Chris Rock’s Best Career Advice Came From Andrew Dice Clay

Chris Rock is generous when naming his comedy mentors. The comic has cited Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman, Phil Hartman and even Bill Cosby as influences and teachers. But the best career advice that Rock ever received came from a less likely source: Andrew Dice Clay. 

At least that’s what Rock told Playboy back in 1999. “Before I taped Bring the Pain, I bumped into Andrew Dice Clay,” he explained. “Anybody who knows Dice knows he can’t help but give you advice every time he sees you — good or bad. But when you really think about it, who knows more about doing an HBO special than Dice? Who’s gotten more out of being on HBO than Dice? Who filled up Madison fucking Square Garden?”

Okay, fair enough. Not only was Dice the first comic to pull off that feat, he filled up MSG for two consecutive nights in 1990. Three years later, he produced the first ever stand-up comedy pay-per-view special, No Apologies. About a quarter of a million homes put down cold hard cash to watch the Diceman in action, making it the most profitable non-sports event of the year. He landed three HBO specials in the 1990s, a decade of success intercut with protesters, cancelations and and a controversial appearance on Saturday Night Live. But give the comic his props — he knew a thing or two about generating publicity and selling tickets. 

So what was Dice’s advice for the up-and-coming Rock? “He said, ‘Watch Rocky and you’ll remember why you got started. Everything will come back to you.’”

Corny? Not to Rock. “They say I’m big, but I can’t ignore a guy who filled the Garden. And he was right,” he said. “I watched Rocky and it all came into focus. It’s the best inspirational movie in the world. All schoolkids should be forced to watch Rocky. The lesson is try your best, no matter what, and you’ll feel good at the end. Be better than your best. That’s my career philosophy.”

Rock saw the Rocky philosophy play out in real life, too. “Buster Douglas was a bum,” Rock noted. “But one night he fought Tyson better than his best, and he won.”

That boxer mentality found its way into Rock’s act. “I try to hit (the audience). Immediately. I don’t try to fluff it that much, because a man’s behavior is dictated by his physicality. I’m like a lightweight fighter, so I tell more jokes than a big guy,” he said, channeling his inner Rocky. “I’ve got to throw a lot of jokes.”