He delivers a unique twist on the placement ofa five million dollar pricetag on the head ofSalmon Rushdie, author of The SatanicVerses.

In America, we have this thing calledfreedom of speech. You can say what you want, whenyou want, as loud as you want.

It's a great thing, you know, but then yougotta think, FIVE MILLION DOLLARS.

I'd hit my grandmother over the head with aweedwhacker for five million dollars!

"I try to say something in my comedy," Clarkasserts. "I don't only try to make people laugh, Itry to have a message in some way."

Troubled by the destructive nature of theracism, sexism, and homophobia prevalent in modernsociety, Clark tries to "stress love and nothate--that everybody, when they're cut, bleedsred." Thus Clark never attacks any particulargroups in society but instead focuses on themesand experiences common to everyone.

"I don't think he turns off any part of thepopulation," says Barclay. "There's nothing abouthim that's offensive."

Though Anthony Clark is presently best knownfor standup comedy, he has found success indramatic roles on both stage and screen.

Clark performed in the Broadway play TheGrapes of Warth, which received the 1991 TonyAward for best play on Broadway. His comedic andacting abilities impressed NBC enough to earn hima role in the pilot "Social Studies," thoughultimately the series did not get picked up.Recently Clark was offered another television rolein a local pilot to be filmed here in Boston.However, despite the success that comedians suchas Jerry Seinfeld and Richard Lewis have found inthe sitcom genre, Clark does not really see muchtelevision in his future.

"I think I just want to see what's going tohappen with film and stage. I would love to doanother stage production in New York, evenoff-Broadway, just to get back into the theatersetting."

Clark's break into film came last year with asupporting role in the critically acclaimed butcommercially disappointing Dogfight.Directed by Nancy Savoca, whose directorial debutTrue Love won top honors at the 1989 U.S.Film Festival, Dogfight stars River Phoenixand Lili Taylor in a story of a most cruel datinggame.

Clark portrays Buele, one of four inseparableMarine buddies engaging in drunken comradery ontheir last night before shipping out overseas.Though his accent and humor still come through inhis role as Buele, acting in Dogfightprovided Clark with an exciting new medium for histalents and a welcome change from the comedy clubstage.

His role in Dogfight also enabled Clarkto learn from his highly successful costar, RiverPhoenix.

"His whole demeanor and his whole attitude areso positive and so giving," Clark comments. "Ijust learned from him that you just have to makeit as real as possible at the moment."

For Clark, "acting is all a feeling in theheart. It's believing that you are theperson you're portraying, for a little while."