My favorite moment was when he and Cumia had Chris Hansen on their show. The clip starts strong but the shitty edit cut out half of the best part (in spoiler):
There were pretty credible rumors two year ago that he has alcohol and drug induced dementia. And he hasn't been seen in public since then. He cleared a court ordered drug program but it was one that allows all sorts of prescription medications. So he's not truly sober, as a doctor can give him the kind of pills he was using for years, he's just not on illegal drugs like heroin or cocaine (or was just long enough to complete the drug program).
Plenty of people get sober while taking prescribed medication for conditions that warrant it. As it says the 12 Step literature, we are not doctors. Yes there are plenty of shady docs who will play Dr. Feelgood for an addict and there are lots of addicts who pretend to be sober while getting a secret fix. But there are also many people who stay within the guardrails they need to stay free from addiction while treating what needs to be treated. For example, lots of alcoholics who suffer panic attacks have an emergency script for eg Klonopin that they only take as-needed and can make a single bottle of 30 .5mg tabs last years. Meanwhile others who got fucked up on benzos just can’t touch them. Everyone is different.
Howard never did anything to Artie. Artie blew up his own life repeatedly. Artie was doing coke with fans in 2002 at standup gigs. When Artie signed with Stern full time he changed his agency and they pushed him into a relentless work schedule. He was doing national standup tours, pilots, writing, acting gigs. All while working on Stern full time. He used coke and other drugs to push through the fatigue. Then heroin to make it through Beer League. And never recovered.
Artie's never really been clean for a long stretch either by any definition. He was into drugs in high school before he got into show business.
Jesus that seems like a fate worse than death.
"HOO HOO! RAWBIN, AYE INVENTET AHHTIE! HOO HOO!"
Which part? An addict who‘s able to get sober and has a sane perspective on life feels like someone opened up the gates of hell and let you out.
If Artie is sober then that's really all that matters. It's hard for non-addicts to understand this because it's lunatic behaviour.
I mean being a vegetable after struggling with drug and alcohol addiction for years. I didn’t want to come off as an asshole. I’ve been sober for 6 years now used to drink secretly behind my parents and friends back for 5 years. I miss none of that shit man. Honestly those that stay sober have my admiration. No one should ever have to struggle with addiction. It’s the worst feeling in The world man.
For sure. In some ways I am sure it’s a mercy. I definitely know addicts who got so bad they would have traded being a zombie for being in active addiction and hurting everyone they loved most. Artie’s mom has earned her place in the World to Come.
I'm just glad to hear Artie seems to be doing good. I can't fully blame Howard for Arties struggles but he's not exactly innocent in them either. And Anthony I have no fucking idea why he thought it was a good idea to hire him for his show. Anthony is actually worse in a lot of ways than Artie since he continues to drink even after bering in an ICU for a heart attack. I'm more disappointed in Anthony than angry. It's like Ronnie told him once he was one of the funniest guys on radio and blew it all due to his racism and alcoholism.
Man, I just wanted to shit on Stern a little.
I agree with you. While Howard didn't make Artie an addict, he did make it into a "bit" on the show. Of course, Howard had been using guests and coworkers personal problems as fodder for his show for ages, so it was nothing new.
If you ever wonder why Anthony did any of the stupid stuff he has done over the years, the answer will always be because he's Anthony. He is a fucking idiot to his core, and the last eleven years have proven that he would be a low-income vagrant had it not been for the tireless work and having his hand by everyone else around him.
Were it not for Opie, Anthony would be an alcoholic tin-knocker on Long Island, married to a woman he hates.
I would argue people owe him more than he owes people. Word on the street is he's known for his generosity. I think Stuttering Bomb owes him like $5k
I imagine Artie owes more money to bookies than he does to other comedians. Him and Norm used to go gambling and both of them were the definition of "degenerate gambler." It's BossmanJack type stories, minus the crack.
Which is what makes his continued hate boner for Opie such bitch-made behavior.