A highlight of the second annual RIGZ! on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at LDI 2025 was the keynote by Roy Bickel: From Human Cannonball to Award Winner: The Extraordinary Journey Of Roy Bickel: a master rigger reflects on his six-decade career.
After a short video, Bickel began: "First off, let me say what an honor it is to be here today. You know, when you live as long as I have and climbed as many beams, ladders, and ropes as I’ve climbed… it’s a miracle I’m standing here at all. People sometimes ask me: ‘Roy, did you plan this career?’ And I always say, ‘Hell no. I just hung on for dear life, tried not to fall, and somehow ended up here.’ But truthfully, it’s been more than luck. It’s been about curiosity, courage, and a whole lot of characters along the way. So today I want to take you on a ride through my six decades in entertainment, from the hotel pools of Florida to circus performers and riggers, to Disney Broadway, rock and roll, the Olympics, and beyond."
Bickel started his journey in the 1960s, as he says "not with a spotlight but with a tow rope. I was a professional water skier in Florida. We did pyramids, barefoot skiing, tricks… but here’s the thing: nobody wanted to drive out to see us. So, we brought the ski shows to the hotel swimming pools and marinas. Now imagine this: we jacked up the back of an old Austin car, welded a drum on the wheel rim, wrapped a ski rope around it, and used that as our motor. That was my first lesson in creative rigging. We hit oyster bars, beach landings, even did a nude barefoot contest once. And I’ll never forget building a three-man pyramid in the pool, and a 15-man pyramid for a boat motor commercially, let’s just say the pool was lost. But those years taught me ropes, knots, and most importantly, problem-solving under pressure. Lessons I carried into every stage and arena I ever rigged.”
From there he went to being a human cannonball when he ran away with the circus in 1964: "Literally. I became a rigger, prop boss, trapeze flyer, even a human cannonball. That’s right, I got shot out of cannons for a living. Now, my very first shot wasn’t just one person. They forgot to tell me it was a double cannon shot. Two of us, me over and her under . I learned quickly, don’t look at the other projectile, it makes you overturn and land feet first. I had close calls, like the time a rope ladder rung came out at 20 feet. I tensed every muscle trying to be stiff as a board, landed in the slack net, and lived to climb again. Or the trapeze act where a flyer bounced out of the net, I caught him on my shoulder at 180 pounds. I also learned safety the hard way. Spotting, guying out equipment, checking wires — that’s what kept me alive. And let me tell you, when you’re being blasted over Ferris wheels and tents in front of thousands, you learn respect for physics and safety real fast.” He learned quickly, to look with his eyes, not his head.
“In 1969, I traded circus tents for concert tours," Bickel notes. "Disney on Parade was my start, suddenly I was part production manager, part rigger, part tour manager and the do everything guy I worked on Broadway, shows like Chicago and The Wiz. One night, Gwen Verdon was late for her cue. She hollered ‘Roy!’ and jumped 10 feet down into my arms. I caught her, and she was on stage in time. Not exactly in the job description, but that’s what riggers do. By the mid-70s, I was in rock & roll full time. Joni Mitchell even put my name, Bickel the Rigger, into a song. I thought it’d be funny to rappel down during that lyric. Joni laughed… The band and crew weren’t so sure." At Disney he learned that tying wire rope was a no-no and had to learn to do it the correct way and actually took a crane operator course as there was no formal rigging training at the time: he basically invented rock and roll rigging!
Bickel continues "I rigged for Elvis from ’75 to ’77. Flew with him on his private and charter jets, did barricade security. I’ll never forget the tug-of-war over his scarves. I had to cut them in half to keep the peace. And one night, a fan stole his ring right off his finger. Elvis shook his head and mouthed, ‘Let it go.’ That ring’s probably worth millions today. From Aerosmith to Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Kiss, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, I was there rigging stages, hanging trusses, inventing solutions no one else had thought of yet.”
One of the things he's proudest of is something simple: color-coded wire ropes. "Back then, everyone had random lengths of greasy cables. I thought, why not make fixed lengths with colors? Red 5 feet, white 10, blue 20, green 30, yellow 50. That system is still the global standard today, over 50 years later. I didn’t invent moving lights or digital consoles — but I gave crews something reliable to hang them on. And to me, that’s legacy. Not glamorous, but vital," he says.
“My work took me all over the world. At the 1980 Winter Olympics, I operated the eternal flame. The cue was late, the flame almost didn’t light, and the world was watching. Miraculously, it caught just in time. In I’ve done Broadway, Super Bowls, presidential inaugurals, Cirque-style aerials, even rigged Mary Poppins to fly the length of an arena. Once her trolley lost power mid-flight, and I climbed 50 feet up, rope in hand, rescued her, and she never missed a note. That’s this business — unseen hands making the magic happen.”
Along the way, Bickel trained generations of riggers. "I taught them to toughen their hands, to climb smart, and most importantly, to go home alive every night. I tell my students: rigging isn’t about ego. It’s about safety, trust, and teamwork. If you’re the guy in the ceiling, everyone under you is depending on you. And if you’re on the ground, you’re depending on the guy above. That bond is what makes this industry special.” He's also proud that his son Ben and granddaughter have followed him into the rigging business.
In conclusion, Bickel notes: "As I look back — from hotel pool ski shows to the Parnelli stage — I see one clear thread: I always said yes to the next challenge. Circus, Broadway, Elvis, Olympics, stadium tours, I just kept climbing. I stand here humbled by the recognition, ESTA Lifetime Award, Parnelli honor. But my true reward is knowing I left things a little safer, a little stronger, and hopefully inspired a few of you to keep pushing boundaries. So my advice? Stay curious. Be courageous. And never forget, this work is about people. The gear changes, the technology evolves, but what lasts is the stories, the friendships, and the hands you hold when things get tough. Thank you and climb safely.”
Later that day at the Dining With Dinosaurs reception, Bickel and his friend of 63 years, rigger Joe Branam, were awarded the first annual Golden Dino Award.
