`It was always my dream to be in the record books and I have always admired all the people who are....` John Evans
John Evans has always had a good head for ideas. You could say that his life has been a `balancing` act.
The 56-yr-old from Heanor, Derbyshire, UK, is a phenomenon. A grizzled veteran of the world record breaking circuit. The retired builder has a strange hobby, one that requires the carrying of anything and everything on his head. A telephone box, a Mini Cooper car, 10 beer barrels, a 14ft canoe with a bikini clad girl in it, 101 house bricks, a coffin. And one Christmas, even a tree with all the trimmings ! You name it and John has tottered beneath it.
Although he didn`t realise it at the time, John began his hobby when he was 18, while working as a brickie`s labourer. `I started to carry the bricks on my head when I went up ladders,` he explains. ` I could carry twice as many bricks as anyone else, and before long I was carrying up to 24 bricks at a time.`
In December 1992, John heard that one of his heroes, Geoff Capes, was doing a publicity show in Ripley, Derbyshire. While in attendance, Geoff squeezed 24 bricks across his chest before they smashed to the floor.
` I thought about what I used to do when I was a brickie, and wondered if I`d still be able to do it,` says the father of two. When he got home, to his amazement, he managed to balance 36 bricks on top of his head. Since the, he`s gone on to claim 28 world records, including his latest record attempt which involved balancing 92 people on his head - that`s the equivalent of 5,180 kg ( 11,420 lbs) - in one hour!
Over the years John has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging anyone watching his act, offering £2,000 reward to anyone who can match any part of his performance. To date no one has broken any of his records and, surprisingly, John has never broken his neck. ` I have never had an accident in all the while that I have been doing this. I think I have something of a gift.`
His softly spoken manner belies his 6ft, 24 and a half stone frame, and he says that, although he enjoys the publicity, he tries to use it to good ends, raising more than £64,000 for charity.
JOHN`S WORLD RECORDS INCLUDE:
PINTS OF BEER
235 pints of beer balanced on his head. November 2003
CANS OF COKE
428 cans of Coke (330ml cans) balanced on his head ( total weight: 175kg {385lbs} November 2003
BALANCING PEOPLE
John balanced 92 people on his head in an hour. July 2000 at the Motorcycle Show, Lowestoft, Suffolk.
HOUSE BRICKS
101 house bricks balanced on his head ( 189kg) {416lbs},) December 1997, National Lottery TV show, BBC, UK.
6 comments:
All that beer is enough to give him a hangover. Keep smiling.
Sylvia x
All that beer is enough to give him a hangover. Keep smiling.
Sylvia x
Must be pretty cool to hold a world record, some of them are for very strange things, but balancing stuff on your head could come in handy couldn't it!! Am about to attempt to balance a Jelly boy on my head and take him upstairs to bed ;o)
Sara x
Wow!! He must be very strong but what is it doing to his body?
Sandra....Oh that is amazing. My neck was hurting just reading about this man having all this weight on his head. Wonder if he has any discs in his neck that are damaged?
He looks like a kind, gentle man.
HUGS
Sharon :)
What an incredible fellow he must be - must have a neck of concrete!
David.
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