Wipeout

BMX freestyle pro Rick Thorne has 27 screws in his head. His worst accident was probably a 1996 crash into the corner of a loading dock, which left him with a broken palate and eye socket. "Fluid from my brain was leaking out through my mouth," he imparts. Somehow he pulled himself together in time to compete again two months later and in 2007 rode the side of a moving semi for the Discovery Channel's Stunt Junkies program. Known for his prowess on a 20-inch freestyle bike, perhaps Thorne's greatest trick has been simply staying alive, and he swears he never takes so much as an Advil for his pain. "I think my mind is very strong when it comes to healing," he explains. Nearly 40 years old and a veteran of Tony Hawk's tour, Vans' Warped Tour and the X-Games, Thorne has become something of a multimedia star in recent years, recently appearing in Paul Blart: Mall Cop with Kevin James. This summer he tours with his own bike-and-skate show, Bring the Noize, which will feature competitions that anyone can enter, free swag and live music from Thorne's rock band, Good Guys in Black. Thorne will also ride, which would-be daredevils should take as inspiration. Seeing as he's somehow managed to survive this long, you'll probably be OK. The Bring the Noize tour comes to Eisenbergs Skatepark, 930 E. 15th St. in Plano, at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Visit eisenbergs.com for more info.
Wed., June 17, 6 p.m., 2009