Rise Like a Graceful Phoenix

If you’re old enough to rent a car legally, then you remember Andrew Dice Clay. Dice was, for a glorious minute or two, one of the biggest comedians of the late 1980s, a guy who sold out arenas and left legions of raving fans in his wake. But he was also as polarizing a public figure as we’ve had in the last quarter century, a man who incited opinion ranging from “Diceman rules!” to “That chauvinistic prick!” Where one person might find his brand of X-rated humor, dirty nursery rhymes, and Brooklyn-inspired antics crude, another (probably a guy, no doubt) would follow him with an almost religious fervor, spouting his trademark “Ohhhh!” to anyone who would listen. But the ’80s came and went, and then the ’90s, and, for better or for worse, Diceman slowly faded from the public eye.

But now, Dice is back. He’s just concluded filming a part in the HBO comedy special, Down and Dirty with Jim Norton (due out this fall), and is setting out to tour the states with a passion he hasn’t had since his heyday. Dice says he’s started to play to bigger crowds once more, but in many ways, he’s had to prove himself all over again. “It keeps me fueled. I want to climb back up and do the arena circuit again,” he explains to New Times via telephone. “Six, seven years ago, audiences were not responding to me that heavily. But over the last couple years, maybe it’s because I’ve worked so hard on the material or because I got my love for performance back, the response is just absolute Dicemania.”

There’s no denying that a lot of time has passed between his glory days and his comeback, but Dice, who’ll turn 51 this year, says he’s still the same performer deep down. “I still do it the way I always have,” says Dice. “As life goes on, yeah, you learn more. But I talk about everything from technology to mid-life crises, to how much I still love banging chicks with fat asses.” Good to know some things never change. Catch the Diceman when he performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Parker Playhouse (707 NE 8th St., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets cost $49. Visit www.ticketmaster.com. (And check out the complete interview on www.browardpalmbeach.com)
Sat., June 28, 8 p.m., 2008