![]() I’d seen him over the years a few times since he’d left Brooklyn for Hollywood at 22, but when he was at the height of his fame, I got an assignment from Spin Magazine to profile him. By then he was Andrew “Dice” Clay, a comedy legend in his own time. Knowing him and his ambition, I wasn’t surprised when, 11 years later, he was hosting “Saturday Night Live,” doing movies, filling arenas. (though most of his earnings went into his act, for which he was always purchasing black bell-bottom polyester pants and T-shirts with things spelled out in studs). And once in a while, he paid for the coffee in the little coffee shop in 16 Court St. (On his reality show, he kisses his son hello in the same way.) He opened doors for women. ![]() I realize it was 28 years ago, and time can change people, but I always found him to be “real.” What you see is what you get. His dad would manage him - and be his best friend and guiding light - for many years.Įven then, we could see that Andrew had a huge personality that could not be contained, and a softie who was nothing like his act. Much of the Silverstein family life was centered around Andrew’s career in those early years. They would tirelessly trek with him to club after small club, and as the clubs got bigger, they were still there. After the show, we would go backstage (if there was one) and meet his dad, mom, sister, aunt, and the whole family. He’d always single out one of us in the audience to be his target. He’d dropped his last name and used his middle name as his stage name. I would take a gaggle of girlfriends to see him perform, and we became the original true blue “Andrew Clay” fans. I once wrote that he sounded like “a shark who had eaten a pail of Don Rickles jokes.” The crowds loved him, especially in Brooklyn. His act back then consisted of coming out on stage as a sniveling, nerdy character, then, lights would dim and he would transform into John Travolta and do “Greased Lighting.” In between were some snarky jokes. I spent much of 1979 red-faced at all the ways he embarrassed me in front of strangers. I came to expect him to do crazy stuff on the streets and in elevators. I was mortified, but he stayed in character.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |