Book description
A searching and at times harrowing re-appraisal of the life of Evel
Knievel, the seventies American icon and the greatest daredevil
motorcyclist that ever lived. The story of the last few years of his
life and his death in 2007.
Stuart Barker's definitive biography captures the super-star status
that Knievel held and also examines the marketing phenomenon of a man
who once boasted he 'made million and blew million'.
Born in the town of Butte, Montana in 1938, Robert Craig Knievel was an
outstanding athlete, ski jumper and ice hockey player at school. His
early jobs included working in the copper mines and driving a bus as
well as a stint in the US Army, but he always subsidised his income
through crime ('I could crack a safe with one hand tied behind my back
quicker than you could eat a hamburger with two.')
He used bikes to escape from the police and eventually hit upon the
idea of jumping them after seeing a stunt driver jump cars at a state
fair. His first jump took place over two mountain lions and a box of
rattlesnakes, and he soon developed his act into the 'Evel Knievel
Motorcycle Daredevils' before embarking on a solo career.
Knievel suffered 37 breaks and fractures during his daredevil career.
In 1967 he spent 29 days in a coma after an attempt to jump over the
fountains outside Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas. While recovering,
he decided to make his goal to jump the Grand Canyon, an attempt he was
forced to abort by the US Government; and later was paid million for
jumping over 13 double-decker buses at Wembley Stadium.
Now, a quarter of a century after he last stepped off a motorcycle, he
has been reborn as the originator of Xtreme sports. This, alongside his
love of gambling, women and drinking, ensure his legend will live
forever. Life of Evel is the story of a truly extreme personality. 'An
informative and respectful reworking of the Knievel legend' Manchester
Evening News Stuart Barker worked at Motor Cycle News, first as a news
reporter then as a feature writer and road tester. After four years, he
became a freelance writer and has been published in many magazines
including FHM, Superbike, Two Wheels Only and Biker. He has co-written
books with Niall Mackenzie and Steve Hislop and wrote a bestselling
biography of the late Barry Sheene.
