C.J.: Evan Lysacek's as cool as the "Stars on Ice" surface

Olympic champion Evan Lysacek left the intensity on the ice.

In this interview to promote his appearance in Sunday's "Stars on Ice" at St. Paul's X, Lysacek is extremely placid. I thought he had just rolled out of bed, even though it was 10 a.m. No, said Lysacek, who admitted he was sporting "bedhead." He had been up doing interviews since about 4:45 a.m. And I'm told that most interviewers remarked on how mellow he is.

With his soothing yet interesting speaking style, one of the new careers Lysacek might want to consider post-skating is recording audio books. "Put you to sleep?" said Lysacek. "Oh thank you. You're so nice."

Close your eyes for a minute while watching my startribune.com/video, and listen.

Q: What's the most unskater-like behavior you display in private?

A: I'm really not very skater-like. I've never fit in that well to figure skating. I'm not very flamboyant. I'm not really a natural performer. I'm pretty private, reserved. So in my new life in business it works pretty well for me, because I deal with people on a one-on-one basis. But I've never been very comfortable on TV, never really been that comfortable in front of crowds, so I've learned — and this is my fifth tour with "Stars on Ice" — I've kind of learned a little bit better how to be a performer, a showman, so to speak.

Q: Was there ever a chance you would've played hockey?

A: I started initially wanting to play hockey. I had met Chris Chelios, former Blackhawk, long ago in Chicago with my family; wanted to try out hockey. But I was young, had never skated before, never been on ice. So when I took to the ice for the first time, I had no natural ability whatsoever. Let's leave it at that. So I went into figure-skating classes to learn the basics. I wore double-runner, two-blade figure skates, and eventually graduated to single blade. Once I learned stability on the ice and to go fast around the rink, then I fell in love with it. And I wanted to learn tricks, but I still didn't know that much about figure skating. I learned as I went.

Q: Do you think it would be easier for a hockey player to take up figure staking or vice versa?

A: It's hard to say. Both sports are extremely difficult, and I think among team sports hockey is the most difficult. People don't understand how hard it is to be on the ice. When you take a break in a hockey game, a few seconds of down time, you're not standing on [solid ground], you're still on the ice and activating muscles. Skating is just difficult, for anyone who has ever been out there and just tried to make it around the rink even one time without holding onto the wall, without falling down. After the Olympics in Vancouver [2010] I started playing hockey a little bit and I love being on hockey skates. It's hard for me to go back into figure skates because there's less friction, less contact between the blade and the ice and you can go fast. Speed is sustained a little more. And they're more comfortable.

Q: If you were in charge of the figure-skating world, what would you do to reduce conflicts over scoring?

A: It's a great question. [There's] more than a simple answer to try and figure out the correct way to score.

Q: Now that you don't compete anymore, what is the one thing that you are happy to be able to eat?

A: I don't eat gluten. I used to love any kind of cookie. Now that's all off the diet plan. I can eat basically what I want. I still work out a lot and burn a lot of calories. For the most part I like healthy foods, things that are good for me: vegetables, fruits, salad.

Q: Do you prepare any of these foods?

A: No. I don't cook at all.

Q: Was your tweet about being excited to see your "Today" family your way of angling for a regular contributor's job on NBC?

A: No. I went to the Sochi Olympics, unfortunately not in the role that I had wished. As a skater I was training to compete, and because of injuries and surgeries I was out of the games. So I went with a very small role with the broadcast team with NBC. It wasn't for me. I'm not meant to be on TV. I'm not great in front of a camera. I'm not like a real natural performer. I tried the best I could. There are many [other skaters] on television. I'll let them be the TV stars and I'll just be an athlete.

Q: I don't know if you heard the interview question from Matt Lauer where he asked Vince Vaughn to pick a fetish — as if doing so was required. Inspired by your friend Matt, pick a fetish.

A: I'll pass on it. Don't want to get myself in any trouble.

Q: Is "Today" your favorite morning show?

A: Which network are you on again, FOX? No, of course, FOX is.

Q: I'm assuming you made friends at "Good Morning America" from being on "Dancing with the Stars?"

A: Yeah, the ratings war, I switched sides.

Q: Is there any skater you are glad you never have to see again?

A: Some of the skaters I competed with I became very good friends with. Some of them I didn't even know at all. Some of them I didn't like at all. So just like interacting with people from different walks of life, in any profession you associate better with some vs. others. Being on tour with "Stars on Ice," what's kind of cool is that there are some skaters on the tour I competed with but never really got to know, because we were just slightly off a generation. Patrick Chan is one of them and he has become probably my closest friend on the tour. That's kind of the family dynamic that happens during the tour.

Q: What is a fact that media regularly get wrong that always makes you angry?

A: I don't know that much about what the media thinks of me. I don't spend that much time reading press about skating. I'm more interested in other things, no offense to skating. Finance, real estate, some politics as I've been working with the State Department as a sports envoy, [spreading] the word about unity through sports. The importance of sports for overall education and for peace.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: Yeah, I love cars. I own three, which I don't need now that I live in New York. An Audi R8, a Mercedes G Wagon (I just got the newest version of that), and one is a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. All black.

Q: Black shows dirt so easily.

A: Well, they don't see much action now that I'm living in New York. They're in a garage in LA, Vegas. I have one with me in New York. I drive everywhere. I am holding on to my California lifestyle in New York; I won't give up driving.

Q: Your chronological age is 29, but how old is your body as a result of skating?

A: Body as a result of skating is 290. Just add a zero. [He kind of laughed.]

Q: How long does it take you to pull that hair together?

A: This took me … I rolled out of bed exactly four minutes before I left the room this morning. This is bedhead. [Laughter.]

Interviews are edited. The contact C.J. try cj@startribune.com and to see her watch FOX 9's "Buzz."