This is to note the passing last week of Evel Knievel, a true American original.
Some might dismiss Knievel, who broke some 40 bones in his body during a career of death-defying motorcycle leaps (and spectacular crashes), as a passing cultural blip, or a huckster prone to boozing and brawling. But in his heyday, the daredevil thrilled millions of youths with his exploits and inspired the building of untold dangerous homemade bike ramps in driveways across America. He may have been the original for the warning, “Don’t try this at home.â€
Knievel had a genius for self-promotion, fierce individualism and undaunted courage in pushing the envelope of what’s possible. Those are American character traits that, in a nation increasingly given to risk aversion and bland conformism, are worth celebrating.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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14 Comments
My younger brother tried to duplicate (to a lesser extent)a ramp jump on his motorcycle and broke his collar bone when he was a teenager. Wonder how many other accidents he inspired.
I had that Evil Knievel toy motorcycle that pumped up then shot down a track and did jumps.
I jumped dirt bikes, but not over stuff. I tried to do wheelies like Evil on it.
That Snake River Jump in his rocket, ABC faded the telecast out like died! I thought he died on TV and they weren’t going to show it.
I was upset. How could ABC hold back video of his death!
Today’s motorcycles are so superior in jumping ability and landing much better, daredevils now can’t do anything impressive jumping over obstacles.
He was one of a kind in thrill seeking on bad equipment. His slow motion crashes were excellent to see. The human body crazily being thrashed by choice!
He was equal to that guy on snow skis crashing in the opening scenes Wide World of Sports.
Every time seeing Evil, his failure was best. His success jumping was boring! Of course he could do that, waste of time to watch it.
Evel Knievel,reflecting back to my childhood heroes, Knievel was the first to penetrate my senses. Then came Eastwood, John Wayne, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ozzy, Dylan, and the Stones.I had Knievel’s motocycle toy. Fond memories.
I liked his personality too.
Evel…that’s right! Those who were typo’s misspelling his name.
I distinctly remember as a kid, saying with a friend, that’s wickedly evil what’s doing when he crashes.
A friend with a bike on roof of his house, it had a deck with wooden beams over. He was going to ride the bike off the roof, navigate on a wooden rail and see if he could make it into the swimming pool.
There was 8 feet between deck and the pool. That was an evil attempt I talked my friend out of. His parents weren’t at home, of course!
Wasn’t Evel’s thrill seeking devilish? Didn’t Satan keep him alive? God wanted him to abuse his body eagerly that way? To entice kids to crash themselves? No way!
So Evil fits.
Typo again
Those two were typos misspelling his name!
Over 40 different bones broken in his body throughout his career…even I loved watching him crash at Caesar’s Palace!He inspired my brother to build all sorts of different ramps to jump his bike over…the male species is nuts!
…the male species is nuts!
Yes we are, Mary. That’s why you love us.
;-)
Thanks evel for lots of road rash memories and parental lectures.
Met him once when he was in town buying a used Beech King Air. His flight instructor said the guy was a natural, picked right up on flying the biggish twin-turbine engine airplane. Had to be some kind of athlete to do what he did.
I never saw Evil in person. I liked him but he was no Muhammed Ali who was my real hero (along with Clyde Barrow)
Evel Knievel was an American legend, and a true hero. I shall miss him.
“blank”
Prayers before he might die, repeatedly is challenging God’s fate to HIS face!
For entertainment reasons HE saved Evel? The daredevil had to be alive making a difference in America?
He created children and grandchildren, survived long enough for that. His legacy will last a long time in a Godly way.
I have to give his chancing death and making money at it, as a evil purpose for fame and recognition.
He’s with God, at rest. But he survived in life with something else, overcoming those injuries to do it again.
Satan likes humanity suffering, especially when people choose to injure themselves.
Rapid crowds demanding Evel jump risking his life, is a little immoral.
ABC wanted ratings and advertisers money, if he died on TV, they would own that footage.
They manipulated him crashing again and again in video’s. Maybe he didn’t want to see that. ABC had to show it.
Let’s say both Evel and TV were crazy to put those events on!
Mrage is just upset because he can’t get Evel for his silly Arena.
When I was a kid in the early 70’s, Evel jumped a bunch of buses or trucks at the Kansas State Fair. That night, he was introduced at halftime of the WSU football game. I remember him coming into the stadium from the South end and racing up and down the field a couple of times.
THEN he rode a wheelie from one end zone to the other, turned around and stood on the seat of the bike and rode it back to the other end of the field; THEN he turned around (while still standing on the seat) and rode another wheelie back to the other end.
The man had amazing talent and showmanship.