1 00:00:06,089 --> 00:00:09,819 (light tapping on keyboard) 2 00:00:09,843 --> 00:00:12,197 (pensive music) 3 00:00:12,221 --> 00:00:13,615 - [Narrator] In the late 1980s, 4 00:00:13,639 --> 00:00:16,576 Andrew Dice Clay was a comedy megastar. 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:19,287 - They don't have a championship belt for comedians 6 00:00:19,311 --> 00:00:20,497 but if they did, 7 00:00:20,521 --> 00:00:23,249 I would be the undisputed comedy king. 8 00:00:23,273 --> 00:00:24,043 (audience cheering) 9 00:00:24,067 --> 00:00:26,669 - I went, oh, comedy is now, 10 00:00:26,693 --> 00:00:28,129 you're a rock star. 11 00:00:28,153 --> 00:00:30,381 (audience chanting) 12 00:00:30,405 --> 00:00:34,135 - It was like the Beatles on stage. 13 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:35,303 - [Narrator] When Dice took the stage, 14 00:00:35,327 --> 00:00:38,389 his Diceman persona took aim at women, 15 00:00:38,413 --> 00:00:40,850 immigrants and the gay community. 16 00:00:40,874 --> 00:00:41,976 - I don't see how any man 17 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,603 could look at another guy's hairy ass 18 00:00:43,627 --> 00:00:45,021 and wanna bang it, you know? 19 00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:46,397 They're not from this planet. 20 00:00:46,421 --> 00:00:47,398 (dialogue drowned out by cheering) 21 00:00:47,422 --> 00:00:48,192 Come on. 22 00:00:48,216 --> 00:00:50,985 - As a gay man, I would never, ever be in that crowd. 23 00:00:51,009 --> 00:00:52,487 - Look at those (beep) tits. 24 00:00:52,511 --> 00:00:55,531 Are we getting a shot of those (beep) tits? 25 00:00:55,555 --> 00:00:58,117 She was built for (beep), I can see that. 26 00:00:58,141 --> 00:00:58,911 (audience cheering) 27 00:00:58,935 --> 00:01:00,036 - Another performer has decided 28 00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:02,038 to stay away from Saturday Night Live. 29 00:01:02,062 --> 00:01:03,540 Cast player Nora Dunn says 30 00:01:03,564 --> 00:01:04,916 that she won't appear because she says 31 00:01:04,940 --> 00:01:07,460 that Clay's humor is offensive to women. 32 00:01:07,484 --> 00:01:09,879 - And he used those attacks 33 00:01:09,903 --> 00:01:12,298 on women and minorities 34 00:01:12,322 --> 00:01:13,508 as a way to profit. 35 00:01:13,532 --> 00:01:14,801 (dramatic music) 36 00:01:14,825 --> 00:01:15,885 - [Narrator] Dice supporters said 37 00:01:15,909 --> 00:01:17,619 his critics couldn't take a joke. 38 00:01:18,579 --> 00:01:21,766 - That's not the guy that I know off stage. 39 00:01:21,790 --> 00:01:23,351 - If you don't know the language. 40 00:01:23,375 --> 00:01:26,187 - [All] Get the (beep) outta the country! 41 00:01:26,211 --> 00:01:27,438 (audience cheering) 42 00:01:27,462 --> 00:01:29,607 - [Narrator] But what happens when a comedy king 43 00:01:29,631 --> 00:01:31,091 cashes in on hate? 44 00:01:31,925 --> 00:01:34,404 - This same debate that we hear today, 45 00:01:34,428 --> 00:01:36,531 it really started with Andrew Dice Clay. 46 00:01:36,555 --> 00:01:38,533 - As a comic, you have to start noticing 47 00:01:38,557 --> 00:01:41,327 when your shows have turned from a comedy show 48 00:01:41,351 --> 00:01:42,870 into like a rally. 49 00:01:42,894 --> 00:01:45,897 (audience cheering) 50 00:01:47,232 --> 00:01:48,232 - Cheering. 51 00:01:49,067 --> 00:01:50,461 Roaring. (audience chanting) 52 00:01:50,485 --> 00:01:53,006 They would be chanting, these, you know, 53 00:01:53,030 --> 00:01:54,215 almost like Nuremberg. 54 00:01:54,239 --> 00:01:55,341 It was scary. 55 00:01:55,365 --> 00:01:57,593 (audience cheering) (dramatic music) 56 00:01:57,617 --> 00:01:58,970 You are no longer a comedian. 57 00:01:58,994 --> 00:02:00,471 You are a deity. 58 00:02:00,495 --> 00:02:01,639 (audience cheering) 59 00:02:01,663 --> 00:02:03,308 You are their God. 60 00:02:03,332 --> 00:02:05,476 (audience cheering) 61 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:07,687 It's a monster you can no longer control. 62 00:02:07,711 --> 00:02:11,024 (audience cheering) (dramatic music) 63 00:02:11,048 --> 00:02:12,066 - [Mike] Ladies and gentlemen, 64 00:02:12,090 --> 00:02:13,735 you're about entertained. 65 00:02:13,759 --> 00:02:15,653 - [Woman] Getting the laugh is the greatest addiction. 66 00:02:15,677 --> 00:02:16,946 - [Debra] They want more of it, they want more of it. 67 00:02:16,970 --> 00:02:18,156 - [Scott] She was getting death threats. 68 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:19,616 - [Woman] It (beep) with your head! 69 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:20,992 - He's out of his skull. - That's what took her down. 70 00:02:21,016 --> 00:02:22,076 - [Man] This is a crazy story. 71 00:02:22,100 --> 00:02:25,997 (microphone whines, bangs) 72 00:02:26,021 --> 00:02:28,625 {\an8}(upbeat 80's music) 73 00:02:28,649 --> 00:02:31,002 {\an8}- [Narrator] In the late 1980s, comedy was booming. 74 00:02:31,026 --> 00:02:33,129 {\an8}Standup comics were on every cable channel 75 00:02:33,153 --> 00:02:36,549 {\an8}and movie theaters and getting sitcom deals. 76 00:02:36,573 --> 00:02:39,969 With cable TV, came more freedom of expression. 77 00:02:39,993 --> 00:02:43,097 And the new style of comedy was gaining traction, 78 00:02:43,121 --> 00:02:44,058 shock comedy. 79 00:02:44,082 --> 00:02:46,517 - I have this nightmare that I go to Hollywood 80 00:02:46,541 --> 00:02:48,811 and find out that Mr. T is a (beep). 81 00:02:48,835 --> 00:02:49,688 (audience laughing) 82 00:02:49,712 --> 00:02:52,106 - Twins, nasty (beep) little twins. 83 00:02:52,130 --> 00:02:53,566 (audience laughing) 84 00:02:53,590 --> 00:02:55,610 (Sam groaning) 85 00:02:55,634 --> 00:02:58,303 - [Narrator] And Andrew Dice Clay was riding that wave. 86 00:02:59,554 --> 00:03:01,449 - This man probably owns more leather jackets 87 00:03:01,473 --> 00:03:02,617 than anybody in the world. 88 00:03:02,641 --> 00:03:04,452 - The best way to describe him is to say, 89 00:03:04,476 --> 00:03:06,579 he's the typical boy next door. (laughs) 90 00:03:06,603 --> 00:03:09,165 - Meet our own tough and dirty guy, Andy. 91 00:03:09,189 --> 00:03:11,584 - Dice. - Clay, okay, here we go. 92 00:03:11,608 --> 00:03:15,046 Hey, Andrew. (laughing) (audience cheering) 93 00:03:15,070 --> 00:03:18,424 - The Diceman character was a brooding Brooklyn, 94 00:03:18,448 --> 00:03:21,844 street-tough, leather jacket wearing, 95 00:03:21,868 --> 00:03:23,763 {\an8}street-wise character. 96 00:03:23,787 --> 00:03:27,600 {\an8}The type of guy that would probably whistle 97 00:03:27,624 --> 00:03:30,687 or make kissy sounds at a woman walking down the street. 98 00:03:30,711 --> 00:03:32,313 - He's the only person I've ever seen. 99 00:03:32,337 --> 00:03:34,715 (tense music) 100 00:03:35,549 --> 00:03:36,692 Oh! 101 00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:40,071 (tense music) 102 00:03:40,095 --> 00:03:41,698 (Debra laughing) 103 00:03:41,722 --> 00:03:44,575 {\an8}- I was in bed with this broad. 104 00:03:44,599 --> 00:03:46,619 {\an8}- So I'm banging this hoo-wa! 105 00:03:46,643 --> 00:03:47,662 - I'll tell you today, 106 00:03:47,686 --> 00:03:49,956 they don't suck dick the way they used to. 107 00:03:49,980 --> 00:03:51,749 They dabble in it. 108 00:03:51,773 --> 00:03:53,066 - Hey bud, hey yo (beep). 109 00:03:54,526 --> 00:03:55,503 - You guys are the greatest. 110 00:03:55,527 --> 00:03:56,296 What are your names? 111 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,423 Neil and Bob, or is that like, what you do? (laughs) 112 00:03:58,447 --> 00:03:59,383 (audience laughing) 113 00:03:59,407 --> 00:04:00,758 - It was so outrageous. 114 00:04:00,782 --> 00:04:01,884 {\an8}And he was saying things 115 00:04:01,908 --> 00:04:05,221 {\an8}that most people never heard before. 116 00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:07,890 - He went full-tilt with the shock value. 117 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:09,142 - The minute you get her in a bedroom, 118 00:04:09,166 --> 00:04:10,060 you know what you're hearing? 119 00:04:10,084 --> 00:04:11,751 Oh, your my (beep) my. 120 00:04:12,544 --> 00:04:14,564 - It's testosterone-driven humor. 121 00:04:14,588 --> 00:04:15,357 - I know what you're saying. 122 00:04:15,381 --> 00:04:17,817 Cute comic, but he's got an attitude. (laughing) 123 00:04:17,841 --> 00:04:20,987 So (beep) you. (audience laughing) 124 00:04:21,011 --> 00:04:23,573 - Andrew didn't make his debut 125 00:04:23,597 --> 00:04:26,576 {\an8}in a motorcycle jacket 126 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:28,911 {\an8}and being incredibly controversial. 127 00:04:28,935 --> 00:04:30,037 (gentle music) 128 00:04:30,061 --> 00:04:32,606 He kind of found that along the way. 129 00:04:33,482 --> 00:04:35,918 - Clay grew up in Brooklyn in the 1970s. 130 00:04:35,942 --> 00:04:38,671 At the time, there was a mystique about Brooklyn 131 00:04:38,695 --> 00:04:40,423 and popular culture. 132 00:04:40,447 --> 00:04:41,632 There was this fifties revival 133 00:04:41,656 --> 00:04:43,658 as Andrew Dice Clay is growing up. 134 00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:48,514 There was a movie called the "The Lords of Flatbush", 135 00:04:48,538 --> 00:04:50,600 which co-stared before they were famous, 136 00:04:50,624 --> 00:04:52,935 Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler, 137 00:04:52,959 --> 00:04:54,979 Rocky, and the Fonz. 138 00:04:55,003 --> 00:04:57,774 {\an8}♪ Hey, hey, what do you say ♪ 139 00:04:57,798 --> 00:05:00,318 {\an8}It was about street toughs in Brooklyn. 140 00:05:00,342 --> 00:05:03,362 {\an8}♪ Looks like it's gonna be a very fine day ♪ 141 00:05:03,386 --> 00:05:06,616 {\an8}♪ My girl is with me today ♪ 142 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,701 This is the type of thing that spoke to Andrew Dice Clay. 143 00:05:08,725 --> 00:05:11,370 ♪ Gonna be a very fine day ♪ 144 00:05:11,394 --> 00:05:12,163 ♪ Hey ♪ 145 00:05:12,187 --> 00:05:12,956 - Mr. Butchey, 146 00:05:12,980 --> 00:05:15,583 you interested in a little entertainment, man? 147 00:05:15,607 --> 00:05:16,626 - What kind of entertainment? 148 00:05:16,650 --> 00:05:19,069 - Like putting your fist through somebody's face, man? 149 00:05:20,153 --> 00:05:22,423 - [Narrator] "The Lords of Flatbush" was aspirational 150 00:05:22,447 --> 00:05:24,175 to young Andrew Silverstein, 151 00:05:24,199 --> 00:05:27,512 who was still figuring out how to attract the opposite sex. 152 00:05:27,536 --> 00:05:29,138 (80's rock music) 153 00:05:29,162 --> 00:05:32,183 - And so he was very attracted to these characters 154 00:05:32,207 --> 00:05:37,212 and found that he had a real aptitude for impersonations. 155 00:05:37,796 --> 00:05:39,649 When Andrew Dice Clay started as a comedian, 156 00:05:39,673 --> 00:05:41,734 he started as an impressionist. 157 00:05:41,758 --> 00:05:44,695 One of his comedy heroes was Jerry Lewis. 158 00:05:44,719 --> 00:05:46,697 (playful music) (books thudding) 159 00:05:46,721 --> 00:05:48,032 Jerry Lewis' most famous movie 160 00:05:48,056 --> 00:05:49,659 is called "The Nutty Professor". 161 00:05:49,683 --> 00:05:50,452 And in that movie, 162 00:05:50,476 --> 00:05:53,687 he starts off as a gawkish, nerdy professor 163 00:05:54,813 --> 00:05:57,023 who drinks a test tube serum, 164 00:05:58,066 --> 00:06:00,694 and suddenly turns into this guy named Buddy Love, 165 00:06:01,653 --> 00:06:05,675 who's a brooding, pacing, angry, dour, 166 00:06:05,699 --> 00:06:07,969 chain-smoking son of a bitch. 167 00:06:07,993 --> 00:06:11,514 (pensive music) 168 00:06:11,538 --> 00:06:14,183 And one of Andrew dyes Clay's best impressions 169 00:06:14,207 --> 00:06:15,476 was of Jerry Lewis. 170 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:19,188 - What I have done is put together a formula 171 00:06:19,212 --> 00:06:22,149 which can turn you into that type of macho man 172 00:06:22,173 --> 00:06:24,652 or foxy woman, 173 00:06:24,676 --> 00:06:25,677 or both. 174 00:06:26,887 --> 00:06:27,656 (Andrew laughing) 175 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,241 {\an8}- He'd come out first as the nutty professor. 176 00:06:30,265 --> 00:06:32,994 {\an8}And he had the buck teeth and the coat 177 00:06:33,018 --> 00:06:34,870 and he'd do (quirky laughing). 178 00:06:34,894 --> 00:06:38,040 - He would impersonate Jerry Lewis as the nutty professor, 179 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:39,001 take the serum. 180 00:06:39,025 --> 00:06:40,751 - So I'm gonna try a little, just to see what happens. 181 00:06:40,775 --> 00:06:42,753 One second. (lips smacking) 182 00:06:42,777 --> 00:06:43,547 (Andrew exclaims) 183 00:06:43,571 --> 00:06:45,464 - And then he would throw off the coat. 184 00:06:45,488 --> 00:06:48,509 - And then turn into a different impression. 185 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:50,219 Maybe John Travolta. 186 00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:55,248 (70's disco music) (audience clapping) 187 00:06:57,500 --> 00:06:59,478 Maybe Sylvester Stallone. 188 00:06:59,502 --> 00:07:04,400 ("Rocky Theme Song") (audience clapping) 189 00:07:04,424 --> 00:07:06,444 - And then the music would end. 190 00:07:06,468 --> 00:07:08,112 (dramatic chord) 191 00:07:08,136 --> 00:07:10,698 (audience clapping) 192 00:07:10,722 --> 00:07:13,784 (swanky 70's music) 193 00:07:13,808 --> 00:07:15,828 (audience laughing) 194 00:07:15,852 --> 00:07:18,789 And he would stand there for a good 30 seconds to a minute 195 00:07:18,813 --> 00:07:20,875 getting big laughs, just doing poses. 196 00:07:20,899 --> 00:07:23,961 (audience laughing) 197 00:07:23,985 --> 00:07:24,922 And then he'd go. 198 00:07:24,946 --> 00:07:26,547 (silly laughing) 199 00:07:26,571 --> 00:07:28,799 And that would get a huge laugh. 200 00:07:28,823 --> 00:07:31,969 (pensive music) 201 00:07:31,993 --> 00:07:33,721 - [Narrator] Dice debuted his earliest act 202 00:07:33,745 --> 00:07:36,790 at Pips in Brooklyn, but it was a small pond. 203 00:07:38,375 --> 00:07:40,895 Convinced he was destined for bigger things, 204 00:07:40,919 --> 00:07:42,462 Andrew packed up for Hollywood. 205 00:07:43,797 --> 00:07:47,818 (glitzy Hollywood music) 206 00:07:47,842 --> 00:07:49,946 - [Announcer] From Sunset Strip in Hollywood, 207 00:07:49,970 --> 00:07:53,407 it's live from the The Comedy Store. 208 00:07:53,431 --> 00:07:55,660 (glitzy Hollywood music) 209 00:07:55,684 --> 00:07:57,912 - The Comedy Store was one of the biggest showcase clubs 210 00:07:57,936 --> 00:07:59,312 for comedians in the country. 211 00:08:00,855 --> 00:08:03,334 - I would go on at The Comedy Store early, 212 00:08:03,358 --> 00:08:07,380 and then I would just sit back and watch Richard Pryor 213 00:08:07,404 --> 00:08:08,506 and Steve Martin, 214 00:08:08,530 --> 00:08:10,949 Robin Williams would get up with Martin Short. 215 00:08:12,242 --> 00:08:14,720 - [Narrator] Dice managed to land a gig at the esteemed club 216 00:08:14,744 --> 00:08:16,681 where so many comedy greats before him 217 00:08:16,705 --> 00:08:17,974 had gotten their start. 218 00:08:17,998 --> 00:08:19,767 {\an8}(light jazz music) 219 00:08:19,791 --> 00:08:21,894 {\an8}- I happen to be Paul Rodriguez. 220 00:08:21,918 --> 00:08:23,437 {\an8}How do I know Andrew D. Clay? 221 00:08:23,461 --> 00:08:24,772 Who doesn't know Andy? 222 00:08:24,796 --> 00:08:27,858 I remember we were the come-uppers at The Comedy Store, 223 00:08:27,882 --> 00:08:29,944 but he always would tell me, you watch, Rod. 224 00:08:29,968 --> 00:08:31,636 I'm gonna fill out stadiums. 225 00:08:32,887 --> 00:08:35,157 {\an8}- [Andrew] Always want to do something special 226 00:08:35,181 --> 00:08:35,909 {\an8}with my life. 227 00:08:35,933 --> 00:08:38,160 {\an8}You know, like even when I'd be in high school 228 00:08:38,184 --> 00:08:39,870 {\an8}and I'd be failing everything. 229 00:08:39,894 --> 00:08:40,664 {\an8}- Yeah. - You know. 230 00:08:40,688 --> 00:08:41,706 My mother would go, Andrew, 231 00:08:41,730 --> 00:08:43,165 what are you gonna do when you get outta school? 232 00:08:43,189 --> 00:08:44,333 And I'm going, what do you think? 233 00:08:44,357 --> 00:08:45,501 I'm gonna, I'll be a movie star. 234 00:08:45,525 --> 00:08:46,294 Don't worry about it. 235 00:08:46,318 --> 00:08:47,670 You'll have everything you need. 236 00:08:47,694 --> 00:08:48,547 - [Interviewer] Ah ha. 237 00:08:48,571 --> 00:08:51,006 (reflective music) 238 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:53,009 - [Narrator] If Andrew was gonna be the biggest star, 239 00:08:53,033 --> 00:08:55,326 he would need as much stage time as possible. 240 00:08:57,037 --> 00:08:58,597 {\an8}- You know what Dice would do? 241 00:08:58,621 --> 00:09:00,933 {\an8}He would go to movie theaters. 242 00:09:00,957 --> 00:09:03,251 {\an8}He would take a boombox. 243 00:09:04,169 --> 00:09:06,522 This is before they did commercials. 244 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:10,359 Dice would take a boombox down there and just go, 245 00:09:10,383 --> 00:09:11,777 ladies and gentlemen, 246 00:09:11,801 --> 00:09:13,612 I'm Andrew Silverstein! 247 00:09:13,636 --> 00:09:15,906 And you're about to be entertained. 248 00:09:15,930 --> 00:09:16,949 (audience clapping) 249 00:09:16,973 --> 00:09:19,851 He would do Jerry Lewis, Fonzi. 250 00:09:20,977 --> 00:09:23,039 He did it every Friday and Saturday night 251 00:09:23,063 --> 00:09:24,355 for maybe six months. 252 00:09:25,148 --> 00:09:26,792 - [Narrator] Word of his movie theater shtick 253 00:09:26,816 --> 00:09:28,711 made it all the way to Mitzi Shore, 254 00:09:28,735 --> 00:09:30,361 The Comedy Store's queen bee. 255 00:09:31,863 --> 00:09:34,049 - [Mike] He got so good, Mitzi heard about it 256 00:09:34,073 --> 00:09:36,385 and she gave him more spots. 257 00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:37,720 (upbeat jazzy music) 258 00:09:37,744 --> 00:09:39,430 - [Narrator] Andrew Silverstein is one of dozens 259 00:09:39,454 --> 00:09:41,182 of comedians getting their start 260 00:09:41,206 --> 00:09:44,125 at what would become the comedy boom of the 1980s. 261 00:09:45,668 --> 00:09:47,646 - I lived at the Crest Hill House 262 00:09:47,670 --> 00:09:50,066 in the hills above the comedy store. 263 00:09:50,090 --> 00:09:53,110 My housemates included Andrew Dice Clay. 264 00:09:53,134 --> 00:09:54,195 - It was just a place 265 00:09:54,219 --> 00:09:56,489 where we would talk about the last night's set 266 00:09:56,513 --> 00:09:58,073 or who's moving up. 267 00:09:58,097 --> 00:10:00,493 Who got a TV spot. 268 00:10:00,517 --> 00:10:03,102 We were all kind of Clay wannabes. 269 00:10:04,020 --> 00:10:06,123 He had kind of the look and the swagger 270 00:10:06,147 --> 00:10:08,191 that women seemed to gravitate toward. 271 00:10:09,067 --> 00:10:11,629 He'd come up to me, he'd say, hey, fish cakes. 272 00:10:11,653 --> 00:10:13,547 What'd you think of the doll? 273 00:10:13,571 --> 00:10:15,090 She's a dish. 274 00:10:15,114 --> 00:10:16,133 (upbeat jazzy music) 275 00:10:16,157 --> 00:10:20,763 He was not the dirty comic that he ended up being. 276 00:10:20,787 --> 00:10:24,850 But he always had that sort of Diceman persona. 277 00:10:24,874 --> 00:10:27,561 (upbeat jazzy music) 278 00:10:27,585 --> 00:10:30,523 - Some of the most successful standup comedy 279 00:10:30,547 --> 00:10:33,067 is about attitude. 280 00:10:33,091 --> 00:10:37,321 And you can't really create attitude. 281 00:10:37,345 --> 00:10:40,324 It's sort of an organic process. 282 00:10:40,348 --> 00:10:42,618 - This big blonde nurse comes walking in 283 00:10:42,642 --> 00:10:45,228 and shoves a plastic nipple in my mouth. 284 00:10:46,312 --> 00:10:48,749 I look at her, I say, sweetheart, 285 00:10:48,773 --> 00:10:49,709 who you teasing? 286 00:10:49,733 --> 00:10:52,127 Come on honey. (audience laughing) 287 00:10:52,151 --> 00:10:53,712 - He would always be put on late. 288 00:10:53,736 --> 00:10:55,005 And so he'd get hecklers, 289 00:10:55,029 --> 00:10:57,800 these kind of drunk people would just yell stuff at him. 290 00:10:57,824 --> 00:10:58,593 - You're great a guy- 291 00:10:58,617 --> 00:11:00,970 - Your answer to better sex! - What's that? 292 00:11:00,994 --> 00:11:02,680 - [Man In Audience] Your answer to better sex. 293 00:11:02,704 --> 00:11:04,890 - He would still be in that tough guy character. 294 00:11:04,914 --> 00:11:06,666 - My answer to better sex? 295 00:11:09,043 --> 00:11:10,312 Get a new wife. (scoffs) 296 00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:11,730 (audience laughing) 297 00:11:11,754 --> 00:11:16,569 - He realized that the dirtier the put down to the heckler, 298 00:11:16,593 --> 00:11:18,320 the bigger laughs he would get. 299 00:11:18,344 --> 00:11:19,613 - You don't meet too many people 300 00:11:19,637 --> 00:11:21,073 that have a face like a snatch. 301 00:11:21,097 --> 00:11:22,825 I just want you to know that. 302 00:11:22,849 --> 00:11:24,910 Bottom line, you suck a good dick, yes or no? 303 00:11:24,934 --> 00:11:25,704 (audience laughing) 304 00:11:25,728 --> 00:11:27,371 They see the stretch marks around her mouth from here, 305 00:11:27,395 --> 00:11:30,165 who we bull shitting? (audience laughing) 306 00:11:30,189 --> 00:11:34,003 {\an8}- So Dice went up on stage and tried a million things. 307 00:11:34,027 --> 00:11:37,006 {\an8}Those million things could be aspects of his personality, 308 00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:37,883 {\an8}this and that. 309 00:11:37,907 --> 00:11:40,175 But the Dice character is the one that stuck. 310 00:11:40,199 --> 00:11:42,595 - One time I come walking in a little late. 311 00:11:42,619 --> 00:11:46,056 Teacher tries to embarrass me. (laughs) 312 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:47,141 She goes, hey Dice, 313 00:11:47,165 --> 00:11:49,977 what's the difference between two eights and three eights? 314 00:11:50,001 --> 00:11:52,146 I said, that's what I said, teach. (scoffs) 315 00:11:52,170 --> 00:11:54,982 What's the (beep) difference? (audience laughing) 316 00:11:55,006 --> 00:11:57,484 Now pour me a cup coffee. 317 00:11:57,508 --> 00:11:58,736 She'd be like, hey Dice! 318 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,447 What's the difference between two eights and three eights? 319 00:12:01,471 --> 00:12:02,698 I said, that's what I say, honey, 320 00:12:02,722 --> 00:12:06,118 what's the (beep) difference? (audience laughing) 321 00:12:06,142 --> 00:12:08,203 Now get over here and blow me, huh? 322 00:12:08,227 --> 00:12:11,040 (audience laughing) 323 00:12:11,064 --> 00:12:12,374 Thanks a lot. (audience cheering) 324 00:12:12,398 --> 00:12:15,044 - So when Andrew Dice Clay was developing his character, 325 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:19,757 he learns that sexism, homophobia, 326 00:12:19,781 --> 00:12:22,635 those types of things are getting a reaction 327 00:12:22,659 --> 00:12:25,095 and he chooses to follow that path. 328 00:12:25,119 --> 00:12:28,390 - How can one man take another man's penis in his mouth, 329 00:12:28,414 --> 00:12:30,559 after it's been in his ass for three hours? 330 00:12:30,583 --> 00:12:31,352 (audience laughing) 331 00:12:31,376 --> 00:12:32,229 Hey, let me tell you something, 332 00:12:32,253 --> 00:12:35,397 I (beep) this lady four times already today, all right. 333 00:12:35,421 --> 00:12:38,609 Catch me early evenings, you (beep) cheap bastard. 334 00:12:38,633 --> 00:12:40,027 (audience laughing) 335 00:12:40,051 --> 00:12:42,404 You slanty-eyed (beep) sucker, what you are. 336 00:12:42,428 --> 00:12:43,198 (audience laughing) 337 00:12:43,222 --> 00:12:47,409 - So there's an ethical and moral quandary at play. 338 00:12:47,433 --> 00:12:49,912 You're either going to step away from, 339 00:12:49,936 --> 00:12:51,872 or you're gonna jump into it. 340 00:12:51,896 --> 00:12:54,208 (tense music) 341 00:12:54,232 --> 00:12:56,669 And Andrew Dice Clay jumped into it. 342 00:12:56,693 --> 00:12:59,070 (tense music) 343 00:13:08,079 --> 00:13:10,665 (pensive music) 344 00:13:14,460 --> 00:13:16,105 - [Narrator] As Andrew Dice Clay doubled down 345 00:13:16,129 --> 00:13:18,107 on his offensive brand of humor. 346 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:20,234 - People get pissed off, cause I'm a little off color. 347 00:13:20,258 --> 00:13:21,277 What do I do? 348 00:13:21,301 --> 00:13:22,070 I talk about people. 349 00:13:22,094 --> 00:13:25,197 It's like you got herpes, AIDS and (beep)-itus. 350 00:13:25,221 --> 00:13:28,450 They never heard of soap, these(beep) people, right? 351 00:13:28,474 --> 00:13:30,452 - [Narrator] His career skyrocketed to 352 00:13:30,476 --> 00:13:32,204 new levels of fame. 353 00:13:32,228 --> 00:13:33,205 By the late eighties, 354 00:13:33,229 --> 00:13:34,581 he'd taken his act all the way 355 00:13:34,605 --> 00:13:37,376 to massive arenas across America. 356 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:39,253 - Oh Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard 357 00:13:39,277 --> 00:13:40,963 to get her old dog a bone. 358 00:13:40,987 --> 00:13:42,506 She bent over! 359 00:13:42,530 --> 00:13:44,550 - [Audience] She got a bone of her own! 360 00:13:44,574 --> 00:13:46,510 - Oh, she got a bone of her own! 361 00:13:46,534 --> 00:13:50,222 (audience cheering) 362 00:13:50,246 --> 00:13:53,100 Oh, you're un (beep) believable. 363 00:13:53,124 --> 00:13:56,270 - [Narrator] In 1990, he became one of the first comedians 364 00:13:56,294 --> 00:13:58,731 to sell out Madison Square Garden. 365 00:13:58,755 --> 00:14:02,776 {\an8}- I remember watching Dice perform back then. 366 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:06,780 {\an8}I went, oh, comedy is now, 367 00:14:06,804 --> 00:14:07,889 you're a rockstar. 368 00:14:08,723 --> 00:14:10,159 You can become a rockstar. 369 00:14:10,183 --> 00:14:12,828 - They don't have a championship belt for comedians 370 00:14:12,852 --> 00:14:13,621 but if they did, 371 00:14:13,645 --> 00:14:16,373 I would be the undisputed comedy king. 372 00:14:16,397 --> 00:14:17,167 (audience cheering) 373 00:14:17,191 --> 00:14:18,292 - [Narrator] Over two sold out nights, 374 00:14:18,316 --> 00:14:22,504 he performed for close to 40,000 die hard fans. 375 00:14:22,528 --> 00:14:24,631 {\an8}- In the world of comedy, in 1990, 376 00:14:24,655 --> 00:14:29,136 {\an8}Andrew Dice Clay was a big blip on the cultural radar. 377 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,472 - [Narrator] And about to get even bigger. 378 00:14:31,496 --> 00:14:35,309 20th Century Fox signs Dice up for a three-picture deal 379 00:14:35,333 --> 00:14:38,377 with his first starring roll in a major motion picture. 380 00:14:40,338 --> 00:14:42,107 (lighter flickers) 381 00:14:42,131 --> 00:14:43,358 On the heels of signing, 382 00:14:43,382 --> 00:14:46,445 Saturday Night Live creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, 383 00:14:46,469 --> 00:14:50,056 invites Dice to host the Mother's Day Special of SNL. 384 00:14:51,224 --> 00:14:54,203 {\an8}- Saturday Night Live always likes to book hosts 385 00:14:54,227 --> 00:14:56,538 {\an8}that are in the news, that are in the zeitgeist. 386 00:14:56,562 --> 00:14:58,916 {\an8}- Since he was a controversial figure, 387 00:14:58,940 --> 00:15:01,794 {\an8}there were people who were of course, upset about that. 388 00:15:01,818 --> 00:15:03,670 {\an8}(pensive music) 389 00:15:03,694 --> 00:15:07,299 - Nora Dunn, one of the women in the cast at that time, 390 00:15:07,323 --> 00:15:11,512 really objected, not just to Andrew Dice Clay's act, 391 00:15:11,536 --> 00:15:14,890 but the almost tasked approval 392 00:15:14,914 --> 00:15:18,626 that his act is getting by SNL allowing him to host. 393 00:15:19,752 --> 00:15:21,438 - [Narrator] In an unprecedented move, 394 00:15:21,462 --> 00:15:23,440 seasoned cast member, Nora Dunn, 395 00:15:23,464 --> 00:15:25,317 and musical guest, Sinead O'Connor, 396 00:15:25,341 --> 00:15:28,594 announced they would not be performing on the Dice episode. 397 00:15:30,805 --> 00:15:32,074 - [Reporter] Cast player, Nora Dunn, 398 00:15:32,098 --> 00:15:33,700 says that she won't appear because she says 399 00:15:33,724 --> 00:15:35,953 that Clay's humor is offensive to women. 400 00:15:35,977 --> 00:15:37,395 - I built up a sweat. 401 00:15:38,229 --> 00:15:41,291 I pulled her hair, wrap 'em in the head a few times. 402 00:15:41,315 --> 00:15:43,293 {\an8}- It's not about foul-mouth or any, 403 00:15:43,317 --> 00:15:44,962 {\an8}it's not about offensive words. 404 00:15:44,986 --> 00:15:47,089 - (beep) Pig. (audience laughing) 405 00:15:47,113 --> 00:15:49,800 - Howl skank, you know, turn on words. 406 00:15:49,824 --> 00:15:51,051 {\an8}- It's about what he stands for. 407 00:15:51,075 --> 00:15:52,261 {\an8}It's that kind of thought. 408 00:15:52,285 --> 00:15:54,304 And I think that's a dangerous kind of thought 409 00:15:54,328 --> 00:15:57,039 {\an8}and I don't think we should be promoting it in any way. 410 00:15:58,583 --> 00:16:00,352 {\an8}For me, it was just a no-brainer 411 00:16:00,376 --> 00:16:03,588 {\an8}because he was so famously, you know, homophobic. 412 00:16:04,463 --> 00:16:05,941 And I lived in the West Village. 413 00:16:05,965 --> 00:16:07,234 So when he had his shows, 414 00:16:07,258 --> 00:16:08,819 we had a lot of thugs that would come down 415 00:16:08,843 --> 00:16:10,320 and try to beat gays up. 416 00:16:10,344 --> 00:16:13,031 And you know, people were repeating the 417 00:16:13,055 --> 00:16:15,433 It's just, you know, garbage is garbage. 418 00:16:17,185 --> 00:16:20,330 - [James] As soon as Nora went public with her feelings, 419 00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:21,373 almost immediately, 420 00:16:21,397 --> 00:16:23,900 people were waiting for Lorne's reaction. 421 00:16:25,693 --> 00:16:29,047 - When you have a cast member boycotting the show, 422 00:16:29,071 --> 00:16:31,133 you would hope that the people at the top 423 00:16:31,157 --> 00:16:34,303 would put some thought into, is this the right decision. 424 00:16:34,327 --> 00:16:37,014 - Mr. Michaels, with all the singers, actors, 425 00:16:37,038 --> 00:16:38,307 politicians and comedians 426 00:16:38,331 --> 00:16:40,893 who are dying to be on Saturday Night Live, 427 00:16:40,917 --> 00:16:43,437 why of all people, did you choose Andrew Dice Clay? 428 00:16:43,461 --> 00:16:45,314 Why you decide to give him that forum? 429 00:16:45,338 --> 00:16:47,691 - Giving people like that a platform, 430 00:16:47,715 --> 00:16:50,277 humanizing them, making them more approachable, 431 00:16:50,301 --> 00:16:52,446 is that the right thing to do? 432 00:16:52,470 --> 00:16:53,239 - I don't think that we're 433 00:16:53,263 --> 00:16:55,115 so much presenting a platform for him 434 00:16:55,139 --> 00:16:57,868 as inviting him to be on Saturday Night Live, 435 00:16:57,892 --> 00:17:02,164 which then means that we will be working with him 436 00:17:02,188 --> 00:17:02,916 for the week. 437 00:17:02,940 --> 00:17:06,210 And the show will still be written. 438 00:17:06,234 --> 00:17:07,377 {\an8}- [Nora] You know, Lorne, 439 00:17:07,401 --> 00:17:08,171 {\an8}he drew his line in the sand. 440 00:17:08,195 --> 00:17:09,546 {\an8}He didn't listen to anybody 441 00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:10,964 {\an8}because everybody was telling him, 442 00:17:10,988 --> 00:17:12,466 {\an8}look, you gotta back out of this host. 443 00:17:12,490 --> 00:17:14,259 {\an8}He's just wrong. 444 00:17:14,283 --> 00:17:16,428 (reflective music) 445 00:17:16,452 --> 00:17:19,389 - [Narrator] Dice didn't agree, there was a problem. 446 00:17:19,413 --> 00:17:21,058 - He was like, they don't get me! 447 00:17:21,082 --> 00:17:23,727 (indistinct) They don't get me! 448 00:17:23,751 --> 00:17:25,354 - [Narrator] The public controversy over Dice 449 00:17:25,378 --> 00:17:28,673 becomes a source of tension behind the scenes at SNL. 450 00:17:30,758 --> 00:17:33,528 - There was not a lot of solidarity among the cast 451 00:17:33,552 --> 00:17:35,572 who were willing to stand with her 452 00:17:35,596 --> 00:17:37,598 and also refused to participate. 453 00:17:38,432 --> 00:17:41,828 - [Narrator] While Nora is alienated by her SNL family, 454 00:17:41,852 --> 00:17:43,705 NBC is forced to beef up security 455 00:17:43,729 --> 00:17:46,774 after receiving over a thousand angry phone calls. 456 00:17:48,442 --> 00:17:50,545 - I was there that night. 457 00:17:50,569 --> 00:17:51,922 He was nervous. 458 00:17:51,946 --> 00:17:54,800 The energy that night at SNL 459 00:17:54,824 --> 00:17:57,511 was so tense. 460 00:17:57,535 --> 00:18:00,472 {\an8}There's almost, you felt, that they were hoping Andrew 461 00:18:00,496 --> 00:18:04,476 {\an8}had just told him to kiss off and not showed up, 462 00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:05,602 but that wasn't him. 463 00:18:05,626 --> 00:18:07,938 - I mean, they just proceeded with the show. 464 00:18:07,962 --> 00:18:09,606 {\an8}(tense music) 465 00:18:09,630 --> 00:18:10,400 {\an8}- [Narrator] The show kicks off 466 00:18:10,424 --> 00:18:12,174 {\an8}with a nod to the controversy. 467 00:18:13,509 --> 00:18:15,862 {\an8}- The writers thought, well, this is like a blessing. 468 00:18:15,886 --> 00:18:17,489 {\an8}Let's just take this on. 469 00:18:17,513 --> 00:18:18,513 {\an8}And let's just own it. 470 00:18:19,682 --> 00:18:22,577 Not only were they not trying to bury the controversy, 471 00:18:22,601 --> 00:18:24,871 they raised it up the flag pole and saluted it 472 00:18:24,895 --> 00:18:26,564 right at the beginning of the show. 473 00:18:27,940 --> 00:18:29,710 - Why is this happening to me? 474 00:18:29,734 --> 00:18:32,212 All this fuss over one stinking show. 475 00:18:32,236 --> 00:18:36,466 I never meant to hurt nobody. (sobbing) 476 00:18:36,490 --> 00:18:39,553 Look at me, I'm crying like a chick. 477 00:18:39,577 --> 00:18:41,471 (audience laughing) 478 00:18:41,495 --> 00:18:43,598 That's it, there's no point in going on anymore. 479 00:18:43,622 --> 00:18:46,059 The Diceman's checking out. 480 00:18:46,083 --> 00:18:48,562 - [Devil] I wouldn't do that, if I were you. 481 00:18:48,586 --> 00:18:50,230 (suspenseful music) 482 00:18:50,254 --> 00:18:50,982 (audience laughing) 483 00:18:51,006 --> 00:18:53,191 - [Narrator] In a parody of "It's a Wonderful Life", 484 00:18:53,215 --> 00:18:54,693 Dice learns what would've happened 485 00:18:54,717 --> 00:18:58,363 if he had never been born or hosted SNL. 486 00:18:58,387 --> 00:19:01,325 - Behold. (dramatic music) 487 00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:02,868 - [Andrew] What is that? 488 00:19:02,892 --> 00:19:07,730 - That is Nora Dunn. (audience cheering) 489 00:19:11,442 --> 00:19:14,338 (Devil laughs) 490 00:19:14,362 --> 00:19:15,964 Because you were never born, 491 00:19:15,988 --> 00:19:17,573 she was here that night 492 00:19:18,532 --> 00:19:20,427 and was accidentally crushed 493 00:19:20,451 --> 00:19:23,305 by Sinead O'Connor's amplifier. 494 00:19:23,329 --> 00:19:25,932 (audience laughing) 495 00:19:25,956 --> 00:19:27,684 - [Andrew] That's awful. 496 00:19:27,708 --> 00:19:30,520 {\an8}- Writing a sketch about killing Nora Dunn. 497 00:19:30,544 --> 00:19:34,024 {\an8}It just doesn't strike me as very clever. 498 00:19:34,048 --> 00:19:36,193 And it doesn't seem funny. 499 00:19:36,217 --> 00:19:39,279 I think it was a mistake for Lorne to do that. 500 00:19:39,303 --> 00:19:42,657 I completely understood why Nora Dunn did what she did. 501 00:19:42,681 --> 00:19:46,328 Andrew Dice Clay at that time had tipped over. 502 00:19:46,352 --> 00:19:48,288 You shouldn't give him that spot. 503 00:19:48,312 --> 00:19:50,165 (pensive music) 504 00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:52,417 (audience cheering) 505 00:19:52,441 --> 00:19:54,944 - [Narrator] Dice goes on to perform his role as host. 506 00:19:55,945 --> 00:19:56,839 - I'll tell ya something, 507 00:19:56,863 --> 00:20:01,218 some of you might recognize this particular jacket because, 508 00:20:01,242 --> 00:20:02,844 {\an8}you see, the only other time I wore this jacket- 509 00:20:02,868 --> 00:20:05,055 {\an8}- [Members In Audience] Racist, sexist and anti-gay! 510 00:20:05,079 --> 00:20:06,079 Clay, go away! 511 00:20:06,997 --> 00:20:09,101 - All right, snapper heads, sit down, shut your mouth 512 00:20:09,125 --> 00:20:11,311 and pay attention, all right? 513 00:20:11,335 --> 00:20:12,562 - [Narrator] Moments into his monologue, 514 00:20:12,586 --> 00:20:14,773 there's an angry interruption. 515 00:20:14,797 --> 00:20:17,109 - Oh, relax, would you? (audience members yelling) 516 00:20:17,133 --> 00:20:18,360 - [Narrator] Despite the extra security, 517 00:20:18,384 --> 00:20:20,195 Dice haters had found their way in. 518 00:20:20,219 --> 00:20:20,987 (audience members yelling) 519 00:20:21,011 --> 00:20:21,781 - That's the type of guy 520 00:20:21,805 --> 00:20:22,906 that hangs out in men's room 521 00:20:22,930 --> 00:20:25,450 to smell other people's crap all day long. 522 00:20:25,474 --> 00:20:27,119 - [Narrator] The crowd applauds Dice's handling 523 00:20:27,143 --> 00:20:28,537 of the heckler. 524 00:20:28,561 --> 00:20:31,206 The rest of the episode proceeds without incident. 525 00:20:31,230 --> 00:20:32,958 - You call Claude. - All right. 526 00:20:32,982 --> 00:20:34,668 - You tell 'em the Diceman sent ya. 527 00:20:34,692 --> 00:20:36,294 All right? - All right, I will. 528 00:20:36,318 --> 00:20:38,714 - [Narrator] But NBC continues to receive complaints 529 00:20:38,738 --> 00:20:39,840 about the episode. 530 00:20:39,864 --> 00:20:41,675 {\an8}(pensive music) 531 00:20:41,699 --> 00:20:43,093 {\an8}The controversy easily helps 532 00:20:43,117 --> 00:20:45,512 draw the highest ratings of the season. 533 00:20:45,536 --> 00:20:47,472 (pensive music) 534 00:20:47,496 --> 00:20:49,891 - And he felt like he was on top of the world 535 00:20:49,915 --> 00:20:51,268 and no one could touch him 536 00:20:51,292 --> 00:20:54,479 and he was just the Diceman and that was it. 537 00:20:54,503 --> 00:20:55,897 - Saturday Night Live, did you have a great time? 538 00:20:55,921 --> 00:20:57,983 (audience cheering) 539 00:20:58,007 --> 00:21:01,695 All right, and I wanna say happy Mothers Day to my mother 540 00:21:01,719 --> 00:21:03,572 and every other mother out there. 541 00:21:03,596 --> 00:21:04,865 Take care. (audience clapping) 542 00:21:04,889 --> 00:21:06,366 - [Narrator] But not everyone came away 543 00:21:06,390 --> 00:21:08,184 from the controversy unscathed. 544 00:21:10,019 --> 00:21:11,413 {\an8}- I didn't understand that 545 00:21:11,437 --> 00:21:13,081 {\an8}it wasn't just Saturday Night Live. 546 00:21:13,105 --> 00:21:14,106 {\an8}It was NBC. 547 00:21:15,608 --> 00:21:18,545 {\an8}And I didn't realize how serious that was. 548 00:21:18,569 --> 00:21:21,197 (tense music) 549 00:21:27,286 --> 00:21:29,872 (pensive music) 550 00:21:30,873 --> 00:21:32,082 - I'm a tiger, 551 00:21:33,417 --> 00:21:35,604 not a wild animal. 552 00:21:35,628 --> 00:21:37,063 - [Narrator] By 1990, 553 00:21:37,087 --> 00:21:38,899 Nora Dunn was one of Saturday Night Live's 554 00:21:38,923 --> 00:21:40,650 longest serving female players. 555 00:21:40,674 --> 00:21:42,611 - Hello, everybody, hello. 556 00:21:42,635 --> 00:21:44,654 Welcome to the Pat Stevens show, I'm Pat Stevens. 557 00:21:44,678 --> 00:21:45,822 - [Narrator] With several seasons 558 00:21:45,846 --> 00:21:47,973 of skilled impressions under her belt, 559 00:21:48,807 --> 00:21:50,785 her tenure in the cast didn't shield her 560 00:21:50,809 --> 00:21:54,688 from getting dragged in the press by NBC and SNL. 561 00:21:55,689 --> 00:21:57,042 {\an8}- [Nora's] I had a friend of mine 562 00:21:57,066 --> 00:21:59,669 {\an8}who worked for Associated Press call me to say, 563 00:21:59,693 --> 00:22:01,588 have you seen the release 564 00:22:01,612 --> 00:22:03,697 that's going to be in the paper tomorrow? 565 00:22:04,698 --> 00:22:06,676 So he said, the best thing you can do is make a statement, 566 00:22:06,700 --> 00:22:08,678 put it on the wire now. 567 00:22:08,702 --> 00:22:10,764 So I did and then they withdrew theirs, 568 00:22:10,788 --> 00:22:11,788 when they saw it. 569 00:22:12,665 --> 00:22:15,018 - [Narrator] Nora painted a very different picture. 570 00:22:15,042 --> 00:22:16,812 She was leaving the show on her own terms 571 00:22:16,836 --> 00:22:19,129 and had given notice earlier in the season. 572 00:22:20,256 --> 00:22:22,609 - [Nora] I only had one show to do after that. 573 00:22:22,633 --> 00:22:25,612 And my contract was up and I had done enough sketches. 574 00:22:25,636 --> 00:22:26,655 And my plan was, you know, 575 00:22:26,679 --> 00:22:28,847 that I was gonna be moving out to LA. 576 00:22:29,890 --> 00:22:31,743 - [Narrator] And the damage to her reputation 577 00:22:31,767 --> 00:22:33,453 had already been done. 578 00:22:33,477 --> 00:22:35,121 (somber music) 579 00:22:35,145 --> 00:22:37,624 Though Nora was alienated for speaking out, 580 00:22:37,648 --> 00:22:39,650 the boycott got people thinking. 581 00:22:42,403 --> 00:22:44,005 - Everybody in comedy 582 00:22:44,029 --> 00:22:45,924 has to have an opinion on it at the time. 583 00:22:45,948 --> 00:22:47,717 Everybody is talking about it. 584 00:22:47,741 --> 00:22:49,970 And it created, just like today, 585 00:22:49,994 --> 00:22:53,682 a huge debate about the role of comedy. 586 00:22:53,706 --> 00:22:58,019 {\an8}- This sort of comedy cashes in on an atmosphere 587 00:22:58,043 --> 00:23:00,981 {\an8}that is increasingly intimidating to women. 588 00:23:01,005 --> 00:23:03,942 - Is it creating harm in some way? 589 00:23:03,966 --> 00:23:06,778 Is it creating levity, making light? 590 00:23:06,802 --> 00:23:08,655 Is it satirizing bad things? 591 00:23:08,679 --> 00:23:10,657 - [Caller] And I was wondering 592 00:23:10,681 --> 00:23:12,409 if you had any opinion to that. 593 00:23:12,433 --> 00:23:15,203 - Comedy traditionally has picked on people in power, 594 00:23:15,227 --> 00:23:16,705 people who abuse their power. 595 00:23:16,729 --> 00:23:18,832 Women and gays and immigrants are kind of, 596 00:23:18,856 --> 00:23:20,333 to my way of thinking, underdogs. 597 00:23:20,357 --> 00:23:21,376 - If you don't like somebody act, 598 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:22,752 you vote with your feet, you don't go to it. 599 00:23:22,776 --> 00:23:23,795 You don't go to act, you don't care. 600 00:23:23,819 --> 00:23:24,899 - Do you like the act? - No. 601 00:23:25,946 --> 00:23:28,425 - This same debate that we hear today, 602 00:23:28,449 --> 00:23:30,552 it really started with Andrew Dice Clay. 603 00:23:30,576 --> 00:23:33,138 (reflective music) 604 00:23:33,162 --> 00:23:35,998 - [Debra] When does comedy go too far and promote hate? 605 00:23:37,207 --> 00:23:39,144 {\an8}- I think the difference comes down to 606 00:23:39,168 --> 00:23:41,187 {\an8}what are people taking away from it. 607 00:23:41,211 --> 00:23:44,774 {\an8}- Because it is such a larger than life personality, 608 00:23:44,798 --> 00:23:47,902 {\an8}you would assume that it wasn't necessarily true. 609 00:23:47,926 --> 00:23:51,740 - Andrew Dice Clay is not Andrew, Andy. 610 00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:52,866 {\an8}He's a character. 611 00:23:52,890 --> 00:23:54,910 {\an8}He's misogynistic. 612 00:23:54,934 --> 00:23:56,828 He's over masculine. 613 00:23:56,852 --> 00:23:59,456 He's a testosterone monster. 614 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,292 {\an8}That's not the guy that I know off stage. 615 00:24:02,316 --> 00:24:07,321 {\an8}- I think people have read too much into a stage character, 616 00:24:08,072 --> 00:24:10,884 you know, and they just have it 617 00:24:10,908 --> 00:24:12,260 all screwed up in their heads. 618 00:24:12,284 --> 00:24:15,889 - For a comedian to create a character 619 00:24:15,913 --> 00:24:20,560 that is rooted in sexism, racism, and homophobia, 620 00:24:20,584 --> 00:24:22,937 but they're saying, oh, but it's just a character. 621 00:24:22,961 --> 00:24:25,774 Well, is the audience picking up on that nuance? 622 00:24:25,798 --> 00:24:27,901 - In Brooklyn, we don't have any gay people. 623 00:24:27,925 --> 00:24:30,570 They're all dead. (laughs) (audience laughing) 624 00:24:30,594 --> 00:24:32,822 All we got is a big sign that says welcome to Brooklyn. 625 00:24:32,846 --> 00:24:34,324 Fourth largest city in America 626 00:24:34,348 --> 00:24:36,618 with this dead (beep) hanging off the pole. 627 00:24:36,642 --> 00:24:38,203 (audience laughing) 628 00:24:38,227 --> 00:24:39,955 - If people go to a comedy show 629 00:24:39,979 --> 00:24:42,499 and they hear a joke about gay people 630 00:24:42,523 --> 00:24:45,794 and their takeaway is that gay people are less than, 631 00:24:45,818 --> 00:24:47,045 they're second class citizens, 632 00:24:47,069 --> 00:24:48,129 they don't deserve rights, 633 00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:49,839 they deserve to die, 634 00:24:49,863 --> 00:24:50,800 that's hate speech. 635 00:24:50,824 --> 00:24:52,759 - My crowds laugh, they go home. 636 00:24:52,783 --> 00:24:54,260 And that's the end of it. 637 00:24:54,284 --> 00:24:57,806 There's never been one incident at any show 638 00:24:57,830 --> 00:25:00,767 of, you know, guys beating up their girlfriends, 639 00:25:00,791 --> 00:25:03,937 or hitting minorities, not one incident. 640 00:25:03,961 --> 00:25:05,021 - [Interviewer] I want you watch this. 641 00:25:05,045 --> 00:25:06,356 Just press play and I'll step out. 642 00:25:06,380 --> 00:25:07,380 - Okay. 643 00:25:08,006 --> 00:25:09,025 - Oh, shit. 644 00:25:09,049 --> 00:25:11,218 And then you got these other people, right? 645 00:25:12,219 --> 00:25:14,864 (scoffs) I don't know what they are. 646 00:25:14,888 --> 00:25:16,908 (reflective music) (audience laughing) 647 00:25:16,932 --> 00:25:17,702 They're not white. 648 00:25:17,726 --> 00:25:19,411 They're not black. 649 00:25:19,435 --> 00:25:21,788 {\an8}- I had this one routine that I found really uncomfortable, 650 00:25:21,812 --> 00:25:23,790 {\an8}which is about what are these people, their color. 651 00:25:23,814 --> 00:25:25,834 {\an8}What are they, they're not brown, they're not black. 652 00:25:25,858 --> 00:25:28,336 - They're like urine-colored, you know? 653 00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:30,130 They walk around with their (beep) laundry 654 00:25:30,154 --> 00:25:32,632 on their head and shit, you know what I'm saying? 655 00:25:32,656 --> 00:25:34,009 - It was so ugly. 656 00:25:34,033 --> 00:25:35,885 {\an8}- I could relate to black guys. 657 00:25:35,909 --> 00:25:37,762 {\an8}I could hang out with black guys. 658 00:25:37,786 --> 00:25:40,456 I can't hang out with a guy whose name is (hawking phlegm). 659 00:25:41,373 --> 00:25:43,852 - When the racist person is the punchline, 660 00:25:43,876 --> 00:25:45,395 they're the butt of the joke, 661 00:25:45,419 --> 00:25:46,188 that's one thing. 662 00:25:46,212 --> 00:25:47,981 But if you're making racism funny, 663 00:25:48,005 --> 00:25:49,107 even if it's through a character, 664 00:25:49,131 --> 00:25:52,235 if you're giving audience permission 665 00:25:52,259 --> 00:25:54,112 that is racist. 666 00:25:54,136 --> 00:25:55,697 - They don't know the (beep) language. 667 00:25:55,721 --> 00:25:56,490 It's unbelievable. 668 00:25:56,514 --> 00:25:58,199 I get in a cab, right? 669 00:25:58,223 --> 00:25:59,951 I get in the (beep) cab. 670 00:25:59,975 --> 00:26:01,894 And he's looking at me. 671 00:26:02,686 --> 00:26:06,791 (speaking gibberish) (audience laughing) 672 00:26:06,815 --> 00:26:08,108 I'm you fucking (beep). 673 00:26:09,568 --> 00:26:10,920 Where did they grow you? 674 00:26:10,944 --> 00:26:14,132 What rock did you crawl out from under, hey? 675 00:26:14,156 --> 00:26:17,010 They should have a sign at the airport that says, 676 00:26:17,034 --> 00:26:19,429 look, if you don't know the language... 677 00:26:19,453 --> 00:26:21,848 - [All] Get the (beep) outta the country. 678 00:26:21,872 --> 00:26:26,877 - Oh! (audience cheering) 679 00:26:31,006 --> 00:26:32,025 - I know that. 680 00:26:32,049 --> 00:26:32,818 And you know what? 681 00:26:32,842 --> 00:26:35,987 I think when you make people live up to their own hatred, 682 00:26:36,011 --> 00:26:37,989 I think that's the point where you gotta step back. 683 00:26:38,013 --> 00:26:40,974 - And when it becomes vitriol, 684 00:26:41,975 --> 00:26:44,579 in order for the sake of vitriol, 685 00:26:44,603 --> 00:26:46,164 then it's not comedy anymore. 686 00:26:46,188 --> 00:26:48,875 {\an8}- I think as a comic, you have to start noticing 687 00:26:48,899 --> 00:26:51,586 {\an8}when your shows have turned from a comedy show 688 00:26:51,610 --> 00:26:53,004 {\an8}into like a rally. 689 00:26:53,028 --> 00:26:55,507 - People would be chanting these, you know, 690 00:26:55,531 --> 00:26:56,716 almost like Nuremberg. 691 00:26:56,740 --> 00:26:57,926 It was scary. 692 00:26:57,950 --> 00:27:00,953 (audience chanting) 693 00:27:03,580 --> 00:27:06,142 As a gay man, I would never, ever be in that crowd. 694 00:27:06,166 --> 00:27:07,103 (audience chanting) 695 00:27:07,127 --> 00:27:08,269 - Cheering. 696 00:27:08,293 --> 00:27:10,104 (audience chanting) 697 00:27:10,128 --> 00:27:11,065 Roaring. 698 00:27:11,089 --> 00:27:13,066 (audience chanting) 699 00:27:13,090 --> 00:27:14,943 You are no longer a comedian. 700 00:27:14,967 --> 00:27:15,861 You are a deity. 701 00:27:15,885 --> 00:27:18,887 (audience chanting) 702 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:21,116 You are their God. 703 00:27:21,140 --> 00:27:24,118 (audience chanting) 704 00:27:24,142 --> 00:27:26,454 It's a monster you can no longer control. 705 00:27:26,478 --> 00:27:28,498 (audience chanting) 706 00:27:28,522 --> 00:27:31,108 (pensive music) 707 00:27:33,151 --> 00:27:36,154 (reflective music) 708 00:27:39,616 --> 00:27:40,760 - [Narrator] At the peak of his fame, 709 00:27:40,784 --> 00:27:42,637 Andrew Dice Clay had legions of fans 710 00:27:42,661 --> 00:27:44,389 who worshiped his every word. 711 00:27:44,413 --> 00:27:46,224 (reflective music) (audience chanting) 712 00:27:46,248 --> 00:27:49,769 - When anyone reaches the level of fame 713 00:27:49,793 --> 00:27:54,607 and says outrageous, hurtful and stereotypical statements 714 00:27:54,631 --> 00:27:57,110 to large audiences, 715 00:27:57,134 --> 00:27:59,153 not only does it normalize 716 00:27:59,177 --> 00:28:03,181 {\an8}the attacks on women and minorities, 717 00:28:04,099 --> 00:28:08,872 {\an8}but we then find that there's an echo chamber 718 00:28:08,896 --> 00:28:11,457 where it's repeated over and over and over. 719 00:28:11,481 --> 00:28:13,960 - Get up, show this (beep) crowd what you got! 720 00:28:13,984 --> 00:28:15,086 (audience chanting) 721 00:28:15,110 --> 00:28:16,462 Get the (beep) up! 722 00:28:16,486 --> 00:28:18,089 Turn around! 723 00:28:18,113 --> 00:28:20,133 Show 'em those (beep) tits. 724 00:28:20,157 --> 00:28:22,719 (audience chanting) 725 00:28:22,743 --> 00:28:25,305 She was built for (beep), I could see that. 726 00:28:25,329 --> 00:28:27,348 (audience cheering) 727 00:28:27,372 --> 00:28:30,292 (reflective music) 728 00:28:31,084 --> 00:28:33,229 - I do believe that words matter. 729 00:28:33,253 --> 00:28:35,565 {\an8}I think we're casting spells on people. 730 00:28:35,589 --> 00:28:37,650 {\an8}I'm a little Mr. Rogers in this regard. 731 00:28:37,674 --> 00:28:40,820 {\an8}We need to like recognize 732 00:28:40,844 --> 00:28:43,156 that what I'm saying right now 733 00:28:43,180 --> 00:28:46,075 is shaping your future. 734 00:28:46,099 --> 00:28:47,243 Magic is real. 735 00:28:47,267 --> 00:28:49,078 Spells are real. 736 00:28:49,102 --> 00:28:51,039 Turns out it's not magic, it's just neuroscience. 737 00:28:51,063 --> 00:28:52,290 It's called conditioning. 738 00:28:52,314 --> 00:28:54,584 (ambient music) 739 00:28:54,608 --> 00:28:57,045 - That's why it's dangerous. 740 00:28:57,069 --> 00:29:00,965 That's why it translates into being adopted 741 00:29:00,989 --> 00:29:03,635 by people who attack women, 742 00:29:03,659 --> 00:29:06,638 attack gays, attack lesbians, 743 00:29:06,662 --> 00:29:10,183 attack people who are transgender. 744 00:29:10,207 --> 00:29:12,644 - [Narrator] While Dice was on stage targeting women, 745 00:29:12,668 --> 00:29:14,687 immigrants, and the gay community, 746 00:29:14,711 --> 00:29:17,857 these groups were experiencing real world harms. 747 00:29:17,881 --> 00:29:22,528 - Violence against homosexuals was up 42% last year 748 00:29:22,552 --> 00:29:25,573 to a record 7,008 incidents. 749 00:29:25,597 --> 00:29:26,783 - Female commuters 750 00:29:26,807 --> 00:29:28,451 may be looking over their shoulders tonight. 751 00:29:28,475 --> 00:29:30,662 Police suspect a rash of sexual assaults 752 00:29:30,686 --> 00:29:33,289 on women in the subway may be the work of one man. 753 00:29:33,313 --> 00:29:34,332 - The violence reported 754 00:29:34,356 --> 00:29:36,918 to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 755 00:29:36,942 --> 00:29:39,295 range from verbal abuse to murder. 756 00:29:39,319 --> 00:29:41,172 The group says the AIDS epidemic 757 00:29:41,196 --> 00:29:43,549 has made homosexuals more visible. 758 00:29:43,573 --> 00:29:46,052 {\an8}and as a result, more vulnerable. 759 00:29:46,076 --> 00:29:47,470 {\an8}- In late eighties, 760 00:29:47,494 --> 00:29:50,431 {\an8}gay bashings were on the rise around New York. 761 00:29:50,455 --> 00:29:52,141 {\an8}And you could debate all day whether 762 00:29:52,165 --> 00:29:55,103 {\an8}or not Andrew Dice Clay is culpable 763 00:29:55,127 --> 00:29:57,730 {\an8}or responsible for any of that. 764 00:29:57,754 --> 00:30:00,024 But the feeling at the time was, 765 00:30:00,048 --> 00:30:01,734 he certainly wasn't helping. 766 00:30:01,758 --> 00:30:04,278 {\an8}- I was at that time, 767 00:30:04,302 --> 00:30:07,198 {\an8}fighting a number of discrimination cases 768 00:30:07,222 --> 00:30:08,849 {\an8}against my clients. 769 00:30:10,058 --> 00:30:11,995 - [Narrator] Women's hall of fame inductee, Gloria Allred, 770 00:30:12,019 --> 00:30:16,165 has been taking on major human rights cases since the 1970s. 771 00:30:16,189 --> 00:30:17,417 (pensive music) 772 00:30:17,441 --> 00:30:19,919 - People were denied rights 773 00:30:19,943 --> 00:30:22,672 because of these stereotypes. 774 00:30:22,696 --> 00:30:25,591 {\an8}- I mean, it's almost impossible 775 00:30:25,615 --> 00:30:30,096 {\an8}to really convey to people today how bad it was. 776 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:32,348 And since gay men were overwhelmingly 777 00:30:32,372 --> 00:30:34,517 the number one victims of AIDS, 778 00:30:34,541 --> 00:30:37,603 it was very much seen as something that was, 779 00:30:37,627 --> 00:30:40,815 didn't really concern the greater population. 780 00:30:40,839 --> 00:30:43,234 And that's why so many of us died. 781 00:30:43,258 --> 00:30:45,445 - [Reporter] So it seems the battle lines have been drawn 782 00:30:45,469 --> 00:30:47,864 between Dice lovers and Dice haters, 783 00:30:47,888 --> 00:30:50,408 while the comic is promoting his first film, 784 00:30:50,432 --> 00:30:52,559 "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane". 785 00:30:53,643 --> 00:30:55,288 - [Narrator] Protest over Dice's act 786 00:30:55,312 --> 00:30:57,874 begin to cast a shadow over Dice's career, 787 00:30:57,898 --> 00:31:01,485 with the soon to be released "Adventures of Ford Fairlane". 788 00:31:03,403 --> 00:31:05,131 The film was a dream part for Dice 789 00:31:05,155 --> 00:31:07,341 and his first starring role. 790 00:31:07,365 --> 00:31:09,594 Widely expected to be a smash hit, 791 00:31:09,618 --> 00:31:12,221 it was to be his first film in a three-picture deal 792 00:31:12,245 --> 00:31:14,182 with 20th Century Fox. 793 00:31:14,206 --> 00:31:17,185 (reflective music) 794 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:20,146 - [Interviewer] Do you worry about selling this picture? 795 00:31:20,170 --> 00:31:23,215 - Nah, this movie's a hit, you know. 796 00:31:24,299 --> 00:31:25,318 This movie's a hit. 797 00:31:25,342 --> 00:31:27,403 I knew that when we were shooting it. 798 00:31:27,427 --> 00:31:28,363 - [Narrator] But privately, 799 00:31:28,387 --> 00:31:30,764 Dice would receive a career-changing blow. 800 00:31:32,057 --> 00:31:33,659 - When it all happened, you know, 801 00:31:33,683 --> 00:31:37,330 people walking out who are on TV shows 802 00:31:37,354 --> 00:31:39,165 and protests and everything, 803 00:31:39,189 --> 00:31:41,399 {\an8}and that started to scare people. 804 00:31:42,192 --> 00:31:43,336 {\an8}And like, you know, 805 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,297 {\an8}producers dealing with loads of monies, 806 00:31:46,321 --> 00:31:47,882 {\an8}studios and networks, 807 00:31:47,906 --> 00:31:50,468 {\an8}There's a lot of money so they got scared. 808 00:31:50,492 --> 00:31:55,306 {\an8}- You know, he was making all these crazy gay jokes. 809 00:31:55,330 --> 00:31:58,351 The guys that were running the gay movement at the time 810 00:31:58,375 --> 00:32:01,187 were sick of getting shit on. 811 00:32:01,211 --> 00:32:05,566 And they said, okay, let's focus it on Andrew Dice Clay. 812 00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:10,530 And let's go after the money behind him, 813 00:32:10,554 --> 00:32:14,200 who are these gay men who are doing nothing about it. 814 00:32:14,224 --> 00:32:16,327 Barry Diller's running Fox? 815 00:32:16,351 --> 00:32:17,578 David Geffen? 816 00:32:17,602 --> 00:32:18,955 Let's go after all these guys 817 00:32:18,979 --> 00:32:21,415 and let's put posters around town. 818 00:32:21,439 --> 00:32:23,417 Let's make their lives hard. 819 00:32:23,441 --> 00:32:26,444 (reflective music) 820 00:32:28,864 --> 00:32:31,134 And boom, the hammer came down. 821 00:32:31,158 --> 00:32:32,552 - The head of the studio, Barry Diller, 822 00:32:32,576 --> 00:32:34,262 basically said, get rid of 'em. 823 00:32:34,286 --> 00:32:35,638 Let's bury the movie. 824 00:32:35,662 --> 00:32:36,931 - [Narrator] As Dice gear's up to promote 825 00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:38,891 "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", 826 00:32:38,915 --> 00:32:41,477 he learns the film will be released quietly 827 00:32:41,501 --> 00:32:44,564 with limited promotion. (reflective music) 828 00:32:44,588 --> 00:32:47,859 Worse still, the other movies in his three-picture deal 829 00:32:47,883 --> 00:32:50,778 were not being made. (reflective music) 830 00:32:50,802 --> 00:32:52,572 - There was a certain point that he reached 831 00:32:52,596 --> 00:32:57,243 where he could no longer profit from this type of 832 00:32:57,267 --> 00:32:58,369 woman bashing, 833 00:32:58,393 --> 00:33:00,371 gay and lesbian bashing, 834 00:33:00,395 --> 00:33:01,622 racial bashing. 835 00:33:01,646 --> 00:33:03,457 It wasn't gonna be tolerated anymore. 836 00:33:03,481 --> 00:33:04,709 - But I bet deep down, 837 00:33:04,733 --> 00:33:07,295 the comedian, Andrew Silverstein, 838 00:33:07,319 --> 00:33:08,713 is kind of quaking and going, 839 00:33:08,737 --> 00:33:10,423 I didn't mean this to happen. 840 00:33:10,447 --> 00:33:13,325 (reflective music) 841 00:33:24,336 --> 00:33:27,172 (ambient music) 842 00:33:28,131 --> 00:33:30,318 - This is Andrew Dice Clay. 843 00:33:30,342 --> 00:33:33,428 (audience cheering) 844 00:33:35,263 --> 00:33:36,699 - [Narrator] Facing intense backlash, 845 00:33:36,723 --> 00:33:38,993 Dice appears on "The Arsenio Hall Show", 846 00:33:39,017 --> 00:33:40,912 the day before "Ford Fairlane" 847 00:33:40,936 --> 00:33:43,331 is to be quietly released into theaters. 848 00:33:43,355 --> 00:33:46,358 (audience cheering) 849 00:33:47,192 --> 00:33:48,461 - Everybody relax. 850 00:33:48,485 --> 00:33:49,837 Relax, I'm here. 851 00:33:49,861 --> 00:33:52,924 Actually, I'm not even gonna really do any more arenas, 852 00:33:52,948 --> 00:33:54,383 you know, 'cause I did something, 853 00:33:54,407 --> 00:33:56,135 I mean, people go, you know, 854 00:33:56,159 --> 00:33:59,305 what's the real Andrew Clay Silverstein? 855 00:33:59,329 --> 00:34:02,975 Who is that other, you know, opposed to Dice. 856 00:34:02,999 --> 00:34:04,602 - [Narrator] With his dreams of movie stardom 857 00:34:04,626 --> 00:34:06,145 beginning to drift out of reach, 858 00:34:06,169 --> 00:34:09,899 Dice reveals another side of himself to audiences. 859 00:34:09,923 --> 00:34:12,068 - Because I get, you know, who's Dice? 860 00:34:12,092 --> 00:34:13,319 Who's Andrew Clay? 861 00:34:13,343 --> 00:34:14,862 Who's the Jewish kid? 862 00:34:14,886 --> 00:34:16,322 Who's the guy that's acting Italian? 863 00:34:16,346 --> 00:34:17,282 You know, I get- 864 00:34:17,306 --> 00:34:18,932 Well, you wanna know who he is? 865 00:34:20,016 --> 00:34:21,118 I'll tell you. 866 00:34:21,142 --> 00:34:24,872 (audience cheering) 867 00:34:24,896 --> 00:34:27,124 - Andrew Clay, no, let me get this straight. 868 00:34:27,148 --> 00:34:30,026 Andrew Clay is a guy that came out here about 10 years ago 869 00:34:31,653 --> 00:34:32,946 and broke his ass. 870 00:34:35,073 --> 00:34:37,635 Broke his ass, he believed in himself. 871 00:34:37,659 --> 00:34:40,137 Became the hottest comic in the world. 872 00:34:40,161 --> 00:34:42,098 And anybody that doesn't like it 873 00:34:42,122 --> 00:34:45,017 can wipe their ass with whatever they say about me. 874 00:34:45,041 --> 00:34:48,062 (audience cheering) - Hmm, I, that's... 875 00:34:48,086 --> 00:34:48,981 - No, 'cause just lemme say this 876 00:34:49,005 --> 00:34:52,149 because I always believe that you could take yourself 877 00:34:52,173 --> 00:34:55,302 {\an8}and put yourself. (exhales) (tense music) 878 00:34:59,347 --> 00:35:02,868 {\an8}- I actually feel he was getting choked up. 879 00:35:02,892 --> 00:35:06,163 - No, wait a minute. (audience murmuring) 880 00:35:06,187 --> 00:35:09,316 (audience cheering) 881 00:35:10,191 --> 00:35:12,128 You put yourself where you want to be 882 00:35:12,152 --> 00:35:14,255 and I broke my ass for 12 years. 883 00:35:14,279 --> 00:35:15,798 And tomorrow when that movie opens, 884 00:35:15,822 --> 00:35:16,799 the country's gonna see it 885 00:35:16,823 --> 00:35:18,593 and they're gonna laugh their asses off. 886 00:35:18,617 --> 00:35:21,470 {\an8}And that's what it's about. (audience cheering) 887 00:35:21,494 --> 00:35:23,764 {\an8}- He chisels his way, you know, 888 00:35:23,788 --> 00:35:27,184 {\an8}his act to a point where the country responded. 889 00:35:27,208 --> 00:35:28,853 (audience clapping) 890 00:35:28,877 --> 00:35:31,606 - We'll take a commercial and come right back. 891 00:35:31,630 --> 00:35:34,900 {\an8}- When he broke down and said, this is who I am, 892 00:35:34,924 --> 00:35:36,652 {\an8}I'm Andrew Silverstein. 893 00:35:36,676 --> 00:35:38,112 {\an8}I saw him. 894 00:35:38,136 --> 00:35:39,447 I saw the man. 895 00:35:39,471 --> 00:35:41,032 I said, that's who that guy is. 896 00:35:41,056 --> 00:35:44,476 And I was hoping that everyone would embrace that, as well. 897 00:35:45,310 --> 00:35:46,954 - [Narrator] Skeptics said Dice was eager 898 00:35:46,978 --> 00:35:48,914 to earn some sympathetic press. 899 00:35:48,938 --> 00:35:51,292 (reflective music) (audience cheering) 900 00:35:51,316 --> 00:35:55,212 - He has this crying moment, 901 00:35:55,236 --> 00:35:57,548 which I think is fine to do. 902 00:35:57,572 --> 00:35:59,449 - Nah, I get choked up 'cause uh, 903 00:36:00,283 --> 00:36:03,721 you put yourself where you wanna be and uh- 904 00:36:03,745 --> 00:36:05,431 - But then don't be surprised, 905 00:36:05,455 --> 00:36:07,892 {\an8}if your original fans hate you 906 00:36:07,916 --> 00:36:10,061 {\an8}because they're like what a pussy. 907 00:36:10,085 --> 00:36:13,064 {\an8}And you don't gain any new fans either. 908 00:36:13,088 --> 00:36:14,523 {\an8}- I just wanted to get up 909 00:36:14,547 --> 00:36:17,443 {\an8}and tell people who I really was and what I was about 910 00:36:17,467 --> 00:36:18,778 {\an8}and I got choked up. 911 00:36:18,802 --> 00:36:22,365 {\an8}So the only way to get out of it was to snap into character. 912 00:36:22,389 --> 00:36:23,574 {\an8}And I'm standing there going, 913 00:36:23,598 --> 00:36:25,934 {\an8}I can't believe I'm getting (beep) choked up. 914 00:36:27,977 --> 00:36:29,955 (gloomy music) 915 00:36:29,979 --> 00:36:31,207 - [Narrator] Some say Dice was desperate 916 00:36:31,231 --> 00:36:33,316 to get away from his Diceman persona. 917 00:36:34,776 --> 00:36:36,128 - Part of the complexity of what we create 918 00:36:36,152 --> 00:36:39,507 is we begin to resent because people want more of it. 919 00:36:39,531 --> 00:36:40,299 They want more of it. 920 00:36:40,323 --> 00:36:41,093 {\an8}They want more of it. 921 00:36:41,117 --> 00:36:43,803 {\an8}But you've already created that and you're beholden to it. 922 00:36:43,827 --> 00:36:45,638 {\an8}So you're not doing comedy. 923 00:36:45,662 --> 00:36:48,099 What you're doing is you're giving the people what they want 924 00:36:48,123 --> 00:36:49,767 in order to get that paycheck. 925 00:36:49,791 --> 00:36:52,770 (reflective music) 926 00:36:52,794 --> 00:36:54,980 {\an8}- Do I think Andrew Dice Clay is a bad person 927 00:36:55,004 --> 00:36:56,232 {\an8}because he found something that worked 928 00:36:56,256 --> 00:36:57,650 {\an8}and he said, I'm gonna milk it 929 00:36:57,674 --> 00:36:59,735 {\an8}and I'm gonna make as much money as I can, 930 00:36:59,759 --> 00:37:01,862 to hell with what the perception of it is 931 00:37:01,886 --> 00:37:03,155 from certain people? 932 00:37:03,179 --> 00:37:05,449 A lot of people would've done the same thing. 933 00:37:05,473 --> 00:37:07,451 - [Narrator] The Diceman persona held the key 934 00:37:07,475 --> 00:37:08,828 to mega stardom, 935 00:37:08,852 --> 00:37:11,956 but now, Dice couldn't break free. 936 00:37:11,980 --> 00:37:13,499 - [Kliph] It was hard to step away from. 937 00:37:13,523 --> 00:37:16,293 It's hard to reduce it 938 00:37:16,317 --> 00:37:19,255 because it's really making you wealthy 939 00:37:19,279 --> 00:37:20,756 and making you famous. 940 00:37:20,780 --> 00:37:23,241 (somber music) 941 00:37:24,242 --> 00:37:25,219 - It's so hard. 942 00:37:25,243 --> 00:37:27,888 You have to be steadfast 943 00:37:27,912 --> 00:37:31,350 and you have to be brave 944 00:37:31,374 --> 00:37:34,478 to look something like that in the face and say, no. 945 00:37:34,502 --> 00:37:37,422 (reflective music) 946 00:37:38,381 --> 00:37:40,276 - Now, it's time for film. 947 00:37:40,300 --> 00:37:43,696 You know, I'm quitting the concert business, actually. 948 00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:45,430 You know, I did that, you know. 949 00:37:47,682 --> 00:37:49,702 - [Narrator] But the controversy around Andrew Dice Clay 950 00:37:49,726 --> 00:37:52,145 had become too hot for Hollywood to handle. 951 00:37:53,146 --> 00:37:56,083 {\an8}- There is a mythology surrounding "Ford Fairlane", 952 00:37:56,107 --> 00:38:00,379 which is that the powers that be in Hollywood 953 00:38:00,403 --> 00:38:02,798 kind of voted him off the island after that movie. 954 00:38:02,822 --> 00:38:05,509 - I basically got blackballed in Hollywood. 955 00:38:05,533 --> 00:38:06,927 {\an8}You know, I couldn't get a job. 956 00:38:06,951 --> 00:38:08,036 {\an8}- It hurt like hell. 957 00:38:08,828 --> 00:38:10,598 {\an8}It hurt like hell. 958 00:38:10,622 --> 00:38:12,850 (explosions detonating) 959 00:38:12,874 --> 00:38:14,643 - [Narrator] For a while, he continued to tour 960 00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:16,854 for his hardcore fans. 961 00:38:16,878 --> 00:38:17,980 - This was in the green room 962 00:38:18,004 --> 00:38:20,024 of the Comedy Connection in Boston, Massachusetts, 963 00:38:20,048 --> 00:38:21,692 where I very first opened for him. 964 00:38:21,716 --> 00:38:23,986 And this is right after our first show. 965 00:38:24,010 --> 00:38:25,362 So you can see we're happy. 966 00:38:25,386 --> 00:38:26,864 It was a fun show. 967 00:38:26,888 --> 00:38:27,657 It was great. 968 00:38:27,681 --> 00:38:28,949 It was a great night. 969 00:38:28,973 --> 00:38:32,786 {\an8}But as time went on, the fan base dwindled. 970 00:38:32,810 --> 00:38:34,330 {\an8}- He disappeared for a while 971 00:38:34,354 --> 00:38:36,665 {\an8}and was doing really tiny venues 972 00:38:36,689 --> 00:38:38,626 and not even selling those out, 973 00:38:38,650 --> 00:38:40,920 had a lot of career backlash 974 00:38:40,944 --> 00:38:43,380 because of the type of comedy he did. 975 00:38:43,404 --> 00:38:45,841 I had heard from someone who opened for him years ago, 976 00:38:45,865 --> 00:38:48,385 that he's just always been brokenhearted 977 00:38:48,409 --> 00:38:51,305 because he wanted to be a fine actor. 978 00:38:51,329 --> 00:38:53,724 He wanted to be respected as an actor. 979 00:38:53,748 --> 00:38:55,809 Maybe he learned a few hard lessons. 980 00:38:55,833 --> 00:38:58,753 (reflective music) 981 00:39:01,005 --> 00:39:03,591 (pensive music) 982 00:39:04,842 --> 00:39:08,680 (upbeat suspenseful music) 983 00:39:09,806 --> 00:39:12,785 - Andrew Dice Clay wanted to become 984 00:39:12,809 --> 00:39:16,664 a famous entertainer, comic, movie star. 985 00:39:16,688 --> 00:39:20,376 And for a brief period of time, relatively speaking, 986 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:22,253 he became what he wanted to be. 987 00:39:22,277 --> 00:39:27,282 - You know, I wanted to develop the most outrageous persona, 988 00:39:27,532 --> 00:39:31,178 the biggest persona ever in standup comedy ever 989 00:39:31,202 --> 00:39:32,537 and I accomplished that. 990 00:39:33,663 --> 00:39:38,811 - [Gloria] And he used those attacks on women and minorities 991 00:39:38,835 --> 00:39:39,961 as a way to profit. 992 00:39:41,129 --> 00:39:44,299 - But is that approach sustainable? 993 00:39:45,216 --> 00:39:48,136 Andrew Dice Clay bottomed out pretty fast. 994 00:39:49,262 --> 00:39:50,031 (reflective music) 995 00:39:50,055 --> 00:39:52,825 - As funny as comedy is, 996 00:39:52,849 --> 00:39:53,785 let's be real. 997 00:39:53,809 --> 00:39:55,035 There's a complexity. 998 00:39:55,059 --> 00:39:56,662 (reflective music) 999 00:39:56,686 --> 00:39:58,998 I don't think it can be simply, 1000 00:39:59,022 --> 00:40:02,209 well, I think it's funny and I'm gonna keep doing it. 1001 00:40:02,233 --> 00:40:03,044 If that is the case, 1002 00:40:03,068 --> 00:40:05,629 and you notice that hatred is happening 1003 00:40:05,653 --> 00:40:08,465 and it's happening in the name of this thing, 1004 00:40:08,489 --> 00:40:11,719 then it is a reflection of you 1005 00:40:11,743 --> 00:40:14,329 and your responsibility or lack thereof. 1006 00:40:16,122 --> 00:40:18,684 - He always kind of knew that, 1007 00:40:18,708 --> 00:40:21,753 you know, he kicked the hornet's nest 1008 00:40:23,630 --> 00:40:27,091 and that he had some culpability in it. 1009 00:40:28,009 --> 00:40:32,281 He was always a little kind of befuddled by it. 1010 00:40:32,305 --> 00:40:33,074 - [Interviewer] Did you ever feel 1011 00:40:33,098 --> 00:40:34,283 like you ever hurt anybody? 1012 00:40:34,307 --> 00:40:35,076 Did anyone ever come up to you and go, 1013 00:40:35,100 --> 00:40:37,870 you know, you really- - Nah, never. 1014 00:40:37,894 --> 00:40:38,747 (reflective music) 1015 00:40:38,771 --> 00:40:42,041 - Andrew Dice Clay has to take responsibility, 1016 00:40:42,065 --> 00:40:45,377 which I have not seen him do yet. 1017 00:40:45,401 --> 00:40:50,198 Responsibility means acknowledging what you did wrong 1018 00:40:51,324 --> 00:40:54,887 to the people, to whom you inflicted that wrong. 1019 00:40:54,911 --> 00:40:56,764 - It's great power and great responsibility. 1020 00:40:56,788 --> 00:40:59,582 It's one of the great questions of humanity. 1021 00:41:01,209 --> 00:41:02,728 - [Narrator] Today, Andrew Dice Clay 1022 00:41:02,752 --> 00:41:05,939 is enjoying a career renaissance as an actor. 1023 00:41:05,963 --> 00:41:07,215 - Come in, it's open. 1024 00:41:09,133 --> 00:41:11,862 (indistinct) You don't look so good. 1025 00:41:11,886 --> 00:41:13,530 Ginger. - What? 1026 00:41:13,554 --> 00:41:14,740 - What are we doing? 1027 00:41:14,764 --> 00:41:16,033 We're playing charades? 1028 00:41:16,057 --> 00:41:17,826 I mean, come on. 1029 00:41:17,850 --> 00:41:19,912 - I really think he's fantastic in the film. 1030 00:41:19,936 --> 00:41:20,705 I love him. 1031 00:41:20,729 --> 00:41:22,289 When you hang around him for like five minutes, 1032 00:41:22,313 --> 00:41:24,065 you wanna like kind of act like him. 1033 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:26,835 - [Narrator] As for Nora Dunn... 1034 00:41:26,859 --> 00:41:28,504 - Nora Dunn. - Yeah. 1035 00:41:28,528 --> 00:41:29,297 - [Interviewer] Walked off. 1036 00:41:29,321 --> 00:41:31,048 Do you have any vivid recollections- 1037 00:41:31,072 --> 00:41:33,801 - Oh yeah, I remember all that, yeah. 1038 00:41:33,825 --> 00:41:35,719 - [Narrator] Have her former coworkers reevaluated 1039 00:41:35,743 --> 00:41:37,513 how they treated her? 1040 00:41:37,537 --> 00:41:38,972 - And I remember Jan Hooks walks up and goes, 1041 00:41:38,996 --> 00:41:40,599 she's making us look like we're jerks 1042 00:41:40,623 --> 00:41:42,601 'cause we're doing our job. 1043 00:41:42,625 --> 00:41:43,936 And then she came back the next week 1044 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:45,813 and nobody was speaking to her. 1045 00:41:45,837 --> 00:41:47,231 And she's crying. 1046 00:41:47,255 --> 00:41:48,899 (reflective music) 1047 00:41:48,923 --> 00:41:49,859 Tough. 1048 00:41:49,883 --> 00:41:51,175 She was, she was, uh. 1049 00:41:53,136 --> 00:41:54,196 She was not... 1050 00:41:54,220 --> 00:41:58,450 She was a real bitch. (audience laughing) 1051 00:41:58,474 --> 00:42:01,203 The whole time she was there, she was horrible. 1052 00:42:01,227 --> 00:42:05,249 - Calling a former coworker a bitch for boycotting a show 1053 00:42:05,273 --> 00:42:07,126 'cause it was something she didn't believe in? 1054 00:42:07,150 --> 00:42:10,003 In 2021, the audience laughs. 1055 00:42:10,027 --> 00:42:11,505 They laugh along with him. 1056 00:42:11,529 --> 00:42:12,530 - Nora Dunn, 1057 00:42:13,322 --> 00:42:17,136 when you boycotted that episode back in 1990, 1058 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:18,971 you stood up for what you believed 1059 00:42:18,995 --> 00:42:20,806 because your comedy has integrity, 1060 00:42:20,830 --> 00:42:23,517 your creative space holds integrity, 1061 00:42:23,541 --> 00:42:27,813 your social responsibility holds integrity. 1062 00:42:27,837 --> 00:42:30,357 And if Nora Dunn is a bitch, 1063 00:42:30,381 --> 00:42:34,778 then B.I.T.C.H. stands for beautiful, 1064 00:42:34,802 --> 00:42:38,824 and tough, courageous and creative and honest. 1065 00:42:38,848 --> 00:42:39,950 Yeah, bitch! 1066 00:42:39,974 --> 00:42:41,893 That's the kind of bitch you are! 1067 00:42:43,019 --> 00:42:43,788 (dramatic music) 1068 00:42:43,812 --> 00:42:44,997 - [Narrator] But Andrew Dice Clay 1069 00:42:45,021 --> 00:42:48,917 did not become a cultural phenomenon in a vacuum. 1070 00:42:48,941 --> 00:42:50,544 - That was the tone. 1071 00:42:50,568 --> 00:42:53,464 That's what got people off then. 1072 00:42:53,488 --> 00:42:55,174 - I don't agree with the things he said. 1073 00:42:55,198 --> 00:42:57,926 In fact, I'm appalled by some of the things he said, 1074 00:42:57,950 --> 00:43:00,387 but if he was bombing, 1075 00:43:00,411 --> 00:43:01,638 he would've never made it. 1076 00:43:01,662 --> 00:43:03,891 Then, obviously he crushed it. 1077 00:43:03,915 --> 00:43:06,810 And then people were like, (beep) yeah, 1078 00:43:06,834 --> 00:43:09,837 (audience chanting) 1079 00:43:11,047 --> 00:43:15,694 Not just fans and the people, but in industry. 1080 00:43:15,718 --> 00:43:16,904 He obviously got deals. 1081 00:43:16,928 --> 00:43:18,572 He obviously got all those things. 1082 00:43:18,596 --> 00:43:19,948 - When something is that large, 1083 00:43:19,972 --> 00:43:22,451 like a career that Andrew Dice Clay had 1084 00:43:22,475 --> 00:43:24,578 and the audience takes it too seriously, 1085 00:43:24,602 --> 00:43:27,998 we have to stop looking at just Andrew Dice Clay and say, 1086 00:43:28,022 --> 00:43:30,375 why am I giving you this much time and attention? 1087 00:43:30,399 --> 00:43:33,879 (dramatic music) 1088 00:43:33,903 --> 00:43:35,923 - You could see that he was, 1089 00:43:35,947 --> 00:43:38,175 had gone the line and crossed over it. 1090 00:43:38,199 --> 00:43:42,262 And he just went too far 1091 00:43:42,286 --> 00:43:44,681 and he was shut down. 1092 00:43:44,705 --> 00:43:45,682 (dramatic music) 1093 00:43:45,706 --> 00:43:48,227 - But he's still around. 1094 00:43:48,251 --> 00:43:50,729 He had a show on Showtime a few years ago. 1095 00:43:50,753 --> 00:43:52,773 {\an8}We're doing a show about him right now. 1096 00:43:52,797 --> 00:43:54,799 {\an8}We're talking about him right now. 1097 00:43:55,842 --> 00:43:58,237 {\an8}- There's always gonna be people who are pushing the limits 1098 00:43:58,261 --> 00:43:59,613 {\an8}or crossing the line, 1099 00:43:59,637 --> 00:44:02,825 {\an8}but I hope that we can look at at the past 1100 00:44:02,849 --> 00:44:04,201 {\an8}and learn from it. 1101 00:44:04,225 --> 00:44:05,911 {\an8}(dramatic music) 1102 00:44:05,935 --> 00:44:07,704 {\an8}We still have a long way to go. 1103 00:44:07,728 --> 00:44:10,481 {\an8}(dramatic music)