Steve-O: "Sobriety hasn't made me calm down"

Steve-O, of Jackass fame, tells The Skinny about the move from stunts to stand-up

Feature by Simon Fielding | 27 Oct 2011

Steve-O established himself in the popular psyche with his daring, exhilarating stunts on Jackass.  With a new autobiography, Professional Idiot: A Memoir, and a new stand-up show, Steve-O's Entirely Too Much Information , he's ready to share his unsettling stories with new audiences.

 

Is there too much information in your new show?

The last show I did, I was in a comedy club, and an older guy said '...there's just too much information for me'. I mean, I talk about a transvestite accidentally sucking my dick. What sets me apart is....everything I say is true. I make it pretty clear if something isn't true. I've been searching around for where my line is. I don't have one. I have no line.

 

You've had some pretty extreme experiences in the last ten years. Is it important for you, psychologically, to tell these stories on stage?

The bottom line is, I'm an attention whore. I have an unreasonable demand for attention. Some of the comedy is about Jackass. The fans want to hear about juicy details of stuff they are familiar with. I've been doing stand-up for a while now. I did an Edinburgh show in 2003 - it got horrible reviews, but the people who came liked it. I've replaced the drunken rambling with real comedy. Do people expect me to punch myself in the balls in the hour? There are people who want to see the wild shit, but even the most bloodthirsty fan is pleased with the shit that comes out of my mouth.

 

You're sober nowadays. You're also a vegan....

I'm still a fucking nutty bastard. Every time I get on stage, I prove that sobriety hasn't made me calm down. My luck ran out with the booze and stuff. I don't go round with the purpose of preaching sobriety. I talk about how fucked up I got, and Jackass, and the groupies. I've been on this tour, working out what people want to hear, and the audiences have been positive.

 

You also performed at an event called Charlie Sheen's Roast recently...

The Roast is representative of where I'm at. I went there to prove where I am as a comedian, so I was really happy to go to it. It's shockingly fucked up shit, with stunts and tricks, and I never leave a show without taking pictures with everyone in the audience.

 

You also released your autobiography this year...

The book is great...the New York Times have me down as a best-selling author. That's really funny.

O2 ABC Glasgow on Sun 6 Nov, 7pm, £16.50 http://www.steveo.com