Evel Knievel is a true American-made superstar who is considered the father of extreme sports and the idol of several generations of folks who love the thrill of this death-defying jumps he created and the personae he created.
He presented himself as THE American modern-day hero who tried to inspire people to reach for their dreams and be upstanding citizens. But underneath his red, white, and blue uniform, the capes, the bravado, and his rugged good looks was a troubled man who could at times, quite frankly, be a huge abusive asshole.
He won it all and lost it under 15 years. But even though he has been gone for over 13 years now, his name and his legend are still revered by many who found him an inspiration in a dreary time in the world.
Trigger Warnings: Physical abuse, child abuse, verbal abuse, racism, misogyny, and anti-Semitism.
- Our main sources for this episode:
- Wikipedia Evel Knievel
- Maxim: You Can’t Kill Evel by Pat Jordan
- Rolling Stone interview with Johnny Knoxville
- “Being Evel” (2015) documentary
- “Evel Knievel” starring George Hamilton (1971)
- “I Am Evel Knievel” 2015 documentary
- “Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel” by Leigh Montville
- “Evel Incarnate: by Steve Mandich”
- “Chasing Knievel: The Robbie Knievel Story”