Some things never change
for controversial Mr. Clay

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Back in the day, he was known as the Dice or the Diceman, but he often called himself the "Undisputed Heavyweight Comedy King." He also reveled in the controversy he seemed to produce with his raunchy, unconventional style of street comedy.
And if you’re yearning to watch Andrew Dice Clay in action again, take heart. The standup comic, famous for his black leather jacket, chains and unique versions of nursery rhymes like Hickory Dickory Dock and Little Miss Muffet, will take center stage at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside on Thursday, April 3.
As a little boy growing up in Brooklyn, Andrew Clay Silverstein, now almost 50, was inspired by the likes of Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor.
"I really liked the characters he created and portrayed in that film. But to this day, most standups I see bore me to death, except George Carlin, who I think is great. He understands what it takes to entertain an audience."
Clay himself burst onto the comedy scene nearly 30 years ago, when he was still a teenager and began performing in comedy clubs. By 1980 he was off to try his luck in Los Angeles, performing at The Comedy Store and playing bit parts in easily forgotten films. Soon his "Dice" persona began to develop, and he vowed to be anything but boring. In the late ’80s, Clay had his own HBO special, Andrew Dice Clay: The Diceman Cometh. He’d finally hit his stride. Or so it seemed.
But by the time he had a starring role in his first film, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, ticket sales were slow to nearly non-existent. He was managing to rub many people the wrong way with his obscenities, misogyny and strange comedy antics.
But even when he was down, he never let himself think of himself as out.
Eventually, he decided to drop the "Dice" part and call himself the "Godfather of Standup." And thanks to a number of events, he’s back in the footlights, hoping to be bigger than ever, despite his political incorrectness.
Last year, Clay, who refused to give up or turn his back on show business, appeared in his own reality show, Dice: Undisputed, on VHI. It focused on the comedian as he wrote a book, recorded a CD and produced his show on Sirius Satellite Radio.
And now, thanks to his recent reunion with Howard Stern, he seems destined to be in the forefront of comedy again.
"I went back on the Howard Stern Show and that helped start up my career again," Clay explained. "Howard and I had been feuding for a long time, like two kids in a sandbox. But we made up, he had me back on his show, and almost immediately he singlehandedly helped put me back into the limelight again. Now I’m appealing to a whole new generation."
Today, Clay said, he appears without having to give any kind of warning.
"People come to see me and they know what they’re getting. I’m able to speak bluntly about things I’ve witnessed and seen in the world all these years in a comedic way."
With the resurgence of his career, Clay said he can’t believe how quickly things have turned around for him.
"I think a lot of that is due to the climate in the country. We’re at war. There’s that whole presidential thing. It’s the same way things sort of happened for me the first time around," he said. "People are really getting fed up and want to laugh hard. They want to forget some of the turmoil and nonsense around them." ••
For showtime and ticket information, call 215-572-7650.