Following the tragic news over the weekend of Scotland’s RockNess festival, in which two punters were severely injured and another dying after failed treatment, comes news of an act who very nearly suffered a similar fate.
Self-described “Comedian, promoter, tour manager, idiot” Bob Slayer managed to break his neck in the closing stunt of his set at UK’s Download festival late last week… and didn’t even realise until later in his comedy tour.
Classic Rock reports that Slayer, who was performing as part of the lead-up schedule to the festival’s main event on the weekend, closed his set with a stunt in which Slayer tucks himself into a wheelie bin and heads into the audience to crowd surf. Traversing the stage and the barrier by way of a wooden plank, Slayer was ferried into the teeming crowd until he was accidentally tipped out of his bin and slammed into the ground.
Speaking to Classic Rock, the comedian said, “I thought I would be okay, protected in a nice safe bin. But ‘oh no’.”
Despite his injury, Slayer finished his bin-bound crowd surf completely unaware of the severe damage to his neck. Slayer then left the Donington-based music festival without seeking medical attention to continue with his scheduled commitments. It wasn’t until another comical stunt “riding a tandem around Chelsea” says Slayer, that he discovered the extent of his injuries.
“I ran over a pedestrian and dislocated my thumb,” says Slayer of his second failed stunt, “It kept popping out and had to be strapped up so we could complete the shoot.”
“I went to hospital where they X-rayed my hand,” he continued, “the diagnosis is: it’s knackered. Then I told them about my neck pain – another X-ray and they discovered that’s busted too. I now have a lovely neck brace, a strapped-up hand and some even lovelier painkillers.”
Slayer had begun his wheelie-bin crowd surf by joking with the festival crowd, “I’m Bob Slayer and this is the last gig I’ll ever do.” It turned out to be some nearly-prophetic words, to which the UK funnyman later noted, “It’s not the last gig I’ll ever do. It could have been… crowdsurfing in wheelie-bins. Those days are behind me now.”
