More than most, Steve Trash is looking forward to the release of the new Tim Burton film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” this summer.
“Hey, I love Johnny Depp and I love Tim Burton,” Steve said, “Opening day, I’ll be in the front row of the theater.” And with a smile he added, “But you know, Johnny only gets to act like Willy Wonka in the movies … I get to be him in real life.”
Trash — kid comedian & rockin’ eco hero — was inspired by the original 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” film starring Gene Wilder to become a magical inventor, trash sculptor, kid entertainer and enigmatic fashion icon just like his hero Willy Wonka.
“I was nine years old when the original movie came out,” Steve said. “Some kids wanted to hang out with Willy Wonka. I wanted to ‘BE’ Willie Wonka. I wanted to create real mystery and magic just like he did. So, I would walk around in an oversized top hat and a purple crushed velvet jacket, that my grandmother made for me, and dream up delightful ideas for magic tricks, crazy inventions, music, garbage sculpture, and funny stuff made of trash. This wild use of my ‘pure imagination’ stuck with me and has served me well. My current life and career is an outgrowth of those early inspirations.” Steve currently travels internationally with his live shows and has entertained over 10 million kids worldwide. He has appeared on CBS This Morning, CNBC’s America’s Talking and on the cover of “The Weekly Reader.”
“I’m a grown-up, but kids recognize that I love having silly fun just as much as they do. So they’re willing to go on a magical journey with me … whether it’s funny videos, garbage sculpture, television shows, big magic tricks, books, or live shows that I’m creating.”
Like Wonka, Steve enlightens children as he entertains them. He uses his talents to teach kids about respect for self, others and the environment in fun and humorous ways. Home for the Rockin’ Eco Hero is an earth-bermed house in Frog Pond, Alabama with its own mostly underground television studio known appropriately enough as “The Trash Factory.” Outside there is a garden decorated with “found object” trash sculptures and much to his wife’s vexation, there is also a huge pile of junk that Steve promises will be art some day.
For more on Steve Trash, visit his official website!
