Pioneer is usually different from how folks describe Steve-O. However, the professional daredevil blazed a trail when it comes to creating content. Steve-O, aka Steve Glover, shot his stunts a generation ago and posted them on the Internet.
“I guess it wasn't so common making content back then,” Glover said while calling from Los Angeles. “I would film the interesting ideas I came up with.”
The first prank Glover played is an oldie but a goodie. The inveterate wise guy placed $1 on the hook of a fishing rod in 1996 and reeled in strangers chasing a buck. “I did that even though at that time I was so broke I really didn't want to lose that buck,” Glover recalled.
Like most who are ahead of their time, it took a few years for the money to fill Glover's pockets. That was so even after he made his debut on the MTV reality series "Jackass," which catapulted him to fame when the wacky show debuted in 2001.
"I was struggling even after 'Jackass' came out," Glover said. "I didn't make anything for that first season. I earned $1,500 after taxes when the first season was done."
Glover was homeless, unemployed and broke just before earning a modicum of fame on the show, which also featured such professional goofballs as Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera. But everything changed after "Jackass" became a cottage industry. MTV released seven films based on the series. Glover's aptly titled DVD, "Don't Try This at Home," sold 140,000 copies and the off the wall character could finally afford healthcare to deal with a career that has a myriad of occupational health hazards.
Say what you will about Glover. Love or hate the polarizing entertainer and his unpredictable career, but the dude takes chances. Glover, who made a name for himself by risking life and limb throughout "Jackass," stands out in a world in which his peers primarily play it safe on social media for fear of offending their audience.
Glover, 50, has no concept of fear since he routinely pushes the envelope with his wild stunts.
Glover has played beehive tetherball with 50,000 aggressive Africanized bees. The outrageous British native has been a human tee-ball and has walked a tightrope over a pond of alligators with raw meat hanging from his underwear.
"I've never had a problem taking risks," Glover said.
Glover — who is on his "Super Dummy!" tour and will perform Friday, Oct. 4, at the Rialto Theatre — isn't dialing it down as he crosses the mid-century mark.
"Me turning 50 just makes me utterly determined to be more badass than ever," Glover said. "I'll be doing stunts that are in some ways a ridiculous comedy of errors. I'm finding new ways to push my boundaries at this point in my career."
Such mainstream stars as actor Tom Cruise and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk inspire Glover at mid-life.
"What those guys are doing at their age is really rad," Glover said. "What they're doing is giving me more motivation."
Glover added comedy to his ever-expanding repertoire in 2010, and humor is a huge part of "Super Dummy!"
"I've been taking steps with comedy," Glover said. "I started doing shows in comedy clubs over a decade ago and taped my first comedy special in 2015. For this show I've taken it to another level by telling stories and there's footage and I combine it for this multimedia show. I'm all about bringing fresh, new material to this show along with wild footage. I recorded some stunts that were just way over the top on my Bucket List tour. For 'Super Dummy!' I'm in the next phase of the evolution of what I've stumbled upon."
Glover isn't a movie star like the aforementioned Cruise or an icon to the skateboarding community like Hawk, but his life has been jammed with experiences and, despite some mishaps, the maverick entertainer is in excellent health.
"I've packed so much into my life," Glover said. "It's incredible how much I've done and I feel great right now since I'm on a fitness bender."
Each show and tour are different since Glover continues to morph. "I don't want to do the same thing over and over again," Glover said. "It's important to keep evolving."
Glover continues to change even though his critics from the aughts, who wrote him off as one-dimensional, never would have guessed that the star of "Jackass" would still be relevant nearly a quarter century after the show commenced.
"I'm so fortunate that I get to do what I love," Glover said. "I have no complaints."
Steve-O
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4
WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson
COST:Tickets start at $25.75
INFO: 520-740-1000,
rialtotheatre.com
