Jake Tapper & Conan Remember Evel Knievel’s Wild Stunts | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I was in Washington DC not long ago for. a uh to help usher in uh Adam Sandler. getting the Mark Twain award. because Mark Twain Adam Sandler. are often mentioned in the same breath. and. um I know it was a really fun uh fun. event a lot of people came out for it. including the ghost of Twain who was not. happy. but that aside uh because I was in DC uh.

I reached out to to Jake I let him know. that I was in town and you invited me. over to your home yeah he came over to. the house oh he we had dinner at our. favorite restaurant. uh and then he was. it's actually a it's a it's a very good. restaurant where Wolf Blitzer shows you. to your table. it's called blisters and they just sell. blintzes.

but many flavors yeah oh so there's 36. flavors of blints and he shows you to. the table and it's and then it's. embarrassing because he hangs around. until you tip it. but we had uh you guys we were very nice. because you invited me to your home and. uh uh I don't think I told you this but. I got there. I took an Uber over and sometimes Uber's. not precise and I I took an Uber over. from my hotel to where the address that.

you gave me for your house and I just. realized I'm like 10 minutes early so. I'm just gonna walk down the street it's. a really nice neighborhood and I'm. walking down the street a little bit and. this. father son come walking up the street. they're walking their dog and they said. uh hey if you're lost. Jake's up that way wow they pointed me. to your house oh my God yeah and I was. like okay I guess it's so clear that I'd. be the only person out here to you know. be seen with is Jake Tapper but anyway. we went out we had a really good time it. was fun and then this is where you and I.

are in such symbiosis you said uh. after dinner we went back to your house. and. you said here I want to show you. something and we walk around the. neighborhood and oh yeah you said see. that house right there that's where. Lyndon Johnson lived when he was in the. Senate and then he was like let's go. this way and then he shows me another. house and he's like see that house that. was uh Jacob Hoover's house and then. Clyde and Clyde and I was like this is. fantastic.

and of course I know that about you. because in your books and these you're. here to to talk about among many other. things uh you've got a new book all the. demons are here and you're picking up on. these characters he's actually the. children of the two characters you've. been uh you've been uh describing and uh. depicting in your other books but you. have all these great pop culture. references and political references to. the 1950s and 60s and the other books. and I love that stuff I can't get enough. of it you were the one of the first um I.

sent a copy of the first book to the. hellfire club which is takes place in 54. and has uh our favorite President uh. President Eisenhower as a as a character. in the book and that was that was really. exciting because it was basically a book. written for me and you yeah no I I. actually fact checked the book I was. like wait a minute wait a minute no no. he had his his heart attack in his. second term uh I saved you from massive. lawsuits uh that was close you know my. life has changed so much Sona has it.

yeah let me tell you how I can just get. all this stuff delivered right to my. door I mean if you grew up when I did in. the early 1920s that was unheard of you. know a kid in a cap you had to hey boy. boy you know and you'd have to say yes. sir and you'd have to say you know toss. him a coin go get me that goose in the. window and he'd say yes sir Mr Scrooge. but it was that was was like back then. yeah but now it's not it's so much of. our world digitized an automated why. stick to Old School mailing and shipping. if you mail or ship often let stamps.com.

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commitments or contracts just go to. stamps.com Conan Jake does a very good. job of and I'm not talking like you're. not in the room but I'm extracting these. two don't read they don't know how to. read I don't read uh well no you read. the novelizations of old Dynasty. episodes okay but uh that sounds pretty. good they're actually very good uh so. you do too yes he writes them I write. them is that is that a real thing no no. that's a million dollar idea well let's. do it let's put it here first it's.

really good have you ever those clips. come pop up every now and then like an. old Dynasty oh they're fantastic I don't. Jake not on TV on like Twitter or. whatever yeah they'll be like Alex uh. Carrington is that the end of the. character Alexis Alexis Carrington and I. loved how often how many times one of. them got shoved into a pool they just. decided that was what you do is when. when one woman with uh wearing a dress. with massive shoulder blades and a. massive ring who's an icon uh was pushes. another into a pool a lot of people.

and sadly filled with acid you'd hear it. ah and then a skeleton would float to. the top listen we got way off topic what. I was trying to say to you guys is that. uh Jake takes all of these true life. events and he writes uh these novels and. all the demons are here is one of them. and they're really I enjoy them so much. because he has got the characters. bumping into people uh from in the let's. say late 40s early 50s then you're the.

this was the second book was in the. second book is the Devil May Dance and. yeah that's the Rat Pack Sinatra is like. a big character in it yeah right and I. love you have members of the Rat Pack. out trying to help solve the crime which. was really it was just really funny to. me that it's just like no I think they. would have been they wouldn't have been. in any shape Dean Martin's like no hold. on a second and then this one's 77 and. like the uh the main character one of. the main characters IS Evil Knievel yes. yeah yeah Evil Knievel is one of them do. you now you weren't alive for because.

this takes place in 77 and it takes. place after evil Knievel's jump of. 1073. okay but you were one when the. Snake River jumped but boy was I there. yeah. I remember there is footage of a little. boy. wearing a Tweed suit and large glasses. that only an adult would wear I stowed. away in his saddlebags yeah they said. they said he would have made it but he. was unfortunately a pound and a half too. heavy and it was all Tweed.

I remember that now you and I yes. you and I would have similar memories. because in this book it takes place uh. in 77 and I remember in 1977 very well. because all these epic things happened. but you do reference the the Snake River. jump which was a couple years earlier uh. and that was such a huge event. I remember as a kid they told us that. they were going to put Evel Knievel in a. rocket you know fire him over a canyon.

and we nothing ex you know sparked our. imagination more than that and there was. no I don't think it was broadcast. all I know is that we were visiting my. cousin. in Worcester Mass and we raced out to. the car to listen to what happened and. they said well looks like he didn't make. it and I thought they thought he died. they thought he died because he misses I. don't even think he came close no he did. not you know it was like one of those. Rockets from like uh the Roadrunner in. Wylie Coyote Rockets like really.

makeshift and one of the other things. that's so weird about it is that this. was actually considered like an athletic. event like he was on the cover of Sports. illustrator this is not a sport this. wasn't I mean first of all he was barely. a good motorcycle rider to begin with. like he just was like the he was willing. to try yes yes and it's so funny because. in this book. in this book one of your main characters. uh one of the the two children like yeah. and and Ike is working with and and you.

make this point that uh he's not even. writing motorcycles and I'm guessing. that you have done the research on this. Ike is complaining because he has to. kind of check out the machinery and. everything and he's working for Evil. Knievel and he has to check out the. machinery and I'm guessing you. researched this that he's riding bikes. you're not even supposed to jump in no. they're not good they're not good for. jumping uh but like Harley's and stuff. no it's really weird but he was just. willing to do it and he built this. you know incredible career that kind of.

in 77 is kind of the beginning of the. end of it. um 74 was like his big everybody people. their people our age Conan who who think. that they remember him jumping over the. Grand Canyon but that never happened it. was Snake River and he never made it it. was in a rocket ship not on not on a. motorcycle yeah let's clear that up you. know because we have people no no we get. people texting us all the time yeah evil. himself yeah I interviewed Evel Knievel. on The Late Night show did you really.

and all I remember is uh it was not long. before he passed uh and he didn't move. very well and I remember because I think. the thing that every kid knew this is. how big Evil Knievel was we all knew. everything about Evil Knievel I had his. toy the rip core the wind up yeah you. would wind up you would wind up a. motorcycle and you could do jumps with. it and I spent thousands of hours with. my Evil Knievel wind up and it would. crash just like evil wood and fly into.

pieces. um but uh Evil Knievel what we all knew. is that he had broken every bone in his. body like 15 times and so this there's a. scene at the beginning of the book. that's based on his real a real event. which is in January 77. uh he literally. um jumped sharks he like then this is. like seven months before Fonz did it. like he like he set up a pool in Chicago. and I think ABC maybe had soured on him.

so he was doing it for CBS it was a. special it was going to be uh hosted by. Telly Savalas and Jill St John okay of. course and by the way they were the. original hosts of this podcast. it was. I need a friend with Telly Savalas and. Jill St John and uh and he was good and. it was and everything because this is. post Jaws jaws was you know the huge. best 75 yeah and huge um huge film and. so everything was Jaws and so he came up. with this idea and so much of the stuff. in the book uh having to do with Evil. Knievel was just real from his actual.

press conferences from his actual events. and he and he in rehearsals hurt himself. and so the entire the entire special. went on but he wasn't part of it and. yeah because who needs Evil Knievel in. an Evil Knievel special he didn't jump. the shark at all he no he did but he. landed wrong his problem was always the. landing but you mean he heard himself. not the jumping okay in the rehearsal. and then went on to do it no no was. rushed to the hospital with broken bones. what was the special what did they do. all the other like side acts yeah.

unfortunately uh that cut away to the. hospital. and the doctor would say we're. extracting a shark's fin. you know what's funny that's in the book. that you talk about and it's a really. funny scene is them trying to get the. Sharks and they don't get good sharks. sharks they're like small sharks that. like they're like little lemon sharks no. way he's he's basically jumping you know. uh koi with larger Dorsal fins and they. had a camera in the pool just in case he.

landed in the pool you could see the. shark eat him oh my God and the Sharks. were treated horribly and like a bunch. of them died on their way from Florida. to Chicago where they held this in the. middle of the winter in January stuff. you couldn't get I mean now if you want. to abuse a shark it's much harder. you looked into it oh trust me. I have a beef with those sharks.