So much has been said by and about the unemployed actor, it's almost as though there's nothing left to learn about him.
Sheen's banking on the "almost" part.
Promising "the real story," the 45-year-old former "Two and a Half Men" star hit the road for a month-long, 20-city variety show tour, with the first stop Saturday's sold-out show in Detroit.
Sheen appeared on stage to a standing ovation from the capacity crowd at the Fox Theatre, but it was only to bail out a comedian who failed to win over the audience. He returned backstage shortly afterward to put on his show attire.
Sheen and his publicist, Larry Solters, described the show in vague terms, saying it would last about an hour and a half and feature guests, musical acts and a multimedia presentation. Sheen said rapper Snoop Dogg and guitarist Rob Patterson would be at Saturday's show.
Sheen starred in a string of hit movies in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Oliver Stone dramas "Wall Street" and "Platoon" and the comedies "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Major League." He later found small-screen success starring in the hit sitcoms "Spin City" and "Two and a Half Men," where he seemed a perfect fit for his character, a womanizing bachelor.
It remained to be seen, though, whether Sheen could sufficiently entertain a live audience for 90 minutes.
Some of the fans who gathered outside the 5,100-seat theater before doors opened Saturday said they'd come from far away hoping to hear the unrestrained rants Sheen's delivered in recent months.
"It's kind of like a NASCAR race. You're just tuning in because you're just waiting for the accident to happen," said Ronnie Prentice, 37, who lives near Toronto.
Adam Hawke said he bought a ticket for the same reason.
"He might be doing something really crazy," said Hawke, 47, who works in the construction business and lives in Michigan. "He's a wreck. That's half the draw."
Geoff Rezek, 69, flew in from New York to see what he believed was going to be "history in the making."
"I wouldn't miss the first show. Who knows if there's going to be a second show?" said Rezek, a computer consultant from Connecticut, who said he also bought a ticket for Sheen's show next week in his home state.
Sheen has made headlines in recent years as much for his drug use, failed marriages, custody disputes and run-ins with the police as for his acting. His father, actor Martin Sheen, has compared his son's fight against addiction to that of a cancer patient's fight for survival.
In August, Sheen pleaded guilty in Aspen, Colo., to misdemeanor third-degree assault after a Christmas Day altercation with his third wife, Brooke Mueller. The couple recently finalized their divorce.
The wayward star's behavior, which included lashing out at the show's producer, Chuck Lorre, finally became too much for Warner Bros. Television, which booted him from "Two and a Half Men" on March 7.
Sheen fired back with a $100 million lawsuit and all-out media assault in which he informed the world about his standing as a "rock star from Mars" and a "warlock" with "Adonis DNA" who lives with two "goddesses" - both of whom he said would be at the Detroit show.
His unique banter and catchphrases - think "winning" - have spread over the Internet and onto T-shirts, more than a few of which are expected to be sold on the tour, which wraps up May 3 in Seattle after stops in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York, San Francisco and others. Sheen has said the Detroit show, where tickets cost $45 to $80, sold out.
"I am bringing `My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option' show out to you in the battlefield," Sheen said in a video announcing the tour. "If you're winning, I'll see you there. Trolls need not apply. ... Buy your ticket. Take the ride. And the ride will take you."
