Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange, Anthony Bozza
The Howard Stern Show moving to the uncharted, uncensored frontier of satellite radio in 2001 may have been the second-greatest event to ever occur in the Stern world after Artie Lange’s permanent cast addition. Lange offered everything Stern had yet to discover all in one place: wit quick enough to match his own, a pitiful self-image to dwarf his own, a painful and amusing personal background, and an entrenched sense of self-sabotage that keeps things new all the time.
Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange, Anthony Bozza
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Lange, a born storyteller with an endless supply of fodder, was up in a close-knit working-class Italian family in Union, New Jersey. An obsessive Yankees fan, he pursued both comedy and athletics, as his father had said he was destined to do. Sadly, Artie Lange Sr. never realized the forecast was accurate: When Artie was eighteen, he was in an accident and became quadriplegic; he passed away shortly after. However, Artie mines the humour, sorrow, and humanity in these incidents and transforms them into comedy masterpieces, as he does with every struggle in his life, from his drug addiction to his weight to his confrontations with his mother.
These pages contain humorous stories that couldn’t have happened to anybody else, and true Stern Show fans will discover Artie gold there. There are tales from his time as a Jersey taxi driver, a longshoreman at Port Newark, and a stand-up comedian navigating its seedy underbelly. There are hilarious stories from his wild days at MADtv, shockingly touching tales from his early years, and an account of his most recent U.S.O. tour that is both emotional and irreverent. But this book also contains tales that Artie has never before recounted, some of which he thought was too intimate for radio.
Too Fat to Fish is Artie Lange throwing all he’s got: wild, surprising, and hysterically funny. And the dude never lets you down, like a great pro.
Mr Lange was raised by working-class Italian parents in Union, New Jersey, and was a “typical” American child who loved sports, girls, and comedy. His adored father had a tumble when he is 18 and becomes quadriplegic. The loss of his family sends Lange over the brink, and he starts using drink and then narcotics to numb his suffering. He pulls himself together enough to leave the restrictions of the working class life he was “meant for” and devotes himself to pursuing a comedy career, despite the fact that his addiction grows and develops throughout the years.
Even though he makes every attempt to hurt himself, he succeeds and joins the cast of MADtv. Lange turns to cocaine to help him cope as the strain and the money start to wear on him. He eventually loses control, is fired from the cast, and is compelled to enter rehab. He ultimately pulls himself together, lands a movie part, and then he relapses, this time turning to heroin. He manages to get a slot on The Stern Show, which has a devoted fan base (my husband included). This results in another movie and, eventually, further drug-related issues.
The last great comedian to appear on Howard Stern was Artie Lange; nowadays, the show is dominated by a group of odd people who find it amusing to dress as ladies or act as homosexuals, regardless of the topic being discussed. Artie was impulsive and lived on the edge, which makes his anecdotes funny because of how unpredictable his life was. However, Lange speaks volumes of truth about life in general and isn’t a bad man at his core. Artie is undoubtedly just experiencing pain in his life and doing his best to cope with its ups and downs without hurting too many others, particularly those who are closest to him. This book is especially intended for Stern Show and Artie Lange fans. Readers who are primarily interested in learning about addictive personalities’ minds might also find it of minor interest.
