The Diceman cometh
King of raunchy comedy jumps back in the ring
Toolbox
By JENNIFER BILL Rutland Herald - Published: May 22, 2009
Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie … just kidding – you won’t be hearing that in this newspaper.
And apparently – and disconcerting for classic Andrew Dice Clay fans – not too often out of the comic’s mouth, either.
Surely with a little heckling those classic heinous poems and naughty nursery rhymes that shot Dice to comic greatness in the salacious stand-up scene in the 1980s and ‘90s will emerge but it’s reportedly all new material for the Diceman.
The shock comic, with his leather, unlit cigarette – he has since quit but said he still enjoys holding one – and loud-mouthed language, is back, lashing out with his misogynous gross-out sexual smut that made the lovers of lewd and crude snicker and gave more modest women the willies.
And don’t think he’s going to hold back these days, he says.
As shocking and unpredictable as his almost-interview on CNN in 2006, which ended after a minute in a cloud of obscenities when the Brooklyn bad boy was asked a question he didn’t favor, the Paramount Theatre is in for a rollicking good time when Dice rocks downtown Rutland tonight.
Made possible by the first collaborative venture between the Paramount and Chris Karr, owner of the Pickle Barrel Night Club and Jax in Killington, Dice, who has been down and out for more than a decade, has reignited his career touting the tagline “The Undisputed Heavyweight Comedy King.” With it comes a summer tour and a new CD, “Filthy Animal,” set for release in the next few months.
Resurfacing on the recent season of NBC reality series “The Celebrity Apprentice 2,” joining such celebs as Dennis Rodman and Jesse James, and fellow comics Tom Green and Joan Rivers, Dice was the first to be fired, after being vocal in his beefs with Donald Trump and a failed cupcake endeavor.
With a deluge of hits from critics citing a more mellow persona and weaker act, Dice will have none of that, taking aim with a barrage of barbaric blasts and the hardcore comedic style that will have his fans bellowing his classic “Ohhhhhh!”
Is he the same Andrew Dice Clay in middle age, after a more than two-decade career that to this day ranked him the only comedian banned for life from MTV and included about 15 movies (remember 1990’s “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane”), several comedy albums and a comeback reality TV series in 2007, “Dice: Undisputed.” He was, after all, the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.
The 51-year-old divorced father of two lives in Hollywood with his teenage rocker sons, Dillon and Max, who are in a band called LA Rocks. Max has also kicked off his own stand-up routine unlike his father’s. The Dice camp confirmed an engagement to a former South Philly wrestler is off.
When contacted, Dice’s publicity team reported he had “throat issues,” and he took an interview via e-mail.
RH: You are a pioneer of the politically incorrect stand-up routine, with outrageous jokes, hardcore raunchiness, and degrading slights to women. Why did you choose this particular bend in your comedic act?
ADC: When I do stand-up, I like to paint a picture. And that picture can sometimes be a little raunchy, a little dirty. But it’s all a goof. Plus, I’m from Brooklyn and we all talk that way. Ya hear.
RH: Is there a difference between the Diceman and Andrew Dice Clay? Where do you draw the line between what’s real and what’s an act?
ADC: In some ways, there is no difference at all. Is Keith Richards or Slash any different on-stage than they are off? And at the same time, I am the proud father of two amazing teenage boys who have their own band – L.A. Rocks – they are sensational.
RH: Explain your tagline, “The Undisputed Heavyweight Comedy King.”
ADC: Let me tell you something, I’m not any comic. I’m the biggest-selling comic ever in history, and that’s it. When I am brought on stage it’s “The Undisputed Heavyweight Comedy King of the Universe.” Because I’ve sold more tickets than any stand-up ever in history. I bring more excitement to any theater, arena, or wherever I play, than anybody ever, and that’s just fact.
Like Elvis was the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and Ali was the “King of the Ring,” and then there is me.
RH: Critics have called your 2009 persona a tamer version of the Diceman everyone came to know in the ‘80s and ‘90s. What is your response to that?
ADC: I don’t say things just to simply shock people. I say the things that are on my mind. And in 2009, they are different than what was happening in the ‘80s and ‘90s. So if the critics think I’m tamer, let them.
RH: Can you describe your act these days?
ADC: The sort of stuff I am talking about now — my enjoyment of … I’ll say it nicely, having relations. It’s a comedic satire about what goes on between couples, but I am just making it funny.
And if you are asking, I don’t do dirty jokes, There’s language, a lot of sexual content. But we live in a foul world. I also talk a lot about technology (cell phones, Blackberrys), but I do it my way.
RH: How do you balance your desire to push in a new direction with your audience’s desire to hear “Hickory, Dickory, Dock …”?
ADC: You mean, the poems. If I didn’t do them, it would be a riot on stage. That is like if the Stones didn’t perform “Satisfaction” one night. I do it as an encore to make the fans happy – the rest of the show is all new material.
RH: How have you changed personally and professionally over your hiatus/retirement?
ADC: First of all, I never retired. I wasn’t in your face every day. I have done more concert tours, more arenas than other comedian, and if I don’t do another one that’s just fine with me. But no matter what, I will be DICE.
RH: Your deliberately offensive comedy leaves little room for a conscience, when it comes to how some women feel hearing your jokes. Do you feel you left a cluster of angry women in your wake? Any regrets looking back?
ADC: There are no regrets. What I do hands down, it’s funny. For every woman who may be offended, there are thousands who can’t enough of me – on stage or off.
RH: How would you describe your fans/audience?
ADC: My fans are the best – sometimes a little out of control – that’s because my show is rock ‘n’ roll comedy and you have to expect that kind of craziness to occur. Plus they’re loyal.
RH: Can you sum up your recent experience on “Celebrity Apprentice”?
ADC: What can I say, He is Donald Trump. I was on “Celebrity Apprentice,” the show was seen by millions of people. The promos were run during the Super Bowl, seen by gazillions of people. How bad a guy could he be?
As far as being fired first, that was their call, but I don’t think the show was the same without me. If I had to do it over again, I still wouldn’t wear that stupid hat or bake the cupcakes.
RH: Rutland, Vermont, has a small-town feel, with an older, more conservative population. Do you modify your act for appearances like these compared to, say, your 10-date run in Las Vegas?
ADC: It’s the same unbelievable show everywhere – doesn’t matter if it is Vermont or Vegas.
I will tell you this — this act is the best stand-up act in the country. Nobody’s touching it. As always, there’s no competition in my genre of stand-up.
jennifer.bill@rutlandherald.com