He's been described as an inventive wildcard with a passion for all things extreme. And as one of the founding members of the Dallas Stunt Riderz, Remington has traveled the country performing death defying stunts, while also being a successful singer & songwriter whose original pop rock anthems can be heard as the soundtrack to his group’s stunt shows.
Growing up in Dallas, Remington spent a lot of his time around music with his vocal coach mom, who has worked with major A-list performers including Beyonce, Jessica Simpson, Kevin Haley and Chase Crawford. The early exposure led him to learn to play the piano, saxophone, guitar, drums and bass, while honing his skills as a songwriter and vocalist. Remington took a break from wowing crowds to chat with A Hot Cup of Joey.
A Hot Cup Of Joey: How did you get into stunt riding?
Remington: When I was a kid, I was praying for a dirt bike and never got one. My mom was totally fearful of motorcycles and tattoos, and I always wanted both of those. Guess I went against the mold there. My dad was a professional athlete and my mom was a professional singer.
I had these gauges in my ear and my mom asked if I'd take them out. She said she'd do anything if I did, and she promised me a motorcycle. So I got them sewed up the next day, and three months later she got me a motorcycle. A promise is a promise. It was a Yamaha R '06.
The first thing I wanted to do was pop a wheelie, and so I started riding with the Dallas Stunt Riderz. We began getting some recognition, and then a pilot saw us on the news, and asked if we'd do stunts for his air shows.
I never had any interest in music. I was walking with Jessica Simpson when she was 15 on the red carpet and I got pulled aside and was being asked to sign all these autographs, when my album was coming out and all that. And I had been onstage one time and said "Hell no, never again." But Jessica Simpson told me I didn't deserve all that, and it made me think, whoa, I can get the ladies. So I had a decision between playing basketball and making music.
At an airshow we had 9,000 people, and I'm like, this is more than any show I've ever had! We sold out our merch and were signing autographs for like an hour and a half. Soon I thought I should bring my music, and we had 20,000 or 50,000 people showing up. Then my pilot asks if I can edit his music, and I say, "Sure, if you put mine on, too."
Then I thought, what if the A-list artist was performing on stage, but also doing stunts and then joining the airshow in front of everyone's eyes? People have never seen that before.
AHCJ: What do you think makes a song successful?
R: Relevance. It needs to say something to get with people. Even "Turn Down For What?" It's one line, but it resonates with so many people. If you're constantly up with the times, songs in the 70s were huge but might not be hits today. Like the iPhone 1, if you brought that to society today, people would be like, "sorry for you, you're too late."
AHCJ: You've worked with a number of charities, including Falling Whistles [a non-profit organization campaigning for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo], Giving Keys and Krochet Kids. What made you want to really get involved in these charities?
R: How I got into all that is a move on the bike called a Champion, means I'm a badass and I'm conquering something. I had a friend whose mother was dying of cancer, and she threw me a picture of me doing a Champion while she was getting chemo. I was like "Wow, this could be a social movement." The champion could be the logo of a lifestyle. My buddy Alexander got me into using my network and my music in getting involved and spreading the word.
AHCJ: What move are you most proud of?
R: Riding backwards is a proud move for me. Not a lot of people do it, so people are always impressed by that. Anything like tandem stunt-riding is fun. It's scary, and you're responsible for someone's life in your hands, but it makes for a fun time.
AHCJ: What about wipeouts?
R: In all the extreme sports I do, everything since I was a child, I've never compound fractured anything. I have angels over me or something. I've wiped out on highways, and never anything that's longer than a couple weeks recovery time. I've hurt myself worse in basketball than I have in anything else. Broken ankles, hurt fingers, cut up faces. Basketball so far is my most dangerous sport.
AHCJ: What's coming up next for you?
R: I'm coming out with a new album in the fall. Lots more new videos. Remingtonmusic.com. Everybody can Instagram and all that stuff. Catch the fire, it's gonna be fun. Trying to hook up with some energy drinks and build the brand even bigger. Working on a single that is hopefully on the radio, and with any luck we'll have a tour out there, too. We had a million hits in one day because my pilot flew within two feet of a person standing out there and scared the shit out of her.
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