He Wasn't Really Evel

Of all the things I've read eulogizing Evel Knievel, this was my favourite (by comic writer Will Pfiefer):

"And that is why Evel was so big. Not because he was “truthful and honest” (for one thing, “Evel” was not, as you might have guessed, his real name — though it is a great one, with the same unforgettable rhythm as Englebert Humperdinck), but because he was just as phony, tacky, loud and bullheaded as America can be — and definitely was in the 1970s. Gas prices were through the roof, the economy sucked, the president had left office in scandal and most major cities were hellholes, but at least some high school dropout with a made-up name that rhymed could climb on a bike, zoom up a plywood ramp and risk killing himself to get on TV.

In other words, he might not have died for our sins, but he sure took one hell of a beating. Rest in peace, Evel. You earned it."

I hadn't thought of it until just now, but I guess the exploits of Evel probably lead directly to the infamous Happy Days episode in which Fonzie... you guessed it... jumped the shark! That American daredevil and the toy motorcycle that he bequeathed to my generation of pre-teen thrill-seekers just kept giving and giving...