Wise Words From a Fat Man

Comments (0) By Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik Thursday, Jan 15 2009

Comedian Artie Lange’s memoir is titled Too Fat to Fish, but just recently his co-hosts on the perennially popular Howard Stern Show were suggesting an alternative title — Ticking Time Bomb. Lange is of the breed of comedian who wears his life (and consequently, his art) like an oversized cloak. And recently, the cloak has been especially oversized and noticeably disheveled. Lange himself admitted that his weight ballooned to 300 pounds, and within the past year he has openly struggled with drug addiction and a range of psychological issues. But thanks to a detoxifying stint right here in Miami (of all places), the raunchy yukmeister is getting back to fighting shape. Reportedly he’s lost 20 pounds so far, and here’s hoping that the hilarious, shocking, and sometimes scary life stories he shares will start to seem more funny and less like a cry for help.

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Lange’s laid his life open for all to read. Too Fat to Fish tells it all, from his working-class New Jersey Italian childhood to his rise to fame via films like Dirty Work and Elf to his time on sketch comedy show Mad TV. Sex, drugs, fame, fortune, fans, more sex, more drugs… it’s all told here in inimitable shock-and-awe style. The book’s being promoted with the tagline “proof that some people never learn from their mistakes,” but we’re rooting for the big man this time around.

Artie performs tonight at 8 at the Florida Atlantic University Auditorium at 777 Glades Rd. in Boca Raton. Tickets start at $42. Visit ticketmaster.com.
Fri., Jan. 16, 8 p.m., 2009