When it comes to putting one's body on the line for the sake of entertainment, or even for the sake of promoting entertainment, no one can hold a candle to the reckless selflessness that Jackass vet Steve-O brings to the table. (While crashing through it, presumably.) In an effort to get the word out about his newest comedy special Gnarly, a semi-retrospective looking back at his life of maniacal stunts, Steve-0 went the extra mile and duct-taped himself to an L.A. billboard as a piece of living advertising. Needless to say, it was awesome to behold, even if Los Angeles authorities weren't as enthused about it.
Before the Los Angeles Fire Department stepped up and shut down Steve-O's debut as a billboard ornament, the provocative comedian shared what has to be the most gleeful image anyone could possibly share with that much duct tape stuck to them. Check out his Instagram post below.
Keeping his hands free so that he can do things like posting shots to Instagram (naturally), Steve-O himself was clearly the most visually arresting element on the Gnarly-focused billboard, which was otherwise pretty plain in its design. I guess everyone involved thought that maybe Steve-O would be allowed to hang around up there for an extended period. I wonder if Door Dash delivers to billboards...
Whatever the overall plan was, Steve-O did not stay attached to his Gnarly advertisement for very long, as the Los Angeles Fire Department entered the picture to assist in what it called "an apparent single patient behavioral emergency, one person secured (themselves?) to a billboard." Even though Steve-O noted that he didn't want any city resources to be utilized because of his actions, that's exactly what happened. Check out the video below, in which he gets cut down.
This definitely wasn't the first time that Steve-O duct-taped himself to something in the name of promoting Gnarly, either. As part of the film itself, and as seen in early ads, Steve-O actually taped himself to the side of a truck that was traveling from Las Vegas to Colorado. The team apparently had to cover him up within city limits so that they wouldn't get stopped by police, but it appeared to be far more easy-going once they hit the highway.
Directed by Mark Ritchie, Gnarly is (for the most part) a comedy special performed by Steve-O at the Gothic Theatre in Denver. But because this is Steve-O, it's also a voyage of discovery, assuming one is okay with looking for pain-inducing stories about Jackass stunts and horrific bodily injuries. Here's a pretty telling chunk of the synopsis.
In this hour of fun, you will learn what not to do with rocket engine fuel, what not to do with sexual prophylactics while traveling, how one can fix a broken nose for free, how fun staple guns can be, but more importantly, what to do in life when you find the one. A wild ride, indeed!
Steve-O's Gnarly is currently available on his website for streaming purposes, so if you're a fan, make that happen. If you're not a fan, go find something to duct-tape yourself to. While waiting for updates for Jackass 4, head to our 2020 Fall TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning TV shows are on the way in the near future.
