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BMX, Hollywood Mike Miranda, Dirty Fest, RAD movie, BMX racing, podcast, BMX history, cycling community, BMX culture, BMX events


Summary

In this engaging conversation, Hollywood Mike Miranda shares his journey from being a top BMX racer to becoming a beloved figure in the BMX community. He discusses his early influences, the creation of Dirty Fest, and the Dirty Knobs podcast, as well as his unexpected involvement in the cult classic movie RAD. The conversation highlights the camaraderie within the BMX culture and the joy of sharing experiences with friends and family.

Takeaways

Hollywood Mike Miranda embodies the spirit of BMX culture.
Dirty Fest is a highly anticipated annual event for BMX enthusiasts.
The Dirty Knobs podcast serves as a marketing arm for Dirty Fest.
Miranda's involvement in RAD was a spontaneous decision that led to unexpected fame.
The filming of RAD involved unique challenges and experiences for the BMX riders.
Miranda's practical jokes on set showcased his fun-loving personality.
The BMX community is characterized by strong friendships and shared experiences.
Miranda's career spans over 45 years in the bike industry.
The nostalgia surrounding RAD continues to impact Miranda's life today.
Miranda emphasizes the importance of having fun in BMX and life.


Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Conversation
00:00 Insights and Takeaways
00:08 Introduction and Holiday Spirit
03:12 The BMX Journey Begins
06:10 Dirty Fest: The Ultimate BMX Reunion
09:18 The Dirty Knobs Podcast
12:10 Hollywood's Role in RAD
15:17 Behind the Scenes of RAD
18:07 Life on Set and Stunt Work
21:12 Reflections on BMX History
24:04 Current Endeavors and Family Life

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Sam Bernard, Rad, BMX, filmmaking, Hal Needham, cult classic, movie history, Hollywood, BMX culture, family influence

Summary

In this engaging conversation, Sam Bernard shares his journey from his early life in New York City to becoming a filmmaker in Hollywood. He discusses the influence of his family, particularly his father, a Broadway actor, and the pivotal moments that shaped his career. The conversation delves into the making of the cult classic film 'Rad,' the challenges faced during its production, and the unexpected legacy it has created over the years. Sam reflects on the film's impact on fans and its status as a beloved classic in BMX culture.

Tony and screenwriter Sam Bernard sit down for a neighborly, story-packed conversation about Sam’s life, his Hollywood upbringing, and the origin and legacy of Rad. Sam shares how he was born in New York City to a Broadway/film actor father and a politically active mother, then moved to Los Angeles when his dad’s film career took off. That family history dropped him right into the middle of serious acting circles—Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Marlon Brando—and eventually into work with Norman Lear and later classic directors like Miloš Forman and Hal Needham.

Sam tells a series of vivid Hollywood stories: growing up around legendary actors, working as Norman Lear’s driver and production assistant on shows like Good Times, being casually handed Jimmy Walker’s baby blue Mercedes 450SL for a date, and running errands for Orson Welles. From there, the conversation pivots into how Sam discovered BMX at a small Santa Monica park, saw kids flying off ramps, and realized there was a movie hiding in this new bike culture. That spark became Rad: originally pitched through Hal Needham as “Rocky on a bike,” about a small-town paperboy who becomes a world champion.

They talk through the rapid writing of the first draft (nine days), the early working title Balls Out, getting the film financed for around $3 million, and shooting in Calgary under Hal’s fun, stunt-driven style, with John Schwartzman filming the iconic opening sequence. Sam recalls the heartbreak of Rad tanking in theaters despite strong test screenings—but also its resurrection as a cult classic on home video, as fans rented and re-rented VHS copies and later cherished bootlegs. The two dive into the long, messy tangle of rights and finances that kept Rad buried for years, the misunderstandings around Talia Shire’s role in that, and how the film’s cult following has only grown, now with parents introducing it to their kids. They end by reflecting on Rad’s enduring emotional power, the community around it, and plans to reconnect around upcoming 40th-anniversary events.

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BMX legend Eddie Fiola – the King of the Skateparks and the stunt double behind Cru Jones in RAD – sits down with me to talk about building Stingrays to look like dirt bikes, chasing down Bob Osborn for that first magazine shot, landing in RAD as Cru’s stunt double, and how all of that led to a long career crashing bikes for Hollywood.
In this episode of the RAD The Movie Podcast, Eddie and I go way back to:
• Growing up on Schwinn Stingrays, turning them into “mini motorcycles,” and dreaming of being Evel Knievel
• Discovering BMX magazines at the local bike shop and getting hooked on freestyle over racing
• The legendary run home-and-back to Lakewood Skatepark to convince Bob Osborne to shoot him – and how that turned into his first full-page color in BMX Action
• Touring, contests, and how being “the guy on top” made Hollywood start calling
• How Hal Needham and Sam Bernard found him through the mags and chose him as Cru’s stunt double for RAD
• Why Bill Allen had to dye his hair to look like Eddie (and not the other way around)
• Six wild weeks in Calgary filming Helltrack, dealing with crazy weather, and living by the daily call sheet
• How the fade of 80s BMX and the rise of mountain bikes pushed him into stunt work
• Working on Pacific Blue, Spider-Man 2 & 3, Contraband, and what it’s really like to be “the bike guy” on set
• The surreal day on The Hangover when Ed Helms sprinted over to geek out about RAD tricks – and tried to help get the movie released properly
• Why today’s riders stand on the shoulders (and wrecked joints) of the pioneers, and how learning to crash became a superpower in the stunt world
• Getting older in a young person’s sport, thinking about pension vs. pavement, and why Eddie still feels like he’s at the kids’ table – on a kid’s bike
If you love RAD, 80s BMX, stunt work, or just good stories from someone who was there when it all blew up, you’re going to love this one.
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