Friday, November 15, 2013

Keeping an open mind Part 2, courtesy of Andrew Dice Clay

Before I forget, my Kindle book is FREE this weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) so before you do one more thing, hop on over to Amazon and pick it up!

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Okay, so if someone had told me 20 years ago that I'd be sitting in the front row of an Andrew Dice Clay show in Las Vegas, I'd have said, "Get the hell out."  Seriously.  I never cared for his type of humor during his heyday in the late 80s/early 90s; I always considered him to be kind of a misogynist. Not that I'd ever ever actually seen more than a sound byte of his act, but there must have been some reason why Saturday Night Live cast member Nora Dunn refused to appear on the same broadcast as him, right? As did Sinead O'Connor.  And in 1989, why would MTV have banned him for life?  Huh?

I've gone years and years without giving "The Dice Man" a second thought. Then last year I considered hiring a comedy coach, Michael "Wheels" Parise, but was hesitant when I heard he was the opening act, tour manager, and best friend of Andrew Dice Clay.  Uhhhhh.... He would probably not be a good coach for me, I reckoned.   But then I saw him speak at last year's World Series of Comedy and had a good feeling about him, so I gave him a try. 

Wheels ended up coaching me for several months, and it was the best decision I've made in my so-called comedy career. He's a fabulous teacher who could take me to the next level.  That's what fabulous teachers do.  And as a performer, he's funny as hell. Here's a clip from one of his shows at The Laugh Factory here in Las Vegas.



Anyway, Wheels would mention ADC to me now and then, and then a couple of months ago I had a client whom I really liked and who seemed really funny and he was into him, and then Mike and I saw Blue Jasmine, the latest Woody Allen movie.  ADC has a relatively small role in it, but man, he did an AMAZING job. 

I got more curious about ADC, and found out he's Jewish (!) (you know I'm a big fan of the Jews) and we're almost exactly the same age, so I was like, you know, let's check him out.  Wheels, God bless him, hooked us up and that's how we ended up front and center, spitting distance from Andrew Dice Clay at the Vinyl showroom at the Hard Rock.  

It was a fun show.  Wheels opened and he was hilarious.  Then there was a funny chick, Eleanor Kerrigan, who was quick-witted as hell. A perfect selection for the lineup. And ADC--I didn't really know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised.  He was amusing; dare I say, there was something endearing about him?  Like he might be one of those guys whose stage personal is so unlike how they are in real life. Just a guess.

You can see some great photos of the three of them on this site.

So getting back to Blue Jasmine.  Gotta say I did not love the movie, even though my man Louis CK had a bit part.  The acting is amazing, though; it's truly an actor's film, but OMG it is depressing as hell.  But again, Andrew Dice Clay was a real highlight.

Have you ever noticed how well comedians do in dramatic roles? I'm not thinking "Mr. Laughter-Through-Tears" Robin Williams, but Louis CK and Jim Carrey and Steve Martin (LOVED Shopgirl).

So there you go.  Your pal Linda Lou keeps an open mind and wins again.  Just don't get used to it.

7 comments:

Debbie said...

I'm with you Linda. I'm a real Woody Allen fan but I also did not love Blue Jasmine. And you're right - the acting was great. Cate Blanchett played such a desperate character and it was serious. No real funny moments ever.

ONE DAY I'm going to see you on the Comedy Channel I JUST KNOW IT!!!!

XOXOXO

(i miss u)
Deb

Tara said...

One wonders what you will do next....

Good to hear that ADC has a good show; I've always shared your opinion of him. Didn't like his schtick.

Hey - why don't you go to a raw/vegan restaurant next?

Anonymous said...

Hi Lady...it's been a month since you blogged....u ok??
Tracy from Brookfield

Anonymous said...

I was wondering the same thing - I hope all is OK

TAD said...

Linda! Where the heck have you gone?! It's the holidays, woman! Get your cute behind back here and blog, will ya?
...And Many Thanks for your help with The Book -- I've almost got my SECOND one done already....
All the best....

Anonymous said...

Checking in from Edmonton, Alberta, we've gone from mild to freezeing and back. I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and that you come back rested and relaxed with new stories for us.
Cassie.

TAD said...

Linda, where have you GONE? I checked your Facebook page, and I see you're still Out There. Blogging is a HABIT, woman -- get back into it! Hugs and kisses....