Our historian-of-all-things-freakishly-fast pal Cole Coonce kicked down a link earlier today regarding the reissue of a record of Craig Breedlove's attempt to break the Land Speed Record. To get even more meta((l) circus) with the refs, H sker D 's SST labelmates the Descendents recorded a cover of "Wendy" by the Beach Boys, who of course wrote "Spirit of America" about Breedlove's LSR attempts. Meanwhile, Cole provides an excerpt from his book Infinity Over Zero; a transcript of a recording of Breedlove's famous 500mph run that ended up with the Spirit of America in a pond, made by Jim Economides and USAC timer Jim Petrall from a test-pressing of an unreleased 12" entitled Breedlove 500+. Click through for the '60s-style manliness. "Who do you think you are? Cobb or somebody?"
USAC Official: He's on his way... he's standing on it... they say he's really standing on it now... nice and straight... he's really rolling... into the mile...
VOICE: I see a smoke trail.
USAC: ... something fell off of the car... that must be the chute... wait a minute, something fell off of the back of the car... he lost his chute...
VOICE: I hope it was his chute...
USAC: ... he lost his chute...
VOICE: Before he hit the trap or after?
USAC: He didn't say it's out ... I see him coming... he's really coming along, he's really pouring it on... here he comes...
VOICE: ... heads up....
USAC: He's approaching the finishing line ... he's past the finishing line...
VOICE: ... he's got no chute... (pppphhhhhweeeeeeeeWHHHHHAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.....)
VOICE: ... OOHH!!!
(trucks and support vehicles roll, horns honk, general commotion
as reporters dictate to machines)
VOICE: ... what a thrill for the people...
VOICE: He's in the water...
USAC: He's in the water...
VOICE: He's in the water...
USAC: Better roll the ambulance down here... roll the ambulance... I'll roll down there... okay... I'll roll ...
(tape rolls out)
*****
BREEDLOVE: (deep breaths and laughter) Unnnhhhh, hunnhhh...
VOICE: Suppose you'll get a water speed record on that too?
BREEDLOVE: I think so.
VOICE: Who do you think you are? Cobb or somebody?
BREEDLOVE: What a ride! Uhh hnnnuhhh... "FOR MY NEXT TRICK!"
(laughter)
(more laughter)
VOICE: (unintelligible overlapping dialogue)
BREEDLOVE: "I'll set myself... a-fire... "
VOICE: ... son of a bitch...
BREEDLOVE: I went over the top of that 10 mile light. Did I break it? Did I break the record?
VOICE: Yeah...
BREEDLOVE: Okay.
VOICE: We didn't wait to see...
VOICE: You went right over the top of it...
BREEDLOVE: If Petrali missed the time on that, boy, he's out of business.
(laughter)
BREEDLOVE: I'm not doing it again!
(laughter)
VOICE: Jeez-us
VOICE: Look out now...
(shutters click)
VOICE: Holy Mackerel...
VOICE: See you had to swim there... That was an underwater job!
VOICE: Yeah.
VOICE: Craig that was a tremendous run, though. It looks
like you broke the record by a big margin.
BREEDLOVE: I obviously did!
(laughter)
VOICE: It can't stand another one though ...
BREEDLOVE: Hey, you did a pretty good job with that course,
old buddy...
(laughter)
VOICE: He was really steerin'. I thought you were going to go right by here and you might not make it in this water...
VOICE: I tell you that was the last we expected...
BREEDLOVE: PHHWEEEHHH!!
VOICE: ... to see of ol' Craig Breedlove...
BREEDLOVE: (off mic and distorted) Roy, you wouldn't believe it!
VOICE: I'll tell you one thing, you're spectacular, man.
(commotion)
VOICE: I wonder what the people are going to...
BREEDLOVE: (shouts) WHAT'S MY TIMES? NOBODY WAITED TO GET IT!!
VOICE: Nobody waited to get it!
BREEDLOVE: How fast did I go?
VOICE: Let's all get in this four-wheel drive...
BREEDLOVE: (shouts) HOW FAST DID I GO??
VOICE: (off mic) Nobody heard, Craig.
BREEDLOVE: Hey... Hey Bill... For my next trick I'll set myself afire! (laughs)
VOICE: Well, you did a beautiful job on the car. (laughs)
BREEDLOVE: (deep breaths) Hunnnnhhhh! Hunnnnnhhh... Did you see what I did to that telephone pole, Nye?
VOICE: Jeez-us...
BREEDLOVE: I damn near drowned... look at the racer!
VOICE: Craig, here's your dad....
(commotion, heavy breathing, more commotion, unintelligible)
VOICE: Oh my god... Oh my god...
BREEDLOVE: I'm okay, Pop.
(commotion)
BREEDLOVE: At least we went 500... (deep breaths and laughter)
unnnhhhh, hunnhhh...
(commotion)
BREEDLOVE: I damn near drowned in that thing! I couldn't get out!
(commotion, overlapping dialogue)
VOICE: You know, you should get a skin diving license. (commotion, overlapping dialogue)
BREEDLOVE: (unintelligible) ... spectacular. If Petrali missed that time he's fired!
(laughter) (film camera rolls) (commotion, overlapping dialogue)
VOICE: He's the first guy to try and set a Land Speed Record and a Water Speed Record at the same time!
BREEDLOVE: (off mic) I lost my steering at the (unintelligible) mile.
VOICE: You did?
BREEDLOVE: The brakes just burned up.
VOICE: They did?
BREEDLOVE: I put my chutes out after I cleared the mile because I lost my steering.
(commotion, overlapping dialogue) (film camera rolls)
VOICE: You put out both of them didn't you?
BREEDLOVE: Well the first chute, I pulled it, it just went to shreds. I felt it go to a ribbon. Then I hit the... I waited for a while and I tried to hit the brakes and the
brakes just wouldn't go... I was pumping the brakes and then nothing, no brakes at all. Then I hit my other chute and nothing happened. I didn't have any... I just took that...
VOICE: No steering...
BREEDLOVE: ... steering and I turned it clear around like this. It finally started...
VOICE: (interrupts) Did you see that...
BREEDLOVE: ... coming around.
VOICE: ... telephone pole that you sheared?
BREEDLOVE: Yeah, I know. I hit the pole.
VOICE: With your right fin or what?
BREEDLOVE: I just saw that pole coming and I went just like that...
VOICE: (whistles)!
BREEDLOVE: ... and then I hit the pole. I thought I had it when I hit the pole. I saw that telephone pole coming and I went "Ooohhh" and I gritted my teeth.
(laughter) (film camera rolls) (commotion, overlapping dialogue)
BREEDLOVE: (loud, over laughter) I gritted my teeth and that pole just sheared off like nothing. You know, "DOUMM" and no pole! (breathes in) UUNNHH... I looked up and I thought, "Oh Boy! Another chance!"
VOICE: (giddy laughter)
BREEDLOVE: I looked up...
VOICE: (giddy laughter)
BREEDLOVE: ... I hit the water and the water started slowing me down and I seen (sic) this big old bank coming up and I thought, "OHHH NAWWWW." (laughs)
VOICES: (giddy laughter)
BREEDLOVE: I hit the bank and it just went right over the top there. I was flying through there about thirty feet in the air and I thought, "NOW I'M GOING TO DROWN!"
VOICE: (uproarious laughter)
BREEDLOVE: I couldn't get the canopy off. I tried to get my belt done. I couldn't get my mask off and the water was filling up like that...
VOICE: ... Next run scuba gear...
BREEDLOVE: ... and I thought, "What a way to go! After all this and now I'm going to drown!"
VOICES: (uproarious laughter)
VOICE: Next run, scuba gear, baby!
(shutters click)
BREEDLOVE: (giddy laughter) I broke the racer! (giddy laughter). Everything's okay... How fast did I go, dammit? (giddy laughter) (shouts) DID WE BREAK THE RECORD?!
VOICE: (shouts) WHAT WAS THE TIME?
BREEDLOVE: (shouts) WHAT WAS THE TIME? (giddy laughter)
VOICES: (commotion, overlapping dialogue)
BREEDLOVE: (clears throat) Will somebody tell me how fast I went?
(giddy laughter)
VOICE: Hey Craig! You set a boat record!
VOICES: (giddy laughter) (commotion, overlapping dialogue)
VOICE: C'mon, let's go and (unintelligible).
BREEDLOVE: I want to find out how fast I went, man!
VOICE: Where? In the water or in the...
BREEDLOVE: Hey Al! What was it?
VOICE: 526.
VOICE: 539 for the kilo.
VOICE: 535.
(truck pulls up)
VOICE: 526 average. 535 coming back.
VOICE: (reading off time slip) Mile is 539 point eight nine. The kilo was 535 point four-oh. And the average for both ways was 526 point two eight. And the kilo was 527 point
three three.
(tape rolls out)
-30-
Infinity Over Zero [Kerosene Bomb]
Related:
Sounds of a Record Breaking: Craig Breedlove's First Land Speed Record on CD [Internal]