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Bek Opera
Courtesy of Relayers:
http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20030421/D7QHSPJG1.html
Knievel Signs Over Rights For Rock Opera
Apr 21, 6:49 AM (ET)
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."
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