Like I said, he pushed me over the edge, but all the cool people in movies smoked, Joe Camel was cool, the Marlboro Man was cool, Hollywood and the tobacco companies made it look really cool. And yes, Clay has not aged well, but his humor and attitude were pretty cool in the 90's. He used to do all sorts of cool tricks with cigarettes and zippo lighters, and he just made it look really cool. It was while watching The Adventures of Ford Fairlane when I remember making a conscious decision that I was going to start smoking. That was right after watching Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man movie.

Edit: here's a couple pictures from said movie, since it's a very different aesthetic than what you found. Look at that cast!