Howard Stern Show sound guru Fred Norris says Artie Lange was practically begging to be fired in the months leading up to his suicide attempt.
Howard Stern: the Artie Lange days are 'over'
Monday's Howard Stern Show featured several new insights into the Artie Lange saga. When a caller asked for clarification on Howard Stern's statements about Artie Lange in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, the cast launched into the most revealing analysis of Artie Lange's downfall since the comedian's 2010 suicide attempt by stabbing.
"It’s very clear that he felt there was no other way out," said Fred Norris. "Maybe he wanted to quit the show and he didn’t know how to do it, so he really went overboard...And I think he wanted you [Howard] to make the choice for him. I don’t think he wanted to pull the trigger on himself. He’s like: ‘I can’t walk away from this. It’s really good. I’m up. YOU fire me!’ I mean, I really think he wanted to put your back up against the wall.”
Howard Stern backed Norris' analysis:
"Yeah, I think there’s a lot of truth in that. I think what Fred’s saying is right, that [Artie] kept saying to me: ‘This is gonna end badly. You’ll see'."
Read the entire transcript from the March 21, 2011 Howard Stern Show Artie Lange discussion here
In the months before Lange's attempt, the comedian frequently called in "sick" to the show. On days when he did appear in studio, the Howard Stern Show discussion was often completely dominated by stories about his poor health, desperate battle to beat heroin addiction and sometimes even featured Lange passed out snoring live on-air.
Artie Lange's house up for sale (photos)
Howard Stern said Monday that while he doesn't feel responsible for Artie Lange's suicide attempt, he does feel guilt over not picking up on the signs that he was spiraling out of control.
"He’s a great guy--a tremendous talent and my heart goes out to him," said Howard Stern of Lange. "I feel terrible for him. But my days with Artie are useless. They’re over. This is bigger than me. I’m not a psychiatrist. I’m not a doctor. I’m not God. I don’t know how to handle that. I’m just some dude doing a radio show. It’s not for me.”
Artie Lange is still listed as an official member of the Howard Stern Show cast on HowardStern.com.
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