It wasn’t a jump over a fountain, or line of school buses, or in a rocket off a cliff that finally did in the World’s Greatest Daredevil. It was a pretty ordinary death by Evel’s standards.
Knievel had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs. He had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.
His website reported his death today. He was 69.
Every boomer on a Spider Bike was Evel Knievel at one point or another. He wasn’t a boomer, but he sure appealed to us guys of boomer age.
What a showman, what a blowhard, what a ragdoll when he crashed.
He made his living and his reputation by failing. But he failed in spectacular fashion.
UPDATE: Blog of Hilarity has it right.
When I’d die, I’d die TO THE EXTREME! And I’d give all the credit to our friends at Mountain Dew. Dew or Die. That’s the kind of amazing product placement I give here…contact me advertisers, I have no scruples!
Step on brakes and Rudolph’s target lights up and legs wave. Awesome.
The ASPCA has released this list of items imported from China that contain lots of lead. Please keep these out of the mouths of your children:
- Bullets
- Helicopter Blades
- Heroine Spoons
- Christmas Light Cords
- Traffic Cones
We’re not good at growing things at our house. We do OK with the indestructible plants, philodendron and cacti and those ones with the big leaves that get real droopy but perk right up when they get water.
Now we have something growing that has to ripen. We’re not sure how to know when it’s ready.
Best Half is growing a cataract in one eye.
Do I thump her on the head occassionally? Will her skin change color? She already has brown spots.
Maybe I need to squeeze her head regularly? Will she smell differently? She doesn’t have a stem.
I think she is fully mature. Certainly more mature than I.
I guess I’ll believe the iDoc when he says her cataract is ripe. Sure would be handy if she had a little pop-out gizmo like our turkey.
This all just background to tell you one of my Mother’s favorite jokes. It is so racially insensitive it’s impossible. That didn’t stop her. Plus being PC wasn’t in full swing when she was alive, and she never forgave “the Japs” for Pearl Harbor.
Two Japanese golfers were comparing luxury cars. “Cataract?” said one. “No, Rinkin.” said the other. “Rots of Ruck.” first guy says.
