Wise Words from a Fat Man

Comedian Artie Lange’s memoir is titled Too Fat to Fish, but recently his cohosts on the perennially popular suggested an alternative title: Ticking Time Bomb. Lange is of the breed of comedian who wears his life (and consequently his art) like an oversize cloak. And lately the cloak has been especially oversize and noticeably disheveled. Lange himself admitted his weight ballooned to 300 pounds, and over 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 has lost 20 pounds so far, and here’s hoping the hilarious, shocking, and sometimes scary stories he shares in his life story will now begin to seem more funny and less like a cry for help.

Lange has laid his life open for everyone to read. Too Fat to Fish tells it all, from his working-class New Jersey Italian childhood to his rise to fame via films such as Dirty Work and Elf, and his time on sketch comedy show MadTV. Sex, drugs, fame, fortune, fans, more sex, more drugs...it’s all told here in inimitable shock-and-awe style. The book is 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. Meet Artie Lange and hear some crazy shit this Thursday at 8 p.m. at Books & Books.
Thu., Jan. 15, 8 p.m., 2009