Artie Lange: The 300-Pound New Jersey Comedian in the Room

Comments (0) By Ryan Ritchie Wednesday, Apr 2 2008

Artie Lange is a 300-pound New Jersey native who’s battled cocaine, heroin and alcohol addiction. And he’s pretty funny too. During the day, he’s a cast member on The Howard Stern Show, and by night, he’s a standup comedian who doesn’t shy away from his troubled past.

Artie Lange channels John Belushi.

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Artie Lange channels John Belushi.

L.A. WEEKLY: You lived in Los Angeles, right?
LANGE: Yeah. Some of the happiest and worst moments of my life happened in L.A. I was working on MAD TV, but living in a hole with a cocaine problem.

What’s the difference between an L.A. party and a New York party?
Nothing. There are just as many phony show-business ass-wipes in New York. In my early days in L.A., somebody would get passes to a party. We’d get there and realize the whole thing was a PR stunt. There’s no way big stars are going to be there, because you’re there.

Are you worried you’ll be doing the Howard Stern cruise in 20 years?
My liver’s going to give out well before 20 years.

Do you still not have the Internet?
No, I finally got it. For a year, I had a Web site and didn’t have a computer, and a DVD out but not a player. I have a MySpace page I’ve never seen. A guy in my agent’s office pretends to be me.

Artie Lange, Gibson Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City; Sat., April 5, 8:15 p.m.; $29.75-$49.75. (818) 777-3931 or www.ticketmaster.com.