Too Fat to Fish

According to Lange, the book's title originated in his early twenties when his mother tried to stop him from going deep-sea fishing and repeatedly shouted, "you are too fat to fish".^[2] In the same interview, Lange said the phrase only later struck his family as funny enough to become a fitting title for his memoir.^[2]

The book was co-written with Anthony Bozza, and Howard Stern wrote the foreword.^[1][2] The publisher described the memoir as covering Lange's family life, work as a cab driver and longshoreman, his years in stand-up comedy, his time on MADtv, and his struggles with addiction, obesity, and self-sabotage.^[1]

In June 2008, five months prior to the book's release, Too Fat to Fish hit the Amazon list at No. 27. Chapter eight of the book, "Pig in Shit", was made available for reading, including clips of the audio book from the book's website.^[6] On November 3, the Howard 100 News team reported that a billboard advertising Too Fat to Fish was put up at Broadway and 54th Street in New York City.^[6][7]

One day after the release of Too Fat to Fish, the book topped Amazon's "Hot New Releases" list and reached No. 8 in its "Bestsellers in Books" lists.^{[citation needed]}

Too Fat to Fish debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list,^[3] holding the position for one week.^[4] The book remained on the list's top ten for 11 weeks,^[8] and inside the top 15 for fourteen weeks.^[9]

A paperback edition was published on June 2, 2009.^[1] Lange later said that its bonus chapter included material he had written while using heroin.^[5]

The book also received media attention for its unusual title, based on something Lange's mother once said.^[2] It was notably referenced twice on the Top Ten List segment on Late Show with David Letterman.^[10][11]

The unabridged audiobook edition was released on November 11, 2008.^[1] It was read by Lange himself, Gary Dell'Abate, Bob Levy, and Jim Florentine.^[1][12] Contemporary coverage on The Howard Stern Show reported that Lange read six chapters, with the remaining chapters divided among Dell'Abate, Levy, and Florentine.^[13][14]

Publishers Weekly called the book "scrappy, funny, tumultuous and profane, just like its author", adding that Lange "sheds light on his troubled and heartbreaking past in this hilarious and brutally honest memoir".^[15]

The A.V. Club wrote that Too Fat to Fish was "more than a companion volume" to The Howard Stern Show and that it "manages to be hilarious even while discussing topics as harrowing as a suicide attempt". Reviewer Brett Singer also wrote that Lange's recollections showed "amazing recall for the details of his autobiographical stories".^[16]

Writing in the Houston Press, Bob Ruggiero said that the book "swings wildly across a range of emotions", and wrote that it "veers from a comic memoir to harrowing tale of addiction". He concluded that, although it might have more limited appeal for readers unfamiliar with Lange, the book was "raw, funny".^[17]