Comments on: Evel Dead

Evel Dead

Tommy Gnosis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:48:43 -0800

Evel is gone from the world Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel, Jr. (October 17, 1938 - November 30, 2007) was a motorcycle daredevil who has been a household name since the late 1960s, and arguably the most iconic motorbike stuntman of all time. Evel Knievel's highly publicized motorcycle jumps, including his attempt to jump over the Snake River Canyon, claim four of the top 20 most-watched Wide World of Sports events of all time. He enjoyed a lengthy career in this extreme sport despite suffering a series of major injuries during stunts.

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:50:06 -0800

RIP

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:50:26 -0800

In tribute I'm going to line up all of the periods the end up in this thread and jump them.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:51:46 -0800

. If the scroll tag wasn't blocked, my dot would be leaping across the page

By: suckerpunch

suckerpunch — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:54:15 -0800

It appears that the last picture taken of a living, breathing Knievel was with him standing, in his living room, next to Kanye West and throwing some sort of a hand sign.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:54:16 -0800

I hope they shoot his ashes over Snake River Canyon. RIP

By: suckerpunch

suckerpunch — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:54:29 -0800

(also, . )

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:55:22 -0800

Just finished composing my post, dammit.

By: JBennett

JBennett — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:55:25 -0800

I carried this lunch-box/thermos to elementary school every day for years. Fare thee well gentle friend.

By: SentientAI

SentientAI — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:55:30 -0800

Damn. .

By: popcassady

popcassady — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:57:36 -0800

_____/                           \___________

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:58:22 -0800

My mother used to try to keep us from watching him, but Dad was on our side. I think her dislike of Evel's influence had something to do with our tendency to build wooden ramps for bikes. Of course there was that one time a neighborhood kid (successfully !) jumped, on his stingray bike, over his younger brother. Cool!

By: Tommy Gnosis

Tommy Gnosis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:58:26 -0800

Previously on MeFi: here and here.

By: konolia

konolia — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:01:39 -0800

By: chinese_fashion

chinese_fashion — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:02:15 -0800

In Evel's words: "Heaven is a place you can go and drink a lot of draft beer and it don't make you fat ..."

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:03:06 -0800

I CAN HAZ MORE ASCII ARTZ? Also, RIP Evel.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:03:13 -0800

All decent American men should make their peace with Kanye before passing on. God speed.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:04:51 -0800

_______/ ........ \_______ I loved Evel on Wild World of Sports. He got a bad rap on that Snake Canyon thing. RRRRRRRIP

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:05:28 -0800

By: the dief

the dief — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:06:47 -0800

His pinball machine was completely awesome. Now I wanna go back to the Lucky JuJu in Alameda to play.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:07:40 -0800

Thank you, popcassady. Warped minds think alike.

By: Dr-Baa

Dr-Baa — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:07:58 -0800

Wow. I actually didn't see this coming. Like, ever. I figured he had mastered the whole immortality thing.

By: chillmost

chillmost — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:08:28 -0800

o /--\ ( O ) (O) ______ / | / | / | / | _______________/ |.....................................................................................................

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:08:59 -0800

...gentle friend. I do not think you are talking about the same Evel Kneivel that we're talking about. .

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:09:10 -0800

Evel Knievel never did jump a huge carnivorous fish, did he?

By: Cathedral

Cathedral — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:11:18 -0800

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:13:45 -0800

I guess he'll be buried in one of these?

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:15:39 -0800

o /--T O~0 / ......./ ..............

By: edgeways

edgeways — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:16:15 -0800

bummer, he was a friggen icon to many, me too. .

By: First Post

First Post — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:21:20 -0800

standing, in his living room, next to Kanye West and throwing some sort of a hand sign. In the Dirty South we refer to that as "chunkin' the deuce." :) His pinball machine was completely awesome. Someone has done a version of the EK pinball machine for Visual Pinball. It's free, and there are a lot of classic tables there. The Evel toys were my childhood favorite--crank 'em up and let 'em fly. The motorcycle and dragster and funny car were a blast, but nothing touched the replica Sky Cycle. It was much more successful jumping everything in my neighborhood than the real one was in clearing the Snake River...

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:23:58 -0800

The Snake River Canyon jump was a major event in my childhood. I'm not sure anyone could have been cooler to my my fourth grade self in 1974. That man was truly as indestructible as we imagined we were but weren't. .

By: lazaruslong

lazaruslong — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:24:46 -0800

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:25:44 -0800

Oh and like First Post says, those crank-up toys were killer.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:30:12 -0800

Yeah, but he still couldn't successfully jump the Snake River canyon IN A ROCKET.

By: 445supermag

445supermag — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:31:07 -0800

I wonder if Awful Knofel is still alive.

By: Webbster

Webbster — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:31:22 -0800

Did I read yesterday or the day before that he met with Kayne West to make peace with him over West's music video.... He must have known the end of the ramp was approaching.

By: lekvar

lekvar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:31:50 -0800

I only ever was aware of him through the crank-powered toys mentioned above. But those were some bad-ass toys, let me tell you, and for that alone: .

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:33:20 -0800

. Evel, you touched the sky - and you touched this guy. RIP.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:33:32 -0800

I had the battery powered one where the little bike was attached to a battery powered motor via a radial wire arm. You just plugged it in and watched it go round and round. A perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of sniffing model airplane glue.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:34:12 -0800

He road across many a 70s playground. RIP Evil.

By: davebush

davebush — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:35:19 -0800

Suddenly, I'm back on my green Mustang, banana seat, sissy bar...speeding towards that homemade wooden ramp... Truly a 70's icon. Bye, Evel.

By: HappyHippo

HappyHippo — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:36:21 -0800

Truly a master showman and one of the last great hucksters, I often thought he should have spent his last day a few miles south in Gibtown RIP Mighty flyer!

By: cashman

cashman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:37:26 -0800

It appears that the last picture taken of a living, breathing Knievel was with him standing, in his living room, next to Kanye West and throwing some sort of a hand sign. I like to think he was caught on film right in the middle of going to eye-poke Kanye 3-stooges style.

By: Pecinpah

Pecinpah — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:38:15 -0800

--0 ~|\ O'''`O ...That's Evel...ridin' in heaven. .

By: jjg

jjg — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:40:21 -0800

Is this the thread where I can pick up some favorites for ASCII art of a guy on a motorcycle?

By: yhbc

yhbc — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:43:41 -0800

I saw him make a jump at the Oklahoma City fairgrounds sometime in the '70s. RIP, Evel. (and I wish I had been here early enough to do the flying dot ascii, too!)

By: daniel striped tiger

daniel striped tiger — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:48:20 -0800

Mister A- Evel never cleared the carniverous fish. He tried, though, broke both his arms, and never headlined a stunt again. I guess he wanted to quit before he jumped the shark.

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:48:38 -0800

We used to always watch him on Wide World of Sports when I was little. I also had an Evel Knievel lunchbox and all the kids at school made fun of me because I was a girl with a boy's lunchbox.

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:55:26 -0800

I gave this album to a friend before moving across the country last year, so, if he should happen to read this, please play the title track once for me. Somewhere, there's a picture of me at 4 with a Knievel jump suit on. Ah, the 70s. And even if he was bigoted turd, there are just some things I can sometimes overlook when a man jumps shit on motorcycles (and rockets!). RIP.

By: mephron

mephron — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:56:47 -0800

And I'm sure he's revving up the motorcycle to jump the River Styx as we speak.

By: ardgedee

ardgedee — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:57:54 -0800

Some of the places where Evel didn't die: Caesar's Palace, 1967 Snake River Canyon, 1974 Portland, OR, 1973 West Salem, OH, 1974 all through the magic of YouTube.

By: MiltonRandKalman

MiltonRandKalman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:01:36 -0800

I can't wait to meet God, and ask why he didn't make me go faster on some of those jumps, why he put me through all this pain. He knows I'm not evil. EVEL KNIEVEL, SI.com, May 19, 2006

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:09:32 -0800

"I want to go to a Heaven, as a young man in the prime of my life, where there's a motorcycle jump I can make every day and never miss, a golf course where I can par every day and get some birdies and not miss any putts, where there are a lot of good-looking broads, no state tax, no federal tax, and no politicians!" (from Evel Speaks to the Kids)

By: Skygazer

Skygazer — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:12:42 -0800

Evel Knieval was a GOD to boys under 10 in the early 70s. It was nuts, the fever news of his next jump could create. Anyhow, now that he's gone he won't break anymore bones (the legend was that he had broken every bone in his body more than once). .

By: bwg

bwg — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:19:31 -0800

Super Dave Osborne will be crushed when he finds out. .

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:23:50 -0800

He’s not dead. He’s just stunt jumping infinity. .

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:25:09 -0800

By: parki

parki — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:27:12 -0800

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:28:43 -0800

Almost all of my childhood heros are dead. .

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:31:06 -0800

I can think of few things more quintessentially American. .

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:34:33 -0800

I still have his album on vinyl. .

By: Iteki

Iteki — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:36:29 -0800

. 'nother girl with the Evel hero-worship

By: quin

quin — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:40:08 -0800

Because of my youthful observations of the impressive survivability of Evel, I was led to believe I was similarly unkillable, this in turn, lead to many abraded knees and scraped elbows. I guess now I have to start being careful.

By: Foosnark

Foosnark — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:42:40 -0800

. I carried this lunch-box/thermos to elementary school every day for years. So did I. That one and Space:1999.

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:46:48 -0800

Just a couple of days ago he settled a lawsuit. How strange.

By: Henry C. Mabuse

Henry C. Mabuse — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:07:17 -0800

I never died, said he.

By: itchylick

itchylick — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:12:40 -0800

Ah crap. .

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:14:16 -0800

Another icon of my childhood gone. I can remember having heated arguments with my buddies about exactly how many buses or cars he could jump. I think we settled on something like 137.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:21:36 -0800

No one person was ever more personally responsible for me busting my ass taking a huffy off a splintery old piece of plywood. Rest In Peace, suspended in midair, you crazy fucker.

By: UseyurBrain

UseyurBrain — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:31:15 -0800

"Evel Knieval was a GOD to boys under 10 in the early 70s." Damn straight. I had the lunchbox and the crank motorcycle. He was a hero to me. .

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:31:26 -0800

What he said.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:33:44 -0800

As stated earlier, Previously on MeFi: "What's it feel like to crash? What the hell do you think?" I love that thread we had back in August, but even when that thread was happening, I knew THIS thread would come sooner rather than later. He's not in pain anymore. I think that's a blessing. RIOP: Rest In One Piece

By: mygothlaundry

mygothlaundry — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:34:00 -0800

And girls, skygazer. And girls. .

By: winks007

winks007 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:35:23 -0800

RIP .

By: MythMaker

MythMaker — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:40:20 -0800

By: Frank Grimes

Frank Grimes — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:41:30 -0800

My heart goes out to Krystal Kennedy-Knievel, his second wife, whose monogrammed bath towels caused the tiff with Kanye West.

By: zengargoyle

zengargoyle — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:45:37 -0800

. Mr. Evil, brought me closer to death than anybody else... That ramp of plywood in the back yard, I wanted to jump the fence into my neighbor's yard... My little Honda 50 wasn't quite up to the task so I slammed into the fence and came "preet near" to breaking my spine, couldn't move for hours. Manly tears are shed.

By: Senator

Senator — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:57:24 -0800

Balls bigger than Dallas. For a kid knowing he was going to be on Wide World of Sports on a Saturday afternoon = pure heaven.

By: about_time

about_time — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:01:56 -0800

. He was perhaps the toughest guy who ever lived. You will be missed, Mr. Knieval.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:20:56 -0800

. His (vaguely) wheelie-poppin' crank motorcycle was one of my favorite toys. I feel really guilty that I laughed at your title

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:26:09 -0800

Evel was perhaps the first of my childhood icons. RIP, man in the star-spangled jump suit.

By: salishsea

salishsea — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:38:30 -0800

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:55:04 -0800

Reports indicate the family plans to shoot his body over the grand canyon.

By: DieHipsterDie

DieHipsterDie — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:55:49 -0800

A monumental prick, but all us kids idolized him in the 70s.

By: Parannoyed

Parannoyed — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:59:38 -0800

His son lived near me in Sequim, WA. Not quite as crazy as his dad. sadly.

By: Tube

Tube — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:00:32 -0800

I wonder if Awful Knofel is still alive. My father grew up in Butte, and though he didn't associate with Knievel he heard all the stories that circulated. The The Butte version of the story is something like this: A distraught woman calls the local jail looking for her husband, only to be told by the jailer that he is not there. Instead the only prisoners that night were Evel Knievel, Awful Knoffel, and Neuf the Goof, the latter being being a Butte resident who suffered from what we would politely call today "diminished capacity". The movie versions omitted poor Neuf... Another anecdote had Knievel intending to fornicate with some gal, inhibited by the fact he was playing hockey and wearing ice skates. No matter, he commandeers his female passenger and drives off with her, operating the foot pedals while wearing ice skates. No mention was made if the car was automatic or clutch... Butte had a ski jump at that time, and the tale is told that Knievel once decided to demonstrate his fearlessness by ski jumping at night... The last story was included in one of the movies; Knievel decides to pick up a girlfriend who is living in a sorority. I believe this was supposed to have happened in Missoula. He makes a grand entrance by driving his motorcycle up the steps of the sorority... Tonight in Butte a great deal of alcohol will flow and a favorite son will be remembered.

By: bigskyguy

bigskyguy — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:19:47 -0800

Indeed, Tube is right to acknowledge Butte, America. Helluva place. Wish I could be in the M&M Bar tonight. Bet the oldtimers are lettin' fly with truth and lies that would be worth lending an ear.

By: Challahtronix

Challahtronix — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:20:21 -0800

"You had to be a little tough to do what I did for a living," he said. That's how he ended up betting his finger on a golf game. The original wager was $7,500, but Knievel couldn't stand his opponent. So he dared him to gamble a finger on the final hole. Knievel's tee shot hit a rock and caromed out of bounds. The other guy birdied, so Knievel found a shovel and cut off the tip of his right ring finger. His opponent didn't take the payoff, so Knievel had the fingertip reattached on his way home. "Two days later, I went back and asked if he wanted to play for an arm," Knievel said. . Wonder what he's talking about with JFK and Martin Luther King Jr.?

By: Reth_Eldirood

Reth_Eldirood — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:21:10 -0800

Perhaps the greatest American-born superstar ever. Because, who else we got? Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Wesley Snipes. Evel wins. .

By: perilous

perilous — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:24:18 -0800

*sigh* one by one... thanks, evel, for being part of my childhood. sail forth, immortal, you crazy son of a bitch. .

By: ambient2

ambient2 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:28:02 -0800

In the early 70s, when I was about 12, Evel was in town (Toronto), a friend and I came up with a crazy plan to meet him and get his autograph and it worked! Evel could not have been nicer, we were over the moon, we got to see him jump (successfully) and I still have the autograph. Sure, he was no saint, but he has a starring role in one of my best childhood memories... on a sad day.

By: Scoo

Scoo — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:31:12 -0800

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:39:54 -0800

Evel is one of the things that makes me wish I had been born five years later. .

By: lumpenprole

lumpenprole — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:40:13 -0800

By: treepour

treepour — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:23:03 -0800

By: davelog

davelog — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:38:11 -0800

I had about a dozen Evel Knievel action figures, because the wire in their arms kept snapping at the elbows from being in handlebar-gripping position, and the little wire ends would poke out the elbows and scratch me up. Probably revenge for all the hoops of fire they had to jump through. Once retired from stunt riding (the arms don't stay bent after the wires break, and he looks dumb not holding on to the handlebars), my Evels were often used as Ensign Rickys for my Star Trek action figures, getting trapped under rocks and tires and such to be rescued - often far too late - by Kirk and Spock. Evel had his red shirt on the inside. It finally made it to the outside. RIP man.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:51:24 -0800

Me and my bike made many a jump thanks to his influence. Godspeed you crazy bastard.

By: Kinbote

Kinbote — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:01:03 -0800

"While I don't want to sanction stupidity, still, as our national sport, I have to admire this little man's dogged nerve and rubber determination..." Firesign Theater tribute here (mp3). And, uh... .

By: humannaire

humannaire — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:43:10 -0800

Hey, I just wanted to get this off my shoulders: Evel, you lost me when you blew Snake River. But whatever. As a boy, I felt you were super. As a man, I realized you were human. But, my god man, what style! That said, yeah... .

By: mike3k

mike3k — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:00:10 -0800

By: Quonab

Quonab — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:47:57 -0800

Clever title. and .

By: Camofrog

Camofrog — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:28:26 -0800

The anticipation of Evel's Snake River "jump" was for me a highlight of the 70s. I was just a kid. I almost speared myself taking a jump on my bike when the handlebar gooseneck snapped on landing and I went right over it. The spiky point grazed my chest all the way down but luckily I soared over it into the dirt. Another time I stuck my foot through the front spokes while I was riding just to see what happened. Don't do that. Evel was more of a rock star than most rock stars. He's now resting probably the weariest bones in history.

By: porpoise

porpoise — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:45:09 -0800

By: dopeypanda

dopeypanda — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:47:28 -0800

By: h00py

h00py — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:18:43 -0800

Yeah, I can remember being absolutely enthralled by the whole Snake River thing when I was a kid. Thrillseekers all disappearing, one by one. Damn you, mortality! .

By: grubby

grubby — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:59:00 -0800

By: ssmith

ssmith — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:47:10 -0800

By: remo

remo — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:59:55 -0800

Evel inspired this eight year old kid and his friends to use their Schwinn Stingrays as a stunt bikes back in the seventies. I remember gathering up a couple cinder blocks and some plywood and placing five of those big yellow Tonka trucks in front of the ramp. Once the jump was set up, no one wanted top go first. After much debate, I sucked it up and said "Ok chickens, I'll show you how it's done". In preparation for my jump, I added a couple Hoyle playing cards to my spokes. This gave my bike that powerful engine sound and extra speed needed to clear such a perilous obstacle. Mimicking Evel, I took a quick test pass and readied myself for the jump. My friend Dave did his best Howard Cosell impersonation which added to the drama transpiring on my suburban New Jersey street. With my nerves steadied I took off for the ramp, pedaling as fast as my Tuffskin wearing legs would go. I hit the ramp at full speed and was airborne and easily clear the trucks. Unfortunately, I landed on my front wheel and wiped out, I was scrapped up and and little bloody, but was eager to get back up and try it again. RIP Evel

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:40:16 -0800

Huh. Funny reading all these reports of people who did crazy stunts trying to be like Evel. I took from Evel that doing crazy stunts led one in the hospital for six weeks in traction and a body cast. So I tended to avoid physical acts that might cause broken bodyparts. Some saw Evel as a role model. I saw him as a cautionary tale. However, I learned how to do prat falls from watching Chevy Chase. Back in high school my nickname was "Bag O Bones!" At the age of forty, I now have lower back pain. Good night! And have a pleasant tomorrow!

By: bink

bink — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:19:35 -0800

I remember as a kid watching some jump he was going to do on live TV. My uncle casually remarked, "We could see a man die, you know." That freaked me right the hell out. I am amazed that none of my friends got seriously hurt taking our bikes over ramps. One kid had one of those bikes with the gearshift on the main tube right at crotch level...

By: C17H19NO3

C17H19NO3 — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:16:02 -0800

By: Samuel Farrow

Samuel Farrow — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:40:43 -0800

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 14:29:41 -0800

Don't forget Viva Knievel!, which starred Gene Kelly, Leslie Nielsen, Dabney Coleman, Frank Gifford, and Marjoe Gortner! I'll leave my Big Wheel jackknifed on the driveway for ya, Evel. .

By: dasheekeejones

dasheekeejones — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 06:39:45 -0800

When I was a little girl, I had a huge crush on him and wanted to be like him. I would get on my purple metallic bike, put on my purple metallic football helmut (where my dad found that I'll never know), tie a sheet around my neck as a cape, and do wheelies and jumps up and down the alley while my dad washed the car. Of course ever time I went by him making "rrrrrr rrrr rrr" sounds like a motorcycle, he would squirt me with the hose to make me stop. I thought Evel was the shit. I read that he went up to some guy who wrote a nasty book about him and beat the crap out of him with a baseball bat. When he did interviews about it he said there was nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. Classic.

By: jquinby

jquinby — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:24:11 -0800

By: M.C. Lo-Carb!

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:18:00 -0800

Of all the bones Evel Knievel broke over the years, the costliest may have been the left arm of a PR man by the name of Shelly Saltman. Saltman won $12.75 million in damages against Knievel after the motorcycle daredevil attacked him with a baseball bat in 1977 in a rage over a book Saltman had written about the showman. With interest, the still-uncollected sum has grown to more than $100 million by Saltman's estimate, and he intends to try to collect it. That had to hurt.

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:22:52 -0800

Might be a little late for this but WFMU has a few mp3s from the Evel Knievel album.