Steve
O
Steve-O
(born Steven Gilchrist Glover on 13 June 1974 in Wimbledon,
London to an American father and a Canadian mother)
was a member of the cast of MTV's Jackass, and is
currently seen in the TV show Wildboyz. Steve graduated
from the final class of Ringling Brothers and Barnum
& Bailey Clown College before it closed in 1997.
However, he was not one of the ten chosen to join
the circus.
TV,
film, cinema and business career
After graduating from Clown College, Steve-O returned
to his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico and filmed
himself doing stunts for skateboard videos. He then
performed as a clown in a circus at the Fort Lauderdale
Swap Shop flea market. At the circus, Steve-O was
discovered by Johnny Knoxville which led to his involvement
in the television series Jackass and its spinoff Jackass:
The Movie.
Following
the filming of Jackass Steve-O released four DVDs
showcasing his stunts. The first, Don't Try This At
Home: The Steve-O Video, is a ragtag collection of
footage that couldn't be played on TV. His second
DVD. Volume 2: The Tour, follows Steve-O on his journey
across America performing his live stage show, Don't
Try This at Home. Volume 3: Out On Bail, follows Steve-O
and his crew across the globe on the Don't Try This
At Home Tour. His fourth effort Steve-O: The Early
Years chronicles his rise as a performer and features
interviews with his family, crew, friends, business
associates, etc.
Steve-O
documented his experience taking PCP, a trip lasting
five days, on his DVD PCP Saved my Life. He precedes
the showing of the tape with an announcement that
he will never watch the tape of his 'trip', that he
will never take PCP again, and that he remembers no
part of the five day trip in which he frequently proclaims
that PCP has saved his life.
Third
party companies have released DVDs including Steve-O
footage without his approval including: Steve-O
Gross Misconduct, Steve-O XXX Porn Show, Steve-O
Greatest Hits, and Steve-O Quad Pack. On April
25, 2005, Steve-O filed a lawsuit against a company
producing some of the DVDs, J&N Media [1]. The
videos consist of a patchwork of early footage of
him that he had sold, given away, has been used without
his consent, or that he has otherwise abandoned the
rights to throughout his career. While he has expressed
displeasure at being presented and marketed in a way
beyond his control, he seems to have taken the whole
affair in stride. He certainly has recommended against
purchasing them, however, and receives no compenstation
for their sale beyond what he may have gotten when
rights to particular pieces of footage were sold [citation
needed].
Since
2003, he and Chris Pontius along with others have
appeared on the semi-nature show Wildboyz, featuring
various stunts involving wild animals and remote cultures.
It is currently in its fourth season, airing on MTV2
after being moved from MTV during a shuffle of content
between them.
Steve-O
has recently lent his talents to National Lampoon's
TV: The Movie and Jackass Number Two.
In
mid 2005, Steve-O launched his own shoe company called
Sneaux Shoes. Television commercials promoting the
shoe company include such acts as Steve-O jumping
into garbage, getting his foot bitten by an alligator,
and drinking rotten milk. His slogan is "They're
darn good shoes." The 2006 commercials appear
with Stilts vs. Go-Kart, and the base jump.
Legal
controversies
Incidents at The Abyss nightclub
On July 31, 2002, Steve-O was arrested in Los Angeles
on obscenity and assault charges for performing his
now infamous stunt, The Butterfly (in which he staples
his scrotum to his leg) at the Abyss, a nightclub
in Houma, Louisiana, and for being a principal to
a second-degree battery, both of which occurred at
the nightclub on July 11, 2002. After posting a $150,000
bond in the Los Angeles court system, he was allowed
to return to Louisiana where he turned himself in
to the local authorities. Steve-O was released from
Louisiana's custody with a $35,000 bond on August
14, 2002. The Louisiana courts had originally set
his bond at 1.12 million dollars, but it was reduced
after he convinced them he wasn't a flight risk. Steve-O
was required to return to Los Angeles on August 16,
2002, and prove that he turned himself in to Louisiana
authorities
The
arraignment was originally scheduled for September
16, 2002, however Steve-O was granted a continuance
extending it until December 16, 2002, and then granted
a second continuance extending it to February 10,
2003. Finally on March 24, 2003, Steve-O made a deal
with Louisiana prosecutors placing him on supervised
probation for one year, requiring him to make a charitable
donation of $5,000 to a shelter for battered women
and children, and forbiding him from performing in
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana ever again.
The
Abyss nightclub was in danger of losing their liquor
license as a result of the events on the night of
July 11, 2002. They were allowed to keep it until
the trial against Steve-O was complete [9]. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Websites
Steve
O official website
Steve
O Myspace website
Profiles
Jackass
MTV
Stuntmen
and Stunts
|