Johnny Knoxville Takes Over MTV The first time a lot of people, even those in his namesake hometown, ever heard about Johnny Knoxville was when Rolling Stone ran a short feature on him in its annual what's-hot issue this summer. Within a few weeks, though, he was a national phenomenon. His Jackass show quickly became MTV's most popular half-hour, with Knoxville and his cohorts in California translating the bizarro stunts and Alan Funt-on-crystal-meth-style gags (like alligator wrestling, bicycle jousting, and the unspeakably gross Poo Cocktail) that they had originated on underground skate videos onto national prime-time television. It's fleetingand, at times, nauseatingglory, but it's still glory. Added local flavor: an upcoming episode will feature a prank on Ed Harvey, proprietor of Eddie's Auto Parts and the world-famous butt of this town's most noted guerrilla prankster/performance artist, the late, lamented John Bean. Metro Pulse magazine Knoxville, Tennessee |