”Crash & Burn”: review of a beautiful book.

”I’d stopped caring, and somehow I thought that meant no one else cared either. If they did, they had no right to as far as I was concerned.”- Artie Lange ”Crash and Burn”

A kid from NJ who listened to Stern religiously with his father growing up-a father that became a quadriplegic after suffering an accident at his job. The archetypal Italian Momma’s boy from Jersey, Lange worked as a taxi cab driver and a longshoreman: supporting his mother and sister as he promised his father on his deathbed. Artie continued this financial support with his big break on MAD-TV in 1995, although Lange left after only 2 seasons following a bender, short police chase and then his subsequent arrest of cocaine possession. Artie left his well-paying career as a longeshorman to chase the epitome of a pipe dream: a career in comedy.
Lange worked with lengends such as Norm Macdonald-doing some smaller roles after MAD TV. Artie then moved onto the Howard Stern Show in 2001 as a main co-host until December of 2009-eventually culminating in his second suicide attempt.
Artie has also worked on two seperate Poscasts since Stern that did quite well, “Artie Quitter podcast” from 2015-2017 and the “The ‘AA’/Anthony and Artie Show” which features Anthony Cumia: former co host of the “Opie and Anthony Show”.
Like Lange, Cumia is no stranger to hot water and scandal considering his issues with alcohol and legal problems. The inner demons and ability to cope with them are a common theme throughout the mind of a good comic, although Artie takes the cake (literally). From eating his feelings, to washing them away with oceans of Whiskey-down to every little line of oxycodone, Heroin and cocaine- it hurt to read what truly goes on in the mind of Artie Lange...Comics like to self-deprecate, indulge in dark humor and utilize just about every other way to make their worst issues into jokes. To this: I relate, and I'm quite familiar with this phenomenon among comics, a sort of self-medication. Unfortunately-laugher wasn't the only medicine in the mix.
As somebody struggling with my own cluster of issues regarding my bipolar depression, anxiety, and substance abuse issues-I can attest to the significance of the sweet and satisfying escape that can only be achieved by taking those issues, and just ribbing on yourself. Make others laugh since I'm sure as fuck not when sitting alone with this shit-ruminating. The pain always comes back, but it's nice to vacation..
-This is the most recent photo of Artie, taken at his last court date..so no, he’s still struggling. I wish I could end this post with a happy healthy Artie Lange-but fuck, I'm no hypocrite: I feel myself sliding and slipping a bit more with each day..but I am taking Artie’s advice: ”pls don't be me younger ppl. I care for you deeply!” -tweeted Artie after his last arrest for Heroin and cocaine possession..

”I wish I could tell you how my story ends...I swear this life is so crazy, I wish that scared me”.