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Artie Back on the "Bad" Opiates

When Artie Lange missed 2 performances in the first week of August, his fans and detractors alike knew something was wrong.

With the Stern show on another yet another vacation, news was slow to come but when it did - it was not really a surprise.  Lange had fallen back into heroin abuse, a problem he has struggled with mightily for years.

Lange did return to the air with the rest of the crew when live shows resumed on August 11th.  He told Stern and his cohorts that he begun snorting heroin again several months ago and that he been trying to get it under control ever since.  He had been able to suspend his use during a comedy tour with the USO to Afghanistan in July - with the help of the opiate blocker Subutex - but had fallen back into the habit upon his return.

The climax of his last dance with Mr. Brownstone came when he attempted to succeed from heroin to travel to L.A. to perform in the Comedy Central roast of Bob Saget.  He ended up taking his prescribed Subutex dose too soon after his last hits of heroin.  The effects of buprenorphine - the active ingredient in Subutex and it's sister drug Subuxone - is both as an opiate agonist and antagonist, meaning that it both occupies the brain's opiate receptors (staving off withdrawal) but can unbind the opiates from them in certain circumstances.

Lange did the latter when he didn't allow the generally accepted 12 hours from his last heroin dose.  The result was a dizzying and horrifying tale of sudden withdrawal sickness, frantic calls to the producers of the roast and an eventual decision by Lange to check himself into a local rehab clinic to get stabilized.  He was checked out of the facility the next day by an addiction specialist recommended by, surprising enough, the ever irritating comedian Richard Lewis.

Lange is now under the care of that specialist and claims to be back on a more appropriate Subutex regimen along with therapy.  The use of so called "replacement therapy" by Lange to treat his opiate abuse is one of the primary ways in which opiate abusers can end their destructive habits, but it does not come without it's drawbacks.  It does not relieve the individual of dependency, as they ostensibly become dependent on the replacement medication - whether it be methadone or the newer, generally safer buprenorphine.

It does however stop the crazy train that often accompanies heroin use.  Even though Lange could arguably afford to feed his habit with his million dollar bankroll, there really is no such thing as enough opiates and Lange clearly saw the drawbacks as outweighing the euphoric high of heroin.

And that's a good thing, because that means Artie can continue to entertain us with his unique style of comedy.  Even though many Stern fans complain that Lange's antics are taking away from the true focus of the show, there are just as many others who find his actions reflect a gritty reality where even the highest levels of success can't thwart the pull of addiction.

Artie may go back to heroin again in the future, but his clear refusal to accept that as inevitable is inspiring.  Even though they have faced mounting criticism for "coddling" Artie,  Howard and his cohorts are doing the right thing.  They understand that to throw Artie out on the street would only lead to more problems for Lange, who despite moments of drowsiness is clearly an asset to the show and is an integral player in the daily masterpiece that is the Howard Stern Show.

Lange's not perfect.  He will never be.

Neither are any of us, but the fact that he's still so great gives us a clue as to the real genius of Artie Lange.

Lange Returns to Stern Show

The Baby Gorilla returns!  After an on-air meltdown and subsequent resignation, Artie Lange returned to the Howard Stern radio show on Monday after a week of fervent speculation regarding his status.

Sirius satellites were on maximum power at 6am when Howard returned to the air after a week long vacation.  Stern held the audience in suspense for several minutes before revealing that Artie was indeed back in the studio.

Fans were abuzz with various theories about the whole situation.  Some believed that the fight was staged.  Still others argued that the incident proved that Artie did not appreciate his place on the show or respect his colleagues.  Many fans had even begun to speculate about a his replacement, with names like Dave Attell, Bob Levy and  former member Jackie Martling in the mix.

Lange had apparently stuck to his decision to leave the show until he returned from a previously scheduled trip to Amsterdam to celebrate Stern staffer Jason Kaplan's bachelor party.  After received Howard's support and meeting with Sirius executives, Lange was cleared to return to the show.

Lange was extremely apologetic upon his return, commenting that he felt like a part of a big family and that everyone had been very supportive.  Artie announced that his business relationship with Teddy had changed, with Teddy now serving in a lesser capacity as a "road coordinator" or some such title.  Some were not convinced that was such a good idea.  Fred Norris commented that Teddy should only continue to work for Lange if Artie is in a cage with stun guns trained on him in case he gets out of control again.  Nice Fred.  Real nice.  But true.

Stern also explained why he pulled the normal replay of the now infamous show.  He said he feared that replaying the incident might further exacerbate the situation for Lange, as he would know that people were listening to his blowup around the clock for the next 24 hours.

The replay and video of the incident are now for ready for daylight, as Stern announced he would be replaying the show in it's entirety all weekend long on his Sirius and that video of the events will be available via HowardTV, the show's on-demand cable channel.

Bottom line - Artie's back - and that means listeners will continue to hear a top quality Stern show every morning.

Say It Ain't So Artie

Comic and Howard Stern show member Artie Lange stunned his fellow radio show colleagues when he abruptly resigned from the show following an on-air blow up with his assistant.

During the 8am hour of Thursday's show, Artie charged long-time assistant Teddy and had to be restrained by 7 Stern show members.

Hawkszone certainly hopes that Lange can return to the show when it begins live broadcasts on April 21st.  He has the quickest wit of any comedian I have seen and is a perfect match for Stern's stream of consciousness style.

Artie has battled weight and addiction issues for some years now, and his on-air behavior has become somewhat erratic as his popularity and demands on his time have grown.  The grueling early morning schedule has been difficult for Lange, who hinted he would retire at the beginning of the year but reconsidered.

Artie is a true one of a kind person and if he does indeed leave the Stern show, it will be a loss felt far and wide as Sirius subscribers everywhere decide whether it is worth the money without Lange on Stern.

Rider Continues Retirement Hijinks

Is insanity due to waste of talent a lawful defense in the State of California?  Former Hawk Isaiah Rider better hope so.

Rider, whose history with the Hawks includes threatening former teammate Dikembe Mutombo with a beat down and a couple of baseline fadeaways, has been arrested in Los Angeles for investigation of auto theft.

Isaiah has experienced somewhat of a rough time since departing the NBA and it's substance abuse policy back in 2001.  He has been arrested numerous times, and in classic J.R. style, has avoided the ticky-tack misdemeanors in favor of more substantive felony charges.

Here's the link.

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QUICK TAKES

3/29/08 - How in the hell did rapper T.I. get off so easily on federal gun charges?  I haven't seen a deal as sweet as that from Federal prosecutors since Sammy "The Bull" Gravano sold out John Gotti and the Gambinos.  This guy was carrying around fully automatic rifles and slinging Uzis and all he gets is 8 or 9 months in the slammer - and he doesn't even have to start his stint until he is done with his new album and tour.  Unbelievable.  If this guy was an average joe he would be serving 10-15 years without a second thought.

3/29/08 - And while we are on the rap thing, how about the Los Angeles Times and the writer that was duped by a white boy wannabee extraordinaire and his jail house type writer.  Frankly, all this does is ensure that no reporter or news organization investigates the still unsolved Shakur murder ever again.

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