Video still courtesy Sasha Shapiro and Gus Childres
The ‘Wall of Death’ returns
A century-old Coney Island-born motorcycle stunt gets a revving revival in Williamsburg thanks to Rhett Rotten
For a motorcycle stuntman who goes by Rhett Rotten, the guy seems to have a soft center. Here he is, racing sideways around a cylindrical dome called “The Wall of Death” at an exhibition ride in Williamsburg, straddling his vintage motorcycles as fans hold out dollar bills which he coolly snatches from outstretched hands at 30 miles per hour.
Afterwards, he dismounts and hands a wad of the cash to a little girl in the crowd with her parents. “Put this in your savings account for college,” he says.
When the Wall of Death—an aptly named you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it motorcycle stunt—was fully operational in Brooklyn, Babe Ruth had just hit his first Major League home run and World War I was in full swing. The original Wall of Death made its first appearance in Coney Island in 1911, and quickly inspired imitators. Different adaptations and knockoffs flourished in India and the United Kingdom especially, constructed by motorcycle stuntmen looking to raise the bar across the globe.
But in the intervening 110 years, while the Evel Knievels of the world were launching themselves over 18-wheelers and cascading Vegas fountains, this particular Coney Island-born stunt fell out of favor. Too retro, perhaps; too carney. Now, thanks to Rhett Giordano, also known as “Rhett Rotten,” Brooklyn is once again reveling—and revving—in full-throttle fun.
Giordano arrived in Williamsburg just over a week ago from Sioux Falls, South Dakota with his own replica Wall of Death in tow. Once here, he painstakingly assembled the wooden slats—many of them nearly 100 years old—that comprise the 12-foot-high 30-foot-across cylindrical motordrome. Rhett’s mission goes beyond merely the performing stunts, though. This is a homecoming: He wants to bring the Wall back to its Brooklyn birthplace. And he’s off to a good start. The response to his first performances last week was so strong that he’ll be risking life and limb here daily until September 26.
A native of Reading, Pennsylvania Giordano, 44, has been riding this particular 1938 Wall of Death for over 25 years. At 17, he sweet-talked his mother’s boyfriend into buying the pieces of it from an ad in the local newspaper. It remains one of the only remaining operational Walls of Death today and Giordano has spent years assembling and reassembling his contraption, touring with it and hunting down wood to replace the boards that are no longer up to snuff.
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride: Over the years, Giordano racked up several run-ins with the law (drugs, alcohol, and his daredevil spirit all contributing factors). He did some time for reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, and driving under the influence. When he got clean about a decade ago, his story became a little bit more rebel-with-a-cause.
A triumphant return
Giordano’s maiden Brooklyn spin around the Wall of Death last weekend went off without a hitch in front of a crowd of cheering leathered-up motorcycle enthusiasts and gawking families at Indian Larry Motorcycles in Williamsburg—not quite Coney Island, but still exuding a certain outré vibe. Between shows, Rhett addressed the crowds, dropping some of his hard-won lessons.
“There will be decisions you make today that will affect you 20 years from now,” he announced before he hopped on his cherished 1927 Indian Scout.
Of course, Giordano is making decisions that could affect his life 20 seconds from now. Larry Motorcycles is a local motorcycle dealership named as a tribute to the late motorcycle builder, stuntman Indian Larry. A close friend of Giordano’s, Lawrence “Indian Larry” DeSmedt died performing a stunt where the rider stands on the seat in a crucifix pose. It his this stunt that Giordano opens his show with. Rhett Rotten reminds the crowd several times that Indian Larry’s death has inspired him to never take anything for granted.
“The message I’m trying to pass on is: put your best foot forward,” he tells Brooklyn Magazine. “No matter how many times you fall you best try your best to get back up.”
The show itself electrifies, staying loyal to its 100-year-old roots. No crazy lights, no 21st century flair, just a man and a motorcycle defying gravity at 30-miles-an-hour over rickety old boards while the crowd howls.
Rhett “Rotten” Giordano will be performing on The Wall of Death at Indian Larry Motorcycles daily until September 26 at 6, 8 and 10 p..m.
