Steve Burns

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Steve Burns


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Steven Michael Burns
Alias = Steve
Born = birth date and age|1973|10|9
Boyertown, Pennsylvania
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar
Voice_type =
Genre = Pop, Indie rock, Alternative
Occupation =
Years_active =
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Associated_acts = Blue's Clues
URL = http://www.steveswebpage.com/
Current_members =
Past_members =
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Steven Michael "Steve" Burns (October 9, 1973, in Boyertown, Pennsylvania) is an American entertainer. [cite web | title = Biography for Steve Burns | work = IMDb.com | url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0122886/bio | accessdate = 2007-12-18 ] He is best-known as the original host of the long-running children's television program "Blue's Clues".

Early career and "Blue's Clues"

Steve Burns grew up in rural Pennsylvania, in a small town named Boyertown. He played in bands called Sudden Impact, Nine Pound Truck, and the Ivys (which he has called a "Morrissey rip-off band") while in high school and college. [cite news | last = D'Angelo | first = Joe | title = Ex-'Blue's Clues' host Steve Burns an indie rocker at heart | work = MTV.com | date = 2002-04-30 | url = http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/02/me_you_dog_named_blue/ | accessdate = 2007-12-18 ] He studied theatre under an acting scholarship at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley.cite news | last = Iovine | first = Julie V. | title = At home with--Steven Burns; A few clues in Brooklyn | work = The New York Times | date = 1999-11-18 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E4D71E3DF93BA25752C1A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | accessdate = 2007-12-11] He quit school and moved to New York City to become a professional actor.cite news | last = Norris | first = Chris | title = Me and you and a dog named Blue | work = Spin Magazine | date = 2004-02-09 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453666/20020429/steve_burns.jhtml | accessdate = 2007-12-18 ] He lived in a basement apartment near Times Square, finding his first success as a voice-over artist for ads and making appearances on "" and "Law & Order." Burns, about his 1995 role in "Law and Order," stated, "I was autistic and died."

Also in 1995, Burns auditioned for "Blue's Clues," thinking it was another voice-over role. He showed up with long hair and an earring; "I was a bit of a skate rat." he said. Initially, the Nickelodeon executives were not supportive of Burns hosting their new show; in subsequent auditions the show's creators requested that he dress more conservatively. (Burns reported that the creators, in a call-back phone conversation, asked him, "Could you not look like you tomorrow morning?")cite video | people = Jim Forbes (narrator) | title = Behind the clues: 10 years of Blue | medium = Short documentary | publisher = Nickelodeon | date = 2006-07-27 ] It became apparent, however, that he was the favorite with preschool test audiences. Executive producer and co-creator Traci Paige Johnson reported that of the 100 people they auditioned, Burns was "the realest." As Dr. Alice Wilder, Nickelodeon's Director of Research and Development, said, "There was just something about this kid, who was fresh out of Pennsylvania, who just knew where to look in the camera to really talk to kids. He was just right."

From its premiere, "Blue's Clues" was an instant hit, due to Steve Burns' performances as much as the show's format. He became "a superstar" among his audience and their parents, but unknown to everyone else, and enjoyed what he called being a "micro-celebrity, about as small a celebrity as you can be." As the "New York Times" reported, he "developed an avid following among both preteen girls and mothers. The former send torrents of e-mail; the latter scrutinize the show with an intensity that might make even Elmo, the red Muppet, blush." In 2000, People Magazine included Burns in their annual list of America's most eligible bachelors.cite news | title = Questions and answers: Steve Burns | work = Newsweek | date = 2000-07-08 | url = http://www.newsweek.com/id/85284/page/1 | accessdate = 2009-01-12]

Burns became "very involved" with the production of "Blue's Clues" from the beginning One of the most challenging aspects of being the host of the show was performing in front of the "blue screen" before the animation was added. [cite news | last = Kiesewetter | first = John | title = 'Blue's Clues' puts on new host, new shirts | work = The Enquirer | date = 2002-04-29 | url = http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/04/29/tem_blues_clues_puts_on.html | accessdate = 2008-01-12] Burns called it "maddening" and likened it to "acting at the bottom of a swimming pool." [cite news | last = Mifflin | first = Lawrie | title = The joy of repetition, repetition, repetition | work = The New York Times | date = 1997-08-03 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E4DA1F30F930A3575BC0A961958260 | accessdate = 2008-01-12]

Departure

After seven years and over 100 shows, Burns departed "Blue's Clues" in 2002. His role in the show "was beginning to chafe" after five years and he left to pursue a music career. Johnson said that "what made Burns a great children's host was that 'he didn't want to be a children's host ... He loved kids, but he didn't want to make a career out of it.'" Burns himself stated, tongue-in-cheek, "I knew I wasn't gonna be doing children's television all my life, mostly because I refused to lose my hair on a kid's TV show, and it was happenin'--fast." The day after he finished filming his final episode of the show, he shaved his head, something he wanted to do for many years, but the show's producers would not let him. cite news | last = D'Angelo | first = Joe | title = Ex-'Blue's Clues' host Steve Burns an Indie rocker at heart | work = MTV | date = 2002-04-30 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453666/20020429/steve_burns.jhtml | accessdate = 2008-01-31]

Burns' departure caused a resurface of the rumors that had circulated about him since 1998. As Burns said, "The rumor mill surrounding me has always been really strange." These "specious claims" included dying from a heroin overdose, being run over by a car, and being replaced, like Paul McCartney of The Beatles, by a look-alike. Some viewers claimed that "clues" regarding Burns' demise were even placed within the show.cite web | last = Mikkelson | first = Barbara | title = Demise or shine | work = Snopes.com | date = 2007-08-05 | url = http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/bluesclues.asp | accessdate = 2008-01-30 ] Burns even made an appearance on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" to dispute these rumors, and both he and co-creator Angela Santomero appeared on Today to help parents assuage the fears of children who might have heard the rumors.

After Blue's Clues

Burns worked on material for his first album, "Songs for Dustmites," for two and a half years at a small studio in his home in Brooklyn before it was produced by PIAS Records in late 2002. He started work on it, after he left Blue's Clues in 2002. It was released in 2003. He posted eleven songs on his webpage, and then realizing he needed help with drums and arrangements, went to Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips for advice. Drozd assisted Burns with six tracks, Lips bassist Michael Ivins engineered the album, and longtime Lips producer David Fridmann produced it. (Wayne Coyne, also of the Flaming Lips, did not work on the album, but cast Burns in his film "Christmas on Mars," due to be released in 2008.)

Burns started a band, Steve Burns and the Struggle, and began working on his second album called "Deep Sea Recovery Efforts", Members of the Struggle include Drozd and Ryan Smith of A Million Billion. He shot a horror-comedy film in 2006 called "Netherbeast Incorporated," with Darrell Hammond and Dave Foley, in which he played a vampire. [ cite news | last = Harris | first = Chris | title = Former 'Blue's Clues' host Steve Burns: Still not dead | work = MTV | date = 2007-11-02 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1573424/20071102/steve_burns.jhtml | accessdate = 2008-02-01]

teve Burns Discography

"Songs for Dustmites"

"Deep Sea Recovery Efforts"

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0122886|name=Steve Burns
* [http://www.steveswebpage.com/ steveswebpage] — Burns' official website
* [http://www.myspace.com/steveburnsofficialmyspace Steve Burns (and The Struggle)] at MySpace