As previously mentioned I am known to be a big Howard Stern fan. So it came as no surprise that I was given the New York Times best-seller (yes, that’s right!), “Too Fat to Fish,” written by comedian and Stern castmate favorite Artie Lange.

Not only was I given the copy I hoped for but my husband and I received a surprise autographed copy given to us by our brother-in-law, Rob, who was number 600 in line at the Smithaven Mall on Long Island where he got to have a short convo with Mr. Lange himself.

For those who have no clue as to who Artie is I will just tell you that he adds this very quick wit to the Howard Stern show that is virtually effortless. Oh, and he is an addict. By addict I mean he is addicted to food, drugs, soda, all sweets, gambling, etc. Artie is pretty much killing himself but since he is a grown man what can anyone do? Yes, it is sad and pathetic but the guy is talented and constantly promises to get better. Hey, read the book– you’ll get it better than I could ever explain.

The book. A collection of some of the very best TRUE Artie stories. Just regular experiences taken right from his very screwed up life. Sometimes touching, sometimes so insanely outrageous that if it were in a movie you would say, “no way is this guy gonna live through this,” and sometimes laugh out loud funny. You get to know the father that introduced the joy and passion of baseball (Yankees) to Artie, and can understand the depth of the pain he still feels by his father’s early death. Truly Artie is a man in need of therapy but is of a mindset that won’t allow him to accept that kind of help. So tragic.

Artie has lived 1,000 lives. He went from dock worker to star of Mad TV in just a couple of years. One minute unable to pay bills incurred from his dad’s accident and the next partying with celebrities he was in awe of. Now that can mess with your head for sure. He still carries that with him a bit which is why his fan base is so huge on the Stern show. He is still kind of a slob… with tons of money. People think they can actually be him or hang with him, that they are alike….except he actually can get on a stage in front of thousands and make people laugh.

Artie apologizes a lot in this book. He knows how lucky he is. He is well aware that if not for the love and friendship of others he would certainly be dead. He has been rescued from his own bad behavior on dozens of occasions. Through many stories

he thanks the people who were there for him and often gives shout outs, “I’m sorry,” “You saved my life,” “You did the right thing.”

Again, the man could use some therapy.

Just to be clear this is a FUNNY book. I mean the guy was in a sketch for Mad TV dressed as a pig (an oink, oink pig) and was so addicted to coke that he drove to Delaware in costume looking to score. That is messed up but picture it! He tells the story so well, naturally it is hysterical.

So I give this book a big thumbs up if you are an Artie fan. And if you aren’t a fan it’s a fast, entertaining book so I say read it anyway. Oh, and the forward is by Howard Stern which is pretty darn good.

I have two copies if you want to borrow the non-autographed one.