Interview: Steve-O Talks New Super Dummy Comedy Tour, Tom Cruise, & More

Oh my goodness gracious me, it seems like you’ve had quite the whirlwind of adventures! From soaring through the skies like a modern-day dragon to getting ink that’s as bold as your spirit, it’s clear you’re living life with gusto!

In an upcoming interview, Brandon Schreur from ComingSoon’s Senior Editorial team chats with Steve-O regarding his impending U.S. stand-up comedy tour titled “Steve-O: The Super Dummy! Tour.

Steve-O talked about the exciting aspects of his upcoming tour, shared reasons behind his ongoing feud with Tom Cruise, reflected on how turning 50 might impact his professional journey, and covered a range of other topics.

Kickstarting in October, it’s the “Steve-O: The Super Dumb Guy!” Tour! For additional details and ticket purchases, check out the official website by clicking here.

Brandon Schreur: Can you tell me a little bit about what people should expect from The Super Dummy Tour? What is it like to be doing this and what are you excited for fans to see?

Steve-O explains: Essentially, it’s a live comedy event filled with multimedia. Around a decade back, I decided to venture into stand-up comedy. By 2010, I was consistently performing in comedy clubs. Back then, it was just me, the microphone, and whatever unfolded on stage. My first comedy special was recorded in this way in 2015. In 2016, I started creating a new show, which turned out to be a collection of stories that mostly took place on video camera.

I thought, ‘Man, this new show I’m doing, I’m telling stories that there’s footage for.’ Like, wow, what if I edit the footage in during post-production and make it multimedia stories that are illustrated with actual video footage? That was my second comedy special, which worked tremendously well. Then it left me with the desire to incorporate the multimedia component into the actual tour. Also, after that second comedy special, I had started to find it depressing that I was living in the past with all my stand-up material. Reprising old stories and experiences; I very much wanted to bring fresh, new material into the fold, as well as crazy new footage.

Initially, I began capturing extreme stunts which were simply extraordinary. This was my journey ticked off from my Bucket List. It turned out to be a huge success. The Super Dummy Tour, in essence, represents the next stage in the development of this unique format that I’ve accidentally discovered.

I think what is particularly satisfying for me and what is most appealing about the show is the fact that I, along with many others, have had to abide by the community guidelines of YouTube and social media, to be extra careful not to show nudity or anything too crazy. It’s just kind of a lot and it’s frustrating, feeling stifled by these community guidelines. What I’ve done with my multimedia comedy has been really gratifying and satisfying to just deliberately film things that are wildly inappropriate and unsuitable for YouTube, streamers, or even Jackass movies, for that matter. To really push things to kind of new levels of edginess and craziness. That’s what it’s all about.

With the launch of the Super Dummy series, I found myself aiming to surpass my own achievements once more – all while celebrating a milestone birthday at 50! Quite an adventure indeed!

Sure. Two competing things.

At this stage in my life, I’m unsure if it’s my advanced age or the excessive height the bar has been set that poses a greater challenge for me. Raising the bar, regardless of age, would be tough, but at 50, it adds an extra layer of excitement to face these obstacles. In some sense, it feels like a series of comedic misadventures. I aimed to outdo my past craziness, pushing myself to new levels of insanity, and some of the ideas I came up with were, let’s be honest, not great. Yet, I don’t shy away from acknowledging both the depths of my failures and the surprising heights of my successes. It’s a constant struggle against the passage of time that I find myself in.

I’ve been following the example set by some artists who have remained very active physically even in their 50s, such as Tom Cruise and Tony Hawk (who I consider a friend). When it comes to Tom Cruise, though, I wouldn’t exactly say we’re on friendly terms. In my mind, I’ve sort of declared a “competition” with him, if you will.

That still counts.

My stunts, in this show, I think objectively make Tom Cruise look like a big, fat p—-.

I’m going to run with that quote, right there.

Absolutely. That’s the direction I aim for, at least. If Tom Cruise were to perform Jackass-style stunts, or if he were a member of Jackass, his actions could resemble Steve-O’s Super Dummy Tour.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Steve-O (@steveo)

I guess you got to find out, someday. I’ve seen some of the stunts you’ve been promoting and teasing on Instagram for this new tour. I think it was just yesterday you had the one with the Cybertruck. That one looked like it hurt, I’m dying to see how that ends.

That one was definitely uncomfortable. It’s good fun, man. Everything I did for this tour has been, it’s been fun, man.

I’m quite certain. It appears incredibly entertaining, it seems just as enjoyable. I’m really looking forward to experiencing it. Regarding your stand-up performances, you mentioned your past specials, it sounds like it has been progressing over time. How does it feel to return to the stage now and perform again? Are there still jitters associated with it or is this the fourth time around and you’re all set?

Refashioning a new show from the ground up can be quite an undertaking. Each fresh attempt brings excitement and challenges, even if things occasionally go awry. The transformation process is never-ending, with each iteration subtly altering the overall product. At the onset of creation, everything is novel and brimming with potential. Despite setbacks and difficulties, there’s a sense of trial and error that comes with it. However, when pieces finally fall into place, the accomplishment is incredibly fulfilling. While I wouldn’t exactly call it nerve-wracking, the task is more challenging than frightening.

Your approach seems logical, given your experience with it. I’m confident that you have the right skills to handle it, and I’m certain it will turn out well.

Frankly, I’m extremely excited about it, and there are still some goals I aim to achieve before our upcoming performances.

Oh, gotcha. So you’re still doing the stunts and everything for it?

I firmly trust that I’ll continue without pause. As mentioned earlier, this is a process of growth, and I anticipate that for the upcoming year, possibly even two years, there may be some changes as elements are removed and replaced with fresh content. This was also the case with my previous tour.

Could you describe the general flow of that procedure? It’s reminiscent of the carefree, spontaneous style often seen in Jackass, as if each stunt was just another day’s casual activity. However, I suspect it’s much more intricate than it appears.

When embarking on major projects, they’re usually not something that happens impulsively. There are necessary preparations involved. In many aspects, my performances for my tours feel akin to creating content for Jackass. On occasion, members of the Jackass crew even join me and make appearances in my work. My productions might be less formal and on a smaller scale, but they can sometimes veer into the illegal or uninsured territory. I’m not sure if I have another physically risky and destructive project inside me. I may be pouring all of that energy into this current venture and considering taking a step back from the most dangerous physical stunts.

I’m sure. Like you said, you just turned 50. Which, happy late birthday.

It’s possible Tom Cruise is the one we’re talking about here. I recently discovered he’s 62 years old now, so imagine performing stunts at that age! It makes you wonder what the future holds for him. Every role he takes on, he treats it as if it could be his last and pushes himself to make it as extraordinary as possible.

It’s been approximately two decades since then, correct? For two decades, I’ve been performing death-defying feats. Looking back at it all now, does it sometimes seem unreal to think, ‘Wow, I managed to survive that?’?

Absolutely, without a doubt! Reflecting on my life experiences, I must say they’ve been quite extraordinary, even disregarding the life-threatening aspects. Last week, for instance, I had an incredible adventure. In fact, I went skydiving an astounding 25 times in just four days. That might be a record in its own right! To add to the thrill, I was soaring through the skies like a wing-suit flyer, much like a dragon from Game of Thrones. Needless to say, it was quite an intense week filled with wild adventures.

These skydivers were discussing how crucial time is and how it’s irretrievable once spent, lamenting its waste. As they spoke, I pondered that I don’t harbor significant regrets about my use of time. Of course, I’ve made plenty of errors, things to regret, but overall, I’m deeply thankful for the life I’ve lived. At 50, it feels almost like a new addiction – health and wellness. I’m on a wellness spree.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Steve-O (@steveo)

That brings up a question I was going to ask you. Speaking of regrets, semi-related, it’s been a couple of months since the Post Malone tattoo. How are you feeling about that? Any regrets there?

Upon waking up with a tattoo of a penis on my forehead, I had a brief instant where I pieced together the events from the previous night and came to terms with reality. In that moment, I experienced a wave of panic, thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, what have I done?’ On that initial day, I found myself contemplating if the rest of my life would mirror Bret Michaels’ lifestyle, characterized by an unremovable bandana. However, as time passed, it became clear that this issue wouldn’t significantly impact my presence on social media.

Oh, that’s good.

I didn’t even know if my face was going to be allowed on Instagram or YouTube.

It could have gone either way.

It’s clear that nothing was removed from social media due to the event. To be honest, what stood out as remarkable was that it didn’t significantly alter my life. One might expect that having a tattoo of a penis on your forehead would drastically affect one’s daily interactions. However, surprisingly, it hasn’t.

Wow. I would have also guessed it would have changed some things.

Is that correct? Frankly, I’ve never felt particularly compelled to address it since I could always opt for laser removal if needed. At some point, I might consider it. However, the situation hasn’t triggered any immediate need for action on my part. To be honest, I have no pressing desire to take action.

Well, that’s awesome. It looks good!

Certainly!

2024-09-24 00:40

Read More