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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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1970s daredevil signs over exclusive rights to 'Evel Knievel: the
Rock Opera'
Sunday April 20, 2003
LOS ANGELES (AP) Former professional daredevil Evel Knievel
has signed over exclusive rights to allow the production of ``Evel
Knievel: the Rock Opera.''
Jef Bek, a musical director and composer with the small Los
Angeles theater company Zoo District, recently flew to Clearwater,
Fla., to gain Knievel's blessings after working for two years on
the project.
Knievel, 64, said he instantly liked Bek and his seven-song demo
and signed over rights to stage his story.
``I think it's a wonderful compliment,'' said Knievel, who
gained fame in the 1970s by jumping his motorcycle over cars and
canyons. His daredevil career left him with 37 fractures, including
broken bones in both legs, before he retired in 1980.
Bek, 40, said he envisions the rock opera as an homage to
Knievel and to the musical spirit of 1970s bands such as The Who,
Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Knievel inspired a 12-year-old Bek to
become a stunt rider while he was growing up in Des Plaines, Ill.,
but Bek said he abandoned that dream after riding his bicycle into
a tree stump.
``He was a living superhero,'' Bek said. ``He knows I get him,
and he knows I understand what's really significant about his
legacy.''
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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