Slog - Comments on Evel Knievel is Dead

Comment by six shooter

six shooter — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:31:21 -0800

We'll miss you.

Comment by sad

sad — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:32:56 -0800

Gawd, and to think, he just buried the hatchet with Kanye West. He must have had a premonition. smart.

Comment by Mike in MO

Mike in MO — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:33:30 -0800

Finally! I thought he died like 10 years ago.

Comment by jz

jz — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:33:58 -0800

kanye west kills everyone he touches.

Comment by oh

oh — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:36:15 -0800

lolzathon

Comment by Jason Josephes

Jason Josephes — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:42:30 -0800

So who's next? If we're lucky, it'll be the Maroon 5 clown.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:43:19 -0800

Lesson: Don't mess with Kanye West.

Remember, GWB hates black people.

Comment by doug

doug — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:44:55 -0800

this is one person i thought would live forever.

a hero that saved no one.

fuck you #3.

Comment by DOUG.

DOUG. — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:50:42 -0800

And with him dies my childhood...

Comment by B

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:53:52 -0800

Nooooo! The town of Butte America will no doubt be pouring one out for their dead homie tonight . . . RIP

Comment by infrequent

infrequent — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:00:18 -0800

@4 ha!

Comment by KELLY O

KELLY O — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:00:45 -0800

I have his E! True Hollywood Story on tape. It's one of the best episodes of that show ever. What a life. He made his poor family think he was so dead, so many, many times...

Comment by Brendan

Brendan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:24:52 -0800

When I was 7 in '75, our second grade guidance counselor took a group of us boys aside for one of those "what do you want to be when you grow up" chats. The first boy said he wanted to be Evel Knievel II. And so it went around the table with Knievel III, Knievel IV, and so on to Knievel VII. I think I wanted to be Evel Knievel V. Still do.

Comment by bronkitis

bronkitis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:29:14 -0800

I saw him once circling downtown Coeur d'Alene on his red, white and blue harley. He stopped at a light and watched a woman cross the street, then he motioned to her and she got on the back of his bike and they took off. Easy as that. This was about 1997.

It felt like I had seen Santa driving his sleigh across the sky. Totally incredible.

Comment by Rotten666

Rotten666 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:32:01 -0800

Now he will be banging skanks in heaven.

God speed you magnificent bastard!

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:37:44 -0800

Snake River was a cool event, especially when you lived in a small town just a few hours drive away ...

On a related note, did you hear Pamela Anderson is retiring to Canada in a few years?

Comment by Dr_Awesome

Dr_Awesome — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:42:23 -0800

"Rest in Peace" ?

Wasn't this the same Evel Knievel who was a racist, mysoginistic, tax-evading asshole? The one who burned through what, like fourteen liver transplants or something? The one who led an utterly unrepentant trainwreck of a life?

The Snake River jump was a televised fiasco that not even Al Capone's Empty Safe could beat.

Sure, when I was a kid I wanted to be Evel too, and I and my buddies spent hours and hours jumping our bicycles over crap so we could be "just like Evel".

We didn't know what a twat he was back then.

Comment by kerri harrop

kerri harrop — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:27:36 -0800

@14: you just made my day.

@8: so did you.

man, who didn't grow up in a neighborhood where evel kneivel stunts were trying to be replicated? jumps, dirt bikes, unfortunate accidents...the best.

dude ended up kind of nutty (anyone remember when he was recently saved by the lord?) but, shit. he was AWESOME.

Comment by Paul In SF

Paul In SF — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:13:54 -0800

Olympia, 1969. I had just bought my first motorcycle, a friend's hand me down, and was in a MC shop buying a helmet so that I could ride it. Picking through them all, looking for the cheapest one. This old fart kept bugging me, telling me that I should get a top of the line, full face model. "Saved me more than once," he says. Be better off not to fall off the fucking bike, old man, I'm thinking. Finally snag the cheapest, least protective brain bucket and take it up to the register. As he rings me up the clerk behind the counter says "That guy who was talking to you? That's Evil Knievel". Oh. Finally got around to buying a full face model - In 2004. Wiped out on a curve 6 months later. Helmet now has a huge deep scrape across the chin protector. Thanks Evil.