Tom Green is getting back to basics.

After years of film appearances and hosting comedy shows, Green decided to pick back up with his true passion: stand-up comedy.

“I have this amazing worldwide following of my videos and my show,” Green said, “and I wanted to go out to them instead of sitting alone in my house.”

Green is no stranger to the stage. In fact, that was how he got his start.

Comedian Tom Green, famous for his antic on-stage energy, is returning to Athens with a stand-up routine. Courtesy Tom Green

“When I was a teenager, I would go down to the Yuk Yuk’s comedy club and see … Norm Macdonald. They were always talking about outrageous things or doing something hilarious and really pushing the envelope,” Green said, “I thought that was really where I wanted to take my life and do something creative.”

Green started doing stand-up when he was 15 years old — and as he’s aged, so has his routine.

“Oh, you know, it’s harder as a 15-year-old. I didn’t have as much life experience,” Green said. “I’ve been through a lot more stuff now. I’ve dealt with cancer and the media spotlight, but I don’t really talk about my self so much.”

Green put his career as a stand-up comedian on hold in 1994 when he started “The Tom Green Show,” but his attachment to the stage never faded.

“I was always secretly in the back of my mind wishing I could do stand-up,” Green said.

Now, touring the world for his return to the stage. Green already stopped in England, Australia and Afghanistan. And when he arrives in Athens, it won’t be as a stranger.

“I actually filmed the movie ‘Road Trip’ in Athens,” he said, “ I put a mouse in my mouth.”

Though his act is somewhat of a departure from mouse-eating, it still keeps up the wild, energetic tone of his other work.

“If you like the show and movies then you’ll enjoy my stand-up,” Green said.

His act has a broad focus and Green said he considers topics ranging from the amount of time people spend on Facebook and phones to politicians and the economy. His end goal is to twist logic and convention to shift the audiences views on a topic.

“People don’t feel the same way about things,” Green said, “and that’s what creates the energy.”

The key for Green is to read the crowd and respond. Some groups are calm, and prefer to sit back and listen, while others are drunk and loud and rowdy. Green encountered one of the bawdier audiences during a show in Vancouver, when people began tossing joints from their seats.

“I will plead the fifth, here, as to weather I lit the joint on stage,” he said.

With either docile listeners or energetic dope fiends, Green makes constant changes to his performance based on the tone of the room.

“You’re constantly making these micro decisions,” he said, “How loud should I be talking? How fast should I be talking? Should I be walking? Should I be making big motions or gestures?”

Because of the constantly rapid pace, Green prefers not to drink or otherwise inebriate himself before performing.

“I think a lot of dedicated comedians make an effort not to drink, but some people find their inspiration in booze,” he said. “I prefer to keep a clean head screwed on, and I’ll have a drink afterward with everybody.”

Fans can look forward to more than just a late-night beer with the comedian. Green said he often tries to incorporate local issues and events that personalize his act, and will walk around a town and strike up conversations to pick locals’ brains.

“I always try to hang out for a bit, and take pictures of people or talk about life there,” he said. “I enjoy talking about what people are doing, or what’s going on there.”

So far his dedication has paid off: Green said he hasn’t had a bad show yet, and expects to continue his streak.

“It’s an exciting time to see stand-up comedy from me,” Green said. “They don’t know what I’m going to do, how it’s going to feel or what it’s going to look like.”

TOM GREEN

Where: Georgia Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m.

Price: $15