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The Filthy Truth
From Andrew Dice Clay, the “Undisputed Heavyweight Comedy King,” comes the unapologetic and uncensored autobiography fans have been waiting for.
Andrew Dice Clay’s raw stand-up delivery has shocked and entertained audiences for decades and continues to do so to this day. When he released his debut album, Dice , in 1989, the parental advisory label simply read “ This album is offensive.” His material stretched the boundaries of decency and good taste to their breaking point, and in turn he became the biggest stand-up comic in the world.
In The Filthy Truth , Dice chronicles his remarkable rise, fall, and triumphant return. Brooklyn-born Andrew Clay Silverstein started out at Pips Comedy Club in Sheepshead Bay and eventually made a name for himself a decade later with a breakout appearance on the Rodney Dangerfield HBO special Nothing Goes Right . With that single TV appearance he became the new king of comedy, and Dicemania was born. He was the first and only comedian to sell out over three hundred sports arenas across the country to an audience of more than twelve million people. He was also the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.
But Dice’s meteoric rise and spectacular fame brought on a furious backlash from the media and critics. Billboards for his album produced by Rick Rubin and for his movie The Adventures of Ford Fairlane were defaced and ripped down as fast as they were put up. By the mid-nineties, though still playing to packed audiences, the turmoil in his personal life, plus attacks from every activist group imaginable, led him to make the decision to step out of the spotlight and put the focus on raising his boys.
The Diceman was knocked down, but not out. Taking inspiration from what Frank Sinatra once told him—“You work for your fans, not the media. The media gets their tickets for free”—Dice is now back with critically acclaimed roles in HBO’s Entourage and Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine , and is once again playing to sold-out audiences.
Filled with no-holds-barred humor and honesty, The Filthy Truth sets the record straight and gives fans plenty of never-before-shared stories from his career and his friendships with Howard Stern, Sam Kinison, Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone, Axl Rose, and countless others.
Andrew Dice Clay’s raw stand-up delivery has shocked and entertained audiences for decades and continues to do so to this day. When he released his debut album, Dice , in 1989, the parental advisory label simply read “ This album is offensive.” His material stretched the boundaries of decency and good taste to their breaking point, and in turn he became the biggest stand-up comic in the world.
In The Filthy Truth , Dice chronicles his remarkable rise, fall, and triumphant return. Brooklyn-born Andrew Clay Silverstein started out at Pips Comedy Club in Sheepshead Bay and eventually made a name for himself a decade later with a breakout appearance on the Rodney Dangerfield HBO special Nothing Goes Right . With that single TV appearance he became the new king of comedy, and Dicemania was born. He was the first and only comedian to sell out over three hundred sports arenas across the country to an audience of more than twelve million people. He was also the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.
But Dice’s meteoric rise and spectacular fame brought on a furious backlash from the media and critics. Billboards for his album produced by Rick Rubin and for his movie The Adventures of Ford Fairlane were defaced and ripped down as fast as they were put up. By the mid-nineties, though still playing to packed audiences, the turmoil in his personal life, plus attacks from every activist group imaginable, led him to make the decision to step out of the spotlight and put the focus on raising his boys.
The Diceman was knocked down, but not out. Taking inspiration from what Frank Sinatra once told him—“You work for your fans, not the media. The media gets their tickets for free”—Dice is now back with critically acclaimed roles in HBO’s Entourage and Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine , and is once again playing to sold-out audiences.
Filled with no-holds-barred humor and honesty, The Filthy Truth sets the record straight and gives fans plenty of never-before-shared stories from his career and his friendships with Howard Stern, Sam Kinison, Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone, Axl Rose, and countless others.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2014
14 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 19, 2015
The Diceman Cometh… back.
“I wanted to show the world that a comic could be as big as a rock star.”
There was a time in the late 80s when I swore that one day I’d see Andrew Dice Clay in concert. In those years he was everywhere–the raunchy hottest comedian around; his shows were rude, crude and lewd–the sort of comedian bound to offend someone. In fact, even saying that you were an Andrew Dice Clay fan raised eyebrows. No matter, I love a good laugh and my sense of humour has always been in the gutter.
In spite of my intentions to one day attend a Diceman concert, it never happened. Most of Dice’s fans are aware of the ‘controversy’ that buried Dice’s career–Dice was slated to appear on SNL (yes, that supposedly cutting edge comedy programme) when one of the cast members boycotted the show. The boycott was joined by Sinead O’Connor, and then MTV slammed a lifetime ban (lifted in 2011) on Dice following the 1989 MTV awards (come on, if you make Dice a live prime-time TV presenter what the hell do you think is going to happen?) and then the Puritanism snowballed from there. Dice, at the top of his game and able to sell out tens of thousands of seats in minutes, suddenly became a hot PC potato. He disappeared, reappearing briefly in a sadly harnessed performance for a drab television sitcom.
Frankly, it was startling to see how Dice’s career was eviscerated practically overnight. William J Mann’s book Tinseltown documented the witchhunt that threw Fatty Arbuckle to the ‘moral reformers’ and ruined his career. Perhaps we could expect scapegoating in the 1920s–those days of imminent film censorship, but it is startling to see the same sort of thing occur again in the 90s. And let’s not forget that Fatty Arbuckle was accused of rape and murder before emerging, an innocent man, from no less than 3 trials. The most Andrew Dice Clay can be accused of is bad taste, and I bet he’d gladly admit it.
If the press didn’t understand that the Diceman was a character who amplified certain attitudes that millions of people had–not only amplified those attitudes but actually made fun of those attitudes by making fun of himself–then the press had its head up its a**.
I’ve missed Dice over the years, but I’ve had the occasional Dice Nostalgia Night with a rewatch of one of the many Dice concerts or even his cult film: The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, and I was delighted to see Dice in the role of a disgruntled ex-husband in Woody Allen’s 2013 film Blue Jasmine. Could this mean that the Diceman is back?….
The Filthy Truth, Andrew Dice Clay’s memoir, begins with Dice at the lowest point of his life. He’s “lost millions” and with two marriages behind him, “broke, grinding through the toughest decade” of his life, is about to play to an audience of 16 in the back room of a Las Vegas sushi bar–a far cry from the days when he sold out two consecutive days at Madison Square Garden–the only comic in history to do so. Dice says of the experience in the back room of the sushi bar, “that night was the beginning of the ride back,” The book then moves from Dice’s childhood in Brooklyn, through the beginnings of his comic career, the formation of his Dice persona, the struggles, the successes, the marriages, the pinnacle of his success and his fall.
The book includes details of several sexual encounters, and this is when the book is at its weakest. Unlike Dice’s jokes, these encounters don’t come with a punch line, and the stories just read as titillation rather than interesting or even erotic. The details of Dice’s family, known as the Originals are wonderful; you just knew that he had to come from some pretty extraordinary people, and Dice’s parents (his mother especially) come to life in the pages. There’s the sense that Dice had an incredible career that was unique for a number of reasons, and Dice always seemed to be able to gauge the right moves at the right moment–that is until he drastically underestimated the power of Moral Righteousness and “the orchestrated campaign” which finally dragged his career into the undertow.
I ran down to the newsstand on the corner and picked up the paper. And right there, in a five-word description of the Diceman Cometh, I read, “The Demise of Western Civilization.”
I was half amused, half amazed that the Times took me so fuckin’ seriously. But I wasn’t upset. I was actually glad for the attention. Let the press write whatever the hell they wanna write. I work for the fans, not the press. All the press could do was bring me more fans. I didn’t see then–and remained blind to for months to come–the power of the press to f*** me up.
It’s clear that Dice, born and raised in Brooklyn, was always a ‘character,’ as we read of his childhood (he was a “third-rate student and a first-rate clown,”), how he “dated” his mother’s fur coat, his first and last trip to a bordello (“the madam looked like Bela Lugosi in drag,”) and worked at a men’s clothing shop selling cheap suits “a little better than papier-mâché.” But it didn’t take long for Dice to realize that he was not going to have a traditional career, and so we follow how he developed his first act and made the decision to move to L.A. where he built his routine at the Comedy Store. Reading the book gives the impression that Dice is in the room telling his story complete with frank admissions of mistakes and failings, and there’s the sense that a fall will occur as we hear about the houses bought, the huge gambling losses, the purchase of a car for sixty-nine thousand in cash, and the night he played Vegas with three-hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of chips stuffed in his pocket.
Included in the book are snapshots of various celebrities who befriended Dice or gave him a kind word along the way–including Rodney Dangerfield, Eddie Murphy, Mickey Rourke, and Eminen.
The Filthy Truth will appeal to all the fans out there who’ve missed Andrew Dice Clay and are still cheering for him. Those familiar with Dice will know what to expect in terms of language and subject matter, so readers can’t complain when they find the first four letter word. Dice’s role in Blue Jasminesignals his triumphant return, but his fans never forgot him in the first place.
“I wanted to show the world that a comic could be as big as a rock star.”
There was a time in the late 80s when I swore that one day I’d see Andrew Dice Clay in concert. In those years he was everywhere–the raunchy hottest comedian around; his shows were rude, crude and lewd–the sort of comedian bound to offend someone. In fact, even saying that you were an Andrew Dice Clay fan raised eyebrows. No matter, I love a good laugh and my sense of humour has always been in the gutter.
In spite of my intentions to one day attend a Diceman concert, it never happened. Most of Dice’s fans are aware of the ‘controversy’ that buried Dice’s career–Dice was slated to appear on SNL (yes, that supposedly cutting edge comedy programme) when one of the cast members boycotted the show. The boycott was joined by Sinead O’Connor, and then MTV slammed a lifetime ban (lifted in 2011) on Dice following the 1989 MTV awards (come on, if you make Dice a live prime-time TV presenter what the hell do you think is going to happen?) and then the Puritanism snowballed from there. Dice, at the top of his game and able to sell out tens of thousands of seats in minutes, suddenly became a hot PC potato. He disappeared, reappearing briefly in a sadly harnessed performance for a drab television sitcom.
Frankly, it was startling to see how Dice’s career was eviscerated practically overnight. William J Mann’s book Tinseltown documented the witchhunt that threw Fatty Arbuckle to the ‘moral reformers’ and ruined his career. Perhaps we could expect scapegoating in the 1920s–those days of imminent film censorship, but it is startling to see the same sort of thing occur again in the 90s. And let’s not forget that Fatty Arbuckle was accused of rape and murder before emerging, an innocent man, from no less than 3 trials. The most Andrew Dice Clay can be accused of is bad taste, and I bet he’d gladly admit it.
If the press didn’t understand that the Diceman was a character who amplified certain attitudes that millions of people had–not only amplified those attitudes but actually made fun of those attitudes by making fun of himself–then the press had its head up its a**.
I’ve missed Dice over the years, but I’ve had the occasional Dice Nostalgia Night with a rewatch of one of the many Dice concerts or even his cult film: The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, and I was delighted to see Dice in the role of a disgruntled ex-husband in Woody Allen’s 2013 film Blue Jasmine. Could this mean that the Diceman is back?….
The Filthy Truth, Andrew Dice Clay’s memoir, begins with Dice at the lowest point of his life. He’s “lost millions” and with two marriages behind him, “broke, grinding through the toughest decade” of his life, is about to play to an audience of 16 in the back room of a Las Vegas sushi bar–a far cry from the days when he sold out two consecutive days at Madison Square Garden–the only comic in history to do so. Dice says of the experience in the back room of the sushi bar, “that night was the beginning of the ride back,” The book then moves from Dice’s childhood in Brooklyn, through the beginnings of his comic career, the formation of his Dice persona, the struggles, the successes, the marriages, the pinnacle of his success and his fall.
The book includes details of several sexual encounters, and this is when the book is at its weakest. Unlike Dice’s jokes, these encounters don’t come with a punch line, and the stories just read as titillation rather than interesting or even erotic. The details of Dice’s family, known as the Originals are wonderful; you just knew that he had to come from some pretty extraordinary people, and Dice’s parents (his mother especially) come to life in the pages. There’s the sense that Dice had an incredible career that was unique for a number of reasons, and Dice always seemed to be able to gauge the right moves at the right moment–that is until he drastically underestimated the power of Moral Righteousness and “the orchestrated campaign” which finally dragged his career into the undertow.
I ran down to the newsstand on the corner and picked up the paper. And right there, in a five-word description of the Diceman Cometh, I read, “The Demise of Western Civilization.”
I was half amused, half amazed that the Times took me so fuckin’ seriously. But I wasn’t upset. I was actually glad for the attention. Let the press write whatever the hell they wanna write. I work for the fans, not the press. All the press could do was bring me more fans. I didn’t see then–and remained blind to for months to come–the power of the press to f*** me up.
It’s clear that Dice, born and raised in Brooklyn, was always a ‘character,’ as we read of his childhood (he was a “third-rate student and a first-rate clown,”), how he “dated” his mother’s fur coat, his first and last trip to a bordello (“the madam looked like Bela Lugosi in drag,”) and worked at a men’s clothing shop selling cheap suits “a little better than papier-mâché.” But it didn’t take long for Dice to realize that he was not going to have a traditional career, and so we follow how he developed his first act and made the decision to move to L.A. where he built his routine at the Comedy Store. Reading the book gives the impression that Dice is in the room telling his story complete with frank admissions of mistakes and failings, and there’s the sense that a fall will occur as we hear about the houses bought, the huge gambling losses, the purchase of a car for sixty-nine thousand in cash, and the night he played Vegas with three-hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of chips stuffed in his pocket.
Included in the book are snapshots of various celebrities who befriended Dice or gave him a kind word along the way–including Rodney Dangerfield, Eddie Murphy, Mickey Rourke, and Eminen.
The Filthy Truth will appeal to all the fans out there who’ve missed Andrew Dice Clay and are still cheering for him. Those familiar with Dice will know what to expect in terms of language and subject matter, so readers can’t complain when they find the first four letter word. Dice’s role in Blue Jasminesignals his triumphant return, but his fans never forgot him in the first place.
January 15, 2016
I made it halfway through and I feel like I deserve a medal.
Rant alert!
I have to admit that I am completely unfamiliar with Andrew dice clay's comedy - the only thing I was aware of when I bought this book on sale for $2 was his reputation (mostly that he made the list of worst SNL hosts ever.) But I love biographies and controversy and a good story.
Well I can tell you this book had none of that. I felt like the whole thing was pompous fiction, glossing over any actual issues, making his fame seem like a cake walk based on his sheer talent, charm and good looks (which, research has now told me, he has none of.) And his recounting of his sexual exploits are just embarrassing. It's like a 14 year old boy without any clue of what a good, solid man is, who has never seen a naked woman, watched a couple of porns and wrote some fan fiction in his diary.
We are past the point (at least I like to think we are) as a society were a man's legitimacy and worth are based on the amount of "p*ssy" he gets. But apparently, in Clay's childish mind, we aren't. It scares me to think that there are men who find his stories interesting and relatable (or at least they hope to fuck enough that it's relatable.)
Clay is sad commentary on a dying faction of the male race. It's so pathetic it almost brings me to tears. If he was being a characature of a meathead, I would be able to laugh, even if I couldn't support it. But he's not. This book proves that he is what his comedy is, and what makes it even sadder is that he doesn't even seem to recognize that. He repeats he's really a "sensitive guy" but there is no demonstration of that- the only woman he respects is his mother who has him totally whipped (she does a lot of his dirty work in his younger days when it comes to managing problems he gets himself into with his attitude and his penis.)
He's also vehemently and unapologetically homophobic which, again, is just completely childish and not just part of his act. I can't believe people think it's funny. It's just absurd and so outdated. This book was published in 2014 and he's PROUD of his exploits. Good lord. I weep for the male species having this kind of creep as an idol. He seems to think he's bold by saying offensive things, but it only works if it's actually funny. He is not. His observations aren't witty or interesting or hilarious. They're just ignorant. Nothing worse than a stupid fuck who thinks he's a comedian.
Yuck. This man embodies everything wrong with men and everything a mother of a son should hope her offspring doesn't turn in to.
Rant alert!
I have to admit that I am completely unfamiliar with Andrew dice clay's comedy - the only thing I was aware of when I bought this book on sale for $2 was his reputation (mostly that he made the list of worst SNL hosts ever.) But I love biographies and controversy and a good story.
Well I can tell you this book had none of that. I felt like the whole thing was pompous fiction, glossing over any actual issues, making his fame seem like a cake walk based on his sheer talent, charm and good looks (which, research has now told me, he has none of.) And his recounting of his sexual exploits are just embarrassing. It's like a 14 year old boy without any clue of what a good, solid man is, who has never seen a naked woman, watched a couple of porns and wrote some fan fiction in his diary.
We are past the point (at least I like to think we are) as a society were a man's legitimacy and worth are based on the amount of "p*ssy" he gets. But apparently, in Clay's childish mind, we aren't. It scares me to think that there are men who find his stories interesting and relatable (or at least they hope to fuck enough that it's relatable.)
Clay is sad commentary on a dying faction of the male race. It's so pathetic it almost brings me to tears. If he was being a characature of a meathead, I would be able to laugh, even if I couldn't support it. But he's not. This book proves that he is what his comedy is, and what makes it even sadder is that he doesn't even seem to recognize that. He repeats he's really a "sensitive guy" but there is no demonstration of that- the only woman he respects is his mother who has him totally whipped (she does a lot of his dirty work in his younger days when it comes to managing problems he gets himself into with his attitude and his penis.)
He's also vehemently and unapologetically homophobic which, again, is just completely childish and not just part of his act. I can't believe people think it's funny. It's just absurd and so outdated. This book was published in 2014 and he's PROUD of his exploits. Good lord. I weep for the male species having this kind of creep as an idol. He seems to think he's bold by saying offensive things, but it only works if it's actually funny. He is not. His observations aren't witty or interesting or hilarious. They're just ignorant. Nothing worse than a stupid fuck who thinks he's a comedian.
Yuck. This man embodies everything wrong with men and everything a mother of a son should hope her offspring doesn't turn in to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2014
The Diceman's book reads almost exactly as his act used to go. As I was reading this, I could definitely hear his voice in my head (which may be good or bad, depending on whom you talk to). No punches pulled, no stone unturned, no girl left undone...he tells about all of it. All of it. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed ADC in the 80's.
May 3, 2015
Laughed out loud a few times. Wished he wrote more about the struggling years. Just ok.
April 13, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “I WANNA MAKE IT FOR MY FAMILY. I WANNA MAKE IT FOR MY MOM & DAD BACK IN BROOKLYN”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Clay Silverstein… aka… Andrew “Dice” Clay… aka … “da Dice Man”… this is his tell it like it is life story. (Oh yea… also the Brooklyn Bar Mitzvah Boy) This review can only be written one way… straight from the hip… straight from the heart… the good with da bad. (As only a guy with Brooklyn roots could do.) I believe that’s the only way Dice would fully appreciate it. The method of his storytelling leaves a reader… especially a true fan… in a bit of a conundrum. (Note to Dice: That’s conundrum… not condom!). On the one hand it makes me feel great that Dice shows so much love and respect for his parents from start to finish. It doesn’t matter what part of the story… or what segment of his life and times… he’s recounting. It is totally refreshing and humbling in today’s society. I feel the same way about my dear departed parents… and he dedicates the book to them:
“This book is in memory of my parents, who had me, raised me, loved me, and taught me to always believe in myself. Fred and Jackie Silverstein, you are missed every second of every day.”
Amen… L’ chaim !
This story will probably surprise even many of his most staunch fans. The hard work and dedication… that Clay put in is absolutely admirable. He definitely was committed. The decisions he made throughout his life to reach the star level that so many people doubted he would ever come close to… reminds me of an old saying: “Do you know the difference between dedication and commitment? Just think about having a breakfast of bacon and eggs… the chicken was dedicated… but the pig was committed!” That to me sums up why Dice is the star he is today. All the famous names from comedy to film production are bandied about with (of course) no holds barred. The other side of the conundrum though… is when he discusses his sexual escapades. Now obviously… being a big Dice fan… I obviously enjoy with abandon risqué jokes… but… but…
It actually gets tiresome to hear that he’s the greatest stud since Don Juan… and that every single woman in the world is dying for Clay… and he gets every single woman… and every single encounter… registers 10.9 (above total destruction) on the Richter Scale. The first ten or twenty times fine… but infinite nuclear conquests… ad nauseam… just really gets old… especially when he has so many other interesting tales to tell.
Dice’s commitment to his lifelong dream… his stories from grammar school to stardom… that include mileposts dominated by his wonderful parents… the fact that when he was knocked off his lofty perch… he fought back with everything that was ingrained in him… to get back to the top standing tall… all could stand on their own… without having to brag over and over and over… about untold savage… universe redefining… sexual bombastic… conquests… like boys in a high school locker room… non-stop till the present times… as he is nearing sixty- years-old.
Hickory… dickory… dock….
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Clay Silverstein… aka… Andrew “Dice” Clay… aka … “da Dice Man”… this is his tell it like it is life story. (Oh yea… also the Brooklyn Bar Mitzvah Boy) This review can only be written one way… straight from the hip… straight from the heart… the good with da bad. (As only a guy with Brooklyn roots could do.) I believe that’s the only way Dice would fully appreciate it. The method of his storytelling leaves a reader… especially a true fan… in a bit of a conundrum. (Note to Dice: That’s conundrum… not condom!). On the one hand it makes me feel great that Dice shows so much love and respect for his parents from start to finish. It doesn’t matter what part of the story… or what segment of his life and times… he’s recounting. It is totally refreshing and humbling in today’s society. I feel the same way about my dear departed parents… and he dedicates the book to them:
“This book is in memory of my parents, who had me, raised me, loved me, and taught me to always believe in myself. Fred and Jackie Silverstein, you are missed every second of every day.”
Amen… L’ chaim !
This story will probably surprise even many of his most staunch fans. The hard work and dedication… that Clay put in is absolutely admirable. He definitely was committed. The decisions he made throughout his life to reach the star level that so many people doubted he would ever come close to… reminds me of an old saying: “Do you know the difference between dedication and commitment? Just think about having a breakfast of bacon and eggs… the chicken was dedicated… but the pig was committed!” That to me sums up why Dice is the star he is today. All the famous names from comedy to film production are bandied about with (of course) no holds barred. The other side of the conundrum though… is when he discusses his sexual escapades. Now obviously… being a big Dice fan… I obviously enjoy with abandon risqué jokes… but… but…
It actually gets tiresome to hear that he’s the greatest stud since Don Juan… and that every single woman in the world is dying for Clay… and he gets every single woman… and every single encounter… registers 10.9 (above total destruction) on the Richter Scale. The first ten or twenty times fine… but infinite nuclear conquests… ad nauseam… just really gets old… especially when he has so many other interesting tales to tell.
Dice’s commitment to his lifelong dream… his stories from grammar school to stardom… that include mileposts dominated by his wonderful parents… the fact that when he was knocked off his lofty perch… he fought back with everything that was ingrained in him… to get back to the top standing tall… all could stand on their own… without having to brag over and over and over… about untold savage… universe redefining… sexual bombastic… conquests… like boys in a high school locker room… non-stop till the present times… as he is nearing sixty- years-old.
Hickory… dickory… dock….
June 14, 2024
Fans of the Diceman will love this autobiography as much as his raunchy and outrageous nursery rhymes. It's written in the over-the-top style you'd expect from the wildman himself and goes into great details about the many highs and lows of his personal life and career.
The book starts with his childhood growing up in Brooklyn and then covers his struggles as a young adult trying to make it as a musician (drummer) for a short period before finding his true calling in comedy. This biography is filled with many crazy stories that are as entertaining and blue as Dice's comedy routines. Specifically, he talks about the many women that came in and out of his life, his gambling trips, his brush with the mob, his interactions with famous celebrities (ie, Sylvester Stallone, Frank Sinatra, Rodney Dangerfield, etc.). He also goes into great detail about his career highs and lows, including being the first comedian to sellout Madison Square Garden and receive a lifetime ban from MTV. In addition, he shares many behind-the-scenes stories about his acting career in Holywood movies (like The Adventures of Ford Fairlane) and TV shows (including Entourage). As you'd expect, Dice doesn't pull any punches and lays it all out on the table in a funny and candid manner. I give it 2 thumbs up!
BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoy the Diceman's outragious style of comedy, you'll love this book. WARNING: Don't read if you are offended by foul language or explicit humor as it contains lots of both.
The book starts with his childhood growing up in Brooklyn and then covers his struggles as a young adult trying to make it as a musician (drummer) for a short period before finding his true calling in comedy. This biography is filled with many crazy stories that are as entertaining and blue as Dice's comedy routines. Specifically, he talks about the many women that came in and out of his life, his gambling trips, his brush with the mob, his interactions with famous celebrities (ie, Sylvester Stallone, Frank Sinatra, Rodney Dangerfield, etc.). He also goes into great detail about his career highs and lows, including being the first comedian to sellout Madison Square Garden and receive a lifetime ban from MTV. In addition, he shares many behind-the-scenes stories about his acting career in Holywood movies (like The Adventures of Ford Fairlane) and TV shows (including Entourage). As you'd expect, Dice doesn't pull any punches and lays it all out on the table in a funny and candid manner. I give it 2 thumbs up!
BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoy the Diceman's outragious style of comedy, you'll love this book. WARNING: Don't read if you are offended by foul language or explicit humor as it contains lots of both.
December 3, 2021
Read it for what it is. Its a true life story about a pretty damn funny comedian back in the good times before everyone got offended. Freedom of speech. If you don't like vulgarity then don't listen or read vulgarity.
The book was good. I enjoyed the entire read. I don't agree with everything Dice did but I could relate most of the time. I loved the larger woman in the rain story the most. I wish I had the balls to gamble 50k and know I was going to turn it into a million.
If you love the 80s 90s rock metal and chicks.... read it.
The book was good. I enjoyed the entire read. I don't agree with everything Dice did but I could relate most of the time. I loved the larger woman in the rain story the most. I wish I had the balls to gamble 50k and know I was going to turn it into a million.
If you love the 80s 90s rock metal and chicks.... read it.
July 27, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography. It starts at the beginning of Andrew's life, and follows him through the ups of becoming the character comic he's known for, and down again. It's full of heart and passion and it gives a great insight into Andrew's life, both as a comic and as the misunderstood man that he is.
Five Stars.
Five Stars.
July 30, 2025
I have been reading this book for a while and honestly it was some kinda torture it has photos and short chapters but most of the content its like useless premise just too much.
Reading this book it was a equivalent = torture I read 55 pages and the other was summarized with AI.
Reading this book it was a equivalent = torture I read 55 pages and the other was summarized with AI.
April 18, 2019
Ford Fairlane 4 Life.
November 11, 2024
Great story about a funny comic. I've always been a fan, and I am more of one now!
August 21, 2024
I've been a fan since the 80's.
This book was amazing- the chance to hear the voice behind the enormous bravado , the name in lights, the "24 ct face".
The only negative to this book is that it wasn't longer- I'm sure there are more stories to be told.
This book was amazing- the chance to hear the voice behind the enormous bravado , the name in lights, the "24 ct face".
The only negative to this book is that it wasn't longer- I'm sure there are more stories to be told.
December 29, 2014
The rise and fall and rise again of Andrew Clay Silverstein aka The Diceman is chronicled rather nicely in The Filthy Truth.
One thing I found interesting that the first 300 pages covered his life from birth in 1957 until around 1995 or so, then the next 20 pages covered the mid-'90's until the present day. I understand that his professional prime was around 1990, but as he's had a resurgence in recent years I was hoping for a bit more insight into that time period. His brilliant turn in a Woody Allen film, for example, was glossed over in no more than a cursory paragraph.
Also, I'm growing a bit tired of the autobiographies that just read like some sleazebags creepy journal. Yes Dice, we get it - you got laid. And I get that his "character" was something of a lady killer with a foul mouth, but the lick-by-suck accounts of his bedroom conquests got old quick.
I feel that, having read this book, Clay thinks a little to highly of his place in comedy/entertainment history. He talks about events in his life like they were earth-shattering moments in time. For example, at one point he talks about the first time that he did the "taking a puff of a cigarette his his hand wrapped around his neck" on the film 'Pretty in Pink' and noted that it was one of his most beloved acts.
Overall, certainly not a bad book, I only wish we got the real Andrew Silverstein and less Diceman.
One thing I found interesting that the first 300 pages covered his life from birth in 1957 until around 1995 or so, then the next 20 pages covered the mid-'90's until the present day. I understand that his professional prime was around 1990, but as he's had a resurgence in recent years I was hoping for a bit more insight into that time period. His brilliant turn in a Woody Allen film, for example, was glossed over in no more than a cursory paragraph.
Also, I'm growing a bit tired of the autobiographies that just read like some sleazebags creepy journal. Yes Dice, we get it - you got laid. And I get that his "character" was something of a lady killer with a foul mouth, but the lick-by-suck accounts of his bedroom conquests got old quick.
I feel that, having read this book, Clay thinks a little to highly of his place in comedy/entertainment history. He talks about events in his life like they were earth-shattering moments in time. For example, at one point he talks about the first time that he did the "taking a puff of a cigarette his his hand wrapped around his neck" on the film 'Pretty in Pink' and noted that it was one of his most beloved acts.
Overall, certainly not a bad book, I only wish we got the real Andrew Silverstein and less Diceman.
August 5, 2015
Very easy read. It reads like Dice is talking to you, and you'll struggle to not read every line in Dice fashion. Like others mentioned, he spends a bit too much time in the early part of the book talking about sexual conquests and his prowess, but...it's Dice, what did you expect? I do wish he'd have spent more time addressing his later, post-Fairlane career. Lots of events and "comebacks" over the years are summed up in a paragraph or two. I'd have liked some more insight on Bless This House and his No Apologies stand up and the reality effort Dice Undisputed that were all to be his comebacks that never took off. The book essentially ends at the year 2000 and it feels like a whole decade is absent. But those criticisms are just my own, as a book and what he does dive into, it's a fast and entertaining read for sure. Really gives you a slice of what Dice is like on the inside and just how much of his antics are stage play. He really opens his heart on a lot of issues in his life.
March 16, 2015
It took me about 100 pages to not hear the narration in the voice of the Dice man. That was a given. Some of the criticisms about the book are the fact that most of the book is about the "Rise to Fame" and the sexcapades that occur along the way. Little time is spent with the fall and subsequent climb back up. I would have liked more of that. He received a raw deal from the media and while other celebrities are forgiven worse transgressions he was made to be scapegoat for a lot of things. That was not fully talked about. Nevertheless I enjoyed spending some time with the Dice man and the Filthy Truth.
January 20, 2015
I am a huge Dice fan. This book is not worth the read, unfortunately. The whole story of what happened and where he went, the supposed "rise, fall, and return", is barely touched on. What is talked about ad nauseam are his sexual conquests. Many. Too many. I really wish male celebrities would stop with this "I've had sex with so many women" in their biographies. But I digress. At any rate, it's what you'd expect, a lot of sex, a lot of vulgarity and it gave me a few really good laughs, but if it's substance or his actual life story, you'll be disappointed.
January 23, 2015
Funny but raunchy which is what you would expect from Dice. It was interesting to read about how he got his start, his rise and then fall and then rise again. Back then I kind of wondered what happened with him. When he writes about his nursery rhymes, it was just like you were in the audience at one of his shows.
February 23, 2015
As good as any celebrity book. He is pompous and arrogant and describes his crazy youth, though not with as much detail as I'd prefer. He glosses over the Howard Stern feud, and omits almost entirely the reason for the Sam Kinison one. There is also a missing piece about his brush with the mob/mafia. He tiptoes around all these things rather than admit whatever the Filthy Truth of it all was.
April 5, 2015
While I am not a huge Andrew Dice Clay fan, I admire his persistence. Growing up in the 80's, he was so controversial. Even though he has a co-writer, I feel Mr. Clay was very involved in the writing of this book. The book chronicles Mr. Clay's highs & lows in his career. Nothing surprising, but it is readable.
September 17, 2015
Sometimes you find inspiration in the funniest places and i can say i found it twice in this book. Just his refusal to give in and keep trying. His career was down and out, yet he hung in there. Some funny stories and it's very easy to read because it's so entertaining.
January 1, 2015
Dice writes as you would expect, hilarious and holds nothing back. I wish he spent more time on creating his routines instead of the numerous sexual conquests. Recommended for all fans of the Diceman
February 1, 2015
It's a bit smutty... and I loved it! I got this book when ADC was signing it in Boston, because my boyfriend was so excited about a famous comic. And I'm more into the book (and the comic) than he is!!
April 4, 2015
A nice insight into the life and times of comedian Andrew 'Dice' Clay. Some great stories but I felt like he only touched the surface of some of his career defining moments. Would loved to have had some more depth.
June 15, 2015
Andrew Dice Clay is a really in your face comedian. His standup comedy is meant to shock and offend. After the media tore him apart, he was down for a bit. But he made a comeback and now sells out arenas. He is loud and rude. I would not go see him.
February 1, 2016
Funny but raunchy which is what you would expect from Dice. It was interesting to read about how he got his start, his rise and then fall and then rise again. I loved this book I read it in 3 sittings.It ended way to soon I could have more. Been a huge fan since the 80s!
January 6, 2017
I love Dice; always have, always will. While eminently readable (it sounded like Dice was telling the story), there were very few moments that humanized him. Nothing special. If you're a fan you'll enjoy it; otherwise, not worth it.
August 16, 2014
Exactly what you think it would be. I have read far worse. Rooting for him still.
December 14, 2014
Great read about one of Brooklyns Best. Grew up in the same neighborhood and shared some memories of the best place on earth BROOKLYN YESSSSSSSSSSS
March 9, 2015
Great book but would like to have read more about recent career. 10 pages doesn't cut it.
September 30, 2015
Entertaining, but he glosses over quite a bit. I see that he did not do the reading on the audiobook version, which is crazy. That would have been an instant 5 stars for entertainment value.
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