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A legacy of leaps
Many young men spend much of their lives trying to extricate themselves from their fathers’ shadows, hoping to form identities and legacies separate from those of the old men.
But when your father is a generational icon, a flesh-and-blood superhero, the pursuit might seem futile.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
As 11-year-old Robbie Knievel sat on his motorcycle alongside father Evel Knievel, 50,000 screaming fans made clear to young Robbie that his destiny would run parallel to that of his father. Living the life of a high-flying entertainer was his birthright and one he could not and did not want to ignore. He knew then he wanted to be a daredevil. Had to be a daredevil.
‘I don’t get off on adrenaline, I was born with adrenaline, and that’s why I keep doing what I do,’ Knievel said by phone on Monday, already in town for this weekend’s Republic of Texas Biker Rally. ‘And people can say he (Evel) was crazy and he shouldn’t have done what he done, but my dad always said, “Remember, we kept out word.” ‘
That sense of pride and honor is likely what led Evel Knievel, when asked why he attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon, a 50-50 life-or-death proposition, to answer, ‘Do you know who the hell I am?’
‘We have charisma and we speak from our heart. We do what we do and we keep our word and that’s what makes us who we are, and that’s why people come to see us,’ Robbie Knievel said. ‘There’s only a handful of us out there who can do what we do, but there’s only two guys that made it famous - me and my dad.’
Kaptain Robbie Knievel brings that grandiose air with him to Austin this weekend, when he will jump almost 200 feet of Budweiser trucks in front of the Capitol.
The jump will be one in a line of more than 250 performed by the 47 year-old Knievel over the past 38 years. And, although he might use a different motorcycle than that heavy Harley-Davidson his father rode, he rides with the same swagger and a perverse levity.
Despite the dangers that inherently come with each jump, Knievel confesses that outside the occasional butterflies, making the death-defying jumps is standard operating procedure.
If a man can look into the face of death, or at least severe injury week in and week out for almost four decades, one must wonder whether there is anything that intimidates the guy. For an answer, one must look beyond the simple, worldly fears of broken bones or slithering reptiles.
The devil, Knievel says, is the only thing that scares him.
‘But I believe in Christ, so I’m not worried about the devil. I’ve got a belief and faith and trust,’ Knievel said. ‘And my dad did before he died, and we had a lot of good talks before he died. I’m looking forward to eternity, but we all got a path lined out for us. People that are living for the world are livin’ for nothing. We’re all gonna die. You gotta look at what’s ahead, be spiritual and loving to your neighbor.’
In this world of extreme sports and user-generated videos inhabiting every corner of the Web, displaying the dangerous exploits of thousands of amateur stuntmen, Knievel has a little more difficulty standing out than his father did in the ’70s.
At that time, before the explosion of cable television and before the Internet had anesthetized our sense of wonder and ability to be inspired, Evel Knievel was a dynamic hero of the highest order. Swathed in a garish red, white and blue jumpsuit astride a motorcycle, he was Elvis, Captain America and James Dean wrapped into one.
The idea of a comic book daredevil hero, inspiring kids with jaw-dropping feats of motorized airborne acrobatics might seem anachronistic today. But the son of Evel Knievel unabashedly carries on his father’s legacy and insists that what he does is about more than just jumping motorcycles over inanimate objects. It’s about a code, a way of the daredevil warrior, put on the planet to entertain and inspire people.
‘I do stuff by the seat of my pants like my dad did, and I have good things to say to the kids and the public, and that’s what I’m about. I do a lot of charities and stuff, and it’s all about what comes from your heart,’ Knievel said. ‘God only knows your heart. I don’t do it for the money. I do it because I’m the son of Evel Knievel, and there’s nobody left.’
And while he professes to be dutifully carrying on the legacy of his iconic father, with two jumps in the works for Wembley Stadium and the Snake River Canyon, attempts at which his father came up short, one has to wonder if maybe Robbie Knievel has his eye set on creating his own legend after all.
The Jump at the Capitol
Kaptain Robbie Knievel will jump almost 200 feet of Budweiser trucks lined on 11th Street in front of the State Capitol. The gates will open at 8 p.m. Friday (this should coincide with the arrival of the ROT motorcycle parade down Congress Avenue). The jump is scheduled to happen at 11 p.m.
ROT Rally wristband holders can pay $20 for a spot between 10th and 11th streets on Congress Avenue. Anyone can pay $20 for a spot between Ninth and 10th streets on Congress Avenue. And blocks south of Ninth Street on Congress Avenue will be free and open to the public.
To buy tickets and more information: www.rotrally.com.
Images from Knievel Cycles.
Click the link below for videos of Robbie Knievel’s jumps.
Robbie Knievel at King’s Island in 2008.
Knievel’s building-to-building jump in Vegas in 1998.
Knievel jumps the Grand Canyon in 1999.
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By Coot
June 12, 2009 8:32 AM | Link to this
I am going to skip the crowds and will be watching the jump on TV at The only biker bar in the Hill Country, Dally’s Down Under in Johnson City (on 290, just past the turn for Pedernales Falls).
Everybody ride safe & enjoy our town!
By Mike
June 12, 2009 11:04 AM | Link to this
Does anyone know what channel the jump with be telecast on tonight? I was an Evel Knievel fan when I was a kid, had the stunt cycle, etc. I would really love to go to Robbie’s jump tonight with my son, but I think it will be too big of a crowd for a 5 year old.
By Hogface
June 12, 2009 12:43 PM | Link to this
Will there be any seating available on the capitol lawn, or is that reserved for Prince Perry and his boyz?