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Professional Idiot: A Memoir
From his early days videotaping crazy skateboard stunts to starring in the Jackass movies, there was little that Stephen "Steve-O" Glover wouldn't do.Whether it was stapling his nutsack to his leg or diving into a pool full of elephant crap, almost nothing was out of bounds. As the stunts got crazier, his life kept pace. He developed a crippling addiction to drugs and alcohol, and an obsession with his own celebrity that proved nearly as dangerous. Only an intervention and a visit to a psychiatric ward saved his life. Today he has been clean and sober for more than three years.Professional Idiot recounts the lunacy, the debauchery, the stunts, the drug addiction, and the path to recovery with bravado, humor, and heart."It's mind-blowing to me how utterly far gone Steve-O was, and how he looks back on it in this book with such intelligence, humor, and searing honesty. What a truly unbelievable life."-- Johnny Knoxville"A great book to read before you get on the roller coaster to hell, if you plan on surviving to tell about it like Steve-O did."--Nikki Sixx, author of The Heroin Diaries"This is the perfect book for people who hate reading."--Tommy Lee, author of TommylandThe feedback I've gotten on Facebook and Twitter from those of you who've read this book has been fascinating, heartwarming, and hilarious. I'm happy to keep answering your questions on there, and I encourage more of you to join in the discussion. Hope to hear from you soon, and thank you all so much.Love,Steve-O
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
275 people are currently reading
3839 people want to read
About the author
Stephen "Steve-O" Glover
2 books112 followersSteve-O is an American stunt performer and television personality. His entertainment career is mostly centered around his performance stunts on the American TV series Jackass and accompanying movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
July 21, 2011
I will admit it - one of my guilty pleasures is Jackass. As an old skate punk, I knew of these guys back in the day from Thrasher and Big Brother Magazine. I always have had a soft spot in my heart for Steve-O as he seemed to take his stunts so seriously.
This memoir proved that true. It is a completely honest, heartbreaking story about a kid who had a childhood a whole lot like mine, actually - feeling invisible due to a narcissistic parent, an alcoholic parent, and an absent father, moving all the time. My choice was to try become the "perfect" child (and feel like crap when this failed), his coping mechanism was to scream "LOOK AT ME!" in every way possible.
This memoir is an honest unflinching look into his spiral into addiction, narcissism, the dark sides of fame, and near suicide or death from drug use. I've never read about such deep drug use without heroin thrown into the mix before. Steve admits his failings openly, and the one thing I really wanted to do during, and after, reading this was just give him a big hug and tell him he's awesome for who he is, not what he's done.
Steve, if you ever read this, I hope you're able to stay clean and find some peace, find love, and feel great about yourself. You are a survivor.
This memoir proved that true. It is a completely honest, heartbreaking story about a kid who had a childhood a whole lot like mine, actually - feeling invisible due to a narcissistic parent, an alcoholic parent, and an absent father, moving all the time. My choice was to try become the "perfect" child (and feel like crap when this failed), his coping mechanism was to scream "LOOK AT ME!" in every way possible.
This memoir is an honest unflinching look into his spiral into addiction, narcissism, the dark sides of fame, and near suicide or death from drug use. I've never read about such deep drug use without heroin thrown into the mix before. Steve admits his failings openly, and the one thing I really wanted to do during, and after, reading this was just give him a big hug and tell him he's awesome for who he is, not what he's done.
Steve, if you ever read this, I hope you're able to stay clean and find some peace, find love, and feel great about yourself. You are a survivor.
June 15, 2012
Argh mixed emotions on this one. Obviously a fascinating memoir because this dude has lived ten million times the amount of excitement than most people. if there wasn't video footage in the form of Jackass, Wildboyz and his earlier videos then you'd probably struggle to believe that much of it was true.
However, even though it was interesting and Steve-O has loveable qualities, he's too complex to love completely. He's an unrelenting attention whore and never fails to drum this into the reader - yes, we know that you're an idiot, yep and annoying too - but he reminds us of this every few pages. It goes without saying dude, you're intense as fuck, even in your memoir! It almost comes across a bit like false shame sometimes, like, "oh I'm so embarrassed about the amount of coke I did" but then he seems to really relish telling the sordid details. I think there's a lot of genuine remorse but there's a good deal of pride there too.
Another issue I had was with his treatment of women; if this were a fictional book I would've been hating the author for having no women characters other than ones placed here and there for purposes of sex, pissing on or cumming on with a gun to her head (good work Terry Richardson, you fuck). Then there's the simmering homophobia and although he writes of being proud of how homoerotic his work always was and trying to convince the readers that he did it to challenge other people's homophobia, I didn't read it quite that way. There's even a part where he recounts having received a blow job from what "he thought was a hot chick" which "turned out to be a dude". In fact, that "dude" was a post-op transexual and calling her a man shows up his shitty transphobia.
Not to mention all the accounts of antagonising animals and vomiting up live goldfish. And travelling around other people's countries and showing a distinct lack of respect (and racism) for various tribes by dressing up in their native costumes whilst acting like a prat. You can't just get away with by writing a few paragraphs on how it like, really opened your eyes to like, poverty man and how it taught you like so much when it didn't cause you to immediately change your shitty behaviour, make amends or try to use your privileged position to do some good. Maybe he eventually reached a state of taking accountability for his actions and it is great to read how apologetic he is for a lot of his bullshit but it's hard because the book is quite a frustrating read. You read about someone being a giant dick and then you have to read about them apologising for it all. I even felt like I hated him for a while until I reached the very end.
He stops at nothing to get attention and it unfortunately makes you just want to fucking ignore him otherwise you're giving him what he wants. Which, I guess, is the story of his life? It was really quite traumatising to read the final chapters of the book where he spirals into a pit of desperation and dickishness.He was a trainwreck that you just couldn't look away from and most of his downward spiral was due to the fact that he simply wasn't getting enough attention.
But in the end, he seems to have gotten his shit together and is trying to be accountable for his actions. He seems to have a really good heart and I am so chuffed to hear that he's managing to live not only sober, but vegan. Besides, it seems really harsh to judge a dude and get down on him for his fucked up behaviour when he seems to have beaten himself up about it enough.
All that aside, the actual book is a good read and I'm glad I read it. He's lived his life to the full and whereas I usually laugh when people write memoirs before they're at least 60 or 70 (unless they've got something worth talking about), I had no problem with this one. He's done more in his life than a lot of people and it was a blast to read, And maybe I even saw some of myself in him, the addictive personality that he said he's now channeled into healthier interests? Yeah me too. I really related to some of what he had to say and he's a super interesting and self-aware dude.
Rock on Steve-O, if only I had 5% of your adventurous spirit.
However, even though it was interesting and Steve-O has loveable qualities, he's too complex to love completely. He's an unrelenting attention whore and never fails to drum this into the reader - yes, we know that you're an idiot, yep and annoying too - but he reminds us of this every few pages. It goes without saying dude, you're intense as fuck, even in your memoir! It almost comes across a bit like false shame sometimes, like, "oh I'm so embarrassed about the amount of coke I did" but then he seems to really relish telling the sordid details. I think there's a lot of genuine remorse but there's a good deal of pride there too.
Another issue I had was with his treatment of women; if this were a fictional book I would've been hating the author for having no women characters other than ones placed here and there for purposes of sex, pissing on or cumming on with a gun to her head (good work Terry Richardson, you fuck). Then there's the simmering homophobia and although he writes of being proud of how homoerotic his work always was and trying to convince the readers that he did it to challenge other people's homophobia, I didn't read it quite that way. There's even a part where he recounts having received a blow job from what "he thought was a hot chick" which "turned out to be a dude". In fact, that "dude" was a post-op transexual and calling her a man shows up his shitty transphobia.
Not to mention all the accounts of antagonising animals and vomiting up live goldfish. And travelling around other people's countries and showing a distinct lack of respect (and racism) for various tribes by dressing up in their native costumes whilst acting like a prat. You can't just get away with by writing a few paragraphs on how it like, really opened your eyes to like, poverty man and how it taught you like so much when it didn't cause you to immediately change your shitty behaviour, make amends or try to use your privileged position to do some good. Maybe he eventually reached a state of taking accountability for his actions and it is great to read how apologetic he is for a lot of his bullshit but it's hard because the book is quite a frustrating read. You read about someone being a giant dick and then you have to read about them apologising for it all. I even felt like I hated him for a while until I reached the very end.
He stops at nothing to get attention and it unfortunately makes you just want to fucking ignore him otherwise you're giving him what he wants. Which, I guess, is the story of his life? It was really quite traumatising to read the final chapters of the book where he spirals into a pit of desperation and dickishness.He was a trainwreck that you just couldn't look away from and most of his downward spiral was due to the fact that he simply wasn't getting enough attention.
But in the end, he seems to have gotten his shit together and is trying to be accountable for his actions. He seems to have a really good heart and I am so chuffed to hear that he's managing to live not only sober, but vegan. Besides, it seems really harsh to judge a dude and get down on him for his fucked up behaviour when he seems to have beaten himself up about it enough.
All that aside, the actual book is a good read and I'm glad I read it. He's lived his life to the full and whereas I usually laugh when people write memoirs before they're at least 60 or 70 (unless they've got something worth talking about), I had no problem with this one. He's done more in his life than a lot of people and it was a blast to read, And maybe I even saw some of myself in him, the addictive personality that he said he's now channeled into healthier interests? Yeah me too. I really related to some of what he had to say and he's a super interesting and self-aware dude.
Rock on Steve-O, if only I had 5% of your adventurous spirit.
March 20, 2012
I've gotten a lot of strange looks from people when they saw what I was reading but all I could say in response was that it is a genuinely great book. I bought the book after seeing Steve-O do stand up at a comedy club in Miami. He personalized it and I started reading it shortly after. His experiences and his reflections on them are incredible. There was never a dull moment. This is honestly one of those books I could have read all in one go if it wasn't for school work and such. More than anything it discusses addiction (fame, alcohol, drugs, etc.) in a way that was just so honest and brave. It's an incredible read and I highly recommend it as well as seeing his act in person if you ever get the chance.
August 11, 2011
For anyone who loves:
Incredibly well written memoir
Those who can mock themselves
Jackass
Why did I read it?
Friend won a copy on twitter, so I grabbed it from her!
My Rambles:
Let me first say that when I first heard of those Jackass movies, I was all WTF! There was no way I was ever going to watch those. They are moronic.... Then my husband put one on...
I was riveted!
I couldn't believe some of the stunts they pulled off!
Disgusting!
Crude!
Thrilling!
As an ex-tabloid junkie, I knew some of Steve-O's tales. So, when I picked up this book I had an idea of what to expect.
I wasn't even close in my expectations.
This book blew me away. I was completely riveted by his tale.
I am normally not a big bio/memoir fan. I find that despite wanting to know more about the person, the writing is just lacking and boring. I honestly don't know if it is because of David Peisner, who helped Steve-O with this, or Steve-O himself, but I was blow away at the quality of the writing. I was so immersed in this book that I read it all.
"Read it all?", you say.
You see, I'm a speed reader. I scan much of what I read. But I read every word of this, and I still consumed the entire 322 pages in about 30 hours despite working being at work. Break, lunch break, sitting in the car while my husband drove, making dinner.... During all of that this book didn't leave my hands.
My husband looked over at me while he was driving and said "Must be a good book". I grunted my reply.
I regaled him with quotes (probably to his dismay).
Steve-O has an incredible tale of destruction, and ultimately survival.
I was literally blown away.
I highly recommend this for parents and teens as a way of broaching the topic of drugs. This book could be used as an excellent way of opening up the channels of communication. Yeah, I wouldn't call this book PG-13 (sex, some language, violence - Jackass but written word), but I think it is a real account of what can happen.
I am not just recommending this to parents and teens though. I think that this book can bring a bit of understanding to any reader.
Quality of writing: 10+/10
Pace: 10/10
Ease of Reading: 10/10Enjoyability: 10+/10
Overall: 5+/5
Incredibly well written memoir
Those who can mock themselves
Jackass
Why did I read it?
Friend won a copy on twitter, so I grabbed it from her!
My Rambles:
Let me first say that when I first heard of those Jackass movies, I was all WTF! There was no way I was ever going to watch those. They are moronic.... Then my husband put one on...
I was riveted!
I couldn't believe some of the stunts they pulled off!
Disgusting!
Crude!
Thrilling!
As an ex-tabloid junkie, I knew some of Steve-O's tales. So, when I picked up this book I had an idea of what to expect.
I wasn't even close in my expectations.
This book blew me away. I was completely riveted by his tale.
I am normally not a big bio/memoir fan. I find that despite wanting to know more about the person, the writing is just lacking and boring. I honestly don't know if it is because of David Peisner, who helped Steve-O with this, or Steve-O himself, but I was blow away at the quality of the writing. I was so immersed in this book that I read it all.
"Read it all?", you say.
You see, I'm a speed reader. I scan much of what I read. But I read every word of this, and I still consumed the entire 322 pages in about 30 hours despite working being at work. Break, lunch break, sitting in the car while my husband drove, making dinner.... During all of that this book didn't leave my hands.
My husband looked over at me while he was driving and said "Must be a good book". I grunted my reply.
I regaled him with quotes (probably to his dismay).
Steve-O has an incredible tale of destruction, and ultimately survival.
I was literally blown away.
I highly recommend this for parents and teens as a way of broaching the topic of drugs. This book could be used as an excellent way of opening up the channels of communication. Yeah, I wouldn't call this book PG-13 (sex, some language, violence - Jackass but written word), but I think it is a real account of what can happen.
I am not just recommending this to parents and teens though. I think that this book can bring a bit of understanding to any reader.
Quality of writing: 10+/10
Pace: 10/10
Ease of Reading: 10/10Enjoyability: 10+/10
Overall: 5+/5
July 20, 2011
Let me preface this by saying I came into this book skeptical. I've developed a fondness for memoirs in the last few years but none of them have really moved me or blown me away save the small handful. Let me also preface this by saying I'm a huge Jackass fan and have been rooting for Steve-O ever since he became clean and sober. Now then, let's get down to business.
I loved it. Couldn't put it down. I bought it on a Friday and was done by Saturday night. I loved the fact that it was honest in a way most memoirs don't ever even attempt to be. When Steve-O recounts some of his exploits or talks about some of the things that have happened to him along the way, he doesn't use suffering as justification for his substance abuse problems - he often justifies the angry and sometimes cruel reactions of others to him by admitting that he became intolerable. I won't go into too much detail but let's say that we all knew a kid like Steve-O in school- and reading this book makes me feel bad that I wasn't nicer to that kid.
His isn't a "triumph" story so to speak; yes, he does get clean and sober and remains that way to this day, but he speaks of it very honestly in saying that he could relapse tomorrow. After getting to know him the way you do in this book, you really, really want to see him succeed.
In short, it gave me a deeper understanding and a greater appreciation for Steven Glover.
I loved it. Couldn't put it down. I bought it on a Friday and was done by Saturday night. I loved the fact that it was honest in a way most memoirs don't ever even attempt to be. When Steve-O recounts some of his exploits or talks about some of the things that have happened to him along the way, he doesn't use suffering as justification for his substance abuse problems - he often justifies the angry and sometimes cruel reactions of others to him by admitting that he became intolerable. I won't go into too much detail but let's say that we all knew a kid like Steve-O in school- and reading this book makes me feel bad that I wasn't nicer to that kid.
His isn't a "triumph" story so to speak; yes, he does get clean and sober and remains that way to this day, but he speaks of it very honestly in saying that he could relapse tomorrow. After getting to know him the way you do in this book, you really, really want to see him succeed.
In short, it gave me a deeper understanding and a greater appreciation for Steven Glover.
July 3, 2011
What should you expect when you watch the movie Jackass or read the title of this book? Well, I got what I expected with a unfiltered chronicle of his crazed lifestyle of sex, and drugs, but I also got to know him as a person in recovery.
Steve-0 A.K.A Stephen Glover went from being unemployed, penniless and a college dropout to being a well known wealthy celebrity. His tale is worth reading just for that fact. I first thought what a low-life ungrateful asshole he was. He basically played around doing nonsense and caught an opportunity of a lifetime. He acted like his hard work snorting coke, and drinking while doing "stunts" and "rad" shit qualified him for the big time. When he got this break with the MTV Show and movie Jackass he was finally justified and validated. He could go about being Steve-o the insane addict whose job it was to be Steve-o the insane addict. His mission was to film himself living a jackass lifestyle and becoming rich because of it. So I was at the same time, jealous, angry, resentful and intrigued someone could do this.
Next came the real Stephen Glover. He began to see all he was doing both to himself and to anyone who cared about him. He includes commentary from friends and family that show how he affected them and how they dealt with his insanity. After the 2nd Jackass film came and went Steve-o had a lot of money and nothing to do. His fall was fast and he left nothing for the imagination. There are pictures of him projectile vomiting while holding a cigarette and a wippet balloon. After ranting on for months about nonsense online and finally thinking of killing himself, a group of friends forced him to go for a psychiatric evaluation. He goes into treatment from there and into a new life of sobriety.
His sober life doesn’t seem to slow him down. He does Jackass 3D and even Dancing with the Stars while speaking out about addiction and recovery. He created a 4 part series on you tube depicting his "Demise and Rise" into the sober life. It seems his life before entertained many people but he now has the ability to help others avoid the pain dugs & alcohol can inflict.
I enjoyed reading his memoir and would recommend it to anyone who wants a rags to riches story with near death insanity and a hopeful recovery ending.
Steve-0 A.K.A Stephen Glover went from being unemployed, penniless and a college dropout to being a well known wealthy celebrity. His tale is worth reading just for that fact. I first thought what a low-life ungrateful asshole he was. He basically played around doing nonsense and caught an opportunity of a lifetime. He acted like his hard work snorting coke, and drinking while doing "stunts" and "rad" shit qualified him for the big time. When he got this break with the MTV Show and movie Jackass he was finally justified and validated. He could go about being Steve-o the insane addict whose job it was to be Steve-o the insane addict. His mission was to film himself living a jackass lifestyle and becoming rich because of it. So I was at the same time, jealous, angry, resentful and intrigued someone could do this.
Next came the real Stephen Glover. He began to see all he was doing both to himself and to anyone who cared about him. He includes commentary from friends and family that show how he affected them and how they dealt with his insanity. After the 2nd Jackass film came and went Steve-o had a lot of money and nothing to do. His fall was fast and he left nothing for the imagination. There are pictures of him projectile vomiting while holding a cigarette and a wippet balloon. After ranting on for months about nonsense online and finally thinking of killing himself, a group of friends forced him to go for a psychiatric evaluation. He goes into treatment from there and into a new life of sobriety.
His sober life doesn’t seem to slow him down. He does Jackass 3D and even Dancing with the Stars while speaking out about addiction and recovery. He created a 4 part series on you tube depicting his "Demise and Rise" into the sober life. It seems his life before entertained many people but he now has the ability to help others avoid the pain dugs & alcohol can inflict.
I enjoyed reading his memoir and would recommend it to anyone who wants a rags to riches story with near death insanity and a hopeful recovery ending.
February 14, 2018
Pretty much confirms what we already knew - there is nothing to Steve O but idiocy. No substance to this loser at all. When one writes an autobiography, the reader is anticipating something with depth. Steve O has no depth. (PS - Someone posted a comment on FB that he had read this book and that he found it "harrowing." That is why I decided to read it. I expected to read something from an addict who had cleaned up and explored his inner depths. There is nothing harrowing about this book; while Steve admits to drug abuse and other assorted stupid acts and decisions, his life is basically nothing but doing stupid things for attention. That is all there is to Steve O.)
March 25, 2023
I love this man.
March 26, 2023
Yeah dude
October 29, 2011
The funny thing is, I've loved Jackass for years, but Steve-O was never one of my favourites. After reading this book - his memoirs since childhood through his career and rehab treatment - now he's trumping Chris Pontius and Johnny Knoxville as my Jackass of choice.
It turns out, through out his life, Steve-O's often been sidelined as the 'annoying (and perhaps less likeable) one', a fact that clearly contributed to his eventual alcoholism and drug addiction. His life story is far more interesting that I may have assumed - and one aspect of the book I loved the most was how the narrative sounds just like Steve-O's voice. His humility in his new life of sobriety makes the deadpan humour about his troubled past feel very honest and insightful. The fluid story telling made it a page-turner.
Despite this piece of media being a book - and not the film clips, TV and movies Steve-O's built his career on - there are still a number of shocking parts that I found satisfying as a Jackass fan. Reading anecdotes about the production of Jackass and Wildboyz sometimes had me re-reading a few lines, just to make sure I read correctly!
Overall, if you're familiar with Steve-O, I'd say give this book a chance. It may give some his past work, recent notoriety and new sobriety some much needed context.
It turns out, through out his life, Steve-O's often been sidelined as the 'annoying (and perhaps less likeable) one', a fact that clearly contributed to his eventual alcoholism and drug addiction. His life story is far more interesting that I may have assumed - and one aspect of the book I loved the most was how the narrative sounds just like Steve-O's voice. His humility in his new life of sobriety makes the deadpan humour about his troubled past feel very honest and insightful. The fluid story telling made it a page-turner.
Despite this piece of media being a book - and not the film clips, TV and movies Steve-O's built his career on - there are still a number of shocking parts that I found satisfying as a Jackass fan. Reading anecdotes about the production of Jackass and Wildboyz sometimes had me re-reading a few lines, just to make sure I read correctly!
Overall, if you're familiar with Steve-O, I'd say give this book a chance. It may give some his past work, recent notoriety and new sobriety some much needed context.
July 14, 2021
This was pretty good. Anyone who is already curious about Steve-O will be pleasantly surprised. Those who aren’t probably will be underwhelmed.
Steve-O is clearly a good soul who had an incredibly unique path that will probably never be repeated. What could it possibly be that makes someone want to do what he does? This book doesn’t answer this explicitly but if you read between the lines you can see clues. It reads like a play by play account of every phase and pivotal moment of his life - he has an amazing memory! But you are still hearing only his voice. I don’t think he knows why he does what he does or is the way he is. I guess most of us don’t.
That aside its quite well written and a fun fast paced read. He is as charismatic and lovable as ever even if it’s not clear exactly why this is the case. And it’s admirable to see how much work he clearly put into this book.
It’s absolutely terrific to see his battle and victories over his addictions but it feels like he doesn’t fully address the way he treated other people or other various issues - he seems quite entitled in his quest for fame and still has some homophobic opinions regarding Wildboys to name a couple. I think my expectation was that he is fundamentally this great person and getting sober would reveal that but instead it turns out he is still a bit of a Jackass.
Steve-O is clearly a good soul who had an incredibly unique path that will probably never be repeated. What could it possibly be that makes someone want to do what he does? This book doesn’t answer this explicitly but if you read between the lines you can see clues. It reads like a play by play account of every phase and pivotal moment of his life - he has an amazing memory! But you are still hearing only his voice. I don’t think he knows why he does what he does or is the way he is. I guess most of us don’t.
That aside its quite well written and a fun fast paced read. He is as charismatic and lovable as ever even if it’s not clear exactly why this is the case. And it’s admirable to see how much work he clearly put into this book.
It’s absolutely terrific to see his battle and victories over his addictions but it feels like he doesn’t fully address the way he treated other people or other various issues - he seems quite entitled in his quest for fame and still has some homophobic opinions regarding Wildboys to name a couple. I think my expectation was that he is fundamentally this great person and getting sober would reveal that but instead it turns out he is still a bit of a Jackass.
October 13, 2011
This book was crazy and shocking and honest, and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I've been a fan of Jackass for years, and it was very neat getting a behind the scenes look at it. I knew Steve-o was pretty messed up, but I really had no idea just how out of hand things had actually gotten with him. Some of the photos, while shocking, really made you realize how low he had gone. Crazy stuff. Definitely would recommend it to anyone to who is into biographies or Jackass. Great book.
April 27, 2022
(Audiobook)The biography of the most annoying person on the planet. Listened to this with my 15 year old sons, arguably the target market, and even they were bored by the repetition of classless stupidity and shallowness. There were some serious hysterical anecdotes, but the book came across as showcasing an attention whore who has no regard for other people.
June 6, 2023
3.6/5 - Born in London to a Pepsi executive dad and vodka-swilling mom, it’s no wonder Steve-O is such an attention wh0re. As likable as he is, he sure didn’t start that way: getting his ancient grandma to buy him frivolous electronics and racking up DUIs. There’s too much about his family yet so many suicidal addicts explain his penchant for reckless escapism. His dad (who looks kinda like Newt Gingrich) was always at business meetings but when he’d come home, he didn’t mind doing party tricks with matches or lighter fluid. Meanwhile, his mom was wrecked on booze to the point she faked cancer a whole year to write off her perpetual hangovers! She even filmed yet made fun of plenty of his dangerous stunts, so in no way is a traditional mother though he loves her nonetheless.
By middle school, his dad was very rich as Nabisco Europe’s president. The company paid for them to always ride in limos and go on work-vacations places as wild as Kenya, where they saw the richest and poorest sides of life. Affluence always embarrassed Steve because he didn’t feel he deserved it, especially when all his friends were still impoverished. So maybe that played a part in his bloody stunts like BB-shooting off his nipple, lighting himself on fire, and constantly diving off of tall roofs into shallow pools. The ultimate self-effacement. Which, BTW, he was a legit clown with puffy orange hair who went to college for it. It’s not a euphemism to say Steve can be smart in unconventional ways, because when he was a tween and knew Motley Crue was performing the next night, he phoned every local hotel, asking for their manager’s name he looked up inside the album cover. Turns out they were booked under his name, and when they heard of Steve’s squeaky dedication, got him VIP tickets. He was also very measured, methodical, and straight edge when learning to skateboard to ollie over higher obstacles. With just a camcorder and a couple VHSs, he got really into editing his trick and wipeout footage, inspiring non-sport stunt-videos years later.
This autobio sure doesn’t paint Steve well, admitting he intentionally set out to become a full blown loaded pothead in psych gear by 11th grade just to have a new identity. In just two months, he stops caring for the lonely 95y/o man he volunteered to run errands for, breaks his front teeth in half biking blackout, and neglects his hamster to the point it dehydrates to death. And that’s only the beginning. His first day at the University of Miami, Hurricane Andrew hits. Of course, he avoids the evacuation to party and swim the lake and pass out through the category five winds that caused tens of millions in campus damage. His GF can’t stand his hard partying ways after he pees in her bed one too many times. Instead of getting the hint, he buckles down on doing parkour to impress every girl he meets.
Rather than admit to his parents about getting kicked out of Uni, he carts around the country half-homeless, making money through dangerous medical testing and getting immediately robbed of the thousands through ironically naive decisions. In a way, Steve seems God’s luckiest child with how many times he falls stories face-first into concrete, unconscious for long bouts and always knocking out teeth. When he moves in with his sister, he takes college seriously to study video editing and gymnastics. Trying to be a pro skater with bigger sponsorships, he starts literally playing with fire: doing flips with his hands and head in flames, briefly protected by rubbing alcohol. Of course things go awry and he winds up scraping half his melted pus face off pillows each morning until the skin regrows! Almost unbelievable as that is how often he gets random chicks to drive him states away (sure, he’s cute and peppy but that’s the off chance when half his face isn’t a blistered gash).
The tragedy that befalls his family is twice as gruesome. It’s more haunting than when he learns to chew glass for crowds on a cruise ship, staple his arms, and mutilate his tongue. This is around the same time he pesters his way into magazines and bar shows then, semi-quickly, the MTV show inspired by Big Brother Mag (like way edgier, skate-centric Mad Magazine). This book is worth a read, or rather a listen because the writing style is as simplistic as “rad” Steve-O speaks. It’s not quite a 4-star read because some huge things are barely addressed like the half-sentence mention of doing lots of meth.
Some other interesting tidbits: When Jackass is an immediate hit, Steve-O is still homeless. Not at all because of money, but because he’s so irresponsible, he funnels all time into partying, so booking a hotel or finding an apartment wouldn’t be as fun as bumming off of hookups. He briefly befriends Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, makes an unreleased comedy rap album and admits to starting rumors Kat Von D is antisemitic just because he didn’t like her trying to sober him up even though he was hearing voices from the thousands of nitrous chargers. Whenever he does decide to ditch the PCP or coke, it’s usually for a girl and can last a year but ramps back up once they split. The last bit of the book is about sobering up for good, a relentlessly cliche topic, but Steve-O’s specialty is “not wasting everybody’s time.”
By middle school, his dad was very rich as Nabisco Europe’s president. The company paid for them to always ride in limos and go on work-vacations places as wild as Kenya, where they saw the richest and poorest sides of life. Affluence always embarrassed Steve because he didn’t feel he deserved it, especially when all his friends were still impoverished. So maybe that played a part in his bloody stunts like BB-shooting off his nipple, lighting himself on fire, and constantly diving off of tall roofs into shallow pools. The ultimate self-effacement. Which, BTW, he was a legit clown with puffy orange hair who went to college for it. It’s not a euphemism to say Steve can be smart in unconventional ways, because when he was a tween and knew Motley Crue was performing the next night, he phoned every local hotel, asking for their manager’s name he looked up inside the album cover. Turns out they were booked under his name, and when they heard of Steve’s squeaky dedication, got him VIP tickets. He was also very measured, methodical, and straight edge when learning to skateboard to ollie over higher obstacles. With just a camcorder and a couple VHSs, he got really into editing his trick and wipeout footage, inspiring non-sport stunt-videos years later.
This autobio sure doesn’t paint Steve well, admitting he intentionally set out to become a full blown loaded pothead in psych gear by 11th grade just to have a new identity. In just two months, he stops caring for the lonely 95y/o man he volunteered to run errands for, breaks his front teeth in half biking blackout, and neglects his hamster to the point it dehydrates to death. And that’s only the beginning. His first day at the University of Miami, Hurricane Andrew hits. Of course, he avoids the evacuation to party and swim the lake and pass out through the category five winds that caused tens of millions in campus damage. His GF can’t stand his hard partying ways after he pees in her bed one too many times. Instead of getting the hint, he buckles down on doing parkour to impress every girl he meets.
Rather than admit to his parents about getting kicked out of Uni, he carts around the country half-homeless, making money through dangerous medical testing and getting immediately robbed of the thousands through ironically naive decisions. In a way, Steve seems God’s luckiest child with how many times he falls stories face-first into concrete, unconscious for long bouts and always knocking out teeth. When he moves in with his sister, he takes college seriously to study video editing and gymnastics. Trying to be a pro skater with bigger sponsorships, he starts literally playing with fire: doing flips with his hands and head in flames, briefly protected by rubbing alcohol. Of course things go awry and he winds up scraping half his melted pus face off pillows each morning until the skin regrows! Almost unbelievable as that is how often he gets random chicks to drive him states away (sure, he’s cute and peppy but that’s the off chance when half his face isn’t a blistered gash).
The tragedy that befalls his family is twice as gruesome. It’s more haunting than when he learns to chew glass for crowds on a cruise ship, staple his arms, and mutilate his tongue. This is around the same time he pesters his way into magazines and bar shows then, semi-quickly, the MTV show inspired by Big Brother Mag (like way edgier, skate-centric Mad Magazine). This book is worth a read, or rather a listen because the writing style is as simplistic as “rad” Steve-O speaks. It’s not quite a 4-star read because some huge things are barely addressed like the half-sentence mention of doing lots of meth.
Some other interesting tidbits: When Jackass is an immediate hit, Steve-O is still homeless. Not at all because of money, but because he’s so irresponsible, he funnels all time into partying, so booking a hotel or finding an apartment wouldn’t be as fun as bumming off of hookups. He briefly befriends Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, makes an unreleased comedy rap album and admits to starting rumors Kat Von D is antisemitic just because he didn’t like her trying to sober him up even though he was hearing voices from the thousands of nitrous chargers. Whenever he does decide to ditch the PCP or coke, it’s usually for a girl and can last a year but ramps back up once they split. The last bit of the book is about sobering up for good, a relentlessly cliche topic, but Steve-O’s specialty is “not wasting everybody’s time.”
April 6, 2024
DNF'd at 60%...
October 25, 2022
Steve-O: Professional Idiot by Steve-O, is a wild ride of a book from extreme stunts, hard drugs, and a life story nobody is cut out for. It all started in London where he was born, and eventually settled in Connecticut then Miami, Florida. His whole childhood his father was always on work trips out of state and his mother was always drinking. It's safe to say no one watched out for him so he was always in trouble.
From dropping out of college and partying his way through life, it wasn't going well for him. His whole life he wanted to be a famous stuntman so he went to clown college. While having a regular dose of cocaine all day, he made it through clown college before his big break with the movie Jackass. After making tons of money, in and out of jail, getting sent to rehab, and a very harsh drug addict, he finds his path with the help from long time friends to turn his life around with one hell of a story. I personally like this book because of how crazy his story was, to me it almost felt like a fiction story. It was a very interesting well paced book and I would highly recommend it.
From dropping out of college and partying his way through life, it wasn't going well for him. His whole life he wanted to be a famous stuntman so he went to clown college. While having a regular dose of cocaine all day, he made it through clown college before his big break with the movie Jackass. After making tons of money, in and out of jail, getting sent to rehab, and a very harsh drug addict, he finds his path with the help from long time friends to turn his life around with one hell of a story. I personally like this book because of how crazy his story was, to me it almost felt like a fiction story. It was a very interesting well paced book and I would highly recommend it.
April 7, 2022
If you're reading this and you're like 'Issabella literally wtf??' I get it! Cause yes this is literally such a random book for me to read! However, Jerome and I have recently watched all the Jackass movies and I've become really intrigued and inspired by Steve-O's journey that I really wanted to pick this book up. I won't lie for a lot of this book I was shocked and a bit disgusted at how far Steve-O was willing to take his career all to make a name for himself. You can definitely see how turned off he is from everything in his past and he describes his journey with a lot of self reflection and empathy - knowing he has had a problem since he was very young- something a lot of people never want to come to terms with. It was fun to read about his rise to fame and stories about the Jackass crew, and I'm glad to see how Steve-O was able to take those dark parts of his life and create something brand new and amazing with it. Honestly it was a really good book and I'm glad I read it!
Read
March 13, 2024Steve-O’s story is quite a wild ride and this book is already over 10 years old. It’s amazing he is still alive to be honest. He referred to himself as an “attention whore” and he would do anything and I mean ANYTHING to achieve that. Although he made a lot of horrific choices and damaged a lot of relationships while struggling with addiction- he takes accountability and is doing something about it and choosing sobriety. He is such a cool example of what it looks like to be a train with broken wheels completely flying off the rails with no destination to getting back on track, diving deep into himself and learning that he has worth and is overcoming all his demons. I really enjoyed reading this and learned so much! He is incredibly smart and introspective and I would absolutely recommend this, especially if you also grew up watching him on jackass/wild boys.
July 22, 2023
What a fucking jackass! This story really helped me in a certain way. Sometimes I really need a pick me and seeing that someone doing worse than I am physically and mentally change helps a lot. Steve-O’s story is one that I always find myself smiling when I recall it. JACKASS has been my go to pick me up movie/series since COVID. So much so I went dispute my anxiety to the theater and watch the forth movie. The writing in the book is so smooth and easy to understand (something I wasn’t expecting) that while I actually sat down to read it the book had no chance to not be finished within that day or so.
People can say what they want but I will always be a fan of Jackass! If you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough.
People can say what they want but I will always be a fan of Jackass! If you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough.
May 6, 2021
So I have read some rock and roller autobiographies, and Steve-O easily did more drugs! I was floored by what he has done and am surprised he is still alive today! I have always been a huge Jackass fan, my old roommates and I would devote our entire day to the show and do our own little Jackass nights when the show was on. Just a fun time, and the book really lets you see what it was like behind the scenes.
November 28, 2011
Part One of my Review: My (not-so) Secret Love for Jackass -
I remember seeing the first episode of Jackass. I was in 10th grade and the 14" TV in my parents' basement was where I spent many, many hours watching MTV. I watched Jackass in awe. I loved it. Crazy guys doing stupid shit and getting hurt. It wasn't a surprise they were getting hurt, they were doing things where in which the end result is pain. LOVED IT. When I heard that kids around the country were copying them, getting hurt, and trying to sue them, I was appalled. Those idiots were going to get my favorite TV show taken off the air.
I remember seeing Steve-O swallow a goldfish and puke it back up. I even remember the smile on the guy's face - the one who got to keep the goldfish - as he walked down the street with a puked-up goldfish in a bowl of pukey water. Hilarious.
I remember going to see the first Jackass movie in theaters with my friends a couple years later. For some reason we happened to be off school that Friday. My 4 girl friends and I were the only girls in the theater. Boys from my high school who weren't 17 yet (movie was rated R) were sneaking each other in through the back door of the theater.
I actually saw Jackass 2 in theaters twice (once with my roommate and again the next day with my mom, who wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. During the opening credits, when the cast is being chased down by bulls, my mom actually said "aren't they going to get hurt?!" - the movie theater crowd cracked up. Of course, Mom. That's why we are here. To pay $7.50 to watch some dudes get hurt.)
Therefore, my history as a Jackass fan is over a decade long. When I saw that Steve-0 did a memoir I had to check it out.
Part Two of my Review: Steve-0's "Demise and Rise" -
Since I felt like the guys from Jackass were just friends I saw fuck around, I felt like I kind of got to know them. (Obviously I don't. Calm down.) We saw them do stupid stuff, we egged them on and sat in awe if they got legitimately hurt. When I saw that Steve-0 had gone to rehab, I was proud of him. I watched his documentary on MTV as a concerned friend. I even considering sending him an e-mail telling him that as a fan of Jackass, I was proud to see he was getting better and fully supported him. (I never sent that e-mail. I didn't want to be a creepy fan.) I later saw him on a late night talk show and the host mentioned his sobriety and Steve-0 said something along the lines of taking it one day at a time. He couldn't guarantee his sobriety from one day to the next, but was working really hard every day to stay sober. Awesome.
Part Three of my Review: The Book Itself -
Some parts of the book were a little long-winded (much like this review, I realize). I feel like it was necessary at some points, kind of like someone telling you a long and sordid story of how their life got fucked up enough to be at rock bottom. At other times, the details seemed to be a little overkill... I also think he could have added more about his recovery process/how he's doing now, but I recognize that the balance of the details seems appropriate with his personality at the time. When he was actively using drugs, he was seeking a ton of attention. That part of the book is incredibly detailed. Since he has been in recovery, he has mellowed out substantially and is demonstrates less attention-seeking behavior. That part of the book is less detailed.
All in all, if you like Jackass and a good memoir, I think you should read this book.
I remember seeing the first episode of Jackass. I was in 10th grade and the 14" TV in my parents' basement was where I spent many, many hours watching MTV. I watched Jackass in awe. I loved it. Crazy guys doing stupid shit and getting hurt. It wasn't a surprise they were getting hurt, they were doing things where in which the end result is pain. LOVED IT. When I heard that kids around the country were copying them, getting hurt, and trying to sue them, I was appalled. Those idiots were going to get my favorite TV show taken off the air.
I remember seeing Steve-O swallow a goldfish and puke it back up. I even remember the smile on the guy's face - the one who got to keep the goldfish - as he walked down the street with a puked-up goldfish in a bowl of pukey water. Hilarious.
I remember going to see the first Jackass movie in theaters with my friends a couple years later. For some reason we happened to be off school that Friday. My 4 girl friends and I were the only girls in the theater. Boys from my high school who weren't 17 yet (movie was rated R) were sneaking each other in through the back door of the theater.
I actually saw Jackass 2 in theaters twice (once with my roommate and again the next day with my mom, who wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. During the opening credits, when the cast is being chased down by bulls, my mom actually said "aren't they going to get hurt?!" - the movie theater crowd cracked up. Of course, Mom. That's why we are here. To pay $7.50 to watch some dudes get hurt.)
Therefore, my history as a Jackass fan is over a decade long. When I saw that Steve-0 did a memoir I had to check it out.
Part Two of my Review: Steve-0's "Demise and Rise" -
Since I felt like the guys from Jackass were just friends I saw fuck around, I felt like I kind of got to know them. (Obviously I don't. Calm down.) We saw them do stupid stuff, we egged them on and sat in awe if they got legitimately hurt. When I saw that Steve-0 had gone to rehab, I was proud of him. I watched his documentary on MTV as a concerned friend. I even considering sending him an e-mail telling him that as a fan of Jackass, I was proud to see he was getting better and fully supported him. (I never sent that e-mail. I didn't want to be a creepy fan.) I later saw him on a late night talk show and the host mentioned his sobriety and Steve-0 said something along the lines of taking it one day at a time. He couldn't guarantee his sobriety from one day to the next, but was working really hard every day to stay sober. Awesome.
Part Three of my Review: The Book Itself -
Some parts of the book were a little long-winded (much like this review, I realize). I feel like it was necessary at some points, kind of like someone telling you a long and sordid story of how their life got fucked up enough to be at rock bottom. At other times, the details seemed to be a little overkill... I also think he could have added more about his recovery process/how he's doing now, but I recognize that the balance of the details seems appropriate with his personality at the time. When he was actively using drugs, he was seeking a ton of attention. That part of the book is incredibly detailed. Since he has been in recovery, he has mellowed out substantially and is demonstrates less attention-seeking behavior. That part of the book is less detailed.
All in all, if you like Jackass and a good memoir, I think you should read this book.
May 25, 2011
Glover, Stephen "Steve-O" with David Peisner. Professional Idiot: A Memoir.Hyperion. Jun. 2011. c.336p. ISBN 9781401324339. $25.99. TV
Jackass TV star Steve-O is embarrassed by his actions—not stapling his scrotum to his leg or his other notorious stunts but those resulting from his drug addiction, which pushed away friends and family. He opens his memoir with a 1996 prison stay (the first of many), then takes us through his globe-trotting childhood as he and his sister cover for an alcoholic mother while their CEO father is away on business. Eventually the class clown ends up in clown college, but Steve-O's true passion is concocting and filming elaborate stunts. Skateboard tricks give way to self-immolation and other life-threatening feats, and Steve-O's videos grab the attention of the creators of Jackass. Yet as he realizes his professional ambitions, he succumbs to a flood of narcotics.
Verdict: Despite his rampant drug use, Steve-O offers a lucid and candid account of his life, concluding with a Dr. Drew–enabled institutionalization and his subsequent sobriety. With last year's successful Jackass 3D motion picture and a busy touring schedule, Steve-O is still in the spotlight, and this will be popular with his fans.—Terry Bosky, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., West Palm Beach, FL
[Library Journal Xpress Reviews — First Look at New Books, May 20, 2011]
Jackass TV star Steve-O is embarrassed by his actions—not stapling his scrotum to his leg or his other notorious stunts but those resulting from his drug addiction, which pushed away friends and family. He opens his memoir with a 1996 prison stay (the first of many), then takes us through his globe-trotting childhood as he and his sister cover for an alcoholic mother while their CEO father is away on business. Eventually the class clown ends up in clown college, but Steve-O's true passion is concocting and filming elaborate stunts. Skateboard tricks give way to self-immolation and other life-threatening feats, and Steve-O's videos grab the attention of the creators of Jackass. Yet as he realizes his professional ambitions, he succumbs to a flood of narcotics.
Verdict: Despite his rampant drug use, Steve-O offers a lucid and candid account of his life, concluding with a Dr. Drew–enabled institutionalization and his subsequent sobriety. With last year's successful Jackass 3D motion picture and a busy touring schedule, Steve-O is still in the spotlight, and this will be popular with his fans.—Terry Bosky, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., West Palm Beach, FL
[Library Journal Xpress Reviews — First Look at New Books, May 20, 2011]
September 14, 2016
Holy shit. I've always been a Jackass/Steve-O fan so his whole stint in rehab and the psych hospital was not unknown to me. But I had no idea just how bad it was. The first half of the book was interesting enough, learning about his younger life and how Jackass started, but it was mind-blowingly intense and wonderful to read the second half about his alcoholism, drug addiction, hallucinations and recovery.
I know a lot of people hate Steve-O and admittadly I can see why. But after reading this I feel sorry for him and can understand why ended up the way he did. I'm so proud of his new lifestyle and of Knxville, Tremaine, Kosick etc. for standing up to him and getting him the help he so desperately needed.
Also, he's kind of tempting me to go back to me old vegan ways. Hearing him talk about his change in attitude and health just makes me so envious and really miss the way being a vegan made me feel. He's spot on.
I know a lot of people hate Steve-O and admittadly I can see why. But after reading this I feel sorry for him and can understand why ended up the way he did. I'm so proud of his new lifestyle and of Knxville, Tremaine, Kosick etc. for standing up to him and getting him the help he so desperately needed.
Also, he's kind of tempting me to go back to me old vegan ways. Hearing him talk about his change in attitude and health just makes me so envious and really miss the way being a vegan made me feel. He's spot on.
May 4, 2012
The Memoir "Professional Idiot" is a memoir based on Steven Glover (aka Steve O". The memoir is about from the early days of him videotaping crazy skateboard stunts to being in the Jackass movies. And his crippling addiction to drugs and alcohol and having an intervention to end up saving his life.
This book moved me and changed the way i viewed things. The book was deep in a way of him describing all the drugs he did and how it changed him as a person. To have all his friends hating him and nobody even wanting to be near him. That was crazy.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a laugh and doesn't even like reading in general. It has a lot of imagery and gets you thinking on a lot of stuff such as the world and celebrities. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants something out of the ordinary.
This book moved me and changed the way i viewed things. The book was deep in a way of him describing all the drugs he did and how it changed him as a person. To have all his friends hating him and nobody even wanting to be near him. That was crazy.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a laugh and doesn't even like reading in general. It has a lot of imagery and gets you thinking on a lot of stuff such as the world and celebrities. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants something out of the ordinary.
June 3, 2020
Huge fan of Steve-O, especially after seeing him in a comedy show last year. I never realized it, but Steve is a big animal lover. During his comedy show, he brought out his rescue dog, Wendy, who he saved from the streets of Peru, and the story literally made me cry.
His memoir was interesting and a fast read. It was raw and brutally honest. It's hard to believe that the Steve-O that I met at the comedy show was once a major douchebag, attention whore and raging alcoholic/drug addict. I'm glad he got his shit together.
His memoir was interesting and a fast read. It was raw and brutally honest. It's hard to believe that the Steve-O that I met at the comedy show was once a major douchebag, attention whore and raging alcoholic/drug addict. I'm glad he got his shit together.
January 21, 2012
This was one of the BEST books/memoirs i have ever read. You dont have to love Jackass (although, personally i love them :)) to absolutely crave this memoir. I FREAKING LOVED IT. There isnt another way to put it, unless your expressing a greater love, need, and complete satisfaction for it! It was... Great. I really hope anyone who is skeptical about reading it, just do it. You wont regret it.
September 20, 2022
(I would rate this 4.5 stars)
To preface my review, I am a huge Jackass fan already before reading this, so I was very excited and interested to read this book beforehand. I was a little skeptical because when the book was released, (about a decade now), but I think that it ages pretty well. If you like Jackass/Steve-o you will definitely like this book--if you don't know much about Jackass/Steve-o I also think that you could enjoy this book. Steve-o is brutally honest, about his life story and himself. Sometimes to the point where it is a little intense, but don't worry--he lets you know that he he is intense. This book also gains by having testimonials from his friends and family, to let you know their perspective and give more insight on how he was before sobriety.
I find myself relating to Steve-o at times. He talks a lot about his constant need for not wanting to be forgotten and how it drove him to extremes. Although I am not recording myself constantly, I too have that fear, and I can relate to him a lot on that aspect. It gives us more insight as fans, or just casual viewers, to understand what his mindset was during the 2000s-early 2010s, I find it really interesting. This is a book that is funny, depressing, and honest at its core, and I think that provides for a great memoir.
To be fair, I knew a bit of these stories coming into reading the book, (from his Youtube videos), but this is much more in depth and captivating! Reading this now, to see how far Steve-o has come and how well he is doing, I am really happy for him! The epilogue proved well for him and I am glad that he is still gaining success in stand-up and his life, overall! I am excited for his newest book and can't wait to read it!
Overall, this is a great tale of beating the odds and lets us see into the person behind the "persona". Steve-o really seems like a great guy, just through reading the book we can see how deep-thinking and introspective he is; I wish him great success.
To preface my review, I am a huge Jackass fan already before reading this, so I was very excited and interested to read this book beforehand. I was a little skeptical because when the book was released, (about a decade now), but I think that it ages pretty well. If you like Jackass/Steve-o you will definitely like this book--if you don't know much about Jackass/Steve-o I also think that you could enjoy this book. Steve-o is brutally honest, about his life story and himself. Sometimes to the point where it is a little intense, but don't worry--he lets you know that he he is intense. This book also gains by having testimonials from his friends and family, to let you know their perspective and give more insight on how he was before sobriety.
I find myself relating to Steve-o at times. He talks a lot about his constant need for not wanting to be forgotten and how it drove him to extremes. Although I am not recording myself constantly, I too have that fear, and I can relate to him a lot on that aspect. It gives us more insight as fans, or just casual viewers, to understand what his mindset was during the 2000s-early 2010s, I find it really interesting. This is a book that is funny, depressing, and honest at its core, and I think that provides for a great memoir.
To be fair, I knew a bit of these stories coming into reading the book, (from his Youtube videos), but this is much more in depth and captivating! Reading this now, to see how far Steve-o has come and how well he is doing, I am really happy for him! The epilogue proved well for him and I am glad that he is still gaining success in stand-up and his life, overall! I am excited for his newest book and can't wait to read it!
Overall, this is a great tale of beating the odds and lets us see into the person behind the "persona". Steve-o really seems like a great guy, just through reading the book we can see how deep-thinking and introspective he is; I wish him great success.
July 5, 2022
This being the first nonfiction book I've read and finished, (not counting the Sammy Davis Jr memoir I started when I was younger and never finished), I am not sure what rating to give this.
I enjoyed reading about Steve-O life. Most of the events I had heard about from watching his podcast, but there were a lot of things I was not aware. Such as his relationship with his family and the continuous hookups and girlfriends over the years. Not that it was all important. What was mentioned most besides random hookups, were all the drugs he did. Sometimes different ones at the same time.
I was hoping he would have talked more about the neighbor. I saw clips of it from his podcast on Youtube, but thought he might talk about it more. Which is actually probably for the best.
I noticed that Steve-O was releasing another book in September. I hope he goes on a book tour or something, it would be great to see/meet him.
He has gone through a lot, but miraculous he has learned to understand himself more because of it. This was released in 2011 so he had only been sober for a few years.
It was amazing seeing how some of the most known stunts came to be, and the progression of how he went from point A to Point B, sometimes without even having a plan on what he was going to do. Apart of me kind of admired that he would take a risk without knowing if it would pay off or not.
I finished this book this morning. As I was closing it, I had this feeling 'of what now'. I finished not only my first nonfiction or memoir, but a memoir of a Jackass cast member. I had been watching interviews and the movies over again in January to get ready for the new movie. It was how I found out about Steve-O's and Raab Himself's podcast on Youtube.
Now that I had finished, I wasn't sure what to do or what I was going to read next. Though I knew I didn't have long before it was time to get ready for work.
I enjoyed reading about Steve-O life. Most of the events I had heard about from watching his podcast, but there were a lot of things I was not aware. Such as his relationship with his family and the continuous hookups and girlfriends over the years. Not that it was all important. What was mentioned most besides random hookups, were all the drugs he did. Sometimes different ones at the same time.
I was hoping he would have talked more about the neighbor. I saw clips of it from his podcast on Youtube, but thought he might talk about it more. Which is actually probably for the best.
I noticed that Steve-O was releasing another book in September. I hope he goes on a book tour or something, it would be great to see/meet him.
He has gone through a lot, but miraculous he has learned to understand himself more because of it. This was released in 2011 so he had only been sober for a few years.
It was amazing seeing how some of the most known stunts came to be, and the progression of how he went from point A to Point B, sometimes without even having a plan on what he was going to do. Apart of me kind of admired that he would take a risk without knowing if it would pay off or not.
I finished this book this morning. As I was closing it, I had this feeling 'of what now'. I finished not only my first nonfiction or memoir, but a memoir of a Jackass cast member. I had been watching interviews and the movies over again in January to get ready for the new movie. It was how I found out about Steve-O's and Raab Himself's podcast on Youtube.
Now that I had finished, I wasn't sure what to do or what I was going to read next. Though I knew I didn't have long before it was time to get ready for work.
April 19, 2022
Thanks to Arjen for introducing me to this book. I've always been a big Jackass fan, so of course I know Steve-O. I'm not a non-fiction reader, but when it's something interesting I'm up to try it! This book was, for me, 90% of ramblings where Steve-O is either high, stoned or an asshole and me disliking Steve-O very much. The final 10% felt like the real Steve-O voice that I did like. And I was sad that this book wasn't the other way around. I felt a lot like: "Look at me doing all this stupid shit, being high, being stoned and depressed. Oh, yeah, I also got sober and I am better person but lets just leave that as a side note..."
Full review can be found at BiteIntoBooks
At some point in this book Steve-O calls himself a nasty, arrogant, mean-spirited douchebag, and for the most part in this book I totally agree. I've watched some interviews with the sober, nowadays Steve-O and I like him a lot. I wished the rationaal and sober Steve-O voice could be more present in this book. That final 10% does make me curious about his next book, that's coming out soon. The first 90% makes me scared it's more of the same shit...
Full review can be found at BiteIntoBooks
At some point in this book Steve-O calls himself a nasty, arrogant, mean-spirited douchebag, and for the most part in this book I totally agree. I've watched some interviews with the sober, nowadays Steve-O and I like him a lot. I wished the rationaal and sober Steve-O voice could be more present in this book. That final 10% does make me curious about his next book, that's coming out soon. The first 90% makes me scared it's more of the same shit...
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