"And then he shot you twice for flinching."
July 11, 2013 8:20 AM   Subscribe

Dave Shumka's account of being shot after a comedy show is equal parts hilarious and terrifying. (Starts at 4:25)

Shumka was in attendance at fellow Stop Podcasting Yourself host Graham Clark's wrestling-themed comedy show, featuring wrestling comedian Colt Cabana. Dave, Graham, and Colt sort out the shooting and its aftermath. Local news coverage.
posted by roll truck roll (28 comments total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
 
Clearly he should have been funnier.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 8:31 AM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]


SPY usually comes out earlier in the week but was delayed this week. This now sets the standard for acceptable reasons for other podcasters to deviate from their typical schedule.
posted by mullacc at 8:33 AM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]


I was listening to this on the subway this morning! It's very disturbing because, since these guys are such goofballs, they're sitting there laughing about the ridiculousness of it and making jokes about it and then you gradually realize that, hey, Dave could have died, he KNOWS he could have died, and he's not sure how directly he wants to face that fact. Really worth a listen.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:33 AM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]


Holy crap! Shumka's tumblr has a photo and recap.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:35 AM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]


Ah, I was waiting to hear more about this. I saw a link to the CBC article about the incident on Colt's Twitter the other day, but the video wouldn't play.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:38 AM on July 11, 2013


Also, I found Dave's repeated emphasis that the shooter was mentally ill and that mental illness is a serious societal problem, so they shouldn't joke about the shooter even while joking about everything else, to be very moving. So many people would just be angry, but it sounds like he has nothing but empathy for the man who tried to kill him. What a guy.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:38 AM on July 11, 2013 [19 favorites]


Wow I was listening to this this morning too... I had no idea he was grazed, I know he said he felt his head to see if he was bleeding. He really dodged a bullet.
posted by condour75 at 8:39 AM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]


His recounting emphasizes his empathy for someone who has a mental illness and didn't survive it, which is the classiest thing I've read in quite some time.
posted by xingcat at 8:42 AM on July 11, 2013 [4 favorites]


"All things considered, I’m really lucky. Not only am I alive and didn’t witness him shooting himself, as so many did, I have extremely supportive family and friends, I have an understanding employer, and I have resources to talk to.

The shooter was mentally ill and wasn’t so lucky. The lesson I’m taking away from this is that we need to make mental health a priority in ourselves and in our communities. Support your local mental health organizations in whatever ways you can, financially and by forcing politicians to take the issue more seriously. If you live in Vancouver, this is a good place to donate." - From Dave's Tumblr post about it linked above.

I also am really impressed. Just started listening to the podcast and it is at once funny and an interesting account of how people respond to violence, as promised.
posted by lookoutbelow at 8:46 AM on July 11, 2013 [4 favorites]


As I ground my way through listening to that account, I started to wonder if he were shot at for laughing at his own jokes.

Of course, I'm also glad he and the other target are okay and impressed with his respect for the mentally ill.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:46 AM on July 11, 2013


Holy crap. For folks that don't know who Dave Shumka is, he's a great comedian and rising star from Canada, but also he was the guy behind the "Are these your drums?" Letterman supercut that went everywhere a couple weeks ago.
posted by mathowie at 8:54 AM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]


As I ground my way through listening to that account, I started to wonder if he were shot at for laughing at his own jokes.

As a long time fan of Dave and his podcast, I'm probably having a stronger reaction than I would to random snark than in an ordinary thread, but what a dick thing to say.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:59 AM on July 11, 2013 [11 favorites]


I'm sorry. You're right, and I'm sorry I wrote it.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 9:04 AM on July 11, 2013 [10 favorites]


That bullet literally parted his hair. It left him with a long scratch along his scalp. Yikes.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 9:12 AM on July 11, 2013


Jesus Christ, this has been a bad week for really awesome people on podcasts that I listen to. Unutterably glad to hear he's okay.
posted by penduluum at 9:37 AM on July 11, 2013


SPY usually comes out earlier in the week but was delayed this week. This now sets the standard for acceptable reasons for other podcasters to deviate from their typical schedule.

The Bombcast still released this week on time, and I laughed and cried the whole way through.
posted by kmz at 9:46 AM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]


Whats the other news penduluum? :(
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:47 AM on July 11, 2013


I assume penduluum is talking about Ryan Davis.
posted by demiurge at 9:51 AM on July 11, 2013


Oh yeah :C
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:03 AM on July 11, 2013


As a long time fan of Dave and his podcast, I'm probably having a stronger reaction than I would to random snark than in an ordinary thread, but what a dick thing to say.

He states explicitly at the beginning of the podcast that not only is he OK with jokes, so long as they're directed at him and not the other victims or the shooter, he wants jokes on the topic. I can think of no better way to honor his experience and his courage in dealing with it than cracking a tasteless joke within the bounds he set.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:05 AM on July 11, 2013


It took me a while to understand the significance of Dave saying he'd hoped the shooter died. The shooter clearly needed mental help, but Dave had no faith in the criminal justice system's ability to help the shooter get that help.
posted by roll truck roll at 10:18 AM on July 11, 2013


Jesus Christ, this has been a bad week for really awesome people on podcasts that I listen to.

What else happened?
posted by drezdn at 10:32 AM on July 11, 2013


Oh, I just realized what else you were probably talking about.
posted by drezdn at 10:33 AM on July 11, 2013


Yeah, read about this last night when he posted on tumblr. Think it's great that he talked about and has such empathy about the mental illness part of it.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 10:38 AM on July 11, 2013


roll truck roll: It took me a while to understand the significance of Dave saying he'd hoped the shooter died. The shooter clearly needed mental help, but Dave had no faith in the criminal justice system's ability to help the shooter get that help.

It could be that, or that having shot himself in the head and done a lot of damage, he was unlikely to recover a meaningful quality of life.
posted by Mitrovarr at 11:02 AM on July 11, 2013


Good point.
posted by roll truck roll at 11:18 AM on July 11, 2013


roll truck roll: It took me a while to understand the significance of Dave saying he'd hoped the shooter died. The shooter clearly needed mental help, but Dave had no faith in the criminal justice system's ability to help the shooter get that help.

Mitrovarr: It could be that, or that having shot himself in the head and done a lot of damage, he was unlikely to recover a meaningful quality of life.


I don't think it was either of these. My take is that his gut instinct was to want his attacker to be gone. Upon reflection I can see how it would be disturbing to have thought that.
posted by mullacc at 12:09 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]


I don't think it was either of these. My take is that his gut instinct was to want his attacker to be gone.

This is what I got out of that statement as well. And I think it's a pretty human thing to admit, especially in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:51 PM on July 11, 2013


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