Steve-O: Clean, sober, vegan, but still pushing the envelope with stunts and stand up

The last time we spoke with notorious stuntman and “Jackass” star Steve-O was in 2012 before his first-ever appearance at Comedy Off Broadway. He was a few years in to both being clean and sober from drugs and alcohol and taking the stage on a regular basis as a touring stand-up comedian.

That night, there were definitely jokes and plenty of ridiculous and brutally honest behind-the-scenes stories. Then, there were stunts because, hey, this is Steve-O we are talking about.

But the performer born Stephen Gilchrist Glover admits that when he was first doing stand-up, he didn’t feel like he belonged on stage based on how he got there.

“Back then, I was fairly apologetic about my crossover. I was self-conscious and insecure,” he said. “Despite all that, I was passionate, I worked very hard and I cared about the show that I did, but that cloud of insecurity, it hampered me to a degree. But that cloud has completely dissipated since then.”

During a recent interview where he was laying in bed with his new fiance, Lux Wright, and the couple’s four dogs, Steve-O’s life is now a mix of drastic change and same ol’ same ol’.

He is still clean, sober and vegan and recently pulled off a pretty unexpected stunt when he completed his first triathlon. He has also found an unexpected passion and purpose in one day buying land where he and his fiance could open up an animal sanctuary. He hopes the animal sanctuary could also be a facility for special needs children, which is inspired by his sister and her 11-year-old son, Dylan, who has Down syndrome, autism and is nonverbal.

“Having that as a goal primarily motivates me. I’m motivated to hustle and work harder than I ever have before,” he said. “This is what I really want my legacy to be.”

Steve-O’s relentless pursuit of stand-up comedy has led to him maturing a lot as a performer. This, in combination with new motivation in his life, has helped spark both his creativity and that itch to take new risks. Which brings us Steve-O’s current tour coming to Comedy Off Broadway Friday and Saturday night. While the set is peppered with new material and a lot less “memory lane stuff,” a notable aspect of the show comes in the form of jokes and stories that coincide with never-before-seen footage of newly filmed stunts that are Steve-O’s most absurd, extreme and dangerous to date (and in one particular instance, he’s very sure some laws were broken).

A few examples of what audiences will see involve getting cauliflower ear courtesy of his favorite UFC fighter, having fun on unsuspecting victims with body paint and a bit of public nudity, and one stunt so crazy and vulgar we can only really say what he referred to it as, which is “skyjacking.” (That’s about all that’s fit to print.)

“It’s really the next level of crazy for me but, at the same time, it’s scary because where could I possibly go from the bits that I’ve been doing now,” he said. “I’m legitimately concerned that I don’t know what I could possibly do after this tour.”

At this point in his career and his life, whether he is running a triathlon, planning to open an animal sanctuary, vowing to keep his sobriety or to keep pushing the envelope with his stunts and stand-up, Steve-O is a “Jackass” that has no plans to half-ass anything.

“There’s something really exciting for me about being so active and in the most intense things I’ve ever done,” he said. “There’s a real sense of being alive that I haven’t had maybe ever to this degree.”

If you go

Steve-O

When: 7:15 and 10:15 p.m. Nov. 2 and 3

Where: Comedy Off Broadway, 161 Lexington Green Circle

Cost: $28 regular admission, $50 VIP package

Contact: 859-271-5653 www.comedyoffbroadway.com