Crime in Sports - #452 - Hallowed Be Thy Name - Evel Knievel - Part 5

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

This week, we catch up with Evel, as he builds a big house, dedicated to himself. He brags to his wife about all the women he sleeps with, and hangs out with a pair of brothers called "The McNastys". He also has rival daredevils beaten, and threatened, drawing the attention of the FBI. He hangs out with Elvis, and is accused of beating his wife. All while his fame gets even bigger! Have your rivals beaten by hired goons, scam a kid out of a fair bet, and find out what Elvis thinks about the Bible with Evel Knievel - Part 5!!Check us out, every Tuesday!We will continue to bring you the biggest idiots in sports history!! Hosted by James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman Donate at... patreon.com/crimeinsports or with paypal.com using our email: [e-mail] Get all the CIS & STM merch at crimeinsports.threadless.com Go to shutupandgivememurder.com for all things CIS & STM!!  Contact us on... twitter.com/crimeinsports [e-mail] facebook.com/Crimeinsports instagram.com/smalltownmurderSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to crime and sports early and ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery, exposes a multi-billion-dollar criminal empire. Every suspicious text you ignore masks a huge network of compounds where thousands are held captive and forced to scam others under the threat of death. Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello everybody and welcome back to Crime and Sports. Yay!

Yay indeed, Jimmy. Yay indeed. My name is James Petragallo. I'm here with my co-host. I'm Jimmy Wissman. Thank you so much for joining us here. Part five of Evil Can Evil evil and we're not done yet He's got some he's still got some life in him this evil and there's a whole lot

Vince McMahon is gonna come into this story put it that way. So did you expect that? Why not? Why not? And is there ever a bet and Elvis to? Elvis and Vince McMahon is there ever a better meeting of two minds than Vince McMahon and Evil Knievel? Well I'm full of shit. No I'm more full of shit than you. No no buddy. I'm the most full of shit. That would have been a great conversation but we'll talk all about that and more.

Show note, next week we are going to take an Evil Knievel break for a week and do the scummies. The 2025 Scummy Awards are coming. That's right the pageantry we figure we'll put that in the middle of evil here to break it up a little bit. And yeah, we're going to look back on the past year and see who's going to win all the awards. Who's going to be number one, the scumbag of the year? Who is going to get that title?

We'll find out. Also, I love who is most likely to find and kill us is another one that I enjoy. We'll take a look at all of that and more, so check that out. Also, head over to shutupandgivemurder.com, get all your merch, get tickets for live show. Virtual live show is gonna take place on 419, April 19th, it's a Saturday night.

It'll be available for two weeks after that. And that is the 420 virtual live show, just like a regular live show, but you're in your house there, wherever the hell you wanna be, I don't care. Buy the show, I don't give a shit where you watch it. You can watch it underground with four puppies. I don't give a shit, that's a great time.

Do it up, check that out. Also, tickets to live shows, Chicago and St. Louis are up next for Small Town Murder, so check those out. A lot of fun there, shutupandgivemurder.com. Also, get your Patreon, Patreon.com slash crime in sports is where you get all of the bonus material. Yeah. And holy shit is it worth.

That anybody five dollars a month or above, you get an entire hundreds of bonus episodes right away. And then you get new ones every other week. You're gonna get one crime in sports, one small town murder, and what the hell? You get it all for five bucks. So this week what we're gonna do for Crime and Sports, we are gonna do volume two of Sports Songs.

God damn. We still have a bunch left and we're gonna do that. And then for Small Town Murder, one of this is a great story. It's a guy named Lewis Carlucci and he's known as Con Juan. Con Juan and he is hilarious. He's the Con Man Casanova they call him. He's this guy. He's this super hilarious Italian guy from the 80s in New York who just caught is awful

What he did he conned all these women and like was married to like five women at the same time And was the whole city was looking for him and he had like disguises and shit. It's hilarious We'll talk he's a nut who will talk all about that and more that is patreon.com slash crime in sports so get all of that get your patreon and then get a shout out at the end of the show as well Jimmy I'll go ahead and mispronounce your name because what the hell let's uh you deserve let's you deserve it thank you so much that said evil Knievel part five. Let's dive right in evil when we last when we left off people were just kind of saying what a con man he was and I think the last thing we left off with was him

Quote letting people know he was a big dick And that's how we left off. Yeah, he's a big swinging dick, spending money and all that kind of shit. So we'll start off in that vein with Evil being famous and enjoying it. Here we go. This is from the book, the Evil book here. A story. It says, Caneville went for a business dinner one night in New York with the people from Ideal. That's the toy company that's making his mega popular toy after the toy was established as a hit. The restaurant, Laurent, on East 56th Street was based, yeah, fancy, was based in the dining rooms, based on the dining rooms found in Grand European hotels.

It featured an adventurous menu, dark wood on the walls, a fancy ass fucking place that, you know, you've seen the kind. Dress code kind of play, no yeah dark wood on the walls ornately carved high ceilings three climate controlled cellars with over 45,000 bottles of wine it was a place to see and be seen a New York restaurant of the moment and they go on to say a dress code is required all men to wear a jacket and a tie okay so the toy executives wondered if this might force them to go somewhere else because you know evil shows up in his crazy high collared like Elvis gear.

He doesn't really doesn't show up looking like an investment banker by any stretch. He's in a leather onesie. Yeah. With his fucking tight on his balls showing his ball bulge. So they said they didn't know what happened, so they said he'd be in his regular high-collared, high-collared, Carnaby Street look, but he accepted a jacket and tie

from the restaurant's collection, as they'll do. He sat down at the head of a long table in the middle of the restaurant. The out-of-place jacket and the location of the table drew the attention of everyone in the room to him because he's evil can evil Yeah, he's got a dress jacket over leathers. That's yeah ridiculous. Well, he didn't wear the leathers out He had this fucking those he's got something dumb. It's it was basically the leathers but made of like a fabric It was to say he had those big crazy like high Elvis collars and he wore that shit like you know every day he's nuts

So he said he was clearly the guest of honor a man who created a buzz of conversation wherever he went He clearly was evil Knievel a number of diners came past and asked for his autograph. He signed he talked He was gracious and loud another famous man came to the table Excuse me evil. He. I'm Richard Burton. That was Liz Taylor's husband. And he was a giant fucking movie star at that time, too. Huge. He said, I just saw you here

and I wanted to say hello, I'm a fan. I sit with my movie star wife and we watch you jump shit on a motorcycle on Saturday afternoons. I like you. So he said, that was, they said, that was. So he said, they said that was Richard Burton, the British actor, that was Richard Burton, sometimes husband of Elizabeth Taylor

because they were married several times. That was Richard Burton, probably as well known as anyone in the world at the moment. Knievel said, quote, well Dick, nice to meet ya. Let me introduce you to the people in my toy company. He called him Dick. Well Dick. Someone has to introduce themselves as Dick before you start throwing Dick at them I think,

right? I don't think you just random swing that one. Like in all situations, Dick needs to be voluntary. You know, it can't be, can't coerce or put dick upon someone. You don't force that on anyone. A few minutes later a message came from another famous person, Salvador Dali. The surrealist.

I know the name and it sounds amazing. Salvador Dali's the guy. He's a painter, right? Yes he is, I'm gonna tell you, you'll know exactly who he is when I tell you. Remember the garbage pail kid? Yeah. With the clock hanging over the tree branch?

That's a take on his painting. With the clock melting shit, looks like. He's a surrealist artist. That's why! So the name of that card was Surreal Neil. That's how you can introduce Salvatore Dali to people who know shit about culture like me. Oh yeah, the garbage. The garbage filled shits.

You knew exactly what I was talking about. There was one. He's the guy with the melting clock over the tree branch. That's his famous painting. Known for his eccentric waxed mustache, for his paintings of limp wristwatches, for his flamboyance, was seated in a rear banquette. This is like Liberace with paint, basically this guy. He was one of the three or four most successful living artists in the world and he would like

to meet Evil Knievel. What the fuck? Sure Knievel said, send him over. Come on over Sal. Come by. Come by, let's do this. The toy executives hurriedly told Knievel that Dolly was an old he didn't know the fuck he was he had no idea He was evil Knievel. He's a butte Montana drunk safecracker

Have you heard of garbage? Evil there's gonna be these things in ten years. They're gonna blow kids minds. So they said he's an older man He's a very well-known. He's very famous. They're telling him and he created a style of art That's popular and he's just like important guy. He say they said one of you know, the yeah main people made a popular mainstream Yeah, I'm sure other people were fucking painting melting shit before him. But yeah, he did it the best He's the best melted shit painter there is So they said perhaps it would be better if you went over to him Maybe and hung out with him for a minute because it's gonna be awkward for him He's like 85 years old, you know

So he said yeah, right sure if he's that famous or whatever I'll go talk to him bring him up Bring him a toy. So they said he was gone for 10 15 minutes 20 minutes and then he came back They said how'd it go? And he said great. I told him I bought one of his paintings and had it back home in Butte He liked that He seemed to appreciate Like that so they said pause double pause They said you know the man who jumped across the lines of park motor park cars on a motorcycle Said quote those artists are some of the strangest people I've ever seen

Yeah, he's real strange, Evil. Yeah. Wow. Okay. March 3rd, 1972 at the Cow Palace in California, there up by San Francisco, he made a successful jump and tried to come to a quick stop because of a short landing area and suffered a broken back and a concussion after not only getting thrown off his motorcycle, but then being run over by it. Oh my God, he made the jump.

He made the jump, but got thrown. Couldn't stop. He tried to stop short, went over the handlebars, and then the bike ran him over. Which is the worst of every world, you can imagine I think, right there. I don't even know what that's the equivalent of, right there, just.

I mean, probably painting something amazing and being famous for it because of garbage Well famous with us that sucks famous with idiots we're idiots Let's be honest here. You know we're dumb Like a lot of people would know probably more than just that one painting also from him So his name in it I was like that guy's famous. I think yeah, you know his name. So you probably depressed He's probably very depressed if he knew that I said that well Yeah, he's been dead for about I think maybe 45 years, so he's probably not right

He's probably it wouldn't hurt his feelings that bad at this point That's good, so he's been long the only ones named Dolly except for parton right? I think that's it I think that's the one there's only three Well, he's dali dali Yeah, yeah, he's not like dali like Hli right yeah, there's all yeah dali is Yeah, I think it is yeah, so yeah, yeah, they're all different spellings of dali, but they're all the same dali That's helpful to make it unique. Maybe Dolly could be the new Dolly Llama.

She could be the Dolly Llama. I think that would be great. She's nice and kind and everything. I think she could pull it off probably. I'd wear that shirt, a llama with her head on it. Yeah, that'd be great. The Dolly Llama, there she is. I'm sure that exists.

It exists. It's gotta exist. I'm not unique. No, we're certainly not unique for thinking of that. So March 27th, 1982 here. He's all fucked up by the way at this point. He's hurting. He's in shit condition. He did another. He was injured again here. He lost control of his motorcycle while jumping over 13 cars at a show at the Michigan State Fairgrounds They said he was in satisfactory condition now, but he was dragged 80 feet by the motorcycle Which then crashed into a wall with him. He got hooked on it Oh my god

So he got dragged by the bike and then the bike crashed into a wall with him Which of course flung him into a wall too, and I'm sure the bike fell on him and everything else He was carried to this to the ambulance and and I'm sure the bike fell on him and everything else. He was carried to the ambulance, and they put the microphone up to him, and he said, I'm all right. I'll do it again. He was paid $50,000 to make five jumps at the show. So not bad at all.

And they said he's supposed to perform again in two weeks, and Evil said he's gonna do it, even though he's half fucking dead here. So May 5th 1972 kidnapped there's a there is a listing which is very unfortunate placing here these are movie listings so his movie Evil Can Evil is playing but there's also a movie called kidnapped playing and so and it's right above it. It says Kidnapped, Evil Can Evil, which sounds like the story of him kidnapping his wife. Yeah.

So, all right, the little more on the rocket bike because I'm fascinated by this rocket bike. Still threatening this goddamn bike. He is the only I'm telling you, you'll be shocked at the person who's going to make it a fucking reality. It's amazing. It couldn't be anymore if I was writing this like a weird fanfiction. I'd go now. That's too much I literally like if I was telling one of my bullshit backstories. I go down no one's gonna buy that that's too much

It's too weird. So May 7th 6 1972 Knievel sponsored the second annual Snake River motocross championship races on his leased property. He's got that lease. He didn't buy it, but he's got a piece of lease property. He invited the press to the side of the canyon to see the prototype and witness the first test firings of the smaller rockets. They have four bikes at this point.

They have a prototype life size, and the only thing that makes it a bike is they put two wheels on it so it's still a cycle. Otherwise, it shouldn't even be a motorcycle. It's a rocket. It's two wheels and that's the only reason. That's it, they just did. And the only reason they're there is literally just so it's still technically a motorcycle.

I don't know why the hell he gives a shit, but whatever. Who gives a fuck? Who cares? You're gonna fire yourself. It's even dumber to just do it in a pod. It's even funnier. Yeah, you're not to eject out of it. Anyway, who gives a shares Yeah, so then they have three smaller rockets that are not the full size that are just scaled down Everything is scaled down mathematically to test and see if it works. Okay, so this is what they're doing Malawiki who's the guy building the sky rocket bike or sky cycle whatever you want to call it

He said that he estimated that $20,000 had been spent so far none of the money on a salary for himself So he hasn't been paid at all for this. He's doing this for free essentially. Well, he's doing it under the condition He was hopeful about the test the book goes on to say because he said Knievel had promised him a $5,000 bonus plus he'd pay all the expenses if the rocket worked. Okay. Okay. So this is what's fucked up though. Melawicki says the deal had changed over the years. It started out that I would get 30% of any profits. Remember that in the beginning? Then it was 20, then it was 10, then it was five. Then it was a guarantee of some cash. He said, now I just wanted the bonus and expenses

and go from there. He's like, I'll just take pay me something. He said he felt a major problem with dealing with Knievel was being the same age as him. So Knievel didn't look at him as like an older guy who knew any better than him. It was just some dummy I could have went to high school with even though he's a scientist or whatever.

He said the daredevil never fully believed in him, never gave him respect. Early in the development, Malewicki hired a scientist named Bob Trow to provide the engine that would propel the rocket. They said shocked by estimates in the millions from aerospace companies to develop a jet propulsion system,

because they're making up a totally new thing. So a major aerospace company, they're going to want to do all sorts of math and testing, all sorts of different shit. Whereas this guy's like, well, we'll put a rocket on it and shoot it across the canyon. If a small one works, the bigger one should work, right? It'll be fine.

We do it three times on everything, everything's fine. It should be fine. He had been referred to Trow, a one-time colleague of rocket pioneer Robert Goddard. Trow was a cold war expert who contributed to the development of the Polaris and Thor missiles. A man with a scientific imagination that had few boundaries. Trow had been fooling around with steam-powered rocket engines for drag racer Walt Arfons. A sky cycle interested him. Interesting. So he's going to use the motor from the drag racers and put it on this and shoot it in the air?

No, no, no. He's just saying he likes doing shit like this. Like, this type of shit interests him is basically it So he's seen jets for funny cars. That's oh, yeah, that shit is Yeah, it's ridiculous and it burns your eyes. Let's do it. It's crazy. No, you can't breathe when they're out It's nuts those fucking drag racers are nuts. It's just they're out of their minds This whole race is three-quarters of a second and there you go. All right Okay, I think that guy won by a little bit I'm not sure

And that's the most expensive thing you could possibly do it's so expensive Rod had a fucking drag racing team He's like it's just funny car. Yeah, just dumping money. Yeah, you just just for the it's just on fire Going out everything's breaking all the time because this engine isn't supposed to it's not gonna last like that You're firing it up on all cylinders for 35 seconds, and you're only doing it for five at a time It's crazy. It's fucking crazy. So Malawiki said I didn't even know his background in the beginning He had done all these things with rockets. He was famous. I just knew he'd been involved with the drag racer. He didn't even know he was like a famous rocket guy.

So this guy though was 55 years old. So he was 21 years older than Knievel and Malawiki. He was an average sized man with a no nonsense crew cut, a man of strong opinions. Knievel was always polite in dealing with him. He saw him as a no bullshit guy, a real guy. Trow's words to Knievel seemed to matter. Malawicki's words to Knievel were the start of an argument much of the time. So the concept of the rocket had stayed the same. Malawicki had tried to build something that resembled a motorcycle. The prototype and the models each had two wheels which kept the cycle, you know, legitimate.

They looked very much like rockets, however, with three fins on the back and a tapered nose in the front. The X-1 was an impressive looking machine. The plan for the jump was that the rocket would be ignited, travel at increasing speeds up a ramp, shoot off the ramp into the air above the canyon, halfway across two solid propellant rockets would be ignited doubling the power which would ensure that the rocket traveled into the airspace on the other side. That'll make sure it gets you across. Okay, so ones for the boost and lift off the other two are to keep us safe. Yeah, it's like Donkey Kong Country.

Remember that game? When you're in the air, you do the boom and then you hit that thing and take off and then you can get over that big a chasm. Yeah, that's all it is and then look for Diddy. Oh, that's that poor Diddy. No, poor little Diddy Kong is, Diddy Kong.

He's a bad mistaken identity now. He's like, no man, come on. He's out there having king night nights. I don't know what they were trying to fucking help man. This is crazy King nights and hotels Little diddy-cog So yeah, so they would do all that it would be ignited doubling the power We would shoot over where Knievel would eject from his cockpit and parachute to the ground Another shoot would also be released from the rocket.

Man and rocket would land somewhat simultaneously and that's the trick. So the rocket's got a parachute too. Yep that's it. Yeah everything's got, yeah so it doesn't just explode when it hits the ground. So they said the test of the smaller rockets was a chance to see how well the theory matched up with the reality. I mean that's, anybody could put that together and, this is what we hope is going to happen. That'll do it.

I don't fucking know. So the X one was present only for show. That's the actual prototype of the full size. Knievel posed inside of it. He would have to be on his knees in the cockpit, not sitting to properly work the controls, which sounds horrifying. Imagine sitting on your knees going 300 miles an hour and then shooting off a ramp.

I'm not doing it, no. Fucking crazy. The test rockets were all the same, affording the chance to test different trajectories. They were ignited, now if you had just computer modeling you could do it in two minutes. They were ignited one after another by Knievel who pressed a button surrounded

by local kids holding their hands over their ears. The first rocket launched at a 28 degree angle was almost across the canyon when the parachute deployed. Nice! It's too short though. That's not good. Oh, okay. So he wants to get both him and the thing over. Over and then you do it. Because this it had said, then he wants to get both him and the thing over. And then you do it, cause this, it had said, then it fell a few feet short and into the canyon.

Yeah, this will get you, that's bad. This will get you, I mean, you'll parachute into the canyon, but if you hit a wall, you're gonna be in deep shit. That's gonna hurt. That's gonna hurt, and it'll probably fuck the parachute up and then make you fall the rest of the way. Yeah, then you'll probably fall a little more rapid. Yeah, I'm picturing Wiley Coyote,

and it's probably what's gonna happen. Yeah. So they said the angle was adjusted to 45 degrees for the second launch, which is a huge 28 to 45 is a big difference in math. Yeah, that's almost, that's over 20 degrees more. That's big. They're like, yeah, let's try it here. Wait, no, you know what? Completely different. So they had no idea what they were doing. That is steep. A camera was also added. So they had no idea what they were doing. That is steep. A camera was also added, okay? The heavier rocket shot across the canyon and was traveling so fast that when the parachute came out,

the chute was torn off the thing. It was going too fast. Oh no! Too fast, so you don't wanna have that happen either. Yeah. The speeding rocket cleared the canyon edge easily, kept flying, and landed hard and out of eyesight. They're like like holy shit

it keep up that 45 is too much it's way over there can we try like a 30 fucking six or something 32 maybe in the middle this is crazy we almost made it on the first one right so this thing he shot it like into montana he just yeah shot it out of idaho here so that's interesting um fucking they said not a great outcome if you were inside the cockpit, obviously. Yeah. If that, what if that shoot doesn't come out? They'd have to, yeah, they'd have to go travel miles to find his corpse bent up in there on its knees. But I mean kind of a cool way to go out. It's why I would, I think that's what he's going for here. This is a cool way.

This is going to be a burn in a rocket that goes out of sight and then explodes? That sounds awesome. Yeah, that's the- That last David Blaine bit that he did where he went up with balloons on one hand and then cut the tie and then free fell for a long way and then opened to shoot and he landed great. I didn't want him to land.

No, no, yeah, David Blaine. That I wanna see- We've seen enough of him. 100% splatter. We've seen enough of David Blaine too. Yeah. Yeah. This though, this rocket, I mean fucking Gene Hackman is disappointed. He didn't think of this, you know, I'm sure whatever. We don't know what happened to him yet as of recording, but a much better way than living 95 and just dying.

Suspicious. If I live, if I live to 95 still smoking and drinking coffee and everything like that, you can absolutely shoot me over a canyon. Driving! Dude, shoot my ass over a fucking canyon and explode me. I don't care. I don't care. The man's still driving.

That's crazy. That is scary is what that is. But yeah. It's frightening. I mean that's how wide open New Mexico is. 95 year olds can go pick up their smokes and coffee at the gas All right the final rocket minus the camera so now it's lighter Was ignited at a 45 degree angle so like maybe it was too much weight

Shot it off so okay everything seemed to work perfectly the parachute Deployed the rocket slowly safely dropped to earth a father and a son found it and returned it three hours later in fine shape. That's what they're looking for. Alright, the rocket did what it was supposed to do. It was a success, Malawicki said. The success, though, brought about a confrontation that had become inevitable. Malawicki wanted to be paid now. See, look, made my shit.

I did it, now you do it. Expenses and salary Four years of increasing edginess had left the daredevil and engineer in bad positions That handshake in the hospital room in Phoenix was history from long ago Malawiki wanted the five thousand dollar bonus and expenses He's been doing this out of his pocket for Christ's sake making all his shit evil balked of course because he's evil He's not paying no he came up with various reasons why the engineer should not receive

either the bonus or expenses. Nothing. Nothing, you should do this for free. Malawiki said he would not work on the project anymore unless he was paid, you know. I mean, you're kinda getting paid. Yeah. Who knows who you are.

For people who did this for four years without getting paid, it's a motherfucker. Yeah, it sucks So Knievel continued to balk and several weeks later So are a couple weeks later Malawiki quit at the same time Knievel fired him. Apparently that's how that worked Knievel called Bob Trow the next day and asked if this guy would take over the project Trow said he would and he said he even had some ideas here. Malewicki was pissed off, so he went across the street to work for the competition, who is Super Joe Einhorn.

Super Joe Einhorn here is the, he's the next, he's the next trying to want to be evil here. The next evil. Super Joe. All right So this is funny here. There's an article from 72 May 1972 and the headline is evil Knievel holds the hearts of youthful daredevils Now this is a big thing that happens they actually call this evil Knievel syndrome Yeah, it's in medical journals at the time really yes, because it is so prevalent everywhere every

Every ER in the country. Yeah has an evil Knievel file of kids who are fucking mangled Who said they were trying to imitate evil Knievel? Yeah, he's literally the reason why don't try this on TV. Don't try this at home. He's the guy that, why they came up with that, because people were trying it at home like a motherfucker. And this makes jackass shit look safe, what these people are doing.

At least they weren't. Well what happened most of the time is that we put plywood on something that didn't attach to. poorly made ramps. And when you go up the ramp, the crate or whatever's holding it slides and the wood comes down. And then you slam into the crate and then over the handlebars you go.

Yeah, you put fucking four paint cans down and tried to put a fucking slab of plywood on it and jump your friends and everyone got hurt. That's the problem. Every one of us. The ramp, if the ramps were constructed better, there's way less injuries. Yeah. I mean, fuck the toys were constructed better, there's way less injuries. Yeah. Way less.

I mean, fuck the toy. You could have sold ramps and made a billion dollars. Forget it. When I was like 13 and lived in Arizona for that brief time and when I was 13, there was a spot we'd go to either between, it's somewhere between 32nd and 40th street on Thunderbird, I don't remember, but there is a, there is one of the drainage things.

One of the, you know. Oh, Culver, yeah. And this particular one just had an amazing fucking angle where you could. Good trajectory. Well, cause it turned a little bit, so you could come straight at it with a shitload of speed and not have to like turn to go off the side

because it turned. So you'd go bang and you hit it. You'd go so high you'd just throw your fucking bike and it was too much, you know what I mean? You would have destroyed it if you landed on it. So you just throw your bike and try not to break your legs on the way down. Imagine this, you help your little brother

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So that's you know and that wasn't had nothing to do with the evil Knievel so if you put if you put a thought of let's imitate something in our heads we would have killed ourselves. So this article goes on to say when the worried mother asked her 10 year old son how he suffered a cut forehead that required stitches, the boy answered that he fell off his bike imitating evil Knievel. The mother could understand the first part of the answer. Falling off the bike isn't everyday thing

for little boys, normal, but imitating evil Knievel. She's like, what the hell are you talking about? So she said, they said that took some explanation for the mother's benefit, but if you're nine or older or read the sports pages, you know about Evil Knievel. Little League baseball players may want to grow up to be Vita Blue, Willie Stargell or Roberto Clemente, but youths who dig motorcycles, pop wheelies on bicycles or affect sissy bars on their bikes also dig 33 year old Robert Craig Knievel. There it is.

Yeah, the young man with the cut forehead was imitating what evil does best, even down to hurting himself ironically by going up a plank near some new homes, flying through space and landing on another plank a few feet away. One difference is evil jumps off ramps and spans great distances. The young lad was on a bike. The boy was jumping all of three feet at the most. That's all he was doing. It's just a little jump over something.

Just a hop. Yeah, but he didn't make it. So that's the problem. He missed it? Yeah, the kid's all fucked up, cut his forehead. So they said all of these kids, it's happening all the time. They said, this is from the book,

the best reports of the famous daredevils popularity came from the emergency rooms. The children of America, mostly adolescents, but some younger, some much younger, would arrive with cuts and contusions, compound fractures and missing teeth. Every now and then a badly injured internal organ. The dialogue between doctor and patient

would always be the same. How'd you hurt yourself? Well, I saw this guy on television badly injured internal organ. The dialogue between doctor and patient would always be the same. How'd you hurt yourself? Well, I saw this guy on television. In Minneapolis, a nine year old cleared five garbage cans with his bicycle but landed wrong and needed 15 stitches and $400 worth of dental surgery. In Boise, Idaho, a 16 year old,

he should be in a car, first of all. Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah, no chick is gonna, a 16 year old. He should be in a car, first of all. Yeah, what are you doing? What are you doing? Yeah, you know, chick is going to jump a bike with you. You're 16. Find somebody to finger. Get out of here. Do something.

I had no interest in a bike at 16 years old. None. 16 year old cleared a ditch with his bike, but struck a house and suffered a severe concussion. Oh, Jesus. That's a good evil impersonation though. How'd you fucking misapply that math? I think I can land it and stop.

No I'll just hit a house in the mid air. In New York City, a 9 year old drove his bike off a ramp and was impaled by his handlebars suffering grave liver damage. Oh god damn it. In Salt Lake City, a seven year old girl, serious head trauma. In Brooklyn, a six year old trying to clear three milk cases, critical condition. In Muncie, a seven year old impacts so hard that his backbone, quote, acted like a knife and cut his pancreas in half. Oh my god.

That might be the worst fucking thing I've ever heard. How do you wreck so hard that your skeleton breaks shit? That your pancreas and your spine are in contact with each other? Yeah, you're twisted. You gotta be twisted. Your pancreas was driven across the serrated area of your spine and split it. Holy shit. On and on it went.

In Boston, three young doctors started writing down the case histories for the injuries they witnessed at Boston City Hospital. The reports were the same as everywhere else. Case one, MC, that's initials, 14 years old, had lacerations of the face and buckle fractures of the right digital radius, and Ulma had accepted a dare to ride his bicycle over a plank pitched against saw horses to land on a plank on the other

side. See, that's just gonna slide. It's not gonna work. And those are so steep. If you've got a plank, your saw horses are three feet high. That's crazy. That's so crazy. I bet they didn't have like 20 sandbags on it so it wouldn't move. This is This is not good. He came up short case to mb15 had fractures on both Both of his right and left radius and a fracture of his mandibular Sympathetic synthesis he pretty much had tried the same stunt as case one except he did it on a motorbike No, like that's gonna hold it on a motorbike. Case 3, JF-11 had numerous facial lacerations and two missing permanent front teeth. He and his friends had been riding their bikes down a wooden ski jump they built. He landed wrong, shot

over the handlebars. Three doctors, Joel Davin, J.F. O'Connor and Roy Briggs, wrote a paper on the situation for Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. They pointed out the susceptibility of kids to what they see on TV, especially violent risky acts performed by charismatic heroic figures. The name of the paper was The Consequences of Imitative Behavior in Children, the Evil Knievel Syndrome. That's how famous he is. There's a medical journal with a syndrome. I mean, if you see it and it's successful, you figure, I can do it too. I can do it too. He looks like he's doing it pretty easy.

But the fucked up part is you see him crash so much. So much. You'd be like, he does it all the time. He has a special outfit made for this shit. Like I'm doing it in my school clothes. This is, I got tough skins on right now. It's the 70s, this guy. These are dungaree, not gonna be good.

He's got a whole outfit for this shit. It seems like it's pretty easy, but no, it's not. It's hard, probably. You're wearing Chuck Taylors, man, calm down. I mean, the balls though, when we all tried to jump things on our bikes. We saw people do things like that and they're wearing protective gear

and we're like, I can do it in shorts. I can do it in shorts with no helmet. No helmet. No, we didn't have pads or helmets. I couldn't imagine going, and I hate to be like, oh, when we were kids, but we couldn't go to our mom and be like, I'd like bike pads and a helmet. She'd be like, for what?

What are you doing? Why, you gonna fucking ride it off a plane? What's wrong with you? Shut up and go ride your bike. I need a helmet for try not to fall stupid. What do you know? That's it I already bought you the bike. Yeah anymore money. Yeah, sorry that bike is gonna have to last a while to June 22nd 1972 they say evil Knievel is alive and well well at least alive Let's see st. Louis post dispatch, which is fucking hilarious They're talking about him crashing again here of course He does a an interview when he says I have a broken back the fifth lumbar

Lower is broken vertically and spread apart, and there's a depression in the third and fourth. I do have a lot of pain I would say so that sounds like it, but that also kind of sounds like that Mike Tyson interview Yeah, yeah, yeah Spinal I don't know evil. I don't know that I believe you. Oh, yeah evil. Let's he doesn't he's not He seems like coming. Well also yeah, he's also just completely full of shit all the time But yeah, the point is it's plausible because when you see him crash you go, holy fuck, he could have, no matter what injuries you say happen, it's believable. If you crash into a wall, he said this is evil. There are three mysteries to life. Where we came from, what do we do, why we do what we do and where we're going.

I guess I was made to do what I do. There you go. Oh man. Sounds like an old dusty trail advice. That's what he's trying. Yeah, absolutely. He says that concentration is a must. That's the big thing here. Alright, let's do it in their own words here, because I like this. This is just funny. Let's have Evil Knievel in his insane words,

in their own words, quote, I go to a football game and I see those guys crossing themselves. The darn fools shouldn't be praying. They should be thinking about what they're going to do. I'm a God-fearing man and before I go to the racetrack, I make my peace with God. If I haven't made it in 33 years, I'm not gonna make it in three or four seconds. Which is very logical. Sure. Hey, if God doesn't like you by now, it's a little fucking late for that. You should probably think about the plays you're gonna run and not fucking praying at

this point in time. Don't wait until Peyton screams Omaha to start the crossing, man. There's a reason Tim Tebow sucked in the NFL. He was too busy praying. Not busy enough watching fucking film. That's the difference Sorry, you gotta dedicate yourself. Oh, yeah How much time you think Tom Brady spent praying in his whole career? Not nearly as much as watching film. I have a feeling or as

T-bone is spending all his time Praying and suppressing gay fucking tendencies, I'm sure, because that's why he's praying so much and acting. I'm a virgin because, you know, it's just God. It's not that I don't wanna have sex with women at all and I'm putting this off as long as humanly possible because I don't wanna admit I'm gay. Especially the ones he was dragging around.

How do you not? So, I don't know what the hell's going on. Yeah, I've used dating, attractive women and all kinds of shit like that He says we've been shooting a documentary film on the canyon jump for three and a half years It's all completed except for the last 11 minutes and that last 11 minutes is the life insurance policy for my wife and three children Okay, he says if I do splat onto the other side at 350 miles an hour Don't say I was crazy or an idiot Just say evil Knievel kept his word as a crazy idiot. Yeah, I think would be yeah

So anyway, he says if I make it all he's gonna grab two handfuls of dirt and thank God He's alive and then retire and play golf the rest of his life. Oh That's it and he said well he said he's it's get 50 million dollars for this. That's it. And he said, well, he said it's gonna be a lot of money. It's gonna be a big deal. He said, and he's worked every penny. He said, there's a reason why I make more in one day than Vita Blue was great Hall of Fame pitcher makes in a year. There's a reason why I've made two or $3 million doing what I do, but I can't tell you what it is. You'll have to come to the track and see for yourself. He thinks he...

Wow, he thinks he's worth... Vita's got a talent, man. You don't have any fucking talent. But it takes 18 guys on the field to get all those people to come watch that. This guy just says, I'm evil Knievel, and people show up. So, I mean, I don't think anyone's shown up to watch Vita throw balls against a fucking wall

with a square Drawn on it, you know what I'm saying? This one-man white trash Heroes one-man circus is doing it all what he is so here we'll talk about the copycats a little bit because When he's before when he was, you know making 2,500 bucks and spending four grand on hospital bills Nobody looked at that saw it as a great business model, and tried to imitate it. Doesn't seem very, feels like the profit margin

is real slant. This is a tight profit margin, worse than a restaurant, telling you. So otherwise, though, once he starts getting famous now, he's in every newspaper, on all these TV shows, and everything like that. Now people are like well fuck this is lucrative. There it is. I'll do that too. So they said one of the byproducts

of success an annoying byproduct to Knievel was that the other people had started to do what he did. New motorcycle jumpers seemed to appear on the scene every month fearless characters fueled by the same economic desperation that Knievel had in the beginning more than willing to risk their lives for the same tenuous benefits that he received. So it makes sense. They said there was no need to play in the minor leagues or sing in front of a string of roadhouses or sit in a classroom board to perfect a talent in this business. Buy a motorcycle, get some leathers, find some racetrack owner who needed one more attraction, line up some cars and a ramp and fucking there you go.

That's it. Become famous or kill yourself. Those are the options. But you can do it. Bob Gill, a 28 year old guy from St. Petersburg, Florida had already jumped a canyon, Cajun Canyon outside New Orleans. It's sea level down there. What the fuck?

How deep could a canyon be? It would be underwater. So they said it was 60 feet deep, which is... Is there really? I don't know. Is it off a levee? It has to be. Some kind of weird dam has to be set up or something.

152 feet wide on a Kawasaki 400. This is three weeks before that Snake River test that we talked about with the rockets. He would jump a fleet of rider rental trucks for a television commercial the next year. Rex Blackwell and Gary Davis out of Phoenix performed in tandem as the flying cycles. They roared at the same line of cars from different ends of the venue, hit the two ramps at the same time and hopefully passed each other in midair and then landed safely going the opposite directions. A 21 year old named Bob Pliso from Ocala, Florida promised to break all jumping records. A guy named Ted Keeper in Chicago drove around in a school bus that said Ted Keeper jumps

cheaper on the side. Ha! 50 bucks is all it took and he would jump something he said. school bus that said Ted keeper jumps cheaper on the side. Ha. 50 bucks as well it took and he would jump something he said. I'll jump whatever you want for 50 bucks. I'll suck your dick if you laugh. I'll suck yo dick. A blonde 21 year old from Phoenix, Debbie Lawler had opened the business to women. Really?

A former model, she disclosed that she always wore her lucky orange brassiere when she jumped and obviously That got press attention and well, let's see it. What are you wearing it now? The best known of all the copycat jumpers was super Joe Einhorn That's the guy who Melawicki went and worked for a wild character from San Pedro, California Divorced and broke, he truly had followed Knievel's route to fame, especially the part about stopping in assorted hospitals along the way. He had been in some spectacular crashes. At the Cow Palace, someone had spilled a soft drink in the lobby and Einhorn's front wheel hit the spill in his approach and sent him out of control.

His heart was pushed farther to the left side of his chest in the crash, and he now says he has to put his hand under his armpit when he recites the Pledge of Allegiance. Oh God. Holy shit, how the fuck does that happen? Your spine's cutting your, dude, don't do this. Everybody stop doing this, this is crazy. It can relocate your heart.

Look, your heart has tubes and shit attack. Yeah, like Pull out an electric socket out of your wall and try to push it over Yeah, you can't do it and shit there and this is millions of years of evolution has put it where it needs to be Don't fucking move it Don't fuck with it That's that's that's a heart fart right there In Sacramento Sacramento he had landed short and his triumph 650 pretty much had disintegrated in Charleston, South Carolina. He jumped over a building landed on his head and broke his wrist ankle both shoulders and a thumb

Einhorn said you come to when they're putting something in your eyes. That's what he told a reporter. They're always putting something in your eyes. Strange people are working over you. Then a doctor comes in and sits down and starts reading a list of injuries. He goes on and on, broken back, dislocated shoulder, punctured lung, all that stuff. You lie there and think, gee, that poor guy. Then it dawns on you that the list is about your own injuries and then you get scared

Hmm So they said the first rule of jumpers was to differentiate themselves from Knievel Only debbie lawler proclaimed that while she was the queen of cycle jumpers evil would always be the king The rest of the jumpers all they do is try to challenge evil all the time That's their big I challenge evil Knie evil the fuck does he need you for? They said they boasted about how their drums jumps were different and more challenging both Gil and please So jumped with only a takeoff ramp and no landing ramp more challenging Please so said ramp to ramp jumpers are a dime a dozen

I'm gonna jump onto the floor just the the floor, just hit the fucking ground afterwards. That's crazy. That is out of control crazy. Einhorn here, Einhorn stretched paper across the top of the takeoff ramps between the two poles the way cheerleaders stretch paper in front of the entrance to the field before a big homecoming game. That's his big schtick.

So that's why they're different. Okay, blast through some paper. I put paper up. Oh, okay. That's fine. So 1972 in July, here's an article from Hank Hollingsworth in the Independent and it says, Super Joe, no fan of Evil Knievel. One of Evil Knievel's fans is not Super Joe Einhorn who claims the world record motorcycle long distance jump record which most of the universe figured belonged to Evil Knievel. Knievel is a fraud said Super Joe. Okay.

Here we go. He said Knievel. Yeah now that's what it is. He wants a challenge and yeah. Knievel keeps talking about things but he never does them. It sounds like a promo. It really does. It sure does. Yeah. I do them. I hold the world's ramp to ramp jump record of 144 feet.

And I'll tell you something, John Cena, this Saturday at WrestleMania, that 144 feet's gonna come down on top of you, baby. Which broke what record Knievel reportedly claimed he owned. He said, not only that fact, but I jumped over 14 cars at the Cow Palace. I know Knievel has never done that despite his great claims. He said, I'll repeat the act Saturday night. I'll definitely jump my cycle over 14 cars and if I find the terrain is good enough, I may bust my own record and hurdle 15 cars. That's just like doing it.

That's right. He said, I'm so good, I was on World, the Wide World of Sports. They don't take pikers or frauds on that show, but Evil's been constantly on that show. It's built on their top ratings ever are all Evil Can Evil shows. The only reason they're watching you is because of him. Yeah. We don't have Evil this week, so here's this dickhead. Maybe he'll kill himself. Here's a guy you don't know of. Don't have evil this week. So here's this dickhead. Maybe he'll kill himself

Yeah, it doesn't matter he'll be injured soon Einhorn said he's been talking about that for six years He always talks about things he's going to do but he never does them frankly I consider the Grand Canyon a pretty easy jump Really? Oh, yeah, he said then take the Snake River He's always talking about jumping that but he still hasn't the Grand Canyon the Snake River They're all the same. They're easy, but Knievel hasn't jumped either yet That is why he said I honestly get mad when I read one claim after another that he's made. They're just not true

I challenged that big-mouth old-timer to a match jump off to a match jump off I suggested the pot we put up was $25,000 a piece winner take all he makes more than that to jump on his own why would he do that he doesn't know what he doesn't understand what level evil is playing out at this point he makes he makes more than that every month on toys he doesn't need you this So, he says, he says he backed off but there was good reason for him not to accept my challenge. The old man knew he couldn't make it. Old man. The old man.

Bait him. Super Joe produced his own spectacular last week at a luncheon. He said, I had an armored car with $50,000 in cash and it parked outside the restaurant. Then I had the guards bring in the $50,000 cash to show it parked outside the restaurant. Then I had the guards bring in the $50,000 cash to show all those fine people at the luncheon. I then publicly offered another challenge to Evil Knievel to equal my bet and face me on Saturday's program at the Coliseum and he could have it all if he won. Yeah, he said, if I lose that challenge, I'm broke for a long, long time, but I don't think I've lost it and I don't think I'd have lost it if he'd had the courage to face me

He said he's only been in it for two years Super Joe. Oh He said by the way, Knievel's been in it so long. I wasn't born when he started that shows how old he is When he started I wasn't born. Oh man Knievel pissed off at this obviously. Yeah, cuz he's only in his 30s. He's like 34 I think. I think he's 34 at this point or 33 or something and they're like I wasn't even born when he started. So Knievel, Debbie Lawler was on Wide World of Sports and broke his record at the Houston Astrodome was on Wide World of Sports and broke his record at the Houston Astrodome. And Knievel said, I can spit farther than that.

But then he realized, oh, this is a mistake, and he invited her to jump in Seattle and gave her a pink mink coat and made a big deal out of her. He's like, oh, nice move. Better PR to do it this way than to make fun of her. He appeared in Cannes, because she's kissing his ass the whole time. So that's why it's like, hey, don't be mean to her.

She's being nice to you. And even if she was being mean, you'll never win being mean to a woman. Well, yeah, and she's got tits and a bra, and everyone's gonna be on her side because, I don't know, she's probably not as big of an asshole as he is too. You're gonna wear a blue thong, Evil?

Then you're gonna shut up. I bet she's not as big a dick, and that's gonna make people go, hey. As I said, he appeared at a Kansas City press conference to tell Gill to stop mentioning his name and all his promotions He was not happy when Einhorn made the $25,000 challenge the competition brought promised other jumps Gill said he had an offer to jump over the Rolling Stones while they played jumping jack flash Einhorn. I want to see that. That's why. Yeah. I want to see Mick Jagger take a Sportster to the side of the fucking head.

That would be great. Take a spinning back wheel right to the fucking grill. Einhorn looked at the possibility of jumping across Wall Street in New York from the roof of one building to the roof of another. Or maybe he would jump across Niagara Falls, Canadian side to American side. Or there's a canyon in Mexico. These are all spectacular ways to die. They're all flames. So the canyon in Mexico is where Doug Malawicki

had become involved and started working with him. He had developed Einhorn, he would help develop Einhorn's craft to clear that canyon. He was thinking about a kite attached to a motorcycle. sounds like a terrible idea that's very again Wile E. Coyote that's very acme that's god-awful or what yeah I guess those like the pedals with the fucking wings yeah just try that just how fast can let me ask you something super Joe how fast can you pedal? That's the real question here.

He said he had thought about that when working on the rocket for Knievel. Investors had to be found, Knievel was not happy, he was not happy with any of this stuff. Okay, now, he is into planes now, Evil. This is his thing. I mean, cars are fine, Rolls Royces and shit like that, but really, the big time people.

Personal private. Yeah, big time people have planes. They have planes. Let's step it up here. So they said, at two consecutive shows in the summer of 72, planes that were leased to him, not motorcycles, planes, were involved in crashes. Oh, what?

He's even bad at that. He boasted that by the start of 73, owned quote unquote eight planes as part of a project to start an air taxi service out of Butte that never developed. He now flew to some personal appearances leaving Ray Gunn or somebody else to drive the big rig. He doesn't do that anymore. First crash happened on July 17th at Coon Rapids, Minnesota, at a drag strip where he was supposed to appear.

A twin-engine Beechcraft owned by Knievel piloted by a professional from Butte tried to land on the strip and crashed into a trailer also owned by Knievel. The pilot was fine but the daredevil said the damage on the plane was $100,000, which is insane, and the damage on the trailer was a hundred thousand dollars Which is insane and the damage on the trailer was a thousand dollars That's more reasonable at Knievel's next show this time the Continental Divide Dragway in Castle Rock, Colorado He himself crashed a 414 Cessna into a 25 foot flagpole on the side of the drag strip five foot flagpole on the side of the drag strip. Why would he do that? He's not see that.

He complained that his people hadn't removed the pole like they were supposed to. Oh, no, they didn't pull the fucking flagpole out of the concrete in the ground. Yeah, that might've been difficult. The supposed to pull the gathered crowd, the airplane that landed and the crashed on the drag strip was a sudden added part of the attraction. Made the same startled noise it would make if he crashed on his jump. He was not injured and the plane was only slightly injured, a broken wing light. He made the 11 vehicle jump, 4 vans, 4 pickup trucks, 3 cars, waved to the crowd, got back

into the Cessna and flew away. He boasted that he never had an FAA license, but knew how to fly an airplane and just flew it anyway. Just did it! He doesn't have a pilot's license, he just flies an airplane. He said quote, I don't need a license to fly an airplane. I get up in the air all the time. Quote, I fly any damn place I want to know you do need

Wow I fly from Seattle to Butte Butte to Billings Butte to Salt Lake City what are they gonna do how can they stop me from flying around in the air up there I mean that's silly I can fly a 747 there isn't anything I can't fly I'll jump it over a canyon I don't fucking care the rules apply to everyone else but not to him He said quote what I do according to the laws of society may not be exactly right But the laws of society don't constitute my morals. I constitute them Man he could do anything he wants so Wow

He's on there's a Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph article here. Evil Knievel makes it look so easy while on jet bike. He hasn't done it yet. No, I guess they said that he they call it a jet bike, but this is his regular bike. And they're just talking about him. A jet engine on it. No, it's just I don't think so. Just doing some new shit. Yeah, no

He acknowledged at the thin and dry. Yeah, he just said that the elevation helped him. That's all But they call it a jet bike interesting he Little bit about evil and his braggartness and all this shit. He said that he made love to over 600 women Which I mean that's nothing in the Wilt Chamberlain model but. No. Why?

I don't understand why that is. Why do men think that like the amount is such a big deal? Well the famous guys do. That's, that's, that's I have this much money, I have this many cars and I fuck this many women. It's a, I climbed this mountain, it's a collection of, of weird shit. Yeah, I don't understand it either a figure that he was not afraid to say was growing rapidly He proclaimed that he made love to eight different women in one day Don't tell your wife. No, he said that in public. He said it with her sitting next to him. He didn't care

There was she would it's crazy, dude They would go, he would go fuck women then take his wife to the bar and be like, I fucked that woman last night and tell her about it in front of people. It's fucking crazy. He, she believe he was lying or something? No, she knew he was serious. She just, there was nothing she could do about it. And she didn't care. Yeah. So he set up shop in the noisiest, hottest bar in whatever city was his home for the night. He bought a round for the bar.

He received an assortment of rounds in return. The people came to him. He was evil, Knievel. Famous. Straight from the television set. From the moving picture show. Straight from the poster on your kid's bedroom wall. Adventure had begun.

A Butte guy who traveled with him sometimes said, quote, men would offer him their wives. Yeah. That is fucking weird. He said they thought it was an honor to give their wives to him. Women were all over him. They were attracted by the danger. Okay. Now his hangout in LA, according to the book, his major haunt in Los Angeles became Filthy McNasty's. Yeah, of course. Obviously.

That is, wait till you hear how this shit formed too. A bar on Sunset Boulevard that, it's the Viper Room is what it is. Oh, is it? 70s Viper, no, it's where the Viper Room is, the same bar, which is what now? Is it some other shit now? It's still a Viper Room is what it is. Oh, is it? 70s Viper, no, it's where the Viper Room is, the same bar, which is what now, is it some other shit now? It's still a Viper Room. It's still a Viper, okay.

Yeah, but this was the bar that was the Viper Room. You have the most handsome man and prospect in Hollywood die in front of it. You never change the name of that. I would think you change the name of it tomorrow to the bar that fucking, River Phoenix didn't fucking throw up in the gutter and die in front Of right saying bad connotation. I don't think it's I don't think anybody owns it Other than Johnny Depp still it was Johnny Depp's place. Yeah, then then yeah

By the way is Eddie Vedder? Imitating Johnny Depp or is Johnny Depp impersonating Eddie Vedder I've been trying to figure this out because they both got extremely famous around the same time and they both talk and act exactly the same way in interviews. I'm really curious who's imitating who. They've always worn the same sunglasses. It's the same outfit, the same hair, the same rings and weird shit. It's just the same thing. Bandanas and shit hanging off of them. and weird shit, it's just the same thing. Bandanas and shit hanging off of them.

Hey everybody, we have some exciting news that we wanna share. If you wanna go on an adventure with Generation Y, we'd love for you to join us. January 26th through the 30th, 2026, we'll be sailing from Miami to the Bahamas on Wondry's first ever True Crime Cruise, aboard the Norwegian Joy.

Aaron and I will be there to chat hang out Dive into all things true crime and we're thrilled to be joined by some familiar voices in the true crime podcasting world Surti and Hannah from red-handed Sashi and Sarah from scamfluencers and Karl Miller from kill list super excited to hang out with them, too We've got some cool activities interactive mysteries we can solve, testing our forensic skills with a blood spatter expert, and so much more. So for some sun, fun, and just the right amount of mystery solving, come join us.

If you'd like to know more and secure your spot, visit exhibitccruise.com for presale information. Megan Stoner was a young, passionate Republican and a self-proclaimed advocate for mental health, but behind her public persona lurked a master of deception. I'm Tiffany Reese, host of Something Was Wrong. In season 22, we're diving into the twisted world

of a con artist who's been allegedly scamming and making false claims for over a decade. From the US to Canada, Megan Stoner has left a trail of devastation for her victims. But after a brief period of incarceration, she's now back out on the streets. And although she's free now, we're actively working with law enforcement to further justice for the victims of her alleged crimes. This isn't just another true crime story. It's a wake-up call about trust, deception, and the power of community to fight back.

Follow Something Was Wrong on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Something Was Wrong Season 22 ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. Same odd fucking guy. So, it's kind of looked like they smell a little funny. Same guy. The bartender was Adam Duritz forever.

Okay. Did you know that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we talked about that one tonight. I just found that out in some documentary. I don't remember what it was. Interesting. Yeah, he was there that night.

This used to be this bar, used to be the Melody Lounge, which was like a Bugsy Seagull hangout back in the day. Oh, cool. The 40s and shit. Yeah. Later on it's the Viper Room, but at this point it is the McNasty Brothers own it. Oh. The McNasty Brothers Filthy and Wolfgang McNasty.

Perfect. Who obviously are Germans who moved from Berlin, clearly. Why else? That's what I thought. Filthy. Yeah, no, Filthy McNasty. They came from, as teenagers in 56, from Berlin. They hung out in the LA restaurant business and changed their name.

Their last name was Barch. B-A-R-T-S-C-H, which is just too many consonants in a name. And they said McNasty's cooler. Yeah, it's cooler than a lot of things. That's pretty cool. Phyllis Diller came to the bar sometimes, Little Richard, John Wayne even appeared. There was action every night of the week

with loud bands, transvestites, singers, mud wrestling, and a whole lot of Monty Rock III, who was a hairstylist, a singer, and mostly a flamboyant talk show guest with Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. Knievel fit into the picture nicely, obviously. This is a circus and he's the fucking ringleader, so why not? Or the ringmaster, whatever the fuck.

As he left his latest extravagant automobile and a hundred dollar bill with the valet parking attendant and signed for the unfolding of evening of hijinks. The hijinks would go very late. The Sunset Boulevard location had to close at 2 o'clock but the brothers owned a second bar in North Hollywood which was a private club. Awesome. Yeah. Filthy who sometimes sang a tune of his own composition that goes quote, you're breaking my heart, you it apart, so fuck you He's got a good hold on the American language anyway. Yeah, I've heard that song

I'm sure you have You're a burden who sings. I know who sings it now, but I don't know where I've heard it But I've certainly heard that song. I feel like it's that's the an unknown verse to don't go break in my heart I feel like that's an unknown verse to Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Maybe, yeah. Don't go breaking my heart, and if you do, fuck you. I think that's a, I haven't heard that verse, but it could work.

So during the proceedings, drove a Cadillac hearse, a black Cadillac hearse with bright orange interior. That's the McNasty brothers. He would fill the hearse with well-oiled women and drive them to the North Hollywood location. The men would follow and the party would keep going until sunrise. So, wow, yeah, well-oiled, I mean shit-faced. Wolfgang said evil would always come. He had the cane filled with wild turkey. He always drank but was never drunk. He mostly would come by himself to the bar. He would stay in a hotel on the strip. It was funny

If his wife was in town, she might come too. He would tell her what women he had seen who he was with the night earlier I never knew how he could do that The book said Linda would be there Linda would be back in Butte with the kids Knievel checked in and out of his different lives Nobody said a word. He was a, it's the 70s basically, and he's living it to the fucking brink here. So, October 3rd, 1972, he is going to jump some more shit here.

And this is in Wichita. There's just all these, every place he goes. There's just a big Just a big newspaper article being like finally some excitements coming to this town It's happening October 9th 1972 they're talking about his wheelie accident Which one apparently accident. Which one? Apparently they talk about him, this is when shortly before the wheelie accident was when he hurt himself at the cow palace.

But I guess this here they're talking about him just crashing doing a wheelie. Evil said I wish I had never said I'd do it but a promise is a promise when he said he, they're asking about jumping the gorge. If it's not to your own child, fuck that promise. Yeah, who gives a shit? promise is a promise when he said he they're asking about jumping the gorge to your own child fuck that promise yeah who gives a shit a promise is a promise Linda said he isn't here right now he's doing something in an air show I believe when they called his house she said I guess golf is one of his favorite sports he tries to play several times a week and seems seems excited

about playing in the Nashville tournament This is when he's super into golf like he'll build a house on the fairway of a country club in Butte and play every day Well, we know he bets a ton on golf and that's shit But he loves it yet something you can gamble on he fucking loves golf and he at one point gets to be very good at golf, but then like he falls, his game falls apart like, I don't know. The yips forever. The yips or if it's just he's too fucked up,

you hurt your back that many times, maybe you can't get in the right position or whatever. But at one point they said he had a six handicap. Oh. Yeah. No, he's not drunk because he's playing for money. Yeah, you don't do that. And it's probably later, he claims that he could beat any PGA golfer if he

bet them $10,000 a hole because he goes when they lose and when there's pressure on TV he goes that's not their money they're losing that's right prize money goes they don't even have it yet this is their money he goes they'll start shaking I won't yeah I have nerves of steel So they explaining that Knievels golf scores are in the 80s unless his back is bothering him She said this is uh, this is Linda if a man enjoys his work I suppose he's happy and that's important, you know, sure. It's also important to let him fuck all sorts of people That is how we do it so the November 19th, 1972 here, okay, the Madison River in Ennis, Montana. So this is from the book. The irony was that after all

the danger, after all the close calls, all the public conversations about the peril involved in his work, when death made an appearance in the midst of evils of Knievel's ascendant rise It came in a depressingly normal package his father-in-law drowned in front of him and there was nothing he could do to stop it What this is shitty man? They said they went out early they were duck hunting. It was a trip with Kelly now 12 and Robbie now 10 Linda's father 63 year old John Bork. They said him and Bork got a long fine now after you know Bork had him arrested for kidnapping his daughter in the past.

And they said the plan was for the men in the family to hunt then meet up with Linda and daughter Tracy at Varney's Bridge in the afternoon. Ennis and the Madison River were perhaps the best or perhaps 75 miles southwest of Butte. Knievel and his father-in-law were lifelong hunters. They weren't doing anything unusual. This was a family outing, the type of event that the public forgot Knievel had. You know, this is normal everyday life. The accident happened in a moment. They're on a 13-foot inflated boat where they, while they're going along just fine, they

hit a log and it flipped. They just hit a log the wrong way and it flipped everybody went flying Knievel was able to grab Kelly Bork was able to push Robbie to safety on top of a log but then the current picked up and swept the father in law away Robbie Knievel was there and oh he almost died he got put on a log and half a second later the father-in-law was taken away So if he held him another half a second, they were both gone Robbie was dead too before he ever tried to kill himself So yep, they said he was gone. Just like that They said he held on to a branch for half a second and then he just boom he was gone

Knievel told the newspaper he had on heavy boots and they filled up with water. I had on boots too and I couldn't get to him. He never wore boots in the boat but he just hadn't got around to taking them off. So Knievel and the two boys were able to find safety on a small island in the middle of the river. They proceeded to call out for help but soon found they were very much alone. Knievel eventually left the boys on the island and found a spot to cross the river to find help. Horses were used to bring the boys to safety.

Holy. Bork's body was found on a sandbar further down the river. The current had pulled him away and the boots had pulled him down. And then it washed him back up. That's right. A friend of Knievel's said, this is the guy who owns the Met Tavern, said it was just a tragedy.

There wasn't any story. It just happened. Awful. So they said that, yeah, it's crazy. Evil later on, somebody asked him, what kind of dreams do you have? This is four years later. And he said, you know, there's one dream I keep having over and over. I relived the day my father-in-law drowned in a boat accident when he was with me and my two sons. I was torn between staying with the boys

and trying to save him in the rushing water, and I stayed with my sons. Losing him. He had to, you jump in, it sweeps you away too. Now the kids are out there by themselves, and they're fucked. You hang with the boys, man. Let that old man figure it out.

You gotta do that at that point. You try to save the kids, and then that's all you can do. He said, losing him in that river was probably the worst thing that ever happened to me. When I first married my wife, I wasn't all that close to him, but through the years we really formed a bond between us, and to this day I have never gotten over that accident

and the feeling that maybe I could've done something to save him. Yeah, that's a tough thing. I think this is the first hint of guilt we've heard out of evil, can evil and his entire life about anything. Literally. The first hint of human emotion. Yeah. Anybody else. It's great. Yeah, exactly. Um, in the final months of 1972, his unhappiness allegedly was translated into grim action here,

apparently according to this book. Now, this is fucking crazy. This is some criminal shit here. The manager for Joe Einhorn, Super Joe, was beaten and threatened in a San Francisco motel room. Bob Gill was beaten and threatened in a Kansas City hotel room. And Doug Malawicki, who was working, he's the rocket guy who was working for Super Joe, was threatened near his own home. Knievel wasn't present at any of the events but the men who were involved allegedly mentioned his name. He said he sent hired goons out.

Yeah. Yeah. Fuck with people so they don't ruin his fucking livelihood. Wow. Malawicki said quote, the guy said I'm supposed to kill you. You should be dead right now. I felt sorry for you though. You have a wife and children.

I'm going to do you a favor, but you should do me a favor too. He said the speaker was a beefy man, middle aged. He showed a gun for emphasis. His advice was that Malawiki should stop being involved with Einhorn in this project. Could you be more obvious that Evil Can Evil sent you? Maybe stop doing things that compete with a man named Evil Can Evil. I'm just a big fan.

I'm just a big fan, yeah. The technology he used for evil should stay with evil is what he said. You don't take that rocket bike over there. He said, was this too much to ask? He said, Malewiki should consider himself warned, and there's that. Malawiki said if the goal had been to scare him it didn't work. He said I knew the guy wasn't going to kill me. If he was going to kill me he would have never talked to me. It would have been over before I knew anything happened. He really didn't worry

me for some reason. Okay the messages to both Einhorn's manager and Gill were all allegedly the same message that Malawicki heard but accompanied by punches or kicks. So they all had the same message but the other people got beaten. The FBI moved into the case under the Hobbs Act which prohibits actual attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce. Everyone was interviewed. The redacted versions of the FBI reports didn't surface publicly until 2008. What? One said that Blank, presumably Einhorn's manager, this is all redacted, some redacted shit in there, said that he had discussed the $25,000 challenge with Knievel on the phone a number of times.

On August 23, 1972, he received a severe beating from two men that required him to be hospitalized for two days. Blank said that two weeks later he received a call from Knievel who said he had no control over quote, the thing that happened. But that if he told anyone, Knievel would fix it in 12 hours and that blank this person would never walk again. A different someone, Blank redacted in Kansas City, presumably Gill, said he was scared to death by his confrontation.

The FBI investigators wanted to find a connection between organized crime and Knievel. They thought that some of the venture capital for his jumps and other business deals came from mob characters in Chicago, and they wanted to hang the beatings and threats on the mob characters. They just want to use evil as beatings and threats on the mob characters. They just want to use evil as a way to get to the mob guys. Malawiki said the FBI came to see me. I told them what happened. They showed me some pictures but none of them was the guy who had approached me.

An agency review of Butte police files about Knievel is interesting. It found that he indeed had been a suspect in a string of robberies when he was a merchant policeman, a large suspect in the robbery of the treasurer's office in the courthouse, and also had been flagged for a comment he made to a bank official wondering what the official would do if he wanted a large amount of money at that moment. Now they thought the comment was threatening because he didn't have an account there. Yeah, that's called bank robbery. That would be, he's like, what would happen

if I robbed you? How about that? Little bit more on the beatings and stuff later. We'll talk about that. So January 4th, 1973, evil Knievel escapes unhurt from explosion. What? Why is he fucking with explosions now?

His jet powered motorcycle exploded and burned while being refueled. That's why. Okay. So it's not like pyrotechnics. It's just the actual machine blew up. He didn't like hit a wall and explode, which is what I'm picturing. He was sitting on the motorcycle when the accident happened and said the damage to the $200,000, it's not a $200,000 machine, was $6,000. Knievel is to perform in a motorcycle show this weekend at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Okay, here's some just, you know, odds and ends here

from the book. The new big money life of Knievel was best exhibited in an event held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum February 1873. He was co-promoter along with old friend J.C. Agagenian of the world's richest demolition derby. He's the guy from before. Luxury cars like the like a new Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, a Cadillac El Dorado and a Lincoln Continental Mark IV would be placed in combat with 27 other recent model lesser sedans. Yeah. So after... George Colts. A bunch of horse shit. After the

destruction was complete, Knievel would jump over a pyramid of 50 junk cars. Okay. It was called Motor Heroics the day. As soon as it was announced, this promoter said, we got such hate mail. A lot of it came from overseas. This was a decline of civilization. Americans were so fill in the blanks. A guy wrote that anyone in Britain would give his eye teeth just to sit in a car like the roles, not even drive it. And we were going to destroy it. But hang in there. We'll be much more gluttonous. It's going to wait till you say later. Oh shit.

ABC nevertheless bought the package for Wide World of Sports, Knievel's first appearance since his cameo debut five years earlier. The rolls were sent around the freeways of LA, a sign on it that read, This car will be destroyed on February 11th, 1973. The date changed to a week later when Rain postponed the first show. Knievel took to the streets to promote the event. In the Maserati, he was clocked at 110 miles per hour

on the Hollywood Freeway at one point. Holy shit. It's a little fast. He was lucky he could go that. Back then, there was no traffic, I guess. You could go 110. So, yeah, they said his schedule was fully paid a visit to Johnny Carson or he told the host he was not suicidal He put in some quality time with the McNasty brothers who once

Announced the news of evil Knievel is drunk inside on their Sunset Boulevard sign He dressed up in his mink coat with the sable collar and went to Sportscasters luncheon at Rams Horn restaurant in Encino. The luncheon did not turn out well. He shared the bill with UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who's like the most legendary coach ever, champion pole vaulter Steve Smith, and British heavyweight boxer Joe Bugner, among other people. As everybody else talked, Knievel formed the impression that he was viewed as a second class citizen in this group and not a true athlete. He addressed this impression when he finally went up to the microphone.

Some of the famous people had already departed. He said, quote, I heard some comments around here that what I do might be some kind of circus stunt. Sorry that John Wooden and Steve Smith have already left because I wanted them to hear this. First, I want to say that the least of my worries is what's going to happen next week and the second least of my worries is falling 19 feet into a pile of sawdust. Meaning the fucking high jump guy or the pole vaulter guy.

I want to talk to you about opponents. Now there's a couple of you guys out there who wonder about that. And I would like you to tell me if you can find a tougher opponent than mine because my opponent is death. Okay. That's right. That's the thing. You don't have Bugner and Wooden out there threatening other coaches and other boxers to quit because this is my shit they don't

beat the shit out of yeah that doesn't happen John would rather if there's anybody that you know I mean in boxing they will kill you yeah oh yeah yeah that's I would love certainly death I would love the visual of John wooden threatening somebody with broken legs if they didn't sit their center for this fucking upcoming game against UCLA. Yeah. So the promoter guy said, my father sent me with him most of the week. This is the promoter's son.

I took him to a radio interview. I left while he was talking. He asked afterward where I was. I said I went to the bathroom. He said never get up and start walking around when I'm talking. Okay. There he is. All the talk, all the publicity did not bring out the crowd though. Evil and Agajanian said they invested $200,000 in the show. They were

hoping for 50,000 people at $8 a ticket. They got $23,764. There's still a good crowd but they said the rain out hurt. They had to reschedule it. So they said only the money from ABC saved them from making it a fucking ass kicking in the financial way there. The demolition derby had somewhat predictable results. Fun. So yeah, they drove, guy won the first prize driving a 73 Ford LTD. The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud faced a fair worst of all. Bobby Unzer, the Indy driver, was behind the wheel.

Really? Yeah, the car quickly became hung up on a hay bale that was part of the out-of-bounds border. The motor died. The Rolls had an electric starter, the starter quit. Back then, no matter matter how nice a British car was a hunk of shit so Really any car was not a lot of them No, though, but they were known for their shitty electrical systems back then the British cars The rolls was done almost before the battle began a sword and competitors crashed into the helpless luxury car Just for the hell of it just for the show UNSR sat behind the wheel for the hits luxury car just for the hell of it just for the show. Unzer sat behind the wheel for the hits.

He had a short-fused personality that was a good match for Knievel. He was not happy. The cars, it should be mentioned, each ran on gas from a five-gallon can that had been secured in the back seat. It was a safety feature to keep the normal gas tanks dry. You know, so if it breaks, you'll catch on fire

immediately inside. Gas amongst me. Yeah, that's better When he was outside of the rolls, he took out a cigarette lighter He lit the lighter threw it into the back seat. The rolls went up in flames. It was a moment That's amazing. He just was like like a Wow a

Delay developed between the Derby and the jump. The last minute's subject again was money. Knievel had a disagreement with ABC. He said he decided he wasn't going to perform. I can't do this anymore, he said. The ABC people pleaded. The dispute was eventually ended. Knievel came out of his trailer, jumped on the XR750, roared into the coliseum where he did some wheelies, then he went to the microphone.

He now talked almost exactly like the character John Millis had created in the movie. He was a caricature of a caricature. He talked about the grand off-delay jump at Snake River. He said you can say a lot of things about a man. You can say he's a great race car driver or not so great race car driver. You can say he's been lucky or else he's been broke or rich. You can say that he drives a big car or a little car. You can say he's got a large penis or a small penis.

You can say his wife has large tits or small breasts, but no. He says, but you can say nothing better about a man than his word is as good as gold. And I want to tell you something. If I jump that canyon and make it, when land in that parachute I'll drop to both knees and thank God Almighty I'm alive and he says his whole thing again I'll grab a handful of Idaho dirt blah blah blah blah blah he said but just remember something remember one thing if you're ever at a party or here at this great stadium in a ballgame or at home in your. And I happened to have missed on that jump,

and somebody says to you, that guy's a disgrace, I'd like you to do me one favor. Say, regardless of what Evil Can Evil was, I saw him at the Los Angeles Coliseum, he said he was gonna jump the canyon, and he did. He kept his word, and that's something you can say about very few men on the face of this earth. That's right, he said, we've been here in Los Angeles for a while now getting ready for this.

It's been a good time. The women have come and gone. The parties have been great. The booze has flowed. But now it's time for me to come when I came here to do. Okay. And he did. He a long 200 foot ski jump of sorts had been built at the top of the Coliseum at one end. He rode to the top, turned around and came hurtling, or built to the top, not at the top, came hurtling back down trying to hit 100 miles per hour before he reached the ramp at the 20 yard line. The cars had been stacked three high in front of him but had been compressed so they weren't much taller than a normal sedan.

He cleared the pile easily, good landing, a parachute, advertising Olympia Beer popped out and he kept moving, riding all the way up another ski jump at the other end of the stadium. The motorcycle slid at the top but he gained control and came back. And he said to the ABC guy, another day, another dollar. And they said, you know, Evil, you're still shaking a little bit. he said if you did what I did bill you'd be shaken too you'd be shaking in your boots you'd be shitting is what you'd be doing I'm shaking you'd be shitting he gets a speeding ticket here it's so there's an article evil

Knievel cruises to a ticket on I-94 they said it wasn't that he was trying to outrun us he was just cruising along in that beautiful car said a Calhoun County Sheriff's Deputy who issued a speeding citation to Tuesday to Evil Can Evil. He was issued a citation charging him with driving 100 miles an hour in a 70 zone on the I-94 in a gold 73 Ferrari. That's not flashy is it? Is that the flashiest thing you could possibly drive a golden Ferrari? In 73 probably not much flashier. I can't think of anything else.

Deputy Ken Lohr said he gave chase to the sports car but couldn't keep up with it. He radioed ahead to Jackson. He wasn't running he was just on the move cruising man Yeah, you radio to head to Jackson County where sheriff's deputies stopped Knievel and waited for this guy to catch up and give him a ticket He posted a $25 bond and drove on his way That's that so they're that's fucking hilarious man. He says here's again. There's a guy here dusty Russell dusty Russell this guy another jumper a He says, again, there's a guy here, Dusty Russell. Dusty Russell, this guy, another jumper.

A Georgia-born stunt driver who says he can jump farther in his car than Knievel can on a motorcycle. Okay. Come on. He stars in Steel Arena, a movie about thrill shows that premieres in the Southeast today. Never heard of that one. Dusty Russell, who was born 33 years ago in Macon, movie about thrill shows that premieres in the southeast today. Never heard of that one.

Dusty Russell, who was born 33 years ago in Macon, said he will attempt a world's record car jump Saturday at the opening of Atlanta's 500 stock car race. I'm going to shoot for 150 feet, he says casually, and land on a row of parked cars. The parked cars act as a cushion like a mattress. You can't land on a ramp, on a ramp like with a motorcycle. So he's saying he can jump farther in a car than Evil does in a motorcycle. Seems like a car you'd be able to, as long as you can get it to land correctly,

you could jump way further. Yeah, that's, I would, it's heavier so you can lunge and get the speed up. And you gotta have, I don't know, maybe not, cause the front end's gonna be heavy as shit. It's gonna go down. That'll drop faster than the ass the ass. Maybe it's a different kind of who knows maybe it's a rear or engine or mid engine type of deal. You would want that in the back I would think. Right? Yeah. At least also to keep it from dropping and you ended up landing. How far are you going to jump on Volkswagen?

That's the other thing who knows. This is very strange. The banger Daily News here, April 4th, 1973. Evil Knievel Lee Trevino matches called off. Lee Trevino? The golfer? Oh, he's gonna fuckin' go golf again? Yeah, yeah. Trevino was here for the Masters Golf Championship, which starts Thursday, has changed his mind

about accepting the Daredevil Cyclist challenge to play for 10,000 a hole. Remember he said that? Originally Trevino said he would and seeing Knievel's challenge for what it was, obviously an out and out publicity stunt, instructed him to get up $200,000 and they'd play on some neutral site. Trevino said, but I got this telegram the other day. He said, it said, it said quote, super max. I accept your challenge. We Trevino's Mexican super max. Meet me outside Chicago airport and bring $200,000 in small unmarked bills. Come alone. What is Trevino

said the wire was signed evil Knievel, but he doesn't believe the cyclist actually sent it. He said, somebody sent me a thing and wants to rob me. Yeah, come alone. Three in the morning. Very funny. Behind the building. Holding 200 grand.

Holding 200 grand. Now enter Elvis into the story. For whatever reason. Of course. It's not even whatever, it's not even random. It's insanely fucking crazy. His sister went out with Elvis for two and a half years. What?

His sister was Elvis's girlfriend for two and a half years. Wow. What a weird six degrees of separation she's got. Imagine between Elvis and Evil Knievel, she can, you could do it with anybody in the world with her and it would work. So sometime, somewhere during this time, Evil Knievel met Elvis Presley. This is from the book. They said there was a pop culture inevitability to the moment. The daredevil from Butte and the rock and roll singer from Tupelo wore the same showbiz clothes, worked the same fan base, even

shared the same snarl when cornered. They were bound to bump into each other sometime, and it would be a big deal. But the way it happened, it was quiet. Evil's half-sister, Loretta Young, had begun to date Elvis. She introduced her brother to her boyfriend. No cameras, no press, just, you know. Just hang out here at home.

Elvis was playing at the Intercontinental Hotel in Vegas, which later became the Hilton, Loretta said. My brother came to a show. We sat in one of those high booths up front. When Elvis went into his last song, his manager Joe Esposito got us and we went back to the dressing room. Elvis changed clothes and we sat around and talked. They say Loretta, tall, blonde, very pretty, went out with Elvis for two and a half years. He picked her out of a chorus line at the desert sands

and asked her for a date between shows. It gets weirder, Jimmy. It gets- Is that how Elvis trolled for chicks? Yeah, he just saw a chick and was like, you're pretty, wanna go out on a date? At least he wasn't like, you wanna give me a blowjob in the car.

At least he was asking, I'll buy you a meal. But what year is that? Because he was certainly with Priscilla at that time. This is like 72, 73. Got to, right? Because that's when, what's her name, was born. Yeah, it's somewhere around, it's in this ballpark, man. It's right in this ballpark.

This might have been, yeah, I'm not sure. Now, he asked her for a date. She refused a date because she already had a date with Jerry Van Dyke. Not Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Van Dyke, the assistant coach on Coach. What? That's, she said, I'm going out with Luther. I can't fuck Elvis is what she said. Okay. So Elvis persisted, came back the next night with yellow roses and a dinner

invitation and she was like, he is fucking Elvis. Sure, I'll go out with you. Why not? This book says he was funnier than the world knew he was deeper than the world knew he was truth be told a much sweeter spirit than her brother. Maybe the darkness would get him in the end fame and drugs and deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but not now. He still read the Bible every day. He's not very bright, Elvis, from everything. Just these few quotes, he does not sound bright. One afternoon he declared, I found out what God's real name is. I read it in the Bible. And she said, well, what's his real name and he

said he said all excited to not kidding he said hallowed you know where we're going yep she said what kind of name is that and he said I don't know but it says it right in there hallowed be thy name so he thought that's that was God's name nobody else has caught off nobody else has. That's because the book was written by people much smarter than Elvis because it's a book. So authors... Elvis said that shit. Elvis said that out loud to a woman and then she had sex with him. Think about that.

Then she put it in her mouth. That's crazy. Wow. Yeah, that should be no more touching your dick ever again. Elvis is dumb. Oh man. The meeting with Loretta's brother went fine. Knievel had always been impressed by celebrity

and who was a bigger celebrity than fucking Elvis, honestly. Knievel had a line about him that he repeated often. He said, I guess I thought I was Elvis Presley, but I'll tell you something. All Elvis did was stand on a stage and play a guitar. He never fell off onto that pavement at no 80 miles per hour. Okay. So Loretta Young said when he first got those white leathers, he said he wanted to look like Elvis and he did. He even had a rabbit's foot for good

luck. Elvis always had a rabbit's foot for good luck too until one day he realized where the rabbit's feet came from. No! That's how dumb he is. He didn't know that a rabbit's foot was a rabbit's fucking foot? Nope. He said, hey, wait a minute. This wasn't much such good luck for the rabbit. And he stopped carrying them. Ha ha ha!

He can feel his claws, for Christ's sake. Wow. Now when you hear about him shooting up his TVs and shit, you go, yes, a dummy would do that. Yes, he's dumb. Dummy. Why is he like, he's just so, how did he get so famous being this dumb? He's handsome and he dances, I guess,

well for white people in the 50s. I don't know, I have no idea. It's a verification that we've always made stupid people famous. Yeah, absolutely. And singers don't have to be smart. We've known that forever. The man thinks Jesus's name is hallowed. It's not like he wrote the fucking songs either, you know what I mean? No, that's a great point. I mean, he stole it.

He's, yeah, yeah. Stole everything, fucking jerk. So Elvis wanted to know, they or what projects evil had going on what you got going on Evil maybe I can steal. Yeah, maybe I'll do that instead Can I shake my hips on a motorcycle? Has a black guy done that yet? Maybe I can He said evil told him about the Snake River in the canyon Elvis was impressed How far is that he asked over a mile?

Evil said on a motorcycle Elvis said he said no I have this other thing the sky cycle Knievel invited Presley to the jump whenever it happened at the close of the conversation Presley said he'd be glad to go they shook hands and went in different directions into the Vegas night Knievel called the red a while later and thanked her for the meeting. He was back in Butte and bragged about the round bed that he had installed in the bedroom of his new house. Loretta told him that was very nice. She said Elvis also had a round bed on his personal airplane. Yeah. And that's where I gargled his balls.

Oh, every damn night. Well, Knievel said in his airplane, and she said, yeah, and he has a chinchilla bedspread for it. And he said, chinchilla? Yeah. Two weeks later, Knievel called again, and he said he had a chinchilla bedspread now that it made for his round bed. And he said, it's very toasty warm and

comfortable and she said oh I know I fuck Elvis careful that gets real sticky yeah careful jizz does not come out of that I'm just gonna tell you right now it does not come out April 15th 1973 Chicago Tribune here there's a little like an editorial thing and they said quote, ever since, this is a question to the editor, ever since that crazy guy, Evil Knievel, put on quote, the world's richest demolition derby

in Los Angeles last February, my teenage son has been bothering me to enter my brand new air conditioned station wagon in the same kind of event. Come on, dad, let's take the family truckster. Let's do it. Hop on in. Fuck it. Well, I mean, fuck it's going to be destroyed by the time you get to Wally world. Anyway, you might as well do it now. Have some fun with it. Don't go through St. Louis. Don't go honky lips. Don't go through St.

Louis. See, you're going to see an old Torino inside that Torino is my cousin Jack He'll tell you where to go. I ain't even from this town. I'm from the south side of Chicago here on vacation Don't ask Jack. That's Jack inside that Torino is my cousin Jack It's great So he said I'd like to know, who are the people who turned over their Cadillacs and Lincolns to those destruction crazed drivers? Wasn't there a Rolls Royce in the Derby too?

And the answer, Knievel entered his own Rolls Royce silver shadow into the February 18th Demolition Derby. Not true at fucking all. Definitely not true. They got it from some promotional thing. But that's what he told people. It was my own Rolls Royce I put in there. But he won't miss it much because he has a whole stable of cars.

The co-promoter of the event with Knievel entered his own Cadillac Eldorado in a Lincoln Continental Mark 4. The other 49 cars in the Derby were entered by individuals, local body shops and wrecking yards. One car was entered by the police department of torrance, california a Battered ford ltd won the derby by being the last car on the track capable of moving under its own power Okay, that's how you win 500

Cubic-inch big block and those things were crazy They were a huge tank fucking mo made a fucking steel taff motor you bashing any those things Wade Christ Almighty Man gigantic those LTDs So he's gonna be an evil Knievel cycle Rama 73 at the Cincinnati Gardens in April of 73 and Evil said some people tell me that I fell on my head at six months and I never recovered but I rather consider myself an explorer a pioneer in

the art of stunt driving and motorcycling yeah that's what he said that's his fucking quote which is hilarious you know some people say I'm just crazy and brain-damaged but really I'm a pioneer. Now, May 17th, 1973, headline, not shocking, Knievel puts off Snake River Jump. Oh? Can't do it right now. Yeah. Slowing down. We gotta take a break.

We gotta look back. He said he'll jump the canyon, quote, when I'm damn good and ready. Oh, at my pace. My fucking pace here. There's advertisements, billboards all over saying it'll be the 4th of July. Evil said the United States seems to be behind with its Skylab mission, so I hope the people don't become too impatient if Evil Can Evil delays his jump. He said that about himself.

He said these things have problems. He said they have problems with the Muhammad Ali Frazier fight which was supposed to be the biggest sporting event they had ever tackled but already have 16 more cities subscribing for my canyon jump It's I'm gonna have better closed circuit numbers than Ali Frazier. He's saying That's the rumble in the jungle in it. No, that's Which one was that? No, that's that's Foreman. That's Foreman. That's all yeah. Yeah, Thrill in Manila. You're thinking of Thrill in Manila Yeah, yeah, that's it. They said they're now planning to go worldwide to Europe and Japan I've sold the rights to television and when they feel the day is right, I will jump they are controlling it

So now he's like listen fucking Big Ben'm gonna jump fucking Big Ben, watch out. Watch out, I'm doing it. He said, I certainly hope we can do it Labor Day. That's when he's talking about now doing it here. So who knows? May 25th, 1973, Evil Knievel Show crashes is a headline in the Pittsburgh press. The Evil Knievel stunt show scheduled

for the Seven Springs Resort this weekend has been canceled because the promoter was unable to fulfill show scheduled for the Seven Springs Resort this weekend has been canceled Because the promoter was unable to fulfill his obligation to both Seven Springs and Evil Knievel according to a resort spokesman No, yeah, it sounds like somebody didn't have the money that they said they had yeah, so that's what it is Now a little bit about we've talked a lot about his professional life, we've talked about his filthy, McNasty, nighttime dwellings. What about his family, though? What's going on? What about his family? How is he happy?

Wow. They say Bute was still a part of Knievel's life. This is in the book. This was his alternate universe, the place where he was husband and father, local boy who had made good despite a lot of grim predictions. This was still his home base, an increasingly silent partner in all that

he did, but still a partner. He landed here when there was nowhere else on the schedule for him to land. A neighbor of his said you'd hear him come down the street with the Stutz Bearcat or whatever he was driving. She said he was a show off. Everything was for Bob. He'd hit the door, come from someplace. The first thing he'd say was Kelly, get my suitcase. Robbie, get my golf clubs. I'm doing something. He was not a great husband, not a great father, friends and enemies and Butte both would say he should have never gotten married. I would say so. Yeah. This opinion quickly would be followed by a nice word about his wife something like Linda's the greatest nicest girl in the world

She's gonna go straight to heaven Linda fucking job Knievel over here. She's been quite a lot put on her the Hallowed is her name Hallowed is her name. Hallowed is his wife's name. The implication was that her perseverance, just living with this domineering man, would take care of any time she might be asked to serve in heaven's alternative. Knievel insisted that Linda was off limits for all interviews, off limits for even pictures, so she was seen little heard less.

He would explain later that he didn't like the idea of divorce, someone else raising his kids. Indeed, the possibility of dying and being replaced was one of his oft stated reasons for spending every dollar that came into his hands. He didn't like the idea of Linda being remarried to some banker or businessman who would come into the scene after evil had perished in a stunt, some slob who would spend all the money, play with all the toys that he had accumulated. He is like that motherfuckers, that motherfuckers going to be driving Michael Linda, you bitch letting

him drive my car. And she's like, what are you she's like what are you talking about fuck are you talking about Linda who admitted later that she should have gotten a divorce you think after he's wow yeah he kidnapped you that should have been a sign number one there's that but then he's telling you of the women that he's cheating on you that is crazy had all the signs of an abused woman she was certainly verbally abused. He barked, she jumped. He delivered his tortured explanations about why it was alright for him to sleep with other women. Indeed, he glorified his relationships with them, boasted about them,

while maintaining he could still love his wife, his girl Linda, at least in public, accepted it all, and she said nothing. Okay, this is... a female neighbor said, I understand the romance, the balls to the wall thing about him. My father worked in the mines. I was like 13 years old and I said, oh boy, evil's going to jump some more cars.

I was sort of sarcastic. My father was upset. He admired him. A lot of the guys in the mines did because he was a but he had balls yeah and he's the blue-collar yeah for man he's their guy yeah who's famous and still lives in Butte still has his house there and he didn't even leave she goes on to say but he beat his wife no that was not romance everyone in town knew it. What kind of man

does that? Linda is just the nicest person. Linda is class. Evil was not class. They said his relationship with his kids also seemed to come out of a drill instructor's manual. He was autocratic though, or autocratic and tough. The emerging defiant one was Robbie. Robbie's the problem, apparently. Kelly and Tracy tended to follow his orders. Robbie would not as had an agreement at whatever pronouncement his father made than do exactly the opposite as soon as his father left. He said he was more than one person,

more than one person said exactly like his father, a payback for a lifetime of bad behavior. He's when your parents go, hope he's just like you, you little bet. That's what it is. That's what you deserve. Yep. That Robbie, he's driving me crazy, Knievel would say. He would mention that Robbie was bitten by a Rottweiler as a young child. Maybe that was it, the Rottweiler. Maybe that fucked him up. Maybe. Gave him some kind of fucking permanent rabies that just his mind wasn't right. When he got around to putting some of his new money into a home for the family,

Knievel mostly built a temple to himself. He picked the place, a nine acre lot on the 16th fairway at the Butte country club in April of 72. He paid a hundred thousand dollars and far of four installments to the lakeshore development corporation over the next eight months. He then picked the style of the house, a ranch, and picked out the stone that should be used and picked out the curtains. This was to be his dream house. Then the features should come out of his own dream. Knievel said, I designed the whole thing. Though finishing touches were still to be added when he showed Betty Sue Raymond,

the woman's editor of Montana Standard, showed her the almost completed $200,000 house, most of the work had already been done. Knievel's sense of style, Linda told Betty Sue that he made great choices even when he kept changing his mind was obvious. The shag carpet that ran through the house was a burgundy wine color. The bathroom decor was a mixture of blacks and golds. Oh my god, someone had to redo this on Sunday and went who the fuck did this in the bathroom? That's his original jumpsuit. Totally.

Right down to the black and gold fixtures. Heavy gold drapes were hung in the living room. A seven foot circular bed dominated the bedroom. A mirrored headboard as part of the picture. A giant cedar closet off the bedroom held Knievel's many fur coats. He said, quote, Grandma just loves to put on my mink coat and go in and lay on that king size bed. His grandma comes once in a while. She said there's a room for Emma, grandma, that's the grandma Emma. When she's laying on his chinchilla. It's fucking amazing. Ignatius had passed away in 72, his

grandfather. There were rooms for each of the kids, red fixtures in their bathroom. An artist was going to paint a picture of the 16th green at the Butte Country Club in the exercise room, a mural that he would be able to see while he pounded golf balls on off the astroturf into a net. A stone wall surrounded the place, heavy wrought iron gates in front, Knievel signature EK prominent in the design. There would be stables, a putting green, a place to land a helicopter. A second artist, not the one who painted the mural, worked with Montana Travertine Rock

to create a picture of a man on a motorcycle behind the wet bar. The image of another man, no, probably the same man in motorcycle, was created on the perimeter of the cathedral window in the living room. There was little doubt who lived in this place and what he did for a living. So the house would become a stop for whatever tourists came through Butte.

So Knievel added a guard shack to the front staffed 24 hours a day. That's not expensive, is it? Jesus. The locals mostly would drive past and wonder what was inside. The latest rumor was a heated horse arena. The house was a subject of conversation. One guy said, I had a printing business. Evil called me up and asked me if I could print some elaborate gold checks for him. He was smart.

He knew that if he gave people a gold check with his signature on it, they might not cash it and they might save it for the autograph. Brilliant. Brilliant. I wasn't much save it for the autograph. Brilliant. Brilliant. I wasn't much interested in printing the checks. I wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole, but I did want to see the place. Yeah, and then if they hang onto it long enough,

that check's no longer any good. Yeah, that's what he wants, I think. Yeah, and he said, this guy said, "'I went in, he was sitting in the living room "'at a big glass table. "'There was a silver telephone. "'The phone rang. Evil, listen.

And then he said, I'm my own agent. I don't care if you work with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Get off my fucking phone and hung up. What a jerk off. What a fucking jerk off. OK, here's a kid claiming that evil owes him $1,000. OK, why? OK, from 73, from the Casper Star Tribune. Jim

Grady, a 14 year old kid in Denver, he said the youngster, this newspaper article says the youngster used to think of Evil Knievel, the daredevil motorcycle driver, as his hero. But now young Grady thinks the motorized phenomenon is just a Welsh. Grady read an article in a book in which Knievel emphasized the importance of safety when riding a motorcycle. Oh, why's that? Quote, if anyone ever sees Evel Knievel on a motorcycle without his helmet on, I'll give him $1,000 right there,

Knievel said in the article. Grady had taken pictures when Knievel appeared at the Continental Divide Raceways last year. Some of the photographs clearly showed Knievel riding a motorcycle without a helmet on. Sunday when Knievel was to appear at the Century 21 Speedway, Grady bought a $6 ticket and went in carrying a 6 foot sign which read, Evil Knievel, you owe me $1000 and I can prove it. That is awesome.

The youth stood near a fence and yelled at Knievel as he was talking to the crowd for his efforts he was told by a policeman to shut up. Hey shut up. Grady feels sure Knievel saw his sign but the youngster says he has just about given up any hopes of getting his money. Grady also says he has his doubts about Knievel's plan to jump his motorcycle over the Snake Rack River Canyon. Quote, has anyone ever seen his takeoff ramp?

I don't think so. I don't think he'll do it ever. That's the kid, Grady. I don't think he'll do it. God damn it. He owes me a grand too. And he owes me fucking money. They do a golf tournament.

Here's from the Montana Standard here. Golfers enjoy fun tournament. Golfers have been competing for $10,000 in prizes in the Evil Knievel Labor Day Classic. That is fucking hilarious. So yeah, the Evil Knievel Classic. They say the barbecue is tremendous, the best meal in town. Great, terrific. No other description of it?

No other description, that's it. Just a good old. It's a barbecue. We don't know what kind of barbecue. I guess it's just gonna be good no matter what. Something. November 21st, 1973. Okay.

Okay. Agents, remember the beatings earlier? Yeah. Of the other people? Well, FBI agents finally tracked Knievel down to talk to him on November 21, 1973 at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. He had called an FBI agent that morning and accused the agent, and this is from the agent, quote, in a very excited and occasionally vulgar manner of trying to destroy his reputation

by telling people that he was connected to organized crime. He said he was going to sue the agent and the FBI for half a million dollars. That's slander. That's slander, mister. By the afternoon meeting in the airport, he had calmed down. He retracted his threat to sue. He admitted making phone calls in the past to different aggrieved parties, admitted that

they were angry phone calls But denied having anything to do with any of the physical confrontations He said the confrontations probably became about because someone else also disliked these people Yeah, and loved you apparently cuz that's they got haters man What do you want it is if I think they're an asshole? What am I the only guy in the world? haters man. What do you want? If I think they're an asshole, what am I the only guy in the world that thinks he's an asshole? The FBI tried to put together a case for a grand jury in San Francisco but never nailed

down enough facts. The attorney in charge of the San Francisco Strike Force was reassigned. The new attorney in charge looked at the files and decided there wasn't enough evidence to link any of the threats to organized crime. Knievel was never charged. None of this made the newspapers at the time. So, he never had to, you know, publicly eat this shit. So, that guy, Bob Gill, he said, I later became great friends with Evil. He did that one bad thing with me, then did a thousand nice things after that. He apologized so many times I had to say, stop it, will will you with the apologies. He threatened you. He had you beaten. He was beaten to a pulp in a fucking

hotel room. So he but he admitted to it so we know evil did it because he told the guy. That's great. November 29th 1973. This is a newspaper article it says letters to Santa from the first grade students. Dear Santa. Here's one. I have been a good article. It says letters to Santa from the first grade students dear Santa. Here's one I have been a good boy. I want a 20 inch bike 1776 drum evil Knievel stunt cycle Football flag circus big gym fishing trip mini bike for Christmas Okay, yeah, everything evil dear Santa Claus, I have been a good boy. I want a hot seat, an evil-knevel stunt cycle, a junior guitar, trap drum set, rock-em-sock-em robots, Big Jim fishing trip, Big Jim for Christmas.

This Big Jim at it locked down. Fuck is up with Big Jim, man. What is the hot seat toy? I don't know. Big Jim fucking, I don't know what the hot seat is either, but look up big Jim fishing trip see the fuck that Oh a hot seat was a fucking three-wheel. It's an evil Knievel toy the big Jim No, the hot seat the hot seat. Okay Big Jim fishing trip fishing trip that's a both of them asked for it's a toy

It's a till yeah, they both has for it must be a is that the one where they have like I've seen old ads for this shit where they have like a basically it's just like a guy in a camper and he's just like it's just people setting up camping shit I think this is it girl what is this it's oh I wrote a real big fishing trip. That's why oh Big Jim fishing trip there it is. Yeah, it's it's just like a big fucking fish on a stick and big Jim comes with it He's got waders. Yeah, it's a toy that fishes. It's a fishing toy And also big Jim for Christmas. I don't know Yeah, he wants big Jim and big Jim fishing trip comes with a buggy and a tent

It's fucking it's Barbie for boys and then he signs it just like the other person signed it I love you Scott Mallory Dear Santa Claus I have been a good boy I want an evil Knievel stunt cycle and scramble van for Christmas love Donald Spivey scramble van is his too I think we know we knew yes, it's in the collection we talked about it. Dear Santa Claus I have been a good boy I want a hot seat, junior guitar, evil Knievel scramble van, Big Jim fishing trip, Coyote dune buggy, GI Joe training center, Tonto three-speed bike, Nip-Nop game, Gnip-Gnop, G-N-I-P, G-N-O-P Game, Love Keenan, Dear Santa Claus,

I've been a good, love you, he just says love. Dear Santa Claus, I've been a good boy, will you bring me an Evil Knievel van and action figures? Love Danny Smith. Dear Santa, please bring me Evil Knievel Scramble Van and Trail Boss Play Rifle. Trail Boss Play Rifle? Trail Boss Play Rifle? I need a gun and Big Jim. I need Big Jim.

I'm going to fish and hunt. Dear Santa Claus, please bring me a bicycle, Batman, and Evil Knievel stunt cycle. And a bicycle so I can do this shit, too. A Big Jim fishing trip now, James, is $300. Holy shit. That's, it was apparently a popular toy back then. Yeah, nostalgia.

Dear Santa, please bring me an evil Knievel and a camping set. Thank you. And then under this evil Knievel stunt cycle cause there is ads for it in the newspaper here is $8.68, $8.68. And that's what every kid wants. That's all he wants.

Evil Knievel Scramble Van too, which has like a ramp that goes up the back, comes equipped with gasoline can, toolbox with tools, cycle jack and grease gun. You get to be a mechanic too. Wow, complete three piece jump ramp, $8.68, and you can get Evil Knievel figures, posable Evil Knievel action figures.

They come in a choice of three different color outfits, $1.67 each. And you know one of those was the rare one that's probably worth 5,000 bucks now because it's like the, you know, whatever. Evil must have hated Big Jim cuz Big Jim had a dirt bike. He had a son of a bitch He had to fucking hate this whole line of toys It all probably spawned from evils toy being enormous kids Just wanting a dirt bike and her motorcycle of some kind and boy toys boy dolls that are fucking men

These are dudes. These are doing the real thing. Oh man, that's fucking hilarious. So yeah, there's an article also after this where old Dusty Russell keeps fucking, keeps talking shit. Starting the shit, yeah. He said in one, the longest jump Evil Knievel ever made over a motorcycle is 130 feet.

I've hit 176 feet jumping in a car. After the jump I landed in a row of autos. They picked me up in pieces. I suffered a concussion, internal injuries, broken ribs, smashed nose, cuts, bruises, fractured fingers, but that's part of my business. If I were a football player I'd be sidelined for the season. As a stunt driver you keep going. I heal quickly. I've learned to ignore injuries. My face was seared once in an auto daredevil thrill show. Seared like a tuna. Wow they tied me to the hood of a car,

soaked me in gas, soaked in gasoline and my driver raced through a flaming barrier. What a hot sensation. But I wasn't barbecued. Heck, I didn't even need medical attention. If I were Evil Knievel, I'd have ended up in a hospital for three months. He's so injury prone, he breaks a leg just getting off his bike. Okay. Wow, he does say he respects him.

He says, that man has done more than any individual to improve the image of motorcycle riders. He's helped to remove the rowdy reputation. What? He's the craziest of the... He makes half the Hells Angels just go to work and come home and then drink beer on Friday night. He's way more of a menace than a... I would say, what, four to five Hells Angels is one evil Knievel? In terms of tearing shit up? It's certainly not an equivalent one to one scale there.

No, no, no. Absolutely not. Jesus Christ. So, Night, Evil Knievel's latest stunt here, this is from the newspaper here, December 15th, 1973, Evil Knievel's latest stunt dashed through local stores Okay Yes, there's I'll read this article. Yes, Virginia. There is an Evil Knievel and a baby alive doll But unfortunately Santa's workshop just couldn't keep up with the demand this year. Oh my god. Yeah, this is crazy shit

This is um, They ran out. The first year, remember I was talking about that, they couldn't sell enough of them this year. Everybody wanted one. They couldn't make enough of them. They couldn't make enough. Yeah, they said if we would've made this many, we would've sold that many.

And the next year is when it's like the biggest thing in the fucking world. They said, frustrated parents have been searching stores throughout the community looking for both items, and retailers can only shake their heads, sadly, at the inquiries. It's gotta be the first one, right? First time ever that happened. It's one of, yeah, that's the first Tickle Me Elmo or whatever the fucking Arnold Schwarzenegger was fighting Sinbad about in that one movie.

Turbo Man or some shit. Oh, yeah, yeah, he's in the mix. Absolutely. Jingle all the way. Jingle all the way. There you go. Absolutely. Jingle all the way. Jingle all the way. There you go. The manager of a Moore's store said, I don't think there's a ghost of a chance of finding either one of them anywhere, being a baby alive or an evil Knievel. The most amazing things I have ever seen. Both items are TV toys, which have been promoted with television advertising. They said the television promotions created the demand and then they can't supply them, another manager said.

It's ridiculous to spend millions on advertising, then not supply them. One woman told this manager of being mugged in a Columbus department store after she picked up the last Evel Knievel in the store. Another woman hit her in the back, grabbed the toy and ran away through the store. Oh. I mugged her for it. hit her in the back, grabbed the toy, and ran away through the store. Oh. I mugged her for it. The first one was Mr. Potato Head. Oh, that was a big deal.

That was a big one. Yeah, that makes sense. Bill Towner, manager of the toy department at Penny's, said the popularity of the plastic gyroscope-powered motorcycle and stunt rider toy is something of a fluke. He said retailers order their Christmas toys from spring through midsummer and are usually notified well in advance of which items will receive Heavy TV promotion the evil Knievel was apparently not intended for heavy promotion But a movie about the real evil Knievel and a clip a film clip of his exploits shown on wide world of sports made him

unexpectedly popular. No one expected any of this. So there's never been a toy either that was like so complex because this thing had a thing that it did. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It jumped took off and it was yeah, there's never been any other toy that people fucking flocked for that did that.

Actually, it wasn't just like tickle me and I'll giggle. Gee, thanks. Great. fucking flocked for that did that actually it wasn't just like tickle me and I'll giggle gee thanks great that learned things and shit like that yeah so I'm June or January 3rd 1974 CBS is planning a 30-minute action series based on the exploits of famed motorcycle stunt driver Evil Knievel next fall Viacom film will buy Viacom Corp will film the pilot for a series in late January. Name of the show, Evil Knievel. Yeah.

Yeah, that makes sense. Cast hasn't been announced, but Knievel himself will provide the thrills at the tracks, fairgrounds, and other places where he performs his shit. So there you go. Um, uh, let's see, January 13th, 1974, they ask, uh, quote, What's this about Evel Knievel getting into the motorcycle repair business on a franchise basis?

This is a Q&A to a newspaper. The answer is the motorcycle daredevil is joining the ranks of Esther Williams swimming pools and Lassie Kennels with Evil Knievel electro cycle service centers, a 25 unit chain specializing in rapid repairs. The centers will see no evil since it's merely being paid by the company for the use of his name. It's the people are just it's now he's doing naming rights shit. They're just paying for his name Okay, here we go February 15th 1974 Planning to jump the Snake Canyon again now. He's ready snake River Snake River Canyon. He's ready to go He said everyone do everybody will be shocked when they see how far I can jump

I'll go as far as two Grand Canyons. Maybe he said my guess is that This is his the science guy the Robert Trow guy said my guess is that he has an 80% chance of survival You built it make it higher He said I wouldn't put my butt on that thing I'll tell you Yeah, you know you built it, but he's like, he's fucking crazy. The science guy again says, it's a horrendous canyon, vertical walls, 1600 feet across, a 500 foot drop, very rocky at the bottom, rough, swift looking water. It's the kind of thing you want to get across.

Yeah, I would say, you don't want to land in it probably. That would be best to do that. But they keep going on and he says he can do it. And the science guy is like, listen, I built a thing. I mean, it's the sky cycle two, is what they're calling it here. Trow said one day, three or four years ago, Trow called and said he was terribly, terribly unhappy with the service and had asked him,

do you do small jobs? So he did parts and pieces on the Knievel stuff. Then two years ago, he suddenly called and said, are you ready to do the whole thing? Because I won't pay my fucking guy to do it. So will you do it? 80% chance. And he's going a mile and he says he's doing two, he has enough power to do two so will you do it 80% 80% chance and he's going a mile and he says

he's doing two he has enough power to do two grand Canyon how far is the Grand Canyon is my five right it's so fucking wide at the one point he was gonna go it was a mile that was the smallest point okay so I mean he's like this is a that's a bitch move I can get away over that now I'm gonna end this with a good cliffhanger for next time Yeah in order to make this this jump here He needs some help He needs a promoter and he needs somebody to help pay for it He needs everything and I'll read from the book and then we will stop here

the oft promised Canyon jump no more than professional whimsy for such a long time, a professionally painted line on the trailer, a subject for discussion on the talk shows, then not much more than a home workshop daydream for the Rocket Boys, Malawiki and Trow, finally became an actual possibility in the first months of 1974. That was when 28-year-old promoter Vince McMahon Jr. showed up in Butte. Oh boy. Let's leave it there. Next evil show is going to be the meeting

of Evil Knievel and Vince McMahon, the two most full of shit men who've ever lived. That's gonna be fucking amazing. Some 30-year-old McMahon, that's crazy. That is wild, yeah he was nobody. He lived in a trailer at this point. Wow. Vince, he was nobody.

So there you go, we'll leave it there at Vince McMahon. So that's Evil Knievel part five. Hope you're enjoying this Evil Knievel series because I never want it to end. It's the greatest thing ever. I just love Evil Knievel stories. I can't believe how stories people he knew intimately You know what? So I mean the people he gets involved with the the degrees of separation on evil Knievel is crazy

It's fucking crazy one. It's one to everything so Definitely if you enjoy this show and if you're enjoying the series and if you're enjoying the entire crime and sports library get on whatever app You're listening on and give us five stars. It does help a lot. We don't know why. I don't know how the computer shit works with their algorithms, but you know what? Give it a shot and do it. So hang out with us, do that.

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Anybody $5 a month or above. Not only do you get new ones every other week, there's a catalog of hundreds of bonus episodes you've never heard before and you get them immediately upon subscription. Then new ones every other week. One crime and sports, one small town murder. This week again, no different. This week what we have for crime and sports, we are going to talk about more sports songs. More people singing. There's more Manny Pacquiao. There's other, Chris Webber's rapping we'll talk about. We'll get into that.

Call time out, don't sing. Yeah, you can't even call a time out right. Let's not write a song here. Then, and we'll have to. Your timing is bad. You know at some point that Miami football song may come up again. It just might, you never know. You might have to hear Olson talking about his third leg at some point, that Miami football song may come up again. It just might, you never know.

You might have to hear Olson talking about his third leg at some point. Fucking guy has so much work. You never know, he has so much work. Can't believe it. And then, for Small Town Murder, we're gonna talk about Lewis Carlucci, which you're like, who the fuck is that?

He's one of the craziest guys ever. He's a New York City con man in the 80s, and he was married to all these women, conning all these women at the same time He had disguises and aliases and shit and they were trying to track him down He was like this big mystery in New York City for like so long where they tried to figure out who he was Right. He's known as Con Juan, which is fucking hilarious and the con man Casanova as well So we'll find out about him and a lot more it's gonna be a fun fun weekend of patreon stuff

there patreon.com slash crime and sports and you get a shout out at the end of the show which is right now Jimmy hit me with the names of the people who would never ever ever want us to fly over a canyon at 300 miles an hour and crash miles into the wilderness on the other side. Hit me with them right now. This executive producer is our Dixie Rect James. Oh. Obviously, that's a real person. Clear, clearly.

Gary Howard, Samantha Shorz, and Cindy Wilson's husband Ken. Happy birthday, Ken. Thank you, Lord. Happy birthday to Ken. I think it's Wilson. Salute. I hope I got that right. Well, salute, Ken W. She just said birthday to Ken. I think it's salute. I hope I hope I got Well salute Ken. She just said her husband Ken. She didn't give a last last name of Ken

She may not have taken his last name. I don't know well Ken happy birthday either way They'd all those Ken's out there other producers Peyton Meadows Paul Shornak Janice Hill Jeff with no last name Bronwyn touche or touch Touch It, I don't know. Or Touch It, that could be it. Chrissy Tatro, Nick Baldridge, Dan, with no last name, Chelsea Lasswell, David Ick, your last name is Ick. Icky, Icky Ick. His dad, yeah, well, his mother, her name was Donna Gross, so she changed it anyway. She was like, I'll take Ick over Gross.

Took his name. Spike Adelica, John Ezell, Rachel Bruthauer, Brett Hauer maybe, I don't know. Kyle Jacobs, Kevin Alman, Nicole with no last name, Olivia Kaufman, Alan Parker, Ashley Ortiz, Eric McDowell, Linda with no last name, Donna Richards, Mary, Mary Charles, Ashley Ortiz, Eric McDowell, Linda would know last name, Donna Richards, Mary, Mary Charles, Kyle Garner, Kate Blodgett,

Sam, oh, Mastrochiolo, Mr. Hey! Mastrocholo, I don't know. Fucking this. Something Italian. Hey, sounds delicious. Kaitlyn Hardy, David Spear, Jodie Timmons, Abby Newton, Tauna Smith, Rachel MC,

Xavier Taggart, Elena Osterbar, Madison Duncan, Bethany with no last name, Anna Borst, Neil Shabazi, Velru, Vail Rue with no last name, Dr. Laura Dali, PMP, MBA, EA, I don't know what. Wow, you got a lot of letters. Business management one. A lot of letters. Good for you. Any of those are except for the business management one. That's new. Oh, administration, it's not even management, right?

I don't know what that means. I don't know what it is either. We didn't go to college, remember, we're idiots. Michelle Wagner, Taylor M, Ted Dougherty, Camille Jones, Christine Nitta, Anastasia Chambers, Jimmy Bombardo, Matt with no last name, Cameron Kovach, Simone Andronaco, Kevin Hartsock,

Patricia Carol. The kids are coming out of the woodwork for you today, Jim. Jimmy, they're burning you up, bud. Patricia Carol, Cheyenne Gray, Crystal Barber, Combe, Hefferman, Heffernan, Combe, C-O-L-M, that's a first name, good for you. Michael Deloach, Pauline Crane, Jenny McGuire, Corgi Mom, Ash with no last name,

Candace Harris, Nixie Nimbus, Kristi Oja, oh hi, I don't know. Kaitlyn Brighman, Mandy Lee, Cody Reichert, Kaitlyn Hartman, Rachel Smith, Kathleen with no last name, Helene Jackson, Jen with no last name, James Taylor, B.F.E. with no last name, Helene Jackson, Jen with no last name, James Taylor, Biffy with no last name, Amy, that's a real person I'm sure,

Amy Light, Leedy, late, Latay, Christian with no last name, Kim Nichols, Sam Penner, Jenna Cornette, probably Jim's daughter, Jeff Severson, the better trollka, I don't know, James loves Perkins, oh that's very funny, James loves Perkins. Yes, you know my love of Perkins

Rob Wagner Prva per is that a disease? I don't know Rachel Mays Amanda pack Danielle Kay Scott has L hazel possibly Robin would know last name Aaron erin ferguson anthony bernardo barn bar what is that burnabo But not the mob all right barnabo dang with no last name. Don't be a hobart Lee Carter Devin Rice Dustin Lumley Sarah Chamberlain Tammy Calloway also if you see out there in the in the wild one Mandy Maloon give her our best. She's not in a good way. Hailey

Whalen. Moe with no last name. God damn it, Mandy. Get it together. We're rooting on you every day. We love you, man. Nathan Wolrab. Tee Dong. James, that's probably a real person. Cody Peruzzi, Peter Jones, Rachel Olson, Melissa Johnson, Daniel Podlewski, Crystal Cox, Yvette Ivy, Taney? Taney Hibbler, Amy B. Justice with no last name, Maria Teresa Beal, that feels like a nun somewhere. It really does.

Sister Maria Teresa Beale. John Stretch, J. Turnbull Sabatino, Asia Burns, Natasha Nisbaum, Ashton would know last name, Molly would know last name, Dolores would know last name, TJ Swain, Stacey Cox, Paul Gorman, Theresa would know last name, Charles Herrmann, Kathy, what is this, Eek and Eekin. Regina Elliott, Dakota Banks, Ashley Leffler, Samuel McJunkins. Kenneth Anderson, Amanda Pung, Russell Padlick, oh, Paddock. All right, sorry about that. Heather McAfee, Devin Acevedo, Amy Wellendorf, Carol Rienheimer, AMPR, that sounds like a radio station, Brandy Hensler, Sarah Minga, Borel Phil Thompson, John Calamia, Tara Brennan, Kelly Fauset, and all of our patrons. You guys are the best.

Thank you everybody so much for everything that you do for us. Honestly, we could not do the show without you because you are the source of everything. So thank you for hanging out with us. Thank you for your money and your time and for passing this to other people. And yeah, thanks for being a decent bunch of people. If you happen to, like Jimmy said, come across Mandy Maloon and if you know her, if you've been friends with her on social media media like a lot of you have, send her some support, send her some support.

She could use it at this time. And hey, we got your back, Mandy, and we hope everything's good for you, honestly. We root for you and we always have. So just know that, know that you got friends here. So thank you so much, everybody. You wanna follow us on social media, head over to shutupandgivemurder.com,

drop down menus will take you anywhere you need to be. So thank you so much, everybody. You wanna follow us on social media, head over to shutupandgimmymurder.com. Drop down menus, we'll take you anywhere you need to be. Thank you so much. Live from the Crime and Sports studios, we will see you next week. Bye. Bye. ["Street Women's Wife"]

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