USA TODAY
May 10, 1990, Thursday, FINAL EDITION

Sinead O'Connor spurns Clay 'SNL'

 Peter Johnson


    NBC's Saturday Night Live took another hit Wednesday when singer Sinead
O'Connor pulled out of Saturday's show in protest of the host, raunchy comedian
Andrew Dice Clay.

   ''It would be nonsensical of Saturday Night Live to expect a woman to perform
songs about a woman's experiences after a monologue by Clay,'' O'Connor said in
a statement.

   ''We weren't asking her to embrace Andrew Dice Clay,'' said SNL executive
producer Lorne Michaels. ''We were asking her to sing two songs.''

   Michaels said there are no plans to dump Clay, whose routine includes sexist
and homophobic jokes. ''We honor our commitments,'' he said, adding that a
replacement for O'Connor ''is in the works.''

   It's the first SNL boycott over a guest. Earlier, regular Nora Dunn bowed out
of this week's show - and Clay called her ''Nora Dunce'' Wednesday on
Entertainment Tonight.

   ''Look, I didn't invent dirty words,'' Clay said, ''I just know how to make
'em rhyme.'' Past routines have included: ''Rockabye baby on the treetop/Your
mother's a whore, and I ain't your pop.''

   The Brooklyn-born Clay has just released a hit comedy album, The Day the
Laughter Died, and his movie, Ford Fairlane, comes to theaters July 6.

   He's been banned from MTV because of his lewd performance during last year's
video awards ceremony.

   Yet he's been generally unknown by the public, until now.

   Is all this a publicity stunt?  ''I did not think of publicity,'' Michaels
said. ''I'd be shocked and dismayed if people watched simply because it was more
controversial.''