From AP:
Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho’s Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.
For men my age, Evil was a HUGE icon in our consciousness during childhood. I still remember building ramps out of bricks and plywood, and jumping whatever was handy (including, one time, my brother). I idolized Knievel that much. I was SO jealous of my best friend because he had the Knievel wind-up motorcylce/action figure. That had to be the coolest toy since the 6 Million Dollar Man action figure, with bionic eye and cool punching motion.
Evil Knievel is dead. I am suddenly feeling very old. Rest in peace, Evil.
November 30, 2007 at 4:16 pm
oh man…I’m reliving so much of my childhood between your post, Tweets (on Twitter), etc.
My brother had the Evel Knievel wind-up motorcycle, and I always would sneak and play with it when he wasn’t around. Oooh, I also had the 6 Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman with the removable modules in their legs and arms. What fun!
It’s really a bummer to see our childhood icons growing old and dying off. I look in the mirror, and I don’t feel like I’m that much older than those days…but we are…and we’re all grown up with grown-up responsibilities…
*sigh*
November 30, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I still remember the ABC TV movie with George Hamilton! And everybody was watching the Snake River Canyon jump.
November 30, 2007 at 5:03 pm
omg cant believe evil knive as died R.I.P to the best stunt devil there ever was
November 30, 2007 at 6:03 pm
The guy had a sak bigger than Santa’s.
November 30, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Evel Kneivel was a childhood staple of mine also. We had a camp in Maine when I was a kid, and there were nothing but dirt roads all round it. I also built those “ramps” out of plywood and a wooden log under it. I also placed it at the edge of a 7 foot by 5 feet deep dirt pit. When my old, beat up, Shwinn bike with the banana seat caught some air, I swear… I felt like I was 100 feet in the air! If I came down wrong and wiped out in the hole, I just got up and brushed off the dust off of myself. If I didn’t have any broken bones, I considered myself as good a daredevil than Evel was. Heck, maybe I was even better!
Man Oh man, those were great times. I thought I would live forever back then, and I thought my idol, Evel Knievel would as well. Today I am sad to earn of his passing. I think a little piece of me has died today as well. Goodbye my friend, thanks for the great shows you put on for me as a kid, thanks for the influence you had on my childhood, that helped to teach me to have courage, fortitude, and just plain fun dammit!
Godspeed Evel, rest in peace.
November 30, 2007 at 8:10 pm
[...] Slarti: For men my age, Evil was a HUGE icon in our consciousness during childhood. I still remember building ramps out of bricks and plywood, and jumping whatever was handy (including, one time, my brother). I idolized Knievel that much. I was SO jealous of my best friend because he had the Knievel wind-up motorcylce/action figure. That had to be the coolest toy since the 6 Million Dollar Man action figure, with bionic eye and cool punching motion. [...]
December 1, 2007 at 12:42 am
sadly the world has lost another stand-out person.r i p evil.
December 1, 2007 at 3:57 am
“The guy had a sak bigger than Santa’s.”
Bigger than Hillery’s?
December 3, 2007 at 10:03 am
I can also remember Evil as a kid growing up…when I bought my 1st bike, a yamaha yz 125 motocross for a $100, I thought I was Evil Knievel, jumping dirt hills and wiping out, never broke any bones though…now I feel like I was shorted or JUST LUCKY! I can’t believe he’s gone, makes you feel a little empty inside and makes you realize your getting old….He will be missed, fly on free bird, see you on the other side.