Steve-O Talks Career As “Semi-Famous Drug Addicted Male Slut”

If you have ever watched Jackass on the big or small screen, there is a good chance you are very aware of who Stephen Glover, otherwise known as Steve-O, is. He has made a career out of hurting himself all for the purpose of a laugh. And these days, he continues to do so, but now he is bringing his antics to the stage.   

If you are looking to see what it's all about, check out his Entirely Too Much Information Tour, which is in the Magic City this weekend at the Miami Improv. Lucky for us, we got to sit down him before his Friday stand-up show where he talked about sobriety, South Florida and even his time on Dancing With The Stars.

Niteside: Weren’t you discovered here in South Florida?
Steve-O: I started out in Florida. I went to the University of Miami right out high school. But I didn’t last there very long. When I dropped out, I knew I wanted to be a stunt man. I couch surfed for a couple of years. Then decided it was kind of time to get serious and not just be a guy who was doing insane things for people. I then found out about Barnum and Bailey Clown College and I figured that might be able to bring some legitimacy to my antics.

Clown College really exits?
It doesn’t exist anymore. I graduated in the last class. I think they were over it after me.

What did you do post-graduation from Barnum and Bailey?
I worked on Royal Caribbean Cruise lines for a little bit, then later at the Swap Shop Circus in Broward. But my first day of filming Jackass was my last day at the Swap Shop. The Swap Shop was actually the location of my infamous “Gold Fish” stunt.

How did you go from Jackass to stand-up comedy?
It was kind of a natural transition. I have been on tour for 16 months and really love it. Most of my stuff is based on my real life experience as a semi-famous drug-addicted male slut. There is a lot of material there.

What can fans expect from a Steve-O show?
I do a little stand-up and then a little set of tricks. Its not just stand-up; it’s a lot of crazy stunts and tricks. I would say my goal is for people to leave thinking my stand-up was funnier than they thought it was going to be. Oh and that I am bat shit crazy.

You have been very open about your sobriety. Ever afraid you weren’t going to be funny not drinking or doing drugs?
For sure. I think anyone who is sober and in the entertainment industry has dealt with that. It was kind of awkward in the beginning, honestly. I was afraid I was loosing something in the process, but luckily, that wasn’t the case.

I have to know: How was Dancing With The Stars?
It was great, actually. It is a strange thing to do something that I am really bad at it in front of 20 million people. Everyone was super supportive. I had been coming out of a downward spiral in rehab and I came out to live in a halfway house. I was at the point where I wasn’t sure I could keep going in the entertainment industry. When the offered me the opportunity, I figured it was a good way to test the waters. I was able to do all my rehearsals and such just a couple of blocks away from the halfway house. I am glad I did it – it was a good experience. Seeing Johnny Knoxville in the audience always made me laugh.


 

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