MTV's Jackass and its three successful spinoff movies made stars out of its cast of amateur
stuntmen, but that fame was fleeting for some.
Cast member Bam Margera lingered on in Viva La Bam, where he relentlessly pranked and
attacked his family, as well as Bam's Unholy Union, which documented part of an ill-fated
marriage.
The Margera era of MTV is long over, but what's the real reason we don't hear from Bam Margera
anymore?
Indie film interest
In 2003, Margera directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in the low-budget Haggard, a comedy starring
many members of the Jackass collective, which was loosely based on Ryan Dunn's real-life
relationships.
"Look what she's doing to you."
"I wanna know what'll make you feel better, right now."
In 2007, Margera began filming the sequel, Minghags.
Combined, the two films cost just over $1 million and were released directly to DVD.
Also straight to DVD in 2008: Margera's holiday comedy, Bam Margera Presents: Where the ♯$&% Is
Santa?
Even though the films earned mixed reviews, they weren't enough to secure Margera's acting
legacy.
The Note
Running a bar, restaurant, or concert venue isn't easy, but in 2008 Margera opened The
Note in his hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania.
It took two years to open, during which time Margera fought numerous community objections
to the club, due in part to his reputation.
The bar had to agree to plenty of concessions just to open and was also forced to hire extra
security personnel.
"Basically I've spent about $40 grand a year in just bar tabs at other people's bars in
Westchester, so I figure I'd probably save money if I opened up my own place."
While Margera remained a partner and often spent time there, a 2010 incident at the club
caused him to distance himself from the location.
A neighborhood resident named Elizabeth Ray went to the club one night to complain about
the noise.
She claims Margera was not only dismissive of her complaints, but made hostile, racist
remarks.
That's when Ray went home, grabbed a baseball bat, and returned to the club to beat Margera
with it.
Margera was treated overnight in a local hospital's intensive care unit for head injuries, had
his head stapled closed, and Ray was arrested on assault and reckless endangerment charges.
It wasn't the first time Ray had fought Margera, reported TMZ.
"She punched me in the face.
Filed a police report.
Then she threatened to kill me twice.
Filed two police reports.
She threatened to kill Missy, my wife, for no reason.
Then she threatened to burn the place down.
And then she hit me over the head with a baseball bat."
Eventually, club operations fell to co-owner Don Moore, who closed it down in 2014 because
he got tired of the long hours.
Marriage Problems
On Viva La Bam, Margera was often seen with his fiancée, Jenn Rivell, but the couple
split up in 2005 A year later, Margera filed a restraining order against her after she
allegedly broke into his house.
In 2006, he proposed to his childhood friend, Missy Rothstein.
The events leading up to their wedding became the subject of Bam's Unholy Union, and while
the couple did get married, it didn't last.
Despite counseling, Margera's alcoholism ultimately destroyed his marriage, and their divorce
was finalized in 2012.
Bam moved on, and in 2013 he married again, this time to artist Nicole Boyd.
Writing and hosting
Margera made the leap to being an author, of a sort, with 2009's Serious as Dog Dirt,
which is essentially a collection of his drawings, personal photos, and random thoughts.
Fans weren't all impressed, unfortunately.
As one disgruntled customer wrote,
"It's like when don vito talks, you can't really understand him, that is how Bam's hand
writing was."
(jibberish)
In 2014, Margera returned to television to host a TBS series called Bam's Bad Ass Game
Show, which invited contestants to complete toned-down stunts similar to the ones on Jackass
for the chance to win $100,000.
It was was cancelled after just six episodes due to poor ratings, and the misfortune of
running against WWE shows and the NBA playoffs, cutting significantly into Margera's fanbase.
Stop the music
"You guys got the new Gnarkill CD?
"They are the ultimate band.
And if you say one more thing, I'll pull your f---ing face off."
"Oh yeah?
Well I think they f---ing suck."
In 2002, Bam started a band called Gnarkill with his brother, Jess Margera of cKy and
Brandon DiCamillo of Jackass.
Margera essentially created the band as an outlet for, as he put it, "getting drunk and
recording songs on [his] tape recorder."
They released two albums before splitting up.
His subsequent band, F—face Unstoppable, also fell apart quickly, with guitarist Chad
Ginsburg quitting the band because he had a hard time watching Bam's alcoholism grow
worse following the loss of Jackass co-star Ryan Dunn.
In 2014, a F—face Unstoppable tour was canceled after just three dates.
Margera also hosted a weekly show titled Radio Bam on Sirius Satellite Radio, but after nearly
a decade on the dial, the show quietly disappeared from the service's lineup in early 2013.
Knocked out cold
In June 2015, Margera was booked to play the Secret Solstice Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Afterward, Margera allegedly got drunk and tried to force his way into the control room.
Two female security guards tried to block him from getting in, triggering a skirmish.
Unfortunately for Bam, the Icelandic rap group Glacier Mafia was nearby and noticed the scuffle;
the rappers intervened and gave Margera such a beatdown that he was knocked out.
Family therapy
In 2015, Margera and his mother April appeared on VH1's Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn.
After the incident in Iceland, April Margera realized something had to be done and she
contacted the producers of Family Therapy to stage an intervention, fearing that Bam
was going to die.
A far cry from the relationship depicted on Viva La Bam, the show reportedly led to Bam
sobering up, giving up booze cold turkey.
Earth Rocker
In 2015, Margera announced that he was transitioning from reality TV to its brainier cousin, documentary
filmmaking.
He released a trailer for a film he claimed to have been working on for three years called
I Need Time to Stay Useless, about his journey from poverty to Jackass fame and how he dealt
with Dunn's loss.
Margera also planned to include dreamlike scripted sequences about Dunn, to be portrayed
by Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds.
As of 2016, the movie, retitled Earth Rocker, has yet to be released outside of a handful
of test screenings.
"I don't go out anymore, because I hate every f---er and I don't care what they're up to.
Four years I wasted, sipping on drinks at the bar.
Chitchatting with f---ing nobodies.
Now I stay at home, like a f---ing hermit."
Hopefully it'll come out before too long, and we'll all be saying "Viva la Bam" again
soon...
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