Meet Devil Dan. The Syd Barrett of Roller Derby.

Back in the early 2000s, Dan pitched a group of Austin, TX women on the idea of a modern roller derby that he envisioned as “a crazy circus with these clowns unfortunately stabbing each other, these bears on fire on these unicycles.”

They wrangled that grand scheme in a bit, and launched the first of what would grow to include 300+ amateur roller derby leagues Nationwide without Dan. He is credited with conceiving the brainchild however.

The story is of the revival that began in Austin is detailed in the acclaimed 2007 documentary Hell on Wheels. Check out the trailer below.