Back in February, a “home free” hitchhiker named Kai (legal name Caleb Lawrence) became a viral sensation when he whacked a dude with a hatchet. That dude, who Kai was hitching a ride with, claimed to be Jesus Christ, then purposefully ran over a utility worker and proceeded to attack a woman who tried to help in Fresno, California. That's when Kai stepped in and with a “SMASH, SMASH, Suh-MASH!” stopped the guy. Then he gave an interview to a local television station that, as you can see above, defies easy categorization. Since then the 24-year-old wanderer has gained a cult following, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and claims to have a reality show in the works. Speaking of, he's looking for a drummer to join him for the show, if anyone is interested.
Kai's background is hazy. He speaks of a fundamentalist-Christian-cult upbringing that he describes as, “The scariest thing I ever saw.” He left his Christian background to live on a Native American reservation, where he earned the name Kai after a spirit walk. He says the one religion that has positively affected him is “witchcraft,” and he carries around a set of voodoo cards, which he told me he had dedicated to Sofia, the goddess of wisdom. He'd spent the two years prior to getting in the car with the man who unknowingly changed his life “living in sailboats, houseboats, going out surfing on islands, hopping in cars with people I didn't know, and traveling the country. Jumping off cliffs into lakes, going to music festivals, playing music in parks. Just random, spontaneous awesome all the time.”
Kai doesn't have a driver's license, a social security card, or a passport. I was told he was impossible to get in touch with, but through my incredible stalking abilities, we became friends. Kai called me up the other day from artist David Quadrini's house in Venice Beach to fill me in on life since moving into the public eye. Oh yeah, and he really wants to go sailing, if anyone has a sailboat they want to invite him on. He requested that I mention that.
As his skills with a hatchet might suggest, Kai has a violent steak. I asked him if he had any negative experiences post-internet fame, expecting stories along the lines of a TV producer exploiting him. Rather, he derailed into a tale of brushing his teeth in a bar bathroom.
VICE: What’s up with this other fight you got into, after the hatchet incident?
Kai: I was washing my teeth, and this dude's like, "What the fuck are you doing brushing your teeth in here?" I was like, "Uh.... When was the last time you got laid?" He was like, "Wednesday, how about you?" And I was like, "II can't call it." And then we got in a bit of a tizzle. He's a 210-pound douche-monkey looking at me thinking he can bully me around because I'm skinny. I weigh 160, 165 soaking wet. And, um, his face was split up to the point where I think he needed surgery. I guess brushing my teeth in a bar washroom just kind of attracts bullies, but whatever.