Too Fat To Fish

A friend at work slipped Artie Lange's Too Fat To Fish in my mailbox with a post-it that read "quick read," and it is. But who can put down a book about a guy who develops a cocaine habit in his 20's and still manages to get fat? 

I didn't expect much from this book, but it does have its moments. He is pretty forthright about a few of his more embarrassing drug-and-booze escapades, and I enjoyed the bit about Tom Cruise being a complete asshole. That's what makes autobiographies worth the price of admission - having your suspicions about the insanity of celebrities confirmed (not that we needed much more in Cruise's case).

If you're looking for high-quality writing on the level of George Carlin's Last Words, you won't find much of that here. In fact, the first couple chapters are kind of rough, and I almost bailed. But there was just enough lovable loser-dom to keep me skimming along to the next monumental fuck-up.

When I heard about his recent suicide attempt, I have to admit I felt bad for the guy. Not because I'm a big fan - I'm not - but because Lange is one of those creative people who is obviously wired for self-destruction in a way that makes most people's bad habits look tame. And anyone who tries to kill himself by stabbing clearly has some real problems, especially when you consider the effort required to find an organ under all that adipose tissue.