Partying with Artie Lange
I wound up in the green room just as the show was starting. Artie Lange was sitting in a corner writing material. "Why would an atheist care about global warming? Is that funny or does that not make sense?" He was talking to his assistant Ted and me. He decided that bit needed more work. "I have something coming up in New York; I may have this one figured out by then. It is going to take time to work out the concept." But he also wrote another joke about going to his old coke dealer's daughter's bat mitzvah while in Vegas that he decided to use. Bookmark it:  
|
Artie Lange returns to Vegas
Usually I like to prepare for an interview. But I tossed this rule out in the case of Artie Lange. I'd be hard pressed to explain this decision fully. But since his fans are already familiar with all of the twists in Lange's life, I find advantage in being endlessly surprised during our interviews. This time, I called Lange because on Saturday night (July 28) he appears at the Hard Rock. His Hard Rock appearance is a certain sellout. Lange always fills every seat in Vegas. So, I appreciate that, unlike many people I speak with, Lange doesn't need press from me or anyone to sell tickets. A word on Howard Stern or Letterman is plenty of exposure for anything Lange wishes to sell. Yet, Lange always finds time to have long and winding interviews with me before his trips here. From heroin to his love life, with Lange, you get the wild sparks of personality that pop to the surface of his answers and always in the most casual way. This interview was no exception.
| Bookmark it:
|
Artie Lange's Troubled Road
Artie Lange Interview, Part 2| Bookmark it:
|
From Heroin to Vegas: Artie Lange Speaks
Artie Lange missed work yesterday because he was ill and is worried he may
have to go to the doctor today. Nothing serious, he says, normal sick. But last
night he was nice enough to call me for our interview: "Sorry," he said. "I keep
crazy hours." Of course, Lange is out East and in Las Vegas it was a lot
earlier. Lange will never be tabloid fodder because he is too quick to expose
his worst behavior to his fans: hard drugs, drinking, sexcapades, etc. But
Lange's walk on the wild side is balanced by a workload that includes five hours
on Sirius satellite radio every morning, stand-up and movies. As for television,
Lange recently taped a guest shot on Entourage that he tells me everyone is
exuberant about. "The were so happy they want to have me back," Lange said. This
was followed immediately by, "I got to try to get happy myself." The dynamic of
Artie Lange in a nutshell. Lange will be bringing his stand-up to the Luxor
February 2-3 for two shows a night. Here is Part 1 of my talk with him and I
will have the rest for you on Monday.| Bookmark it:
|
Reaching Artie Lange
| Bookmark it:
|
Artie Lange
| Bookmark it:
|
Artie Lange to team with Beacher at Palms?
I caught up on the phone with radio personality and comedian Artie Lange over the weekend. I've written so much about Lange, people in Vegas now get in touch with me hoping to get messages to him. This makes me call him and we talk and I write more. If it keeps going like this I am a little concerned that I am going to become Boswell (Ninth Laird of Auchinleck) for a dude who doesn't even know who Samuel Johnson is. I don't want that job. My expertise is not what it should be when it comes to Artie Lange. I still haven't seen Lange's standup comedy or his movies or heard the Stern show since he joined it. But if what Lange told me pans out, that will change.
Lange said he is currently negotiating to appear early next year at a new venue at the Palms to perform standup. Lange says the ink isn't dry on this deal and even the exact dates aren't yet clear. But, according to Lange, "My intention is to do this. I think it will all come together. I want to get out to Vegas again."
As we spoke, Lange was in good spirits as anyone who just sold out Carnegie Hall (according to Lange, in under three hours) would be. But what is most interesting is that Lange told me the standup deal at the Palms, if it happens, would be produced by Jeff Beacher. Beacher, of course, was the headliner at Palms rival Hard Rock Hotel. But the sale of the Hard Rock to a corporate owner (Morgans Hotel Group), as noted earlier on the Buffet, meant that Beacher's Madhouse needs a new home.
Not that Beacher hasn't been busy. Beacher will be opening a new bar (Beacher's Rockhouse) on Aug. 29 at Imperial Palace. But Beacher has yet to announce where (if anywhere) he plans to put the Madhouse. The Palms is a logical fit. Also, according to Lange, the Palms is finishing construction on a new theatre with about 3,000 seats and that would be a perfect fit for Beacher's Madhouse. We will see. Meanwhile I can't help but note that while Dr. Johnson lived a long, productive life, poor Boswell wound up ravaged by alcoholism and venereal disease.
| Bookmark it:
|
A Call From Artie Lange
When Artie Lange finally came to Las Vegas a couple weeks ago I never expected to hear from him, and I didn't. I interview celebrities all of the time and they invite me to come hang out or to meet them or whatever. They never mean it.
The first time I got caught out on that reality was by Ray Charles. We had a phone interview shortly after I moved to Las Vegas for some concerts he was doing at The Orleans. At the end of our phone conversation, Charles told me to come backstage to meet him after the show. I dutifully went to the side door when the concert was finished, having bragged to my date that we were about to meet Ray Charles. I proudly told the security guard that Ray Charles had invited me back. Can you believe he didn't take me at my word?
Anyway, since that day, I learned that those invitations are only sincere if a backstage pass is included inside the envelope that contains my concert ticket. Outside of bands that are actually friends of mine, only once has the "Come back and say 'Hi' to us" offer been sincere, and that was from the late Joe Strummer. And that just covers the rock stars. Movie stars are even more disingenuous, inviting me to call them on their cell numbers, which they never offer me.
So even though Artie Lange said he would give me a ring when he made it to Vegas, I never actually expected he would call. His trip here was short, I already wrote my article and, hey, let's face facts, I'm not a cute girl. But last week my phone rang from a blocked number and, with my usual courage, I did not answer it. When I checked the message it was a long and friendly greeting from Artie Lange apologizing for not having the time to hang out or call me during his rush trip here. He said he'd get with me next time. The guy even left his home number and told me to call him if I ever make it to New York. No celebrity I have ever interviewed in my career has ever been that friendly and social. I am beginning to see why his fans are so attached to him. Who has seen his movie yet? How is it?
| Bookmark it:
|
Artie is Ready To Party in Vegas
I interviewed Artie Lange again last night. I had some follow up questions for the July 16 Sunday Calendar column I am writing about him.
I am starting to really like Artie Lange, in part because Artie makes my job easy. He doesn't bother with publicists or asking about run dates or photos or demand things go off the record. I call him. He calls back. I ask for permission to start the tape recorder and he agrees. He seems not to mind any of my questions.
Last night Lange was at a hotel in Pittsburgh where he was doing two nights of stand-up when we spoke. The man clearly works as hard as he claims to play.
In all our interviews and conversations and even when meeting face to face, Lange has always seemed sane, sober and together. His memory of specific details from one of our earlier conversations proved better than mine. It will be interesting to meet up with him when he gets to Vegas on July 21 and see Lange behave more in character for the first time.
Still, I do worry that a Google search on Lange lists among the top sites artielangedeathwatch.com. He is quoted there agreeing that the website is making some good points. One cliché I like to offer is that the key to covering entertainment in Vegas is always knowing when it is time to leave the party. That is certainly even more true if you are an entertainer in Vegas. (Look at Elvis as a worst case scenario.) There is something wrong and lurid about my (and your) fascination with watching Lange play footsie with the line between fun and excess. The only defense is that Lange is such a lucid and aware chronicler of his appetite for destruction that he offers us our invitation to the front row view — making this all somehow less voyeuristic. I do hope Lange's story has a happy ending.
Anyway, as promised, here is a partial transcript of some of the highlights of my lively conversation with Lange on Thursday.
Q: Did you enjoy the film festival here? And how goes it with the film?
A: CineVegas couldn’t have went any better for us. We were all thrilled. There were three critics. One guy gave it 4½ stars and compared it to "Caddyshack" and "Slapshot." Me and Frank, who I wrote the movie with, were ecstatic because "Slapshot" is the movie we wanted most to emulate. Another reviewer who said she doesn’t listen to the Stern show said ‘You’ll hurt your sides laughing.’ And, Variety gave it a real positive review, which we never thought would happen, because they tend to be a little snobby. It is opening Sept. 15 in New York, Jersey, Cleveland and Philly. Sept. 29 it will go wide to hopefully 1,000 screens.
Q: So, what has been up with you?
A: Just promotional stuff for the movie. It is going to be a whirlwind few days. I got to do the Stern show July 17 and July 18 and then get on a plane and fly to LA to shoot Entourage [on July 19 and 20] and then fly to Vegas and do “The Best Damn Sports Show” from the Mandalay Bay on July 21. Then I am going to hang in Vegas and take the redeye back on July 22. So, that’s the deal.
Q: This schedule must be hell on your relationship, which seemed kind of shaky when you were here last.
A: Well… I’ll tell you…. Um… I think. Umm… You know, I have never been that much in love with a woman before in my life. It is the most adult-like I have ever felt in a relationship. We dated for 4½ years. But it has been dying a slow painful death. I think it might be officially over. It is very hard. A lot of it had to do with my road schedule and what can happen to me and a lot of people on the road. The relationship is pretty much done.
| Bookmark it:
|
Artie Lange's Home Safe
I called Artie Lange on Sunday and left him a message to let him know how many people left messages for him on the Movable Buffet. I tried to tell him that he received many more messages than were posted here because I can only post comments that adhere to the Los Angeles Times' appropriate language policy. Poor guy called back right away thinking that people were trashing him.| Bookmark it:
|
