Andy Dick interview
PUSSSYKATT
E! ONLINE...
While wacky might be too understated a term to describe lovable but
less-than-all-there reporter Matthew on NBC's NewsRadio, Andy Dick is making
quite a name for himself--in very wacky ways.
You might have seen him recently on the Rosie O'Donnell Show, dressed in a
diaper and doing a song-and-dance tribute to Calvin Klein underwear models. And
then there was the time he slammed his head through a podium in his 1997 Emmy
salute to, um, physical comedy.
Of course, for those daffy folks who rule show biz, there's always a method to
the madness.
Raised as a "navy brat," Dick made the most of his talents. "I had a decision
to make: I was either going to be the lonely, quirky guy," he says, "or I was
going to learn to walk into a room and get everyone's attention."
By the end of high school, he had been named president of the drama club and
was well on his way to Chicago to study with the famed Saturday Night Live
alumni training ground: Second City. Early on, he made friends with fellow
actor Ben Stiller, who cast him as a regular in his short-lived MTV series
(along with then unknown Janeane Garofalo). Eventually, he nabbed the role of
NewsRadio's neurotic reporter.
But this gotta-make-'em-laugh guy always needs to have something new just
around the corner. This summer, Dick hits the big screen in Best Men, with Drew
Barrymore and Dean Cain.
On the personal side, Dick recently purchased an 80-acre ranch surrounded by
national forest outside of L.A. He plans to develop a preservation program,
something that's been his passion since childhood.
So, how wacky is he really? And what exactly was Howard Stern's involvement in
his recent brush with addiction? You asked, and he answered.
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From humbaba: Was your diaper supposed to fall off during the American Comedy
Awards?
Ya know, I've always had trouble keeping my diapers on. That's the problem with
cloth. And the pull-up kind tend to bunch up around my scrotum.
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From romans2: Matthew is always getting outsmarted by the other characters.
Will he ever give some back?
I don't write the shows, but it would be funny to see Matthew come in with an
M-16 one day and give everybody the "what for."
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From prasenan: How would you describe yourself?
Five-ten, blond hair, blue eyes, SWM, loves virgin piña coladas and getting
caught in the rain. I am way into yoga and nonalcoholic champagne.
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From maurie777: Who do you think is the funniest character on NewsRadio, and
why?
Paul Simms, who plays the part of the executive producer--because he's my boss.
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From tomhunt: Who is the funniest cast member when the cameras are off?
That one older guy, Bill Harman, you know, the one who was in Saturday Night
Fever. Seriously, though, I laugh with everyone in the cast. We laugh and laugh
and laugh--and then we get paid. Actually, Vicky and Phil crack me up
off-camera a lot, even during the summer away from work.
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From simlie: What is your favorite part of being a celebrity?
Getting to meet all the other celebs, like Felix the Cat and Al Roker. Oh yeah,
and the free jam donuts. To be more honest, I like to move people, to make them
laugh.
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From tvproducer: Are you bisexual? I have heard rumors that you love both men
and women.
It's funny, there are three topics that really seem to freak people out: money,
religion and sex. And I'm a rich Buddhist fag! Just kidding. I'm not Buddhist.
Just kidding again.
I have no problem talking about my sexuality. However, there sometimes seems to
be no point in talking about personal issues, because for the most part, people
love to take what I say and use it to judge me. If I thought that what I had to
say about my sexuality or anything else private was going to make a difference
in the quality of people's lives, I would surely say it. That is why I am more
than happy to talk one on one with people who have a sincere interest--in
sleeping with me!
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From spadegoddess: Can you comment on the death of actor/comedian Chris Farley?
It must have affected you greatly. I'm sure we all feel you made a good
decision in being open about your own problems with Howard Stern.
Chris' death scared me. To say it scared me straight would be a lie. Because
five months later, I was partying again, and I felt out of control and scared
again. That is why I voluntarily put myself in rehab and continue to work on my
sobriety daily, with meetings, therapists, counselors, sober friends, spiritual
advisers, good diet and exercise, prayers and meditation. And I feel great! I
still feel very sad that this world is without such a bighearted, beautiful and
extremely funny man.
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From dixiebelle1: Did your mom have a particular nickname for you when you were
little?
Shit-for-brains...no! Really, she just called me Andy, unless she was angry,
then she'd say "Andrew, do as I say!" "Why?" "Because I'm your mother."
I actually have an embarrassing nickname that I gave myself in first grade. I
swear to God, I made people call me Bambi. Don't ask me why--and don't ever
call me that.
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From mariposa7: Who were your role models growing up?
Even though my dad was on a submarine many months at a time, I really looked up
to, respected, admired and sometimes feared him. He was the one who gave me the
soundest piece of advice: "Take what you love to do--whatever it is that turns
you on in life--and make that your job." Deepak Chopra couldn't have said it
better.
My dad also turned me onto transcendental meditation at age 15. He was a great,
great man, and I wish he were still alive. But, see, he still lives in my
heart.
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From missy_15: How did you get your start?
At about 14, I had saved my nickels and dimes from paper routes and mowing
lawns to buy a small super-8 movie camera and projector. I made movies using
the neighborhood as a set and the kids on my block as the cast. I would mow
more lawns or shovel more snow so I could get the film developed, and I would
splice the film together with scissors and editing tape over a bare lightbulb.
When I had my final director's cut, I would charge the kids (the same ones who
were in the movie) 25 cents to see it. I never broke even.
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From gilliandavidlove: Whom did you admire anyone growing up?
Buster Keaton, Peter Sellars, Gene Wilder and Don Knotts--the fabulous four. As
a teenager, I really got into Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin(!),
SCTV (especially Andrea Martin), Madeline Kahn in Mel Brooks movies, Mike
Nichols and Elaine May, Bob Newhart and Shelly Berman.
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From titanicgirl1: What type of music do you like?
All kinds: Whale, Van Morrison, Tori Amos, ABBA, Beck, Hank Williams, Pearl
Jam, Boney M, and George Winston. However, my favorite vocal artist of all time
is Rickie Lee Jones.
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From World: Why did you decide to get into show biz?
As a child, people tended to laugh at me. I also loved animals. Early on, I was
faced with a decision either to save animals or save people through laughter. I
decided to make people laugh, and maybe later, if I hit it big, people would
listen to my concerns about animals. And I am now just starting to get back
into wildlife conservation.
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From strad: Could you comment on your work in Chicago improv?
Studying with the Second City and Del Close and Charna Halpern at the Improv
Olympic gave me the foundation I have built this beautiful career on top of. I
believe that everyone, whether you work on computers, are a teacher or an
engineer, should take improv classes. It teaches (1) how to think on your feet;
and (2) how to listen. It's very important to listen.
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From Sean: Are you planning to star in anything with Ben Stiller again?
I have had the great luck of being in every Ben Stiller-directed movie. I hope
he continues to use me, because I like working with him. Look closely for me in
Permanent Midnight.
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From june26: What is your favorite movie of all time, and why?
Two movies come to mind: Chinatown, with the whole good/bad conflict, the
acting and Roman Polanski's vision/direction. And Phenomenon, with John
Travolta, was such a simple yet profound movie. Three thumbs up!!!
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From marci24: You were hilarious on Rosie's show when you did the underwear
dance. Was that fun to do--or embarrassing?
Rosie O'Donnell is the coolest, the hippest, the kindest. I would do anything
for her, because she is pure fun. And 100 percent heart.
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From inacentblinks: When Dave Foley was asked if you scared him, he said yes.
Let's turn the tables: Does Dave scare YOU? Come on, out with the truth!
The only time Dave scares me is when he prances around the set wearing his
merkin on his head.
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From moomoopoo: I remember one of your appearances on Rosie O'Donnell where you
were talking about a Kmart song. Did you make it up, or did Kmart actually make
you learn it?
I wrote that song in New York in the car ride from the hotel to Rosie's studio.
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From ccarder: What were you like in high school?
My hair was so frizzy it looked like I had a natural Afro. I was a strange
bird. I remember wearing sweatpants a lot because I thought it was cool to be
comfortable. Some people liked me. Some didn't like me. It's just like anybody.
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From superninja: Comedy-wise, what was your routine before NewsRadio? Did you
do stand-up?
I tried doing stand-up, until I realized I was playing the part of a comedian.
I took that a step further and started doing one-man shows where I could play a
person or multiple personas and have people onstage with me who could play off
of me or I could play off of them.
Basically, I was writing and performing my own one-man shows--which were really
more like plays because there were other strange characters. Sometimes, people
were unable to stomach them, but I got off on that. My art onstage is just like
that: performance art. And it's very hard to label it--very easy to judge it.
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From vanzutphen: Do you ever feel like you are completely misunderstood?
What do you mean?