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On Top of His Game
The Diceman says he has nothing else to prove
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Comedian Andrew Dice Clay's career ambitions may be smaller, but in his not-so-humble opinion, his act is as big as ever.
Playing major arenas, starring in movies, even his lifetime ban from MTV for one expletive too many - all that's way in the past for the envelope-pushing Diceman, whose biggest claim to recent fame was a brief stint on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice."
Still, the Brooklyn native, who appears 9 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at the Tropicana Casino & Resort, relishes the chance to get laughs with his combative take on the world.
"If your job is talking about what's wrong with the world and what's wrong with people, you have to hit them over the head with it," he says of audiences. "My job is to make them laugh harder than they have in a long time, and that's what I do."
Ahead of his latest A.C. appearance, Dice took a few minutes to rant about why fame doesn't matter to him anymore and if there's anything left on his career checklist (Hint: He's basically done it all.).
Q: What's on your mind these days?
A: Everything … from dealing with the couples in the crowd to technology today, which is pretty funny coming from me. I still have the same voice, I still have the edge I always had. People seem to be eating it up because there are no holes in my material.
Q: What's your beef with technology?
A: I find technology really ridiculous. Yet, you can't live without it now. I think people are so self-absorbed today. Everybody wants to be that important. That's why they make a big deal out of all the toys they buy. Look at me, look at how important I am. I have four phones.
I have a friend who has four phones. He can't wait to put them on the table, so someone will ask, "Why do you have four phones?" Then he goes into a whole explanation of what each phone is for.
Q: How much of your stage persona is an act and how much is the real you?
A: I'm just done answering that question. Years ago, I used to try to explain myself. It didn't matter what I explained. They just wrote about the act anyway. I found it to be a waste of time.
Q: Let's try anyway. Are you still engaged to Eleanor Kerrigan, the comedian from South Philly?
A: Not for years. She'll open for me at certain shows. We're friends. She's really a great comic, in the vein of Joan Rivers. But there's nothing going on with us for years.
Q: Your sons - ages 14 and 18 - have a band called L.A. Rocks. Are you involved in their budding careers?
A: I'm into guiding them. They're so into it, and the music's so intense and so real. I have to focus on them and make sure they keep their heads grounded. That's more important to me than playing a big place.
Q: You crashed out on "Celebrity Apprentice" and your 2007 VH-1 reality show, "Dice Undisputed," was canceled after seven episodes. Are you done with reality TV?
A: I haven't really gotten to do the reality TV I want to do yet. When I did my own reality TV show, all of a sudden, they had it all scripted out.
That's why I wanted to do reality TV - I actually filmed my life. It's been a hobby of mine for 20 years. I would edit the tapes myself. I wouldn't mind doing the right show. The only way to do it is to produce it yourself and sell it.
Q: Do you have anything left on your wish list for your career?
A: I don't have to prove anything anymore. It's like being a ball player. You want to see how big you can be - I did all of that.
Andrew Dice Clay
at Tropicana
WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, July 11
WHERE: Showroom, Tropicana Casino & Resort, Atlantic City
HOW MUCH: Tickets, priced at $35, $45 and $55, are available at the Tropicana box office or Ticketmaster at 800-736-1420 or www.ticketmaster.com.
WEB SITE: www.andrewdiceclay.com
Dice on his 'Apprentice' firing
Comedian Andrew Dice Clay says he did "The Celebrity Apprentice" for one reason - the publicity - so it hardly mattered to him that he got fired by Donald Trump after the first challenge.
"It didn't bother me to get fired - I hate getting up at 5:30 in the morning," he says. "In my mind, it's like they almost plan it out - who's going to go and when."
It wasn't as if the Diceman really wanted to spend his time carrying out mundane tasks. He crashed out on his first assignment to make and sell cupcakes for charity.
"When they give you a task, they really want you to go through with it," he says. "When they took me up to this place to bake the cupcakes, within five minutes, I was itching to get out of there."
Posted in Entertainment on Thursday, July 9, 2009 3:10 am
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