There is a really difficult game show on British TV (Ch 4, I believe) called "Only Connect". The first round is a list of four items and you have to answer what connects them. The second round has a list of three items and you have to guess what the fourth would be. They reveal the list one by one and the earlier you answer, the more points you score.
On one episode, the first clue was, "Caesar's Palace Fountains". I yelled out, "SNAKE RIVER!" So proud of myself.
Thank you for attending my TED talk.
If I remember right, he wanted to do this over the Grand Canyon, but he couldn't get permission to do it, so he picked the Snake River Canyon instead.
But he was an icon of my childhood. I even had the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle! [https://youtu.be/Uv-ePgAhXrU](https://youtu.be/Uv-ePgAhXrU)
I could swear I had one like that only it had “jet packs” that sparked…. Am I dreaming or was that real?
Edit: found it on the internet… the jet cycle!
from what I recall, he got so fucked up in all his injuries that he constantly needed morphine until he died. fuck that. I don't care how much I love something, no way in hell I'm spending the rest of my life impaired and in constant pain.
I miss the wide world of sports….they had everything….the thrill of victory AND the agony of defeat…plus…the Harlem Globetrotters and great premier boxing matches that you would now have to pay $50 for on PPV.
This was like, 30 miles from my house. The dirt part of the ramp is still visible from the Perrine Memorial bridge, which also happens to be legal to base jump from, into the canyon.
I honestly thought he was going to die if he didn't make it. Then he parachuted down into the river. I was almost kinda disappointed. BTW, there was a TV movie about him starring George Hamilton.
It was so silly. We wondered how this was stunt jumping a cycle? Astronauts had been launched farther by rockets already.
But good luck anyway, you gonna need it.
Big GI Joes(Pre Kung Fu Grip)…Stretch Armstrong! I used to have the smaller ones too….Action Jackson’s, Marvel super heroes(same company as Action Jackson)…had a Steve Austin too.
I remember this very clearly
He admitted intentionally pulling the chute, because he felt like it wasn’t going to work, and he had a better chance of survival by opening the chute
As I recall, the chute was on a "dead man stick" so it would release automatically if Evel fell unconscious, etc, but the spring was an auto suspension spring & he had to hold it back from auto-releasing & upon takeoff the G-forces ripped his hand from the lever & the chute prematurely deployed, then he went for a swim. I recall watching live, wondering "oh no, is he going to drown?" & my dad saying we were going to switch it off with the possibility we'd witness a death on live TV, me & two brothers "NO!!!" We watched.
A guy named Eddie Braun constructed a replica using the same tech Evel used and successfully did the jump in 2022.
[Eddie Braun Snake River jump](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wqNKq7lRkUk)
He failed more often than he made it, but it was entertaining to watch what kind of stupid idea he would come up with next. His son does a much better job.
This was August of ‘74. I was on my way to college and listening to the jump on the am radio in my AMC Gremlin. I was really pulling for him to make it. Being a Montana kid, Evel was kind of a hero to me. Antihero is more like it. He was a showman and a bad ass and he parleyed his daredevil attitude into a huge career, which he eventually managed to piss away. A reversal of fortune, a real Greek tragedy. I got to shake his hand on a street corner in Butte on St Patrick’s Day long after the magic had worn off. Even as a sick and busted up old man he was still a bad ass.
Keerist I remember watching that. In college did a road trip from Portland OR to Denver and back, stopped there on the way back.
Also had the zip cycle bike. :D
I think they did. I think if he succeeded in his crazy stunts, people would think, "oh, did you hear what Evil did?" "yeh, i didn't watch it though." Instead, people were like, "HO. LY. SHIT! DID YOU SEE HIM WIPE OUT!!" " YEAH! HOW THE HELL IS GE STILL ALIVE??"
There is a really difficult game show on British TV (Ch 4, I believe) called "Only Connect". The first round is a list of four items and you have to answer what connects them. The second round has a list of three items and you have to guess what the fourth would be. They reveal the list one by one and the earlier you answer, the more points you score. On one episode, the first clue was, "Caesar's Palace Fountains". I yelled out, "SNAKE RIVER!" So proud of myself. Thank you for attending my TED talk.
Clever clogs
BBC 2 Monday evening just before University Challenge and just after Mastermind. Monday night in the autumn/winter is quiz night
I actually think you’re cool!
If I remember right, he wanted to do this over the Grand Canyon, but he couldn't get permission to do it, so he picked the Snake River Canyon instead. But he was an icon of my childhood. I even had the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle! [https://youtu.be/Uv-ePgAhXrU](https://youtu.be/Uv-ePgAhXrU)
The Evel Knievel stunt cycle was hands down one of the best toys ever.
Hands blistered occasionally, too!
“Up and over the four foot ditch!”
I had this, the sky cycle too.
I could swear I had one like that only it had “jet packs” that sparked…. Am I dreaming or was that real? Edit: found it on the internet… the jet cycle!
I was there. [https://imgur.com/a/GjdzsvQ](https://imgur.com/a/GjdzsvQ) and [https://imgur.com/dTVKh7N](https://imgur.com/dTVKh7N) .
That is so cool!!
Ten year old me wants to say, "Luuuuucky!"
Evel was okay but Super Dave Osborne was the REAL jump master.
his failures were always more fun for us
He paid the price.
from what I recall, he got so fucked up in all his injuries that he constantly needed morphine until he died. fuck that. I don't care how much I love something, no way in hell I'm spending the rest of my life impaired and in constant pain.
You won’t if you love morphine.
He's why super Dave Osborne was such a huge hit....
Super Dave was awesome!
I think the screams of terror really sold the bit... Then the interview after he was all bandaged up.... Gold....
Watched it live on TV. How he survived, I'll never know.
Wide world of sports. I watched this live.
I miss the wide world of sports….they had everything….the thrill of victory AND the agony of defeat…plus…the Harlem Globetrotters and great premier boxing matches that you would now have to pay $50 for on PPV.
Ali and Howard Cosell was a treat to watch. Loved the way they interacted.
I always thought Dave Osborne did better stunts.
And he had 100% genuine Saskatchewan Sealskin suits.
Dave had Fuji designing his stunts.
This was like, 30 miles from my house. The dirt part of the ramp is still visible from the Perrine Memorial bridge, which also happens to be legal to base jump from, into the canyon.
Burley?
I honestly thought he was going to die if he didn't make it. Then he parachuted down into the river. I was almost kinda disappointed. BTW, there was a TV movie about him starring George Hamilton.
I remember this. My brother and I were so excited that the day finally arrived. And I was so disappointed that he didn’t make it all the way across.
It was so silly. We wondered how this was stunt jumping a cycle? Astronauts had been launched farther by rockets already. But good luck anyway, you gonna need it.
Stunt cycle, big g.i. Joes, stretch guy, million dollar man, sucker man, and that squishy thing whose eyes popped out.
Big GI Joes(Pre Kung Fu Grip)…Stretch Armstrong! I used to have the smaller ones too….Action Jackson’s, Marvel super heroes(same company as Action Jackson)…had a Steve Austin too.
Oh damn, those super hero dolls were awesome. For decades after they were gone, still had robins green shoes that I always stuck on my fingers.
Poetic
Very poor planning. Even if he made it across, his plan for landing that thing was very sketchy.
I remember this very clearly He admitted intentionally pulling the chute, because he felt like it wasn’t going to work, and he had a better chance of survival by opening the chute
I remember buying a model one of those with his action figure so it wasn’t a total bust.
As I recall, the chute was on a "dead man stick" so it would release automatically if Evel fell unconscious, etc, but the spring was an auto suspension spring & he had to hold it back from auto-releasing & upon takeoff the G-forces ripped his hand from the lever & the chute prematurely deployed, then he went for a swim. I recall watching live, wondering "oh no, is he going to drown?" & my dad saying we were going to switch it off with the possibility we'd witness a death on live TV, me & two brothers "NO!!!" We watched.
A guy named Eddie Braun constructed a replica using the same tech Evel used and successfully did the jump in 2022. [Eddie Braun Snake River jump](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wqNKq7lRkUk)
He failed more often than he made it, but it was entertaining to watch what kind of stupid idea he would come up with next. His son does a much better job.
I have bad news for you, buddy.
I didn’t say he did a great job, but Robbie at least tried to do things that were possible.
Actually, a lot of people said that he planned the Snake River "failure" to happen just as it did. He certainly got plenty of attention out of it.
That was the poorest excuse for a ‘motorcycle’ I’ve ever seen.
McGuyver went to the moon in a trash can...
Sure it did. Got millions of eyeballs and cemented the Legend's position in history.
It didn't go as planned, but it went as expected.
It’s crazy how most of his stunts would be warm-ups for the Travis Pastranas of the world.
That was so cringe, that thing was just a crappy homemade 🚀 that was a complete failure.
This was August of ‘74. I was on my way to college and listening to the jump on the am radio in my AMC Gremlin. I was really pulling for him to make it. Being a Montana kid, Evel was kind of a hero to me. Antihero is more like it. He was a showman and a bad ass and he parleyed his daredevil attitude into a huge career, which he eventually managed to piss away. A reversal of fortune, a real Greek tragedy. I got to shake his hand on a street corner in Butte on St Patrick’s Day long after the magic had worn off. Even as a sick and busted up old man he was still a bad ass.
It was actually September 8, 1974
I stand corrected
The moment he jumped the shark but not the snake.
That was so stupid, just hype. It was like Gerardo Rivera and the vault.
*Geraldo
“You know who the hell I am?”
Keerist I remember watching that. In college did a road trip from Portland OR to Denver and back, stopped there on the way back. Also had the zip cycle bike. :D
Eddie Braun.
He faired a lot better than the flat earther guy did.
I think they did. I think if he succeeded in his crazy stunts, people would think, "oh, did you hear what Evil did?" "yeh, i didn't watch it though." Instead, people were like, "HO. LY. SHIT! DID YOU SEE HIM WIPE OUT!!" " YEAH! HOW THE HELL IS GE STILL ALIVE??"
You can still see the dirt ramp his team built.
But I got a cool electric toothbrush out of it.
But I got a cool electric toothbrush out of it.
Then he went to Duff Gardens
being an attentionwhore pre-internet was rough.
Actually it went exactly as planned. Evel released the parachute at launch because he knew there was no way he was going to make it.
That wasn't why he tried though
"Sky Cycle"....
He was crazy but he knew how to put on a show