Artie Lange
Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, radio personality, and author. Lange is most notable for replacing Jackie Martling on The Howard Stern Show, and for being an original cast member of the sketch comedy series MADtv. Lange co-wrote a book with Anthony Bozza titled Too Fat to Fish. It was released on November 11, 2008, and debuted at number one on the New York Times best-seller list on November 21, 2008.
Artie Lange on Joe Buck Live (FULL INTERVIEW) PT1
Artie Lange gambling joke New York Giants
Artie Lange Nigger Nigga joke
Artie Lange Quits Pt. 1
Early life and education
Lange was born in Livingston Township, New Jersey and was raised in Union Township. His mother Judy worked as a secretary while his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. His sister Stacy is a fashion designer.[citation needed] Two weeks after Lange's birth, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son.[1] During a segment of The Howard Stern Show, Lange provided a blood sample that was taken to a laboratory for DNA testing. The results indicated that Lange was 25 percent American Indian. Lange said that his father's background was a "grey area".[citation needed]
Lange excelled in baseball during his high school years, becoming an All County third baseman.[citation needed] He spent his free time working with his father. On October 18, 1985, his father fell from a ladder and broke his back, becoming quadriplegic.[5][6] Money soon became an issue within his family, and celebrities were contacted to donate items for them to auction. Howard Stern was the only one to respond and sent them an autographed jacket. His father died from an infection on February 1, 1990, four-and-a-half years after the accident.[1][5][7]
In August 1985, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was trying to flirt with the teller by passing her a note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. The teller took it seriously, triggering a silent alarm. He was charged with disorderly conduct and entered community service in March 1986.[8] As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987 as well as Seton Hall University for a short time. From February 1991 to September 1992, he stayed in New Jersey and took up work as a longshoreman at Port Newark to help support his family.[9][10] He eventually quit his job at the port to focus on his comedy career. While searching for such work, Lange's regular form of employment was driving a taxi in New York City.[11]
[edit]Career
[edit]Early comedy career and MADtv (1987–1997)
On June 12, 1985, at 17 years of age, Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at The Improv in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[3] In the first three months of 1992, Lange landed a role in a dinner theater play, touring restaurants and catering halls in New Jersey. He then co-formed an improv troupe called Live on Tape, which led to the group performing sell-out shows at Caroline's on Broadway in New York City.[12] Lange was taken by William Morris Agency, where he met Peter Principato, his manager of ten years.[13]
In May 1995, Lange flew to Los Angeles to shoot the television pilot for MADtv, a sketch comedy show that was picked up by Fox.[14] Lange, who moved to the west coast in July, landed a role as one of the eight original cast members from 8,000 comics who were screened.[15] Lange attributed his hiring to the fact that he fit the John Belushi mold that was popular in sketch comedy.[16] His most popular recurring character on the show was "That's My White Mama".[17]
Lange returned for the filming of the second season of MADtv in August 1996.[18] However, his stint with the show came to an end when cast and crew members attempted to have an intervention for him after a cocaine binge. Lange fled the studio, running through streets and backyards with his co-workers chasing after him. The chase ended in a supermarket, where he was arrested. Lange attempted to punch one of the police officers. He was sentenced to time served and probation.[17] Producers of MADtv persuaded him to enter rehabilitation in March 1997. Lange checked into Honesty House, a rehab center in Stirling, New Jersey, for two months.[19] His contract was not renewed for a third season. Lange made cameo appearances during the fifth and tenth seasons, including the final episode on May 16, 2009.[20] He also appeared on Saturday Night Live, MADtv's rival show, on the same day in a nonspeaking role.
[edit]Dirty Work and The Norm Show (1998–2001)
After Lange served a short jail term and a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm MacDonald, impressed by Lange's work on Mad TV, offered him a part in the 1998 movie Dirty Work. Lange credits MacDonald and director Bob Saget with rejuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and a lucrative television development deal.[21] He then joined the cast of MacDonald's sitcom The Norm Show during its second season, staying until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point but a creative low point. He enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late, and being in healthy physical shape, as well as working with the cast, particularly with MacDonald and Laurie Metcalf; however, he disliked the show itself, referring to the material as "ridiculously lame, easy jokes."[22]
[edit]The Howard Stern Show (2001)
Lange was introduced to The Howard Stern Show by his father in 1982.[5] Following the departure of Jackie Martling, the show's head writer for 15 years, in March 2001,[citation needed] Stern announced a "Win Jackie's Money" contest, in which various comedians would audition for Martling's seat by sitting in during shows. Those who sat in included Craig Gass, Doug Stanhope, Richard Jeni, Jim Florentine and Ron Zimmerman.[23] After the cancellation of The Norm Show in April, Lange sat in for a number of shows between May and October before beginning full time on October 26, 2001.[citation needed] Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, gambling, drinking, drug use, and sleeping at work. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents. Lange had grown up listening to the show and was a fan to the point of being able to recall obscure details from years before on a regular basis. Lange's role on the show led him to occasionally be an antagonist towards guests and callers. The most famous of his feuds was the one he and Fred Norris had with wackpacker Eric "the Midget" Lynch. Lynch's calls would always involve him becoming hostile towards anybody on the show that would confront him on his delusions of persecution. Lange and Norris would then masterfully exacerbate Lynch's rage with Lange jabbing him with one-liners and Norris unleashing a torrent of sound-bites that Lynch hated. Often these calls would end with the 3'5" Lynch threatening to physically assault one or both of them. Celebrity guests to the show who discussed perceived hardships in their lives would find Lange waiting with his trademark phrase "Waaaaahhh".
Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence: His mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment while he continually gorges himself on pizza, pancakes, and other fattening foods and goes on drunken binges.
[edit]Beer League and substance abuse (2005–2008)
In early June 2005, Lange missed four days of shows, prompting concerns of a possible relapse into substance abuse.[24][25] The situation climaxed in Lange's behaving strangely and belligerently on the air.[26] On July 27, he infamously sneered at Stern and the staff, "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!"[27][28] Lange then missed the next two days, writing off his absence as due to stress from doing the radio show and filming his film Artie Lange's Beer League.[29] The truth for his absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on September 21, 2006, in which Lange acknowledged that he had regularly snorted heroin.[citation needed] He discussed past episodes of heroin use beginning when he was a standup comedian and continuing until Beer League was set to begin shooting.[26] He then detailed his painful withdrawal from the drug, which included side effects of aching, cold sweats, shaking, and vomiting. Lange recalled taking his telephone off the hook to avoid speaking to his mother, who ultimately intervened to help him recover.[citation needed] Lange was threatened with legal action by producers of Beer League if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting, which led him to secure a home visit from a doctor, who prescribed Subutex to alleviate his dependency.[26]
In the days leading up to Stern's departure from terrestrial radio in December 2005, Lange revealed that he and show producer Gary Dell'Abate were approached by Infinity Broadcasting about replacing Stern with a show of their own. He claimed he was offered roughly $5 million to defect, but he and Dell'Abate claimed never to have given the offer much thought.
On April 10, 2008, Lange walked off the show after an on-air argument and subsequent outburst at his personal assistant, Teddy (during which he mentioned that Teddy embarrassed him by referring to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's"), resulting in a physical altercation.[30] Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast, Lange returned to apologize and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.
On April 21, 2008, Lange returned to the Howard Stern Show following a scheduled one-week vacation hiatus for the cast members. He apologized and took full responsibility for his behavior. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite their on-air confrontation, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship.
[edit]Too Fat to Fish and Jack and Coke (2008–09)
Main article: Too Fat to Fish
On November 11, 2008, Lange's first book, Too Fat to Fish, was released. The book is a collection of narrative episodes from Lange's life, from his childhood to his recent USO trip to Afghanistan in July 2008. The foreword is written by Howard Stern.[31] The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list under hardcover nonfiction.[32] The softcover edition was released in June 2009 with a change to the back cover from the hardcover edition and includes a bonus chapter.
On November 17, 2009, Lange released his first-ever CD, Jack and Coke, via Shout! Factory. The 80-minute set was recorded live in New York City.
[edit]Artie's Return to Radio (2011-)
On July 6, 2011, Lange returned to radio for the first time since December 2009, guest hosting the Tony Bruno Show on Fox Sports Radio with fellow comic Nick DiPaolo. During the show, a caller asked Lange about returning to the Howard Stern show, to which Lange replied: "That would be the greatest thing ever, but you know listen, I was on the greatest show of all-time for about nine years and I put them in a very awkward situation to say the least. So what am I gonna do? But I love them all and they were great to me."[33]
[edit]Personal life
Lange frequently discussed his on-again/off-again relationship with longtime girlfriend Dana Sironi of New Jersey after they began dating in early spring 2002. Most of the couple's problems stemmed from Lange's lifestyle. In mid 2006, Lange declared that the couple had officially broken up, citing his heroin abuse as the primary reason. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 Stern Show that they were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007 but began dating again in December 2007. On January 29, 2008, Vinnie Favale from The Late Show with David Letterman accidentally emailed her the itinerary for the night of Lange's appearance. The email contained the details of the reservations Favale made for Lange and three women at a hotel. The long-suffering couple have since parted ways. However, Dana accompanied Lange to an appearance on the Letterman show in March 2009.
Lange remains very close to his family, which includes his sister Stacey, a successful corporate fashion designer,[citation needed] and his mother, Judy, who retired in March 2007 from a secretarial career.[citation needed] He was raised Catholic; however, he has said that, like Howard Stern, he sincerely doubts the existence of God but is "afraid" to identify himself as an atheist in the event that he is wrong.
His favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces. He considers George Carlin to be the all-time greatest comedian and said, "It's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first talk show appearance, on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.[34] He has been critical of the "unbelievably positive press" given to comedians such as Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais, feeling that their acclaim approaches hyperbole; he acknowledges their talents, however.
[edit]Political views
Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, a supporter of gay rights (despite his notorious penchant for gay jokes), and a supporter of unions owing to his former career as a longshoreman. He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and supported John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited The Howard Stern Show in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films. Crumbs Bakery currently offers an "Artie Lange" vanilla and chocolate cupcake, with partial proceeds going toward the Lifebeat HIV/AIDS charity.[35]
[edit]Health problems
In May 2004, Las Vegas station KLAS-TV reported him dead. At the time of the announcement, they were on the air doing a live show from Las Vegas, which made the call that much greater as they brought up the TV sound to the live Stern show feed for all who had attended the show that day to hear. The story turned out to be a prank executed by Stern Show regular caller Captain Janks.
The website artielangedeathwatch.com was started to predict when Lange would die if he continues this lifestyle. Before discontinuing updates, the site projected that he would die at age 53.[36] The site resulted in Lange's being turned down for special life insurance when the company came across it.[37] During the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner in 2006 Betty White quipped that she would outlive Lange.
Also in September 2007, Lange gave details of his experiences with sleep apnea. Lange claims that he has awoken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and has fallen asleep while sitting on the toilet.[citation needed]
A picture from the previous day of Lange holding a McDonald's bag and drink was revealed on the November 7, 2007, show. Lange called in sick the next day, blaming his "diet" for his illness, but the cast teased him anyway.
Lange missed work on December 2 and 3, 2008, owing to self-described "general discomfort" and "painful vomiting," causing concern that he was relapsing in his heroin addiction. On December 4, Lange said his doctor believed the symptoms may have been the manifestation of a bleeding ulcer.
[edit]Weight problems
During a Howard Stern Show weight loss competition, Lange was the only contestant to gain weight. He has been asked to appear on Celebrity Fit Club for each of the show's four seasons but has declined every time because of his commitment to Stern's show.
After his breakup with Sironi, Lange gained well over 100 lb (45 kg); on March 3, 2008, it was determined on The Howard Stern Show that he had reached 295 lb (134 kg). When Lange turned 40 in October 2007, he admitted that he weighed 305 pounds.[citation needed]
Lange was tested by Jon Hein for Type-2 diabetes on October 24 on The Howard Stern Show and discovered that his blood sugar was 238.[38] The next day on the show, Lange stated that his mother took him to see a doctor and that he was tested for diabetes. The tests came back negative, and he said his blood pressure was normal. The doctor, however, was very concerned with the speed with which Lange had gained so much weight and suggested that he go on a diet to save his heart. After this incident, Lange began a moderate diet.
On the June 17, 2009, episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast, Lange revealed that he had been sober for two and a half months, had lost 45 pounds, and hoped to lose 45 more.[39]
On the August 10, 2009 broadcast of The Howard Stern Show, Stern noticed Lange's weight loss. Lange then confirmed that his current weight was 230 lb. and that he wished to continue in his endeavor to lose more weight.[40] Lange stated that he stands about 5 feet 8 inches tall.[citation needed]
[edit]Drug and alcohol problems
On November 1, 2007, Lange revealed on the air that he had taken a tablet of Subutex and was feeling slightly high. Howard insisted it was because of his new diet. Less than an hour after feeling the effects of Subutex, Lange threw two objects, one of which was a CD case, in a fit of rage at cast member Sal the Stockbroker; the two were not on speaking terms after a heated argument the day before involving Richard Christy. Lange became frustrated after Sal and Richard attempted to amend the situation with an apology he found to be "phony." Lange soon afterwards apologized to Sal, admitting that he overreacted and "crossed a line [he] never thought [he] would," and made up with Sal and Richard one week later, on November 8.
On August 6, 2008, Lange claimed to have begun an intensive outpatient rehab program after missing the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.[41] On the August 11 airing of the show, Lange admitted to having been back on heroin for the previous seven weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool hall.[42] Comedian Richard Lewis recommended a therapist to Lange.
On the December 8, 2008 show, Lange admitted that he lied about intensive outpatient rehab and had only gone to the therapist twice, not even making it through the end of the second session.
[edit]2010 suicide attempt
On January 2, 2010, Lange attempted suicide by repeatedly stabbing himself in the abdomen with a 13-inch kitchen knife.[43] He was found on the floor of his home by his mother and taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Lange was released the following week.[44] Sirius stated that Lange would be welcomed back onto The Howard Stern Show following his recovery.[45]
Lange returned to the comedy stage for the first time on September 27, eight months after his suicide attempt, performing two nights at Comedy Cellar in New York. He mentioned being in a psychiatric ward for 8 months since the incident.[46]
[edit]Filmography
Year Title Role Other notes
2010 Serial Buddies Golden Graham
2009 Artie Lange: Jack and Coke Himself Stand-up DVD
2007 Entourage Scott Segil Ad-libbed Leslie Bibb's ass bite
2006 Rescue Me Mike – Lou's cousin TV series
Artie Lange's Beer League Artie DeVanzo
Fox Sports' 2006 World Series coverage Himself TV – promos alongside Jerry Stiller
Supertwink The Plumber In Demand Film
2005 Waltzing Anna Jacob Kline Film
2004 Game Over Turbo voice; TV series
Artie Lange: It's the Whiskey Talkin' Himself Stand-up DVD
A Piece of My Heart Lenny Steinberg
2003 Elf Fake Santa
Mail Order Bride Tommy Jackie Martling also stars but they do not appear together
Old School Booker
2002 Boat Trip Brian Refused to kiss co-star Will Ferrell
2001 Gameday Artie short, featured as extra on Artie Lange: It's the Whiskey Talkin'
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth Swim Coach Hasselhoff
1999 The Norm Show Artie Henderson TV series; once smoked pot with Peter Boyle behind The West Wing set on the Warner Bros. Studios lot
The Bachelor Marco
Mystery Men Big Red
Lost & Found Wally
The 4th Floor Jerry
Puppet Alexie
1998 Dirty Work Sam McKenna
1996 Jerry Maguire Sports radio host scene deleted; Tom Cruise yelled at him
1995 MADtv various TV series
[edit]Roles lost
Lange auditioned for the role of Milton in Mike Judge's film Office Space, and again for the role of Judge Hank "The Hangman" BMW in Mike Judge's film Idiocracy, he lost both roles to Stephen Root.[citation needed] Lange auditioned for Paul Giamatti's role in Man on the Moon. He also auditioned for the role of Nick Volpe (Wass Stevens was ultimately cast) in the 2008 film The Wrestler. During a December 18, 2008 call to The Howard Stern Show, director Darren Aronofsky, a stand-up comedy fan, stated he was impressed by Lange's acting but felt his celebrity would be distracting to the audience; Stern, who said it was his favorite movie of the year, agreed with this assessment and Lange joked it was the most flattering reason he'd ever been turned down for a role.
See also
Howard 100
Sirius Satellite Radio
References from Wikipedia.com