Crashing and burning

In Crash and Burn, Artie Lange (and cowriter Anthony Bozza) chronicles his extreme drug use. It is really something for an Artie Lange fan, who has followed him on the Howard Stern show over the years, to learn how he was high throughout most it. He had been upfront that he struggled off and on with booze, coke, and heroin. But the books reveals that it was much worse than he let on at the time. When he dozed off during the radio show, it wasn't because he was tired from performing comedy shows on weekends--it was because he was either high or struggling between highs. There was even a very hilarious appearance on Conan that he now reveals he can't remember at all because he was blacked out during the interview.

Artie sometimes credits his huge success as a comedian with the exposure he got from being on the Stern show, and he isn't wrong. But he landed the Stern gig because he is extremely talented and very hard working. He pulled himself from working class beginnings to wealth and fame.

It doesn't bode well for his chances at recovering that he is hilarious when he is on drugs, since he is a professional comedian. The fame and fortune probably don't help either. If he still had the pressures of a more regular life, his worst tenancies might be tempered. I think Michael Jackson is the most extreme example of that. If he were just a regular guy who is insecure about his appearance and struggles to sleep at night, would he have had multiple cosmetic surgeries and a personal physician injecting him with powerful drugs to to get him to sleep?

I think the normal responsibilities in my life keep me grounded. Having to keep a job, maintain a relationship, and deal with others is good for my character.