July 25, 2014

As close as we get to Philippe Petit in Madison, Wisconsin.



Now, nobody else do that. You won't look as good, and your movie won't be as good, so there's really no point. Officially, I disapprove, but I disapprove more of the local media giving this thing air, especially if it means that in the end we get some stupid fencing or netting blocking the view.

Meanwhile, long ago...

15 comments:

Mark said...

Agree about how the reaction to stop more of this may ruin the view for folks up there.

Got married up top there, but more towards the north end, right next to the Otis Redding memorial. Next Friday will be the ten year anniversary. Great rooftop space.

George M. Spencer said...

Thanks to him taxpayers or someone will be paying for 24/7 security.

Petit was amazing. He didn't just cross once between the towers. He lay down on the wire and went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.

For 45 minutes.

Quite a simpler and more innocent time. There are only still photos of the event.

FleetUSA said...

I'm glad the guy in Madison won't make the Darwin awards this year.

Impudent Warwick said...

Never noticed before this video just how much the Terrace looks like the Gobbler.

MadisonMan said...

So if someone dies trying to copy this bearded douche will he feel regret?

(Monona looked very green. I hope he took a hot soapy shower afterwards)

DanTheMan said...

Not impressed at all. The Jags cheerleaders did it with more style.
And speaking of "won't look as good" while doing it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35AFrS1sQVA&

WestVirginiaRebel said...

It should be noted that Nixon announced his resignation that week...

gadfly said...

Ann: The first video has a malware element attached that asks you to download a missing driver. Fact is it is installing a trojan. Everyone should run Malware Bytes.

Ann Althouse said...

@gadfly I'm not seeing that.

Ann Althouse said...

And you're telling people to install something...

gadfly said...

Yes, a disk scan is in order if the video has been opened. Here is a free download site for Malwarebytes.

The pop-up was centered in the lower part of the video and I knew that Chrome didn't need additional drivers, so I suspected that I likely had acquired malware that would have to be quarantined. Sure enough, I had five infections.

EdwdLny said...

" especially if it means that in the end we get some stupid fencing or netting blocking the view " Because that is exactly what they will do. The kindergarten principle of discipline , punish everyone instead of confronting the offender .
Also, no malware issues this morning.

Lovernios said...

When I was a kid, I loved to jump or dive from high places. One place that I frequented was the Quincy Quarries just south of Boston. The quarry was filled with rain over the decades since it was abandoned, probably 100 feet deep. The cliffs surrounding the quarry ranged from a few feet up to about 80 feet. After a number of drownings it was fenced off, but kids still went there. Eventually, it was filled in with dirt from the Big Dig.

I also enjoyed diving off the bridges between Chelsea and East Boston, particularly at low tide as that made it about 10-15 feet higher. These were draw bridges which had immense steel superstructures above the deck to raise the bridge for passing ships, mostly oil tankers. The Chelsea Creek had deep channel to accommodate these huge ships.

We’d climb up the girders like little monkeys, ignoring the yells of the bridgekeeper if he saw us. As in this video, you had to leap out over the sidewalk below. I would usually climb to the top. I was the smallest kid in our gang, so I used my fearlessness of heights to show off to everyone that I had what it took to be part of the gang.

Once, when the keeper called the cops, I was on the crane when they arrived. So I dived off and swam underwater to one of the nearby piers, undetected by the detectives and just waited them out. As soon as they were gone, up the crane I went for some more fun.

MathMom said...

I wouldn't do that even if I liked to do daredevil jumps, because the water in that lake is seriously oogie.

MadisonMan said...

Fined!

$750. Seems about right.