BUTTE, MT — A local man's inability to discuss any topic besides legendary stunt performer Evel Knievel has resulted in the complete collapse of his personal and professional life, according to court documents filed Thursday at the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse.
Dennis Korman, 53, who witnessed Knievel's auto daredevil show at age eight, has spent the subsequent 45 years turning every conversation into a dissertation about the Butte-born motorcycle jumper who died in 2007. His ex-wife Cheryl cited "470,000 unsolicited Evel Knievel facts" as grounds for their 2019 divorce.
"I asked him to pass the salt once and got a 40-minute lecture about how Evel broke his left femur at Caesar's Palace in '67," said Cheryl Korman, who now lives in Billings with a strict no-Knievel-talk policy. "Our daughter's kindergarten teacher called to say Dennis hijacked Career Day to explain how Evel knocked out Butte's power doing wheelies in a earth mover."
Korman, who owns 37 leather jumpsuits and legally changed his middle name to "Danger" in 2003, lost his job at Western Meat Block after customers complained he wouldn't stop comparing different cuts of beef to Evel's 433 bone fractures. His termination letter specifically mentioned the incident where he arranged lamb chops to spell "EVEL LIVES" in the display case.
Local bartenders at Maloney's Pub report Korman is banned from trivia night after answering every question—regardless of category—with Evel Knievel facts. "Last week the question was about the periodic table," said bartender Jake Morrison. "This fucking guy starts yelling about how Evel's last public appearance was at the 2006 Evel Knievel Days."
The restraining order, filed by his neighbor, stems from Korman's 3 a.m. attempts to recreate the 1974 Snake River Canyon jump using shopping carts in the apartment complex parking lot while blasting "Star-Spangled Banner" on a boombox.