Too Fat to Fish

By: Artie Lange

Narrated by: Artie Lange

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)

Too Fat to Finish

I would have preferred if Artie read the whole book. I was never a big fan of his, I stopped listening to the Stern show when Jackie Martling left - I thought it wasn't as funny without him. But, I like a good story and Artie has some great stories to tell. Some funny, some incredible sad and pitiful. I hope he cleans himself up before it's too late because I'd like to listen to another book from him. If...he reads the whole thing.

Great Stories

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Seems a bit exagerrated

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I enjoyed all the stories, but most were told on the Stern show

Was Too Fat to Fish worth the listening time?

Only if you dont know the stories from the Stern Show

Any additional comments?

I Love Artie Lange!!!

fascinating

Would you listen to Too Fat to Fish again? Why?

i was really surpised how close artie was to his dad

Who was your favorite character and why?

artie of course

What about Artie Lange’s performance did you like?

how he told his story

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

some parts funny and some parts very sad

Any additional comments?

i will recommend this book to others

amazing book art. your life story is crazy and all

wouls suggest anyone battling the demond to take some time and get this book amazing

Amazing!

This is simply amazing in all aspects, my dad loved it as well, it will be on repeat.

Too fat to fish

Great read great stories. I wish Artie could have read the entire book but the other narrators were also very good. I would recommend this audible book.

Would be 5 stars if Artie did all the narrating.

Good book great stories, perfect when Artie narrates, but HARD to listen to the other narrators at times when Artie gave up, if you're fairly literate, the narrating will drive you crazy.

Needs to be a movie!

Loved it! 2023 and first time hearing it. Artie’s story can be a Netflix or Hulu series!

nice to see the honesty

the author dug deep in insight and really put his life out there. his stories are sadly humorous

Only for big Stern show fans

I bought this because of being a fan of the Howard Stern show and it was the only reason I was able to finish it. The book reads like Artie talks which to some might be a good thing but I didn't think so. Second, Artie quits reading the book himself not even halfway through and has other people do it for him. This wouldn't be so bad except he somehow thought it would be funny to have Bob Levy read part of the book when it's a known fact Bob can barely read.

If you're a fan of the show I'd still recommend buying this, but if you're not then I'd pass on this one.