Too Fat to Fish

By: Artie Lange

Narrated by: Artie Lange

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

When Artie Lange joined the permanent cast of The Howard Stern Show in 2001, it was possibly the greatest thing ever to happen in the Stern universe, second only to the show's move to the wild, uncensored frontier of satellite radio. Lange provided what Stern had yet to find all in the same place: a wit quick enough to keep pace with his own, a pathetic self-image to dwarf his own, a personal history both heartbreaking and hilarious, and an ingrained sense of self-sabotage that continually keeps things interesting.

A natural storyteller with a bottomless pit of material, Lange grew up in a close-knit, working-class Italian family in Union, New Jersey, as a maniacal Yankees fan who pursued the two things his father said he was cut out for: sports and comedy. Tragically, Artie Lange Sr. never saw the truth in that prediction. He became a quadriplegic in an accident when Artie was 18 and died soon after. But as with every trial in his life, from his drug addiction to his obesity, to his fights with his mother, Artie mines the humor, pathos, and humanity in these events and turns them into comedy classics.

True fans of the Stern Show will find Artie gold in these pages: hilarious tales that couldn't have happened to anyone else. There are stories from his days driving a Jersey cab, working as a longshoreman in Port Newark, and navigating the dark circuit of stand-up comedy. There are outrageous episodes from the frenzied heights of his coked-up days at MADtv, surprisingly moving stories from his childhood, and an account of his recent U.S.O. tour that is equally stirring and irreverent. But also in this volume are stories Artie's never told before, including some that he deemed too revealing for radio.

Wild, shocking, and drop-dead hilarious, Too Fat to Fish is Artie Lange giving everything he's got to give. And like a true pro, the man never disappoints.

©2008 Artie Lang (P)2008 Random House

Critic reviews

"A very funny man." (David Letterman)
"A comedy treasure....One of the funniest guys there is....The pride of New Jersey." (Jimmy Kimmel)

yeah ya

great story. really funny. wish he did a couple more. u should listen bet u laugh

Love the honesty

Big fan,I love Howard Stern, norm mc.Gary del. ect. Ardie is one of my peeps.

Awesome book!

Artie Lange is such a great comedian and storyteller. He is one of my favorites.

A must for any fan of Artie, Howard or anyone w addictions they battle.

I enjoyed the entire book, listening to much of it a second time. It’s so good I’m going to listen to all his books, and Anthony Brazzo’s books as well!

Great book

Loved it! Wish Artie was able to narratethe entire thing but I understand his struggle! Awesome book though!

Great

Perfect mix of funny and sad. The audio book is a must buy.

Love the book, hate the guest readers.

I can't tell you how good this book was to listen to, coming from Artie himself. It came from his heart as he read it as only Artie knew where to put emphasis where it was needed. The minute Gary takes over, the audio begins it's decent into the depths of the uninteresting. Despite this obvious warning not to continue listening, I ignored the signs and set a course to collide head on with Bob "hooked on phonics" Levy. Needless to say, I didn't want to lose my hunger for the rest of this book and I had to stop listening to it almost immediately after Gary ended his chapters. In order for me to stay hooked on this book, I had to actually go out and pick up a book. Something Bob Levy should have done when he was 5 years old instead waiting until he was 32.... Outside of that, Artie's story is horrifically enticing and so riveting to hear, that every page has you on the edge of your seat, waiting to hear for the next tragic event that takes place in Artie's life. His life mimics events of such legendary comics Sam Kinison, Leny Bruce and John Belushi all rolled into one. Through the up's and down's, through sober times and addicted times, Artie's story is sad and unique. I really sympathized with Artie and I applaud the strength he's found to make it this far in life. It was worth the money I paid just to hear Artie tell his story in the first 6 chapters. It really came from his soul. I still rate it a 4 outta 5 just because that's how good the first 6 chapters are! I doubt I or anyone else can say the same for the rest of the audio book. Let's face it, "Beetlejuice" could have done a much better job than Levy. By the way, I never made it to Jim Florentine so I have no idea how good or bad he was. If Artie ever finds it in his heart to go back and finish the audio version of his book, I'd buy it again just to hear him tell it in his own words. As a matter of fact, I'd pay double. Rest in Peace Artie Lange. Your Pop is damm proud of ya!

Amazing.

Waaaaaaa waaaa what you expect me to say something good about this book!? Buy it and find out for your self.

Absolutely awesome

I wasn't sure what to expect this book was great I highly recommend this book

A disaster a human makes for a great story

I really enjoyed Too fat to fish. Artie is a dumpster fire of a guy who's demons continue to get the better of him and he somehow always comes out the other end. No matter how hard he tries to ruin his life you cant help but cheer for the guy. Artie is a funny guy who can tell a story and this is a great memoir. And at the very least you will feel good about yourself because no matter how bad you screw up in your life you never pull an Artie because if you ever did you would most certainly be very very dead. “AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY"