Wall of Death - History of the Wall

"The Wall of Death is His Life"

Citizen Online
Laconia, New Hampshire

By RICH BERGERON

LACONIA — Rhett "Rotten" Giordano and his wife Kimberly travel to 30 venues a year to perform the Rhett Rotten Wall of Death Show, and this year was their seventh year entertaining the crowds at the Weirs Drive-In.

Rotten rides three different vehicles inside a huge, mostly-wood cylinder with an open top. The floor is painted with all of the show’s sponsors. The "Wall of Death" was built in 1941 and shakes as Rotten rides around it. The only metal in the structure are its lag bolts and brackets, and the steel cables that keep the cylindrical shape intact. The rest is nails and wood, rattling all the while as Rotten rips up and down the wall, around in circles on a 1927 Indian Scout, a go-kart, and a 1957 Harley-Davidson Hummer with a dirtbike engine.

Rhett Rotten Giordano is just barely visible as he whips across his "Wall of Death" in front of his wife, Kimberly Giordano, at the Weirs Beach Drive-In, where his motorcycle stunt show has been set up all week. (Citizen Photo/Rich Bergeron)

"It’s the number one motorcycle stunt show in America," Rotten promised customers before the event.

"It was awesome," said Kris DeMelo of New Bedford, Mass., after the show. "You could feel the walls movin’."

"It’s a big team operation between my wife and I," said Rotten. "I’m looking to make it to the next step." He’d like to perform at the X-Games or ultimately for the crowds in Las Vegas. "I’m just waiting for that big break," he said.

Slats of wood placed along the crease where floor meets wall creates a launching ramp so Rotten can ride the wall directly beneath fans who watch from the edge of the top of the wall. A steel cable keeps Rotten from riding out of the arena, and he is sure to remind all patrons to keep their hands and fingers away from the safety cable.

Kimberly Giordano keeps the music going for the audience and keeps her husband smiling during the show.

She said she loves show time. "The people cheering, the smiles on the kids’ faces, all the people who stay after the show to tell us how great it was, the kids wanting autographs, and even the people coming in to help Rhett change a tire."

Rotten said the best part of his job is, "I’m fortunate enough to ride motorcycles to make a living."

The couple met in Daytona and have been inseparable ever since. Kimberly was working to raise money for a crippled children’s hospital and her future husband was riding in his "Wall of Death" show. She fell in love with him then, she said, and they were married 10 days later.

Rotten acquired his beastly contraption from a newspaper ad placed by someone in Long Island New York seeking to sell a "Wall of Death."

He sells tickets for $5, and also has a special "audience participation" portion of the stunt in which he grabs dollars from people around the top of the cylinder, either out of their hands or out of their teeth. His wife points out that the largest tip he ever received was $1,500 in Daytona from West Coast Choppers. This week he has received a few hundred-dollar handouts from customers.

Rotten has had a few mishaps in his mini-arena, and he’s broken some bones in some of his crashes, according to Kimberly. "He sometimes goes two years without a crash, and then he’ll have three in one day," she said. She pointed out that his worst crash was probably when he had a broken leg and rode the bike with a cast. He ended up crashing and breaking his arm.

Still, he manhandled the machinery up and around the wall Friday with obvious skill, kicking out the back tire and getting as close as possible to the audience while doing an array of tricks.

When asked to describe his the Wall of Death, Rotten uses the word "brutal" repeatedly. The set-up takes an average of 15 hours, he indicated, with tear-down taking only eight. He usually hires local crews to help out.

"The red bike when he’s on the side of the seat, that was sick," said Brian Mello, also of New Bedford, Mass.

"It was super, fantastic, a great show," said Dave Colantonio, of Chepachet, Rhode Island.

"I was amazed," said Lisa Giorgi. "The track was so old."

Rotten performs about five to seven shows a day, and he is promising to wow the locals this Sunday with a show just for them. He is not packing up early, he said, and he will probably begin his shows at about noon on Sunday and do at least three.

Rotten and his wife wanted to thank Larry Baldi for inviting them to the Weirs Beach Drive-In where they have been set up all week. He also gave praise to the Channel Inn Cottages and Campton Inn. "They really take care of us," he said.

Please Click Event to View Article

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