Too Fat to Fish

My husband, who does not read very much, grabbed this book the day it arrived from the ER program. He read every night instead of watching TV. At times he even laughed out loud. He will right his own review, but I thought I would add that whatever else is said about this book - it held the interest of a non reader.
A small disclaimer - He does faithfully listen to Howard Stern and was very aware of Artie and his life but still, he read the book. He has now equaled his last years reading total!

His Review:
As a long time fan of the Howard Stern Show, I was really looking forward to reading show comedian Artie Lange’s Too Fat to Fish. On the radio Artie is known for his great one liners, amazing stories, addictive personality and out of show more control life, so my expectations were high that this book would be extremely funny.
While the book does contain great stories and a number of one liners that will get you to laugh out loud, the main theme of the book is the tragic side of Artie’s life. Family tragedy followed by drug abuse and depression. The parallels to Belushi and Farley are scary, only this time you are reading the drama as it unfolds for a guy that amazingly is still alive. Artie claims to be an atheist so it’s also interesting to read all of the angel, God and guardian references, typical of the contradictions that are Artie Lange.
The book is written in close style to the way Artie talks so it’s an easy read but definitely R rated. My main complaint with the writing is that every name drop in the book is followed with the typical show biz B.S. of “he/she is a wonderful person, and I owe everything to them…blah blah blah”. It got to be a bit much after a while.
For fans on the Stern show this book adds great insight into Artie’s life and helps explain much of his addiction to food, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, prescriptions and hookers….did I leave anything out…oh yeah, gambling. That pretty much covers it. At the end Artie talks about a follow up book…lets hope he gets his life straightened out enough that he is alive to write it. show less

Artie's self-deprecating tale of his life and addictions is witty, wry, and a fun read if never enlightening or uplifting.

Narrated by Artie Lange and friends. I never heard of Artie Lange and I am no fan of Howard Stern's show. I picked up the audio version out of curiosity after reading an article about a librarian being invited on to Stern's show after she gave the audio a starred review. This is actually highly entertaining and hilarious storytelling, very appropriate given that he's a comedian. Crude at times, yes, but dang funny. Artie Lange comes off as a lovable mess whose addictive personality disappoints time and time again. (I was getting pretty impatient with him myself.) His surprising and abrupt departure from the audio production (completed by his friends) is even in keeping with the kind of life he leads. Truly a mess of a man but still a show more fun story for my work commute. show less

Lange is a tortured character. While he claims that his drug use, gambling addiction and alcoholism stem from his father's paralysis after an accident in Lange's teen years, it's more likely that the roots of his addictive personality run much deeper. Full of fascinating - and distressing - stories, Lange can tell a compelling story. Sadly, much of the addiction stories feel like a cop-out -- Lange blames his issues on his father's injury and early death, and never seems to truly desire to change. A true creative genius, I fully expect to read about his death in the paper within one year, because his self-destructive behaviour shows no signs of stopping, and is in fact, escalating. It's a pity, too, because he still has some great show more stories to tell. show less

If you love Artie, you'll love this book. If not . . . meh. I happen to love him, so I'm glad I made the "investment" (two day read, max.) Can't believe this guy is still living; I'm confused by his overabundant love for his family and friends and yet his hatred for himself. Seems like life keeps giving him gifts (jobs, fame, $$, etc.) and yet he just can't seem to keep on the right side of the road. If you have the choice, I've heard the audio version is great.

I'm a fan of Howard and Artie as well. Artie's stories were totally ridiculous, over the top, depressing, and completely heart-breaking. I'm surprised this guy is still alive after everything he has done to himself. The main thing that i absolutely HATED about this book is Artie's constant sucking up to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE that he mentions in the book. It seemed like every other line went something like, "X is the greatest person in the world. X means so much to me. I wish X only the best and I wish that we were still friends. You wouldn't be reading this book if it weren't for X." Substitute anyone's name mentioned in the book for X. All in all, this book was pretty annoying simply because of his writing style, but Artie's show more crazy life stories are worth the read. show less

My first recommendation for this book is to treat it like swimming. Don't eat directly before, during, or after reading it. Lange makes it clear throughout that he is not holding back - and that includes the more unpleasant details.

That being said, I was rather surprised to find I enjoyed this book. Unlike the majority of people who will pick up this book, I really didn't have much of an idea as to who Artie Lange was. I don't listen to the Howard Stern show and I have never seen his movies or his comedy acts. So when I realized that I was about to read about the experiences of a drug addict, I was fully prepared to dislike Lange.

Not to say that I didn't have moments where I would have happily throttled his neck. The sheer amount of show more frustration that came from reading about Lange's self destructive lifestyle and how it nearly cost him all the success he built was intensely aggravating. I can't even begin to imagine how his friends felt.

And that's the surprising part of this book. There are people who truly care for this man. At first I did not understand it. In these pages I saw a representation of a selfish jerk who didn't deserve a tenth of the success he had achieved. He was destructive, violent, and brought suffering to all those around him.

But as I read through the book, I saw glimpses of a genuine and caring man. For all of his vices, for all the feuds and arguments he has had because of his various addictions, this seems to be a man who bears no ill will to anyone else. He is constantly surprised that he has managed to hold on to both his success and his friends. He has a strong and supportive family who love him dearly. Furthermore, he isn't afraid to own up to the most humiliating and shameful experiences of his life - and once you've read this book you'll understand why I fully believe that Lange was being brutally honest, though slightly self indulgent.

As much as I went into this book expecting to detest everything about Lange, I came out unable to. In fact, I think I kind of like the guy. I am, however, thankful that it was not me who had to pull him constantly from his own messes. Lange's success is, in exceptionally large part, due to the loyalty of his friends and family and they deserve all the kudos that Lange can send their way. One trait of Lange's that find admirable is his willingness to get back up and try again. He falls frequently, but he doesn't tend to stay down. If it wasn't for the fact that his downfalls were so often self inflicted, I would be calling Mr. Lange quite the role model.

I do have trouble identifying with Artie as his internal demons are ones I've never had to face. But his persistence is admirable and the opportunities we are given to see behind his crude facade are heartening. I can't say this book changed my life, though it may encourage others who have faced similar problems in their lives, but it was certainly a worthwhile read. I've read several celebrity biographies and it was lovely to read about a man who is actually grateful for the gifts he has received. That alone makes it refreshing. This book isn't just a story about Lange, it is also about the friends and family who were strong enough to pull him through when he was at his weakest.

I only hope that he succeeds in overcoming his issues and that any setbacks he experiences in his recovery are temporary. show less