A Plank Of Wood, A Cinderblock, And An Audience: Key Ingredients For Committing Evel
Transcript
00:00a plank of wood, a cinder block, and an audience, key ingredients for committing evil.
00:06Bikes weren't just basic transportation back in the day. They were also currency,
00:10status symbols, and opportunities to impress the ladies. These weren't the elite 10-speed
00:16models designed for road racing. These were the low-slung, built-to-last,
00:20banana-seat street versions built for stunts and unsanctioned BMX competitions.
00:26Within every boy in my block lived the spirit of Evel Knevel,
00:29the greatest motorcycle stuntman who ever lived.
00:33Evel showed up every weekend on our TVs to jump yet another series of buses,
00:37and the landings always provided slow-motion motivation for us.
00:42We could pull off the same trick if we just had a proper ramp and nerves of steel.
00:47Nerves we had, but a proper ramp, not so much. It was a long wooden plank,
00:52supported by a cinder block or two. Most of the time, we managed to pull off the jump,
00:57with or without other kids positioned under the ramp,
01:00but we never did recreate the visuals of Evel's tragic landing at Caesar's Palace.
01:06The best we could do was a flat tire and massive apologies to the last volunteer in the landing
01:11zone.