Too Fat to Fish

November 3, 2008
This debut memoir from the comedian best known as Howard Stern's radio show sidekick is scrappy, funny, tumultuous and profane, just like its author. Lange, a self-proclaimed fat guy with a heroin problem, is difficult to love, but easy to like, his shaggy-dog life story full of derogatory self-awareness and cheerful vulgarity (often in the form of casual profanity and sexism). Many episodes from this life story will be familiar to Stern listeners, including the infamous "Pig Story," wherein Lange snorts cocaine while in full pig costume on the set of television's MADtv. Less familiar to fans will be a sobering account of Lange's suicide attempt and fond childhood memories of his beloved father. Lange's outrageous and horrific behavior involves prostitution, jail time and several trips to rehab; perhaps the saddest recurring theme is the frequency with which Lange thanks someone who's helped him, only to reveal that that person is no longer a part of his life. Glossing over Lange's penchant for alienating people is just one oversight that keeps this warts-and-all memoir from feeling fully honest. Still, for those with a taste for his aggressive, self-loathing brand of humor will find this volume full of compulsively readable stories. Photos.

Starred review from December 22, 2008
Comedian and Howard Stern Show
regular Lange sheds light on his troubled and heartbreaking past in this hilarious and brutally honest memoir. Even though much of his memoir addresses serious topics—such as his father’s slow death after becoming a quadriplegic in a horrific accident; his own issues with weight and drug addiction; his troubled relationships with family and friends—Lange never fails to poke fun at himself and, most important, at the randomness of life itself. Read by a small cast of exuberant personalities including the Rev. Bob Levy, Gary Dell’abate, Jim Florentine and, of course, Lange himself, the recording is one of the funniest and most touching readings audio fans are likely to hear all year. While there is plenty of crude humor, there is a bright upside to the tales presented and a terrific message for those facing adversity in their own life. A Spiegel & Grau hardcover.