Jay Cochrane

Despite being known as the Evel Knievel of tightrope walking, Jay “the Prince of the Air” Cochrane bristles at the term daredevil. Wire walking is an art form like acting, he says, not a stunt. In 1965, Cochrane was nearly paralyzed when a rope tower collapsed during a Toronto performance, plunging him 90 feet to the concrete below. He battled back and now holds the Guinness World Record for greatest wire walk, edging more than 2,000 feet across a thin steel cable suspended a quarter-mile above China’s Qutang Gorge—all while wearing his Liberace-esque glitter suit. The dedicated 64-year-old is currently sharing his veteran wisdom with the young performers of Cirque Shanghai, which just opened a 12-week run at Navy Pier.

Time Out Chicago: You love getting high, don’t you?
Jay Cochrane: [Laughs] Well, I never looked at it that way. As far as I am concerned, it’s about challenging myself, and then pushing it and pushing it. I’m planning to walk across Niagara Falls when all the legalities get sorted out.

TOC: When you successfully complete a wire walk, do you feel immortal or even more mortal than when you began?
Jay Cochrane: I’m always afraid. There’s always a sense of fear, of respect for what I’m doing, so I focus totally and don’t fool around or hotdog. I have an inner sense of fear that I better pay attention to what I’m doing.

TOC: But you have to be fond of the adrenaline rush.
Jay Cochrane: No, absolutely not. If I want thrills I’ll go to an amusement park.

TOC: Why do you do it then?
Jay Cochrane: Because I can entertain an audience by doing something no one else in the world can. It’s not really about me.