Toronto, Part 2: The Rest of It

I went to the Blue Jays/Yankees games in Toronto last Monday and Wednesday, while skipping Tuesday’s game (Ichiro didn’t play in that one anyhow), bringing the number of current stadiums I’ve attended a game at to 27. That leaves only Miami, Tampa Bay, and Wrigley, where in 2009 I sat in the stands during a long rain delay before the game was officially postponed, so that one doesn’t count.

These were the first MLB games I've seen on fake grass since the Mariners ended their run at the Kingdome in 1999. Rogers Centre (née SkyDome) is one of last of those circular, symmetrical, artificially turfed stadiums, though its retractable roof pointed to future stadium design. Besides the ballpark, I never liked the Jays either, mostly 'cause they began play the same season as the M's, 1977. In that time, Toronto has won two World Series titles, while the M’s have never even made it to the World Series. Also, the blue-blooded, all-American, flag-waving yahoo in me thinks it’s lame to have a major-league team outside the US... Here's Ichiro in centerfield, or what would roughly be the 20-yard-line if the field was situated for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts...

Still, Toronto loves the Jays, and there's apparently little interest in replacing their dumb stadium with something less bland and more up-to-date. For the record, the Jays beat the Yankees in both games I attended, 5-2 and 7-2, and Ichiro was 1-for-8 in the series.

Apart from baseball, I hit Toronto's hockey highlights, beginning with the Hockey Hall of Fame. The amount of jerseys, sticks, pucks, trophies and other memorabilia was overwhelming, but in a good way. Above is a closeup of the original Stanley Cup, with the etching "Seattle World's Champions Defeated Canadians 1917." Below is an old Seattle Metropolitans sweater...

Elsewhere, I walked around the newish Air Canada Centre and the old Maple Leaf Gardens, respectively the current and former homes of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The latter has since been converted into a smaller college hockey arena on an upper level (there was practice going on when I wandered inside), and a big grocery store on the main floor. On aisle 25, next to the cans of tuna, is a spot marking centre ice in its former days. Here it is, with my feet...

At the city's Reference Library I looked up some Evel Knievel-playing-hockey articles, and at various shops I picked up some hockey-related trinkets for friends (my own souvenir is a T-shirt with this sweet Penguins logo). The only bad hockey-related experience I had was at Wayne Gretzky’s sports bar -- the “Great One” burger (with a “99” seared onto the bun) tasted like a hockey puck, and the service sucked ass.

Far better was Shopsy’s and their killer corned beef sandwich, rivaled only by Dunn’s pastrami sandwich -- I call it a draw. Smoke’s Poutinerie had a food truck at Sunday's Riot Fest (see previous post), and I enjoyed their pulled pork poutine so much there that I had another one a few days later at one of their storefront locations. My pie at Pizza Pizza was so-so, and I never did make it to Don Cherry's Sports Grill. All along, I pretty much ate my own weight at various Tim Hortons -- I love that they have a Blue Jays donut...

Like I've experienced in other cities in recent years, Toronto also has a sensible public bike-rental kiosk system, here called Bixi. It got me around to lots of other places, like the CBC museum, The Beguiling (a comics shop where I picked up Adrian Tomine’s latest Optic Nerve), Honest Ed’s (a crazy discount emporium where I got some baby bibs) and Ella+Elliot (a high-end baby store where I got some little utensils). Here’s El Mocambo, where the Stones recorded side three of Love You Live in 1977.

As a lover of observation decks, I was stoked to go up the CN Tower, which until 2008 boasted the world's highest observation deck. At 1,467 feet, it's nearly two-and-a-half Space Needles tall! Aesthetically, the CN Tower has got nothing on the Needle, but even with some distant haze, the view was phenomenal (see the photo at the top of this post). Here’s a shot looking straight down at the Rogers Centre (with its roof closed, obviously)...

And here are my feet again, standing on a glass floor at the 1,122-foot level...

I hit one other observation deck on my trip, the Space Needle-esque Skylon Tower, 80 miles away in Niagara Falls (I rented a car that day). The falls themselves are impressive, despite the unchecked tackiness surrounding them -- myriad casinos, tourist traps, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville... Here's my token Niagara Falls shot...

While in town I visited an unofficial Evel Knievel Museum, where they have one of Evel's test Sky-Cycles, as well as lots of other motorcycle displays, Nazi stuff (!?!), and for some reason, a bunch of Dan Aykroyd memorabilia. There wasn’t much in the way of Evel’s personal possessions, just a bunch of mass-produced toys and photos and such, all fading under fluorescent lights. They didn't have my book, but they did have a shooting script of the movie based on my book, with my name on the cover...

So, Toronto. My lifetime experiences in Canada have mostly been limited to several trips to Vancouver and Victoria, so in my mind that's what Canada is supposed to "be like." Strangely, Toronto felt less like Canada to me and more like Chicago, in terms of size, scenery, and climate... Incidentally, on my way to T.O. (that’s what the locals call it!), I changed planes in Calgary, bringing my provinces-I’ve-visited count to three: I’ve been to British Columbia countless times, I made a quick spin through Windsor, Ontario in 2008, and now Alberta. Cool.
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Batman Meets Evel Knievel Devil Dayre

Batman #264, June 1975: Dunno how this escaped my attention 'til I stumbled across it on eBay last week, but I bought it right away. Click images to embiggen them...

Al "Devil" Dayre was scheduled to jump Torres Canyon, much like the Snake River Canyon that Evel attempted to jump in September 1974. But, for some unknown reason, Batman did the jump instead. The rocket landed in the water, but Batman couldn't be found; only his costume was recovered...

Then a bunch of other stuff happened.

Then we learn that Dayre faked his own kidnapping 'cause he was scared to do the jump, and that the ransom money would've paid him handsomely anyhow. Later, after Batman did the jump, he escaped in scuba gear before any rescuers could find him. At the end, Batman chased down Dayre for a final confrontation...

Then Dayre apparently died after crashing his motorcycle through a window.
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I Read a Book: Evel

After my Evel Knievel biography was published in 2000, the next Evel bio appeared in 2004, written by a Brit named Stuart Barker and titled Life of Evel. Though I was eager to read it, I was disappointed to find it largely a rewrite of my book, often bordering on plagiarism...

Mandich, p. 146: “Following Snake River, Warner had signed Evel to a three-picture deal, beginning with Viva Knievel!. Unlike the 1971 biography in which George Hamilton played Evel, Viva was a fictional action picture starring Evel as himself.”

Barker, p. 176: “Following Snake River, Warner Bros. had signed Evel to a three-picture deal, and the first was to be Viva. It was not to be an updated biography following on from George Hamilton’s 1971 Evel Knievel movie, but rather a fictional action-adventure with Evel starring as himself.”

Wanker.

Anyway, upon hearing last year that Sports Illustrated's Leigh Montville had his own Evel bio in the works, I was eager to read it as well, but also wary of another knockoff. At long last, Montville's 400-page Evel arrived on Tuesday, and I've spent the past couple days plowing through it. So...

I liked it! Instead of a rehash of all the stuff in my book, I was pleased to find that Montville had explored the various eras of Evel's life in much more depth than I did, turning up lots of good information and anecdotes that I hadn't known about before. While my book was steeped in dates and places and facts and figures, and relied heavily on previously published sources (I made a point of including as many of Evel's most obnoxious quotes as I could find), Montville interviewed many of the big names Evel crossed paths with, such as Frank Gifford, Brent Musburger, Linda Evans and George Hamilton. He also talked to many less-flashy supporting characters -- a childhood friend, a cellmate, an old hockey teammate. My book spent large chunks exploring son Robbie's daredevil career, as well as the careers of many of Evel's other imitators; I also wrote lots about Evel's ongoing impact on pop culture, much of which involving the loads of Knievel-related media and merchandise released in the '70s. In contrast, Montville mostly stuck to the many wild stories that were a constant in Evel's life, relating them with the flourish of a seasoned biographer. Still, he glossed over the 30-odd years between Evel's retirement and his 2007 death in the final chapter, while I spent maybe a third of my book covering Evel's post-daredevil career... Overall, Montville's book is a solid complement to mine, and vice-versa.

However, though I didn't think it possible, Montville far surpassed my book in demonstrating that Evel was a colossal asshole -- a violent, abusive, drunken, mean-spirited, philandering, egomaniacal bully, whose m.o. was to lie, cheat and steal his way through life. Among Montville's juicier bits: Evel's FBI file (released in 2008) suggested he hired goons to beat up his daredevil rivals; a couple interviewees said that Evel himself beat his wife Linda (not surprising, though nothing I've actually read in print before); not only did Evel regularly dine-and-dash, but he also pulled a midnight heal-and-dash from a hospital; he once rudely referred to George Foreman and Muhammad Ali as, as Bob Arum politely put it, "another word for 'African Americans'" (also not surprising). Evel had an anti-Semitic streak too (currently listed on eBay by Evel's son Kelly: EVEL KNIEVEL ORIG 1977 ANTI SEMITIC LAWSUIT PAPERWORK -- bidding is now at $51!).

But hey, Evel's jumps were still cool.

Almost as entertaining as Montville's book is its reception by the knuckleheads on the Ultimate Evel Knievel Fan Board...

Posted by Jeff on April 27, 2011, 1:56 am
Did this really say that Evel beat up Linda and the kids? Wow. Has anyone here ever met Linda? That would be like beating up Mother Theresa. If all this is true, its no wonder that Robbie left home at 16. Bob, surely you aren't liking this book, right?

Posted by Bob on April 27, 2011, 3:18 am
Im not even reading the book after what you told me before. Not buying it or giving the guy that wrote it one dime of my money. But thats just me. I have no interest in the book what so ever. To me it was never even written...I removed all info on ordering or promoting the book on my site and canceled my order sometime ago..

Posted by Dave Whiting on April 27, 2011, 11:29 am
I looked forward to this new EK book for months. I haven’t even made it half way through and I’m already ticked that this guy got a red cent of my money. As far as I’m concerned, I doubt this guy ever even met Evel or knew anything about him and had absolutely no business writing a book about Evel Knievel other than to just cash in on the name. I hope the royalties to the Knievel estate are stinkin HIGH ! If anyone out there who hasn’t already paid for this, Don’t waste your money!!! It's a real rip off !!!

Posted by Jeff on April 27, 2011, 12:46 pm
We should all just pass around one copy and not put any more money into this guys hands.

Posted by Bob on April 27, 2011, 3:40 pm
All i can say is thanks to Jeff for the heads up on the book. Which not only saved me money but didn't give this guy any of my money. I think everyone who truly loves and cares about Evel, If you read the book or not. Should go to amazon.com and rag on this guy for your book review..I am...by the way i like Jeff's idea,let everyone that cares pass the book around and then we will burn it.

Posted by Scott on April 28, 2011, 8:21 pm
Mine came in today. I missed the thread about how negative the book is. Not even going to open it. Sending it back on Monday.

Posted by Bob on April 29, 2011, 12:02 am
Thats the way you do it Scott..good man..

Man, I can't wait to see their Amazon reviews ...
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Cool Stuff Now!

Two killer items were officially released today: the new Evel Knievel biography by Sports Illustrated senior writer Leigh Montville (above), and the Rolling Stones' The Singles: 1971-2006 box set (below)...

First impressions: the Evel bio is twice as long as mine, though I'm pleased to see that Montville still found room for a shout-out:

I seemed to refer often to Evel Incarnate, a fine book by Steve Mandich that lays out the grid of the famous daredevil's life. Mandich also has a website, SteveMandich.com, that contains all things Knievel. Highly recommended.

Sweet. I'm also glad that Montville didn't perpetuate Evel's bullshit coma story, which has been erroneously repeated by The New York Times and pretty much every other major news outlet. Especially nice that he credited this very blog with its debunking...

Knievel biographer Steve Mandich noted in his SteveMandich.com blog that within two years [of Evel's Caesars Palace crash] a story appeared in the September 1969 issue of Science and Mechanics claiming that Knievel "suffered a severe brain concussion." The statement quickly grew from there to an almost routine Knievel reponse that he had been in a coma for twenty-nine days after the Caesars Palace crash. A basic part of his story, totally bogus, was that he landed in Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital in a coma and woke up twenty-nine days later and was famous.

I'll post a full review of the book once I've read it.

As for the Stones box, I already own most of the stuff on there, but there are still a bunch of B-sides I haven't heard (as well as, um, eight different mixes of "Out of Control," a tune that wasn't so hot to begin with). Also, I'm a sucker for the nifty packaging. So there.

Lastly, the Canucks finally vanquished the longstanding burr in their playoff saddle, the Chicago Blackhawks, in tonight's thrilling game seven overtime win. Alex Burrows (below) netted both Vancouver goals.

The 'Nucks dodged a fucking bullet. Next up: the Nashville Sexual Predators.
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Rocky Mountain Roundup

We spent this past week with Eliza's folks in and around Jellystone Yellowstone National Park. No sign of Yogi or Boo Boo -- they were probably hibernating -- but I spotted Bigfoot at a grocery store in Gardiner, Montana, in the form of these snow shovels...

Obviously there was much cooler stuff to be seen, like Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs...

Achtung! This nearby sign graphically illustrates the dangers of wandering into the park's many thermal features...

Eliza admires this deadly spring from a safe distance...

Ooh, a buffalo bison!

We saw many of these guys, along with elk, deer, coyotes, eagles, ravens, ducks, geese and other such critters from the snow coach we rode through the park for a couple days. Yellowstone is buried in snow during the winter, so snow coaches and snowmobiles are the only vehicles allowed in the park during the season.

Here we are in eight-degree weather, standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone...

The best non-Yellowstone highlight was an awesome day of dogsledding in Montana's Absaroka mountains. I plan to post a video shortly -- for now, check out these doggies, rarin' to haul Eliza and me up a forest service road...

We lodged at the lovely Chico Hot Springs Resort (though not in Warren's Wing, which has loads of Warren Oates memorabilia lining the walls; instead we stayed in suite 405 of the Lower Lodge). Chico's outdoor pool of sub-scalding spring water was a treat to soak in after a long day out in the cold.

Immediately adjacent to the pool is a bar saloon, which has a signed Evel photo on the wall...

Of course, every bar in Montana probably has an autographed Knievel photo, but whatever.

Then on today's flight home, I distracted myself from the sweaty-palm turbulence by snapping iPhone photos of the propeller outside my window. I'd seen this weird effect before, and sure enough, it worked for me too...

And now we're back. A zillion thanks to Steve and Kristina!

UPDATE

Here's video:


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The Art of Jack Davis!

Nice find yesterday at Value Village: a $1.99 copy of The Art of Jack Davis! Though his long-running career stretches back to the '30s, his illustrations were ubiquitous during his '70s prime, especially in Mad magazine...

Here's one of his many Mad Evel caricatures, some of which I put on my Knievel Comedy page...

He also did illustrations for other comics...

And magazines...

As well as advertising art...

Movie posters...

Album covers...

And other random stuff, like this Seahawk...

And some Bigfoot illustrations for the 1959 article "The Trail of the Sasquatch," which appeared in Canada's Weekend Magazine...

See lots more in this Jack Davis flickr set.
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New Flickr Sets: Bigfoot Comics, Canucks Schedules & Evel Paintings

Yo, peep these Bigfoot comic books, Vancouver Canucks pocket schedules, and Evel Knievel's supposed paintings.
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Evel Knievel: Still Dead (2010 Edition)

Evel died three years ago today; here's some stuff that happened over the past year in the Knievel Universe...

Probably the most public display of Evelness was by Stephen Colbert, who wore a Knievel getup at the October Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear... Also in October, Dax Shepard's character wore an Evel costume on the Halloween episode of Parenthood...

No, that's not Dax Shepard -- it's a monkey dressed as Evel for a Dodge commercial. However, PETA complained, so Dodge digitally erased the little guy from the ad, resulting in an invisible monkey... Evel himself appeared in some old footage used in a GM commercial, which aired last week during a Thanksgiving NFL game. In it we see Evel helped to his feet after his Wembley Stadium crash, a visual metaphor of the government's General Motors bailout. Deep.

At the movies, Ryan Dunn attempted a "Snake River Redemption" stunt in Jackass 3D -- watch the clip here... Meanwhile, Steve Carell's Dinner for Schmucks character made a diorama of a mouse in a tiny Evel suit jumping some tiny buses on a tiny motorcycle...

On the family front, son Robbie did just two jumps this year (Texas in June, and Georgia in July). He announced he would jump 16 buses at London's new Wembley Stadium in May, but the deal fell through. (Evel crashed trying to clear 13 buses at the old Wembley Stadium 35 years earlier.) Still, here's a promotional photo shot in London...

Other son Kelly was instrumental in the "True Evel" exhibit that ran over the summer at Milwaukee's Harley-Davidson Museum; the exhibit will begin a tour of Europe next month. Kelly continues hawking Evel stuff on eBay -- besides the usual memorabilia, he also sells weird stuff like Evel's speeding tickets and business correspondence... I already reported that Evel's younger brother Nic died in September; September also saw the passing of Bob Truax, the guy who designed and built Evel's Sky-Cycle for his Snake River jump (and who Evel mercilessly blamed for its failure)... Then Leslie Nielsen died on Sunday -- he was a villainous drug lord who tried killing Evel in Viva Knievel!.

Not news, but something I just noticed a few weeks ago: Evel's "second career" as a painter has always been suspect, but check out the paintings above. The one on the left is a 1975 Time magazine cover; Evel's version on the right is obviously a copy (which he claimed was partially colored with his own blood). But what I never noticed before was how Evel (or, more likely, his ghost painter) turned Mother Teresa (an Indian, like, from India) into a Native American (an Indian, you know, from America)... But why? In any case, Evel titled the painting "Spirit."

Things to look out for in 2011: the Evel Knievel rollercoaster at Six Flags in St. Louis will be renamed American Thunder, ending a licensing agreement just three years after the ride opened... A new Evel biography by big-shot sportswriter Leigh Montville is due in April -- mixed feelings about that one... As usual, Robbie still half-heartedly talks about attempting his own Snake River jump... Meanwhile, this daredevil chauffeur has plans to jump his "Sky-Limo" across the Grand Canyon on Memorial Day.

Here's what I wrote about Evel on this day in 2009 and in 2008.

UPDATE - 12/19/10

Paris Hilton looked Knievel- Lawler-esque at some deal last night.

They should disinfect the saddle.
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