Career Aspirations and Eddie Murphy Influence

• Dice describes being "first guy to do what I did"
• Looked up to Eddie Murphy as "absolute greatest from stand up to films"
• Wanted career trajectory: millions on road → movie stardom
• Got backlash as first comedian banned from MTV

MTV Awards Setup and Context

• MTV didn't approve his set beforehand - "they didn't know"
• Dice philosophy: "nobody fucks with dice, dice does the fucking in the past, present, future, Multiverse"
• Rehearsal job was simply to "hit my mark"
• Previous comics had "tanked" - mentioned comedian talking about "hats Sinatra wore" at Universal Amphitheater
• Friend's advice: "either be a teardrop or be a tidal wave"

Management and Industry Context

• Had "biggest manager ever" Sandy Gallon
  • Represented Whoopi, Stallone, Dolly Parton
  • "Biggest manager in Hollywood"
• Trying to "do the right thing" initially

Pre-Show Confrontation with Dick Clark

• Arsenio Hall was host
• Dick Clark approached backstage calling him "dice"
• Clark suggested if set runs long, Arsenio would come over for banter
• Dice confused about "stretch" - thought Clark meant something sexual
• Clark explained Cher might not be ready
• Dice angry: "don't fucking tell me how things go, you're not my boss"
• Getting introduced while angry at Clark

The Performance

• Went into "poems" material on MTV (free TV, not HBO/Showtime)
• "Georgie Porgy" poem: "putting in pie, jerked off in girlfriend's eye, whenever I was dry and shut, Georgie fucked that one-eyed bitch"
• Crowd went "fucking crazy"
• Did "fat girl stuff" ending with "don't know where tits begin and belly ends, like one big glop of shit"
• Got signal, introduced Cher singing "If I Could Turn Back Time"
• Everyone thinking "if we could turn back time about eight minutes"

Backstage Chaos During Performance

• Dick Clark tried to charge/attack Dice during act
• Arsenio Hall "jumps on his back and tackles him"
• Clark "went out of his fucking mind"
• Situation described as "messy"

Immediate Aftermath

• Press tent - "not one question was asked" despite "all the press in the world"
• Sandy Gallon called: "praying what I was watching on TV was only coming through my television"

Industry Reaction and Career Impact

• Club owner Mark Magnum from Rascals called
• Sam Kinison was there, thought Dice was "done, finished"
• Reality: shows increased from 1 arena show to 2, then 3 shows
  • Example: Spectrum in Philly, Boston arena where Bill Burr saw him
  • "Got bigger and bigger, nothing was hurting"
• Was doing "80 to 100,000 people a week" vs Kinison's "4-5,000 seats a night"
• Kinison "couldn't handle" Dice's success going "straight to arenas"

MTV Ban Meeting

• Big meeting next day at MTV
• Rick Rubin present along with Sandy Gallon's people
• President banned Dice "for life"
• Dice's reaction: "hilarious, I'm not even a singer, what do I give a shit"

Dick Clark's Redemption

• Next day Clark's "hair was fixed"
• In room full of executives during ban discussion
• Clark asked: "are you sure you want to do that?"
• Rick Rubin told Clark: "this guy is the biggest thing in the world right now and you're banning him for life"
• Described as "one of the crazy moments of the backlash of my career"