Strange OS to use for this type of topic. Lord knows there will probably be a Spell version titled Short of the Canyon He Flew or old Willie Nelson with On the Ramp Again!!! EK was, however, a cool cat who probably saved the toy industry in the '70s with his merchandize, especially the Harley tie-ins!

I remember the slow motion video of that famous crash. Do you remember that some people thought Knievel was not serious about the rocket jump over the Snake River Canyon? I think he meant it. Just came up a bit short. Do you recall the night that spawned the expression "Jumping the Shark"? Knievel wiped out during a practice jump over a pool full of sharks. The live broadcast that evening opened with an interview from his hospital bed. The other performers went on with the live show: one guy blew himself up with dynamite, another crashed a snowmobile after vaulting a row of whiskey barrels. Karl Wallenda did walk from one hotel to another--fifty feet above a Las Vegas sidewalk on a tight rope. The only successful act that evening. A couple weeks later Wallenda fell to his death in Puerto Rico. A true low point in TV up to that point, though the medium keeps striving to exceed it. Security code "TVL"

I was going to do this as "Bike Madmen" over the Waco clash of Cossacks and Banditos over the Texas rocker, but felt more comfortable doing Evel Knievel who was a childhood hero, especially in California. Everyone remembers the Cow Palace incident where Evel and his fans beat the crap out of the Hells Angels which tried to throw a tire iron into his wheel. Evel hated the HA and never wanted his name associated with them, so he changed Evil early on to Evel. He supported kids charities and often did bicycle runs. Although he ended up with a Harley XR 750, he had Hondas, Norton's, Triumphs, and Laverdas before that. The most well-known was the Laverda custom 750 "American Eagle" built in Italy but in American colors!!! Went with his white costume and cape! The man lived life on the edge and lived it up with women, booze, gold, diamonds, furs, cars, bikes, yachts, and aircraft. Had a ranch and met with celebs, politicians, and even the Pope! I'm just sad that he stated that he only believed in one God and that Jesus was not God in the flesh (sorta like The Way Int.). He "hoped" he would get into heaven... but sadly it doesn't work that way :(

Evel originally wanted to jump the Grand Canyon but was denied by the Bureau of Reclamation. He was stalled for 7 years. Then Snake River with SkyCycle 2. His chute deployed early, so Evel blacked out while the SkyCycle headed towards the river as watery tomb. However, a wind blew the Rocket up against the canyon wall and it reached brush in the shallow part. Despite the failure, the recognition got him $350 million in video, record, toy and product endorsements. The shark jump was in 1980 at the Chicago Amphitheater. He got a concussion and broken forearm. Do you remember the earlier 1971 attempt to jump 13 Pepsi trucks? He smashed both femurs! And who could forget Wembley??? Btw, my favorite car he owned was that Stutz convertible and I'll never forget his Chinchilla coat!!!

I still have an LP record I bought in Michigan with "The Ballad of Evel Knievel", a song anticipating his Snake River Canyon jump. Near the end of his career he was arrested in Kansas City for attempting to solicit a prostitute. It was a police sting operation. He told the decoy cop she wasn't good looking enough to be a hooker.