Tag Archives: Philippe Petit

Philippe Petit, The Man On Wire (Volume 5, Episode 7) Part One

On August 7, 1974, a twenty-five year old man named Philippe Petit walked across a 200 foot wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, 1,350 feet above the ground, something that even the policeman who arrested him described as a once in a lifetime event.

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, site of Philippe Petit’s 1971 coup

On the night of June 25th and the early morning of June 26th ,1971 Philippe Petit and his associates ascended the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral.  Blondeau tossed a fishing line attached to a tennis ball to Petit in the other tower.  A thicker rope was attached to this initial line and then pulled across the gap between the two towers, this process repeated with thicker ropes until the heavy metal cable was attached to a rope and pulled across the open space.  Petit and Blondeau worked all night, securing the wire until the early morning hours of Saturday.  Then, to the amazement of the ever increasing group of tourists that gathered in the plaza in front of the cathedral, Petit, dressed in his typical all black clothing walked on to the cable and for three hours, juggled balls and pins, walked rapidly back and forth and even lay on his back as the crowd applauded below.

Sydney Harbor Bridge, with pylons, site of Petit’s 1973 coup

Assisted by some local Australians he met in Nimbin, he persuaded a local wire distributor to give him the requisite cable in exchange for a performance of magic and juggling for the company’s employees.  With huge padlocked doors impossible to pick or penetrate, Petit hacksawed his way in through barred gaps high above the ground and, with his newfound friends, reconnoitered both pylons at night.  Eventually they were able to rig the bridge in preparation for the crossing scheduled to occur on June 3, 1973.  At rush hour on the morning of June 3, Petit ascended the wire and crossed several times, pausing again to perform his trademark move of lying on his back for several minutes, supported only by the thin cable, almost three hundred feet above the ground.

Petit at the Academy Awards

It was three weeks before Petit took the subway downtown and, for the first time, got a look at the Twin Towers in person.  Even he was humbled by the magnitude of both buildings, recalling later that the same word kept unconsciously repeating in his mind: Impossible! But, even on this first attempt at reconnaissance, Petit would access forbidden stairwells, avoid police and, when encountering construction workers, act as if he belonged.  Although it took an hour, he finally emerged, alone on the top of one of the Twin Towers.  Far from complete, the building did not even have a guardrail.  It was 1,350 feet high and eventually contained 110 stories.  Petit was still so intimidated that when he got to the edge of the structure he could barely look down and focused instead on the distance between the two towers.

The World Trade Center, twin towers enveloped by fog.

It is approximately 7 AM, soon the entire area will be crawling with workers and security.  Petit knows it is now or never.  He is utterly exhausted and has gotten virtually no sleep for two consecutive days.  Later, Blondeau would call the wire the worst they had ever rigged together.  Both he and Jean Francois Heckel were also terrified, believing that it was very possible that Petit could fall.  But Petit had already made up his mind.

            “I had to make a decision of shifting my weight from one foot anchored to the building to the one foot anchored on the wire.  This is possibly the end of my life, to step on that wire, but on the other hand something that I could not resist, I did not make any effort to resist, something called me on to the cable. And death is very close.”

Philippe Petit, The Man On Wire (Volume 5, Episode 7) Part Two

On August 7, 1974, a twenty-five year old man named Philippe Petit walked across a 200 foot wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, 1,350 feet above the ground, something that even the policeman who arrested him described as a once in a lifetime event.

Philippe Petit, entertaining the police who arrested him on August 7

After Philip and Jean Francois are booked and fingerprinted, they were handcuffed to chairs while paperwork is composed that specifically defines the charges of Criminal Trespass and Disorderly Conduct.  In the details of the complaint, the headline reads “Man on Wire.”  It only takes Petit a few minutes to charm most of his captors by balancing a policeman’s hat on his nose and flipping it on to his head repeatedly.

Jean Francois Heckel, under arrest, August 7

.  It is ultimately decided that both men are to be conveyed to a downtown hospital where Philippe is to be given psychiatric examination.  The doctor in charge quickly pronounces him sane.  He is taken back to a precinct house, where he is told that his sister is on the phone, a ruse to allow Annie to attempt to speak with him.  An hour later, in front of a judge, the deal is made official.  Ultimately, this little show will turn into a October 29 high wire walk across Central Park’s Turtle Pond, in front of 5,000 spectators.  Both Jean Francois and Philippe are released and their cuffs removed.  They are free to go, however Jean Francois was eventually officially deported.

Barry Greenhouse

Merely walking through the lobby, he heard his name being called and turning to the source of the voice he saw a very well dressed man with a striking handlebar moustache.  The man ebulliently explained that he saw Philippe performing in Paris while the stranger was on vacation.  He introduced himself, also responding to Philippe’s already probing questions telling the aerialist that he works on the 82nd floor of the South tower.  His name is Barry Greenhouse, employed by the New York State Insurance Department and most importantly his office is on an upper floor.  When Barry asked Philippe again what he is doing in the World Trade Center, Philippe invited him to dinner, realizing that Greenhouse may be the most valuable accomplice in his entire crew.  At dinner, with Annie participating, Petit wheeled out his photo album scrapbook of his antics in Paris and Sydney and, thinking, based on Greenhouse amused reaction that the streetwise New Yorker probably has figured out what he is up to, Petit spells out his plan exactly, asking for the older man’s help.  After asking some general questions, probably to see how serious Petit was, Greenhouse offered to assist in any way that he can.

Annie Allix

On the street below, Annie Allix was much more effusive.  “I saw Philippe up there, it was extraordinary, it was so, so beautiful…It was like he was walking on a cloud.”

Jean Louis Blondeau, 2009

Jean Louis and Jean Francois have already flown home, Heckel’s excited anticipation over potential future coups dampened by Jean Louis’ admonition that he will never work with Petit again and he believes that their friendship is irrevocably broken.

 

Philippe Petit, The Man On Wire (Volume 5, Episode 7) Book and Music Information

The book used in the composition of this podcast was:

“To Reach the Clouds,” by Philippe Petit.

The music in the intro was, “Fruits of Life,”  and the outro was “World’s Sunrise,” both songs by Jimena Contreras.