Johnny Weir takes us to another planet: Bizzaro World

Posted Feb 16, 2010 by Walt Belcher

Updated Feb 16, 2010 at 04:00 PM

He is Adam Lambert on ice. Johnny Weir, the glam Olympic skater known more for his attitude than his skating ability, will take to the ice tonight for the men’s figure skating short program.

The New York-based 25-year-old, who describes himself as “eccentric and strange,” will be wearing something stunning, no doubt. Competing in his second Olympics, the three-time U.S. champion will skate to “I Love You, I Hate You” by Argentine pianist Raul di Blasio. He will be the 25th of 30 skaters.

He is not expected to win—just put on a show. American Evan Lysacek, the reigning world champ, and 2006 gold medalist Russian Evgeni Plushenko are expected to rank higher. Also making a comeback is Switzerland’s Stephane Lambiel, a two-time world champion, after taking a year off because of injury. Rounding out a field of world champs is France’s Brian Joubert, U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott, Canada’s Patrick Chan, and Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda.

Often adorned in glitter makeup, rhinestones and lace, Weir performs routines that are designed to shake up the world of figure skating.

“I want people to be taken away to another planet when they watch me skate,’’ he told the media gathered in Vancouver this week. “Like a performance in the theater. I want them to be transported into a dream world.’‘

The kid from a small Pennsylvania town is a character, an individualist in a sport that demands conformity. You have to watch. And you won’t forget him.

Oh sure, he plays into the stereotyped image of male skaters that was skewered so well in the comedy film “Blades of Glory.”

On the other hand, Weir embraces his inner freak:

“I think I’m a good role model for the people who are different,” he said, “the people who feel like they’re freaks, the people who feel like they have something inside them that they want to express and they don’t know how to do it, so they try every single way to do it.”

You have to watch just to see what he will be wearing. It’s not often that a skating wardrobe change makes headlines, but that’s what happened after Weir received threats from animal rights activists for wearing white fox fur on his costume at last month’s U.S. championships.

To learn more about him, watch Sundance Channel’s reality show “Be Good Johnny Weir,” which follows him around as he practices skating, frets about his life and spends a lot of time shopping.