A sharp-eyed reader sent us the link to the Chicago Trib’s rundown of the roster for the inaugural Just For Laughs fest in the Windy City. Click through the slide show and the third face you see is that of Andy Dick.

The photo that the Trib chose to use the pic from the Murietta (CA) police department– it’s the photo from when he was charged with four misdemeanor counts of battery, public intoxication, possession of Xanax without a prescription and possession of marijuana in connection with his July 16 arrest. Complete with the orange jumpsuit.

A Google image search using “Andy Dick” returned 59,000 images… of course, there are duplicates, but you get our point– did they hafta use that one?

Is it a case of the media taking yet another dig at standup comics, as our emailer speculated? Or is it just the Trib editor trying to make a joke?

We’re of the opinion that it’s neither.

It has become a given in show business that you don’t primarily hire Andy Dick for a personal appearance because he’ll deliver a spectacular performance and wow the ticket-buying public as much as you hire him hoping that he’ll get caught by the cops whizzing in an alley at 5 AM or he’ll drape his penis around his wrist while on stage or he’ll narrowly escape being booked on felony sexual battery. And the ensuing ocean of ink will benefit your venue (or your festival) long after Dick’s been sentenced or has completed a diversion program of some sort or he gets out of rehab.

Is it a cynical exploitation of Dick’s obvious inability to play well with others? “Not exactly known for being a upstanding citizen, Andy Dick never fails to deliver on the surprises,” reads the copy under Dick’s glassy-eyed, grinning visage. The Trib is in on the gag. They probably thought they were being witty in choosing the pic that they did. No one can blame them. The Fest is in on the gag, too.

Show business has no shortage of tales like this one: Bring in the “mercurial” figure who will dance on the table, shoot up the hotel room with a Colt .45 and kiss all the girls…. We just hope he doesn’t die while he’s on our dime. The first few who book him aren’t so much to blame, but the ones who do so while he’s in the in the throes of drug or alcohol addiction or true madness are seeking the spectacle as much as the celebrity.

But, in this case, it might be in poor taste to run the arraignment photo. If we are to believe what we read, Dick might actually have it together finally. Leslie Savage, writing for Entertainment Weekly in February, reviews Rehab House:

Mr. Dick has had his fair share of addictions, but his current drug of choice is Rolling Rock beer (I know– what is he, a freshman in high school?). Everyone knows Mr. Dick as being, well, true to his name. But in Sober House, you see a whole new side of him, and it’s a bit disconcerting. You may actually find yourself empathizing — and dare I say liking him? He’s vulnerable, he’s sincere, and he’s truly ready to get his act together for the sake of his 20-year-old son, whom he lives with. Which begs the question: Could this possibly be the best career choice Andy Dick has ever made?

Which Dick will show up? The excitement is killing Chicagoans, no doubt.

Perhaps the folks at the Trib didn’t know that Dick made yet another attempt at rehab. We wish him the best. He’s a funny guy and his short-lived show was hilarious. And he might be a great standup comic… who gets booked for funny stuff, done onstage.