Ode to a Daredevil

Evel Knievel passed away yesterday. He was 69. How he actually lived to be 69 years old is somewhat amazing. Evel always spoke from the heart, he never bullshitted anyone, and fear was never a factor for him, Joe Rogan.

So, in honor of Evel, I submit to you my “Ode to a Daredevil:”

 There is no obstacle long enough to give him a moment’s pause, for Evel never feared his death while seeking the applause. In ‘68 his fountain jump set the standard for the stunt, even though the crash left him comatose for damn near a month. Six years later he told the Brits they’d seen him leap his last, until September rolled around when he strapped a rocket to his ass. His Skycycle never made it cross the Snake, but on that day he became a household name. And to cash in on his new found fame, Evel Knievel jumped again & again — Until the day his body could no longer take the abuse. By 1980, he ran out of juice. He may have set records with his broken bones, but all we’ll remember were the size of his stones. And now I wonder this morning, at exactly 3:58:  will St. Peter let Evel jump over the Pearly Gates?

“No king or prince has lived a better life,” he told The Associated Press in May 2006. “You’re looking at a guy who’s really done it all.”

 Evel Knievel. Legendary Daredevil. Gone… but never to be forgotten. 

~ by sincityinsomnia on December 1, 2007.