode 114. April 02, 2007.
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(help) - ^ IMDb.com.
- ^ "Radio Bam". Radio Bam. Episode 127. July 30, 2007.
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(help) - ^ a b "Official Bam Margera Presents: Where the #$&% Is Santa?". bammargeradvd.com. 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Dan Ozzi (April 26, 2013). "Bam Margera's Joke Band(?) Fuckface Unstoppable". Buddyhead. Buddyhead. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ The Lad Bible
- ^ [1]
- ^ Klein, Michael (December 17, 2007). "No joke: Prankster wants to open hometown theater". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved January 16, 2007.
- ^ "Serious as Dog Dirt". Simon & Schuster. December 17, 2009. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b Fanelli, Brian (November 4, 2006). "Margera files for protection". Daily Local News. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17421112&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6 archive.org link
- ^ "Bam in the slammer," Philadelphia Daily News, March 7, 2006 link
- ^ DFTFamily (June 10, 2009). "Bam Margera LA Ink" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ^ $13,000 Worth of damage at his wedding – Bam Scape[dead link ] [dead link ]
- ^ a b "Bam Margera leaves hospital after being 'dehydrated' from four-day bender". New York Daily News. July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
- ^ YouTube (October 18, 2010). "Bam Margera interview". Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ The Howard Stern Show (September 19, 2006). "Bam Margera interview". Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ http://www.eonline.com/news/467768/bam-margera-marries-nicole-boyd-in-iceland-watch-now?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-celebritynews&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_celebritynews
- ^ "Radio Bam". Radio Bam. Episode 128. August 06, 2007.
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(help) - ^ a b c "Dan Gross: Police: Woman hit 'Jackass' star Bam Margera with bat". Philadelphia Daily News. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Gross, Dan (June 22, 2010). "Bam Margera denies using racial slur, will testify against alleged attacker". Philly.com. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/shows/a_tribute_to_ryan_dunn/
- ^ http://www.thewrap.com/bam-margera-looks-back-at-his-viral-video-roots-on-mtvs-cky-the-greatest-hits-video/