Dan Bilzerian is the guy infamously known for throwing porn stars into pools, shooting guns and blowing up his own bus. He is a self-proclaimed “flashy lunatic” but I knew there was something more to him than the craziness, so I sat down with him to find out.
Does Dan Bilzerian like London?
Dan Bilzerian, unsurprisingly, doesn’t describe himself as a ‘city guy’. Probably because there’s not enough room for jet-skis and firing assault rifles. He elaborates that while he prefers London to New York, the expense of the British city turns Dan off. Describing London as ‘more expensive than Los Angeles’ with more authentic people.
“Unapologetically Myself”
Responding to a quote of one of Bilzerian’s favourite authors, Henry David Theroux: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” He describes himself as “unapologetically myself”, ever his own man. Dan admires celebrities like Cardi B for speaking their mind and not adhering to ‘political correctness’.
Headlines such as “Dan Bilzerian throws porn-star off a roof”, “Dan Bilzerian arrested at LAX on federal bomb-making charges”, Dan admits, are designed to grab attention. And that a great deal of the attention he attracts are as a result of these exaggerated out-of-context stories that don’t necessarily report the news authentically. Bilzerian agrees that such a culture is being monopolised by such figures as Donald Trump to maintain popularity.
With 44 million people watching his lavish antics, Dan believes the Dan Bilzerian phenomenon comes down to his audience’s envy of his lifestyle. Describing it as ‘unfortunate’ that the average person does what they’re told to do by society. Eluding to the idea that ‘stepping outside the box’ would lead people to a more exciting life.
Social media was just a tool to get laid
When Bilzerian is described as a ‘social media genius’ and asked how it was done, Dan explains that it all began as a convenient way to ‘get laid’. An objective that he was less successful in during high school and, of course, Navy SEAL training. He elaborates that he became a “flashy lunatic” as a result of not getting enough attention as a child. Growing up in a wealthy family, Dan explains that his father chose not to indulge in the fast boats, fancy cars and expensive watches, but his neighbours did. So, when he made his own money, he couldn’t resist the temptation.
Fame is isolating
“The more the spotlight is on you, the more you don’t want it.” Dan says echoing the sentiment of many in the spotlight. Adding his own spin on this, he says “Just going out is such a production… You need security, you know you’re going to have to take a bunch a pictures and talk to people. And if you go out and you’re fucking high, you don’t wanna talk to a bunch of strangers. You know?” He describes having considered swimming around a group of fans while tripping on magic mushrooms on a peninsula in the Greek island of Mykonos.
Dan Bilzerian on magic mushrooms
Reflecting on a piece of philosophy Dan posted on his instagram from Alan Watts, he exclaims: “Pleasure seeking is not the same as going after happiness.” and “Later in life, you start to realise that doing shit for other people makes you more stoked than buying shit for yourself.” He then goes on to describe Watts’ view of God as a collective essence of everyone and everything. While on the topic of God and the divine, Dan reveals his self-awareness saying that “Chasing money and girls is not what brings you happiness, but I still fucking do it”.
When asked where he does find happiness, Dan Bilzerian lists; adventure, building things, helping others, surfing, being out in the sun, working out, and of course, sex. Dan describes the best day of his life which was spent on a beach taking magic mushrooms with his best friends.
