Diceman
In the tradition of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and George Carlin, Andrew Clay Silverstein, a native Brooklynite, performs a brash, macho, and highly offensive character act. He became the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden for two consecutive nights. His popularity went stratospheric, in the same way Sacha Baron Cohen did it a few years later with his Ali G character. But the thing that is hard to understand (and as a performer surely hard to live with) is that a large share of the fans were people that thought the "Dice" character was cool and actually something to aspire to.
The media at large failed to see the distinction too - this was in the 80s and anything remotely misogynistic or macho was frowned upon and simply not seen as funny anymore. I think the problem was that he was too good at the character, so much so that like Dame Edna or Ali G the character had a life of its own and not everybody was going to believe was a "bit", but it was just an act.
Dice himself said:"People are taking the act too seriously. The Diceman character is a macho moron. It's juvenile comedy. I just like to make people laugh."
He was brushed off by TV and Film studios, although he had always always been able to survive doing stand up, for many years in Las Vegas. Woody Allen gave him a chance to act in Blue Jasmine in 2013 which turned his screen career 180 degrees. Now the Dice is everywhere. Currently back with series two of his own (semi autobiographical) series "Dice" currently on Sky Atlantic. "Good f' you Daaaice' now recognised as a good actor, I think the best is yet to come.
Dice resume on imdb.com
Dice : official Website
He features in my Pinterest album:
Hipsters, Flipsters & Finger Snappin' Toe Tappers
Photo: Dice's famous smoking pose.
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