Read Online Life of Evel: Evel Knievel by Stuart Barker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stuart Barker
Tags: Fiction
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in his own interest. So as well as performing he built all his own ramps, promoted and emceed his shows, and drove all over the western United States to whichever venue would have him.
Evel Knievel’s first-ever solo performance took place at the Naranche Memorial Drag Strip near his hometown of Butte on 30 October 1966. Undeterred by his failure to clear 13 cars in Missoula, Knievel attempted, and cleared, 14 cars on his solo debut. To the crowd present it seemed an impossible number and, given his previous failure, many were expecting blood. Knievel may have denied the more ghoulish members of the audience their kicks but he thrilled the rest of his home crowd with a feat they thought impossible. Montana had a new home-grown hero.
While his fame began spreading all over the west coast of America, Knievel was still desperately short of money, and while out on the road he and his young family were still sleeping rough under the stars, still bathing in rivers, and constantly aware that another big crash would sideline the only breadwinner in the family and make things even worse. Knievel’s existence truly was hand-to-mouth in the late 1960s.
But despite the hardships of a life on the road, the jumps continued and Evel reached another landmark in the spring of 1967 when his performances in between motorcycle races at the Ascot Park Speedway near Los Angeles were filmed for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. This was his first real chance at the big time. So long as he only performed live at small-time race meetings in front of a few thousand people then he could only ever hope to be a local hero. But with the promise of television coverage came the chance to make it as a national star, and, if he could achieve that, the riches he so desperately craved would surely follow.
The relationship between Knievel and ABC would prove extremely beneficial to both parties in the coming years, and the timing on Knievel’s part couldn’t have been better. ABC’s policy was to offer coverage of lesser-known sports, more often than not with an oddball quality, which is why Knievel’s antics slotted right into place. He was perfect fodder for the network and the link-up would ultimately inspire thousands of American kids to emulate Knievel. In one article describing the relationship between ABC and Knievel, writer Christopher Ross went as far as to say ‘it can be argued that today’s increased popularity of extreme sports can be directly traced to Knievel and Wide World of Sports .’
ABC certainly helped spread the Evel word to a national audience, and he, in turn, rewarded them with five of their 20 most successful broadcasts ever. His 1975 jump over 14 Greyhound buses at King’s Island still ranks as the highest rating the channel has ever had, with an incredible 52 per cent audience share – better than Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s rumble in the jungle and every Super Bowl ever held.
But that was all still in the future; for now, Knievel kicked off his first national television performance by successfully clearing 15 cars, breaking his own record by one. The television coverage did not go out live, however, and American audiences had to wait for another two weeks before getting their first taste of Evel Knievel on 25 March 1967.
Encouraged by his success, Knievel continued gathering momentum and moved on to clear 16 cars at the Ascot Raceway near Los Angeles before attempting the same number again at the Graham Speedway near Tacoma, Washington. This time things didn’t go quite so smoothly and Knievel lost his balance on landing and parted company with his bike, sustaining a slight concussion in the process. Just under three weeks later he returned to the same venue to see the job through successfully, proving to his audience that he was no quitter and that he would see anything through if he had given his word to do so.
This was another crucial part of the Evel Knievel phenomenon: to Knievel his word was his bond, and
Evel Knievel’s first-ever solo performance took place at the Naranche Memorial Drag Strip near his hometown of Butte on 30 October 1966. Undeterred by his failure to clear 13 cars in Missoula, Knievel attempted, and cleared, 14 cars on his solo debut. To the crowd present it seemed an impossible number and, given his previous failure, many were expecting blood. Knievel may have denied the more ghoulish members of the audience their kicks but he thrilled the rest of his home crowd with a feat they thought impossible. Montana had a new home-grown hero.
While his fame began spreading all over the west coast of America, Knievel was still desperately short of money, and while out on the road he and his young family were still sleeping rough under the stars, still bathing in rivers, and constantly aware that another big crash would sideline the only breadwinner in the family and make things even worse. Knievel’s existence truly was hand-to-mouth in the late 1960s.
But despite the hardships of a life on the road, the jumps continued and Evel reached another landmark in the spring of 1967 when his performances in between motorcycle races at the Ascot Park Speedway near Los Angeles were filmed for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. This was his first real chance at the big time. So long as he only performed live at small-time race meetings in front of a few thousand people then he could only ever hope to be a local hero. But with the promise of television coverage came the chance to make it as a national star, and, if he could achieve that, the riches he so desperately craved would surely follow.
The relationship between Knievel and ABC would prove extremely beneficial to both parties in the coming years, and the timing on Knievel’s part couldn’t have been better. ABC’s policy was to offer coverage of lesser-known sports, more often than not with an oddball quality, which is why Knievel’s antics slotted right into place. He was perfect fodder for the network and the link-up would ultimately inspire thousands of American kids to emulate Knievel. In one article describing the relationship between ABC and Knievel, writer Christopher Ross went as far as to say ‘it can be argued that today’s increased popularity of extreme sports can be directly traced to Knievel and Wide World of Sports .’
ABC certainly helped spread the Evel word to a national audience, and he, in turn, rewarded them with five of their 20 most successful broadcasts ever. His 1975 jump over 14 Greyhound buses at King’s Island still ranks as the highest rating the channel has ever had, with an incredible 52 per cent audience share – better than Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s rumble in the jungle and every Super Bowl ever held.
But that was all still in the future; for now, Knievel kicked off his first national television performance by successfully clearing 15 cars, breaking his own record by one. The television coverage did not go out live, however, and American audiences had to wait for another two weeks before getting their first taste of Evel Knievel on 25 March 1967.
Encouraged by his success, Knievel continued gathering momentum and moved on to clear 16 cars at the Ascot Raceway near Los Angeles before attempting the same number again at the Graham Speedway near Tacoma, Washington. This time things didn’t go quite so smoothly and Knievel lost his balance on landing and parted company with his bike, sustaining a slight concussion in the process. Just under three weeks later he returned to the same venue to see the job through successfully, proving to his audience that he was no quitter and that he would see anything through if he had given his word to do so.
This was another crucial part of the Evel Knievel phenomenon: to Knievel his word was his bond, and
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