Artie Lange’s comedy devolves into offensive, forgettable act
NIAGARA FALLS — When this reviewer was working the overnight shift at an area grocery store during his college years, the night crew watched a televised recording of infamous shock jock Howard Stern’s radio show every night at 2 a. m.
It appealed to us because of the sensational talk and zany antics of its frequent guests, including comedian Artie Lange — who performed Saturday night at a show in the Seneca Niagara Events Center that almost instantly sold out. The consensus between me and my plus-one was that Lange’s show was mostly a forgettable and offensive train wreck.
After Lange’s clip reel of movie and TV appearances was shown, the New Jersey-based comedian entered to strains of the Who’s “Baba O’Riley” (and exited later to “Won’t Get Fooled Again” for good measure).
Lange’s sloppy appearance and self-destructive lifestyle are well-known among fans. So it came as no surprise that most of his material centered on his alleged history of rampant drug use.
Why did Lange become an addict? Because the anti-drug slogans such as “Hugs are better than drugs” didn’t work, he said. He found drugs are “way better than when Uncle Barry hugs me” and he “never drove to Harlem at 4 a. m. for a hug.”
Lange didn’t win any friends by professing his allegiance to the New York Giants and taunting Bills fans in the audience for obvious reasons (also for calling Western New York the “middle of nowhere”). But the audience quickly forgave the bashing.
The sports theme continued throughout the show as Lange riffed on the NBA (a spelling bee during the all-Star game would be more entertaining than a dunk contest, he said), Mike Tyson and Philadelphia Eagles fans (who are so rowdy there was a courtroom and judge in the basement of their old stadium on game day).
The sports talk and plethora of misogynistic material was likely a driving reason behind the high percentage of young males in the audience. Lange bounced around among widely varied topics, including polite Canadian bookies, Tom Cruise’s high energy level (isn’t that Kathy Griffin territory?) and — albeit briefly — the recent U. S. presidential election.
But to delve any deeper would not make it past the editors.
Most of Lange’s printable jokes are printed here. When Lange rapped Notorious B. I. G.’s “Gimme the Loot,” however (a feat he’s known for on the Stern show), it was moderately impressive. The truly irksome parts were when Lange took aim at Special Olympics participants and Hurricane Katrina victims. It smacked of downright hostility. Comedians should use their soapbox to make jokes at the expense of people in power (Jon Stewart and Lewis Black are contemporary masters), not the vulnerable.
Toward the end, Lange rattled off jokes about the cast of Stern show regulars — including Beetlejuice, Crazy Alice and Robin — that my night crew colleagues turned to night after night for entertainment.
Stern has since moved on to satellite radio, where he is unencumbered by censors. But it is sad that it’s 2009 and the world of comedy hasn’t progressed beyond using certain vulgarities and common dirty refrains.
Comedy Review
Artie Lange
Saturday night in Seneca Niagara Events Center, Niagara Falls.
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