Andrew Dice Clay Review: Still Undisputed

Andrew Dice Clay’s comedic style may have changed over the years, but his attitude hasn’t. Large, loud and as vulgar as ever, the Diceman ran through nearly 60 minutes of strong material at Cobbs Comedy Club in San Francisco. Donning his trademark black leather jacket, hair slicked back and an unlit cigarette dangling from his fingertips, Dice strolled on stage and berated a few audience members on arrival. Targeting the weakest, which at a Dice show is based on proximity to the stage, he flippantly diagnosed a couple’s obvious problems with one another. After the obligatory insults it was a solid block of what the fans had come to see.

Cobbs is not Madison Square Garden. And this isn’t 1990. But Clay has showmanship. Like a true prize fighter Clay emerged and exited the stage to a rap song. The lyrics? All about Dice and his accomplishments. His material wasn’t exactly diverse. Clay aficionado’s know what they’re in for. A unique take on how to play twister on a date ( in an alley) and a cringe inducing analogy that involved a yogurt machine got the biggest laughs early in his set.

Clay does have the unique ability to sell out what would usually be dormant clubs on weeknights. His massive celebrity precedes him. A few audience members may have known him by name only. There were a few shocked faces in the crowd as Dice was mid rant about some late night encounter with a woman he’d just met.

Dice’s act now involves a factor it had not before. Age. There were a few bits about how hard it is to get out of bed and how horrible text messaging is. The tamer observations didn’t elicit the howling laughter his classic tirades did, but it was nice to hear another side to the comic.

Love him or hate him, he’s worth the price of admission. His material may not be as shocking as it was when MTV banned him from their airwaves nearly 25 years ago but the act as a whole is still the same. Dice left the audience with what they had been requesting the whole night. His take on a few nursery rhymes. The crowd finished the famed lines before he could. He left the stage to raucous applause and thumping bass.