Colum McCann’s latest novel is about Phillipe Petit and his stunning walk between the World Trade Center towers, among many other things. By all accounts (or at least by this account) it’s pretty great. In celebration of that, here’s some footage of the other famous high-wire artists, the Flying Wallendas, doing their stuff in 1962. Watch through the end to see their signature “Seven Man Pyramid” stunt*.
Lovely pyramid wasn’t it? I have a few doubts about this book: the metaphor seems a bit too obvious and might have taken us past the saturation point, at least this year, for highwire derived art. But if anyone can pull it off I suppose McCann can**.
About those Wallendas, let me supply you with a heavy dose of let’s-all-be-Amelie-and-send-sublime-life-affirming-clips-to-our-grumpy-breakable-recluse-neighbors-who-are-also-ourselves spoiling frown after the jump.
According to this clip below, which I actually recommend skipping because it’s a touch gruesome, two members of the Wallenda family were killed and one paralyzed performing that same stunt in Detroit. See? Frown. Of course it would be Detroit, the city where all dreams go to fall forty feet to their deaths.
Seriously, this news clip is not bloody but absolutely not for the kiddies/those with unbroken hearts.
* The Seven Man Pyramid of course always included women, but, you know, show-biz.
** Why yes, this post was just a poor excuse to write that sentence.
