Too Fat to Fish (Hardcover)

by Artie Lange (Author), Anthony Bozza (Author), Howard Stern (Foreword)
Key Phrases: baby gorilla, Artie Lange, Dirty Work, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This debut memoir from the comedian best known as Howard Stern's radio show sidekick is scrappy, funny, tumultuous and profane, just like its author. Lange, a self-proclaimed fat guy with a heroin problem, is difficult to love, but easy to like, his shaggy-dog life story full of derogatory self-awareness and cheerful vulgarity (often in the form of casual profanity and sexism). Many episodes from this life story will be familiar to Stern listeners, including the infamous "Pig Story," wherein Lange snorts cocaine while in full pig costume on the set of television's MADtv. Less familiar to fans will be a sobering account of Lange's suicide attempt and fond childhood memories of his beloved father. Lange's outrageous and horrific behavior involves prostitution, jail time and several trips to rehab; perhaps the saddest recurring theme is the frequency with which Lange thanks someone who's helped him, only to reveal that that person is no longer a part of his life. Glossing over Lange's penchant for alienating people is just one oversight that keeps this warts-and-all memoir from feeling fully honest. Still, for those with a taste for his aggressive, self-loathing brand of humor will find this volume full of compulsively readable stories. Photos.
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Review
“Compulsively readable . . . this debut memoir from the comedian best known as Howard Stern's radio show sidekick is scrappy, funny, tumultuous and profane.”—Publishers Weekly


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385526563
• ISBN-13: 978-0385526562
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Yourself a Favor: Read this Book, November 12, 2008

By	Laura "Bookworm" (New York USA) - See all my reviews

There is just no way to not love this book. Whether you are a fan of Artie Lange or not, the book is fresh and insightful, and it almost goes without saying, funny as hell. Not for the faint of heart (but seriously is anything connected with Howard Stern for the faint of heart?), the narrative is laced with expletives, the situations are sometimes raunchy or downright gross, and the author is not trying to paint a pretty picture of his addiction-riddled life. Once you get past the reality backwash, it is a book filled with honesty and humor as well as some surprising insights.

Artie Lange fully admits to having lived his life thus far as a first-class f***-up, allowing himself to be caught up in every imaginable vice and addiction. But he firmly believes, along with his boss, that his vices feed his amazing comedic genius. His ability to survive his own behavior in itself seems an act of genius. Personally, I think that Artie is one of that rare breed of comedian who can make people laugh hysterically with the most offhand unscripted comment. The life of decadence may make for some inherently funny situations, but I think this guy could make the telephone book funny. Ease up on yourself Artie, the world needs funny guys like you.

While I expected a book filled with humorous stories, what I didn't expect was the down-to-earth telling of them. The narrative is sometimes simplistic, but it really makes you feel like Artie is in the room with you telling you these stories. While I laughed myself sick at times, I also had tears in my eyes over the author's description of his relationship with his father, and his family's life after his father's tragic accident.

All in all the book will leave you feeling that there is a great deal more to Artie Lange than raunchy humor. He came across to me as a genuinely nice human being who cares deeply about the people who make up his universe. His occasional deeper insights (such as his description of the happiest moment of his childhood) reveal him as a complex man, whose flaws only make him that much more interesting. I loved this book, and I like Artie Lange more than ever. I wish him a long life with many fishing trips.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Edgy, February 6, 2009

By	M. Via (Kona, HI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A quick-witted master storyteller, Artie pens his tales with an edgy raw humor while unveiling his uncontrollable propensity for self-sabotage. It's an endearing, provocative memoir, filled with a compilation of stories from Lange's tumultuous life that will bring a dual set of extreme reactions. The anecdotes and insane mind are bursting at the seams, but you many find yourself biting your lip as he bares his soul.

And in a way it all works.

Heroes without flaws appear untouchable. People want their hero with cuts, and blemishes and flaws. And Artie has a lot of them.

It's easy to relate to his funny recollections growing up in Union, NJ, with the typical poor small town stories. He was raised in a close-knit Italian family; reared with all the vintage Jersey sarcastic shields. Artie grew up an obsessed Yankees fan, a wild and unleashed young buck, with the rugged hands from toiling as a longshoreman, to the cynical attitude of a late night cabbie.

There are numerous hysterical observational humor bits throughout. I particularly liked his little tale about his Dad's obsession with Franki Valli. Classic stuff. Shortly thereafter his dad becomes a quadriplegic and passes away, before witnessing Artie being catapulted to fame and hell at the same time. The story is well known, from standup to movies to comedian, to the Stern Show. With success in his back pocket, he begins a smorgasbord of reckless addictions. Shocking revelations that paint a life of success and tragedy that remain to this day. Battles with alcohol, cocaine, gambling, and heroin that makes you cringe with the excesses.

Reading this biography feels like the Belushi/Farley scenario is being played out again. This story is gut wrenching at times, and the tears fill the eyes from laughing uncontrollably, as well as feeling sorry for him the next page; an emotional roller coaster that you never want to get off of. He writes with such a regular guy on the bar stool likeable demeanor, you can feel his honesty from the first page. Totally absorbing, funny, tragic, and sad all at the same time.

Another hilarious recommended title:
High Heels and Dirty Deals - Globetrotting Tales of Debauchery from a Binge-drinking Nymphomaniac

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Fat to Give a F*#&, December 1, 2008

By	ChaCha (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

As a devout Howard Stern fan, I might have a different perspective than someone who is not as familiar with the Howard Stern radio show. I like Artie. I think he's great on the Stern show and more than earns his keep. Okay here is the big butttttttt.....if you are a fan of the show there is very little this book contains that you haven't heard before like the bank robbery and the pig stories and a very clear omission of his relationship with Dana, who was his long term girlfriend and is/was the love of his life and about his life on the Stern show. Sadly, I found this book to be another "junkie" story but one with whose stories I have heard many times over. If you aren't familiar with Artie Lange, I think you will enjoy this book. For me, it was familiar ground.